Effect of homeopathic preparations applied on human blood in vitro expressed in chromatographic patterns

Background Classical homeopathy is based on an individualized treatment of patients. To investigate the effects of homeopathic preparations on human blood in vitro, we adapted the Kaelin blood test (ascending paper chromatography test). An emphasis was placed on potential inter-individual differences in response rate. Materials and methods: We collected blood samples into EDTA tubes from thirteen patients who were prescribed homeopathic remedies. We treated all samples with individually prescribed remedies, or with Pulsatilla, Natrium muriaticum at either 30c or 200c potency, or placebo and analysed them by means of the Kaelin blood test. We assessed the stability of the experimental set-up by conducting thirteen systematic negative control (SNC) experiments. We evaluated the scanned chromatograms using computerized image analysis. In an additional investigation, we analyzed the correlation of the chromatographic pattern features with blood parameters within sixteen untreated blood samples. Results: Two-way analysis of variance with patient and treatment as independent factors showed statistically significant interactions (p < 0.05) in all ten pattern evaluation parameters. Only three parameters revealed significant main effects (p<0.05). The robustness and stability of the experimental set-up were satisfactory, as assessed by SNC experiments. These results suggest that the response of the blood samples to the homeopathic treatments was patient-specific. We found strong correlations between pattern features and blood parameters related to hemoglobin and liver function. Conclusions: The Kaelin blood test shows promise as an experimental model for basic homeopathy research. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to evaluate its sensitivity, robustness, repeatability, and applicability in practice. With adequate validation, the Kaelin blood test could potentially evolve into a tool for monitoring treatment efficacy and guiding homeopathic remedy selection.