J R Soc Med. 2002 Apr; 95(4): 189-91.

Can homeopaths detect homeopathic medicines by dowsing? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

McCarney R, Fisher P, Spink F, Flint G, van Haselen R.

Academic Unit, Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, London WC1N 3HR, UK.

Dowsing is a method of problem-solving that uses a motor automatism, amplified through a pendulum or similar device. In a homeopathic context, it is used as an aid to prescribing and as a tool to identify miasm or toxin load. A randomized double-blind trial was conducted to determine whether six dowsing homeopaths were able to distinguish between Bryonia in a 12c potency and placebo by use of dowsing alone. The homeopathic medicine Bryonia was correctly identified in 48.1% of bottle pairs (n=156; 95% confidence interval 40.2%, 56.0%; P=0.689). These results, wholly negative, add to doubts whether dowsing in this context can yield objective information.