Homeopathic Dilutions
Homeopathy involves a process known by practitioners as "dynamisation" or "potentisation" whereby a substance is diluted with alcohol or distilled water and then vigorously shaken in a process called "succussion". Insoluble solids, such as quartz and oyster shell, are diluted by grinding them with lactose (trituration). The founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann (1755 — 1843) believed that the process of succussion activated the "vital energy" of the diluted substance, and that successive dilutions increased the "potency" of the remedy.
The idea is considered a pseudoscience, because at common dilutions, no atoms of the original material are likely to remain. It is illogical that a process of dilution would arrive at a higher potency. There is not enough water on earth to produce the highest homeopathic dilutions from one molecule.
Read more about Homeopathic Dilutions: Potency Scales, The Paradox of Homeopathic Dilution, Proposed Explanations, Dilution Debate
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