Volume 85, January 1996 39

A great Californian drug? K. BIRCH & J. ROCKWELL Provings of new drugs are always welcome - - e v e n if they are carried out just for the sake of it, as in this instance with Sequoia sempervirens. The reasons given for trying this proving were apparently the authors' per- sonal awe of the Redwood 's size and the trees' cultural importance. Unfortunately the protocol is presented in a very sketchy manner. An overwhelming feeling of being old, complete exhaustion and weakness were reported by some people, whereas others curiously experienced quite the opposite. Mental symptoms included irritability and clarity of thought. Possible clinical uses are pneumonia, a i lments f rom grief, certain rheumatic complaints and Lymes disease, a tick-borne zoonotic condition that involves wild deer and dogs as intermediate hosts. The drug could also be good as a constitutional for very tall, slim, elderly people, no doubt!

A homoeopathic proving of Sequoia sempervirens (Redwood).

Simillimum 1994; 4: 80-91.

As good as gold? G. VITHOULKAS Vo lume 3 of George V i t h o u l k a s ' s new Materia Medica Viva contains a number of the lesser used homoeopathic medicines and one of them, Aurum muriaticum, is featured in the paper. This tubercular medicine is associated with a great deal of feeling and is said to be passionate and romantic, with particularly erotic feelings. Vithoulkas sug- gests that it should be thought of if there is a combination of insomnia, sciatic neuralgia and depression, especially if coupled with a deep inner anxie ty about heal th and an excitable disposition. A comprehensive drug picture is provided, and this is written in a clear distinctive style that forms a welcome contrast to the antiquated Victorian English found in older (and well-thumbed!) texts.

Aurum muriaticum. Journal of the American Institute of

Homeopathy 1994; 87: 217-23.

NAD--ano the r proving D. S. RILEY D a v i d R i l e y - - t h e US o n e , n o t t he Glaswegian--is well known for his provings. His latest offering is Nicotinamide adenine

dinucleotide (NAD), a compound that serves as a coenzyme for a variety of oxidation and reduction reactions~ It was first isolated in 1935 from the red blood cells of a horse. The proving protocol is given clearly.

The symptoms noted by the provers are organized in the traditional materia medica format as well as by rubric according to Kent's system. The main rubrics were associated with pain and tingling sensations in the head, diminished concentration and memory, sore throat and also nausea. It would be interesting to know why Dr Riley picked this particular compound to study. The paper is of great value for the details of the proving protocol provided. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD): a proving. Journal of the American Institute of

Homeopathy 1994; 87: 74-8.

The flu bug eometh! BETA If flu has not yet arrived in your area it will be there soon enough; so best get ready. This reprinted paper in an Indian journal surveys a little of the history of treating influenza in epidemics over a period of time stretching from 1890 to 1950 before giving abbreviated drug pictures of several suitable preparations. Thus the medicines used to treat patients in an ep idemic in 1890 inc luded Aconite, Arsenicum album and Gelsemium--much the same as we would r e c o m m e n d o v e r a hundred years later. In 1900 Dr J. H. Allen reported on several influenza cases with coughs that had been cured with Tuber- culinum 1M. Bacillinum appeared in 1921.

Nothing startlingly new here, but the list of flu drugs might be quite useful. A notable exclusion is Influenzinum, but this particular nosode was probably not around when the paper was written. Notes on influenza and some of its remedies.

Advent of Homoeopathy 1994; 11: 47-54.

Using nosodes S. K. BANERJEA The term 'nosode' is derived from the Greek nosos meaning disease and is used to denote a medicine prepared either from actual diseased tissue, discharges, or from disease-associated organisms in a culture. In the latter case they are also known as 'sarcodes' . Nosodes are very much in the news these days. There