Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) 12x, 30x, 60x • HCG Cell Salt mixture 12x. Other Ingredients: Purified Water, 20% USP Alcohol.
On December 6, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that this product illegally contains homeopathic doses of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is a drug prescribed for female infertility (25459). The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States does not list hCG as an active ingredient that homeopathic drug products may legally contain. Advise patients to avoid these products. The homeopathic hCG products are typically promoted for use in conjunction with a diet that is dangerously low in calories, which may cause serious electrolyte imbalances and gallstone formation. Advise patients to avoid following this calorie restriction diet.
This is a homeopathic preparation. Homeopathy is a system of medicine established in the 19th century by a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann. Its basic principles are that "like treats like" and "potentiation through dilution." For example, in homeopathy, diarrhea would be treated with an extreme dilution of a substance that normally causes diarrhea when taken in high doses.
Practitioners of homeopathy believe that more dilute preparations are more potent. Many homeopathic preparations are so diluted that they contain little or no active ingredient. Therefore, most homeopathic products are not expected to have any pharmacological effects, drug interactions, or other harmful effects. Any beneficial effects are controversial and cannot be explained by current scientific methods.
Dilutions of 1 to 10 are designated by an "X." So a 1X dilution = 1:10, 3X=1:1000; 6X=1:1,000,000. Dilutions of 1 to 100 are designated by a "C." So a 1C dilution = 1:100; 3C = 1:1,000,000. Dilutions of 24X or 12C or more contain zero molecules of the original active ingredient.
Homeopathic products are permitted for sale in the US due to legislation passed in 1938 sponsored by a homeopathic physician who was also a Senator. The law still requires that the FDA allow the sale of products listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States. However, homeopathic preparations are not held to the same safety and effectiveness standards as conventional medicines. For more information, see the Homeopathy monograph.
