Dr P M Bhargava, eminent scientist and founder Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), has called for de-recognition of Homoeopathy as a medical system and withdrawal of all government financial support to it. Addressing a press conference organised by the Federation of Atheist and Rationalist Association (FARA) in Hyderabad on Sunday, Dr Bhargava argued for its de-recognition as it was a stream of medicine for which there was no known proof about the efficacy of the drugs prescribed.

Dr Bhargava said that homoeopathy was conceptually absurd and scientifically untested. "If the theory of homoeopathy is right, then the whole of science as we know it today is wrong," he said.

Dr Bhargava even went to the extend of saying that all homoeopathic drugs contained only plain sugar as the practitioners diluted the active ingredients considerably. “ With the levels of dilution in homoeopathic medicines, often there would not be even one molecule of the active ingredient in the final vial, which contained only sugar pills," he said.

From personal experience, he said that he had often taken entire vials of homoeopathic medicine without any adverse or beneficial effects on his health. He argued that the claims of cure in homoeopathy were either due to the placebo effect or were lies. “In the medical phenomenon, placebo effect, often a patient taking pills feels better, regardless of what the pill contains, simply because he believes the pill works, and it is the reason why homoeopathy seems to work,” he said.

Dr Bhargava gave the example of one homoeopathic medicine ‘Nat Muir,’ which, he said, was just common salt diluted to very small amounts. Ordinarily, every ml of blood has six mg of common salt in it. How adding another minuscule part of it could cure any disease, he wondered.

Reacting to claims of a reduction in cases of Japanese Encephalitis where homoeopathic kits had been given, whereas allopathic medicine had not shown the same benefits, Dr Bhargava said either the data was not properly collected or was ‘manufactured’ to suit vested interests.

He said the homoeo practitioners should not be allowed to use the prefix 'Dr’ before their names. The prefix was misleading the people who went for consultation as they were misinformed about the efficacy of homoeopathic drugs.

Dr Bhargava was less skeptical of Unani, Ayurveda and Siddha, which were essentially plant-based formulations. He said at least 4,000 of these formulations could be proved through proper validation of data and studies.

N Innaiah and N Vikram of FARA also demanded that the government stop supporting homoeopathy and not allow homoeopaths to use the word doctor before their names. They wanted the government to educate the public regarding the unscientific claims on homoeopathy. Dr Innaiah demanded that homoeopathy should be included in the list of banned medical systems recently released by the Medical Council of India.