About the duration of remedies

How long will a dose of a remedy hold?

The old authors gave us quite a couple of hints, though they often begged to differ in their opinions. Here is an attempt to compare some of the informations:

Sources:

G.H.G.Jahr: Handbuch der Hauptanzeigen fr die richtige Wahl der homopathischen Heilmittel, 1851

C.v. Bnninghausen: ber die Wirkungsdauer der Arzneien: Von Bnninghausen divided the duration of remedies into 5 classes, according to his experiences.

He classified them as follows:

1 - the remedies with shortest duration. Therefore to be used in acute diseases, only very rarely used as an intercurrent in chronic diseases

2 - the remedies with short duration: seldom used in chronic (psoric) diseases. Can be used as intercurrents, when the underlying cause is an abuse of allopahic drugs - or when more fitting remedies cant be found

3 - the remedies with intermediate duration: can be used in acute diseases as well as in chronic diseases. Exceptions are acute diseases with very rapid/violent development and chronic diseases that are already existing fo a very long time and therefore deeply rooted.

4 - the remedies with long duration: all the so-called anti-psoric belong to this group. Should not be repeated (or its action disturbed by giving a different remedy), even when a 2nd or 3rd repetition of the primary effect develops.

5 - the remedies with the longest duration: they can have an effect for several months. As for repetition, see No. 4!

REMEDY Duration: JAHR

Duration: v. Boenninghausen

Acon 16-48 h 1 Agar > 40 d 3 Agn 8 1 d

Alum > 40 d 4 Ambr 6 - 7 w 3 Am-c 40 d 4 Am-m Several weeks 3 Anac > 30 d 3 Ang ? 3 Ant-c > 60 d 5 Ant-t Several weeks 3 Arg ? 3 Arg-n ?

Arn > 4 w 2 Ars-a > 6 w 4 Asa-f > 7 w 3 Asar ? 2 Aur > 6 w 4 Aur-m > 6 w

Bar-c 50 d 5 Bar-m 50 d

Bell 5 9 w 3 Bism ? 4 Bor Several weeks 3 Bov > 50 d 3 Brom Several weeks 3 Bry > 4 w 2 Calad 6 8 w 2 Calc-c > 50 d 5 Calc-p > 50 d

Camph Few minutes 1 Cann-s 3 w 2 Canth > 3 w 2 Caps > 3 w 2 Carb-a > 36 d 4 Carb-v > 36 d 4 Caust > 50 d 5 Cham 1 3 d 2 Chel ? 2 Chin > 4 6 w 2 Chin-s > 4 6 w

Chlor ?

Cic 5 6 w 3 Cina 14 21 d 2 Clem 6 w 3 Cocc 3 4 w 2 Coff 10 d 1 Colch > 4 w 3 Coloc 10 d 3 Con 35 d 3 Cop ?

Croc 8 d 2 Crot-h Several weeks

Cupr 2 - 3 w 3 Cycl 2 3 w 2 Daph Several weeks

Dig > 6 w 3 Dros 2 3 w 2 Dulc 30 40 d 3 Eug 3 d

Euph 7 w 3 Euphr 3 4 w 2 Ferr 4 7 w 4 Ferr-m ?

Fl-ac ? 4 Graph 50 d 5 Grat ?

Guaj > 5 w 3 Hell 3 4 w 3 Hep > 8 w 5 Hyos 8 14 d 2 Ign 5 9 d 2 Iod > 6 w 3 Ip 12 24 h 1 Jatr Very short

Jug-r Very short

Kali-bi ?

Kali-c > 6 w 5 Kreos 4 5 d 2 Lach 4 5 w 3 Lact 24 h

Laur 6 8 d 1 Led 6 7 w 3 Lyc 40 50 d 4 Mag-c 40 50 d 4 Mag-m 7 w 3 M-ambo 10 14 d 2 Mang > 40 d 4 M-arct > 10 d 2 M-aust ? 2 Meny 2 3 w 2 Meph Very short

Merc 2 3 w 3 Merc-c 2 3 w

Mez 40 50 d 3 Mosch 24 h 1 Mur-ac > 5 w 3 Nat-c 30 40 d 4 Nat-m 40 50 d 3 Kali-n > 6 w 4 Nit-ac > 40 d 3 Nux-m 8d 3 w 2 Nux-v 15 21 d

Oleand 3 4 w 3 Op Few hours 1 Par 2 4 d 1 Petr 40 50 d 4 Ph-ac > 40 d 3 Phos 7 w 5 Plat 5 6 w 4 Plumb 3 4 w 3 Prun 1 several weeks

Puls 8 14 d 2

Ran-b 4 6 w 2 Ran-s 5 6 w 3 Rheum 2 3 d 1 Rhod 5 6 w 3 Rhus-t 3 6 w 3 Ruta 8 14 d 2 Sabad 2 3 w 2 Sabin 3 4 w 3 Samb 3 4 h 1 Sang ?

Sars 4 5 w 3 Sec 2 3 w 2 Sel 5 6 w 4 Seneg 3 4 w 3 Sep 7 8 w 5 Sil 7 8 w 5 Spig 3 4 w 3 Spong 3 4 w 3 Squil 2 3 w 2 Stann > 5 w 4 Staph 3 4 w 3 Stram 24 h 1 Stront > 40 d 4 Sul-ac 4 5 w 3 Sulph 5 6 w 5 Tarax ? 1 Teucr 2 3 w

Ther ?

Thuj 3 w 3 Valer 8 10 d 2 Verat 5 8 d 2 Verb 4 8 d 2 Viol-o 2 4 d 2 Viol-t 8 14 d 2 Zinc 30 40 d 3

Discussion: Where did the 2 homoeopaths differ in their opinions?

REMEDY Duration: JAHR

Duration: v.

Boenninghausen Coff 10 d 1 Laur 6 8 d 1 Calad 6 8 w 2 Cham 1 3 d 2 Chin > 4 6 w 2 Viol-o 2 4 d 2

Bell 5 9 w 3 Bov > 50 d 3 Kali-c > 6 w 5 Sulph 5 6 w 5

Interesting, that Coff and Laur were classified as shortest action by von Boenninghausen, whereas Jahr gave them a duration of more than a week.The most striking difference in my opinion is Calad, which according to Jahr has a longer action than Sulph!!

Bell - for Jahr - is a remedy with the longest duration, while for von Boenninghausen it could be called a remedy with only intermediate duration. This is especially interesting, as this remedy is generally regarded as a remedy of very short duration by many or most of the homoeopaths.