Britain is considering whether homeopathy should be put on a blacklist of treatments by GPs in the country.
The practice is based on the principle that “like cures like,” but critics say patients are being given “useless sugar pills.”
The Faculty of Homeopathy said patients supported the therapy.
A consultation is expected to take place in 2016.
The total NHS bill for homeopathy, including homeopathic hospitals and GP prescriptions, is thought to be about $ 6.1 million, reports the BBC news website. Homeopathy is based on the concept that diluting a version of a substance that causes illness has healing properties. So pollen or grass could be used to create a homeopathic hay-fever remedy.
One part of the substance is mixed with 99 parts of water or alcohol, and this is repeated six times in a “6c” formulation or 30 times in a “30c” formulation.
The end result is combined with a lactose (sugar) tablet. Homeopaths say the more diluted it is, the greater the effect. Critics say patients are getting nothing but sugar.
Common homeopathic treatments are for asthma, ear infections, hay-fever, depression, stress, anxiety, allergy and arthritis.
But the NHS itself says: “There is no good-quality evidence that homeopathy is effective as a treatment for any health condition.”
Drugs can be blacklisted if there are cheaper alternatives or if the medicine is not effective.
The Department of Health legal advisers said that ministers had “decided to conduct a consultation. This will take place in 2016.”
