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Background: A model of thyroxine and metamorphosis of highland amphibians is frequently mentioned as an example of experiments on extremely diluted substances in discussions around 'homeopathy'., Methods: The model was scrutinized by reanalysing the results of the initial researcher A and a second researcher B as well as of 5 external researchers C between 1990 and 2013. Rana temporaria larvae were taken from an alpine highland biotope. The test solution was thyroxine 10(-30) (T30x), tetra-iodo-thyronine sodium pentahydrate diluted with pure water in 26 steps of 1:10, being agitated after each step. Analogously prepared water (W30x) was used for control. Tadpoles were observed from the 2-legged to the 4-legged stage. Experiments were performed in different years, at different times of season, and their duration could vary. Frequencies of 4-legged animals, effect sizes and areas under the curves (AUCs) were calculated and regression analyses were performed to investigate possible correlations between year, season, duration etc. Experiments were in line with animal protection guidelines., Results: The total set of data A + B + C as well as subsets A (initial researcher, N=286+293), B (second centre, 965 + 965) and C (5 external researchers, 690 + 690) showed an effect of extremely diluted agitated thyroxine reverse to that known of molecular thyroxin, i.e. test values were below control by 11.4% for A, 9.5% for B and 7.0% for C (p<0.001 for each of the subsets). The effect size (Cohen's d) was >0.8 (large) for both A and B and 0.74 (medium) for C., Conclusion: Although a perfect reproducibility was not obtained, this paradoxical phenomenon was generally consistent in different observations. Correlations were found between details of laboratory handling, as well as environment temperature, and the size of the results., (Copyright © 2015 The Faculty of Homeopathy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Since 1926, an influence of a dilution of silver nitrate (24x) on the growth of coleoptiles of wheat seedlings was described. The aim of the study discussed here is the critical proof of the reliability of a test system which has been quoted as a basic model for the research on homoeopathy for decades., Methods: Grains of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) were observed under the influence of extremely diluted silver nitrate (10(-23)) prepared by stepwise dilution and agitation according to a protocol derived from homeopathy ('24x'). Analogously prepared water and/or inert water was used for control. Thirty experiments including 5000+5000 grains were performed by 5 researchers., Results: Stalk lengths clearly indicate that development is enhanced by the probe silver nitrate 24x as compared to control. When the experiments 1989-1995 were pooled, means and SD for silver nitrate 24x-groups were 42.3±26.9 mm and for water control groups 34.7±22.2 mm. Verum stalk length was 21.9% bigger than control (100%) (p<0.01; d=0.31, i.e. small). For the experiments 1998-2014, means and SD were 73.7±21.7 mm and 60.5±20.9 mm. Verum stalk length was 21.7% bigger than control (100%) (p<0.01; d=0.62, i.e. medium). From the results one may hypothesize that the result is more marked in experiments showing an average mean of stalk length between ca. 50 and 90 mm in contrast to smaller or bigger mean lengths., Conclusion: The previous findings were confirmed by the results., (Copyright © 2015 The Faculty of Homeopathy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Following studies (a) on wheat seedlings and ultra high diluted silver nitrate, and (b) on amphibians and an ultra high diluted hormone, (c) a bio-assay on wheat and extremely diluted gibberellic acid was standardized. This assay was intended to combine the easy-to-handle aspect of (a) and biologically interesting aspects of (b). The purpose of the data analysis presented here was to investigate the influence of an extreme dilution of gibberellic acid on wheat stalk length and to determine the influence of external factors on the experimental outcome., Methods: Grains of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum, Capo variety) were observed under the influence of extremely diluted gibberellic acid (10(-30)) prepared by stepwise dilution and agitation according to a protocol derived from homeopathy ('G30x'). Analogously prepared water was used for control ('W30x'). 16 experiments including 8000+8000 grains were performed by 9 researchers., Results: Experiments that were performed between January and April showed inconsistent results, whereas most of the experiments performed between September and December showed shorter stalks in the G30x group. This was confirmed by correlation analysis (p<0.01). Thus winter/spring experiments and autumn experiments were analysed separately. When all 10 autumn experiments were pooled, mean stalk lengths (mm) were 48.3±21.4 for the verum group and 52.1±20.4 for control (mean±SD) at grain level (N=5000 per group) and ±5.3 and ±5.1 respectively at dish level. In other words, verum stalk length (92.67%) was 7.33% smaller than control stalk length (100%). The effect size is small when calculation is done on the basis of grains (d=0.18) but, due to the smaller SD at dish level, medium when done on the basis of dishes (d=0.73). The inhibiting effect was observed by 6 of the 6 researchers who performed the autumn experiments., Conclusion: The model may be useful for further research as there exists a theoretical justification due to previous studies with wheat and extremely diluted silver nitrate, as well as to previous studies with amphibians and diluted hormones, and its methods are well standardized. Data confirm the hypothesis that information can be stored in the test liquid, even at a dilution of the original substance beyond Avogadro's value; and that the wheat bio-assay is sensitive to such information., (Copyright © 2015 The Faculty of Homeopathy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Previous experiments show that amphibian larvae are responsive to homeopathically prepared thyroxine., Methods: We studied the effect of a highly diluted and agitated thyroxine solution exposed to various electromagnetic fields on metamorphosis in highland Rana temporaria. The devices tested were: microwave oven, mobile phone, airport X-ray, and a red light barcode scanner. Animals were treated either with homeopathically prepared thyroxine (10(-30) parts by weight, 10(-35) in the water in which the animals were kept), or analogously prepared blank solution, or analogously prepared thyroxine exposed to the electromagnetic field of one of the devices tested. Solutions were administered at 48h intervals according to a standardized protocol., Results: Animals treated with the standard test solution thyroxine 10(-30) metamorphosed more slowly than the control animals, ie the effect of the homeopathically prepared thyroxine was opposed to the usual physiological effect of molecular thyroxine. The cumulative number of test animals that had reached the four-legged stage at defined points in time was smaller in the group treated with homeopathically prepared thyroxine at most of the points in time. This was found independently by all three research teams involved. In contrast, this effect did not occur when the thyroxine solution had been exposed to the field of the early model microwave oven, or mobile phone. There was no difference between aqueous or alcoholic solutions were used, and there was, if any, only a small protective effect from aluminum foil. Airport X-ray and red light barcode scanning did not diminish the effect of the homeopathic solution.