Findings
There was no reliable evidence from research in humans that homeopathy was effective for
treating the range of health conditions considered: no good-quality, well-designed studies with
enough participants for a meaningful result reported either that homeopathy caused greater health
improvements than placebo, or caused health improvements equal to those of another treatment.
For some health conditions, studies reported that homeopathy was not more effective than placebo.
For other health conditions, there were poor-quality studies that reported homeopathy was more
effective than placebo, or as effective as another treatment. However, based on their limitations, those
studies were not reliable for making conclusions about whether homeopathy was effective. For the
remaining health conditions it was not possible to make any conclusion about whether homeopathy
was effective or not, because there was not enough evidence.
Conclusions
Based on the assessment of the evidence of effectiveness of homeopathy, NHMRC concludes that
there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective.
Homeopathy should not be used to treat health conditions that are chronic, serious, or could become
serious. People who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments
for which there is good evidence for safety and effectiveness. People who are considering whether
to use homeopathy should first get advice from a registered health practitioner. Those who use
homeopathy should tell their health practitioner and should keep taking any prescribed treatments