Posology

By:
G. Tejaswi
K. Supraja Raj
Etymology

 The term posolgy originates from Greek

 posos=how much
 logos=study

Definition of Poslogy
 Posolgy means doctrine of doses of
medicine
 Homoeopathic Posolgy

 Homeopathic dose includes potency, quantity,

form and number of administration of the
medicine.
 The study of the doctrine of doses is known as
"posology“.
Selection of potency

 Susceptibility is the only guide for the

selection of potency.

 "More the susceptibility-higher the

potency,less the susceptibility-lower the
potency."
 Factors contributing susceptibility
 Age: Child and young adults - high potency whereas old
people require low or medium potencies as there is wear
and tear of tissues
 Sex: Females- Medium potencies and
Males -Higher potencies
 Habit and Environment: High potency is suited to:
• Highly intellectual
• Sedentary occupation
• long sleep
 Lower potency : Physical labour
Idiots, deaf and dumb
Druggists, Perfumists, Chemical workers.
Constitution and temperament

 Higher potency:
• Nervous, sanguine or choleric temperament
• Intellectual, quick to act and react.
• Zealous and impulsive

 Lower potencies:
• Oversensitive
• Idiosyncratic
Nature and depth of the disease

 Acute : Repeated doses of higher

potencies

 Chronic : Low or medium potencies if

organic changes appears
Nature of medicine
 Nosodes:
• High potency

 Low potency for

• Crategus
• Sabal serrulata
• Arsenicum iodatum
 According to Stuart close

 Small doses and homoeopathy are

commonly regarded as synonymous
terms
 The three essential elements of the
system are:
• the principle
• the remedy
• the dose
 A well selected remedy may fail utterly or
even do injury because of wrong dosage.
 Homoeopathic medicines are never used for
their "physiological effect“.
 The physiological action of a drug is not its
therapeutic or curative action. It is exactly
the opposite of a curative action and is never
employed in homoeopathic practice for
therapeutic purposes.
 The action of a drug may be pathogenetic or
therapeutic depending upon the size and
strength of the dose, the susceptibility of the
patient and the principle upon which it is given.
 The homoeopathic cure is obtained without
suffering, without the production of any drug
symptoms in a positive & direct manner, by the
action of sub-physiological or sub-pathogenic
doses.
 In other words-by the minimum dose, which is a
dose so small that it is not capable of producing
symptoms when used therapeutically.
 Homoeopathic drug is always given singly,
so that it's action is complete and
unmodified by other drugs.

 The proper dose is always the least

possible dose which will effect a cure.
 Repetition of Doses
 It is one of the important factor that helps in
attaining cure.
 In a slowly progressing chronic disease like TB,
the action of a dose of a curative remedy
might continue for 2 or 3months.
 The only rule which can be laid down with
safety is to repeat the dose only when
improvement ceases.
 It is explained in aphorisms 245,246 &247.
Effect of the Remedy

 A remedy shows it's action by:

• Producing new symptoms.
• Disappearance of symptoms.
• Increase or <of symptoms.
• Amelioration of symptoms.
• Change in the order & direction of
symptoms.
 An improperly chosen remedy may change the
condition of an oversensitive patient by producing
new symptoms not related to the disease
&detrimental to his welfare.
 A correctly chosen remedy given in too low or
sometimes too high potency or in too many doses
may cause an <of the existing symptoms so severe
as to endanger the life of the patient.
 A slight < of the symptoms appearing quickly after
giving the remedy &soon passing away is a good
sign.
 The change following the administration
of a remedy may be a quick, short
amelioration followed by a relapse to
the original or a worse condition.
 Jahr's concept

 Proving of low potency-common and

general symptoms.

 Proving of high potency-peculiar

character of the drugs is revealed