Homoeopathy

[Ian]

A while back I read this book called something like "Natural alternatives to antibiotics" .

 

The author was, among other things, a practicing homoeopath and he mentioned that people who had taken a lot of a particular antibiotic in the past could undo the damage with a homoeopathic preparation made by diluting the same antibiotic.

 

As I understand it, this comes under what you might call practical rather than classical homoeopathy, and I'm not really up on that particular debate.

 

But my thought is: if it does work for antibiotics, then why not other stuff? How about a homeopathic dilution of cannabis, LSD, ecstasy, etc etc, to wipe away the residual gunk of one's past habits?

 

Anybody know if it's been done? Anyone have any reasonably informed idea of whether the principle is sound in the first place? (I don't mean homoeopathy in general, just this one for one approach.)

 

I figure at least if it's standard level dilutions it certainly won't do any harm.

 

Any thoughts?

[thaddeus]

A while back I read this book called something like "Natural alternatives to antibiotics" .

 

The author was, among other things, a practicing homoeopath and he mentioned that people who had taken a lot of a particular antibiotic in the past could undo the damage with a homoeopathic preparation made by diluting the same antibiotic.

 

As I understand it, this comes under what you might call practical rather than classical homoeopathy, and I'm not really up on that particular debate.

 

But my thought is: if it does work for antibiotics, then why not other stuff? How about a homeopathic dilution of cannabis, LSD, ecstasy, etc etc, to wipe away the residual gunk of one's past habits?

 

Anybody know if it's been done? Anyone have any reasonably informed idea of whether the principle is sound in the first place? (I don't mean homoeopathy in general, just this one for one approach.)

 

I figure at least if it's standard level dilutions it certainly won't do any harm.

 

Any thoughts?

 

I think that's quite a stretch. We'd have to discuss the particulars of that guy's statements. Was he talking about a poisoning of some sort regarding the antiobiotic? What were the specifics?

Not sure what 'residual junk' would be of narcotics specifically. But it would be a boon for people who wanted to pass random drug tests in the short term until the stuff was cleared from the body.

As far as I know, homeopathy deals with the symptoms of a substance, not necessarily a canceling effect of a substance. That would be really easy to prove in a test tube and probably would have been done already and generally accepted as sound and the concept would be used in lots of applications--off the top of my head, curing heavy metal poisoning or snake bites, etc.

T

[freeform]

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Edited October 23, 2019 by freeform

[karen]

But my thought is: if it does work for antibiotics, then why not other stuff? How about a homeopathic dilution of cannabis, LSD, ecstasy, etc etc, to wipe away the residual gunk of one's past habits?

 

Anybody know if it's been done? Anyone have any reasonably informed idea of whether the principle is sound in the first place? (I don't mean homoeopathy in general, just this one for one approach.)

 

The simple answer is Yes . The principle is called isopathy, and the potentized form of a toxic substance is an isode. I've taken many.. potentized cannabis, etc., although it's not as simple as using an isode to get rid of the ill effects of that substance. Actually, Nux Vomica in potency tends to work better for symptoms stemming from substance abuse or iatrogenic illness caused by drugs. (But also you want to support the liver and organs of detox at the same time, with "drainage" remedies.)

 

"Classical homeopathy" as it's commonly practiced is based on matching a remedy to the person's total symptom picture, on the basis of "like cures like." So according to that principle, the remedy you need would depend upon the particular symptom picture that your body is producing at a particular time.

 

But that's not the only principle that is used in the broader practice of Heilkunst, which is the complete medical system that Dr. Hahnemann taught. Heilkunst also prescribes based on cause, not just symptom picture, and that's actually the larger part of the practice.

 

There are times when it might be appropriate to use an isode. But I wouldn't say it's a good idea for people to do that on their own. It's very easy to make an isode especially if the substance is water soluble, and I've done it many times, but would only take it under the guidance of a skilled homeopathic practitioner. When to take a remedy is just as important as what to take.

 

That said, it's safe to take Nux vomica in a medium potency, like a 30C, when there are symptoms related to substance abuse. It's sometimes called the "hangover remedy" . That can help in acute situations, although it's a very limited approach, and usually there's more to be done on the deeper levels that Heilkunst/homeopathy treats.

 

Re. the issue of toxicity from antibiotics, Heilkunst deals with that by treating for the shock to the vital force that the antibiotic caused. But also people can use an Ayurvedic herbal formula that Dr. Lad developed to treat antibiotic associated damage to the Kidney. It's called Gokshuradi Guggulu.

 

Karen

[neimad]

that would be useful.

 

i have just made the conscious effort to stop cannabis use and i'd love to get rid of the residual effects...

 

actually i am using a herb called "calamus" which is apparently the only known herb to be able to detoxify the brain of thc residue.

short term effects of the herbs use are very positive already.... the dark circles under my eyes from years of pot smoking have been dramatically reduced. i'll just have to keep taking it and see how i feel after long term cessation of smoking.

 

but homeopathic support would be great.

is it something you think most homeopaths would be aware of?

[karen]

Calamus is a wonderful herb for the mind. I use it in Nasya oil (a method of taking herbal oils up the nose :-).

 

Homeopaths are aware of isopathy, although homeopathy is practiced in many different ways and not all homeopaths do this. Also, illegal substances even in homeopathic potency are generally not available. Here in the U.S. we can't get homeopathic Opium, for example. Opium is in the homeopathic pharmacopeia, and in potentized form there's not even one molecule of the original substance left.. and still it can't be sold.

 

But generally homeopaths will give the one remedy that has a similar picture as your symptom picture, whatever that may be in each case. Others use multiple remedies at a time, including specific drainage remedies to open the detox pathways, and isopathy may be included there.. there are a lot of different ways that homeopathy is applied, some more successfully than others!

 

-Karen

[Ian]

Thank you Karen. As ever, you're a mine of information.

 

Inevitably, I have a few more questions arising from what you've said. Such as:

 

Can you recommend good drainage remedies? Would they be specific to the individual, or is there anything reasonably "all-purpose"?

 

How would one go about making an isode of cannabis, it not being water soluble?

 

Would you actively disrecommend an isode, even if one got advice about when to take it, if it's not an acute situation? I'm thinking of someone (no Mum, not me!) who has a massive accumulation of hard feeling yurk in exactly the spots around the eyes mentioned above, which is a big hijacker of meditative attention as said attention aims to go lower.

 

Is there anything you would particularly recommend for the above circumstances? would nux vomica apply?

 

How does one take calamus? (what are you doing with it, neimad?)

 

Many thanks,

Ian

[neimad]

i have the powdered root.

 

i take it in hot water in the morning mixed with a powerful antioxidant called astaxanthin.

 

i have started adding honey.... the taste of the calamus aint too nice, its powerful.

 

sometimes i can taste it all day and my stomach feels funny.

[karen]

Neimad,

 

Calamus can have an emetic effect and some toxic effects when taken internally or in high doses, and it's hard to know how much that is for each person. Also it's generally best to take herbs in balanced formulas, not singly, except for acute situations for short periods of time. If you're getting stomach upset, that seems a sign to stop taking it and then consider a different form of it or different approach. Was this recommended to you by an herbalist?

 

Just wanted to mention that for now, and I'll be back in a couple of days to reply to your questions, Ian.

 

Cheers,

Karen

[freeform]

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Edited October 23, 2019 by freeform

[karen]

Can you recommend good drainage remedies? Would they be specific to the individual, or is there anything reasonably "all-purpose"?

 

My homeopath (Heilkunstler, to be more precise) uses potentized Chelidonium, which is the herb celandine, which acts on the liver. He prefers using potentized forms of herbs rather than material doses, as they can penetrate more deeply. Although herbal remedies can be used too.

 

Also sometimes potentized forms of actual organ tissue is used -- liver, lymph, kidney, thyroid, adrenal, etc. to support those organs.

 

For general tonification, in terms of herbal remedies, I'm partial to traditional Ayurvedic rasayanas (partly because they're yummy jams . Those are pretty all-purpose or at least all-purpose for one's Ayurvedic constutional type, which is pretty easy to figure out.

 

>How would one go about making an isode of cannabis, it not being water soluble?

 

I'm not sure how directly useful this info will be, but I can tell you basically how homeopathics are made. If the substance is soluble in alcohol, you could use alcohol in place of water, but if it's not soluble at all you have to grind it up with powdered lactose. The idea is to take 1 part of the substance to be potentized, to 9 parts of the diluting substance (water, alcohol or lactose). Then you "succus" the bottle by rapping it against a hard surface. Then take one part of that mixture, dilute it again with 9 parts of the diluting substance, succus again, and keep repeating that process.

 

In the example I used a 1:9 ratio, and that would produce potencies on the X scale (roman numeral 10). Then for example if you repeat the cycle of diluting and sucussing 3 times, you have a 3X potency. If you repeat it 12 times, you have a 12X potency.

 

If you use a 1:99 ratio, you have potencies on the C scale (12C, 30C, etc.)

 

1:999 ratio is the M scale. Up to LM, CM, MM...

 

I really don't know how potentized cannabis is made, and honestly I didn't do it myself :-)

 

>Would you actively disrecommend an isode, even if one got advice about when to take it, if it's not an acute situation? I'm thinking of someone (no Mum, not me!) who has a massive accumulation of hard feeling yurk in exactly the spots around the eyes mentioned above, which is a big hijacker of meditative attention as said attention aims to go lower.

 

Well, I can tell you from a Heilkunst perspective, which is going to be a different answer than you'd get from a classical homeopath . An isode of a toxic substance can be useful at any point, and even when someone is taking a prescription drug, often they're given a potentized isode of the drug to help neutralize the toxicity.

 

But if it was a substance that was used over a period of time, often it constitutes a shock to the life force that needs to be treated with other remedies, and in proper sequence. In other words, if you want to clear the deeper energetic imprint of the substance, you may need to do a deeper treatment that addresses the various shocks and traumas from the most recent and going backward in time.

 

For example, if you had a car accident recently, and you did some toxic drugs a few years ago, you might need to be treated for the shock of the car accident first before you can clear the energetic effect of the drugs. The sequential method works according to the principle that the body heals recent traumas first, and older ones come after that. Timing is important, as you can only treat what the life force is ready to deal with.

 

Nux is used when the particular toxic substance isn't available to make a remedy from. But also sometimes it's given in addition. These are judgments that a skilled Heilkunst practitioner would make, and I couldn't really give you a definite answer on this.

 

>How does one take calamus?

 

The Nasya oil, which is sesame oil infused with herbs including calamus, is a great way to get it up into your head and promote a sattvic effect in the mind. Calamus can also be used in herbal oils for massage. Traditional Ayurveda uses it internally, combined with other herbs to mitigate any negative effects. I've used Rasayanas that contained it among many other herbs.

 

About dark circles under the eyes, that could also be from food allergies, eating foods that aren't appropriate for the particular person and which cause the gut to be "leaky" and allow large proteins to enter the bloodstream. That usually goes along with deficient digestive fire that isn't burning up toxins efficiently. There are a lot of possibilities to consider, and usually it's not just a matter of one causative factor and one corresponding remedy.

 

To use herbs it's maybe ideal to work with a TCM or Aurvedic herbalist who could individualize the recommendation based on your particular patterns of imbalance. But that's not always practical, and I think the Rasayanas are as close as you can get to a good all-purpose, balanced tonic that can be used safely on a long-term basis.

 

Hope that helps somewhat .

 

Karen

 

 

Re. "powerful orgone devices", I've got a house full of them! In my experience they're a powerful support, and I highly recommend them for the etheric boost. The effects of that seem to be more subtle and generalized, though, rather than addressing specific health issues. Never hurts to have them around, IMO.

[freeform]

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Edited October 23, 2019 by freeform

[karen]

Interesting! I have no idea what those "Holo" liquids are, my guess is they're low potency homeopathics, but it might be interesting to contact this company in Amsterdam and find out more.

 

I'm resonating with your gut feeling about x-factor butter oil and cod liver oil. Aajonus emphasizes the importance of raw fats in detoxification.. and recommends sometimes huge amounts of raw butter and cream, which I don't have access to on a regular basis, so I hope this little 8 ounces of butter oil goes a long way.

 

Did you find a European source for x-factor butter oil?

 

Karen

[freeform]

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Edited October 23, 2019 by freeform

[neimad]

a herbalist sold it to me. she is a very well known and reputed herbalist in australia, designing courses at universities, etc.

she seems to think there is no problem experimenting with my own dose.

 

i've actually grown an incredible aversion to the calamus.... the taste or even smell of it now gives me instant nausea. i experienced the same effect with wheatgrass juice.

 

however i'm not sure if this is a reflex saying it's not good for me, or if it's a reflex because of the benefits it is giving it is causing me to have to change myself and there is a part of me that rebels against it.

 

anyways i'm not sure.....

 

i didn't take any today, but i did smoke a little in a herbal ciggarette. it tastes good to smoke and i even felt it working on my brain after....

[karen]

Hi Neimad,

 

Whether the nausea is a toxic reaction or a healing reaction, I would say that nausea is a sign to cut back or stop taking it for a bit, but I'm sure you'll intuitively know what you need to do. Even when the reaction is a healing one, it's best to have it be as gentle as possible.

 

I'm surprised that an herbalist recommended calamus alone without other balancing herbs. You could try taking some ginger, which has a downward directed energy, to counteract the upward energy of nausea.

 

Take care,

Karen

[neimad]

well herbs are really just (super) foods anyways. i was reading about calamus and it's actually used as a vegetable in some places.....

 

this herbalist is of the general idea that most herbs can be taken in any kind of combination without too much in the way of adverse effects.

 

ginger is a pretty regular part of my diet anyways.... i add it to me fresh veggie juices

 

but yeah i have eased up a bit on the calamus for now.

[karen]

Sounds good. I would disagree a bit with the idea that herbs are superfoods, because herbs are by nature unbalanced. They have a narrow sphere of action. But that's exactly why they're medicinal, because they can be used for very specific purposes to balance an opposite imbalance in the body, according to the law of opposites.

 

Interesting about calamus used as a vegetable.. I'm not sure, but maybe it has somewhat different energetic properties in that form than when dried. I wonder if it tastes any better that way!

 

Karen

[Lozen]

I'd heard about calamus for cocaine, not pot, but I asked Jim McDonald, who's somewhat of a calamus expert, and has a whole page about it on his website, so I asked him about all the things mentioned in this thread. He said it is definitely good for brain fog, but he doesn't attribute it to getting rid of marijuana residue, but just restoring the energetic body parts that cannabis muddles up.

 

He chews the dried roots and says different ones taste better, but it is an acquired taste. If you can taste it all day and your stomach feels funny, you took too much. Powder is more irritating, it hits your stomach all at once. He says as a powder you do need to mix it with other herbs, but you can chew it all on its own. He cringed at the idea of vegetable but said you can candy it...

 

Also he mentioned and I agree that dark undereyes are usually an adrenal issue, and calamus is not an adrenal tonic. By the way you can tell if you have adrenal problems by taking your armpit temperature for 15 minutes right when you get up, and I'll explain this in more detail if anyone wants to know.

 

Also I disagree that herbs aren't superfoods. Calamus is not a superfood, but burdock, nettles, hawthorne, etc., certainly are.

 

Anyways, here's Jim's page on calamus again: www.herbcraft.org/calamus.html

and Todd Caldecott's which also goes into Ayurveda: http://www.toddcaldecott.com/Vacha.html

 

Jim also said you can get real nice calamus from James Jungwirth at www.naturespiritherbs.com.

[Trunk]

But my thought is: if it does work for antibiotics, then why not other stuff? How about a homeopathic dilution of cannabis, LSD, ecstasy, etc etc, to wipe away the residual gunk of one's past habits?

I know zip about homeopathy, but I have used other supplements for detoxing very stubborn gunk (in my case, from a past illness). So far, two most effective have been cod liver oil and noni juice. Not sure if they'd address drug residues, but worth a mention. (Karen might know.)

 

--- later edit ---

After reading some of Lozen's log, I started taking nutritional yeast. Really increases circulation, which (I wonder) could be beneficial for detox - though I know little about it, except that its loaded with B vitamins. Interested in any comments.

Edited March 3, 2006 by Trunk

[Yoda]

I've heard that taking 3 tbspns of coconut oil for 1 week is very purifying to the point of getting a hexameter, or whatever they call it, reaction. Never tried it.

[Lozen]

Nutritional yeast is somewhat of a superfood. It has all of the essential amino acids, is really great for the nervous system, has tons of protein and is like you said one of the best sources of B vitamins (except B12), it's loaded with minerals and trace elements like selenium, chromium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, etc. It is high in nucelic acids, too.

 

If you're depleted in B vitamins, it can cause gas and bloating if you take too much at once, you can start with just a teaspoon a couple times a day. I take more of course. You need to eat it raw, cooking will destroy a lot of the nutrients. It's really good for stress because of the B vitamins, and one of the trace minerals it's rich in, chromium, which helps regulate blood sugar.

 

Oh yeah, it's low in pantothenic acid so not recommended for people with allergies or hayfever.

 

I'd think that you'd need liver herbs (in Western herbalism) for detox assuming you actually really need to detox (most people who want to detox need to eat fat and protein) and in TCM I'd think you'd need to tonify kidney jing, at least according to Paul Pitchford's writing.

Edited March 3, 2006 by Lozen

[Lozen]

All right, I looked this up out of curiousity in the Paul Pitchford book and he did indeed say that THC builds up in the brain tissues of habitual users. He recommended large amounts of chaparral, which I would totally not recommend at all to anyone who is liver compromised, but that's what he said... He also recommended calamus for the mental damage which is the way he says it is used in Ayurveda.

 

He said that it increases melatonin levels and that in TCM they say that the high results in large amounts of transformed kidney ojas/jing to be sent to the brain and therefore the kidney jing is depleted (so like I said, nourish kidney jing),

 

Other brain changes from three years of daily marijuana use include cerebral atrophy, widening of synaptic clefts in the brain, disintegration of brain nerve cells, and deposits of inclusion bodies in the nuclei of brain nerve cells.

 

He recommends 6+ months of a regeneration diet and herbs like calamus root....