April 10: World Homeopathy Day

Céline Arétin, culture, women's issues and environment correspondent, April 10, 2025

What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a therapeutic method founded at the end of the 18th century by Samuel Hahnemann, based on the principle of similarity: a substance capable of causing symptoms in a healthy person can, at a low dose, treat those same symptoms in a sick person.

Homeopathic treatments

Among homeopathic treatments is Arnica montana, a plant used to relieve bruises, contusions and minor injuries by reducing inflammation. Nux vomica, extracted from the seeds of the poison nut tree, is prescribed to treat digestive disorders caused by overeating, alcohol or stress, relieving bloating, nausea and indigestion. Apis mellifica, derived from bee venom, is used to soothe insect stings or acute inflammation accompanied by swelling, redness and heat. Oscillococcinum, made from duck extracts, is recommended for the early treatment of flu symptoms, such as fever. Finally, Ignatia amara, derived from the seeds of St. Ignatius' bean, is used to treat emotional shock, stress and anxiety, particularly after traumatic events or bereavement.

Who was Samuel Hahnemann?

Samuel Hahnemann, born April 10, 1755 in Meissen, Saxony (Germany) and died July 2, 1843 in Paris, was a German physician and chemist considered the founder of homeopathy. After studying medicine in Leipzig and Vienna, he obtained his doctorate in Erlangen in 1779. Disappointed by the medical practices of his time, often brutal and ineffective, he devoted himself to translating scientific works and gradually developed his own therapeutic principles. In 1796, he published his first article on the "law of similars," which would become the foundation of homeopathy. In 1810, he published his major work, "The Organon of the Healing Art," in which he laid out the principles of this new medical approach. Persecuted by the medical authorities in Germany, he moved to France in 1835, where he was granted the right to practice and became an influential medical figure.

Evolution of homeopathy over time

In the 19th century, homeopathy spread across Europe and the United States, where homeopathic schools were founded as early as the 1830s, such as the Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia. In the 20th century, its influence declined in Western countries due to advances in scientific medicine, but it remained popular in some countries such as France, where homeopathic laboratories like Boiron developed from the 1930s onward. In India, homeopathy became an official medicine as early as 1973 with the creation of the Central Council of Homoeopathy, and today more than 200 million Indians use it regularly. In France, although no longer reimbursed since 2021, homeopathy remains practiced, with nearly 1,200 specialized doctors registered in 2023.