Water Has a Memory

How Water Memory Works, By Viktor Poór, Source: Stripped Science

I never would have ever expected myself to say that water has a memory but I have today. Water has a memory for less than 50 millionths of a nanosecond. Given the homage to nuclear meltdowns people have when they feel that their family and friends have forgotten their birthdays, this is really not a memory to boast about. Yet there is a small ill-informed group in society that think that this “memory” of water is a big thing.

Water memory is the idea that water is able to retain a memory of the substances that was once dissolved in it. When it comes to controversial claims, this one just about wins first prize. This premise is central to homeopathy where patients are treated with “treatments” that are so incredibly dilute that they are unlikely to contain a single molecule of the active compound.

The concept of water memory was put forward by Jacques Benveniste as a mechanism for the therapeutic benefits of homeopathy. He claimed that this effect was brought about by shaking the water at each stage of dilution in the preparation of homeopathic remedies. Benveniste’s studies demonstrate that this was indeed the case but no double-blind repetition of the experiments have ever been able to replicate the results.

There is also the assertion that because water has a memory, and thus able to store information like a USB stick, it acquires new properties. This is despite the fact that the water has not changed its chemical composition. This is rubbish and utter nonsense. It is still just water and possesses the same chemical and physical properties of water. This is not Water 2.0 that will cure anything including thirst. It is just water.

Related Articles

• Icy claim that water has a memory (New Scientist)
• Seven Suspicious Water Claims (Skeptic Detective)

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