Short Materia Medica

CARBO VEG.

Carbo veg., made from charcoal, proves useful when the vital power becomes low from loss of vital fluid, from grave or serious diseases, from effects of drugs etc. It helps when reactivity is low. The typical Carbo veg patient is fat, sluggish, lazy and has a tendency to chronicity of complaints. It especially suits to old people with low vitality and to people who have never recovered fully from the effect of some previous illness. It is a lifesaver remedy for the state of collapse in cholera, typhoid or other grave diseases, when the patient is almost lifeless, with cold body (head may be hot), breath cold, pulse imperceptible, respiration quickened and there is desire to be fanned. Hemorrhage, where the blood is dark, oozing from shock, after surgical operations, persists for hours or days. Alco bleeding gums. Weakness, flatulence, and air hunger are present with most of the complaints. Carbo veg has pronounced action on the gastrointestinal tract. Digestion is slow, food turns into gas. Aversion to meat, fat and milk which cause flatulence. Loud eructations which ameliorate. Heaviness and burning after eating. Abdomen distended, esp. the upper part. Can not bear tight clothing around waist. That's carbo-veg for you!

PULSATILLA

On account of its changing , shifting symptoms, this remedy is known as a weather cock remedy. It is preeminently a remedy for females - mild, gentle, plethoric, sluggish, yielding disposition - who cry readily. Thirstlessness, chilliness and shortness of breath is often present with digestive and menstrual disorders. Mucus discharges are profuse, bland, thick, yellowish-green. Symptoms often change, shift or appear contradictory. Mentally, the patient is mild, timid, emotional and fearful. Easily discouraged and offended. The patient craves sympathy, which ameliorates. Has a clinging nature. Children like fun and caress. In females there is often morbid fear of opposite sex. Also there is fear to be alone, of dark, of ghosts in the evening. Although the pulsatilla is patient is very mild, she is also very irritable at the same time. Pulsatilla is very useful if menses are delayed at puberty or when the menses are late, scanty and painful. It also helps if the labour pains are weak or when the pains after delivery are severe or when there is bleeding after delivery. It also helps when the milk is suppressed or scanty. Pulsatilla patient is usually worse by warmth, heat, closed room, evening and eating rich food and is better by cold, open fresh air, gentle motion and weeping. NUX VOMICA Nux vomica is an everyday remedy. It corresponds to many diseased conditions to which a modern man is prone. It is useful in those persons who lead a sedentary life, doing much mental work, or remain under stress and strain of prolonged office work, business cares and worries. Such people are are apt to indulge in wine, woman, rich food, stimulants and drugs, and suffer in consequence. The typical nux patient is rather this (may be potbellied), spare, quick, active, nervous and irritable. Nux affects nerves causing hypersensitiveness and overimpressionability - both mentally and physically. Mentally, the patients is active, gets angry easily, is impatient and can not stand pain. Nux is the remedy for males who are zealous, optimistic, ambitious, fastidious, faultfinding, headstrong and self-willed - the achievers. The focus is often on 'I', 'Me' or "Mine'. The patient is usually oversensitive to external impressions like noise, light, odor, touch etc. Nux is a very good remedy for gastric disturbances. The Nux person craves beer, fats and stimulants. There is heaviness in abdomen an hour or two after eating, must loosen clothing. The patient can not do mental work for 2-3 hours after a meal. Constipation; with frequent, unsuccessful desire; passing small stool. There is sensation as if not finished after stool. Nux patient is usually chilly, can not bear cold. Patient is usually worse in morning, mental exertion, after eating or overeating, touch noise, anger, dry-cold weather, disappointment of ambition etc. and better by free discharges, naps, milk and rest. IGNATIA Ignatia is a remedy which often comes into play when there is history of suppressed anger, grief, loss of loved ones, or disappointed love. Persons who become mentally of physically exhausted by long-concentrated grief. Such people often have desire to be alone. They are amicable in disposition if feeling well, but easily disturbed by very slight emotion; easily offended. The slightest faultfinding or contradiction excited anger, and this makes her angry with herself. The person becomes moody. Mental conditions change rapidly from joy to sorrow, from laughing to weeping. Children when reprimanded or scolded, get sick or have convulsions in sleep. Ignatia especially suits to women of a nervous temperament who have a mild disposition. But they are quick to perceive and rapid in execution (unlike Pulsatilla). Ignatia patients often have involuntary sighing. Also they have an aversion to tobacco/smoking. Ignatia is called the remedy of contradictions as it presents lots of contradictory symptoms like thirst during chill, pain in throat better by swallowing, cough worse by coughing, piles better by walking etc. Ignatia is also oversensitive to pain. And pains usually occur in small circumscribed spots. Another interesting feature of Ignatia is that its patients often sweat on face while eating. That's Ignatia for you! ARSENIC ALBUM Arsenic is a medicine with a very diverse range of action. It can prove useful in many acute ailments like diarrhea, cold, gastritis, fever etc. It is also a very deep acting medicine useful in many chronic ailments. Whatever be the ailment the arsenic patient shows some characteristic features. To begin with, the patient requiring arsenic often feels very prostrated, very tired. The feeling of fatigue is usually not in proportion to his/her ailment. The patient feels more tired than he should for the severity of his/her ailments. At the very same time, the patient also feels mentally restless. Although the patient feels tired, he can not rest in one place. He/she will continue to move or change his position as long as the body permits. There is lot of anxiety too regarding his disease and health in general. The patient exaggerates the disease and may even feel that his/her disease is incurable (even simple diarrhea or cold!!). The feeling leads to fear of death. The complaints of arsenic patients are often worse around midnight and midday - more around midnight. The pains felt by a patient needing arsenic are often burning in nature. The arsenic patient usually feels better by heat (except in headache), hot drinks, hot application etc. The arsenic thirst is also very typical. The patient feels thirsty but drinks small quantities at frequent intervals. There are some other symptoms of arsenic too that you should be aware of - * Arsenic is often indicated in gastric derangement ( gastritis / diarrhea / vomiting) after cold fruits, ice-cream, ice-water, old food (cases of food poisoning). The diarrhea of arsenic patient is often worse after eating or drinking. * In asthma, the arsenic patient can not lie down. Feels better by sitting and bending forward. * Arsenic patient often becomes nauseous with the smell or sight of food. That's arsenic in short for you! BELLADONA The acute conditions in which belladona often finds indication are cold, sore throat, fever, headache, dentitional problems of children, and acute painful inflammations of all kinds. The patient catches cold very easily and the cold usually settles in throat. The patient develops sore throat, the tonsils enlarge, throat appears red, feels dry and painful, more so on the right side. The cough is dry, short and is often worse at night. The pains pointing towards belladona are usually throbbing or pulsating in nature. The pains are often very intense and they start suddenly (not gradually). In headache also, the congestion and throbbing pain is found. During headache the face becomes red and there is throbbing pain in the head. The pain is worse by lying down, noise, light, and exertion. It becomes better on applying pressure. Belladona is often indicated in primary stages of inflammation, when there is lot of redness, congestion, and pain in the affected part. It is specially useful in the pre-suppurative stage (before the pus has formed). In fever also the redness and heat characterizing the congestive state predominates. The heat can be very intense with little sweat. The skin feels dry and red. The head appears more hot. The patient often has no thirst during fever. Belladona is also useful in many other conditions. Congestion, redness, heat, and throbbing pains are the keynotes to remember for you. A brief discription of 8 homeopathy medicines (aconite, arnica, arsenic, belladona, carbo veg., pulsatilla, nux vomica and ignatia) is given here to make you familiar with homeopathy materia medica, medicines and their application. The descriptions are not very exhaustive and have been simlified for better understanding. Many keynotes of each medicine are given in bold. Do remember them. ACONITE Often there are times when you feel that you are about to fall ill. The stage when the disease has not localized, yet you can feel dis-eased - technically called the prodormal phase of an acute illness. Aconite is a medicine that can be taken in the prodormal stage of most acute ailments, especially, if they develop suddenly. It will abort the illness in most cases. Aconite is a medicine to consider whenever complaints appear suddenly. You were fine till 2 hours ago and now suddenly you develop pain in throat - aconite could be the remedy. You went into cold air, entered a warm room and suddenly started sneezing, aconite can be the remedy at this stage before the cold has fully gripped you. Similarly, if you suddenly develop fever, your skin feels dry and hot, there is dryness of mouth and you feel thirsty and there is redness of face - aconite could be your remedy. Often in aconite patients, you will find that they get more disturbed even with slight ailments. They become more anxious and restless. They may even develop an undue fear of disease and death. The ailments are slight but the slightest ailment puts them off the track. That is aconite for you in brief - just remember acute ailments, sudden onset, anxiety and restlessness! ARNICA Arnica is a medicine which is best known for its ability to heal in cases of injury, especially, when the injury results from a fall, blunt instruments, concussions, and contusions. In injuries where there is an element of shock or where the muscles are more affected with a sore, lame, bruised feeling in whole body, as if beaten, arnica is often indicated. Arnica can work wonders in injury cases where the flesh is not torn. If there is ecchymosis or internal bleeding after an injury or if there is pus formation in soft tissue or bones (without lacerations) after injury, arnica is often indicated. Many times it happens that you meet people who tell you that they suffered some injury or met with an accident many years ago, but they still feel the pain in the injured parts. Arnica can even heal such effects of very old injuries. The arnica patient is very sensitive to touch. More sensitive than most people. The pains are often worse at rest, by touch, by motion, and better by lying down. Arnica has more use than described here. But if you remember injury, sore/lame/bruised feeling, ecchymosis, and sensitivity to touch - you will be able to put arnica to good use!