Organon §270

Trituration of crude substances

In order to best produce this development of power, a small quantity of the substance to be dynamized (about one grain) is first raised to the one-millionth powder-attenuation by means of a three-hour trituration process. Three one-hour triturations are done, each using 100 grains of milk sugar as explained in the footnote below. 220

 

The medicinal substance is then further potentized by means of dilution and succussion. Preparation of medicine to the first degree of potency [LM1]:

1. Dissolve 1 grain of the triturated powder [i.e. , the substance triturated to the one-millionth attenuation] in 500 drops of a mixture that is 1 part brandywine [90° grain alcohol] and 4 parts distilled water. The reason for using this 500:1 dilution ratio is explained in the footnote [270f] below.

2. Place a single drop of this mixture in a vial.

3. Add 100 drops of good wine spirit [95° grain alcohol] to the vial. 221

4. Give the tightly corked vial 100 strong succussions with the hand against a hard but elastic body. 222 This is the first degree of dynamization.

5. Thoroughly moisten 223 fine sugar globules 224 with this liquid.

6. Rapidly spread the sugar globules on blotting paper to dry.

7. Store the globules in a tightly stoppered little vial with the sign of the first degree of potency (i).

8. Protect the bottle from heat and daylight.

Preparation of medicine to the second degree of potency [LM2]:

1. Take 1 globule of the medicine potentized to the first degree [LM1] and put it in a new vial (with a drop of water in order to dissolve it). 225

2. Follow steps 3-8 above, labeling the bottle with the sign of the second degree of potency (ii).

Preparation of medicine to the thirthieth degree of potency [LM30]:

Continue the above procedure until the dissolved globule of the 29th degree of potency has formed a spiritized medicinal fluid with 100 drops of wine spirit, by means of 100 succussions, whereby globules that are moistened with this and dried are labeled xxx, the 30th degree of dynamization.

Only when crude medicinal substances are processed in this way, does one obtain preparations that have attained their full capability to aptly touch the suffering parts in the sick organism. In this way, by means of a similar artificial disease-affection, the feeling of the natural disease is withdrawn from the life principle which is present in these suffering parts. By means of this mechanical processing (provided it is properly executed, as specified above) a given medicinal substance which, in its crude state, is only matter (in some cases, unmedicinal matter) is subtilized and transformed by these higher and higher dynamizations to become a spirit-like medicinal power. 226 This medicinal power in itself no longer falls within our senses. The medicated globule becomes the carrier of this invisible power and, in this capacity, it documents the salutariness of that power in the sick body. The medicated globule carries this invisible power even when it is used dry, but far more so when it is dissolved in water [§272].

Comment

220 Trituration to the one-hundredth powder-attenuation: 1. Obtain milk sugar of that especially pure kind that is crystallized on threads and comes to us in the form of round bars. 2. Put one third of 100 grains of powdered milk sugar in a glazed porcelain mortar, the bottom of which has been roughened by rubbing it with fine, moist sand. 3. Put 1 grain of the powdered medicinal substance to be triturated (or 1 drop of mercury, petroleum, etc.) on top of the powdered milk sugar. 4. Mix the medicine and the powder with a porcelain spatula for a moment. 5. Triturate the mixture rather strongly for 6 to 7 minutes, using a porcelain pestle that has been rubbed dull. 6. For 3 to 4 minutes, thoroughly scrape the mass from the bottom of the mortar and from the pestle, to make it homogeneous. 7. Continue the trituration (as described in step 5) for another 6 to 7 minutes. 8. Scrape the mass (as described in step 6) for another 3 to 4 minutes. 9. Add the second third of the milk sugar. 10. Repeat steps 4-8. 11. Add the last third of the milk sugar. 12. Repeat steps 4-8. 13. Put the powder in a well-corked vial that protects it from sunlight and daylight. 14. Label the vial with the name of the substance and the number 1/100 [to indicate the one hundredth attenuation, or first centesimal trituration, 1c]. Trituration to the one ten-thousandth powder-attenuation: 1. Mix 1 grain of the 1/100 powder with 1/3 of 100 grains of powdered milk sugar. 2. Follow steps 4-13 above. 3. Label the vial with the name of the substance and the number 1/10,000 [to indicate the one ten-thousandth attenuation, or second centesimal trituration, 2c].Trituration to the one millionth powder-attenuation: 1. Mix 1 grain of the 1/10,000 powder with one third of 100 grains of powdered milk sugar. 2. Follow steps 4-13 above. 3. Label it with the name of the substance and the number 1/1,000,000 [to indicate the one millionth attenuation, or third centesimal trituration, 3c]. Each grain of this powder contains one millionth of a grain of the original substance. Each of these three trituration procedures takes one hour (six times 6-7 minutes for trituration plus six times 3-4 minutes for scraping). After the first hour of trituration, each grain of the preparation contains 1/100 of the medicinal substance used; after the second hour, 1/10,000 and after the third hour, 1/1,000,000. These are the three degrees of dry powder trituration which, if well executed, make a good beginning towards developing the power (dynamization) of the medicinal substance.

The mortar, pestle and spatula must be thoroughly cleaned before being used to prepare another medicine. Clean them as follows:

1. Wash them thoroughly in warm water.

2. Dry them thoroughly.

3. Place them in boiling water for 1/2 hour.

4. As an extra precaution, these utensils may be placed on top of glowing coals.

221 The size of the vial used for potentizing should be such that it is two-thirds full with this liquid.

222 Such as a leather-bound book

 

223 To moisten the globules with the medicinal alcohol: 1. Place the globules in a small cylindrical vessel made of glass, porcelain or silver and shaped like a thimble, with a fine opening in the bottom. 2. Moisten them with some of the dynamized medicinal alcohol. 3. Stir the globules. 4. Invert the vessel and tap out the globules onto a sheet of blotting paper in order to rapidly dry them.

224 The sugar globules should be made from starch flour and cane sugar by a confectioner under one's own supervision. First, the tiny globules are placed in a sieve to separate them from the fine dust-like particles. Then they are put through a strainer with holes through which only those weighing 1 grain per 100 can pass. This is the most useful size for the requirements of the homeopathic physician.

225 In earlier instructions, I specified that a whole drop of a liquid in a given potency be added to 100 drops of wine spirit for higher potentization. But meticulous experiments have convinced me that this proportion of the dilution medium to the medicine being dynamized (100:1) is much too narrowly limited to develop the powers of the medicinal substance properly and to a high degree, by means of a large number of succussions, unless one uses great force. Whereas if a single globule (100 of which weigh a grain) is used instead of a whole drop of liquid, and this is dynamized with 100 drops of wine spirit, then the ratio of dilutant to medicine becomes 50,000:1, indeed higher than that, because 500 of such globules cannot completely absorb 1 drop. In this much higher ratio of the dilution medium to the medicine, many succussions of the vial filled to two-thirds with wine spirit can bring about a far greater development of power. With a ratio of the dilution medium to the medicine as low as 100:1, very many impacts by means of a powerful machine, as it were, are forced in. As a result, medicines arise that, especially in the higher degrees of dynamization, almost instantaneously but with stormy-indeed dangerous-intensity, impinge on patients (especially delicate ones) without bringing about an enduring, gentle counter-action of the life-principle. On the other hand, my new method engenders a medicine of the highest development of power and the gentlest action which, if well chosen, curatively touches all sick points.

Using these far more perfect [i.e. , greatly perfected] dynamized medicinal preparations, one can, in acute fevers, repeat the small doses of the lowest degrees of dynamization even at short intervals and even with medicines of long-lasting action, such as belladonna.

In chronic diseases, one can best proceed by beginning treatment with the lowest degrees of dynamization and, when necessary, continuing to the higher degrees which, although they become ever more powerful, always act only gently.

226 This assertion will not appear improbable if one considers that with this method of dynamization [of fifty-millesimal potencies]-which I have found after many laborious tests and counter-tests to be the most powerful and, at the same time, the mildest in action (i.e. , the most perfected)-the material part of the medicine is attenuated about 50,000 times and yet it is incredibly increased in power. If we multiply by 50,000 at each progressive dynamization [following initial trituration which achieves a dilution ratio of 1,000,000 to 1] the material substance is already reduced to 125,000,000,000,000,000,000 at the third potency [1,000,000 x 50,000 x 50,000 x 50,000 = 125 x 1018]. This is the dilution after triturating the substance to the one-millionth attenuation and then dynamizing it to the third potency [LM3]. The thirtieth dynamization, prepared progressively in this way, gives a fraction of material substance almost impossible to express in numbers. It becomes exceedingly probable that the matter, by means of such dynamizations (developments of its true, inner medicinal wesen) finally dissolves entirely into its individual spirit-like wesen. Therefore, in its crude state, it could be considered as actually consisting only of this undeveloped spirit-like wesen.*