This limit, which is related to Avogadro’s number (6.0221 x 10 *23), corresponds to homeopathic potencies of 12C or 24X (1 part in 10 to the power of 24)
The Therapeutic Products Bill is at select committee now – submissions close on March 5th, so if you have not already made a submission (here: https://www.parliament.nz/en/ECommitteeSubmission/53SCHE_SCF_BILL_130084/CreateSubmission) please PLEASE do so. If you would like to read more about it you can see my last post here: https://www.facebook.com/100063496093427/posts/634592718667259/ and you can get a copy of the Homeopathic Society Guidance document on how to make a submission from
Clause 31 is the one that defines low concentration Natural Health Products as anything less than 20ppm. That is 20 parts in 1,000,000. Homeopathic remedies are made by dilution and sucussion. 1c is 1 in 100, then 1 drop of that is taken and diluted and succussed to make 2c (1 of the original in 10,000), and so on and so forth. 3c is 1 in 1,000,000 which makes all homeopathic remedies in a 3c potency or above exempt. (The same applies for decimal potencies which are a 1 in 10 dilution above a 6x potency).
There is a caveat though – no low concentration NHPs if they are of human, or animals in the rules (probably sheep and cow) origin.
In drafting this Bill ideally they are trying to protect humans and our beef and lamb industry, however it is clear there is a lack of understanding of chemistry and homeopathy in the process.
It is generally understood that if you continue to dilute a substance and dilute a substance eventually it will become so dilute there is none of the original substance there.
In fact that is what Hahnemann found, in the 19th century when he was diluting remedies in order to reduce any adverse reactions. At some point, while there was no longer an adverse reaction, there was in fact no reaction at all. This is where sucussion comes in- by vigorously shaking or hitting the vial against a hard surface the vibration of the substance is kept even when the product has been diluted past the point of measurable physical substance.
This point has a name – Avogadro’s limit, and is the point at which there is only one molecule at all left in a solution. Once something has been diluted further than 6.0221 x 10 to the power of 24 there is no measurable substance left. That is 6.0221 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. To compare this to homeopathy, at potencies above 12c or 24x there is no measurable original substance.
This doesn’t mean that our homeopathic remedies are diluted, expensive water and useless – it is not the substance that can stimulate healing, instead it is the vibration of the substance that speaks to the vital force (whether a human body, animal or plant) and stimulates the body to heal or make changes towards health.
The remedies that we would lose access to if clause 31 goes through as written are essential remedies for chronic Homeopathic prescribing, ones that are working on inherited tendencies to disease, and can be used when other indicated remedies do not work.
My submission includes this information, and if you use homeopathic remedies and want to preserve the ability of Homeopaths to prescribe a wide range of remedies then I hope you will also object to the way this particular clause is written and the unnecessary restrictions it will place upon us.