Water memory is a purported effect that occurs when water can recall and mimic the properties of a substance dissolved in it. Transmission and storage of electric molecule frequencies are one proposed explanation. This alleged effect is embraced by proponents of homeopathic remedies. Researchers, however, are divided on water memory theory, with some dismissing the notion as pseudoscience.
Most water memory tests have been conducted on dilutions, or liquids where a substance is dissolved in water. Advocates of water theory claim that even when a substance is diluted to the point where no individual particles remain, the substance can still leave a lasting imprint. For example, a disease-fighting antibody may still successfully combat illness even when it is diluted beyond recognition. 20th century French biologist Jaques Benveniste first proposed that this effect occurs because the water in which the substance is diluted maintains a memory of the substance's presence and properties.
One proposed key component of water memory is vigilant shaking. Water memory theorists claim the best results occur when a dilution is continuously shaken. This is especially true for a serial dilution, in which a substance is slowly diluted in water through several stages. Practitioners say that in this process, the mixture should be shaken vigorously following each stage. Benveniste and his supporters believed the shaking helps organize substance molecules — or groups of atoms — in the water, which allows information transmission.
This information transmission creates electric vibrations and frequencies as molecules in the water communicate, according to Benveniste. Advocates of water memory theory argue that these electric frequencies are amplified and stored by water. Studies indicate water stores small packets of energy called photons, and many molecules communicate via these structures. Thus, although diluted and dissolved in the water, the initial substance still survives in a ghostly form via its individual molecule communications. Some call this form subtle energy, and it represents the "memory" in water memory.
The proven electromagnetic properties of water also support a connection between electric frequencies and water. For example, scientific studies have demonstrated that water can sometimes be magnetized and in turn moved by a source of static electricity. These effects create physical properties like lower surface tension. Water has also shown an ability to read electric currents, even those coming from a human heartbeat. Electromagnetic effects impact water on the molecular level as well, especially by strengthening the bonding of hydrogen elements.
Critics discard the theory on scientific grounds. Chiefly, they say, water cannot hold a substance in a constant state long enough to form a memory of the substance. The hydrogen bonds of water itself are unstable, and thus cannot store anything long-term. They further contend that the theory does not stand the test of scrutiny by being repeatedly and successfully implemented in a laboratory setting.
In contrast to the critics, homeopathy practitioners represent one large group of advocates for this theory. Homeopathic medicine holds that individuals can be cured of an ailment with substances that create symptoms similar to the ailment. This belief is known as the Law of Similars. The substances may produce dangerous side effects in highly concentrated solutions, however. Therefore, homeopathic medicine focuses on highly diluted mixtures. As such, water memory is of particular interest to these individuals as a potential explanation for alleged homeopathic successes.