Homoeopathic effect on the sleep pattern of rats

Abstract

The effect of Nux vomica on the EEGs of rats during sleep was quantified in terms of suitable statistical parameters that showed systematic changes after the homoeopathic stimulus. Our results are consistent with a decrease in the coherence of the brain signal compared to results obtained by using either the solvent on its own or pure water, and can be interpreted in terms of irritation of the animals' central nervous system due to the applied stimulus. This coincides with the effect Nux vomica has on healthy humans and suggests a means of characterizing the homoeopathic effect in physicochemical terms, based on parameters similar to those found appropriate in this study, calculated for physiological data from animal models for specific conditions. It also lends scientific support to ongoing attempts to extend Hahnemann's principles of similitude and potentiation beyond their original context, into the realm of veterinary medicine.

Key words

Nux vomica - Sleep patterns