Want a simple way to test the effects of potentisation? Look no further than a handful of wheat seeds and a little arsenic, and do what these researchers did (ok, the arsenic may be hard to come by).

The researchers changed the gene expression of wheat seedlings by poisoning them with arsenic. They then gave some of them potentised arsenic (a remedy containing no molecular trace of the original arsenic). The gene expression of the treated seedlings returned to near normal levels, whereas that of the untreated seedlings was unchanged.

Was this homeopathy? Not specifically. It goes by the name of tautopathy – a sub-branch of potentisation – in which poisoning effects are treated by a potentised form of that poison. While individualisation of symptoms is not involved, tautopathy is an easy way to demonstrate that potentised remedies do have effect.

The researchers say that plant models, such as wheat seedlings, allow researchers to overcome the problems of ethical issues, placebo effects, time limitations and high costs associated with other types of clinical trials.

More Information: Transcriptome Profiling of Wheat Seedlings following Treatment with Ultrahigh Diluted Arsenic Trioxide