Homoeopathic Medicines in Experimental Models of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: A Narrative Mini-Review with Evidence from Alumina Preclinical Studies

Abstract

Background: Alzheimer’s disease remains without a disease-modifying treatment despite decades of intensive drug development effort. A small number of research groups have begun testing homoeopathic preparations in controlled animal models, generating a limited but internally consistent body of evidence. We reviewed this literature and incorporated two original preclinical Alumina studies from our own group to assess whether potentised preparations produce biologically detectable responses under defined experimental conditions. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and homoeopathy-specific databases through February 2026, using Boolean terms across homoeopathy, ultra-dilution, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, scopolamine, and streptozotocin. Seven controlled animal studies with quantitative outcomes met all inclusion criteria. Design heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis; Cohen’s d was calculated for select oxidative stress comparisons from the Alumina dataset, and retrospective power analysis was performed for the n = 6/group design. Results: Potency-related biological gradients were recorded independently for Lycopodium clavatum, Mercurius solubilis, Gelsemium sempervirens, and Alumina Metallicum across cholinergic and oxidative endpoints. Scopolamine produced a large MDA elevation (Cohen’s d = 5.3 vs. normal controls). Alumina 10M partially reversed this, approaching donepezil values (d = 0.4, p > 0.05), though these figures come from six animals per group at a single institution and must be read accordingly. Conclusions: The available evidence is hypothesis-generating only preliminary cholinergic model data, not proof of disease modification. The Nrf2/HO-1 pathway hypothesis that emerges from the oxidative results warrants direct testing via Western blot and Nrf2 reporter assays in pre-registered, independent studies with adequate power and both sexes. No clinical translation is justified on present evidence.