In 1796 a German doctor, Samuel Hahnemann, discovered a different approach to cure the sick which he called “Homoeopathy”. It derived from the Greek words homoes = similars, pathy = suffering i.e. similar suffering. The principle is “that which makes sick shall heal.” This means that the symptoms caused by an overdose (too much) of a substance are symptoms that can also be with a small dose of that substance. E.g. When cutting an onion we experience an acrid running nose, a particular soreness the throat, stinging running eyes, so a homoeopath will prescribe Allium cepa ( the homoeopathic remedy made from onion) for the patient, who has a cold and bad throat with these particular symptoms.