Double-blind trial comparing the effectiveness of the homeopathic preparation Galphimia potentiation D6, Galphimia dilution 10(-6) and placebo on pollinosis.

The preparation of homeopathic drugs is based on potentiation. In this potentiation the primary substance is specially mixed with a carrier (typically 90% ethanol) in the ratio 1:10. Usually this potentiation is done repeatedly and the final drug is labeled, e.g., "D6" which means a 6 times decimal potentiation. In a controlled randomized strictly double-blind trial with 164 patients the effectiveness of homeopathically prepared Galphimia D6, a conventional Galphimia dilution 10(-6) and a placebo was investigated for the therapy of pollinosis. The average duration of treatment was about 5 weeks. Although no statistical significance was achieved, it is remarkable that there was a clear trend for the superiority of Galphimia D6 while the Galphimia dilution 10(-6) was about equally effective compared with placebo. The study itself demonstrates that it is possible to do strictly controlled trials for homeopathic drugs and with medical practitioners.