Homoeopathy originated in 1796 with the historical publication, Versuch uber ein neues Prinzip zur Auffindung der Heilkräfte der Arzneisubstanzen (Essay on a new curative principle) by the German Doctor, Christian Samuel Freidrich Hahnemann, based on the Principle of Similarity. The Principle of Similarity was not new (Jaisuriya, 1997) and can be traced back to Hippocrates, who said that ‘some diseases are best treated by similars and some by contraries’ (quoted by Ernst, 1998). Nevertheless, Hahnemann was the first to systematise it and to introduce the dilutions of remedies (homoeopathic potencies). Hahnemann introduced Homoeopathy to the western world in 1810 through the book Organon der Heilkunst (Organan of the art of healing), of which there were six editions. The principles of the homoeopathic system generated long lasting controversies (Vithoulkas, 1983), that are still continuing today, as discussed later on. However, Hahnemann was credited with ‘disturbing and discrediting indefensible modes of practice’ in medicine of his time (Ernst, 1998).

        Homoeopathy is a system of medicine, with primary emphasis on therapeutics. The system has been used to treat both acute and chronic diseases. Successful treatment of chronic illnesses that were difficult to manage by the orthodox systems, has been one of the contributions of Homoeopathy. It was once a low cost system but currently it is becoming more and more expensive. It was emphasised that Homoeopathy employs non-toxic drugs, but not really so, as several plant and animal toxins have entered its Materia Medica quite long ago.

        Homoeopathy takes a holistic approach and treats a patient on physical, emotional and mental levels at once, to bring back the body’s equilibrium and to strengthen the defense mechanism such as the autoimmune system, the reticulo-endothelial system, the hormonal system, the sympathetic-parasympathetic system and the physiological mechanism that responds to stress (Vithoulkas, 1983).

        There is extensive literature on various aspects of Homoeopathy in the form of Materia Medicae, Repertories, treatises on various ailments, etc., associated with such famous authors as Boericke, Kent, Kunzli, Herring, and others, in addition to Hahnemann.

        Homoeopathy is being practised in every country of the world, except in China, Taiwan, and Maldives. It has been banned in Israel. Homoeopathy has low popularity in the muslim countries like Pakistan and Bangla Desh where the use of ethyl alcohol in the preparation of the medicine is a religious taboo. The degree of popularity of Homoeopathy varies from country to country in the western world but it is more prevalent in the developing countries, particularly because it is relatively inexpensive and the practitioners are far more informal and accessible. Like other systems of Alternative Medicine, Homoeopathy has too many amateur enthusiasts into prescribing. Fortunately, governments have of late been insisting on formal qualifications and registration.

        Homoeopathy is very much Indian now, not only by its strong presence for over a century but also from the fact that it is increasingly been Indianised by including Indian plants in its Materia Medica. A list of the Indian species from Boericke (1991), which are also used in Ayurveda, is given in Table 1. If someone takes it seriously, this list can vastly be enlarged.

        The homoeopathic Materia Medica is largely plant based, as even the 12 tissue remedies, which are inorganic salts, are expected to be extracted from plants (Jamil, 1997). Edward Bach, proposed in 1930, 38 remedies that are exclusively based on flowers, to treat 38 pathological states of the mind, as discussed separately. One interesting aspect is that Homoeopathy uses several non-angiospermous sources, as for example, viruses (small pox), bacteria (toxins of anthrax and botulinum), fungi (ergot, yeast, corn smut), puff balls, mushrooms (Amanita muscaria), lichens (Usnea barbata), pteridophytes (Equisetum), and gymnosperms (Pinus canadensis). The non-angiospermous groups of plants have been largely ignored by many other systems of medicine.

        Homoeopathy uses material from diverse sources, in addition to plants, for its over 2,000 remedies, as indicated by the following examples: