Homeopathic Materia Medica

Homeopathic Materia Medica are encyclopedia of therapeutic properties of each drug. These properties are ascertained through provings also known as Homeopathic pathogenetic trials (HPT^[1]). As per Samuel Hahnemann in his Organon of medicine^[2] § 143, homeopathic materia medica is " a collection of real, pure, reliable modes of action of simple medicinal substances, a volume of book of nature" They thus constitute a homeopathic prescribing reference guide and sources for compiling Homeopathic repertory.^[3] Earlier materia medicas have details regarding the materials and methods which may be used to prepare homeopathic medicines.

Samuel Hahnemann invented the practise of homeopathy while translating the botanical, Treatise of the materia medica by the Scottish physician William Cullen^[4] from English into German in 1790. Twenty pages in that work are devoted to Peruvian cinchona bark which is used to prepare the medicine quinine. This substance produces fever-like symptoms while being used to cure intermittent fever or ague and this led Hahnemann to conceive the principle of similars: that like may cure like. He went on to develop the materia medica along these homeopathic lines and others then continued this work to produce great volumes of potential ingredients.^[5]

Although there are various homeopathic materia medica, written by different authors and covering different specialities, the term is often used to reference the total sum of homeopathic preparations and prescribing options. Hahnemann developed his by a system of homeopathic provings, where a substance was ingested by the "prover" and the symptoms that the "prover" reported were recorded in great detail. A materia medica may also include accidental poisoning and some information from clinical treatment.

Sources

Drug proving is the basic source of Materia Medica through which, drugs who have found a place in Materia Medica are known of their symptomatology and new drugs are known of their symptomatology, Physical and Mental presentation. Drug proving is carried out by the methods described by Hahnemann in his Organon of Medicine in §105 to §145. The other sources of reports in Homeopathic Materia Medica are:

1. Noting of signs and symptoms which occur because of drug overdose of medicines;
2. Noting of signs and symptoms which occur in poisoning in a person;
3. Noting of signs and symptoms which occur after administering the medicines in sick people and following the appearance of side effects; and
4. The books written by the early practitioners of homeopathy have been the base for the further works on the subject.

Contributions by Hahnemann

The first works were by Hahnemann - The Medicine of Experience, followed by Fragmenta de Viribus Medica Mentorum Postivis. The Fragmenta de Viribus Medica Mentorum Postivis, written in Latin was published by Hahnemann in 1805. It was a compilation of the signs and symptoms appearing after poisoning, effects occurring after administration of drug over dosage, proving of new drugs on himself and on other people who were known as provers. There were 27 such drugs presented in the Fragmenta de Viribus Medica Mentorum Postivis.

Reine Arzneimittellehre / Materia Medica Pura

The next work was the Reine Arzneimittellehre which was translated into English as the Materia Medica Pura, which had three editions.

1st Edition of Reine Arzneimittellehre

The first edition was published in 6 volumes and contained 64 medicines of which 22 medicines were taken from the Fragmenta de Viribus Medica Mentorum Postivis and other were newly proved by Hahnemann and other provers.

• The first volume was published in the year 1811 which contained 12 medicines.
• The second volume was published in the year 1816 which contained 08 medicines and also contained 3 magnets.
• The third volume was published in the year 1817 which contained 08 medicines.
• The fourth volume was published in the year 1818 which contained 12 medicines.
• The fifth volume was published in the year 1819 which contained 11 medicines.
• The sixth volume was published in the year 1821 which contained 10 medicines.

2nd Edition of Reine Arzneimittellehre

The second edition was a revised edition published in 6 volumes and contained 69 medicines.

• The first volume was published in the year 1821.
• The second volume was published in the year 1824.
• The third volume was published in the year 1825.
• The fourth volume was published in the year 1825.
• The fifth volume was published in the year 1826.
• The sixth volume was published in the year 1827.

3rd Edition of Reine Arzneimittellehre

The third edition was a revised edition, condensed and published in 2 volumes. The medicine Causticum was transferred to another work by Hahnemann - Die Chronischen Krankheiten.

• The first volume was published in the year 1830.
• The second volume was published in the year 1833.

Die Chronischen Krankheiten / The Chronic Diseases

The next work important towards Homeopathic Materia Medica was the Die Chronischen Krankheiten which was translated into English and was known as The Chronic Diseases which had two editions.

1st Edition

It contained four volumes of which the first three were published in the year 1828 and the fourth was published in the year 1830. The first volume contains the theory towards concept of chronic diseases while the 2nd, 3rd and 4th contains pathogenesis of medicines.

2nd Edition

It contained five volumes of which the first two were published in the year 1835 and the third was published in the year 1837, the fourth volume in the year 1838 and the fifth volume was published in the year 1839. The first volume contains the theory towards concept of chronic diseases while the 2nd, 3rd and 4th contains pathogenesis of medicines. The volumes of The Chronic Disease were condensed into two volumes.

Contributions by others

Johann Christian Gottfried Jorg

Jorg was a Professor at the Leipzic University. His work with 13 medicines was published in the year 1825. Medicines namely, Digitalis, Iodum and Nitrum were transferred to the Die Chronischen Krankheiten. Jorg's work is kept at the Library of the College of Surgeons. It has also been published in the 4th volume of Magazin by Frank.

Hartlaub and Trinks

The work by Hartlaub and Trinks was published as a sequel to the work by Hahnemann for the Reine Arzneimittellehre.^[6] It was published in three volumes, released in the years 1828, 1829 and 1831 respectively. The first volume contained 18 drug proving, the second volume contained 14 drug proving and the third volume contained more than 30 drug proving, which were used in the 3rd edition of the Materia Medica Pura and the 2nd volume of The Chronic Diseases.

Ernst Stapf

The work by Ernst Stapf were published in the year 1822 in which Hahnemann had also been a prover. The work by Stapf was included in the second edition of The Chronic Diseases and 12 medicines were also included in the Materia Medica Pura in 1836. The Stapf work was later translated into English by Hempel.

Constantine Hering

Constantine Hering was from the Americas and was a well known surgeon who practiced homeopathy. He is known for his proving of new medicines, introduction of grading and evaluation methods for the symptoms in each drug listed. His major contribution to homeopathy is the Guiding symptoms of our materia medica in 10 volumes. The first volume was published in the year 1879 and the second volume was published in the year 1880. He died in the same year. The remaining 8 volumes were published by C.G. Raue, C.B. Knerr and C. Mohr between 1881 and 1891. It is a voluminous work with 48 chapters and 408 medicines.

T.F. Allen

His work consists of the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica in which he gave an alphabetical arrangement to the drugs, updated their information, added poisoning and overdosing symptomatology information, symptoms arranged according to anatomical plan, information of form and dosage of drugs were also added. Allen also gave an arrangement of sub-grouping which were done according to the following principles: First - General symptoms not localised definitely. Second - Localised symptoms. Appearance of a part is given first. Afterwards sensation. Symptom denoting increased activity are given first. Those denoting depression and loss of action or function follows.

From Spain

Tarentula was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Nunez.

From Italy

Cactus was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Rubini.

From Brazil

Various indigenous plants and animals were taken up for proving and were presented to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Mure.

From France

Quinine was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Alphonse Noack. The work of compilation of discreet material available in France was mainly done by Roth and Jahr.

From Germany

• Chelidonium was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Buchmann.
• Reproving of Cuprum by Central Verein

From England

• Kali bichromicum was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Drysdale.
• Naja was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Russel.
• Cedron was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Casanova.
• Cotyledon umbilicus was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Craig.
• Uranium nitricum was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Edward Blake.

References

External links

• Extracts from Hahnemann's Materia Medica Pura
• Source of Homeopathic Materia Medica