HOMEOPATHIC RESEARCH

-SANKARAN R., Ferrum (Iron) lies in the 4th period of the Periodic Table along with the metals Manganese, Cobalt, Nickel, Copper and Zinc. This line of metals is concerned with performance, and also with defence. I have conducted a proving of Ferrum metallicum with the help of some students, resident doctors and colleagues. Twelve of us took a single dose in the 30th potency and noted our symptoms. One male and two female provers had dreams with a common theme, that the parent of the prover is introducing him to someone and is compelling him to marry this person, despite very strong objections from the prover. When I mentioned this to one of my colleagues, he said that in two of the three Ferrum cases he had cured, he had found the same problem - the patients were being compelled to marry someone they didn't want to marry and they had been opposed to this. Then I understood the meaning of the prover's dreams. They had the following elements: - Being compelled to do somethin...

-SANKARAN R., Fluoricum acidum is a remedy of the syphilitic miasm. Fluorine, along with other Halogens, belongs to Group VIIIA of the Periodic Table. The Halogens have the feeling of betrayal and hurt, and in the failed state react in a repulsive manner, by rejecting, throwing off. In the coped state however, they avoid breaking relationships. Fluorine is the lightest, most active and reactive of the Halogens. It forms and breaks relationships very quickly. This can be seen in the symptomatology of Fluoricum acidum. Fluoricum acidum is flirtatious and has many acquaintances, but no deep relationships. The term "Buoyancy" has been used to describe Fluoricum acidum. Its pathological processes however are very deep and near syphilitic. The theme of Fluor is that of an incompatible relationship and the need to break off. The theme of Acids is of a lot of effort and activity followed by weakness and exhaustion. In Fluoricum acidum we see a tremendous effort in the direct...

-SANKARAN R., Gelsemium is a sycotic remedy. It belongs to the plant kingdom. Gelsemium has "Ailments from anticipation", "Ailments from bad news". The Gelsemium persons get apprehensive in the face of ordeals and develop a lack of self-confidence in such situations. The patients tend to lose their control and balance. So the main feeling in Gelsemium is: "I have to keep my control when going through ordeals. I have to be able to withstand very difficult, trying situations, I have to be able to withstand shock and bad news without losing my control". So they keep courage when facing ordeals, and are not shaken up even by frightening situations. This courageous Gelsemium is exactly the opposite of the picture we read in the books, of the coward who is unable to face any unexpected event. Any exciting or bad news, shock or anticipation can make the person lose his balance and control. He may develop giddiness and a fear of falling. He may lose control ove...

-SANKARAN R., Hippomanes is an animal remedy. It is made out of a placental secretion or allantois membrane which is found in the mouth of a newly born foal or calf. It is syco-syphilitic. The following is the case of one patient who did very well on this remedy. The patient was a 65 year old man who had among other problems, glaucoma. Ever since, he had become suicidal and could not "concentrate on anything but suicide". His hobbies included reading "sex books", and he had a history of having indulged a lot in sex in the past; he was quite shameless in the way he spoke about this. As a child he would find any excuse to pick up a fight and would fight physically with many of his schoolmates. He used the word "fight" many times during the consultation. He had also fought for the employees where he was working. When he was fourteen years old, an elder member of his family saw him fighting with his schoolmate and punished him by beating him black an...

-SANKARAN R., Hura has features that place it exactly between the tubercular and the syphilitic miasms. This is the leprosy miasm. The main feeling in the leprosy miasm is similar to the tubercular miasm, only much worse. The feeling is that even with intense, rapid, hectic activity to come out of this destructive process (leprosy), there is very little hope. In terms of pathology there are three distinct types of leprosy. There is the tuberculoid type which, though progressive, has a better prognosis than others - there is hope. At the other end, there is the lepromatous leprosy which is rapidly progressive and destructive, resembling syphilis. The intermediate type lies between these two. Leprosy, like tuberculosis, is rampant in India. There is a feeling of tremendous oppression (lepers are often treated worse than animals and are the objects of loathing) and an intense hopelessness with a desire for change. I choose to study Hura with the purpose to understand its state, b...

-SANKARAN R., Hyoscyamus is a plant remedy. It belongs to the acute miasm and is allied to Belladonna and Stramonium and also to Veratrum and Lyssinum. The main feeling of Hyoscyamus is that of being suddenly let down, disappointed, betrayed and deserted by the person on whom one is completely dependent. This situation causes in the patient acute fear and panic. It also causes a variety of reactions which are, on the one hand, attractive, e.g. loquacity, jesting, sexuality, etc., and on the other hand threatening, e.g. violence, striking and desire to kill. There is a tremendous fear of being alone and of facing the danger of the outside world all by oneself. The acuteness of the feeling creates a kind of insanity, which is foolish. The patient tries to attract attention by foolish behaviour, behaviour so ridiculous that it can provoke laughter. Like other remedies of the acute miasm the Hyoscyamus person is very excitable, and the symptoms appear and disappear suddenly. Th...

-SANKARAN R., Lac caninum is a sycotic remedy. It is prepared from the milk of the dog (bitch). This remedy has in it the nature of the dog, an animal that has been totally controlled and civilized so that it has to suppress its basic animal nature and can only express its controlled, civilized side. It is dependent on its master for food and so it is out to please him. Its survival depends upon keeping its master happy by its performance, its affection, etc. It has to perform or it won't be wanted anymore and its master will kick it out. This need to please is the animal side of Lac caninum, but the dog knows that no matter how much it tries to please, it will never be equal to the human. It feels inferior, knows that it is at the bottom of the hierarchy. The animal side is also malicious (if you pull a dog's tail, it will bite you). Lac caninum persons are very passionate, very lascivious. They can be quite aggressive and defensive. The main theme in Lac caninum is do...

-SANKARAN R., Lac defloratum is prepared from the skimmed milk of the cow, and the remedy does indeed seem to represent its innermost state. I conducted a proving of Lac defloratum and the following were the themes that emerged: - The need to belong to the community. - The fear of being rejected by the community. - The feeling of being forsaken. - The feeling of being separated from the mother. - The need to be attractive. - The tremendous sense of injustice. - The need to bear a lot of suffering. - Cares for and by the mother. - Fears and dreams of being pursued, of being beaten. In my practical experience with cases of Lac defloratum, I found that the person is rather mild, gentle, yet quite animated, and tries to be attractive. There is loquacity and their talk can be animated, expressive, vivid. There is a feeling that they have to do a lot for the community, to work hard physically for others in order to be accepted by the community. Also, they feel they have to bea...

-SANKARAN R., Lachesis is a snake remedy prepared from the venom of the South American bush master, and in its miasmatic range, the remedy falls between sycosis and syphilis. It has the qualities of competitiveness, aggressiveness, attractiveness and sexuality common to the animal remedies, as well as the clairvoyance, deceit and venomous quality common to the snake remedies. The specific problem of Lachesis seems to be the problem of jealousy, or how to get the better of (be one-up on) a rival, especially in the situation of male-female relationships or in the sphere of sexual relationships. It is the situation of someone who has to compete against a person with better qualities, as for example a menopausal woman whose husband has a young girlfriend. She has the feeling of weakness within herself as she compares herself to her younger and more attractive rival. She feels that there are conspiracies against her and this makes her suspicious of people around her. Her survival dep...

-SANKARAN R., Lilium tigrinum (the Tiger Lily) is a remedy of the plant kingdom and of the sycotic miasm. I understand the remedy to have two parts: a plant part and an animal part. While the plant part of the remedy has to do with chastity, purity and religiousness, the animal part has to do with sexuality, with passion. A main theme of Lilium tigrinum is religious fervour alternating with an increased sexual desire. (Funnily enough, its name also seems to have two components: the plant (lily), and the animal (tiger)!) These two sides of the Lilium tigrinum are at tremendous odds with each other. The patients are very religious persons and consider their high sexual desire as being something sinful. They therefore try and repress the same by keeping busy all the time, keeping themselves occupied always. To keep themselves as busy as is possible, they take up several tasks at a time and are hurried in their work. A characteristic symptom of Lilium tigrinum is: - Restless: must k...

-SANKARAN R., Lycopodium is sometimes called "vegetable Sulphur". It is a plant remedy and belongs to the the psoric miasm. I have been told that several thousands of years ago, Lycopodium clavatum was actually a huge tree, and that over the the years it reduced to a small fern - the club moss. The main feeling in Lycopodium is that if the person remains small, his survival will be difficult, he will be humiliated, he will be nowhere. The main theme of Lycopodium therefore, becomes ambition, a desire to grow bigger, a lot of effort which is concentrated fully on becoming bigger, being more powerful, reaching a higher position - the top rung of the ladder. Lycopodium is a part of the the Calcarea - Lycopodium - Sulphur cycle. Calcarea represents the human need for stability and security, which translates into having a house, family, source of income, good health and protection. Stability also entails lack of movement, adventure and growth. The other need of the human is...

-SANKARAN R., Lyssinum belongs to the acute miasm. It cannot be strictly classified as a remedy of the animal kingdom since it represents only one aspect of the dog, the tremendous aggressiveness that has gone out of control. The saliva of the rabid dog creates a state of pain. It is the state of a controlled animal gone crazy: the dog that obeyed the master but was treated so badly that it lost all its control, and jumped on and tore at its own master. The main feeling of Lyssinum is of having suffered wrong, being tormented, especially by one whom he has served, has been faithful to and is dependent on, thus creating an intense feeling of anger and rage, in which the person can bite, strike and even violently mutilate. Often this rage is followed by a repentance as profound as the rage was violent. Or it may be an impotent anger which can lead to an impulse to stab himself. Lyssinum is required in a situation where a person has to lash out against somebody because, if he keep...

-SANKARAN R., Magnesium carbonicum is a sycotic remedy. This salt represents the essence of the Magnesium group of remedies. The Magnesium feeling is that the person doesn't get the care, protection and nourishment that he needs. It is the state of an infant dependent on the mother for nourishment, care, security and support, but who has been abandoned by his parents. It is the feeling of an orphan. Kent's famous example of treating orphaned children without any results, until he discovered Magnesium carbonicum should be read from his "Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica". This feeling like that of an infant, i.e. dependent for care, nourishment, security and support, is very deep in Magnesium carbonicum. In the adult, this feeling seems so out of place that it is not expressed at all at a conscious level; it is repressed so that the patient is unaware of what he actually feels. These repressed emotions can be manifest in the form of a tremendous causeless...

-SANKARAN R., Magnesium muriaticum is a sycotic remedy of the mineral kingdom. It is the salt of Magnesium (group-II A) and Chloride (group VII A - Halogen), and combines the Magnesium theme of infantile dependence and forsakenness with the muriaticum theme of betrayal of trust and faith. The main feeling of Magnesium muriaticum therefore is that his trust and faith in the people he depends so much upon will be betrayed, and he will be disappointed. Magnesium muriaticum patients depend a lot on their friends. Friends are people one can trust, and who care for you - "a friend in need is a friend indeed". But the Magnesium muriaticum person feels that he will be let down and disappointed by his friends. He has the delusion of being friendless. The coped up Magnesium muriaticum patient seems self-dependent (busy with himself), and friendly; he can go out of his way to care for others. He will do a lot for others, but he always has the feeling that no matter what he does f...

-SANKARAN R., Manganese lies in the first line of metals of the Periodic Table along with Ferrum, Cobalt, Nickel, Copper and Zinc. Like these other metals in the same line, its main theme is that of attack and defence - the feeling of being attacked, and the need to defend oneself. The patient feels dominated or suppressed and wants to retaliate, but is powerless to do so. Consequently, he has to suppress his anger and violence, and he puts up a wall, becomes embittered, hateful, revengeful. His pent up feeling give rise to a rancour, to extreme bitterness and to the deepest sadness, that finds relief only in the saddest music. He feels so sad that only music with the same depth of grief can touch or relieve him. On the other hand, he can become strongly defensive, start attacking and dominating others, like Ferrum. It is a sycotic remedy. The Manganum situation is that of a shy child of dominating parents. The child has a lack of confidence as a result of this domination, and b...

-SANKARAN R., Medorrhinum is a nosode. It represents the heart of the sycotic miasm. The main feeling of the sycotic miasm is: "I am OK as long as my weakness is covered up. I know my weakness is not fatal to me, it is not the end. But if it is exposed, I will be criticized, I will lose a lot, people will take advantage of me and my position will come down. Therefore, I must do all I can to see that this weakness is not exposed. I may have to be overactive in the opposite direction as a result." The fear of being exposed in Medorrhinum is seen in its fears and anxieties. The person is clairvoyant and fears misfortune, always anticipating that something will happen. He has a presentiment of it, an internal feeling, an inexplicable sensation inside. He prophesizes disagreeable events. He tends to be absorbed in his own thoughts and becomes absent-minded. Therefore we find under Medorrhinum the symptom: "Loses the thread of conversation". Also in this state of inte...

-SANKARAN R., Naja (prepared from the venom of the Indian cobra) has qualities common to other snake remedies - loquacity, wandering, attractive talk, malice, venom, jealousy, the feeling of two wills, etc. Its unique feature however is its feeling of duty consciousness. In my observation, Naja people have a certain quality of nobility about them, of morality, of responsibility. Often this feeling is in conflict with the feeling of having suffered wrong and neglect, with intense feelings of malice and impulse to neglect or harm the offending person. This emotional state is reflected in the following dream that one of the provers had. The prover, a woman, dreamt that she was staying as a paying guest in the house of an old woman. Once, around midnight, the latter asked the prover to vacate her room immediately, without giving her any reason or explanation. In fact she started to pick up the prover's belongings and throw them down the stairs, almost pushing her out in the middle o...

-SANKARAN R., Natrum carbonicum is a salt belonging to the psoric miasm. In the Natrum element, we see a marked desire to form and maintain a relationship, especially on a one to one level. The Natrum carbonicum woman needs just one relationship and is very dependent on this one relationship, without which she feels tremendous fear, sadness and a sense of isolation. This is brought out best in the delusion of Natrum carbonicum: "Delusion, division between himself and others". It is this tremendous need for and dependence on the relationship, that makes them very vulnerable to hurt. Natrum therefore develops a fear of people and tries to avoid contact. While on one hand she tries to avoid company, she also dreads being alone: "Company, averse to, yet dreads being alone". The theme of the Carbonates is that of fear of death with a need for a vital reaction in order to survive, as suggested by the rubric: "Starting from fright". Thus the main theme of Natrum...

-SANKARAN R., Natrum muriaticum is a sycotic remedy. It is a mineral - a salt - and it has the elements Natrum with belongs to group IA and Chlorine (Halogen group). The main feeling of Natrum muriaticum is that she will be let down or betrayed or disappointed by the person her trust depends on, or by the one she loves. The relationship she seeks is not one of dependence like Calcarea or Magnesium but of friendship or romance, a relation on a one to one basis. The betrayal that she feels is the betrayal of her trust or faith. She has a fear of being emotionally hurt or disappointed and hence is reserved, unapproachable. At the same time, there is a tremendous insecurity with a fear of being alone and a fear of robbers (Natrum carbonicum). She believes that there is something wrong with her - either she is not good enough, not good looking enough ("Delusion, she looks wretched when looking in mirror") or that she has not done enough, and this is why the other person will di...