What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a gentle system of natural medicine that uses very small doses of plant, mineral, or other natural substances to stimulate the body's innate and natural ability to heal itself, which is self-evident and can be most easily seen when we watch a cut or bruise heal unassisted.
The basic idea
Homeopathy matches a remedy to the way your symptoms actually show up — not just the name of the illness. Two people with a cough may need two different remedies.
A substance that could cause certain symptoms in large amounts is used in a tiny, prepared dose like a road map to help the body recognize and resolve those same symptoms naturally. This is often described as "like cures like."
What a remedy looks like
Most remedies come as small white sugar pellets that dissolve slowly in your mouth. Some come as liquids or tablets. They taste faintly sweet and children and adults alike usually take them happily without needing to disguise or swallow them whole.
Labels show a name and a potency, such as Arnica Montana 30C. The (often strange and lengthy) name is simply the substance's name in Latin; the number and letter describe how the remedy was prepared and how much it has been diluted from its original material.
Why people choose it
Due to their extreme dilution in the preparation process, remedies are non-toxic, don't build up in the body, don't force change unnaturally on the body in any way, and can be used alongside most other care. Due to the natural substances they are made from, they are non-patentable, which means they remain very affordable and inexpensive.
Homeopathy is a wonderful tool for assisting deep healing, but should not be used a replacement for emergency or professional medical care in life-threatening situations. Use it as a home resource, and see a healthcare professional of your choosing for anything serious, worsening, or persistent.