The intriguing world of insects in Homoeopathy

Dr Pavankumar R Kollurkar
Dr  Srinath Rao C

ABSTRACT
Insects are always described under the sub-heading’s Restlessness, competitiveness, complex, teasing, industrious, ambitious, over sensitiveness, fragile which are quite characteristic to it. This article is an attempt to understand the nature and constitution of insect group personality in homoeopathy.

KEYWORDS : Restlessness, competitiveness, complex, teasing, industrious, ambitious, over sensitiveness, fragile

INTRODUCTION:

• Insects are invertebrate animals, i.e, without backbone, and are included in arthropods.
• Insects are most eminent successful animals of all animals, having about 8lakh species. Amongst them, the majority of insects are small in size.
• Class Insecta, is the largest class of phylum Arthropoda and the largest phylum in terms of number of species, distribution and adaptations.
• At present, it is a dominant group and the only invertebrate phylum to have wings, which make them capable to fly.
• Man had started the use of insects and insect products since time immemorial even at the cost of animal’s life.
• Insects have been under use in human civilization since prehistoric period as mentioned in our religious literatures like Vedas, puranas, the Ramayana, Mahabharat and charaka Samhita.
• Some foreign travellers like Fahiyan and whenson had also discussed the use of insects and insect’s product as medicine.
• Certain insects provide commercially important products e.g. Honey, silk, wax, dyes, pigments. Therefore, insects can be of direct benefit to man.
• Primitive people gathered insects as a food source. Grasshoppers, plagues, termites, swams, and large palm are still sources of protein in some countries.
• The major importance of honeybee lies in their pollination of fruit trees and other crops.
• The most domesticated insects are silk worm and honey bee.
• Sometimes insects cause damage to man. Most of the major fevers of human being are produced by micro-organisms that are borne by insects.

MORPHOLOGY :

• They have various shaped bodies usually segmented externally to varying degrees.
• The segments are functionally modified and grouped into two or three divisions.
• Bilaterally symmetrical
• Body develops from three germ layers, this makes arthropods triploblastic animals.
• Anterior part of body contains head which bears well developed sense organs.
• Muscles are segmentally arranged in bundles, each specialised to move a particular segment of the body.
• All muscles are striated and capable of rapid action
• Mouth with movable appendages. There is one pair of mandible and jaw.
• Endocrine system has been developed especially for controlling metabolic activities.
• Sexes are usually separate and often there is distinct sexual dimorphism. Gonads have ducts.

INSECT THEME:

• Insect remedies are potentially huge in number and so studying the themes of many insect families is a challenging but fascinating process, especially as there are so many different types of insects with their own unique behaviour.
• THEME SUGGESTING RESTLESSNESS, SPEED, AGILITY
• Intense pace:
• Hyperactivity
• Must be on the move
• Running, jumping, flying
• Rush of flow of thoughts
• Loquacious
• Hasty talk
• Travelling wander desire to

AILMENTS FROM:

• RAGE, SHOCK, JEALOUSY, BAD NEWS, RAINY WEATHER, FRIGHT, VEXATION, GETTING WET, SUPPRESSED URTICARIA AND RASH.

CONSTITUTION:

• Teenage girls who have awkwardness (tendency to drop the things)
• Irritable, nervous, peevish, very jealous
• TEMPARAMENT: nervous and irritable
• THERMAL CLEAVAGE: GENERALLY HOT
• DIATHESIS: SCROFULOUS
• MIASMS: TRI MIASMATIC

CLASSIFICATION:

KINGDOM: ANIMALIA

PHYLUM: ARTHROPODA

SUB-PHYLUM: HEXAPODA

CLASS: INSECTA

INSECTA IS FURTHER DIVIDED IN TO THE FOLLOWING ORDERS:

• HYMENOPTERA
• LEPIDOPTERA
• COLEOPTERA
• ORTHOPTERA
• HEMIPTERA
• DIPTERA
• DICTYOPTERA
• SIPHONOPTERA

COLEOPTERA:

CANTHRIS VESICATORIA   –Spanish fly

DORYPHORA DECEMLINEATA – Colorado potato bug

TRIATEMA     – kissing bug

SYMPTOMS:

• FRENZY
• OVERREACTION
• MANIA
• STABBING PAIN
• BURNING PAIN
• CYSTITIS
• BURNS

BEETLES: COCCINELLA SEPTUM PUNCTATA – Indian lady bug

SYMPTOMS: Hard shell, fragile inside, feels vulnerable, bullied, feels used, feels guilty, stability.

DYCTYOPTERA:

Blatta orientalis – Indian cockroach

Blatta americana – Great American cockroach

SYMPTOMS

Praying mantis brutality

• Cursing
• Anger
• Thinks others are victimising them
• Numbness
• Indifference
• Crushed
• Ambition for status
• To be polished
• Successful

RESPECT = ACCEPTANCE FROM THE SOCIETY

• A COCKROACH CAN LIVE FOR A WEAK WITHOUT ITS HEAD – CAN LIVE WITHOUT FOOD FOR A MONTH
• CAN RUN UPTO THREE MILES IN AN HOUR – CAN HOLD ITS BREATH FOR 40 MINUTES
• A NEW BORN COCKROACH BECOMES ADULT IN AS LITTLE AS 36 DAYS

DIPTERA:

HOUSEFLY

SYMPTOMS:

• DIRTY
• LOW
• WORTHLESS
• RUBBISH
• BELITTLED
• CONFUSION
• PERVERSION

CULEX MUSCA – CULEX MOSQUITO

SYMPTOMS:

• HARASSING
• MALARIAL MIASM

HYMENOPTERA:

ANTS, BEES, WASPS

HYMENOPTERA   VENUM
Functions as haptens that form immunogenic conjugates host proteins. Life threatening anaphylactic response of a sensitized human appears within minutes after administration of specific antigen and is manifested by respiratory distress often followed by vascular collapse or by shock without antecedent respiration difficulty.

cutaneous manifestations: Pruritus and urticaria with or without angioedema. Localized, non-pitting, angioedema may occur which may be asymptomatic or cause a burning or stinging sensation.

Gastro intestinal manifestations: Nausea, vomiting crampy abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

Respiratory system:

• Manifestations laryngeal oedema, experienced as a lump in the throat, hoarseness or strider.
• Bronchial obstruction is associated with a feeling of tightness in the chest of audible wheezing. Angioedema of the epiglottis and larynx and to some extend in the hypo pharynx and trachea, causes mechanical obstruction and death.

Cardiovascular system: Manifestable visceral congestion with a loss of intravascular blood volume leads to vascular collapse and death

SYMPTOMS:

• HIGLY ORGANISED SOCIAL STRUCTURES
• BUSY ACTIVITY
• HOME
• FAMILY SOCIAL DUTY
• BOSSY
• ORGANISED

VESPA CRABRO:

SYMPTOMS:

• HOME LIFE FEELS UNSTABLE
• FRAGILE
• SARCASM
• STINGING REPEATEDLY

APIS MELLIFICA:

SYMPTOMS:

• ORGANISED
• INDUSTRIOUS
• BOSSY
• HOME LOVING
• FASTIDIOUS
• INFLAMMATION

ANTS:

FORMICA RUFA – CRUSHED LIVE ANTS

SYMPTOMS:

• INDUSTRIOUS
• TIRELESS ACTIVITY
• UNEMOTIONAL
• DREAMS ALIENS ROBOTS

LEPIDOPTERA – BUTTERFLY SYMBOLISES A LIFE OF FREE WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITY

BUTTERFLY, MOTHS

• BOMBYX CHRYSORRHOEA – BROWN TAILED MOTH
• BOMBYX PROCESSIONEA– PROCESSION MOTH

SYMPTOMS: RESTLESS, FLITTING, LACK CONCENTRATION, CONFUSION, FICKLE, CHANGE TO SURVIVE

HEMIPTERA-THE TRUE BUGS

• Ptera-wing
• Hemi-half
• Wings folded over body overlapping
• Piercing-sucking mouth type
• Found on plants, animals, water

LICES AND FLEAS:

• Chenopodium glauci aphis – plant lice from Chenopodium.
• Cimex acanthia – Indian bed bug
• Coccus cacti – Coccineal insect (insect affecting Cactus).
• Pediculus capitis – head louse
• Pediculus cooties

SYMPTOMS:

• GREEDY, NEEDY, CLINGY, GET TOO CLOSE, TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES

ORTHOPTERA:

LOCUSTS, CRICKETS

SYMPTOMS:

• IRRITABILITY, AMBITION TO BE THE BEST, HUNGER, EMPTINESS, COLD, FEAR OF ATTACK.

SIPHONOPTERA:

PULEX IRRITANS

AS A PERSON:

• INDUSTRIOUS, RESTLESS, ORGANISED, ACTIVE, COMPETITIVENESS, AMBITION, MATERIALISTIC, SHOWY, WEALTH AND STATUS

AMBITIOUS HARD WORKING:

• WORK FOR THE CORPORATION
• STRIVING
• NEED TO ACHIEVE GOALS FOR VALIDATION AND MATERIAL GAIN.
• AMBITIOUS TO DO BETTER, IMPROVE, GET AHEAD, MAKE SOMETHING FOR THEIR LIFE

TRANSFORMATION – METAMORPHOSIS

• IMPROVE
• DEVELOP
• TO MAKE SOMETHING OF THEMSELVES

ATTACK: TYPE OF ATTACK

• FEAR OF BEING ATTACKED
• FEAR OF DEATH: BY VIOLENT SUFFOCATION OR VIOLENT DEATH
• QUICK ESCAPE, FLEEING
• PRETENDING DEATH
• CAMOULFLAGE
• ATTACKED FEELING
• CAUGHT AND TRAPPED
• DECEIT
• CUNNING
• IMPULSIVE VIOLENCE
• IMPULSIVE AGGRESSION
• SUDDENNESS
• SUDDEN URGES
• SUDDEN BURSTS

RUBRIC: MIND: ATTACK OTHERS, DESIRE TOO

COMPLEX:

• SMALL, POWERLESS, HELPLESS, INSULTED, HUMILIATED, BELITTLED, USED, TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF, DIRTY, UGLY, REPULSIVE, DUSGUSTING, TEASING, CUTTING, STINGING COMMENTS, GOSSIP, IRRITATING, HARASSING, SUDDENESS, FEAR DEATH, END OF THE WORLD, SHORT LIFE SPAN, SUDDEN VIOLENT AGGRESSION, SUDDEN ATTACK AND DESIRE TO ESCAPE

SEXUAL SPHERE :

• INCREASED SEXUAL DESRIE: with persistent and painful erections.
• Nocturnal emissions.
• HIGH DRIVE
• HOMOSEXUALITY
• POLYMORPHOUS

ANGER:

• Irritation
• swearing
• bugging,
• Parasitic
• VIOLENT RAGE with impulse to kill

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER:

• ORGANISED
• WORKAHOLICS
• VILLAGE COMMUNITY
• COLORFUL
• NEED TO LOOK SPECIAL

SIDE AFFINITY:

RIGHT SIDE	LEFT SIDE
APIS MELLIFICA	ü  CIMEX ACANTHIA
BLATTA AMERICANA	ü  PULEX IRRITANS
COCCINELLA SEPTUMPUNCTATA	ü  VESPA CRABRO
FORMICA RUFA
CANTHARIS VESICATOR

PALE AND WAXY: Generally, the patient has pale, waxy look with enormous swelling of the whole body

OVER SENSITIVENESS: of all parts to the slightest touch

BURNING all over the body both internal and external

PAINS– BURNING, STINGING AND LANCINATING PAINS of migrating character.

INTENSE ITCHING all over body followed by burning

SENSITIVE: most of the drugs of this group are sensitive to heat except FORMICA RUFA, which is highly chilly.

• TENESMUS, frequent urging with scanty urination.
• Tenesmus of bladder and urethra.
• Burning, cutting pain in urethra while urinating.
• Urine passes drop by drop with shuddering.
• Burning micturition and bloody urine.

OFFENSIVE: Mucus stools associated with tenesmus. Much pain before and after stool.

Burning and cutting in anus and shuddering after stool.

In CANTHARIS there are mucus stools like scraping of intestines.

CHARACTERISTIC PARTICULARS:

BURNING PAIN:

3. APIS MELLIFICA: BURNING, STINGING, LANCINATING PAIN WITH EXCESSIVE SWELLING , > COLD APPLICATION,  <BY HEAT, SLIGHTEST TOUCH OR PRESSURE
4. FORMICA RUFA: BURNING PAIN RENEWED FROM COLD WASHING.
5. VESPA CRABRO: BURNING > BATHING WITH VINEGAR.  COLD WATER APPLIED FIRST > THEN <.
6. BOMYX PROCESSIONEA: Burning heat of skin
7. CANTHARIS VESICATOR: Raw, sore, burning & a sharp lancinating pain <slightest tough, >Warm application

SENSITIVENESS

1. Apis Mellifica:- Great sensitiveness to touch.
2. Cantharis vesicator:- Over sensitiveness of all parts. The slightest touch or approach aggravates the mental symptoms.
3. Coccus cacti:-General sensitiveness to touch and pressure. Fauces are very sensitive. Brushing teeth causes cough
4. Doryphora Decemlineata: < touch and pressure

THIRST:

1. Apis Mellifica: Thirst less except during chill stage of intermitted fever.
2. Cantharis Vesicator: Burning thirst with aversion to drinking (picture of hydrophobia). In fever, thirst only after the shivering.
3. Coccinella septum punctata: Symptoms of hydrophobic.
4. Cocus cacti: Mouth and tongue dry, with much thirst. After dinner much thirst and when he drinks water, then chilliness.
5. Cimex acanthia: Thirst during apyrexia, but little during chill stage, still less during heat stage and none during sweating.
6. Pulex Irritans:- Thirsty, especially during headache

SWELLING, DROPSY, ASCITES:

1. Apis mellifica:-

• Oedema of skin and mucous membrane.
• Swelling or Puffiness up of variance parts.
• Pale waxy oedematous swelling with a red rosy hue.
• Ascites and anasarca.
• Dropsy of Apis is characterized by thirstlessness, transparency of skin and scant urine.
• Bag like swelling under the eyes.
• Dropsy of right ovary and right testicle.

2. Blatta Americana: –

• Ascites
• various forms of dropsy
• yellow complexion (Jaundice)

URINARY COMPLAINTS – BURNING AND FREQUENCY:

1. Apis mellifica :-

• Burning and soreness when urinating.
• Can scarcely retain urine. When passed scalds severly.
• Incontinence of urine when coughing and sneezing.
• Frequent, painful, scanty, blody urine, stinging pain and strangury.

2. Blatta Americana: – pain in urethra while micturating.
3. Doryphora decemlineata:-

• Burning in urinary passage
• Strangury
• urethritis itching and burning
• Inflammation of glans penis
• Urethritis due to local irritation.

4.Formica rufa:-

• urine bloody.
• Albuminous with urates.
• Paralysis of bladder.
• Double the quantity of urine, even at night.
• Urine like saffron bright yellow

5. Cantharis Vesicator:-

• Constant urging to urinate, passing but a few drops at a time, which is mixed with blood like molten lead.
• Intolerable urging before, during and after urination.
• Burning, cutting pain in urethra during micturition.

6. Coccus cacti :- Burning pain in urethra while urinating. Frequent urination. Black red sediment, urinary calculi, urates and uric acid, hemorrhagia, dysuria, lassinating pain from kidney to bladder.

7. Chenopodii glauci Aphis: –

• Voluptuous feeling in the glands.
• Burning in urethra.
• Frequent copious frothy micturition.

8. Pulex Irritants: –

• Urine scanty with frequent urging with pressure on bladder and burning in urethra.
• Flow stops suddenly followed by pain, can’t retain urine.
• Irritable bladder before menses.

9.Vespa crabro :-

• Burning micturition in females.
• Dysuria with backache.

FEMALE COMPLAINTS –

OVARIAN AFFECTIONS:

Apis Mel:-

• Inflammation, induration, swelling and dropsy of the ovaries especially the right better by lying on right side.
• Sharp, cutting, stinging pain in the right ovary. Worse during menstruation. Ovarian tumours, with stinging pain like bee’s sting.
• Increased sexual desires.
• Tendency to abort at or before 3rd month.
• Amenorrhea of puberty with congestion of head thirstlessness and intolerance of heat.

Cantharis:- Inflammation of ovaries, burning pain, extremely sensitive.

Cimex acantha:- Shooting pain from vagina towards left ovary.

Vespa crabro:–  Left ovary markedly affected with frequent burning micturation. Menstruation preceded by a period of depression and constipation.

Cocus cacti:- Indicated in menorrhagia  and metrorrhagia. Dark clots with dysuria.

SKIN MANIFESTATIONS –

URTICARIA:

1. Apis Mellifica:-

• Urticaria like bee stings or stings from other insects with intolerable itching at night.
• Swellings after bites are sore and sensitive.
• Erysipelas with sensitiveness and swelling, rosy hue.
• Carbuncle with burning stinging pain.
• Eruptions like nettle rash all over the body.

2.Formica rufa:-

• Nettle rash, red itching and burning.
• Profuse sweat without relief.

3.Vespa crabro:-

• Erythema with intense itching and burning > bathing with vinegar.
• Wheals, swelling and macules with stinging burning and soreness.
• Cold water application first >, then <.

4.Bomyx Processionoea :-

• Indicated in Urticaria- intense irritation, hard large areola formed.
• Tubercle with a red areola.
• Sensation as of a foreign body were under the skin.
• Itching <evening not relieved by anything.
• Burning heat of skin.

5. Cantharis Vesicator:-

• Vesicular eruptions with burning and itching.
• Vesicles all over body Which are sore and suppurating.
• Erythema from exposure to sunrays.
• Burns, scalds with rawness and smarting relieved by cold application, followed by undue inflammation.

6. Pediculus:-

• Psoric manifestation in children
• Miliary eruption on inside of forearms and thigh.
• Horripilation all over.

 HAEMORRAGE:

1. Apis mellifica:- Dark haemorrhage from rectum, urine, uterus, respiratory organs.
2. Coccus cacti:– Haemorrhage in large black clots especially from kidneys and uterus. menses too, too profuse lasts too long
3. Cantharis: –

• Haemorrhage from nose, mouth, intestine, genital and urinary organs.
• Emission of blood in drops from urinary organs.
• Menses – early, copious, black blood.

FEVER:

1.Apis mellifica:-

• Intermittent fever where chill occurs at 3pm with thirst.
• < from warmth followed by burning heat of whole body with absence of thirst and comes sweat with complete absence of thirst.
• Indicated in exanthematic fevers and fevers complicated with suppression of eruptions.

2.Cantharis:–

• Cold & shivering.
• Thirst only after shivering cold.
• Perspiration especially on hands, feet & genitals.
• sweat smells of urine.
• Pulse full, hard and rapid.

3.Cimex acanthia:-

• Intermittent fevers with weariness and inclination to stretch.
• Chilliness of whole body, pain in all joints as if tendons were too short, esp. knee joint. Chill < lying down.
• Thirst during apyrexia, but little during chill stage, still less during heat stage and none during sweat stage.

 RHEUMATISM:

1. Formica rufa :- Rheumatic inflammation of eyes and spinal cord. Gout and articular rheumatism. Right side is more affected. Rheumatism comes with suddenness and restlessness. Patient desires motion, but pain worse from motion.
2. Apis mellifica:- Acute inflammatory rheumatism with burning, stinging and swelling. Pain < on any motion.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Clarke JH. A dictionary of pratical materia medica. homoeopathic publishing Company; 1902.
• Farrington EA. Clinical materia medica. InClinical Materia Medica 1975 (pp. 826-826).
• Patil JD. Group Study in Homoeopathic Materia Medica. B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd., D-157, Sector. 2018;63:387-94.
• Burt WH. Physiological Materia Medica, Containing All that is Known of the Physiological Action of Our Remedies: Together with Their Characteristic Indications and Pharmacology. Gross & Delbridge; 1881.
• Allen HC. Keynotes and Characteristics with Comparisons of some of the leading Remedies of the Materia Medica with Bowel Nosodes. B. Jain Publishers; 2002.
• Murphy R. Lotus materia medica. B. Jain Publishers; 2003.
• Boericke W. Pocket manual of homoeopathic Materia Medica & Repertory: comprising of the characteristic and guiding symptoms of all remedies (clinical and pahtogenetic [sic]) including Indian Drugs. B. Jain publishers; 2002.
• Nash EB. Leaders in homoeopathic therapeutics. Boericke & Tafel; 1913.
• Tyler ML. Homoeopathic drug pictures. B. Jain Publishers; 1990.
• Kent JT. Lectures on homoeopathic materia medica. New Delhi, India:: Jain Publishing Company; 1980.
• Boger CM. A Synoptic Key to the Materia Medica:(a Treatise for Homoeopathic Students). B. Jain publishers; 2003.

Dr. Pavankumar R Kollurkar
PG Scholar, Department Of Materia Medica
Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical College
Deralakatte, Mangalore -575018

Under The Guidance Of
Dr. Srinath Rao C
Professor, Department Of Homoeopathic Materia Medica
Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical College