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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health

Homeopathy: What
You Need To Know
What's the Bottom Line?
What do we know about the effectiveness of
homeopathy?
There’s little evidence to support homeopathy as an
effective treatment for any specific health condition.

What do we know about the safety of homeopathic

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products?

Some products labeled as homeopathic may contain

substantial amounts of active ingredients and could
cause side effects and drug interactions.

What Is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy, also known as homeopathic medicine, is a
medical system that was developed in Germany more than
200 years ago. It’s based on two unconventional theories:

“Like cures like”—the notion that a disease can be cured

by a substance that produces similar symptoms in
healthy people.

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“Law of minimum dose”—the notion that the lower the

dose of the medication, the greater its effectiveness.
Many homeopathic products are so diluted that no
molecules of the original substance remain.

Homeopathic products come from plants (such as red

onion, arnica [mountain herb], poison ivy, belladonna [deadly
nightshade], and stinging nettle), minerals (such as white
arsenic), or animals (such as crushed whole bees).
Homeopathic products are often made as sugar pellets to
be placed under the tongue; they may also be in other
forms, such as ointments, gels, drops, creams, and tablets.
Treatments are “individualized” or tailored to each person—
it’s common for different people with the same condition to
receive different treatments. Homeopathy uses a different
diagnostic system for assigning treatments to individuals
and recognizes clinical patterns of signs and symptoms that
are different from those of conventional medicine.

Use in the United States

According to the 2012 National Health Interview Survey,
which included a comprehensive survey on the use of
complementary health approaches by Americans, an
estimated 5 million adults and 1 million children used
homeopathy in the previous year. The 2012 survey also
reported that although about 1.8 percent of children used
homeopathy, only 0.2 percent of children went to a
homeopathic practitioner. A 2016 analysis of data from this
survey suggests that most adults who use homeopathic
products self-prescribe them for colds and musculoskeletal
pain.

In 2016, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

announced it will hold efficacy and safety claims for over-
the-counter homeopathic drugs to the same standard as
those for other products making similar claims. It further
stated that companies must have the competent and reliable
scientific evidence the FTC requires for health-related
claims, including claims that a product can treat specific
conditions.

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In December 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) proposed a new risk-based enforcement approach to
homeopathic products. The proposed approach would call
for more careful scrutiny of products with the greatest
potential for risk, including:
Those with reported safety concerns.
Those that are not taken by mouth or rubbed on skin.
Those for vulnerable populations.
Those that do not meet legal standards for quality,
strength, or purity.
Those intended to be used for preventing or treating
serious and/or life-threatening diseases and conditions.

What the Science Says About the

Effectiveness of Homeopathy
A 2015 comprehensive assessment of evidence by the
Australian government’s National Health and Medical
Research Council concluded that there is no reliable
evidence that homeopathy is effective for any health
condition. However, it is important to note that studies
included in the assessment of evidence were required to
meet a number of rigorous criteria (e.g., having a sample
size of more than 150 participants, the highest rating of
methodological quality, and other measures). In total, 57
systematic reviews that contained 176 individual studies
were included in this assessment. A new review of evidence
by the Australian government is currently underway.
Homeopathy is a controversial topic. A number of the key
concepts underlying the theory of homeopathy are not
consistent with fundamental scientific concepts as we
understand them. For example, homeopathic preparations
can be so dilute that a substance considered to be the
“active ingredient” becomes unmeasurable, which creates
major challenges to the rigorous investigation of such
products. However, recent research has begun to examine
physical attributes of these preparations to determine if it
will be possible to characterize them in the future.

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No Evidence To Support
Homeopathic Immunizations
Certain homeopathic products (called “nosodes” or
“homeopathic immunizations”) have been promoted by
some as substitutes for conventional immunizations, but
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
says there’s no credible scientific evidence to support
such claims. The National Center for Complementary
and Integrative Health (NCCIH) supports the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for
immunizations/vaccinations. To learn more about
vaccines visit www.vaccines.gov.

What the Science Says About Safety

and Side Effects of Homeopathy
While many homeopathic products are highly diluted,
some products sold or labeled as homeopathic may not
be; they can contain substantial amounts of active
ingredients, which may cause side effects or drug
interactions. Negative health effects from homeopathic
products of this type have been reported.
A 2012 systematic review of case reports and case
series concluded that using certain homeopathic
products (such as those containing heavy metals like
mercury or iron that are not highly diluted) or replacing
an effective conventional treatment with an ineffective
homeopathic one can cause adverse effects, some of
which may be serious.
Liquid homeopathic products may contain alcohol. The
FDA allows higher levels of alcohol in these than in
conventional drugs.

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Homeopathic practitioners expect some of their patients

to experience “homeopathic aggravation” (a temporary
worsening of existing symptoms after taking a
homeopathic prescription). Researchers have not found
much evidence of this reaction in clinical studies;
however, research on homeopathic aggravations is
scarce. Always discuss changes in your symptoms with
your health care provider.
The FDA has warned consumers about different
products labeled as homeopathic. For example, in 2017,
it alerted consumers that some homeopathic teething
tablets had excessive amounts of the toxic substance
belladonna; in 2015, it warned consumers not to rely on
over-the-counter asthma products labeled as
homeopathic, because they are not evaluated by the
FDA for safety and effectiveness.

Regulation of Homeopathic Products

Homeopathic products are regulated as drugs under the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and are subject to
the same requirements related to approval, adulteration, and
misbranding as other drug products. There are currently no
homeopathic products approved by the FDA.
In 1988, the FDA issued Compliance Policy Guide (CPG)
400.400, entitled “Conditions Under Which Homeopathic
Drugs May be Marketed,” which described the agency’s
enforcement policy. In 2019, the FDA withdrew CPG
400.400 and issued revised draft guidance for public
comment. The revised draft guidance proposes a
comprehensive, risk-based enforcement approach to
homeopathic products marketed without FDA approval.

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Licensing
Laws regulating the practice of homeopathy in the United
States vary from state to state. Usually, individuals licensed
to practice medicine or another health care profession can
legally practice homeopathy. In some states, nonlicensed
professionals may practice homeopathy.
Arizona, Connecticut, and Nevada are the only states with
homeopathic licensing boards for doctors of medicine
(holders of M.D. degrees) and doctors of osteopathic
medicine (holders of D.O. degrees). In 15 states, a section of
the naturopathic medical board examinations is on
homeopathy.

More To Consider
Don’t use homeopathy to replace proven conventional
care or postpone seeing a health care provider about a
medical problem.
If you are considering using a homeopathic product,
bring it with you when you visit your health care provider.
The provider may be able to help you determine whether
the product might pose a risk of side effects or drug
interactions.
Follow the recommended conventional immunization
schedules for children and adults. Don’t use
homeopathic products as a substitute for conventional
immunizations.
Women who are pregnant or nursing, or people who are
thinking of using homeopathy to treat a child, should
consult their (or the child’s) health care providers.
Take charge of your health—talk with your health care
providers about any complementary health approaches
you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed
decisions.

For More Information

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NCCIH Clearinghouse
The NCCIH Clearinghouse provides information
on NCCIH and complementary and integrative health
approaches, including publications and searches of Federal
databases of scientific and medical literature. The
Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment
recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.
Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226
Telecommunications relay service (TRS): 7-1-1
Website: https://www.nccih.nih.gov
Email: info@nccih.nih.gov

Know the Science

NCCIH and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide
tools to help you understand the basics and terminology of
scientific research so you can make well-informed decisions
about your health. Know the Science features a variety of
materials, including interactive modules, quizzes, and
videos, as well as links to informative content from Federal
resources designed to help consumers make sense of
health information.
Explaining How Research Works (NIH)
Know the Science: How To Make Sense of a Scientific
Journal Article
Understanding Clinical Studies (NIH)

PubMed®
A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed®
contains publication information and (in most cases) brief
summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals.
For guidance from NCCIH on using PubMed, see How To
Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches
on PubMed.
Website: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

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U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The FDA oversees the safety of many products, such as
foods, medicines, dietary supplements, medical devices,
and cosmetics. See its webpage on Dietary Supplements.
Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-463-6332
Website: https://www.fda.gov/

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The FTC is the Federal agency charged with protecting the
public against unfair and deceptive business practices. A
key area of its work is the regulation of advertising (except
for prescription drugs and medical devices).
Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-877-382-4357
Website: https://www.ftc.gov

NIH Clinical Research Trials and You

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a
website, NIH Clinical Research Trials and You, to help
people learn about clinical trials, why they matter, and how
to participate. The site includes questions and answers
about clinical trials, guidance on how to find clinical trials
through ClinicalTrials.gov and other resources, and stories
about the personal experiences of clinical trial participants.
Clinical trials are necessary to find better ways to prevent,
diagnose, and treat diseases.
Website: https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-
clinical-research-trials-you

Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures &

Results (RePORTER)
RePORTER is a database of information on federally funded
scientific and medical research projects being conducted at
research institutions.
Website: https://reporter.nih.gov

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MedlinePlus
To provide resources that help answer health questions,
MedlinePlus (a service of the National Library of Medicine)
brings together authoritative information from the National
Institutes of Health as well as other Government agencies
and health-related organizations.
Website: https://www.medlineplus.gov

Key References
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homeopathy while FDA investigates. JAMA.
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Black LI, Clarke TC, Barnes PM, Stussman BJ, Nahin RL.
Use of complementary health approaches among
children aged 4–17 years in the United States: National
Health Interview Survey, 2007-2012. National health
statistics reports; no 78. Hyattsville, MD: National Center
for Health Statistics. 2015.

Cartwright SJ. Degree of response to homeopathic potencies

correlates with dipole moment size in molecular
detectors: implications for understanding the
fundamental nature of serially diluted and succussed
solutions. Homeopathy. 2018;107(1):19-31.

Cartwright SJ. Solvatochromic dyes detect the presence of

homeopathic potencies. Homeopathy. 2016;105(1):55-
65.

Clarke TC, Black LI, Stussman BJ, Barnes PM, Nahin RL.
Trends in the use of complementary health approaches
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health statistics reports; no 79. Hyattsville, MD: National
Center for Health Statistics. 2015.

Cotroneo R, Gray A, Schor H, eds. Homeopathy. In: Clugston

RM, Goldblatt E, Rosenthal B, et al., eds. Clinicians’ &
Educators’ Desk Reference on the Integrative Health &
Medicine Professions. 3rd ed. Mercer Island, WA:
Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health; 2017.

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Cucherat M, Haugh MC, Gooch M, et al. Evidence of clinical

efficacy of homeopathy: a meta-analysis of clinical trials.
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
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Der Marderosian AH. Understanding homeopathy. Journal of

the American Pharmaceutical Association.
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Dossett ML, Davis RB, Kaptchuk TJ, et al. Homeopathy use

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Ernst E. A systematic review of systematic reviews of

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Ernst E. Homeopathy: what does the “best” evidence tell us?

Medical Journal of Australia. 2010;192(8):458-460.

Ernst E. The truth about homeopathy. British Journal of

Clinical Pharmacology. 2008;65(2):163-164.

Holandino C, Oliveira AP, Homsani F, et al. Structural and

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Jonas WB, Kaptchuk TJ, Linde K. A critical overview of

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Klein SD, Würtenberger S, Wolf U, et al. Physicochemical

investigations of homeopathic preparations: a
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Loudon I. A brief history of homeopathy. Journal of the Royal

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Merrell WC, Shalts E. Homeopathy. Medical Clinics of North

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the Effectiveness of Homeopathy for Treating Health
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https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-
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homeopathy: a systematic review of published case
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effects of homoeopathy placebo effects? Comparative
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homeopathy, what do we know? A systematic review
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163.

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Acknowledgments
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NCCIH thanks Helene M. Langevin, M.D., and David Shurtleff,

Ph.D., NCCIH, for their review of the 2021 update of
this publication.

This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public

domain. Duplication is encouraged.
NCCIH has provided this material for your information. It is
not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and
advice of your health care provider(s). We encourage you to
discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your
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therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH.
Last Updated: April 2021

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