Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Of The United States

[Azalee Rowling]

Pharmacopoeiashave been around for thousands of years. Historically, they provided the medical community with critical information necessary to make (and sometimes use) drugs. In many ways, pharmacopoeias were the first consumer protection vehicle in the world of pharmaceuticals.

The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (in its various iterations) is older than the Federal laws which regulate drugs. The first edition of the HPUS was published in 1897, nine years before the passage of the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906. That Act recognized the United States Pharmacopoeia but was silent on the HPUS, an omission that was remedied in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 (FD&C Act). Curing that omission was largely the work of Sen Royal S. Copeland (D-NY), a homeopathic physician who was the principal Senate sponsor of the legislation and the former president of the New York City Board of Health. (Sadly, Sen. Copeland died just four days after the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act was passed and before President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into law.)

Committees are charged with making recommendations to the Board of Directors, which makes all final decisions in all matters. Committees are strongly urged to operate by consensus, although votes on their decisions are recorded for the record.

The Board of Directors is a self-electing entity. When we wish to add a director, we recruit from the membership. The President and other officers are elected annually. As in the committees, we operate by consensus but record votes as a matter of course.

All members of the Convention comply with our published policies regarding Conflict of Interest, Confidentiality of Information, and others. Those policies are listed in the footer of all pages on this site.

We have an Editor, who coordinates various functions within the Convention and is responsible for maintaining the database of monographs and technical documents, as well as working with sponsors of drug monographs to ensure complete submissions and other matters pertaining to the submission process. The editor is also responsible for many other operations involved in publishing the HPUS.

We have a Senior Scientist who coordinates all the scientific and technical aspects of our work and maintains our ongoing relationships with subscribers to the HPUS and academic and research organizations.

Sign up to receive free email notifications of updates to the HPUS. Your information will not be shared with others and notifications will be kept to an absolute minimum (average eight times per year).

Homeopathy is derived from the Greek words for "like" and "suffering." The guiding principle behind homeopathy is "like cures like," originates from Egypt and ancient Greece. In the late 18th century, a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann read that quinine-containing Peruvian bark (chinchona) cured malaria. Hahnemann swallowed a dose of Peruvian bark and began to feel feverish, drowsy, extremely thirsty, and agitated, which are all symptoms of malaria. Hahnemann started to experiment more and formed his theory that like cures like, or the Law of Similars: that when a substance in large doses causes certain symptoms, in small doses it can cure these same symptoms.

Herbs and other plants, minerals, venom from snakes, and other substances can be used to make homeopathic remedies. They are diluted again and again and "succussed" or shaken vigorously between each dilution. The process of sequential dilution and succussion is called potentization.

Homeopathic remedies start with substances, such as herbs, minerals, or animal products. These substances are first crushed and dissolved in a liquid, usually grain, alcohol, or lactose, mechanically shaken, then stored. This is the "mother tincture." Homeopaths then dilute tinctures more with alcohol or lactose, either 1 part to 10 (written as "x") or 1 part to 100 (written as "c"). These tinctures are shaken, yielding a 1x or 1c dilution. Homeopaths can further dilute these tinctures 2 times (2x or 2c), 3 times (3x or 3c), and so forth. Many times professional homeopaths will use much higher dilutions, because they believe the more diluted the substance, the more potent its healing powers.

Homeopathic remedies aim to stimulate the body's own healing mechanisms. Homeopaths believe that physical disease often has mental and emotional components, so a homeopathic diagnosis includes physical symptoms (such as feverishness), current emotional and psychological state (such as anxiety and restlessness), and the person's constitution. A person's constitution includes qualities related to creativity, initiative, persistence, concentration, physical sensitivities, and stamina. The right remedy for a condition will take all of these aspects into account, so each diagnosis and remedy is individualized. That means 3 people with hay fever could need 3 different prescriptions.

Health food stores and some pharmacies sell homeopathic remedies for a variety of problems. Homeopaths often recommend taking remedies for no more than 2 to 3 days, although some people may need only 1 to 2 doses before they start feeling better. In some cases, homeopaths may recommend daily dosing.

Your first visit to the homeopath can take from 1 to 2 hours. Because homeopaths treat the person rather than the illness, the homeopath will interview you at length, asking many questions and observing personality traits, as well as unusual behavioral and physical symptoms. The homeopath may also perform a physical examination and possibly order laboratory work.

Scientific evidence is mixed. In some clinical trials, homeopathy appeared to be no better than placebo. In other clinical studies, researchers believed they saw benefits from homeopathy. More research is needed.

Preliminary evidence shows that homeopathy may be helpful in treating childhood diarrhea, otitis media (ear infection), asthma, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, symptoms of menopause (such as hot flashes), pain, allergies, upper respiratory tract infections, sore muscles, and colds and flu. Some professional homeopaths specialize in treating serious illnesses, such as cancer, mental illness, and autoimmune diseases. In fact, several studies suggest there may be a role for homeopathy in symptom relief and improving quality of life among cancer patients. You should not treat a life-threatening illness with homeopathy alone. Always make sure that all your health care providers know about the therapies you are using.

Homeopathic medicines, because they are diluted, generally do not have side effects. However, some people report feeling worse briefly after starting a homeopathic remedy. Homeopaths interpret this as the body temporarily stimulating symptoms while it makes an effort to restore health. In people who have serious illnesses, these temporary aggravations of symptoms can be very harmful. If you have a serious physical or mental illness, you should only use homeopathy under the guidance of a trained practitioner, and inform everyone on your health care team about any homeopathic medicines you are taking.

Homeopathic medicines that are sufficiently diluted are not known to interfere with conventional drugs, however, if you are currently taking prescription medicines you should consult your doctor if you are considering using homeopathic remedies.

The U.S. Congress passed a law in 1938 declaring that homeopathic remedies are to be regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the same manner as nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. This means you can purchase homeopathic medicines without a doctor's prescription. Unlike conventional prescription drugs and new OTC drugs, which must undergo thorough testing and review by the FDA for safety and effectiveness before they can be sold, homeopathic remedies do not have to undergo clinical trials. They do have to meet legal standards for strength, quality, purity, and packaging. In 1988, the FDA required that all homeopathic medicines list on the label the medical problems they're designed to treat. The FDA also requires the label to list ingredients, dilutions, and instructions for safe use.

The guidelines for homeopathic medicines are found in an official guide, the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, which is written by a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization of industry representatives and homeopathic experts. The Pharmacopoeia also includes provisions for testing new remedies and verifying their clinical effectiveness.

There are homeopathic schools and training programs, although no diploma or certificate from any school provides a license to practice. Many homeopaths are also medical doctors (MDs), although homeopaths are licensed in almost every health profession category, including veterinarians. In most states, practitioners of homeopathy must be licensed health care providers. Several respected certification agencies exist. The American Board of Homeotherapeutics certifies medical doctors and doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) who have specialized in homeopathy (DHt indicates a doctor of homeopathy). Naturopathic doctors study homeopathy extensively as part of their medical training and some are certified by the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians (DHANP). All homeopathic practitioners, including chiropractors, nurse practitioners, and acupuncturists, can apply for Certification in Classical Homeopathy (CCH).

Frei H, Everts R, von Ammon K, Kaufmann F, et al. Randomised controlled trials of homeopathy in hyperactive children: treatment procedure leads to an unconventional study design. Experience with open-label homeopathic treatment preceding the Swiss ADHD placebo controlled, randomised, double-blind, cross-over trial.Homeopathy. 2007;96(1):35-41.

Goossens M, Laekeman G, Aertgeerts B, Buntinx F; ARCH study group. Evaluation of the quality of life after individualized homeopathic treatment for seasonal allergic rhinitis. A prospective, open, non-comparative study. Homeopathy. 2009 Jan;98(1):11-6.

3a8082e126