The Queen of England and David Beckham use homeopathy. Yet, in May 2010, members of the British Medical Association (BMA) passed a motion against the provision of homeopathy in the national health system. Tom Dolphin, deputy chairman of the BMA's junior doctors committee in England, actually went so far as to state that "homeopathy is witchcraft”, because it has no scientific basis.

In July 2010, French virologist Luc Montagnier, who received the Nobel prize for proving the link between HIV and AIDS, presented a method for detecting viral infections. According to him, solutions containing the DNA of pathogenic bacteria and viruses, including HIV, “could emit low frequency radio waves” that induced surrounding water molecules to arrange into nanostructures.

These water molecules, he said, could also emit radio waves. He suggested water could retain such properties even after the original solutions were massively diluted, to the point where the original DNA had effectively vanished.

In this way, he suggested, water could retain the "memory" of substances with which it had been in contact — and doctors could use the emissions to detect disease.

This method bears a close parallel to the basic tenets of homeopathy.

A scientific team from IIT-Mumbai cracked the code on the working of homeopathy last week. According to them, homeopathy works on the principle of nanotechnology.

The research, published in the journal Homeopathy, states that even when diluted to a nanometre or one-billionth of a metre, homeopathic pills containing naturally occurring metals like gold, copper and iron retain their potency.

According to Dr Jayesh Bellare, ''Certain highly diluted homeopathic remedies made from metals still contain measurable amounts of the starting material, even at extreme dilutions of 1 part in 10 raised to 400 parts.”

The principle

Homeopathy is an alternative school of medicine founded by Dr Samuel Hahnemann. Homeopathy is based on "similia similibus curentur", or "like cures like". Thus, a remedy that produces symptoms in a healthy person will cure those same symptoms when manifested by a person in a diseased state.

Dr Hahnemann discovered the remedial powers of drugs and inert substances such as gold, platinum, silica, vegetable charcoal, lycopodium, among others.

By preparing the medicines through potentisation, these inert and insoluble substances became soluble in alcohol or water, and were charged to cure ailments.

Simply put, homeopathy is based on the theory that substances which cause symptoms in a healthy person can, when vastly diluted, cure the same problems in a sick person.

Although homeopathic remedies sometimes use substances that are toxic, they are diluted and prescribed in non-toxic doses. Homeopathic medicines need to be handled carefully and lose their potency if touched by hand.

Homeopathy is not only popular with humans, more and more people now use homeopathy to treat their pets. Homeopathic medicines work on the principle that a toxic substance taken in minute amounts will cure the same symptoms that it would cause if it were taken in large amounts.

The writer is an environmentalist and former head, Peta, India