SynthesisSystematic reviews2014
Randomised placebo-controlled trials of individualised homeopathic treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05468801 (Randomized, Triple-blind, Placebo Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Individualized Homeopathic Remedies With High Grade of Pathological Similarity vs Conventional Standardized Pharmacological Treatment in Patients With Migraine.), which is not on this map. Cited by 49 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Randomized, Triple-blind, Placebo Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Individualized Homeopathic Remedies With High Grade of Pathological Similarity vs Conventional Standardized Pharmacological Treatment in Patients With Migraine.
Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 217 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of homoeopathic treatment: Systematic review of meta-analyses of randomised placebo-controlled homoeopathy trials for any indication.Systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Homeopathic medicinal products for preventing and treating acute respiratory tract infections in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Assessing the magnitude of reporting bias in trials of homeopathy: a cross-sectional study and meta-analysis.BMJ evidence-based medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Vitamin D supplementation, COVID-19 and disease severity: a meta-analysis.QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians · 2021Pooled it
- Is HomeopathicFrontiers in surgery · 2021Pooled it
- Physicochemical Investigations of Homeopathic Preparations: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis-Part 2.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2019Pooled it
- Homeopathic medicinal products for preventing and treating acute respiratory tract infections in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Physicochemical Investigations of Homeopathic Preparations: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis-Part 1.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2018Pooled it
- Homeopathic medicinal products for preventing and treating acute respiratory tract infections in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of non-individualised homeopathic treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Veterinary homeopathy: systematic review of medical conditions studied by randomised trials controlled by other than placebo.BMC veterinary research · 2015Pooled it
- Homeopathic medication for seasonal allergic rhinitis-a randomised placebo-controlled trial.Frontiers in allergy · 2026Trial
- A Randomized Three-Arm Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study of Homeopathic Treatment of Children and Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.Journal of integrative and complementary medicine · 2024Trial
- Dissemination of evidence-based homeopathy before Brazilian medical institutions as a strategy to strengthen the homeopathic medical specialty.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- Subcutaneous application ofFrontiers in public health · 2026Observational
- ENHANCE: a global collaborative research programme investigating the role of homeopathy in antimicrobial stewardship.Frontiers in antibiotics · 2026Article
- Framework for evidence synthesis of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine systems incorporating context and complexity, illustrated by the example of homeopathy.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Characterisation of Aqueous Ultra-high Homeopathic Potencies: Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis.Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy · 2025Article
- The current state of the quality of homeopathic clinical research.Complementary therapies in medicine · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA rigorous and focused systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of individualised homeopathic treatment has not previously been undertaken. We tested the hypothesis that the outcome of an individualised homeopathic treatment approach using homeopathic medicines is distinguishable from that of placebos.
methodsThe review's methods, including literature search strategy, data extraction, assessment of risk of bias and statistical analysis, were strictly protocol-based. Judgment in seven assessment domains enabled a trial's risk of bias to be designated as low, unclear or high. A trial was judged to comprise 'reliable evidence' if its risk of bias was low or was unclear in one specified domain. 'Effect size' was reported as odds ratio (OR), with arithmetic transformation for continuous data carried out as required; OR > 1 signified an effect favouring homeopathy.
resultsThirty-two eligible RCTs studied 24 different medical conditions in total. Twelve trials were classed 'uncertain risk of bias', three of which displayed relatively minor uncertainty and were designated reliable evidence; 20 trials were classed 'high risk of bias'. Twenty-two trials had extractable data and were subjected to meta-analysis; OR = 1.53 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22 to 1.91). For the three trials with reliable evidence, sensitivity analysis revealed OR = 1.98 (95% CI 1.16 to 3.38).
conclusionsMedicines prescribed in individualised homeopathy may have small, specific treatment effects. Findings are consistent with sub-group data available in a previous 'global' systematic review. The low or unclear overall quality of the evidence prompts caution in interpreting the findings. New high-quality RCT research is necessary to enable more decisive interpretation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.