The Significance of Pharmaceutical Methods Illustrated in The Case of Silicea [abstract]

By: Peter A. Pedersen

Original title: Zur Bedeutung des pharmazeutischen Prozesse am Beispiel des Kiesels. Der Merkurstab 2008, 61: 48–53.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14271/DMS-19201-DE
English by A. R. Meuss, FCIL, MTA.
This translation is published with the kind permission of the journal Der Merkurstab.

Introduction

Pain management takes its orientation in the different expectations of patients. These relate to the need to control symptoms, possibilities of treating pain “causally” and “transform” it, the psyche (connection between pain and suffering, depression) and its spiritual dimension. Integrative, multi-modal pain management therefore calls for comprehensive insight into the nature of pain. An anthroposophical and a homoeopathic medicine differs from a conventional medicine mainly in that the manufacturing method plays a major and even crucial role. Surprising at first sight, we can understand this if we consider higher potencies in homoeopathy. Without the method of potentization, Arnica 30 x is nothing but solvent (water, alcohol) and hence of course not medicinally active. In both schools, potentization is only one—important—method. In classic homoeopathy, only 4 methods were known for processing fresh plant material and 5 to 7 other methods, but today the German Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia (1) (GHP) includes more than 200 different manufacturing methods (56 “main” ones, with sometimes more than 20 (Method 12) variations). Nine of these have been part of the European Pharmacopoeia from 2007. No single substance is processed according to all the methods given in the GHP, but many provide a number of medicines produced by different methods. Let us consider one such substance, for this can provide the basic insights on which a physician may decide whether to prescribe a substance or rather a pharmaceutical process and a substance. One special method of potentization to be mentioned here is combined potentization. Two or more lower potencies (e. g. 0.5 parts each of a 5 x and a 7 x) are combined, diluted with 9 parts of the medium and suc- cussed (in this case to the 6 x/8 x). The method is given in the GHP (ref. 1, Method 40 a–c). In anthroposophical pharmacy the method is, however, often used in order to combine several (potentized) substances. The original potencies are often combined in different proportions (1 part each of original potency, medium to make 10 parts) than those given in the GHP, so that it is not possible to declare the potentization. The significance of pharmaceutical methods illustrated in the case of silicea

Abstract

With the examples of Quartz and Equisetum it is shown how many manufacturing methods are available for the production of anthroposophical medicines. The differences in efficacy are not due to differences in the composition of the products. In many cases they can only be explained as resulting from the different manufacturing methods used. These examples stress that the physicians using anthroposophical medicines prescribe not merely a substance but also a manufacturing method.

Keywords: Silicea, Quartz, Equisetum arvense, Manufacturing methods, Anthroposophical medicines, Composition, Potentizing substances together, Binding agents