Homeopathic medicines are therapeutically active micro-doses of mineral, botanical and biological substances used to treat various health conditions, including allergies, coughs, colds, flu, muscle pain, occasional sleeplessness, anxiousness, nervous tension and stress. Homeopathic medicines have been used for more than 200 years and are used by millions of consumers worldwide.

Since the passage of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, homeopathic medicines have been regulated as drugs by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).1

Traditional Hahnemannian homeopathy is based on three principles:

1. ‘Like cures like’. Something that in large doses creates the symptoms of a disease, will, in small doses, treat it. This is similar to the theory behind vaccines.
2. Extreme dilution enhances the medicine’s healing properties and eliminates undesirable side-effects.
3. When choosing a remedy, a holistic approach to the person as a whole must be taken into consideration.

Most homeopathic medicines are obtained from a precise and controlled process of successive homeopathic dilutions. They are commonly made by crushing a plant, animal, or mineral substance then putting it into a solvent such as grain alcohol. The extract is then further diluted in a mixture of alcohol and water. (Solid products can be diluted using lactose.) The process is repeated many times to achieve a therapeutic dilution. After each dilution the mixture is vigorously agitated in a machine or by hand to deliver a calibrated amount of shaking. This is called succussion. Homeopaths believe that the process of succussion is critical to assuring the therapeutic effect of the drug.

Homeopathic dilutions are theorized to work on a vibrational or energetic level — holistically stimulating the healing systems of both mind and body.

Bach® Original Flower Remedies are a sub-system of homeopathy that are intended to address everyday stresses and emotional imbalances. Whether used individually or a custom blend, the flower essence remedies help to promote mental and emotional wellbeing.

Bach® Original Flower Remedies active flower essence ingredients are listed in the monographs of Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS) and are prepared using the original methods employed by Dr. Edward Bach, the physician and homeopath who developed the system in the 1930s. By 1936, Dr. Bach identified 38 flower remedies — each derived from a different wildflower, plant, or tree, and each corresponding to a specific emotional state.

Bach® Original Flower Remedies are manufactured at an FDA-registered pharmaceutical facility. Claims are based on traditional homeopathic practice, not medical science, and are not FDA evaluated. Individual results may vary.

The official drug name often appears in Latin, as is the case with “Arnica Montana.” The Latin names are systematic and unique with ingredient standards of identity and purity set by the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS). If the letters “HPUS” appear after a drug name, that indicates that an official monograph (an approved document that sets forth the standards and specifications for a drug) exists for the drug, and it has been studied and approved by homeopathic experts and meets the HPUS standard.

The drug strength appears after the name with a numeral followed by an X or C. Since X is the Roman numeral for 10, a 6X potency states that the drug has been diluted at a ratio of 1 to 10 and succussed for a total of six times. In C terms, the concentration ratio is 1 to 100 (C is the Roman numeral for 100). The higher the numeral preceding the X or C, the lower the concentration of active ingredient in the medicine. While counterintuitive, homeopaths believe that a homeopathic medicine is more powerful the more times the active ingredients has been diluted.

Over-the-counter remedies tend to come in 6c and 30c potencies. 6c potency is typically used for long standing conditions, such as rheumatic pain. 30c (or higher) potency is typically used for first aid or acute situations, such as the onset of a cold or bruising after a knock or fall.

Flower remedies traditionally use a 5x potency.

Reference

1 Drug Products Labeled as Homeopathic Guidance for FDA Staff and Industry Draft Revised Draft, OCTOBER 2019: https://www.fda.gov/media/131978/download (file type: PDF)