An Elaboration on the Mental Disposition of Podophyllum Peltatum through Repertory

An Elaboration on the Mental Disposition of Podophyllum Peltatum through Repertory

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ABSTRACT: Podophyllum Peltatum is mainly known for its use in Gastro-intestinal and Hepatic affections and the ailments of mind is hardly known. Dr JT Kent in his Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica begins this remedy as “This remedy is seldom used except in acute affections, but it is a long acting and deep acting drug; it produces a powerful impression on the economy; it relates to the deep-seated miasms.”. Around 348 mind symptoms have been extracted from Schroyens Synthesis repertory-9.0 which gives us the mental picture of Podophyllum in detail. This drug has wide variety of mental symptoms affecting the emotions, intellect and memory but has been least explored and seldom known. Its affections is mainly at the emotional level. This remedy also consists of many Polar symptoms and Contrasting rubrics. Podophyllum not only has extensive action on the Gastro-intestinal and Hepatic system but also on the mind thus can aid us in selecting a correct constitutional similimum.

KEYWORDS: Podophyllum Peltatum, Mental disposition.

INTRODUCTION:

Podophyllum Peltatum, Commonly known as May apple belongs to the family Berberidaceae .It is prepared from tincture of root gathered after the fruit has ripened or from the whole fresh plant or ripe fruit.

This remedy is clinically used in various gastro intestinal and hepatic affections. In our Materia Medica under the section mind very few mental  symptoms of this remedy has been described.Dr.H C.Allen has dedicated  one  line of his materia medica to explain the mind symptom of Podophyllum , Dr Boericke has described the mind symptoms in two lines ,Dr J Clarke and Dr .C. Hering have described it in five lines ,Dr S R Phatak has described in four lines and  DR JT Kent in his Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica talks about the importance of using Podophyllum as a constitutional remedy yet he has dedicated only one paragraph for explaining the mental ailments of Podophyllum.

The mind symptoms that has been described in the Materia Medica are as follows:

 Delirium, loquacious during heat; forgetful after of what has passed. 

 Depression: imagines he is going to die or be very ill; in gastric affections. 

Disgust for life; headache; biliary disorders. 

Over-fatigue of mind from business

Conscious during chill, but cannot talk, forgets words.

This remedy is hardly used in the constitutional prescriptions due to the lack of knowledge about its mental disposition. Around 348 mind symptoms have been extracted from Schroyens Synthesis repertory-9.0 which gives us the mental picture of Podophyllum in detail. It is very essential to study the mental disposition of such remedies so that we do not miss a Podophyllum case or to avoid wrong prescriptions.

Explanation of mental disposition of Podophyllum Peltataum through repertory.

MIND – AFFECTIONATE

MIND – AFFECTIONATE – returns affection

MIND – ABRUPT – affectionate; rough yet

MIND – AFFABILITY

MIND – ANIMALS – love for animals – cats

MIND – ANIMALS – love for animals – pet; her

MIND – CARESSED; being – wants to be caressed

MIND – CARRIED – desire to be carried – shoulder; over the

MIND – CHILDREN – beget and to have children; desire to

MIND – LOVE – exalted love

MIND – MAGNETIZED – desire to be

MIND – MAGNETIZING others – desire for

MIND – SYMPATHETIC

MIND – SYMPATHETIC – animals; towards

MIND– SELFLESSNESS

MIND – FORSAKEN feeling

MIND – FEAR – evil; fear of – family; impending on his

MIND – ANXIETY – family; about his

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – death of loved ones

These rubrics indicate that Podophyllum in its Psoric stage is an affectionate remedy, they crave for love, affection, care, magnetism and return affection as well. They are very friendly with good manners. They desire to have children and are very affectionate and sympathetic towards animals; pets – cats. Another important feature is that though they are affectionate, they can be rough. They worry a lot and are anxious about their loved ones and fear about their health. A forsaken state of mind comes up if they lose their loved one.

MIND – COMPANY – desire for

MIND – COMPANY – desire for – alone agg.; when

MIND – CHEERFUL

MIND – LOQUACITY – changing quickly from one subject to another

MIND – LOQUACITY – cheerful, exuberant

MIND – LOQUACITY – hilarity; with

MIND – LOQUACITY – vivacious

MIND – LOQUACITY – chill, during

MIND – LOQUACITY – fever; during

From the above rubrics we learn that they are vivacious, full of life, hilarious, cheerful and people who desire company and cannot be alone. They are highly loquacious and they quickly change the subject of speech from one to another (lach). This loquacity also becomes prominent in acute states, especially during fever where they go into delirious state of loquacity.

MIND – COMPANY – aversion to

MIND – COMPANY – aversion to – alone amel; When

MIND – COMPANY – aversion to – desire for solitude

MIND – COMPANY – aversion to – weep – with weeping

MIND – SPOKEN TO; being – aversion – alone; wants to be let

MIND – AVERSION – friends, to

As the pathology progresses to the Sycotic stage, they have aversion to company and desire solitude. They have an aversion to being spoken to and want to be left alone.

MIND – TRANQUILLITY

MIND – MILDNESS

MIND – YIELDING disposition

MIND – QUIET disposition

MIND – QUIET; wants to be

These rubrics tell us that they can also belong to calm, mild, yielding and quiet disposition.

MIND – ANXIETY – business; about

MI\ND – PROSTRATION of mind – business, from

MIND – SADNESS – money – problems with money; about

MIND – ANXIETY – future, about

MIND – THOUGHTS – profound – future, about his

MIND – CARES, full of – business, about his

MIND – CARES, full of – future; about

They are money minded people , with anxiety and worry about money and future, deep thoughts about future , mind is exhausted from business(Nux-V) and sadness due to problems with money( Mez ,Psor).

MIND – CONTENT

MIND – CONTENT – quiet; and

MIND – DESIRES – nothing; desires

MIND – WELL – says he is well – sick; when very

MIND – DISCONTENTED – himself, with

MIND – DISCONTENTED – others; with

MIND – DISCONTENTED – surroundings, with

This remedy is highly satisfied, wants nothing, asks for nothing and when sick says he is well. (Opium, Arn, Puls)

In the sycotic stage they can present as highly discontented; with themselves, others, and surroundings.

MIND – HAUGHTY

MIND – OFFENDED, easily

MIND – OPINIONS – respected; expects her opinions to be

MIND – SUGGESTIONS; will not accept

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – honour; wounded

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – mortification

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – punishment

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – reprimands

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – scorned; being

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – shame

MIND – CENSORIOUS

MIND – CONTRARY

MIND- HUMILITY.

These rubrics suggest that Podophyllum is a remedy with high self-esteem, pride and want their opinions to be respected (Ham).They also portray the fault finding and opposing character. This can be due to haughtiness or due to their discontented nature. From the last rubric (HUMILITY) in the above set of rubrics we also learn that Podophyllum can be someone with lack of pride.

MIND – FEAR – disease, of impending

MIND – FEAR – disease, of impending – incurable, of being

MIND – FEAR – heart – disease of the heart

MIND – FEAR – liver, in affections of

MIND – FEAR – lung disease; of

MIND – FEAR – death, of

MIND – DELUSIONS – sick – being

MIND – DELUSIONS – sick – going to be sick; he is

MIND – DELUSIONS – disease – incurable disease; he has an

MIND – DELUSIONS – heart – disease – going to have a heart disease and die; is

MIND – DELUSIONS – heart – disease – having an

MIND – DELUSIONS – liver disease; that he will have

MIND – DELUSIONS – die – about to die; one was

MIND – DEATH – presentiment of

Here we study that this remedy is highly health conscious and has many fears and fixed ideas regarding illness. They believe that they have an incurable disease, they are having diseases of the heart and liver and they are about to die. They will have an intuitive feeling that they will die in the future.

MIND – DELUSIONS – well, he is

MIND – HOPEFUL

MIND – OPTIMISTIC

MIND-POSITIVENESS

Though in the previous set of rubrics we saw that Podophyllum can be a weak willed constitution, yet there are few other rubrics above suggesting that they can also be strong willed constitution.

MIND – DELUSIONS – sinned; one has – day of grace; sinned away his

MIND – DESPAIR – religious despair of salvation

MIND – ANXIETY – salvation, about

From the above rubrics it is understood that they are religious, pious, godly, who has fear of afterlife.

MIND – INDIGNATION – misdeeds of others; at the

MIND – INJUSTICE, cannot support

MIND – HARMONY – desire for

MIND – VENERATION

MIND – REVERENCE for those around him

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – quarrelling

Podophyllum also has very good morals. They are people with high self-esteem they want their opinions to be respected (Ham) and in return they respect others and behave very well. They have strong sense of right and wrong, highly conscientious hence cannot tolerate any kind of injustice and desires peace.

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – emotions

MIND – SENSITIVE – reprimands, to

MIND – SENTIMENTAL

MIND – WEEPING – disappointments, about

MIND – WEEPING – sympathy with others, from

MIND – WEEPING – whimpering

MIND – PITIES herself

MIND – MOROSE

They are highly sensitive, emotional, nostalgic, and they are disposed to weep .As stated in the beginning they are affectionate and sympathetic which makes them weep for others. When they are scolded, they can weep or become sulky.

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – anger

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – anger – suppressed

MIND – BITING

MIND- SHRIEKING

MIND – STRIKING

As they have strong sense of right and wrong they are very much prone to anger. The anger is supressed as Podophyllum is someone with high self-esteem, desires harmony and sensitive to quarrels. Any kind of disharmony affects them. The anger may be expressed in the form of biting, shrieking, and striking.

MND – FASTIDIOUS

MIND – CONSCIENTIOUS about trifles

MIND – CAREFULLNESS

MIND – HEEDLESS

MIND – NEGLECTING – important things

MIND – HURRY – writing, in

MIND – IMPATIENCE – working; when

MIND – SLOWNESS

MIND – SLOWNESS – motion, in

MIND – SLOWNESS – work, in

MIND – LAZINESS

MIND – LAZINESS – afternoon

MIND – LAZINESS – postponing the work

MIND – BED – remain in bed; desire to

MIND – BED – remain in bed; desire to – morning

MIND – DUTY – aversion to

MIND – DUTY – no sense of duty

In the above rubrics we see that there is polarity of the symptoms pertaining to activity and work. They can either be impatient, hurried and very particular about small details, very careful or they are very slow, lazy, indolent, postponing the work, careless and have no sense of duty.

MIND – COLORS – black – aversion to

MIND – COLORS – blue – aversion to

MIND – COLORS – yellow – desire for

MIND – COLORS – yellow – desire for – wear it; to

They desire yellow colour (choc) and have aversion to black and blue colours (choc, tarent)

MIND – INDIFFERENCE

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – adverse circumstances; to

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – business affairs, to

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – complain; does not

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – desire, nor action of the will; has no

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – duties; to

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – everything, to

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – family, to his

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – husband; towards

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – joy of others; to

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – joyless

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – others, toward

MIND – INDIFFERENCE – reprimands, to all

This remedy which is highly affectionate, craves for love. They are also money minded.  In syphilitic stage, there is disinterest towards everything, towards family, friends, duty, business, and towards joy. They will not care for anything and they become insensitive.

Further we see many rubrics pertaining to perversion of the intellect.

MIND – CLAIRVOYANCE

MIND – PROPHESYING

MIND – AWARENESS heightened

MIND – ACTIVITY – creative activity

MIND – CONCENTRATION – difficult

MIND – CONCENTRATION – difficult – conversation, during

MIND – CONCENTRATION – difficult – talking, while

MIND – CONFOUNDING – objects and ideas

MIND – CONFUSION of mind

MIND – CONFUSION of mind – morning

MIND – CONFUSION of mind – daily affairs; about

MIND – CONFUSION of mind – mental exertion – from

MIND – CONFUSION of mind – reading, while

MIND – CONFUSION of mind – thinking of it – agg.

MIND – DISCRIMINATION, lack of

MIND – DISTANCES – inaccurate judgement of

MIND – STUDYING – difficult

MIND – MISTAKES; making – calculating, in

MIND – MISTAKES; making – reading, in

MIND – MISTAKES; making – time, in

MIND – MISTAKES; making – writing, in – adding letters

MIND – MISTAKES; making – writing, in – omitting – letters

MIND – MISTAKES; making – writing, in – transposing – letters

MIND – WRITING – inability for

MIND – WRITING – indistinctly, writes

MIND – SECRETIVE

MIND – TRUTH – telling the plain truth

This remedy has disturbances in the intellectual faculty. They do not belong to intellectual group of remedies. They present mainly with lot of confusions and low concentration ability. It is worse mainly during a conversation, when thinking, reading. This remedy is also useful in learning difficulty where they make mistakes in reading, writing, calculating. They transpose and omit letters.

Any kind of mental exertion aggravates these symptoms. They confuse between similar objects or ideas. They also have difficulty in judging distances (cann).

They are creative as well. This remedy has the ability to foresee and foretell the future. They may or may not be secretive.

This remedy also has perversions of memory. Below given are the list of rubrics showing the affections of memory.

MIND – FORGETFUL – words while speaking; of

MIND – FORGOTTEN – something; feels constantly as if he had forgotten

MIND – MEMORY – confused

MIND – MEMORY – loss of memory

MIND – MEMORY – weakness of memory – dates, for

MIND – MEMORY – weakness of memory – do; for what was about to

MIND – MEMORY – weakness of memory – do; for what was about to

MIND – MEMORY – weakness of memory – happened, for what has

MIND – MEMORY – weakness of memory – heard; for what he has

MIND – MEMORY – weakness of memory – persons, for

MIND – MEMORY – weakness of memory – said; for what he has

MIND – MEMORY – weakness of memory – said; for what he has – just said

MIND – MEMORY – weakness of memory – say; for what he is about to

MIND – MEMORY – weakness of memory – words; for

Weakness of memory mainly for words when speaking, for what he has just said or for what he was about to say, for something he was about to do, also for persons and dates.

Here is a list of the different mental causative factors that can affect a Podophyllum individual.

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – anger

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – anger – suppressed

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – death of loved ones

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – disappointment

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – domination – children; in

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – emotions

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – honour; wounded

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – mortification

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – punishment

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – quarrelling

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – reprimands

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – scorned; being

MIND – AILMENTS FROM – shame

Polar symptoms /contrast rubrics in Podophyllum:

As we have gone through the mind symptoms of Podophyllum in the Repertory, we also understand that this remedy consist of many polar symptoms /contrasting rubrics i.e. the manifestation of two opposite symptoms in the same remedy. Below given are the list of some of the contrasting rubrics in this remedy.

POLAR SYMPTOMS /CONTRASTING RUBRICS
AFFECTIONATE  INDIFFERENCE
CHEERFUL MOROSE
HOPEFUL  DESPAIR
COMPANY DESIRE FOR                              COMPANY AVERSION TO
CONTENT DISCONTENTED.
WELL-says he is well-sick, when very        DELUSION – sick-being  
HAUGHTY  HUMILITY
CAREFULLNESS HEEDLESS
LOQUACIOUS                                               QUIET DISPOOSITION
HURRY SLOWNESS
SENSITIVE – reprimands to                                   INDIFFERENCE –reprimands to all

From the above examples we understand that this remedy has symptoms pertaining to all the three miasms.

CONCLUSION:

Podophyllum is a remedy which has wide variety of mental symptoms affecting the emotions, intellect and memory but has been least explored and seldom known. As we study through the repertory we learn that its affections is mainly at the emotional level. They are basically constitutions whose need is both love and respect.

            We also observed that this remedy consists of many polar symptoms and contrasting rubrics which helps us to learn the evolution of the drug from Psora to Sycosis and then Syphilis. Hence we conclude that Podophyllum not only has extensive action on the Gastro-intestinal and Hepatic system but also on the mind thus can aid us in selecting a correct constitutional similimum.

BIBLLIOGRAPHY:

Radar Software: Frederick Schroyens Synthesis Repertory, Version 9.1

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica Dr J. T. Kent

Clinical Materia Medica E. A. Farrington.

About author:

Dr. FAHMEEDAH B.K

Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery

Yenepoya Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Mangalore.

Yenepoya (Deemed to be University)

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Homeopathy360 Team