Biochemic cell salts are remedies based on inorganic salts. Although highly diluted, they are not classed as homeopathic remedies, as they are not purported to act according to the "like cures like" principle of homeopathy. Nonetheless, they are commonly advocated by people who also advocate similar alternative medicine remedies, including homeopathy.Inorganic salts were first used as homeopathic remedies by Samuel Hahnemann, and further developed by Dr. Willhelm Heinrich Schüßler (1821-1898) who identified 12 different salts in human tissue, and concluded that they are important mineral constitiuents that are present in human cells. He also stated that if an imbalance were to occur, sickness may follow. There is no established evidence for this in modern medicine. He ascribed a specific purpose to each one of the 12 salts, based on his understading of their biochemical purpose. However, since his original work, the understanding of the role of minerals in the body has undergone great advances, making his disease and deficiency model obsolete. He also performed clinical experiments in the form of homeopathic "provings".
