Detailed Guide to Homeopathic LM Potency

The topic of potency in homeopathy is a very important topic and in our previous article we published a very satisfying article on how to choose potency. In this article, in order to contribute to our previous article, we will inform you about LM potencies, a potency value that Hahnemann has used recently…

While informing about LM potencies, we will proceed through frequently asked questions, in the form of question and answer.

What are LM potencies?

LM potencies were the final scale of potencies (serial agitated dilutions of homeopathic medicines) developed by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1842), the founder of Homeopathy. They are also known as Q-potentials and 50 Millesimal potencies. The scale represents a 1:50,000 serial dilution with each subsequent potency.

Also, there are two more scales in Homeopathy:

Decimal Scale (X): It was created by C. Hering (1800-1880) and has a dilution ratio of 1:10.

Centesimal Scale (C or K or CH): Created by Hahnemann and has a dilution ratio of 1:100.

Who Invented the LM Scale?

Christian Frederick Samuel Hahnemann was the initiator of the medical system we know as homeopathy.

When did he use his LM potency?

From 1837 to 1842, in Paris.

Why did he find it?

During his Paris years, Hahnemann found that most of his patients were unusually sensitive and aggravated (homeopathic exacerbation) even with 30C of the centesimal scale. He also felt the need for frequent repetitions in cases with persistent pathology, but dry synthetic doses were not ideal for this. To prevent aggravation and find an effective method for frequent relapses, he began to dilute the globules with water before administration and dosed some of the liquid. These experiments subsequently resulted in the development of LM potencies.

What is the feature of your name?

Hahnemann referred to their new potency as: divisions, infinite semales (infinitely small dilutions). He called these preparations medicamen au globule to distinguish them from the age-old potency called medicamen a la gutte (drip remedies).

From Geneva, Dr. Pierre Schmidt called this new scale “50 Millesimal”. Rudolf Flury (1903-1977) gave the abbreviation ‘LM’ – ‘L’ for Roman ’50’ and ‘M’ for Roman ‘1000’. However, this notation is technically incorrect, as the Roman numeral LM will show the number 950 instead of 50,000. The name ‘Q-potency’ is derived from the Latin word ‘quinquagintamilia’ meaning literally 50,000 and was introduced by Jost Kunzli (1915-1992). So ‘Q’ is the correct abbreviation for 50 Millesimal potency. However, despite being an incorrect abbreviation, ‘LM’ is still popularly used.

What is the current range of LM potencies?

LM potencies are generally available in dry globules and the potency range is between LM 1 and LM 30.

Why is it limited to the LM30?

Hahnemann found this interval sufficient for most patients. But this is not an absolute limit and many pharmacies will make it for you at dilutions above LM30 on special order.

How to show LM potencies?

LM potencies are usually written as ‘0/potential number’ such as ‘0/1’, ‘0/2′ …’0/30’.

This new method of noting the scale comes directly from Hahnemann’s case records. Hahnemann nowhere mentions what the little zero or ‘o’ means. Many historians think it refers to the small sphere used to distribute power.

Many people also refer to these potencies as LM1, LM2 …LM30. Some even use Q as Q1, Q2 …Q30.

Where did Hahnemann define LM potencies?

It is mentioned in Aphorism 270 in the 6th Edition of the Organon.

How to make an initial LM potency?

Unlike the main tinctures used to prepare the Initial Decimal and Centesimal scale potencies, the initial LM potency is prepared from the 3C trituration of the original drug substance.

So if you want to prepare the LM potencies yourself, you can buy the 3C trituration of the drug you want from the market or you can make the trituration yourself using the raw drug material. Remember to prepare the powder, you will need one part raw material and 99 parts milk sugar. The mixture should be mashed for 1 hour according to the instructions given in Organon to prepare ‘1C’. To prepare 2C, take one part 1C and 99 parts milk sugar and mash for another hour. Repeat the process with 2C to get 3C.

So once you have the 3C potency you can start preparing the LM1:

– Take 3C powder by weight (0.062gm) and dissolve in 500 drops (30ml) 20% alcohol, making a 1:500 dilution of 3c.

– One drop of this solution is then diluted in 99 drops of 95% alcohol to fill two-thirds of a glass bottle to obtain a solution of 3c powder (500 x 100 = 50,000 in 1).

– This tube is then pressed against a firm but elastic object (such as a leather-bound book) 100 times to form the LM 1 drug liquid.

– The LM 1 liquid is then poured over some poppy seed granules weighing 1 grain per hundred (0.06 gm). The granules are so small that one drop of the alcoholic liquid LM 1 can completely wet at least 500 of them. Thus, only one granule absorbs at least one 500th of a drop.

– Many homeopaths use globules of size 10 instead of the smaller globules suggested by Hahnemann.

– The spheres are then dried and stored in glass bottles. This gives you the first LM potency you get from the market.

Why do you get 1:50000 dilution using (500) globules and alcohol (100 drops)? Why not just use liquid for dilution?

Theoretically, 50,000 drops can be diluted with one drop. Since 100 drops of 95% alcohol equals 3.6 ml, 50,000 drops equals 1.75 liters. The bottle to be diluted 100 times needs to be at least 2 liters in size – not a practical size for the average person to work with! However, there are some pharmacies that make their LM only with alcohol and no globules.

How do you make the next LM potencies?

– Take a granule of LM1 and dissolve it in a drop of water

– Add 99 drops of alcohol to the bottle.

– 100 times succession. This gives you the LM2 liquid solution.

– Administer 500 globules with one drop of this LM2 liquid solution. Dry on blotting paper and fill into a well-clogged bottle. Your LM2 is ready!

The LM 2 solution contains 1/500 x 100 = 1/50,000 of the previous LM 1 fluid. Instead of adding a drop directly, as in a 1:100 percent ratio, the process is continued in this way, using one-500th of a drop as a granule medium to transfer.

How do you use LM potencies?

1. Get a 4oz (120ml) to 6oz (180ml) clear glass bottle. Fill it 3/4 with water. Take 1 or 2 globules of desired strength (usually starting from LM 0/1) and put them in the bottle. Add a few drops of pure alcohol.
2. Depending on the patient’s sensitivity, flush the bottle 1 to 12 times just before swallowing. This slightly increases the potency and activates the remedy.
3. Take 1 or more teaspoons of the medicinal solution and put it in 8 to 10 tablespoons of water in a dilution glass and mix. In most cases, start with 1 teaspoon and increase the amount only if necessary. In children, the amount should be 1/2 teaspoon. Babies may only need 1/4 teaspoon.
4. Take 1 (or rarely 2 or 3) teaspoon as a dose from the dilution glass. Most cases start with 1 teaspoon and the amount is increased only as needed. Children should be given 1/2 teaspoon. Infants should be given 1/4 teaspoon or less.

The dose of the medicinal solution can be carefully adjusted according to the sensitivity of the person’s body.

Can LM potencies get hefty like centennial scale potencies?

Ever since Hahnemann created the new scale for avoiding homeopathic flare-ups, many people feel that LMs never get worse. Some people also believe that LMs worsen at the end of treatment, while percentile potentials worsen initially.

Both concepts are wrong. LMs are certainly softer than the centesimal scale, but they can become heavier in sensitive patients, just like the C scale. The aggravations are apparently less because the drugs are diluted so much and the same effect is never repeated twice. However, there can be exacerbations in LM potencies so don’t use them blindly.

How do you repeat drugs on the LM scale?

The rule is to repeat the drug once or twice a day until a significant positive change is visible. After this, the drug should not be used mechanically. However, recurrence is entirely dependent on individual sensitivity and the patient’s response. Ask the patient to report/call after 3 and 7 days, or if he sees any significant reaction, ask him to evaluate the initial reaction and change the dose and repeat accordingly.

In acute cases, you can repeat it every few hours or even every few minutes.

What to do when the first bottle of LM1 runs out?

Don’t make another bottle of LM1, switch to LM2. Similarly, when LM2 runs out, switch to LM3, etc.

Should I do this up to the LM30?

No. Usually a patient does not need all potencies in succession. Stop repeating when you see a definite improvement. If your solution had been correct, the patient would have recovered long before reaching the LM30.

What if the patient does not respond to LM1?

First you can try increasing the dose and succussion. Ask the patient to suck on the bottle more and take 2 or 3 teaspoons from the dilution cup instead of one. If the patient is still unresponsive, switch to a higher LM. And if it still doesn’t work, either your choice of remedy is wrong or you have to use the percentile scale.

What conditions can be treated with LM potencies?

Every condition and every patient can be treated with the LM scale. Previously, LMs were thought to be beneficial only for hypersensitive patients, but nowadays there are only homeopaths practicing with LM potencies. Others have found them useful only in selective situations.

Why haven’t LM potencies become as popular as the age-old scale?

Hahnemann developed the LM scale during his last years in Paris. Organon described a new scale in its 6th edition, but passed away before it could be published. When Organon’s 6th Edition was published in English in 1921, it took several more decades for people to fully understand it, even as the world learned about the new scale. And even after that, most people were concerned about the excessive dilution level and never used it.

Why are they becoming popular now?

It has become popular to use LM potencies as many case studies have had good results after better understanding of Organon 6th Edition and further examination of Hahnemann’s case records. People like David Little and Luc de Schepper were instrumental in making Hahnemann’s last work more acceptable.

Conclusion

With this information we have provided, you are now ready to use LM potencies easily and effectively. Share with me your experiences with the LM scale so that we can further our shared understanding of their use.

Additional info

Aphorism 270, Organon 6th Edition

Ҥ270: To best achieve this strength improvement, a small portion of the substance to be dynamized, say one, is crushed for three hours with one hundred milk sugar three times according to the method described below (1)

(1) One-third of a hundred milk sugars are placed in a glazed porcelain mortar, the bottom part is mattified by rubbing with fine, moist sand beforehand. A drop of the drug (a drop of mercury, petroleum, etc.) to be pulverized is placed on this powder. The milk sugar used for dynamization must be of that special pure quality that crystallizes on the threads and comes to us in the form of long sticks. For a moment the drugs and powder are mixed with a porcelain spatula and crushed quite vigorously for six to seven minutes by rubbing the pestle matte, then the mass is scraped from the bottom of the mortar and from the mortar for three to four minutes, to make it homogeneous.

It is followed by mashing for 6-7 minutes in the same way by peeling it from the sticking parts in the mortar and pestle repeatedly without adding anything more for 6-7 minutes. The second third of the milk’s sugar is now added, mixed with the spatula and mashed again for 6-7 minutes, then scraped for 3 -4 minutes and pulverized for 6 -7 minutes without addition. Then the sugar from the last third of the milk is added, mixed with a spatula and crushed as it was 6-7 minutes ago by scraping it most carefully. The powder thus prepared is placed in a well-sealed bottle, protected from direct sunlight, in which the name of the substance and the name of the first product marked /100 are given. To increase this product to /10000, 1 powder/100 grains of 100 grains of milk powder is mixed with the third part and then continued as before, but each third must be carefully crushed twice for 6-7 minutes and then mixed for 3-4 minutes. should be scraped together. before adding the second and last third of the milk sugar. The same procedure is performed after each third. When all is done, the powder is placed in a well-sealed bottle and labeled /10000, i.e. (I), each containing 1/1,000,000 of the original substance. Accordingly, such a trituration of three degrees requires six times six to seven minutes for grinding, and six times 3-4 minutes for scraping, that is, 60. For the following reasons (6), one of this powder is dissolved in 500 drops of a mixture of one drop of alcohol and four parts of distilled water, and one drop is placed in a bottle. 100 drops of pure alcohol (2) are added to this and a hundred vigorous slurry is given by hand to a rigid but flexible body (3). This is the first degree of dynamisation drug, where the small sugar globules (4) can then be moistened (5) and quickly spread on the blotter paper to dry and stored in a well-sealed bottle with the degree of potency mark (I). . Only one (6) hour per degree. One hour later, such a first-order milling operation is 1/000 each; second 1/10000; and in the third 1/1,000,000th of the drug used.* 100 drops of pure alcohol (2) are added to it and a hundred strong sucussion is given to a rigid but flexible body (3) by hand. This is the first degree of dynamisation drug, where the small sugar globules (4) can then be moistened (5) and quickly spread on the blotter paper to dry and stored in a well-sealed bottle with the degree of potency mark (I). . Only one (6) hour per degree. One hour later, such a first-order milling operation is 1/000 each; second 1/10000; and in the third 1/1,000,000th of the drug used.* 100 drops of pure alcohol (2) are added to it and a hundred strong sucussion is given to a rigid but flexible body (3) by hand. This is the first degree of dynamisation drug, where the small sugar globules (4) can then be moistened (5) and quickly spread on the blotter paper to dry and stored in a well-sealed bottle with the degree of potency mark (I). . Only one (6) hour per degree. One hour later, such a first-order milling operation is 1/000 each; second 1/10000; and in the third 1/1,000,000th of the drug used.* This is the drug of the first degree of dynamisation, where the small sugar globules (4) can then be moistened (5) and quickly spread on the blotter to dry and stored in a well-sealed bottle with the degree of potency mark (I). . . Only one (6) hour per degree. One hour later, such a first-order milling operation is 1/000 each; second 1/10000; and in the third 1/1,000,000th of the drug used.* This is the drug of the first degree of dynamisation, where the small sugar globules (4) can then be moistened (5) and quickly spread on the blotter to dry and stored in a well-sealed bottle with the degree of potency mark (I). . . Only one (6) hour per degree. One hour later, such a first-order milling operation is 1/000 each; second 1/10000; and the third 1/1 of the drug used.

With this information we have provided, you are now ready to use LM potencies easily and effectively. Share with me your experiences with the LM scale so that we can further our shared understanding of their use.