Utility of mother tinctures in Homeopathy

One evening I received a phone call from a man from a far-off city, requesting me to treat his 94-year-old father who was suffering from cardiac dyspnea due to coronary artery blockage. He would become breathless on least exertion and was unable to walk even 3 steps without becoming acutely breathless. The cardiologist had said that the only solution to such extensive arteriosclerosis was Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) but the old man had already undergone the procedure twice in his life and was not medically fit for surgery at this ripe old age. None of the medicines prescribed by the cardiologist were helping the old man’s breathing troubles and so they were exploring Homeopathy as an option. I asked a few questions, looking for more information, but I could not obtain any more symptoms. I prescribed Crataegus oxycantha in mother tincture; 20 drops in 80 ml water, 3 times a day for 7 days, and asked him to call me after a week. He called me after a week to thank me profusely because the old man was no longer feeling breathless on exertion. I asked him to continue it for another month after which he reported that he was feeling much better and wanted to continue Crataegus for the rest of his life.

I have used Crataegus mother tincture in many other similar cases with great results and the main guiding symptom in most cases, other than coronary artery blockage induced breathlessness, has been the characteristic pulse; it is feeble and so fast that you are not able to count it. Boericke gives another symptom ‘extreme dyspnoea on least exertion, without much increase of pulse.

In the case stated above, the prescription was based only on the pathology. The remedy was similar only to the pathology. The degree of similarity to the remedy helps us to decide the potency. The more the degree of similarity, the higher is the potency of the remedy selected. Mother tinctures are of great use when only the pathology is covered by the remedy.

There are times when we encounter cases in practice where the patient has felt much better, mentally and generally, with a remedy based on peculiar mental symptoms and characteristic physical general symptoms but we do not see any improvement in the pathological changes that have taken place at tissue level. In such cases we need another remedy which is similar to the pathology and such remedies are many a times administered in mother tincture form.

Every homeopath knows the value of Berberis vulgaris mother tincture in treating renal calculi. It is usually prescribed when the renal pain changes site and character frequently. Sometimes it is a shooting type of pain, sometimes it feels as if needles are poking. At other times it is a throbbing pain or a burning sensation. The most characteristic sensation of Berberis vulgaris is a bubble-like sensation. The pain is usually a radiating pain and it may shift from the lumbar back to the iliac fossa or to the urethra.

There are times when I prescribe Berberis vulgaris mother tincture in patients who have stag horn calculi in the pelvis of the kidney but do not have any characteristic symptoms. When the calculus is already in the ureter, best results are obtained with Hydrangea mother tincture. It relieves the renal colic and the patient is able to pass the calculi without much discomfort. Patients come to the clinic and show the calculi they have passed and the size of the calculi ranges from 3 mm to 21 mm.

P. Sankaran writes in the book ‘Elements of Homeopathy’ that certain medicines seem to act better in particular potencies. For instance, drugs like Apocynum cannabinum, Sabal serrulata, Ornithogallum umbellatum, Hydrocotyle asiatica, Passiflora incarnata, Crataegus oxycantha, Adonis vernalis, Strophanthus hispidias, Carduus marianus, Blatta orientalis, etc., seem to act better in mother tincture.

I have found that the mother tinctures of the above mentioned remedies act beneficially when one or two symptoms, other than the pathology, are covered by the remedy.

Apocynum cannabinum is useful in treating oedema in patients having increased thirst and bradycardia with a history of alcoholism and smoking.

Sabal serrulata helps when there is retention of urine due to enlarged prostate in patients who brood over their sufferings and get angry when sympathy is shown to them.

Ornithogallum is prescribed in cases of cancer of the gastro-intestinal tract when the pains are worse at night and the patient has insomnia. Cooper is the authority on this remedy and he says that he uses this remedy in cases where the pains invariably increase when the food attempts to pass the pyloric outlet of the stomach.

Hydrocotyle works well in psoriasis when the exfoliated scales are very thick especially in patients who have intolerable itching in the soles of feet.

A mother tincture of Passiflora incarnata provides good relief in patients of insomnia when the sleeplessness is due to continuous activity of worrisome thoughts. Avena sativa is useful when there is insomnia associated with nervous exhaustion; sexual debility and debility after exhausting diseases. It is also used for insomnia due to drugs and alcohol.

Adonis vernalis is of service in cardiac and renal dropsy when there is great dyspnoea, pulse is irregular, blood pressure is low and urine is scanty.

Blackwood’s manual states that Strophanthus is indicated for cardiac and renal disease in the active, energetic type of patient who is exhausted and overtaxed due to some violent exercise or exertion. This has led to dyspnoea, precordial distress or a painful throbbing in various parts of the body. The pulse is fast, irregular, feeble and the blood pressure is high.

Carduus marianus, according to Blackwood’s manual, does wonders in sad, hypochondriacal patients suffering from liver disease when the liver is enlarged transversely causing pain ad jaundice.

Blatta orientalis is a remedy for asthma and acts better in acute cases and in corpulent constitutions. Clarke has noted that it has saved many cases from threatened suffocation due to excess of mucus in bronchi. Oppression of breathing, restlessness, profuse perspiration and aggravation from lying down are some of the symptoms.

I have mentioned only a few symptoms of each drug in this article. A proper study of the symptomatology of these drug substances from the materia medica will help you to prescribe the right remedy for your patient.

We use many more remedies in mother tincture form and it is worth exploring the rich literature of homeopathy to know these remedies well. I use Chelidonium for gall stones, Chimaphila for prostate enlargement, Chionanthus for diabetes, Ceanothus for enlarged spleen, Rauwolfia for renal hypertension and Nux vomica for cerebro-vascular accidents whenever I see definite indications of these remedies. I recommend studying the works of Clarke, Blackwood and Anshutz to acquire the knowledge needed to prescribe mother tinctures with confidence.

Mother tinctures will help you to relieve acute conditions and reverse pathology in those diseases which are reversible. In irreversible diseases like chronic kidney disease and advanced cardiac conditions, they serve as palliative remedies. Mother tinctures of homeopathic drugs do not get rid of the diathesis. Proper constitutional treatment and anti-miasmatic treatment should be instituted at the earliest to prevent recurrence and remove the diathesis. All said and done, the value of mother tinctures in homeopathy is unquestionable.

So the next time an old person with irreversible pathology approaches you for help, have a look at these mother tinctures and you will be able to soothe your patient and give him/her a better quality of life.