Homeopathy - What is it?
Homeopathy is a system of medicine whose fundamental principle is the law of similars—that like is cured by like. It was first given practical application by Samuel Hahnemann of Leipzig, Germany, in the early 19th century and was designated homeopathy to distinguish it from the established school of medicine which he called allopathy. The American Institute of Homeopathy was founded in 1844, and the practice of homeopathy was popularized in the United States by the physician and senator Royal S. Copeland (1868–1938).
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Ed., 1993: Homeopathy is "a system of medical practice that treats a disease especially by the administration of minute doses of a remedy that would in healthy persons produce symptoms similar to those of the disease".
Miranda Castro R.S. Hom., author of The Complete Homeopathic Handbook, 1990: "The Similum or Law of Similars: This basic law of homeopathy is similia similibus currentur: 'let likes be cured with like'. Based on this premise, the first homeopathic principle states that any substance that can make you ill can also cure you - anything that is capable of producing symptoms of disease in a healthy person can cure those symptoms in a sick person. By 'symptom' the homeopath means those changes that are felt by the patient (subjective) or observed (objective), which may be associated with a particular disease, or state of dis-ease, and which are the outward expression of that state".
Stephen Cummings, M.D. and Dana Ullman, M.P.H., authors of Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines, 1991: "Homeopathy is a 200-year-old medical system you can use at home to help treat family members with a wide spectrum of acute health problems. It offers a way to gently stimulate your inner healing resources through recognizing and reinforcing the adaptive reaction's of the body's natural defenses. By choosing the correct, individually suited homeopathic medicine from the plant, mineral, animal, or chemical kingdom, you can successfully stimulate the body's own defenses...you can complement your family's efforts toward good health with these safe, natural medicines that provide an effective, inexpensive alternative to conventional medicine"
There is a lot of controversy about if and how homeopathic remedies work. You must make up your own mind.
