Homoeopathic Sarcodes and their potentisation

Dr Bhumika Bhambhani

In homeopathy, sarcodes are a special group of remedies prepared from healthy animal tissues, organs, enzymes or secretions and used therapeutically according to the law of similars and the principle of potentization.

The term ‘Sarcodes’ comes from the Greek word “sarkos”, meaning flesh and ‘eidos’ meaning form. Thus, can be termed as ‘Protoplasm of animals.’ ^[1]

They are used mainly to regulate, stimulate, or balance the functioning of organs and glands, rather than to treat disease through pathological similarity.

Sources of Sarcodes -:

Sarcodes may be prepared from:

1. Whole organs (thyroid, liver, kidney)
2. Glands (pituitary, adrenal, pancreas)
3. Secretions and hormones (insulin, thyroxine)
4. Enzymes (pepsin, trypsin)

The source material must be healthy and disease-free.

Examples of commonly used sarcodes and their source -:

• Lac caninum – from Dog’s milk
• Lac vaccinum – from Cow’s milk
• Thyroidinum – from healthy thyroid tissue of sheep, calf
• Adrenalinum – from internal secretion of adrenal medulla
• Insulinum – from Beta cells of Islets of Langerhans of Pancreas
• Pituitrinum – from entire Pituitary gland
• Oophorinum – from ovarian extract of sheep, cow
• Orchitinum – from testicular extract of sheep, etc.

Preparation of Sarcodes

Step 1: Collection of source material

• Obtained from healthy tissues, organs, enzymes or secretions of animals

(usually bovine, porcine, or ovine)

• Organs are collected under aseptic conditions
• Must be fresh and uncontaminated

Step 2: Cleaning of source material

• The organ or gland is thoroughly cleaned
• Foreign matter (fat, connective tissue, blood) is removed
• The tissue is finely minced or dried

Step 3: Removal and separation of components

• Filtration (Seitz filter) is done to get rid of cell debris, unidentified bacteria and large protein particles
• If the source material is obtained as scraping of animal or human tissues, the keratin component of skin is removed by boiling the scrapings with potassium hydroxide (KOH) in water medium.^[2]

Step 4: Preparation of mother tincture

(a) Trituration Method

(Most Common, used when the source is solid or semi-solid, infused directly in alcohol or in an alcohol/water mixture )

1. One part of the dried organ substance is taken
2. Mixed with 99 parts of lactose
3. Triturated for one hour to obtain 1X (1C) potency
4. Further trituration produces 2X, 3X up to 6X
5. After 6X, liquid potentization may be continued

This method ensures reduction of particle size and activation of medicinal properties.

(b) Liquid Potentization

(Less Common, used when source is a soluble hormone or secretion dissolved in alcohol or glycerine)

Step 5: Dynamization of potencies through dilution & succession ^[3]

• 1 part of the mother tincture is diluted in 99 parts of alcohol or in a mixture of water and alcohol.
• This liquid is then succussed 10 times in a bottle firmly. The resulting liquid is called 1C potency (1:1000 dilution ratio).
• 1part of this 1C potency is again diluted and succussed in 99 parts of alcohol or water and alcohol mixture to produce a 2C potency.
• This serial of process of dilution and succession, called Potentisation, is further repeated to produce increasingly higher potencies of the remedy.

Step 6: Safety check

Test of sterility for aerobic and anaerobic organism should be done before issue of any sarcode.

Step 7: Preservation and Storage

• Prepared remedies are stored in:
  • Amber-coloured bottles
  • Away from heat, light, and strong odours
• Labelling includes:
  • Name of sarcode and its potency
  • Batch details

 Step 8: Lyophilization

A centralized depository system preserves standardized raw material for future use. Original stock is stored & preserved separately so that sarcodes can be prepared in future,

without any need to repeat initial steps.^[3]

All this process of preparation of sarcodes follows homeopathic pharmaceutical principles, mainly trituration and potentization, as described in official pharmacopoeias

(HPI, HPUS, etc.).

Use of Sarcodes -:

Sarcodes are mainly used for:

• Organ support
• Functional regulation
• Endocrine imbalance
• Developmental and metabolic disorders

They are often prescribed:

• On clinical indications
• As intercurrent remedies, along with constitutional treatment

Conclusion
Sarcodes occupy an important place in homoeopathy as organ remedies. Their preparation involves careful selection of healthy tissues, systematic trituration, and potentization to bring out their therapeutic potential while ensuring safety.

References –

[1] Partha, M. P., & Mandal, B. (2001). A Text Book of Homoeopathic Pharmacy. B. Jain Publishers.

[2] Jadhav, D. A. (2017). Nosodes and Sarcodes. Academia.edu. https://www.academia.edu/144816063/Nosodes_and_Sarcodes

[3] Tenka, Dr. Y. (2021). Sarcodes and its homoeopathic application. International Journal of Homoeopathic Sciences, 5(4), 51–54. https://doi.org/10.33545/26164485.2021.v5.i4a.453

‌Dr. Bhumika Bhambhani B.H.M.S,
Founder – Gita Homoeopathy
Email : bbhumika.2350@gmail.com