Tips of Materia Medica With Comparisons for Competitive/Viva Voce Examinations and for Clinical Practice in Homeopathy

The Homeopathic Compendium

Materia Medica is a key subject in homeopathy. It is so vast that even the more intelligent brain is unable to remember it all. The beginners are facing the problem; the seniors to stalwarts are not away from the same. In competitive/viva voce examinations students are confused, while during clinical practice doctors are also puzzled. Again, the list of Materia Medica drugs is growing day by day to aggravate this problem. Now the time comes to think about this seriously from all corners of homeopathy. How can we solve this problem for all? Here is the simple and observational answer as per the author's view, who is ex-professor of the Department of Materia Medica, Maharana Pratap Homoeopathic Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

First, we can choose the tips (important clinical/practical points from the well-accepted Materia Medica books like Allen's Key Notes and Boericke's Materia Medica etc.) and compare them and see where they agree or where they contradict each other. This will be magically imprinted in our brain for a longer period. This also avoids confusion or fumbling during our presentation. During competitive examination or viva voce or clinical practice, this will be beneficial.

This book Tips of Materia Medica is an attempt by the author on this line. Here the sources are of two well-recognised and popular Materia Medica books: Allen's Key Notes and Boericke's Materia Medica. The style of writing is focused on the basic problems of students and practitioners of homeopathy just to simplify the burdens of memorising the Materia Medica.

In this book, important tips are well selected (useful for competitive or clinical), compared genuinely in symptoms levels and drugs levels also. Common names, family, and modalities are also not speared. All in all, it is a qualitative book on comparative Materia Medica that is useful for students in preparing for their examinations and for homeopaths in the field in finding the simillimum for their patients.

Here is an example from this book: (A.)Sl. no 214

• Cough, < after midnight—Drosera

• Cough, < before midnight—Spongia

• Cough, < before midnight or toward morning—Hepar sulphuris

• Cough, < night & lying on—Hyoscyamus and Conium

• Cough, > at night & lying on—Argentum metallicum

• Cough, < lying down on left side—Phosphorus, Drosera and Stannum

• Cough, < lying on right side—Mercurius

• Cough, < day time—Euphrasia, Ferr, Nat-m and Stannum

There are also comparisons in common names of the drugs at different places of this book. Example: (B) Sl. no. 322.

• Poke root is the common name of Phytolacca.

• Pink root is the common name of Spigelia.

• Blood root is the common name of Sanguinaria can.

• Stone root is the common name of Collinsonia can.

• Soap root is the common name of Saponaria.

• Snake root is the common name of Aristolochia.

In the second part of this book, tips of some rare drugs are given with their sources, preparations and therapeutic applicability. This is definitely a good attempt in addition to Materia Medica knowledge.

The printing is clear, spelling mistakes are rare, paper is of good quality and the cover page looks attractive. But the pages are not enough to accommodate more comparisons of Materia Medica it needs to be enlarged in future.