Scope and Limitations of

Homoeopathic Materia Medica

BY
DR SABIR AHMED
MD(HOM)-PART II
drsabir_m@yahoo.co.in
Homoeopathic materia medica is constructed
differently as compared to other materia
medicas. Homoeopathy considers the study of
the action of drugs on individual parts or
systems of the body or on animals or their
isolated organs, only a partial study of life
processes under such action and that it does not
lead us to a full appreciation of the action of the
medicinal agent.
Essential and complete knowledge of the drug
action as a whole can be supplied only by
qualitative synoptic drug experiments on
healthy persons and this alone make it possible
to view all the scattered data in relation to
psychosomatic whole of the person to whom the
knowledge of drug action is to be applied. In
this way the homoeopathic materia medica
provides a great scope in the field of medicine.
Scope Homoeopathic Materia Medica
1. DRUG PROVING ON HEALTHY HUMAN BEINGS:

The homoeopathic materia medica has been built up by

the symptoms which are collected by proving the drug
on healthy human beings of both sexes, different ages
and various constitutions. These recordings of drug
proving form the only reliable knowledge of medicine
which are very essential to treat disease
homoeopathically.
This method of proving is not found in other systems of
treatment. Hence the homoeopathic materia medica has
an upper hand in this aspect.
2. LARGE NUMBER OF SYMPTOMS:

There are large number of drugs in homoeopathic

materia medica. Each drug has a large number of
symptoms. Our homoeopathic materia medica contains
thousands of symptoms. Hence in any disease, it is
possible to find a similimum without much difficulty.
3.TREATMENT AT THE PRE-NOSOLOGICAL STATE:

In drug proving, the medicine is withdrawn before it

starts producing any organic change. The altered state
of normal sensations and functions is purely functional
because we get a picture of a pre-nosological state.
Hence with the help of homoeopathic materia medica,
we can treat diseases even before any pathological
changes take place or before diagnosis is made.
4. VAST NUMBER OF SUBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS:

The subjective symptoms are recorded in great detail.

The homoeopathic materia medica is the only materia
medica amongst all the pathies which has the largest
number of subjective symptoms. They are collected by
providing the drug on healthy human beings.
5. IT COVERS SUFFICIENT NUMBERS OF SIGNS &
SYMPTOMS TO FACE THE CHALLENGE OF NEW DISEASES:

As soon as a new disease is discovered, the allopathic

physicians go after the research work to find the suitable
medicine. In this process a valuable time is lost, during
which the disease spreads to other individual or parts of
the body. But this is not problem with homoeopathy.
Homoeopathic materia medica covers innumerable signs
and symptoms to combat any variety of diseases. There is
no need to search for a new remedy everytime we are
exposed to a new disease.
E.g.: AIDS and Hepatitis
 REFERENCES

2.SCHOLAR’S MANUAL OF HOMOEOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA

BY
DR. AZAD RAI

2. GEMS OF HOMOEOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA

BY
DR. J.D.PATIL

3. TEXT BOOK OF HOMOEOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA

BY
PROF. DR. NIRANJAN MOHANTY