EFFICACY OF HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINES ON THE RIPENING PROCESS OF BANANAS: AN EXPLORATORY RANDOMISED PILOT STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67062/jahs.v2.i3.2Keywords:
Banana, Post-harvest management, Musa acuminata, Agrohomoeopathy, Calcium carbide, Hepar sulph, Calcarea carb, Silicea terraAbstract
Background: Musa acuminata is a climacteric fruit of major global economic significance. Post-harvest ripening is commonly induced using calcium carbide (CaC₂), a hazardous chemical linked to serious health risks. Safer, sustainable alternatives are urgently needed.
Objective: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of homoeopathic medicines — Silicea terra, Calcarea carbonica, and Hepar sulphuris calcareum — at three potencies (30CH, 200CH, 1M) on banana ripening, benchmarked against calcium carbide, alcohol, and water controls.
Methods: A randomised experimental study was conducted at MNR Homoeopathic Medical College. 12 treatment groups (n = 7 bananas each) were assessed over 8 days for specific gravity, physiological weight loss, pulp-to-peel ratio (PPR), and ripening stage. Descriptive analysis, composite group ranking, and Spearman's rank correlation were applied to explore potency–response relationships.
Results: Silicea terra 1M demonstrated the most advanced ripening, achieving Stage 7 by Day 8, with the highest specific gravity increase (21.59%) and PPR change (104.69%). Calcarea carbonica 200CH and 30CH also showed numerically superior ripening compared to calcium carbide, which reached only Stage 4 with a PPR change of 60.71%. Composite ranking confirmed Silicea terra 1M as the top performer, followed by Calcarea carbonica 200CH and Hepar sulphuris 30CH.
Conclusion: Homoeopathic remedies, particularly Silicea terra 1M and Calcarea carbonica 200CH, demonstrated preliminary evidence of enhancing banana ripening, suggesting potential as safe, eco-friendly alternatives to chemical ripening agents. These findings support further investigation of agrohomeopathy in sustainable post-harvest fruit management, with formal replication and biochemical outcome measures recommended.
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