SELECTION OF POTENCY

Dr.SATHEESH.M.NAIR
 AIMS
• What is Potency?

• Now a days we are confusing with the selection

of Potency – in a case which potency is to be
selected ; which potency is cure the case etc,
So need a clarification.

• Discuss about the criteria for selection of

potency.
 POTENCY
• The resulting products of Trituration and
Sucussion is known as potency.
• A disease is may be cured by any potency when
indicated remedy is administered, but the cure
may be much accelerated by selecting the
potency or dose appropriate to the individual
case.
• For e.g: An artist make many harmony with
various vibrations of same chord, but a perfect
harmony might be constructed by a proper
combination of all the sounds can elicited by his
instrument. (Guernsey)
FIVE CONSIDERATIONS FOR SELECTING THE
POTENCY
1) The susceptibility of the patient.
2) The seat of the disease.
3) The nature and intensity of the disease.
4) The stage and duration of the disease.
5) The previous treatment of the disease.
 SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE PATIENT
What is Susceptibility?

General quality or capability of the living organism of

receiving impressions; the power to react to stimuli.
One of the fundamental attributes to life.
Depends all functioning, all vital processes,
physiological and pathological.
The cure and alleviation of disease depend upon the
same power of the organism to react to the
impression of the curative remedy.
• This is the most important guide in the selection
of the potency.
• The susceptibility of an individual to a remedy at
different times also varies. (For e.g.: Idiosyncrasy).
• “The more similar the remedy, the more clearly
and positively the symptoms of the patient take
on the peculiar and characteristic form of the
remedy, the greater the susceptibility to that
remedy, and higher the potency required.”
• The mother tinctures and lowest potencies
produce common symptoms of the drug.
• The medium and high potency produce special
and peculiar character of the drug. (Jahr)
• By continual diluting and succussing, remedies
get neither stronger or weaker, but their
individual peculiarities become more and more
developed, their sphere of action is enlarged.
• The clearer and more positively the finer, the
more peculiar and more characteristic symptoms
of the remedy appear in a case, the higher the
degree of susceptibility and higher the potency.
• We can judge the degree of susceptibility of
the patient by the character and completeness
of the symptoms
SUSCEPTIBILITY MODIFIED BY AGE
• Susceptibility is greatest in children, young,
vigorous persons and diminishes with age.
• Children are particularly sensitive during
development, most sensitive organs are being
developed.
• Medicines which have a peculiar affinity for
those organs should be given in the medium
or high potencies.
 SUSCEPTIBILITY IS MODIFIED BY
CONSTITUITION AND TEMPERAMENT

• Higher potencies for:

– Nervous, sanguine or Choleric temperament
– Intelligent persons , quick to act and react
– Zealous and impulsive persons
• Lower potency and frequent doses:
– For Phlegmatic individuals, slow to act
– Sluggish individuals
– Who possess great muscular power, but need a powerful
stimulus to excite them
SUSCEPTIBILITY IS MODIFIED BY HABIT AND
ENVIRONMENT
• Intellectual occupation, by excitement of
imagination and emotions, sedentary
occupation, long sleep, an effeminate life –
such persons need high potencies.
 SUSCEPTIBILITY IS MODIFIED BY
PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
• In some terminal conditions the power of
organism to react is slow even to the indicated
Homoeopathic remedy, that only material dose
can arouse it.
• Grade of the is low, the power of the reaction low,
remedy given in low potency, (common,
pathological symptoms, organ symptoms
correspond to the effect of crude drugs in massive
toxic doses) potentized medicines will not act.
• In terminal conditions, when the patient does
not react to well selected remedies, nor to
intercurrent reaction remedies, given in
potentized form and small doses, resort to the
crude drug and increase the dose to the point
of reaction.
• The remedy given in tincture, or low
trituration, first in moderate then increasing
doses until the dosage is found to which the
patient will react.
• The principle of Similia as applied in the
selection of both remedy and dose.
SUSCEPTIBILITY IS MODIFIED BY HABIT AND
ENVIRONMENT
• Low susceptibility : long and severe labor out of
doors, who sleep little, whose food is coarse,
continual infiuence of drug substance, tobacco
workers, dealers, distillers, brewers, druggist,
perfumers, chemical workers- possess little
susceptibility to medicines and require low
potencies (except their illness is directly caused by
some particular drug influence, when a high
potency of the same or similar drug may prove to
be the best antidote.)
• Idiots, imbeciles and the deaf and dumb have
a low degree of susceptibility
• The persons who are previously taken crude
drugs of Allopathic, Homoeopathic or bargain-
counter prescription often require higher
potencies for their cure- Their susceptibility to
crude drugs and low potencies has been
exhausted and even massive doses have no
effect.
• The seat, character and intensity of the
disease has some bearing upon the question
of the potency.
• Malignant and rapidly fatal disease, like
Cholera require material doses or low
potencies. (E.g.: of Dr. Hahnemann give
Camphor).
• Later stages of disease- Higher potencies
required.
• Disease is characterized by diminished vital
action require lower potencies, while disease
characterized by increased vital action
respond better to high potencies.
 SELECTION OF POTENCY MODIFIED
BY TEMPERAMENT AND
CONSTITUTIONOF THE PATIENT

• Uncomplicated typical Syphilis, in its primary

stage, the chancre still being existent may be
cured speedily by Mercury in medium or high
potencies ( nervous, sanguine temperament).
• If he is of sluggish type- Mercury in second or
third trituration required.
• Lower potencies should be used in chronic
disease with tendency to disorganization of
tissues and in acute disease.
• High potencies should be used in purely
functional and nervous affections.
• If we get a case not at all susceptible to any medicine
that time the previous treatment is and regimen taken
from patient and avoid medication for few days and
control the diet. Then medication may be resumed
using, according to the temperament and constitution
of patient either a low or medium potency.
• Intercurrent remedies (Nosodes).
• A single of appropriate nosode in a moderately high
potency clear up the case by bringing symptom.
• Study of history of the case and also law of
Simila.
 CONCLUSION
• We must thoroughly about the potencies and
dose, because we Homoeopaths, our ultimate aim
is bringing cure to a patient . For this we find a
similar medicine which is according to the
symptom similarity. But the potency is also similar
with that condition. Because Individualization is
not only for the medicine but also for the potency.
We must know the different potencies used in
different situations, we diffentiate which potency is
accurate for the given case.
Thank you