Curcuma longa
It is a very common household spice in India, known as turmeric or haldi. It is native to India and Southern Asia. The drug was introduced and proved by Arya, Balachandran and Augustine, and published in Hahnemannian Gleanings, XLIV, No. 7, 1977, 320-30. Another proving was conducted by CCRH at Regional Research Unit, Kottayam (Kerala). 6x centesimal potency was used in this proving. 11 provers in the age group of 19-37 years took part in this proving. 3 of them were females. Third proving was conducted at Durban University of Technology. A combined materia medica of all these provings and other literatures has been presented below.
Mind
Indifference, intolerance, prostration. Dullness. Worries about future. Depression towards evening with anxious and worried look. Desires to be left alone, indifferent to friends, aversion to work or study. Difficult concentration with forgetfulness. Fear of future. Thinks that relatives and friends are against him, Thoughts about death of somebody.
Head
Headache. Bursting pain in whole right side of head, worse afternoon, night, after sleep. Pain in right side of head with pricking sensation in right eye. Frequent pain in frontal region with obstruction of nose, sneezing and coughing, worse evening, cold bathing, 11 a.m., better night rest. Pain in right eye-brow, worse movements, sound, light; better lying on left side, evening.
Eyes
Conjunctivitis, dry eye, acute dacrocystitis, pterygium, pinguecula and postoperative cataract. Burning in eyes with lachrymation, worse morning, afternoon, better washing the eyes. Lachrymation after taking bath, better closing eyes, rest.
Nose
Nasal congestion and sinus headache. Irritation in nose with frequent sneezing and watery discharge from nose.
Face
heat, itching and tingling. Flushed face. Itching of right cheek, worse after shaving, night, better cold application. Itching of chin.
Mouth
Tingling and thickness of tongue. Dryness of mouth, with whited-coated tongue.
Tooth
Toothache, worse holding cold water in mouth. Gums inflamed and painful.
Throat
Pain in left side of throat, worse evening; better hot drinks. Scraping sensation in throat, as if something is sticking with dull pain.
Stomach
Increased appetite. Unquenchable thirst. Thirst for cold water in small quantity, whole day, worse evening, morning. Frequent thirst for large quantity of water, worse afternoon, night. . It can be think in duodenal and gastric ulcers as well as in symptoms of gastritis. It inhibits gas formation.
Abdomen
Cutting pain in abdomen. Diarrhoea. Griping pain in epigastrium followed by loose stools, worse morning, evening, better hot drinks, pressure, evening, night, better after passing stool.
Rectum
Constipation with no urging for stool. Unsatisfactory, scanty, hard stool.
Stool
Stool hard, scanty, watery, blackish or yellowish or clay coloured, offensive with undigested food particles, with dull pain in abdomen, worse morning, evening.
Urinary
Burning pain in urethra during micturition. Frequent urination at night, in large quantity, profuse in daytime of normal colour, sometimes high coloured.
Male
Sex desire diminished. Sexual excitement increased, involuntary erection during day, afternoon, after sleep. Erection incomplete, disappears suddenly, desires to masturbate.
Female
Pain in lower abdomen during menses.
Chest
Palpitation with sensation of weight over sternum in afternoon. Stitching pain in right side of chest, worse night, inspiration; better lying on left side. Dull aching pain in the region of heart, worse afternoon, pressure, better lying on right side. Respiration noisy.
Respiration
Increased rate of breathing with palpitation. Bronchial asthma.
Back
Pain in lumbar region, worse morning, evening, night, movement, physical activity, better hot application, rest. Aching pain in sacral region with shifting pain in hip joints, worse evening, changing posture, morning. Stiffness in cervical region worse turning head. Pain in right supra scapular region, worse deep breathing, pressure, better rest, hot application.
Extremities
Pain in lower limbs, knee and joints. Pain as if throbbing in knee.
Sleep and Dreams
Sleepy in morning, drowsy in afternoon. Dreams of child being murdered by stabbing and bloodshed. Dreams of quarrel. Frightful dreams. Disturbed sleep. Dreams of death and food. Sensation of smell and taste in dreams.
Fever
Chilly sensation at night. Fever in evening with frontal headache, bodyache, running of nose and burning sensation all over.
Skin
Itching without eruptions, all over the body, worse after taking bath, night, better cold application. Itching on covered parts, worse contact of clothes or hands; better scratching. Macular rashes all over the body, dorsum of hands, buttocks, thighs with burning sensation worse heat of sun. Sensation of heat and prickling.
Generalities
Bodyache, better rest, bathing in hot water. Fatigue, worse morning, day time, better rest, afternoon, sitting. Sensation as if body is hot, in morning and after siesta. Great weakness. Burning pain in body, better after taking bath. Various tingling sensations and flushes of heat.
References:
- Arya, Balachandran and Augustine, Hahnemannian Gleanings, XLIV, No. 7, 1977, 320-30.
- New Drugs Proved by CCRH, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, Government of India, 2008.
- Suhana Rajkoomar, A double-blind homoeopathic drug proving of curcuma longa 30ch with the subsequent comparison to the ayurvedic and phytotherapeutic indications thereof, dissertation submitted to Durban University of Technology. Available from http://ir.dut.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10321/663/Rajkoomar_2011.pdf?sequence=1. Accessed on 23rd June 2015
