HOW TO STUDY MATERIA

MEDICA
 Materia Medica is a record of effects of active
medicinal substances derived from proving of drugs on
healthy human beings, noting the toxic effects of drugs
from different sources and also addition of clinical
symptoms observed.
 Symptoms recorded from cases of poisoning including
gross tissue changes indicates deeper action of drugs.
 Clinical symptoms of a drug are not observed with the
provers but are symptoms which the diseased individual
got rid off while treated for some other disease by the
drug.

 Proving on sick.
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY OF MATERIA MEDICA

 It signifies an analytical, practical and clinical oriented

approach of study of materia medica which can be
remembered and reproduced at the time of need.
 In accordance with the homoeopathic law, we select for
the cure of each individual case of disease that remedy
of which the pathogenetic effects are most similar to
the symptoms of the case.
 In the process of making this selection we must pass in
mental review the various drugs which compose the
Materia Medica, take a comprehensive view of the pure
effects of each, and institute a comparison between
each.
PROBLEMS IN STUDY OF MATERIA MEDICA

1. Standardisation of Homoeopathic materiamedica.

 2. Non uniformity in the description in various materia

medica
STANDARDISATION OF HOMOEOPATHIC MATERIA
MEDICA

 It is a subject which attracted abundant writings from

authors of different shades, backgrounds, with different
philosophy.

 Eg: Hahnemann‘s materia medica- 67 medicines.

 The chronic disease their peculiar nature and
Homoeopathic cure containing 48 medicines.
 T.F Allen Encyclopaedia of pure materia medica
containing 1039 medicines-12 volumes.
 10 volumes of Hering’s guiding symptoms containing
410 medicines.
DIFFERENT METHODS ADOPTED FOR STUDYING
MATERIA MEDICA

Comparative method
A Disease level – therapeutic method
B. Symptomatic level- Group study
C. Organ level

Drug Picture method

Keynote method
Drug relationship study
 Repertorial method
 Psychoanalysis

 Typology

 Analogy
COMPARATIVE METHOD

 We can compare different remedies with their similar

and dissimiliar symptoms.
 when symptoms of different drugs are similar to each
other this type of study is very useful.
Eg : Comparative materia medica by E.A.Farrington,
Comparative materia medica by Gross etc.
 This method of study should not be adapted in initial
stage. This is done after acquiring a thorough
knowledge of individual drug.

 By this process the mind has to exercise by repeated

hammering of symptoms to our memory cells.
 There would be an imprint of the drug picture which
will last for a longer period.
WE CAN COMPARE DIFFERENT REMEDIES AT
VARIOUS LEVELS

A Disease level
B. Symptomatic level – group study
C. Organ level
A. DISEASE LEVEL

  Comparison of various drugs indicated in particular

disease.

 Eg:
 A state of collapse

 wants to be fanned all the time – Carbo veg.

 Craves fresh air, skin felt cold yet desires to be

uncovered- Camphor, Secale cor.
 Cold and bathed with cold perspiration- Veratrum alb.
THERAPEUTIC TYPE OF METHOD

 In this type we can study the symptom of drugs in

different diseases. Thus one can study the drug from
its curative powers and drug pathogenesis.

 Various drugs have the property of producing and curing

the continuous type of fever like Bryonia, Baptisia,Acid
phos,Gelsemium etc.
 Merit
 This provides ready made knowledge to physician at
bed side.

 Demerits
 This type of study can only be done after full grasp over
the pathogenesis of many drugs has been obtained.
 In this type complete comprehension of entire drug is
difficult and collective approach is lost.
B. SYMPTOMATIC LEVEL- GENERAL/PARTICULAR,
COMMON/UNCOMMON.

 Group study
 When a group belong to same family they hold certain
similar character as they have similarity in their origin.

 marked similarity in action though dissimilar in origin

which are said to be concordant like Puls and Silicea
C. ORGAN LEVEL

Drugs having resemblance to each other in their drug

pathogenesis are compared to each other.

 Bry, lyco,Chel- action on liver.

DRUG PICTURE METHOD
 Pathogenesis of a drug is presented in synthesised
manner so that the personality of a drug becomes
distinct and clear and aims at holistic approach of
describing materia medica.

Eg;
Lectures on Homoeopathic materia medica by James
Tyler Kent,

Homoeopathic drug picture by M L Tyler

KEYNOTE METHOD

 This includes predominating symptoms or features of

drug which comprises of peculiar ,rare, striking
symptoms, which are captioned as keynote symptoms.

 The keynote prescribing is a short cut and time saving

device but often we court failures if these keynotes are
taken as final.
 Prescribers often abuse this method, basing their
prescription on two or three symptoms.

 Leading books of this pattern are ;

Keynotes on leading remedies by H.C. Allen,

Primer of materia medica by T.F.Allen,
Characteristic materia medica by W.H.Burt etc.
REMEDY RELATIONSHIP STUDY

 Guide us to select the complementary or follow well

remedy and compare the case,
 secondly it helps in preserving the case and completing
the case,
 as some remedies are inimical to each other though they
resemble satisfactorily to each other they do not follow
well each other.
PSYCHOANALYSIS

 Drugs are individualised on the basis of their

personality, temperament, psychological and
behavioural differentiation, speech, gestures,
expressions, thoughts, feelings, hopes, fears, tastes
and common or idiosyncratic physical symptoms.
provide an accurate and realistic description of the
personality.
 In Homoeopathic psychology by Philips Bailey, Portraits
of Homoeopathic Materia Medica by Catherine Coulter,
Essentials of Homoeopathic Materia Medica by
George Vitholkas.
 Similarly vast other materia medica books with different
approaches are available.
For Eg:
 Materiamedica with approach through periodic table

Some author like Jan Scholten in “Elements of MATERIA

MEDICA” tries to describe and justify drugs belonging to
horizontal groups of periodic table bears many
symptoms in common with a novel approach to drugs.
 Study of drugs analysing groups
 Drugs belonging to same family in vegetable kingdom or
same group in mineral kingdom or same species in
animal kingdom have many symptoms in common
because they belong to similar species. Authors like
 E.A Farrington very carefully taken up kali group,
carbon group, ophidia group, spider group etc.
 “Homoeopathy and Homoeopathic prescribing” by
Harway Farrington,”
 Text book of Homoeopathic MATERIA MEDICA”by
Ottolessor
REPERTORIAL METHOD
 Repertory is an index to materia medica arranged in a
practical form with an indication to relative gradation of
drugs.
 Repertorial method provides an easy and simple way of
studying, comparing , differentiating and memorising
materia medica.
 Typological study
 They also help the physician for clinical correlation
and linking symptoms at level of constitution.
 Arg nit- withered, dried up, old looking.

 It has problem both at nutrition and absorption

level.
Analogy study
 It means study of symptoms of a medicine from the
character, behaviour and appearance of its source.
Eg-
dark cloud ink of cuttle fish resembles it’s the mood,
irritability, depression and indifference.
 The proper mode of studying the whole materia medica
consists of first making one self the complete master of
a few medicines. Afterwards comes the mastery of those
medicines most nearly connected with the first few, and
so on.
THANK YOU….