How to take homeopathy - Potency, Dose and how to know you're doing it right!

If you’re reading this in the middle of the night with a crying baby, a fever that’s come out of nowhere, or that familiar feeling of “Am I doing this right?” — let me start here:

You’re not doing homeopathy wrong.

And you don’t need to understand everything to use it well.

Most people don’t struggle with homeopathy because it’s complicated.

They struggle because no one ever explained potency and dose in a way that actually makes sense.

So let’s do that first.

Homeopathic Potencies at a Glance

(This is the bit to save or screenshot)

Think of potencies as how far the message travels through the system — not how “strong” the remedy is.

9x / 12x — Tissue Salts

• Work at the most physical, cellular level

• Support the correct running of the cells

• Slow, steady, supportive

• Can be repeated regularly

• Best thought of like supplements

These are your everyday support remedies — ideal for depletion, growth, teething, mineral demand, and recovery.

⸻

30c — The Home Prescriber’s Best Friend

• Best for lower-energy acutes

• Slow onset, lingering symptoms

• When the person themselves is tired, depleted, young, or elderly

• Gentle, safe, and forgiving

30c remedies affect the physical body and emotional layer together.

This is why most families start here — and why it works so well.

⸻

200c — High-Impact Situations

• For sudden, intense symptoms

• Fast fevers, big reactions, shock, acute pain

• Labour and strong physiological transitions

• Useful when the person is full of energy, reactive, or “extra”

200c remedies reach the acute stress-response layer of the system.

Most families naturally try 30c first, then move to 200c when things are sharper or more dramatic.

That instinct is usually spot on.

⸻

Higher Potencies (Briefly)

Potencies above this are generally best given by a practitioner, as they can reach much older patterns — including long-standing mental, emotional, hereditary, and ancestral themes.

For home prescribing, you don’t need to go there.

A professional homeopath draws on a wide range of pescribing methods- whether classical, practical, or modern approaches - to match remedies to each individual's unique needs.

(If you’d like to understand the bigger picture of how homeopathy works, you can read more about what homeopathy really is here.)

⸻

How Potency Actually Works

(The bit that makes it click)

Each of us is more than just a physical body.

We have a 3D energetic field around us — often called the aura or biofield. It exists in layers, and each layer holds different information about how we function, cope, and adapt.

You can think of it as a three-dimensional version of you, extending outwards from the body.

• The closest layers relate to physical cells, tissues, and organs

• The middle layers relate to emotions, stress responses, and mental patterns

• The outer layers hold much older information — long-standing habits, inherited tendencies, and ancestral load

Homeopathic remedies work by sending a signal into this field.

The potency determines how far that signal travels:

• 9x / 12x stays close to the physical body

• 30c ripples into the emotional layer as well

• 200c reaches the acute stress layer

• higher potencies travel further back in time and further out in space

This is why higher isn’t “better”.

It’s just further-reaching.

And it’s why repeating a potency unnecessarily can feel unsettling — the message has already been received.

This is also why acute situations and chronic patterns need to be approached differently, which I explain more fully when talking about acute vs chronic homeopathy — something you can read more about here.

⸻

Dose: How often should I repeat?

Once the message is delivered, the body needs space to respond.

More pills do not necessarily mean more healing.

If you see an improvement - wait.

If you see no change, but you’re sure of the remedy - repeat up to 3 times every 15 mins.

If you see no change - time to rethink the remedy.

If you saw an improvement, then improvement stops - repeat the same remedy.

General guidance:

• Take remedies away from food and drink (15–20 minutes either side)

• Avoid strong flavours like mint, coffee, or essential oils close to dosing

• Let pellets dissolve under the tongue or take in a small sip of water

• Do not repeat “just in case”

If something is shifting — wait.

⸻

How You Know Homeopathy Is Working

When homeopathy is working well, the first changes are often quiet.

Mums often say:

• “I feel calmer.”

• “I’m coping better.”

• “My child isn’t reacting as strongly.”

That’s regulation returning.

Sometimes symptoms ease.

Sometimes they move.

Sometimes old things reappear briefly and pass.

That isn’t failure — it’s movement.

Understanding which changes matter most is part of learning how homeopaths read the whole symptom picture, which you can read more about here.

⸻

Is This a Side Effect?

Usually not.

Homeopathic responses are often clear-outs, such as:

• mucus moving

• old discharges briefly returning

• skin flaring as internal symptoms settle

We pause only if:

• energy drops significantly

• symptoms move inward

• or the person feels less themselves overall

If resilience is improving, we usually let the body carry on.

⸻

The Takeaway

Homeopathy isn’t about doing more.

It’s about listening more carefully.

Potency is how far the message travels.

Dose is timing.

Healing is the body remembering how to regulate.

And you don’t need to be perfect to use it well.