Homeopathic products are made from a starting material that is processed and then diluted in repeated stages. Liquid stages are usually shaken between dilutions, a step called succussion. Finished liquids may be used directly or applied to tablets or pillules.
1. The starting material
A homeopathic stock may start from plant, mineral, animal or chemical material. A manufacturer must identify and control the source. Plant material may first be prepared as a liquid stock or mother tincture; insoluble material may be ground with a carrier in a process called trituration.
Starting substances can be unsafe in concentrated form. Do not try to manufacture or dilute a product at home.
2. The dilution scale
Each stage uses a stated ratio. Common labels include:
| Scale | Ratio at each step | Example |
|---|---|---|
| X or D | 1 part carried into 9 parts diluent, a 1:10 step | 6X represents six decimal dilution steps. |
| C | 1 part carried into 99 parts diluent, a 1:100 step | 30C represents thirty centesimal dilution steps. |
| LM or Q | A different multi-stage method associated with roughly 1:50,000 steps | Labels and preparation methods need product-specific interpretation. |
Read the potency guide for the dilution mathematics behind 6C, 30C and 200C.
3. Succussion
Succussion means vigorous shaking at a liquid dilution stage. In homeopathic tradition, repeated dilution and succussion are described together as potentisation. Practitioners traditionally claim that this increases a remedy’s effect even as less starting material remains. Mainstream science does not accept a known mechanism for that claim.
4. From liquid to the finished form
A prepared liquid may be supplied as drops or applied to lactose or sucrose pillules or tablets. Other authorised forms may exist under the applicable regulatory route. The label should identify the product, potency, form, directions, batch and expiry information required for that product.
5. Quality control and manufacturing
Manufacturers use pharmacopoeial procedures and controls for starting materials, stocks, dilution, contamination, stability and packaging. This is different from an individual practitioner diluting an unknown substance.
The MHRA advises people to look for an HR number for a Simplified Homeopathic Registration or an NR number for a National Rules authorisation. Read the patient information supplied with the product.
What do the UK schemes mean?
The UK has two main schemes for human homeopathic medicinal products:
- Simplified Registration Scheme: the product must be oral or external, sufficiently dilute for safety and marketed without therapeutic indications. The first registered dilution must be at least 1 in 10,000 of the starting material.
- National Rules Scheme: the manufacturer may make limited claims within the UK homeopathic tradition for minor symptoms or conditions that do not need a doctor’s supervision, supported by the required quality, safety and traditional-use information.
Registration or authorisation is a product-control route. It is not general proof that homeopathy works, and it does not justify claims beyond the authorised wording.
How to check a product
- Keep the original packaging.
- Look for the product name, potency, ingredients and dosage form.
- Check for an HR, NR or other relevant licence number.
- Read the leaflet, warnings and expiry date.
- Ask a pharmacist if you take medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or the product is for a child.
Sources
- MHRA: Register a homeopathic medicine
- MHRA: Product numbers and Yellow Card reporting
- NHS 111 Wales: Homeopathy
Source check: 31 August 2026.