There are two things that make a medicine homeopathic

• The way it is prepared.

• The way it is used. 

        We have already explained the way a homeopathic medicine is used: how a homeopath bases each prescription on the symptoms of the whole person— called the totality of symptoms—and uses the law of similar to select the one medicine that best fits the person's situation.
 
         Another aspect that makes homeopathic medicines radically different from conventional medications is their preparation.

         Dr. Hahnemann found that, in order to avoid the harmful side effects of the medicines, he should dilute natural substances into micro doses. He discovered further through extensive experimentation, that the more he diluted the substances the longer their healing effects lasted. Homeopathic medicines are still prepared in the same way they were prepared during Hahnemann's time. 

         A plant substance, for example, is mixed in alcohol to obtain a tincture. One drop of the tincture is mixed with 99 drops of alcohol (to achieve a ratio of 1:100) and the mixture is strongly shaken in a particular method. This shaking process is known as succussion. The final bottle is labeled as "1C." One drop of this 1C is then mixed with 100 drops of alcohol and the process is repeated to make a 2C. By the time the 3C is reached, the dilution is 1 part in 1 million. Small globules made from sugar are then saturated with the liquid dilution. These globules constitute the homeopathic medicine. 

         Although such infinitesimal quantities are considered by some to be no more than placebos, the clinical experience of homeopathy shows that the infinitesimal dose is effective: it works upon unconscious people and infants, and it even works on animals.  

         It is important to remember, however, that a medicine is homeopathic only if it is taken based upon the similar nature of the medicine to the illness. A medicine labeled as "homeopathic" will work only if it is homeopathic to the symptoms presented.