How a Potency Is Made
Preparation starts from a crude substance. Plants are usually soaked in alcohol to make the mother tincture, written Ø. Insoluble substances such as metals, shells or minerals are ground with milk sugar for a long time, a process called trituration, until they can be dissolved.
From there, one part is mixed with a fixed amount of alcohol and water and struck firmly against a hard surface a set number of times. This shaking is called succussion. One part of the result goes into the next vial and the process repeats. Hahnemann taught in §269 to 271 of the Organon that dilution with succussion develops the medicinal power of the substance, which is why the process is called potentisation and not just dilution.
For students: beyond about 12C (24X), the dilution passes the point at which any molecule of the starting substance is likely to remain. Hahnemann explained the action of such medicines as dynamic rather than material. Know this fact and the classical explanation, as both come up in discussion and exams.
The Scales Compared
| Scale | How it is written | Each step | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mother tincture | Ø, or Q on many labels in Bangladesh and India | The starting extract, no potentisation | Mostly plant remedies; used by some practitioners, not part of Hahnemann's potency scales |
| Decimal | X (D in Europe), e.g. 3X, 6X, 12X | 1 part in 10, then succussed | Introduced after Hahnemann, usually credited to Hering; common for biochemic salts |
| Centesimal | C, or just a number: 30, 200, 1M (1,000C), 10M, CM | 1 part in 100, then succussed | Hahnemann's main scale for most of his career |
| LM or 50 millesimal | LM1, LM2 or 0/1, 0/2; Q1, Q2 in some countries | About 1 part in 50,000, with 100 succussions | Described in §270 of the 6th edition; given as a liquid, the dose modified each time |
Watch the letter Q. On Bangladeshi and Indian bottles Q usually means mother tincture. In parts of Europe Q means an LM potency. Always read the full label and ask your doctor if you are unsure.
Low and High Potency in Classical Practice
Low potencies are roughly the X range and the low C range, middle potencies are around 30C and 200C, and high potencies run from 1M upward. Higher does not mean stronger in the everyday sense, and lower does not mean safer. The choice is a clinical judgement that the doctor makes for each patient.
- How closely the remedy matches the whole case, including the mind.
- The patient's sensitivity and vitality.
- Whether the problem is mainly functional or has advanced tissue change.
- Whether the case is acute or chronic, and what other treatment the patient is on.
- How the patient responded to earlier doses.
What Hahnemann and Kent Taught
Hahnemann moved toward smaller doses over his career. For a long period he commonly used the 30C, and in the 6th edition of the Organon he introduced the LM potency, given in solution with each dose slightly changed, so that the patient could be treated more gently and repeated when needed (§246, §270).
Kent, working before the 6th edition was published, used high centesimal potencies in a series: 30, 200, 1M, 10M, 50M, CM and above. He gave a single dose, waited and watched, and repeated or moved up the series only when improvement stopped. His lecture on the observations after the remedy is still the standard guide to reading a patient's response. Kent's series is his own method, not something Hahnemann wrote.
Why 'What Is X 30 Used For' Has No Single Answer
People often search for a remedy and a number together, such as a 30 or a 200, as if the number were part of the medicine's use. It is not. The remedy is chosen because its picture in the Materia Medica matches the patient. The same remedy in the same potency may suit one person and do nothing for another with the same diagnosis. Read any remedy in our Materia Medica library, for example Calcarea Carbonica, and you will see a whole person described, not a single use.
The same goes for low X potencies such as 3X. These are often seen with biochemic salts, and the 3X label describes a preparation, not a benefit.
Avoiding Needless Repetition
Both Hahnemann and Kent warned against repeating a dose while it is still acting. Needless repetition can bring on an aggravation, add new symptoms from the medicine itself, and blur the picture so the doctor can no longer judge what the remedy did. This is why we ask patients to report changes at follow-up rather than adjust their own medicine.
Diabetes, blood pressure, heart, epilepsy, thyroid and mental-health medicines are never stopped suddenly or by the patient on their own. Dr. Ismail may advise carefully on reducing other conventional medicines.
If you have chest pain, difficulty breathing, a seizure, sudden weakness on one side, or heavy bleeding, do not wait to change a potency. Go to the nearest hospital or call 999.