Retrospective Analysis of Usage of a Polychrest Homeopathic Remedy, Lachesis, in a Primary Health Centre

Introduction: Polychrest remedies in homoeopathy, such as Lachesis, are commonly found indicated in both acute and chronic clinical conditions. During the period between April 2012 and March 2013, more than 21,000 patients visited the primary health center (homoeopathy) of Delhi Government at Aali village, out of which 296 or 1.4% presented with keynote symptomatology of Lachesis. It was therefore decided to analyse the usage of the polychrest remedy retrospectively.

Objectives: To identify, with respect to the polychrest remedy, Lachesis,(1) the various clinical conditions in which it was prescribed, (2) prominent symptomatology indicated in these diverse conditions, (3) period of response to the remedy in various morbid conditions, and (4) wherever possible, gauge the mean time of recovery in each diagnostic condition.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective data analysis of 193 patients confirming with the defined inclusion criteria was conducted.

Results and Discussion: The patients’ age ranged from 6 months to 70 years with 29.6 years being the mean age of presentation; out of these, 67 were males and 126 were females. Twenty-five characteristic features/concomitant symptoms or modalities of Lachesis from textbooks of homoeopathic materia medica guided the remedy selection in 36 different diagnostic conditions, out of which nearly 19 are mentioned as keynotes by Henry Clay Allen. Common symptoms were not of any use in homeopathic remedy selection.

Conclusion: The prescribing of Lachesis in 193 patients with 36 diverse clinical conditions was validated by merely 28 symptoms. It was also verified that the response to indicated homoeopathic remedy could be judged within a few hours in various acute conditions. Since the follow-up was frequent, time required for symptomatic relief and complete recovery could also be identified in many cases. Further data analysis can provide more conclusive evidence.

Keywords: Homeopathy, polychrest remedy, Lachesis, clinical validation