hubBy Homeopathy Network TeamMarch 4, 2026

Glossary of Homeopathic Terms

Homeopathy has its own precise vocabulary. This glossary defines the key terms you will encounter across homeopathy.network — from foundational concepts like remedy and proving to specialized terms like repertorization and simillimum.

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A | C | D | I | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | V

A

Acute Prescribing — The selection of a remedy for sudden-onset, self-limiting conditions
Aggravation — A temporary intensification of symptoms after taking a well-chosen remedy
Antidote — A remedy that neutralizes or counteracts the effects of a previously given remedy

C

Case Taking — The systematic interview process for gathering a patient's symptom information
Centesimal Scale — The 1:100 dilution scale, denoted by C (e.g., 6C, 30C, 200C)
Complementary Remedy — A remedy that follows well after another, completing its action
Constitutional Prescribing — Remedy selection based on the patient's overall constitution

D

Decimal Scale — The 1:10 dilution scale, denoted by X or D
Dilution — The reduction in concentration of a substance at each step of preparation
Direction of Cure — Hering's observations on how genuine healing progresses
Drug Picture — The complete symptom profile of a remedy as recorded in the materia medica

I

Imponderabilia — Remedies prepared from non-material energy sources
Individualization — The principle of matching a remedy to each patient's unique symptom picture

K

Keynote — A highly characteristic symptom that strongly points to a particular remedy

L

Law of Similars — The foundational principle: like cures like (similia similibus curentur)
LM Potency — The 1:50,000 dilution scale described in the sixth edition of the Organon

M

Materia Medica — The body of knowledge describing the medicinal properties of homeopathic remedies
Miasm — A fundamental predisposition to chronic disease, first described by Hahnemann
Minimum Dose — The principle of using the smallest dose capable of producing a therapeutic response
Modality — A factor that makes a symptom better or worse
Mother Tincture — The initial liquid extract from which potentized remedies are prepared

N

Nosode — A remedy prepared from disease products or diseased tissue

O

Organon of Medicine — Samuel Hahnemann's foundational text setting out the principles of homeopathy

P

Palliation — Temporary relief of symptoms without addressing the underlying disturbance
Pharmacopoeia — An official compendium of standards for remedy preparation and quality control
Plussing Method — A dosing technique where a remedy is dissolved in water and succussed before each dose
Polychrest — A remedy with a wide range of action, applicable to many conditions
Posology — The branch of therapeutics concerned with dosage, repetition, and administration
Potency — The strength or level of a homeopathic remedy
Potentization — The two-step process of serial dilution and succussion
Prover — A healthy volunteer who participates in a proving
Proving — A systematic experiment documenting the symptoms a substance produces in healthy volunteers
Psora — The primary and most fundamental miasm in Hahnemann's chronic disease theory

R

Remedy — A homeopathic preparation made from a natural substance through potentization
Remedy Relationship — The established affinities between remedies — complementary, antidotal, and inimical
Repertorization — The process of using a repertory to identify matching remedies
Repertory — A systematic index mapping symptoms to the remedies associated with them
Rubric — A single entry in a repertory representing a specific symptom

S

Sarcode — A remedy prepared from healthy animal tissues or secretions
Simillimum — The single remedy whose proven picture most closely matches the patient's symptoms
Single Remedy — The principle of prescribing only one remedy at a time
Succussion — The vigorous shaking performed at each step of potentization
Suppression — The driving of disease symptoms to deeper levels through inappropriate treatment
Susceptibility — An individual's predisposition to particular diseases or sensitivity to remedies
Symptom Picture — The complete presentation of a patient's symptoms used for prescribing

T

Tincture — A liquid extract of a substance in an alcohol-water base
Tissue Affinity — The specific organs or body systems upon which a remedy primarily acts
Totality of Symptoms — The complete symptom picture considered as a whole
Trituration — The process of grinding insoluble substances to make them suitable for potentization

V

Vital Force — The animating, self-governing principle that maintains health and orchestrates self-healing

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