| Summary: | Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban University of Technology, 2010. === Two centuries ago it was possible to practice with only 100 remedies. Today with the
constantly expanding materia medica, complexity itself tempts the homeopath to
remain inside this range of remedies. It is due to the pioneering work of authors like
Scholten (1993) and Sankaran (2005) that the vast materia medica of
today can be summarized and understood through a method like group analysis
which links naturally related substances via their common symptomatology. This not
only offers new aspects to well known remedies, but highlights the smaller, not so
well known remedies, resulting in a more comprehensive understanding of the
materia medica.
Relatively few homeopathic remedies derived from the Araneae order are
extensively utilized for the homeopathic treatment of patients. Therefore the spider
remedies represented in the literature of Mac Rep computer program® were
subjected to the group analysis method in order to extend the overall knowledge of
this particular group of homeopathic remedies. The spider remedies were
first analyzed in terms of their quantitative representation in the repertory (amount of
rubrics) and then a sample group was chosen. This selection was screened
for common sensations using the above mentioned computer program. The
significance of a common sensation was confirmed by cross-checking the materia
medica of all16 homeopathic spider remedies listed in Mac Reference® computer
software for its occurrence. The findings were interpreted within the backdrop of the
established animal characteristics of homeopathic remedies (Sankaran, 2005:24-31).
The primary sensations extracted and confirmed in the rest of the Araneae group
were stinging, stitching, shooting, sensitive, sore, cold, faint, paralytic, twitching and
full. Significant synonyms of the first order analysis were heaviness, spasm, cramp,
numbness and weakness. Second order and third order analysis not only provided
symptoms of the mind, but led to the proposed themes common in spider remedies.
The majority of themes like hyperactivity, restlessness, increased sexuality,
impulsive violence and aggression, the periodicity of complaints, heightened
sensitivity to music and the love for dancing are comparable to Mangliavori’s (2004)
clinical findings and to Sankaran’s (2005) proposed spider characteristics.
A miasmatic differentiation of each member of the sample group was performed
according to Sankaran’s extended miasmatic model (2005:7). Araneus diademus
was found to belong to the sycotic- as well as malarial miasm, Latrodectus hasseltii
to the syphilitic-, Loxoceles reclusa to the leprous- and Tarentula hispanica and
Theridion curassavicum to the tubercular miasm.
Pathological tendencies of the Araneae remedies were found to involve the nervous
system, eyes, heart, muscular – skeletal system, sexual organs and the mind.
Examples of diseases common in Araneae remedies were found to be: mental
disorders like anxiety neurosis, ADHD, depression, mania, sexual disturbances,
STD’s, neurological disorders, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, spinal irritation,
migraines, meningitis etc.
The results of this research were found to support group analysis methodology as
outlined by Sankaran (2005). However additional knowledge drawn from Sankaran’s 2008) most recent research into animal remedies and from the natural history of spiders was necessary to be able to interpret the results correctly and to illustrate an in-depth picture of the common characteristic features of the Araneae remedies.
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