How do we know what a homeopathic remedy does? And how does a symptom eventually make its way into the materia medica or repertory?
For Hahnemann, you couldn’t simply intellectualize what a substance might do. You had to experiment.
That is the role of the homeopathic proving—and why Alastair calls provings the “bedrock of evidence” for our medicines.
But not all provings are created equal.
In this episode of Strange, Rare & Peculiar, Denise Straiges and Alastair Gray get into the nitty-gritty of homeopathic provings: what Hahnemann said about them in the Organon, how a proving is conducted, how symptoms are collected and eventually become repertory rubrics, and the very different proving methodologies that have developed within homeopathy.
They also look at what can happen when remedies are reproved. The discussion of Blatta orientalis, for example, raises an interesting question about what we think we know about a remedy versus what actually emerges from an experiment.
From Bufo and Blatta to Belladonna, Gallium, Lac delphinum, pearl and sapphire, the conversation ultimately comes back to critical thinking: Where did the information about the remedies we use actually come from?
And does every remedy have the kind of proving you assume it does?
References mentioned in this episode
- Organon of the Medical Art by Samuel Hahnemann — 6th Edition, Wenda Brewster O’Reilly translation
- The Chronic Diseases by Samuel Hahnemann
- Dynamis provings by Jeremy Sherr:
https://www.dynamis.edu/provings - LMHI-ECH Provings Guidelines:
https://lmhi.org/proving-guideline - Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States proving guidance:
https://www.hpus.com/
Listen to Episode 130 of Strange, Rare & Peculiar for the full conversation.
Considering professional homeopathy training?
Learning to practice homeopathy requires more than memorizing remedies or following protocols. AHE students learn to evaluate primary sources, take complete cases, recognize clear remedy indications, and make thoughtful clinical decisions grounded in homeopathic principles.
This podcast provides educational content for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a licensed healthcare provider for health concerns.
Strange Rare Peculiar is a weekly podcast with Denise Straiges and Alastair Gray of the Academy of Homeopathy Education discussing everything you REALLY need to know about homeopathy. We’ll look at philosophy, practice, research,and education–all with a little bit of history. If you want to know why we still can’t get enough homeopathy after a combined 50+ years of study and practice, we invite you to join the conversation!
Please help us spread the word by sharing this with someone in your life who would like to learn more about homeopathy.
- Become an Active Participant in the Future of Homeopathy with Practitioner-Generated Research. Join the PGRN! https://hohmfoundation.org/hohm-pgrn/
- If you’d like to study homeopathy, visit: https://academyofhomeopathyeducation.com/
- To support homeopathy research and help make homeopathy accessible to all, visit: https://hohmfoundation.org/
- For accessible homeopathy care, visit: https://homeopathyhelpnow.com/
- Want to talk about what you learned in this episode? Join the Homeopathy: Start Here Facebook Group
Questions about the podcast? Want to be a guest or sponsor? Reach out to us:
"*" indicates required fields
