Sources of Homoeopathic drugs

Sources of Homoeopathic Drugs:

1. Vegetable kingdom
2. Animal kingdom
3. Mineral kingdom
4. Nosodes
5. Sarcodes
6. Imponderabilia
7. Synthetic source/Synthetic source of tautology

Sources of Homeopathic Medicines

Vegetable kingdom:

Plant consist of several parts-

• Vegetable parts--leaves, stems, and roots
• Reproductive parts--flowers ,fruits and seeds

Whole plants

• Aconite napellus
• Arnica Montana
• Belladonna
• Chamomilla
• Pulsatilla nigricans

ROOTS:

• Fresh--Bryonia alba,phytolacca
• Dried--Rauwolfia serpentine
• Aerial--Ficus indica
• Roots and rhizome--Aletris farinosa

Stem and bulb

• Only stem-- Cactus grandiflorus
• Bulb-- Allium cepa, Allium sativum

Leaves:

• Dried--Coca ,Eucalyptus
• Fresh--Digitalis purpurea

Flowers:

• Flower bud--Prunus spinosa
• Flower Stigma--Crocus sativus
• Flowering head--Cannabis sativa,Cina ,Calendula (with leaves)

Fruits:

• Fleshy fruits--Agnus castus ,Viscum album(fresh leaves and berries)
• Dried fruits--1. Nuts-(Aesculus hippocastanum) 2. Pods-(Dolichos prurients)

Seeds:

• Fresh--Avena sativa,Ignatia amara
• Dried--Nux vomica,Coffea crude

Bark:

• Outer bark--Abies Canadensis ,Salix nigra
• Dried --Cincona officinalis

Wood:

• Santalum album (cambium & Xylem)

Extract and Plant constituents:

• Juices--Opium
• Volatile oils--Oleum santali
• Alkaloids--Aconitine ,Atropine,Codeine ,Morphine,Quinidine
• Glycosides--Adoninin ,Digitalin
• Racenoids--podophyllin,xanthoxylin

Animal source:

• Apis mellifica (Honey bee)--Tincture of live bees
• Formica rufa (The Ant )--Tincture of live ants
• Blatta Americana(American Cockroach)--Tincturation of live insect
• Cantharis (Spanish fly)--Tincture of the whole dried fly.
• Ovi gallinae pellicula -- Fresh membrane of the shell of a hen’s egg.
• Lacs(milk & milk product)-------Sarcodes
• Lac vaccinum : Cow’s milk
• Lac felinum : Cat’s milk
• Koumyss : Fermentation from ass’s milk
• Lac canium : Bitch’s milk

Chemical Source:

Elements

1. Metal

• Aluminium metallicum
• Argentum metallicum

2. Non Metal

• Iodium
• Phosphorus
• Sulpher

3. Metaloids

• Antimonium

Acids

1. Inorganic acid

• Acidum boracicum
• Acidum phosphoricum

2. Organic acid

• Acidum ascorbicum
• Acidum camphoricum

Compounds:

1. Inorganic

• Calcarea arsenicum
• Ferrum lacticum

2. Organic

• Bwenzolum nitricum
• Camphora bromata

Mineral:

1. Mineral springs

• Aqua petra
• Aqua silicate

Minerals :

• Alumina silicate or kaolin
• Benzoaris
• Graphites (black lead)
• Sal marinum (sea salt)
• Anthrakokali (caustic potash)

NOSODES:

1. Agaricus Muscaris--entire fresh fungus found in dry pine woods.
2. Cholesterinum--prepared from gall stone
3. Tuberculinum avis--prepared from Mycobacterium tuberculosis aviare.
4. Bacillinum testium--prepared from the testicle of tuberculosis patient
5. Carcinosin pulmonale-pulmonary cancer
6. Tubercunum Koch--culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
7. Bacillinum Burnell--from the sputum of tuberculosis patients containing the bacteria
8. Yersin(pestinum)--nosodes of plague
9. Ourlianum--lysate from the saliva of a patient suffering from mumps
10. Calculus renalis--Prepared from renal calculus

Sarcodes:

Sarcodes means ‘’fleshy’’.Sarcodes are preparations from the secretions of healthy organisms, healthy animal tissues and secretions.

• Adrenalin (secretion of medulla of supra renal gland) +Epinephrine
• Insulin (beta cells of Islets of Langerhans of pancreas)
• Cerebellum
• Colon
• Colostrun

Imponderabilia:

1. Natural:

Magnets:

• magnetis poliambo--the magnet
• luna : Full moon

2. Human made (artificial)

• Electricitas --Electricity, at atmospheric or static
• Sol--Sun’s ray
• Radium--Radium bromide
• Magnetis artificials
• X-ray

Synthetic source:

• Benzyl penicillin
• Amoxycillin
• Levodopa
• Neomycin
• Salbutamol

Sources of Homeopathic Medicines

The following are the six sources of homeopathic medicines:

Herbs: The whole plant, root, leaves, bark, seeds, flowers and plant resins are used according to the rules laid down in homeopathic pharmacopoeia.

Animal or animal products: Some homeopathic medicines are derived from animal or products such as spiders, honey bee, snake poison, spider poison.

Minerals: This group includes metals, non-metals, and their compounds.

Diseased products / tissues: Few homeopathic medicines are prepared using tissues or secretions from diseases containing bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms.

Healthy tissues or products: Healthy human/animal tissues and secretions are also used to prepare homeopathic medicines.

Imponderables: Certain energy sources, such as magnetism, x-ray, radiation, etc., are also used to prepare homeopathic medicines.

The medicines prepared from herbs are free of side effects or reactions. This is the reason why herbal treatment is growing in popularity across the globe. The herbs used in homeopathy are mostly derived from angiosperms (flowering plants), though some conifers and ferns as well as fungi, including lichens, brown and red algae are also used.

Process of Collection of Drug (Vegetable Kingdom):

• Vegetable Kingdom – Purity and genuinity of the original drug substances must be ensured. All vegetable drug substances should be procured fresh, as far as possible, except the substances which has to be imported from outside.
• It should be collected only in healthy or well developed state; free from worms, insects, or as per direction of the particle drug preparation given in Homoeopathic pharmacopoeia. All those are in decayed state should be discarded.
• They shall show no discolouration, abnormal odour, slimness or any sign of deterioration. The wild ones are preferable to cultivated ones. They should be collected when their medicinal virtue is greatest.
• They must not be packed too closely in carrying; and be used quickly in preparing the substance after collection, so that they may yield their full medicinal strength unchanged.
• Never collect them during morning dew, nor immediately after a shower, nor during too heat of the day.
• They should be gathered when the weather has previously been sunny and dry, and just after disappearance of the morning dew. Cleaning of the drug materials, so collected, should be done carefully so that any part of it is not eroded.
• Never wash with profuse water; if become unavoidable, use only too little water for washing.
• Exotic drug substances should never be imported in powder form, and without proper identification of their genuineness
• ‘Narcotic’ plants should be collected while in bloom and: partly just before or when coming into bloom. The general directions are as follow, with the few exceptions:
• Whole Plant-By the term ‘whole plant’ is meant the whole plant with root. The whole plants should be collected in sunny whether, when they are partly in flowers and partly in bud.
• Root- They should be used fresh. Roots of ‘Annuals’ must be collected early in the autumn, as they die after ripening of the seeds. Roots of ‘Biennials’ should be collected in the spring and of ‘Perennials’ should be collected in the 2nd and 3rd year, before they develop woody fibres; and should be free of moulds, dampness and woody appearance and must not be cleaned with much water.
• Stems-Should be collected after the development of leaves.
• Woods- Collected early in the spring or late in autumn before the juice are not exhausted and also from mature young trees and tree like shrubs.
• Barks- Barks should be collected from mature, vigorous young trees. Barks of ‘Resinous’ trees should be collected at or about the time of development of leaves and blossoms. ‘Non-resinous’ barks are to be collected late in the autumn. The same principle is also for root-barks.
• Young Shoots- They are collected in the spring, when the whole plant is in full vigour.
• Leaves- Only fully developed leaves should be collected just the before or during the flowering time. In cases of Biennials plants the leaves which first appear in the spring of the second year are the best and so these should be collected as soon as any the flowering stems begin to shoot.
• Twigs- Twigs of current year’s growth only.
• Herbs- Fullly developed herbs are to cut above the root leaves.
• Flowers- Should be collected in dry whether, when they are partly in bud and partly in blossoms.
• Fruits, Seeds and Berries- If not otherwise specified, are to be collected when they are fully ripe. Succulent fruits, seeds or berries should be used while fresh. Only dried fruits, seeds or berries may be stored in well-closed glass containers. Fresh fruits when collected are to be used immediately after their collection.

Process of Collection of Drug (ANIMAL KINGDOM):

ANIMAL KINGDOM – Animal substances must be collected from perfectly healthy specimen, wild animals are preferable, as they are natural specimens. Secretions and excretions should be obtained in hygienic conditions and from healthy beings. Medicines from them should be prepared in their pure and unadulterated state, without mixing with any other substances. The animal drug substances are obtained from either the young wild or domestic ones and zoological gardens. 

Some are gathered by fishing, e.g., Asterias rubens, Cod fish (for Oleum .rousJec. Aselli). Cuttle fish (for Sepia). Jellyfish(Medusa)etc.

Wild animal procured by hunting, e.g., Sperm whale (Ambra grisea), Musk deer (Moschus), Beaver (Castoreum) etc. 

Insects like Cantharides (Cantharis), Apis melifica, Cochneal (Coccus cacti) etc. are procured wild, or they are also cultivated in scientific way. Toads (bufo) ; different spiders (Aranea avicularis, A. diadema, Mygale, etc.); Lizards (Lacerta agilis etc.) are also caught by different processes. Venoms are either collected from wild snakes or cultivated ones from the snake farms, e.g, Coral viper (Elaps cor.), Lachesis mutus (Lachesis), German Viper (Vipera), Spectacled snake (Naja tripudians) etc., venoms are collected in glass container by experts of the line. Different ‘Lacs’ are generally collected from domestic animals.

COLLECTION OF POISONS ETC.

• Bufo -The live toad is fastened to a slab of cork by four strong pins stuck through the webs of the feet. Next the poles of an ‘induction apparatus’ in action are slowly drawn over the back of the animal, whereupon the poison exudes from the dorsal glands of the toad, which is removed with a small horn knife.
• Hydrophobinum- (The saliva of a live rabid dog) Most carefully collected in milk sugar
• Venoms of serpents- May be obtained from the live snake by collecting the poison on milk sugar by pressing the fang upwards against the ‘poison sac’. Different types of venoms may also be obtained from serological laboratories.
• MINERALS AND CHEMICALS – The minerals, metals and chemicals should be collected in natural state and natural source or in pure chemical form if not available from natural source as stated for the individuals.
• SARCODES AND NOSODES: The ‘endocrine’ products and few ‘enzymes’ may be collected from cattle, sheep etc. from the slaughter houses. Collections of these drug substances require some special and elaborate techniques and should have sufficient knowledge in morbid anatomy and physiology of the particular specimens.

PRESERVATION OF DRUGS:

PRESERVATION OF DRUGS: There are specific directions for the preservation of homoeopathic drug substances in the monographs of the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India and other Pharmacopoeias but the general rules are:

1. A container or jar should be properly labelled while preserving a drug in it.
2. All substances should be preserved in natural glass or earthenware vessels or jars, being well stoppered.
3. For corrosive substances, such as acids or alkalies hard glass bottles with glass stoppers should be used.
4. For storing Fluoric acid, gutta purcha bottles must be used, otherwise it may dissolve the glass.
5. Drugs which may be affected by the light or sunlight ‘actinic’ glass bottles (coloured) covered outside with a solution of asphaltum or black varnish should be used.
6. Avoid blue-coloured container, as blue colour has some on dynamic effects injurious to drugs.
7. Yellow or amber coloured bottles exposed to sunlight (or” sometime, acquire medicinal virtue, so they should be avioded.
8. Keep the container with the medicinal substances away from dust, odours, smoke, moisture, damp, strong light etc.
9. Strong smelling drugs, such as Asafoetida, Camphor, Iodine, Kreosote, Moschus, Terebinthinae, oleum etc. should be kept isolated in tightly closed bottles, so that the peculiar odours of such drugs may not contaminate other drugs.
10. The drug substances should be used for the preparation immediately after their collections.
11. If a fresh drug cannot be used immediately, it must not be allowed to dry; by keeping them in a cold air space.
12. Drugs which are to be preserved for a considerable time may be dried in a chamber , allowing hot air to flow for drying the drug substances.
13. Drugs possessing the power of mutual reaction should be preserved separately.
14. If fresh drugs are to be collected from a distant place, they should be packed loosely and carefully in paper-pulp cases and kept as cool as possible.
15. Drugs which need drying before transportation or preserving, they should be carefully dried by tying in loose bundles, and hanging in a shade away from direct sun light, ram. dust, worms, insects etc.
16. Plants or their parts should be kept in a dry, cool, dustless, odourless place or a little amount of purified (distilled) water may be sprinkled upon them from time to time.
17. For preserving pulverised drugs, they should be perfectly dry, otherwise their moisture content may mould, Their dryings should be made by spreading the pulverised materials on a water-bath, or for a bigger quantities, in a temperature adjustable drying chamher.
18. Animals and animal products decompose very quickly hence they should beused immediate after collections, If required they may be preserved in freeze.Venoms can be preserved in deep freeze being kept in glycerine; or sometimeafter collections, they are quickly freezed and preserved properly

PRESERVATION OF MOTHER PREPARATIONS

1. The mother tinctures should be kept at an even temperature of about 60 f (15.6″C)-Lawrence Ashwell.
2. They should be stored in new well. cleansed, colourless, neutral flint glass bottles.
3. Pyrex, or other anticorrosive glass bottles with glass stoppers should be used for storing acid or caustic preparations.
4. Medicines which are not affected by sunlight, as such, or glass bottles covered wIth a solution of asphalum or black varnish, should be used.
5. Dr. Burt advises to avoid blue-coloured bottle, as they have certain dynamic effects injurious to medicines.
6. Yellow or amber-coloured bottles should not be used, as even nonmedicinal substances contained in these bottles exposed to sunlight for sometime. acquire medicinal viruces.
7. They should be stored in a dry, cool place in airtight well closed glass bottles.
8. (8) Avoid too much heat or cold. Some mother tinctures may become turbiid with muddy sediment, or even form crystals if exposed to great cold.
9. Avoid everything that will in the least affect the purity of the mother tinctures, such as strong light, direct sunlight, smoke, dust, damp, strong odour etc.
10. Strong-smelling mother tinctures, such as Asafoetida, Camphor, Iodine, Moschus, Terebinthinae oleum, jacoris etc. should be kept separately in airtight well-closed glass bottles.
11. In case of glass stoppered bottle, both the bottle and the stopper should be of hard potash glass to avoid introduction of glass particles in the mother tincture.
12. Mother tinctures should be well. filtered before storing or when dispensing.
13. All containers should be properly labelled in proper pharmaceutical name mentioning their strength/potencies and alcohol contained by % v. v., date of manufacturing, name of manufacturer, as far as possible, while storing, The sign is affixed after the name of each mother tincture, e.g., Avena Sativa@.

PRESERVATION OF POTENTISED MEDICINES

1. Potentised medicines after putting in well-stoppered bottles, should be preserved in boxes or drawers.
2. For preserving potentised medicines coloured bottles should be avoided.
3. Medicines which may be affected by light or sunlight actinic glass bottles covered with a solution of asphaltum or black varnish should be used.
4. They should be preserved in a dry cool place, protecting from too heat or cold.
5. Avoid everything that in the least affect the purity of the potentised medicines, e.g., dust, odours, smoke, damp, strong light etc.
6. Name of the potentised medicine with the respective potency and the scale used. should be distinctly marked both on the cork and on the container’s label, e.g. Belladonna 6x, Belladonna 6 or Belladonna 0/6 etc. In marking the label the date of manufacturing and the name of the manufacturer should also be stated.The original manufacturer should also write down the batch number and the percentage of alcohol contents by volume, if possible the date of Expiry should also be given.
7. Bottles should not be filled entirely full, as the potentised medicines shall come in contact with the corks.
8. Potentised medicines should be preserved separately from thc crude drug substances and mother tinctures.
9. If the liquid or solid potentised medicines change their normal colours, they should be rejected immediately.
10. Preparations of camphor should always be kept separate, otherwise they may antidote almost all medicines of vegetable origin.
11. In the rooms where potentised or Mother drug substances are to stored, no other odorous or non-odourous evaporating substances should be kept strictly. For storing the potentised medicines in small 5 ML or 10 ML vials, suitable wooden boxes should be made and they should be arranged alphabetically with gradual increasing potency horizontally. Separate boxes for different potencies may also be used.