What are homeopathic Mother Tinctures (MT) ?

A. Homeopathic mother tinctures may be described as medicaments prepared in accordance with the methods described in the Homeopathic Materia medica and the latest edition of the German, French or US homeopathic Pharmacopeia (HPUS). Mother tinctures are the homeopathic medicament in its most concentrated form. Depending on the plant used the liquids range from almost colorless, to straw colored, to dark brown or a red color. All mother tinctures are denoted by the abbreviation MT. CERES mother tinctures are prepared by hydro-alcoholic extractions of fresh plants. The alcohol content of the mother tinctures lies between 45+-5%V of pure alcohol and 65+- 5% V according to the plant being used. CERES mother tinctures are prepared by the maceration of the fresh hand-cut plant material in different strengths of alcohol at ambient temperature. At no time in the process is the product heated. At CERES the maceration process is unique and involves the plant material and alcohol mixture being rhythmically ground in a hermetically sealed glass container hydraulically powered so as to avoid detrimental electromagnetic fields. The material is then stored in stoneware and periodically stirred by hand for two weeks. It is then pressed (not by compression), filtered and stored in a darkroom at 16 degrees C. where it is allowed to mature for two years. Produced this unique way, if properly stored, CERES mother tinctures have an indefinite therapeutic activity.

What is a homeopathic dilution and how is it measured?

A. In homeopathy the mother tinctures are the base source for further homeopathy preparations, which depending on their dilution are designated as either x potency or c potency. In other words, a MT is the lowest possible dilution of a homeopathic preparation in liquid form. Keep in mind that according to Roman numerals, x equals 10 and c equals 100. Therefore, x potencies are made in a homeopathic laboratory by diluting one part of the mother tincture with nine parts of water or alcohol. This new mixture (1:9) is then shaken or succussed vigorously.

In the above example, the mother tincture was diluted once, so the result is called 1 x potency. In the next step, one part of the 1x is mixed with nine parts of water or alcohol, and after succusion, this new mixture is called 2x. This process is continued to produce 3x, 4x, and so on. A similar process produces the c potencies. One part of the mother tincture is diluted in ninety-nine parts of water or alcohol and succused to produce a 1c potency. One part of the 1c potency is then mixed with ninety-nine parts of water or alcohol and again this new bottle is shaken vigorously, yielding a 2c potency. This process can be continued to produce 3c, 4c, and so on

What is homeopathic potentization?

A. The homeopathic potentization process is carried out successively in two distinct steps - dilution and succussion. Thus, the process involves the sequential or serial dilution of the mother tincture with a mixture of alcohol and water. Each dilution is followed by succussion, which involves vigorous shaking with impact. At CERES this process is all exactingly and painstakingly done by hand. Manual potentization such as used at CERES, is far superior to mechanical. However, most homeopathic companies to save time and expense employ mechanical means, using instruments of many different designs, all of which aim to simulate the manual procedure. Succussion is absolutely essential in the homeopathic manufacturing process. Without succussion after each dilution, a homeopathic medicine would not be complete.

The traditional laws of chemistry state that there is a limit to the dilution that can be made without losing the original substance altogether. This limit, which is related to Avogadro's number (6.023 x 1023), corresponds to homeopathic potencies of 24X (1 part in 1024). However, modern physicists now claim that even when the last molecule is gone, a "memory" of the original substance is retained.

Numerous published research is now validating homeopathy.
(see PDF file: http://www.vhan.nl/documents/ScientificReportECHNov04.pdf)

Research Example:
One interesting research article recently published valadating homeopathic dilution beyond Avogadro's number was presented by Physicist Louis Rey in Lausanne, Switzerland. He published a paper in the mainstream journal, Physica A, described experiments that suggest water does have a memory of molecules that have been diluted away, as can be demonstrated by a relatively new physical technique that measures thermoluminescence.

In this technique, the material is activated by irradiation at low temperature, with UV, X-rays, electron beams, or other high-energy sub-atomic particles. This causes electrons to come loose from the atoms and molecules, creating electron-hole pairs that become separated and trapped at different energy levels. Then, when the irradiated material is warmed up, it releases the absorbed energy and the trapped electrons and holes come together and recombine. This causes the release of a characteristic glow of light, peaking at different temperatures depending on the magnitude of the separation between electron and hole. As a general rule, the phenomenon is observed in crystals with an ordered arrangement of atoms and molecules, but it is also seen in disordered materials such as glasses. In this mechanism, imperfections in the atomic/molecular lattice are considered to be the sites at which luminescence appears.

Dr. Rey decided to use the technique to investigate water, starting with heavy water or deuterium oxide that's been frozen into ice at a temperature of 77K. The absolute temperature scale (degree K, after Lord Kelvin) is used in science. (The zero degree K is equivalent to -V273 C, and deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen which is twice as heavy as hydrogen).As the ice warms up, a first peak of luminescence appears near 120K, and a second peak near 166 K. Heavy water gives a much stronger signal than water. In both cases, samples that were not irradiated gave no signals at all.

For both water and heavy water, the relative intensity of the thermoluminescence depends on the irradiation dose. There has been a suggestion that peak 2 comes from the hydrogen-bonded network within ice, whereas peak 1 comes from the individual molecules. This was confirmed by looking at a totally different material that is known to present strong hydrogen bonds, which showed a similar glow in the peak 2 region, but nothing in peak 1.

Dr. Rey then investigated what would happen when he dissolved some chemicals in the water and diluted it in steps of one hundred fold with vigorous stirring (as in the preparation of homeopathic remedies), until he reached a concentration of 10 to the power -30 g per centilitre, and compare that to the control that has not had any chemical dissolved in it and diluted in the same way.

The samples were frozen and activated with irradiation as usual. Much to his surprise, when lithium chloride, LiCl, a chemical that would be expected to break hydrogen bonds between water molecules was added, and then diluted away, the thermoluminescent glow became reduced, but the reduction of peak 2 was greater relative to peak 1. Sodium chloride, NaCl, had the same effect albeit to a lesser degree.

It appears, therefore, that substances like LiCl and NaCl can modify the hydrogen-bonded network of water, and that this modification remains even when the molecules have been diluted away.

The fact that this memory remains, in spite of, or because of vigorous stirring or shaking at successive dilutions, indicates that the memory is by no means static, but depends on a dynamic process, perhaps a collective quantum excitation of water molecules that has a high degree of stability

Why does CERES use alcohol in the manufacturing of its Mother Tinctures?

A. Like so many other homeopathic manufactures CERES uses alcohol to extract and preserve the physical and energetic information from the plants. Traditionally, herbal tinctures and homeopathic remedies were made using a water and alcohol (ethanol) mixture. This comes from the ancient days when herbs were extracted by soaking them in spirits or wine. In Europe water and ethanol mixtures are still the most common extraction method for tinctures, and are now standard pharmaceutical practice. Pharmacologically ethanol is able to extract more active ingredients than other substances used for extraction (glycerin or water alone). With a wider range of active ingredients the therapeutic activity is broader, and the remedy is more effective.

Another advantage of using alcohol for tinctures is that it acts as a preservative - bacteria, yeasts and molds generally don't grow in an ethanol concentration of around 20% or more. Another advantage of ethanol is that once it is ingested, it loses its preservative effect; therefore, it does not damage beneficial intestinal flora.

The small amounts of ethanol that are taken when using homoeopathic or herbal products are generally recognized as being harmless. For example, the standard 10 drop (or 0.5ml) dose contains approximately 2 drops (80mg) of ethanol. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a newborn (3kg) baby, should be given no more than 3 ml of ethanol in a single dose - this is about 30 times greater than the amount in a dose of herbal or homeopathic products. In comparison, an average slice of bread contains between 100 mg and 200 mg of ethanol.

Why are the CERES tinctures recommended dosages less drops than other herbal tinctures?

A. Of course, this is a cost advantage to the user and is due to the high quality of these remedies. CERES unique manufacturing process better extracts and preserves the energetic vital forces of the plant that give rise to its efficacy. Over time European practitioners have discovered that CERES tinctures are highly effective at lower dosages compared to most other tinctures. No where in the world are mother tinctures manufactured like CERES patented process.