Abstract
M.Tech. (Homoeopathy)
Baptisia tinctoria and Thuja occidentalis are reported to be immunostimulants, and thus
have an effect on white blood cells. Little formal research has been done to demonstrate
their effects on the different white cell populations. The purpose of this study was to
determine the effects of these substances on the circulating leukocytes, and to compare
these effects to a placebo. An initial full blood count was conducted to establish a
baseline level for each subject. The subjects were required to take 18.75 millilitres of the
medication or placebo in split doses over a three-hour period. Thereafter, a second full
blood count was taken at one-hour intervals. The medication appeared to cause an
increase in the lymphocyte count, thus suggesting a possible indication for viral infection.
There was an increase in both groups of the total WBC count as well as in the
lymphocyte count, raising the question of what substance actually caused these changes to occur. Expansion of this study, including using a larger sample size and longer test period, may be required to validate these results.