Homeopathy 2024; 113(01): A1-A26
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1779813
Presentation Abstracts
Poster Abstracts

Replication Series of an Arsenic-stressed Lemna gibba L. Test-system Investigating Homeopathic Preparations in High Potency Levels

Annekathrin Ücker
1   Institute of Integrative Medicine, University Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany
2   Center for Complementary Medicine, Institute for Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
,
Stephan Baumgartner
1   Institute of Integrative Medicine, University Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany
3   Institute of Complementary Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland
4   Society for Cancer Research, Arlesheim, Switzerland
,
David Martin
1   Institute of Integrative Medicine, University Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany
,
Tim Jäger
‡   Deceased March 1, 2019
1   Institute of Integrative Medicine, University Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany
2   Center for Complementary Medicine, Institute for Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
3   Institute of Complementary Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
 

This study presents an internal replication trial of an arsenic-stressed duckweed (Lemna gibba L. clone-number 9352) bioassay using homeopathic preparations of Ars-alb (selected potency levels between 17x and 33x). With this test system, significant differences between treatment and water control groups were detected in 2010. The internal replication trial aimed at optimizing environmental parameters (specially designed growth chambers for higher test stability, change of light regime to 16 h light: 8 h darkness to mimic natural conditions more closely). The trial consisted of two experimental series of five independent, blinded, and randomized experiments each. In both series, systematic negative control experiments (SNC) were conducted in parallel to main experiments. After a pre-treatment with 158 mg/L AsNa2HO4 (250 mg/L in series 2, respectively) for 48 h, duckweed specimens were allocated to 16 treatment groups (4 groups succussed water, 4 groups unsuccussed water, and Ars-alb 17x, 18x, 21x, 22x, 23x, 28x, 30x, 33x), consisting of five beakers each. Plants grew for nine days. Relative growth rate (RGR) was determined from photos taken on day 0, 3, and 9. The difference between numerically pooled water control and treatment groups for RGR of the growth period day 39 were not significant in series 1 (p = 0.10), significant in series 2 (p = 0.04) and significant in pooled data of both series (p < 0.01) as calculated in a two-way ANOVA with experimental day and treatment as independent factor and RGR as dependent factor. SNC experiments were analyzed in the same way, showing no significant differences and thereby confirming the test-system stability. In both series, the effect direction (increase of RGR day 3–9 in treatment groups) was comparable to experiments from 2010, but effect size was smaller. An influence on effect size by the changed light regime is hypothesized and needs further testing.

Keywords: Lemna gibba L., arsenic, homeopathy, replication, in vitro test-system



Publication History

Article published online:
30 January 2024

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