Encyclopedia of remedy relationships in homeopathy

- Edited by abdur rehman.
 Reviewed by steve waldstein rshom (na)
 Up until now, our main information on remedy relationships has come from a chart done by R. Gibson Miller, which has been reprinted in the back of Boericke's Materia Medica. We also have all read snippets of information from various other authors on this topic. But in this book, Abdur Rehman has done a masterly job of collecting, from a wide range of sources, almost everything which has been written on this topic from at least 180 authors. Like any such collection, the information is only as good as the original sources. The authors range from totally reliable to some I would take with a grain of salt. But since the sources of most entries are clearly marked, it is easy to see which to take seriously.

 The book covers 665 remedies. For each remedy there is information from the following categories, although entries for each category are not necessarily available for each remedy.
 The associated miasm or miasms, i.e.  psora, sycosis, tubercular and syphilis.
 The associated temperaments-choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine.
 Laterality-right sided, left sided and other variants.
 The related bowel nosode.
 Duration- this supposedly indicates how long a remedy acts, though I have never found such information useful.
 Miscellaneous remarks about when to administer, and the relationship to other remedies.
 Foods to be avoided with the remedy.
 Foods to be encouraged.
 Complementary remedies-"that continues or completes the action of a drug that has acted previously, without disturbing the curative action of the previously given remedy."
 Followed well by-remedies to be considered for a second prescription.
 Inimical-remedies to avoid for a second prescription.
 Antidotes-remedies that antidote the effects of a remedy.
 Collaterals-remedies that are similar to the indicated remedy. To be considered instead of the remedy.
 The issue of remedy relationships is one of great controversy, since much of this data is not terribly reliable. But mixed in this collection is also a large amount of good useful information. The more we can understand these relationships, the more exact our prescribing can be, especially on second and subsequent prescriptions. As Dr. P.S.  Krishnamurty says in his Introduction, "It is a fallacy and blissful ignorance according to homeopathic scientific therapeutics, to use indiscriminately homeopathic drugs in the treatment of a patient without an expert knowledge in drug relationships."
 The book is published in Germany and is well printed, with a good binding. The print is rather small, but readable. The cost of $85 is high for a 5 3/4" x 8 1/2", 362 page book. In all, it is a good addition to the homeopathic literature. Highly recommended.
 "The more we can understand these relationships, the more exact our prescribing can be."
 Magnesia phosphorica
 Miasm: 
 Pso140, Syc153
 Laterality:
 r (Head, ear, face, chest, ovary, sciatic nerve1)
 Remarks:
 Sometimes acts best when given in hot water1
 Food(s) to be avoided:
 Cold drinks, Cold food
 Complementary Remedies:
 Tub (Dysmenorrhoea120)
 Followed well by: 
 CALC-P (When Mag-p seems indicated but fails97; also intercurrently in scrofulous or anaemic subjects97; convulsions from teething without fever when Mag-p fails10; cramps in the legs10; spasms especially when Mag-p fails108; writers cramp's especially with cramp like pain in fingers and wrists108; chorea10), Cupr (Cramps if Mag-p fails149), Kali-s (When Mag-p fails in pains and spasms or cramps21; colicky pains in stomach when Mag-p fails10; when Mag-p fails to relieve sometimes152), Lyc36, Plb-i (Neuralgia lightening like when Mag-p fails21), Zinc (Pruritus21)
 Inimical:- 
 Antidotes:
 Ars139, Camph139, Bell Cham139, Colch (Renal calculus109), Gels, Lach (Cough12), Nux-v139, Calcium (Anaesthetic effects19)
 Collaterals:
 Act-sp (Cardio-vascular spasm), Bell, Cact, Calc (Complaints from standing in cold water or working in cold clay), Castor (Pain in abdomen better warmth and pressure), Caul, Cham. COLOC (Colic better by bending double and warm applications), Dios, Kali-p, Kalm (Neuralgia right sided), Lach, Lob-i, Puls (Menstrual pains - Vib), Spig, Zinc