Fish remedies in homoeopathy: a walkthrough

Dr Sajib Rudra Paul

ABSTRACT : Fish are ancient animals, more than 420 million years old. In Homeopathy there is not much provings and literatures on fishes. Though there are a wide variety of fishes in our ocean and that has been used in medical field from centuries, homoepaths have not explored these species yet. Here I have described about 10 existing rare fish remedies, their hoemoepathic preparation and therapeutics. Exploring these finned species will give us abundant resource for treatment in the field of homoeopathy.

KEYWORDS : Fish remedies, Homoeopathy, Animal kingdom, Trituration Mother Tincture, Saccharum Lactis, Asthma, Pityriasis rubra.

INTRODUCTION
The system of Homoeopathy is based on the law of ‘Similia Similibus Curentur’ which means ‘like cures like’, where the medicine taken by a healthy individual produces certain effects and when the same medicine is potentised and administered it will produce the similar effects.

Homoeopathic medicines are prepared from a wide variety of sources like Vegetable kingdom, Animal kingdom, Mineral kingdom, Nosodes, Sarcodes, Imponderabilia, Synthetic source, Allersodes and Isodes.

In the animal kingdom, fishes form an important group. Fish are ancient animals, more than 420 million years old. They have survived many climate changes and geological ages and are still with us. According to a report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2014, a comprehensive compilation of vertebrates reveals a species total of 5,513 mammals, 10,425 birds, 10,038 reptiles, 7,302 amphibians, and 33,249 fishes. That’s nearly the half of the combined total of all mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.1 Fishes are the first vertebrae to develop. From centuries it has been used in the field of medicine. Yet, homoeopathy has very little provings and literature on fishes. Hence the purpose of this article is to shine some light on some of the existing homoeopathic remedies from the fish group and to encourage others to explore more on this group, conduct more provings on a wider variety of fishes and reproving on the existing fish remedies so that the wider range of applicability of these remedies can be understood.

Medicines prepared from Fishes are:

1) AMBRA GRISEA

  • Zoological name: Ambra grisea
  • Family: Physeteridae
  • Common names: Ambarum, Ambra ambrosiaca, Ambra Vera, Ambra Maritima.

Description: Ambergris is a substance found in the intestines and among the excreta of the Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus Linn. It is fat-like or waxy in appearance. It comes in pieces of various sizes and shapes of ash-grey colour, marbled with whitish or dark streaks and spots. It is found floating upon the sea and thrown upon the coast in tropical regions. The true ambergris is obtained of best quality from the sea, especially after stormy weather, off the coasts of Madagascar and Sumatra. Usually found on the coast of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.2

Prover: Schwedjaur 3

Preparation: Old method: Class VII

(a) Trituration (1x) of Coarse powder of Ambra grisea with Saccharum Lactis

(b) Potencies: Trituration of 6x may be converted to liquid 8x with dispensing alcohol.

(C) Mother Tincture (1/100): Coarse powder of Ambra grisea with sufficient quantity of strong alcohol.1

Therapeutics: Asthma, Emaciation, Impaired hearing, Hypertension, Vertigo.4

2) ACIPENSER TRANSMONTANUS

  • Zoological name: Acipenser transmontanus
  • Family: Acipenseridae.
  • Common name: White sturgeon.

Description: Sturgeons are classified as a bony fish, but actually are more cartilaginous than bony, their internal bone structure being more like a shark’s, and the body armoured with bony plates [scutes] rather than scales. Can grow to six metres and over 800kg. Long-lived [100-150 years] and slow growing, white sturgeon appeared in the fossil record 170 million years ago and remains relatively unchanged today.

Distribution: Eastern Pacific: Alaska Bay to Monterey, California, USA.

Prover : Doug Brown.

Therapeutics : Back pain. Injuries. Angina. Dyspnoea. Asthma. Nausea. Acne-like eruption.1

 

3) ERYTHRINUS

Zoological name : Erythrinus erythrinus .

Family : Erythrinidae.

Common name : Red mullet fish.

Description : This freshwater fish is mainly found in South America.

Part used: Entire fish is used for preparation of medicine.

Prover : Dr.Burnett.

Therapeutics : Pityriasis rubra, Syphilis.4

4) GADUS MORRHUA

Zoological name : Gadus morrhua Linn.

Family : Gadidae.

Common name : Cod, Morue.

Description : The Atlantic cod is a benthopelagic fish of the family Gadidae, widely consumed by humans. It is also commercially known as cod or codling.

Prover : Dr.Antoine Petroz.

Preparation : Trituration of first cervical vertebra of the fish.

Therapeutics : Asthma, Bladder disorders, Bone disorders, Tuberculosis.5

5) OLEUM JECORIS ASELLI

Zoological name : Gadus Morrhua Linn.

Family : Gadidae.

Common name : Cod-liver oil.

Description : The oil obtained from the livers of Gadus morrhua and some other allied fishes.

Prover : Neidhard.

Therapeutics : Addison’s disease, Dwarfishness, Emaciation, Indigestion, Liver diseases, Malnutrition, Marasmus.4

6) ICHTHYOLUM

Common names: Ichthammol, Ammonium Ichtho sulphonate, Ammonium bithiolicum, Ichthosulphal.

Description : A combination of sulphonated hydrocarbons. A fossil product of complex structure found in Tyrol, supposed to be the fish deposits, containing 10 percent of Sulphur. An almost black, viscid liquid; with strong and characteristic odour. Soluble in water, partly soluble in alcohol. It consists of the ammonium salts of the sulphonic acids of an oily substance prepared from a bituminous schist or shake together with ammonium sulphate and water.

Preparation: (a) Mother Solution (1/10): Ichthyolum with sufficient quantity of purified water

(b) Potencies: 2x and higher up to 5x with Purified Water for immediate use only, 6x and higher with dispensing alcohol.

(c) Trituration (1x) Ichthyolum with Saccharum Lactis.6

Therapeutics: Boils, Cough, Hives, Tuberculosis, Arthritis.7

 7) PYRARARA

Zoological name : Phractocephalus hemioliopterus.

Family : Pimelodidae.

Common name : Redtail catfish, Amazon fish lard.

Description : This fish was recognized and classified in the year 1801. It is only found in the fresh waters of the Amazon and South America, and it has several other similar species that are generally known as red-tail catfish. However, the true type of the Pyrarara is found in Brazil. The local people do not eat this fish because it has black meat.

Part used: Lard or fat portion of the fish is used for preparation of medicine.

Therapeutics: Leprosy, Ulcers, Varicose veins.4

 

 8) SEPIA

Zoological name : Sepia officinalis Linn.

Family : Sepiadae.

Common names : English: Inky juice of the Cuttle-fish.

Description : The cuttle-fish is a cephalopodous mollusc, without an external shell, from 1 to 2 feet long, soft-gelatinous of a brown colour, verging on red and spotted back; its body is rounded, elliptical and enclosed in a sac furnished with a fleshy fin on each side along its whole length. Commonly found in Indian Ocean, other seas of Europe and Mediterranean.

Part used: Inky juice found in bag like structure in the abdomen of the cuttle-fish is used for preparation of medicine.

Prover : Dr.Hahnemann.2

Preparation : (a) Trituration (1x): fine powder of Sepia with Sacharum Lactis.

(b) Potencies: Trituration of 6x may be converted to liquid 8x with dispensing alcohol.

Old method : Dilutions- Class IV , Trituration-Class VII.

Therapeutics : Infertility, Constipation, Bedwetting, Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea, Menopause, Uterus disorders, Sexual disorders.4

9) SERUM ANGUILLAE

Zoological name: Anguilla japonica

Family : Anguillidae.

Common names : Eel Serum, Ichthyotoxinum, Serum Anguillar Ichthyotoxin, Aalserum, Eel fish.

Description : Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 5 cm (2 in) in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to 4 m (13 ft) in the slender giant moray. Adults range in weight from 30 g to well over 25 kg . Eel blood is toxic to humans and other mammals, but both cooking and the digestive process destroy the toxic protein.

Part used : Serum of the fish.

Therapeutics : Albuminuria, Hypertension, Kidney disorders, Heart disorders.4

 10) TRACHINUS

2 types are seen   

a) Zoological name : Trachinus draco

Family : Trachinidae

Common name : Greater weever

b) Zoological name : Trachinus vipera

Family : Trachinidae

Common name : Lesser weever

Description : Trachinus draco is a benthic and demersal venomous marine fish of the family Trachinidae. The greater weever is widely distributed along the eastern Atlantic coastline from Norway to Morocco, extending to the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas.

Trachinus vipera is a venomous weever of the family Trachinidae, in the order Perciformes, and the class Actinopterygii. It is generally found on the sandy sea beds of the open sea, near the shore.

Preparation : Trituration of the poisonous fins are used for the preparation of medicine.

Therapeutics : Asthma, Blisters, Hydrophobia, Blood poisoning.4

CONCLUSION:
The fish plays important role in the life of human beings. It is not merely the economical source of the people but also has other medicinal importance. It seems that the progenitor of vertebrates deserves our homeopathic attention. We have a lot of magnificent remedies from the other vertebrates, we cure a lot of diseases with them and help people to find healing with these homeopathic remedies, without side effects. But we have little literature from the biggest group of all, from fish. They do not show themselves. They are somehow invisible animals, living in a hidden world, yet existing together with the other vertebrates and with humans on the same planet. More needs to be explored.

REFERENCES

  1. Bodrogi, V., 2018. Waterworld-Fish in Homeopathy. Haarlem: Emryss Publishers, p.11,65,66.
  2. Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family  Welfare. Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia  of India. Vol.1. New Delhi: The Controller of Publications; 1971. p. 42,189.
  3. Hahnemann, S., 1984. Materia Medica Pura. New Delhi: Jain Publishing Co.,Vol.1,p.47.
  4. Murphy, R., 2002. Lotus Materia Medica. 3rd ed. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd, p.117,756,1426,1608,1765,1776,1966.
  5. Clarke, J., 1996. A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt Ltd, Vol.1, p.793.
  6. Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family  Welfare. Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia  of India. Vol.2. New Delhi: The Controller of Publications; 1984. p.73.
  7. Clarke, J., 1996. A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt Ltd, Vol.2, p.4.

Dr. Sajib Rudra Paul
BHMS, MD (Part 1)
Department of Homoeopathic Pharmacy.
Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical College,Deralakatte, Mangaluru – 575018
Email : sajibrudra18@gmail.com

2 Comments

  1. AMBRA,Nervo mental 24/7 irritation even in sleep is sort of hysterical mind of valeriana nature and makes one look premature old.
    old age by normal wear tear is acceptable.
    Cuprum like condition of wear tear by excessive use of mind and body overloaded donkey,this condition is self damage.
    Ambra thin nervous man by nature coupled with business worry will look old at early age.
    Ambra type young woman weeps listen music coughs by talk in presence of strangers is a doll always weepy,weepy pulsa compared with is strong minded and sepia worn out is capable to say hell with you even to husband is melancholic.
    Ambra with hurried mind forgetful not able to concentrate mind,cold feeling in belly and rectal tenesmus are early signs going to senility path handle early stage.
    homeopaths say there are road blocks called lack of reaction till blockage not cleared health not restored.
    Lax fibre like cotton is handled by capsicum.
    carbo veg abdomen road blocks like gas.
    Lauro paretic chest muscles.
    cuprum esp cuprum arsenic uraemia by excess exertion mind and body.
    Psorinum impoverished blood force out rotten meat like sweat.
    AMBRA considered as nosode by WA DEWEY will correct uncalled for irritation of hysterical nature thin nervous esp young females who fall sick after attending any party.
    pen picture photo sketch of AMBRA is also shown by RK Chauhan.
    Asthma digestion troubles due to sensitive nervous system,if corrected in routine by some other pathy may lead to more complications,you may look more old aged.
    self help temporarily can be from 5 drops valeriana q at odd times not in regular way.

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