Miasms -- a very brief introduction
I realized the other day that I have been ignoring the homeopathic term “miasm.” I haven’t been intentionally avoiding it — it’s just that it is an enormous topic, and, the more you look, the more you find, so let's go to the very beginning (it is, after all, a very good place to start).
It’s a funny word, miasm. My what?
Some people might equate the term “miasm” with “miasma.”
The Oxford Dictionary of English, 2nd edition (Soanes and Angus Stevenson 2006) tells us that a miasm (in homeopathy) is a supposed predisposition to a particular disease, either inherited or acquired. It goes on to tell us that this word comes to us from mid-19th century German, stemming from the Greek “miasma.”
A miasma, again according to the OED, is an unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapor or an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere which surrounds or emanates from something. This time, the word derives from mid-17th century Greek, literally meaning, “defilement.”
If you’re new to homeopathy, perhaps this isn’t enough to get us where we’re going. If you have any understanding of homeopathy, I think the connection begins to makes some sense.
Basically, talking about a miasm is a shorthand way of saying the vital force has been contaminated by something.
I still don’t get it.
I don’t blame you. Miasms can be a little tricky to explain — it’s an idea that is a little “out there” for those of us raised on an allopathic understanding of the human body. Peter Fraser, in his book Using Miasms in Homeopathy says, “As the concept has no foundation outside homeopathy there is little to anchor and define it” (2008).
Let’s look a little deeper. In the early pages of Louis Kleins’ Miasms and Nosodes (2009) he tells us “Hippocrates used the term [miasm] to describe the idea of tainted water or air that he believed was responsible for the spread of infectious diseases.” Hippocrates was thinking these thoughts back in 460 - 370 BC. Let’s stick with Louis Klein as he tells us that in Dr. Samuel Hahnemann’s day (1755 - 1843), “Diseases such as cholera, dysentery, leprosy, malaria (which actually means ‘bad air’), bubonic plague, and pulmonary tuberculosis were all understood to be caused by ‘miasma.’ Miasma was considered ‘a dangerous, foreboding, or deathlike influence or atmosphere’ - the ‘contamination’ or ‘pollution’ that one absorbed when exposed to sickness, death and decomposition.”
Dr. Hahnemann took hold of this word to “remold its definition to envelop the whole of his theory regarding the origin of chronic disease. He included the role of specific infectious agents, but also drew attention to the creation of a long-lasting ‘miasmatically induced’ ‘change of state’ as a result of a disturbance in the energetic field, or the vital force surrounding and permeating the body.
“In Hahnemann’s view and in subsequent usage within the homeopathic profession, the word evoked both the energetic and contagious aspect. This ability to combine simultaneously energetic, vitalistic views with scientific ones is part of the splendor of homeopathy. To effectively grasp the meaning and utilize the concept of miasm, a description needs to include the energetic and infectious facets” (Klein 2009).
That’s all fine and dandy, but I still don’t understand what a miasm is.
In short, a miasm is an inherited taint — a susceptibility, a fundamental disturbance or disease state that can be inherited or acquired. Lisa Strbac describes it in The Trailblazer’s Insight into Homeopathy (2024) as “Acquired Energy Patterns.”
How are these patterns acquired? From our parents and grandparents as well as picking them up on our own… trauma, illness… anything that leaves a mark on us can affect us in our own futures as well as affecting our offspring.
The term epigenetic — fascinating topic (see here or here for a brief introduction to epigenetics.) Back to the good, old OED for another definition for epigenetic: resulting from external rather than genetic influences. This is the idea that something that has happened to you (trauma, illness, diet, lifestyle, etc.) can turn genes on and off. See also, “Can the legacy of trauma be passed down the generations?" So, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say Dr. Hahnemann was on to some pretty cool stuff way back when when he came up with the idea of miasms.
Back to miasms and homeopathy, in general…
Dr. Samual Hahnemann “regarded the three diseases that have Miasmatic properties, Psora, Sycosis and Syphilis, as the chronic diseases and so the root of all chronic illness” (Fraser 2008). (Please note there is a spelling difference here and “sycosis” is very different than “psychosis” even though my spell check doesn’t want to believe that!) Psychosis is “a mental disorder in which there is severe loss of contact with reality” (Venes and Clarence Wilbur Taber 2013) and Sycosis derives from Syco which is Greek for fig and Sycosis is named for the fig wart disease.
Miasms can be active, inactive or exposed. Miasms lie beneath the susceptibility of both acute and chronic diseases. Miasms affect the mental and emotional state as well as physical symptoms. Miasms are a way to categorize and understand various diseases.
Dr. Hahnemann believed all chronic diseases are the result of three miasms which stemmed from: suppressed skin conditions (psora); gonorrhea (sycosis) or syphilis.
In general, Dr. Hahnemann’s three miasms can be summed up thusly:
Psora is linked to skin diseases.
Syphilis is linked to destructive and degenerative diseases.
Sycosis is linked to chronic inflammatory conditions.
To complicate matters, there are crossovers between diseases and miasms. Of course there are — we wouldn’t want to have this totally clear cut and simple, would we?!
At this point, to continue writing on miasms would mean I would be writing for days because I have literally just scratched the very surface of the idea of miasms.
It is important to remember, though, that one does not personally need to be infected with these diseases to be afflicted with these miasms. Heck, your parents or grandparents don’t even have to have it in their history. We all carry miasms and they can be brought forth through living life: stress; illness; trauma… when one is in a weakened state, their underlying miasm can show through. Discerning which miasm is “speaking” can help lead a homeopath to the best homeopathic remedy to dig deep into an individual to help root out the cause of their symptoms.
Like everything else, Hahnemann’s original miasmatic theory has evolved. New miasms have been declared: cancer (which combines elements of psora, sycosis and syphilis), tuberculosis, typhoid, malaria, ringworm, leprosy, AIDS … the list is ever-growing.
Why am I even telling you about miasms? Because it is a major piece of the homeopathic puzzle. If you are interested in studying homeopathy, you will be learning about miasms. If you are a casual home user, you most likely will see the word “miasm” or “psoric” or one of the others and I thought it might be helpful to have the briefest of introductions to this idea.
If you would like to continue reading, here are a few sites that looked good and I wish I had found them prior to writing this — I would have just sent you, dear reader, to these websites, instead!
Miasms in general:
Psora:
Sycosis:
Syphilis:
Additionally, I have included a reference list below for those who would really like to investigate this idea further.
Have I completely covered the idea of miasms? Absolutely not. I have simply touched the surface. As I said at the beginning, the more you look at miasms, the more you find.
Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath
#wellnessawaits
Reference list
Choudhury, H., 2015. Indications of miasm. New Delhi: B. Jain.
Clever, 2020. PSORA – THE MOTHER OF ALL CHRONIC DISEASES [online]. Clever H. - the Mag!
Fraser, P., 2008. Using Miasms in Homeopathy. West Wickham, Kent: Winter Press.
Ghosh, 2015. Hahnemann’s Theory of Psora in the Light of Modern Science. Alternative & Integrative Medicine [online], 04 (01).
Hahnemann, S., 1845. The Chronic Diseases, Their Specific Nature and Their Homeopathic Treatment. Kindle. Wm. Radde.
Hahnemann, S. and Wenda Brewster O'reilly, 1996. Organon of the medical art. Palo Alto, Ca: Birdcage Books.
Henriques, M., 2019. Can the legacy of trauma be passed down the generations? [online]. Bbc.com.
Klein, L., 2009. Miasms and nosodes : origins of disease. Volume. 1. Karden, Germany: Narayana Publishers.
Little, D., n.d. The Homoeopathic Compendium [online]. https://simillimum.com/.
Norland, L., 2018. Miasms and Mythology [online]. Luke Norland | Homeopath & Massage Therapist.
Resonance School of Homeopathy, 2020. Understanding Miasms | Resonance School of Homeopathy [online]. www.resonanceschoolofhomeopathy.com.
Roberts, B., 2022a. Syphilitic Miasm [online]. Homeopath Barbara. Available from: [Accessed 20 Jan 2025].
Roberts, B., 2022b. Sycosis [online]. Homeopath Barbara. Available from: [Accessed 20 Jan 2025].
Roberts, B., 2022c. Miasms [online]. Homeopath Barbara. Available from: [Accessed 20 Jan 2025].
Roberts, B., 2022d. Psora [online]. Homeopath Barbara. Available from: [Accessed 20 Jan 2025].
Soanes, C. and Angus Stevenson, 2006. Oxford dictionary of English. Accessed through Oxford Dictionary of English, 2nd edition software. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.
Strbac, L., 2024. The Trailblazers Insight into Homeopathy. www.lisastrbac.com.
The Jackson Laboratory, 2018. What is epigenetics? YouTube [online].
Tyler, G., 2005. Miasms - Understanding and Classifying Miasmatic Symptoms - Gina Tyler [online]. Hpathy.com.
Venes, D. and Clarence Wilbur Taber, 2013. Taber’s cyclopedic medical dictionary. [22nd ed., ISBN: 9780803629776]. Philadelphia, Pa.: F.A. Davis.
Vithoulkas, G., 2014. The Basic Principles of Homeopathy. Kindle.
Vithoulkas, G. and Chabanov, D., 2022. The Evolution of Miasm Theory and Its Relevance to Homeopathic Prescribing. Homeopathy.
Watson, I., 2009. The homeopathic miasms : a modern view. Devon, England: Cutting Edge Publications.
What is epigenetics, 2017. Epigenetics: Fundamentals, History, and Examples | What is Epigenetics? [online]. What is Epigenetics?
Thank you Julia for sharing some homeopathic insights....though just touching the surface! A fascinating modality I discovered a few years ago, and wish i had the time to deep dive more.
I've logged my stacks here fyi:
https://totalityofevidence.com/hidden-knowledge/