In homeopathy, various abbreviations and signs are used to describe remedies, potencies, and the methods of administration. Below is an explanation of common abbreviations and signs often encountered:
General Abbreviations:
Q. – Quantity, often referring to the number of doses.
R. – Recipe or take, commonly used when prescribing.
gtt. – Drops, from the Latin “guttae.”
C – Centessimal potency, a dilution scale (1:100).
X or D – Decimal potency, a dilution scale (1:10).
LM or Q Potency – Fifty-millesimal potency, a special dilution scale (1:50,000).
trit. – Triturate or triturations, referring to the remedy prepared by grinding the substance in lactose or sugar of milk.
Ø – Mother tincture, indicating the original herbal or mineral extract before dilution.
glob. – Globules, small sugar pills used to deliver remedies.
aq. dist. – Distilled water, often used as a solvent for liquid remedies.
Potency and Dilution Signs:
C or CH – Centessimal Hahnemann potency (1:100 dilution)
X or D – Decimal potency (1:10 dilution)
LM or Q – Fifty-Millesimal potency (1:50,000 dilution)
M – 1,000th potency
MM – 1,000,000th potency
CM – 100,000th potency
XM – 10,000th potency
1M, 10M, 50M – High potencies indicating multiples of thousandth dilution.
Ø – Mother tincture (Undiluted remedy)
MT – Mother Tincture (Same as Ø)
Dosage and Administration:
stat. – Statim (Immediately)
alt. hor. – Alternis horis (Every alternate hour)
p.r.n. – Pro re nata (As required)
b.d. – Bis die (Twice daily)
t.d.s. – Ter die sumendum (Three times daily)
q.i.d. – Quater in die (Four times daily)
q.s. – Quantum sufficit (As much as required)
p.c. – Post cibum (After food)
a.c. – Ante cibum (Before food)
Preparation Signs:
succ. – Succuss (Shake the remedy)
dil. – Dilution
med. – Medicine
glob. – Globules (Sugar pills)
tab. – Tablets
powd. – Powder form
P – Potency
Remedy Administration:
ad lib. – Ad libitum (At pleasure)
p.o. – Per os (By mouth)
subling. – Sublingual (Under the tongue)
ext. – Externally
int. – Internally
appl. – Apply
disp. – Dispense
ft. – Fiat (Let it be made)
Clinical Abbreviations:
T° – Temperature
P – Pulse
BP – Blood Pressure
HR – Heart Rate
RR – Respiratory Rate
b.p.m. – Beats per minute
c.c. – Cubic centimeters
L – Liter
U.S.P. – United States Pharmacopeia
Rx – Prescription
Latin Abbreviations for Use:
a.m. – Ante meridiem (Morning)
p.m. – Post meridiem (Afternoon/Evening)
q.d. – Quaque die (Every day)
h.s. – Hora somni (At bedtime)
ad – To, Up to
sig. – Signa (Write on label)
nox – Night
alt. die – Every other day
q. 2h. – Every 2 hours
q. 3h. – Every 3 hours
Symbols:
% – Percentage
↑ – Increase
↓ – Decrease
↔ – Maintain or stabilize
→ – To or toward
± – More or less
♀ – Female
♂ – Male
° – Degree (For temperature or angle)
min. – Minimum
max. – Maximum
Others:
NPO – Nil per os (Nothing by mouth)
NAD – No abnormality detected
CBC – Complete blood count
Sx – Symptoms
Dx – Diagnosis
Tx – Treatment
Hx – History
F/U – Follow up
LMP – Last menstrual period
DOB – Date of birth
wt. – Weight
ht. – Height
temp. – Temperature
sig. – Directions for use
IV – Intravenous
IM – Intramuscular
SC – Subcutaneous
VS – Vital signs
ECG – Electrocardiogram
Rxn – Reaction
mEq – Milliequivalent
IU – International Unit
cf – With food
Additional Homeopathic Abbreviations and Signs:
N. O. – Natural Order (Refers to the botanical or natural classification of the remedy)
A. W. – Atomic Weight (Refers to the atomic weight of chemical substances used in remedies)
Esp. – Especially (Used to indicate specific symptoms or conditions that are more prominent)
R. – Right (Indicating the right side of the body)
L. – Left (Indicating the left side of the body)
h. – Hour (Time reference in prescription or symptoms’ duration)
d. – Day (Reference to the days of treatment or symptom duration)
Common Homeopathic Symptom Notations:
< Aggravation, Worse, or Increase (Indicates conditions or symptoms that worsen due to specific factors)
> Amelioration, Better, or Decrease (Indicates conditions or symptoms that improve due to specific factors)
x – Times (Used to express frequency, like 3x daily)
♂ – Male (Denotes symptoms more prevalent in males)
♀ – Female (Denotes symptoms more prevalent in females)
° – Degree (Often used for temperature or intensity)
↑ – Upward, Increase (Can denote increasing symptoms or potency)
↓ – Downward, Decrease (Can denote decreasing symptoms or potency)
↔ – No Change, Stable (Used to indicate when a symptom remains unchanged)
→ – Tendency Toward (Denotes direction of symptom development, e.g., “tendency toward improvement”)
Additional Time and Measurement Notations:
t.d.s. – Ter Die Sumendum (Three times a day)
q.d. – Quaque Die (Every day)
a.c. – Ante Cibum (Before meals)
p.c. – Post Cibum (After meals)
p.r.n. – Pro Re Nata (As needed)
b.d. – Bis Die (Twice daily)
stat. – Immediately (In prescriptions)
These abbreviations and signs are particularly useful in summarizing key information about symptoms, remedy effects, and dosage instructions in homeopathic practice. For example, you might see “< cold” to mean “symptoms aggravated by cold” or “> warmth” to signify “symptoms improve with warmth.”
Homeopathy-Specific Signs:
⊥ – Worse by (indicates the conditions or factors that aggravate the symptoms).
⊤ – Better by (indicates the conditions or factors that improve the symptoms).
♃ – Associated with Jupiter (symbolically linked to expansive or liver-related remedies).
♄ – Associated with Saturn (symbolically linked to chronic, slow, or deep-seated conditions).
< – Aggravation or Worsening (e.g., “< damp weather” means symptoms worsen in damp weather).
– Amelioration or Improvement (e.g., “> rest” means symptoms improve with rest).
≡ – Coexisting symptoms (indicates the presence of symptoms that occur together).
↔ – Alternating symptoms (indicates symptoms that appear in alternation, such as alternating chills and heat).
↑ – Aggravation or Increase (can indicate worsening over time).
↓ – Amelioration or Decrease (can indicate improvement or a decrease in symptom intensity).
→ – Direction of symptom extension (used to indicate the direction in which a symptom or condition spreads, like “→ left” for symptoms spreading toward the left side of the body).
⊛ – Sensation as if (used to describe a sensation that resembles something else, often found in mental and general symptoms).
Additional Remedy-Related Abbreviations:
Ø – Mother Tincture (undiluted herbal or mineral extract used as a base for further dilution).
1X, 2X, etc. – Decimal Dilutions (1:10 dilution scale, often noted in “X” potency, e.g., 6X, 12X).
3C, 6C, 30C, 200C – Centessimal Potencies (based on Hahnemann’s dilution method, 1:100 scale).
LM/Q Potency – Fifty-Millesimal Scale (rare but more precise, 1:50,000 dilution scale).
glob. – Globules (sugar pellets used for dispensing remedies).
ol. – Ointment (used for topical homeopathic preparations).
p.r.n. – Pro re nata (as needed, often used in remedy administration instructions).
Symptoms and Case-Taking Signs:
c.c. – Chief Complaint (indicates the main issue reported by the patient).
m. c. – Mental Condition (used to describe the patient’s mental or emotional state).
s.o.s. – Si Opus Sit (used when necessary; patient may take the remedy if symptoms reappear).
f.u. – Follow-up (when a further consultation or evaluation is needed).
n.a. – Not Applicable (when a specific symptom or condition does not apply).
P. R. – Personal Reaction (describes the patient’s individual response to remedies or treatments).