Homeopathic Dictionary

A

Accessory Symptoms – Secondary symptoms that appear after the main complaint; used carefully in remedy selection.

Acute Disease – A rapid-onset condition with intense symptoms and a clear beginning and end.

Acute Miasm – Temporary disturbance of the vital force without deep chronic roots.

Adaptive Response – The way the vital force reacts to internal or external stressors.

Adjunct Remedy – A remedy occasionally used to support but not replace the constitutional remedy.

Affinity – The known tendency of a remedy to act strongly on particular organs, tissues, systems, or functions (e.g. Digitalis for the heart, Chelidonium for the liver). Affinity guides but never replaces individualisation.

Aggravation (Homeopathic) – A short-term intensification of symptoms following the correct remedy, indicating vital force response.

Allopathic Suppression – Removal of symptoms without addressing underlying imbalance, often driving disease deeper.

Alternating Diseases – Conditions that shift expression between organs or symptom patterns.

Animal Kingdom – Remedies derived from animal substances; themes include competition, survival, jealousy, sexuality.

Antipsoric – Remedies addressing psoric miasm (e.g. Sulphur, Calcarea carbonica).

Antisyphilitic – Remedies addressing destructive pathology (e.g. Mercurius, Aurum).

Antisycotic – Remedies addressing excess, overgrowth, and fixation (e.g. Thuja).

Aphorism – Foundational principle from Hahnemann’s Organon.

Ascendant Miasm – The dominant miasmatic influence in a case.

Aetiology – The originating cause of disease, such as emotional shock, trauma, grief, infection, suppression, or vaccination. Highly important when clearly identifiable.

B

Baryta Constitution – Timid, delayed development, dependency, fear of exposure.

Belladonna State – Sudden onset, heat, redness, throbbing, violence of symptoms.

Biochemic Therapy – System using tissue salts to correct mineral imbalances.

Boundary Symptoms – Symptoms defining the limits of a remedy’s action.

Breakthrough Symptom – A new symptom revealing the true remedy picture.

C

Case Analysis – Evaluation of symptoms according to hierarchy, intensity, and individuality.

Case Management – Long-term strategy involving potency, timing, repetition, and observation.

Central Delusion – Core false belief shaping perception and behaviour in remedy states.

Cerebral Remedies – Remedies with strong mental-emotional action.

Chronic Miasm – Deep-seated predisposition influencing lifelong disease patterns.

Clinical Pathology – Objective, diagnosable disease changes recognised by conventional medicine (e.g. tumours, ulcers, biochemical abnormalities). In homeopathy, pathology is considered secondary to the individual symptom expression and vitality.

Clinical Remedy – Frequently used remedy for a condition, sometimes without full individualisation.

Concomitant – A symptom that appears alongside the chief complaint, without direct pathological connection, yet highly valuable for remedy differentiation.

Constitutional Remedy – Remedy addressing the patient’s core pattern.

Counteraction – Interference with remedy action due to antidoting substances or incorrect dosing.

Cure (Homeopathic) – Restoration of health from within, following Hering’s Law.

D

Deep Constitutional Layer – Long-standing emotional or hereditary pattern.

Delusion (Rubric) – Perceptual distortion used in modern repertories.

Destructive Pathology – Tissue breakdown associated with syphilitic miasm.

Differential Diagnosis (Homeopathic) – Distinguishing between remedies with similar symptom pictures.

Disease Suppression – Driving illness inward by removing external expression.

Drug Layer – Symptoms caused by prolonged pharmaceutical use.

E

Emotional Etiology – Cause of illness rooted in emotional shock or trauma.

Essence (Remedy) – Core pattern unifying mental, emotional, and physical symptoms.

Etiological Factor – Triggering cause (grief, fright, injury, vaccination).

Exact Similimum – The closest possible remedy match.

F

Fixed Pathology – Long-established structural damage.

Follow-the-Symptoms – Guiding principle during case evolution.

Functional Disorder – Disturbance without structural damage.

G

General Modalities – Conditions affecting overall state (temperature, time, weather).

Genus Epidemicus – Remedy covering the collective symptom picture of an epidemic.

Gradation of Symptoms – Ranking symptoms by importance.

H

Hahnemann, Samuel – Founder of homeopathy (1755–1843).

Hering’s Law of Cure – Healing proceeds from within outward, above downward, and in reverse order of symptom appearance.

Holistic Case – Integration of all symptom levels: mental, emotional, physical, and pathological.

Hormesis – A biological principle where low doses of a substance stimulate adaptive beneficial responses, while high doses inhibit or cause harm. Often cited as a scientific parallel to the homeopathic principle of minimum dose.

Hypersensitivity – Heightened reaction to remedies or stimuli.

I

Individual Expression – Unique way disease manifests in a person.

Intercurrent Remedy – Remedy given between constitutional doses to clear obstacles.

Irritable Vital Force – Over-reactive healing response.

J

Judicious Repetition – Careful dosing to avoid aggravation.

K

Keynote Prescribing – Using striking characteristic symptoms.

Kingdom Analysis – Categorising remedies by source kingdom patterns.

L

Layered Case – Multiple remedy layers over time.

Local Symptom – Symptom limited to one area, lower hierarchy.

Long-Acting Remedy – Remedy with prolonged effect.

M

Materia Medica Pura – Original proving-based remedy descriptions based strictly on provings and clinical confirmation.

Mental Generals – Emotional, psychological, and cognitive symptoms affecting the whole person; highest rank in symptom hierarchy.

Miasm – A fundamental, underlying predisposition to disease that shapes how illness develops, progresses, and expresses itself throughout life. Miasms influence susceptibility, chronicity, pathology, behaviour, and response to treatment. In contemporary classical homeopathy, five principal miasms are commonly recognised:

• Psora – The miasm of deficiency and struggle. Characterised by functional disturbance, hypersensitivity, lack, insecurity, anxiety about survival, itching skin conditions, allergies, fatigue, and poor resilience. Mentally associated with fear of poverty, failure, and a sense of being unsupported.

• Sycosis – The miasm of excess and fixation. Characterised by overgrowth, accumulation, suppression, rigidity, and concealment. Clinically associated with warts, cysts, tumours, thick discharges, obesity, addictions, and fixed habits. Mentally associated with guilt, secrecy, and control.

• Syphilis – The miasm of destruction and degeneration. Characterised by breakdown of tissues, ulceration, deformity, congenital defects, and irreversible pathology. Mentally associated with despair, self-destructive thoughts, nihilism, and suicidal ideation.

• Tubercular (Pseudo-psoric) – A mixed miasm combining psoric deficiency and syphilitic destruction. Characterised by restlessness, changeability, rapid alternation of symptoms, recurrent infections, respiratory weakness, and a strong desire for freedom and travel. Mentally associated with dissatisfaction, longing, and intensity.

• Cancerinic – A complex mixed miasm involving psoric struggle, sycotic control, and syphilitic destruction. Characterised by extreme responsibility, perfectionism, suppression of emotions, prolonged stress, and deep exhaustion. Clinically associated with autoimmune conditions, degenerative disease, and cancer susceptibility.

Miasms rarely exist in isolation; most chronic cases show layered or combined miasmatic influences, requiring careful sequencing of remedies over time.

Miasmatic Block – A barrier preventing cure due to unresolved or dominant miasmatic influence.

Minimum Dose – The least stimulus required to initiate a curative response in the vital force.

Modalities – Factors that modify a symptom, describing what makes it better or worse (e.g. time of day, weather, position, motion, food, temperature). Modalities are of high prescribing value, especially when clear, consistent, and characteristic.

Modern Provings – Contemporary substance provings conducted under controlled observation.** – Contemporary substance provings conducted under controlled observation.

N

Natural Disease – Illness arising from life experience rather than drugs.

Nosological Prescribing – Remedy selection by disease name (generally discouraged).

O

Obstacle to Cure – Lifestyle or emotional factor preventing healing.

Organ Affinity – Preference of remedy for certain organs.

P

Pathognomonic Symptom – Common disease symptom, low value for prescribing.

Periodic Symptoms – Recurring at fixed intervals.

Potency Selection – Choosing dilution based on vitality and sensitivity.

Proving Symptom – Symptom produced during remedy testing.

Q

Qualitative Symptom – Subjective experience (burning, stitching, pressure).

R

Rubric – A symptom category listed in a repertory, representing a specific expression of disease (mental, emotional, or physical). Rubrics may describe sensations, locations, modalities, or states of mind, and are the fundamental units used in repertorisation.

Repertorisation – Analytical process of selecting remedies via repertory.

Remedy Layer – Phase of treatment dominated by a specific remedy.

Return of Old Symptoms – Positive sign of cure indicating reversal of pathology.

S

Sarcode – A homeopathic remedy prepared from healthy animal tissue or secretions (e.g. Thyroidinum, Adrenalinum), used to stimulate or regulate corresponding organs or functions.

Sensation – The subjective experience of a symptom as described by the patient (e.g. burning, stitching, constricting, throbbing). Sensations are central to remedy differentiation and are ranked above common pathological symptoms in case analysis.

Secondary Action – Body’s response after remedy action.

Sensitive Patient – Responds strongly to low doses.

Sphere of Action – Range of remedy influence.

Suppression Sequence – Progressive inward movement of disease.

T

Therapeutic Order – Strategy of remedy progression.

Totality (Practical) – Clinically relevant symptom sum.

Trauma Layer – Unresolved shock imprint.

U

Unfolding Case – Progressive revelation of deeper symptoms.

V

Vital Reaction – Observable response of life force.

Vital Sensation – Underlying felt experience in sensation method.

W

Watchful Waiting – Allowing remedy to act without interference.

X

X-Potency – Decimal scale dilution.

Y

Yes-Set (Therapeutic Rapport) – Agreement-based communication enhancing trust.

Z

Zone of Action – Specific level where remedy acts most strongly.