Homeopathy was developed by a German physician Dr. C. F. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) in 1807. He treated himself with a small amount of tree bark (cinchona bark) that contains the drug quinine used to treat malaria. When he developed the symptoms of malaria, he came up with his principle of "like cures like" (similia similibus curentur) believing that, a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people.

The holistic nature of homeopathy means each person is treated as an unique individual and their body, mind, spirit and emotions are all considered in the management and prevention of disease. Taking all these factors into account a homeopath will select the most appropriate medicine based on the individual’s specific symptoms and personal level of health to stimulate their own healing ability. Homeopathy can benefit people of all ages, and treat the full range of human disease conditions.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), homoeopathy is the second largest medical system for primary health care in the world. It is prevalent and widely accepted in many parts of the world. Homeopathy has been integrated into the healthcare systems of many European countries including Britain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and Portugal.

In India homoeopathy is one of the most popular forms of medicine. India is arguably unique in the extent to which it has recognised homoeopathy as a legitimate system of medicine. Despite originating in Germany, the Indian government has bestowed it with the status of a national medical system.