About LM Potencies
Historical Use Of LM Potencies
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann worked from 1838 to 1842 to revise the 5th edition of the Organon, the one that most people know. In it, he created another bracket of potencies, sometimes called the LM or Q potencies, as as improvement over his centesimal potencies. During his final years of practice he found the LM potencies to be the most effective for rapid cure.
Haehl then obtained the unseen 6th edition by Hahnemann of the Organon and published the German version in 1920. William Boericke obtained the 6th edition of the Organon from the Boenninghausen family in Germany. He translated it and published the English version in 1921. The French, most notably Dr. Pierre Schmidt, drew attention to the LM’s since 1954. Then Indian Homeopaths also started experimenting with and using it the 50’s with the new 6th Organon method.
Why did Hahnemann feel the need to improve on his potencies?
Because he had difficulty getting what he thought was the best cure. The main problems were:
- Not achieving a gentle and rapid cure or just taking too long.
- An aggravation comes even after getting the best selected remedy.
- A high potency dose will continue to act for a long time.
- Not being able to repeat the dose even though there are still symptoms so that the client suffers.
- Giving the right dose and potency was still argued and still confusing.
LM Potency Symbols
- LM = 1:50,000 (50 millesimal scale)
- Also written as LM/1, LM/2, 0/1, 0/2, or Q1, Q2, etc.
LM vs. C Scale Comparisons
In practice, it is not possible to directly compare the potency of an LM with a C. The scales are completely different.
That being said, Dr. Will Taylor, MD and homeopath, likes to think of an LM1 as sharing the qualities of a 6C & a 30C (working as deeply as a 30C, but as gently as a 6C); and an LM3 as similarly sharing the qualities of a 12C and a 200C (working as deeply as a 30C, but as gently as a 6C).
LM vs. C Scale General Comparisons
- LM1 = 5C
- LM2 = 8C
- LM3 = 10C
- LM4 = 12C
- LM5 = 15C
- LM6 = 17C
- LM12 = 31C
- LM30= 73C
