The electroencephalogram (EEG) is an approved standard method in medical diagnostics. It measures the electric signals that nerve cells in the brain use to communicate. Based on the region of the brain and the frequency of these electrical activities, the psycho-pharmacological effect of medication can be described, among other information. Each drug produces an individual reaction pattern.
The pharmacologist Prof. Dr. Wilfried Dimpfel examined the effect of a medication that contains several natural active pharmaceutical ingredients in homeopathic dilution, including passion flower and oats. Within an hour after taking the drug, the brain activity in certain regions already becomes more intense. It then reaches its peak after two to three hours and gradually decreases.
“Although the active pharmaceutical ingredients in the homeopathic preparation are highly diluted, the brain shows a strong reaction,” Dimpfel says. “The low dosage possibly even has a higher impact: In pre-clinical experiments, the brain’s response was even stronger if the dose was half of a pill per kilogram of body weight instead of a whole pill,” he adds.
The electrical activity was measured in four brain regions: the hippocampus and the frontal cortex, in which memories and emotions are processed, as well as the striatum and the formatio reticularis that controls conscious and unconscious brain functions via messenger substances.
“The pattern of brain activities implies a relaxing effect of this medication,” explains Dr. Bernd Seilheimer, Head of Bioregulatory Research at the pharmaceutical company Heel in Baden-Baden, Germany. “The EEG has verified the results of previous observational studies. It shows a great similarity to the effect of chemical tranquilizers. Hence, we can assume that the mechanisms of action are similar. Due to its good tolerability, the homeopathic medication is particularly well-suited for stress therapies,” Seilheimer adds.
Through its studies on the effectiveness of homeopathic medications based on proven scientific standards, the pharmaceutical manufacturer Heel builds the bridge between homeopathy and conventional medicine. The pre-clinical study conducted by Prof. Dr. Wilfried Dimpfel, University of Gießen, was presented on December 3, 2010, at the European Congress for Integrative Medicine in Berlin and published in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine
