# Homeopathy

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/homeopathy-cancer/  
OnCo record `homeopathy-cancer` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Homeopathic remedies are diluted until no molecules of the starting substance remain, so any effect would need new physics. A Cochrane review of trials for chemotherapy and radiotherapy side effects found no convincing evidence that they work; they are harmless as long as they do not replace real treatment.

## Summary

Homeopathy prepares remedies by serial dilution, often beyond the point at which a single molecule of the original substance remains, and claims effects specific to the remedy. A 2009 Cochrane review of homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments found eight trials of variable quality with no convincing evidence of benefit for radiodermatitis, stomatitis or chemotherapy toxicity, a conclusion echoed by the UK House of Commons Science and Technology Committee and the Australian NHMRC across all indications. NHS England stopped funding homeopathy in 2017. The remedies are physically inert, so the risk lies in delayed or refused conventional treatment, and homeopathic 'vaccines' or 'cancer cures' fall into that category. Patients who find comfort in the consultation should not be shamed, but should be told plainly that the remedy itself does nothing.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: negative
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: complementary; supportive-care; evidence:insufficient
- Principle: No plausible mechanism; effects in trials are consistent with placebo, regression to the mean and attention.
- Strengths: Inert, so no direct toxicity; The long consultation is valued by some patients
- Limitations: No convincing evidence of benefit; Risk of replacing effective treatment; Defunded by NHS England

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy
- Cochrane: homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments (2009): https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004845.pub2

## Connected records

- fronts: [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- technologies: [Evidence-based integrative oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/integrative-oncology/)
- institutions: [National Institute for Health and Care Excellence](https://onco.cc/institutions/nice/)
- terms: [Placebo](https://onco.cc/terms/placebo/)
- bottlenecks: [Misinformation and unproven therapies](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/)
- key papers: [Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-kassab-cochrane-database-syst-rev/)

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