THERAPEUTICS OF FUNGI

DR. Harpreet Kaur SawhneyB.H.MS. (N.I.H.); B.Sc. PSYCHOLOGY; D.N.H.EMember Homeopathic Council of CanadaLifeline Homoeopathic Clinic, 2 Laval Drive, Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada

ABSTRACT

Fungi, as a biological group, have been classified into a kingdom on its own, separating them from the plant kingdom . Some of the homoeopathic remedies obtained from this kingdom are described in terms of provings, parts used, characteristic symptoms and single rubric representations .

INTRODUCTION

A fungus is any member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and moulds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms.

These organisms are classified as a kingdom Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, protists and bacteria.

Fungi have a worldwide distribution, and grow in a wide range of habitats; including extreme environments such as deserts or areas with high salt concentrations or ionizing radiations, as well in deep sea sediments. Most grow in terrestrial environments, though several species live partly or solely in aquatic habitats.

Around 100,000 species of fungi have been formally described by taxonomists, but the global biodiversity of the fungus kingdom is not fully understood. On the basis of observations of the ratio of the number of fungal species to the number of plant species in selected environments, the fungal kingdom has been estimated to contain about 1.5 million species.

Homeopathic drugs prepared from fungus

Approximately 32 remedies in the Materia Medica are represented by species belonging to the fungi kingdom but in this article description of prominent 13 drugs will be covered.

1. Agaricus emiticus2. Agaricus muscarius / Amantia muscaria / Fly Agaric3. Agaricus phalloides4. Agaricus pantherinus5. Boletus laricis6. Boletus luridus7. Boletus satanas8. Bovista9. Phallus impudicus

10. Polyporus pinicola11. Russula12. Secale corntum (Claviceps purpura)13. Ustilago

Toxicology /Poisoning

Muscarine poisoning

Mainly due to Amantia muscaria/ fly agaric

In the past , fruit bodies of the fly agaric (Agaricus muscarius) were steeped in milk and was used for poisoning flies. It has been discovered only in the present century that both the Fly Agaric and the Panther cap (A. pantherina) contain but a small amount of muscarine, and their toxicity is due to another toxic principle.

Muscarine poisoning sometimes manifests itself while the meal is still being eaten- as a rule , however, within 2 hrs after it.

The symptoms are: conspicuous perspiration, salivation, lacrimation, vomiting and diarrhoea, fall of blood pressure, slowing down of the pulse and shivering. A remarkable symptom is the contraction of pupils accompanied by slight disorders.

Psychotropic poisoning

Involves serious cases characterized by the irritation of brain tissue. For a long time the intoxication caused by the Fly Agaric was the only form of mushroom poisoning accompanied by psychic disturbances.

In Europe, poisoning by mycoatropine is caused by 3 Amantia species – Panther cap ( A. pantherina) , Fly Agaricus, A. regalis.

The course of poisoning caused by all 3 species is substantially the same :

Nausea is experienced between half an hour and 3 hrs after consumption, accompanied by vomiting, headache, quickened heart beat and a persistent dilation of pupils occasionally leading to vision disturbances.

Often the condition of the affected person resembles alcoholic intoxication, the patient becomes talkative, shouts obscenities, sometimes laughs or weeps, strikes himself and keeps on running to and fro.

These states of excitement may be dangerous for the sick person and must therefore be mitigated.

Subsequently the patient faints, recovers from time to time, hallucinates, screams, defends himself against invisible danger, etc. but finally falls into a profound sleep from which he usually awakens into a normal state without remembering his previous behaviour.

DESCRIPTION OF INDIVIDUAL DRUGS

1) AGARICUS EMITICUS PARTS USED: Tincture of fresh fungus CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS:

(a) Vertigo so severe one must be carried to bed; is not able to sit or stand(b) Violent burning pains are caused in the stomach(c) Craving for ice-cold water (during the worst attacks of anxiety)(d) Better from cold water(e) Worse by smelling vinegar

2) AGARICUS MUSCARIUS COMMON NAME: Fly agaric/ Amantia muscaria PROVER: Sehreter and Stapf PARTS USED: Trituration of the carefully dried up cap CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS:

(a) Twitching- ceases during sleep(b) Sensations as if pierced by needles of ice(c) Violent bearing down pains(d) Symptoms appear diagonally as right arm and left leg(e) Loquacity, delirium(f) Sensitiveness of spine to touch(g) Reading difficult, as type seems to move to swim(h) Itching of toes and feet as if frozen(i) Cough ends in a sneeze(j) Paroxysms of yawning; yawning followed by involuntary laughter(k) Vertigo from sunlight(l) Expectoration of little balls of mucus

CLINICAL SYMPTOMS: (a) D iplopia : reads with difficulty, type seems to move(b) Myopia: spasms, with aching in left eyeball(c) Chorea: Tremulous propulsion of the tongue, inarticulate speech(d) Typhus: burning thirst

SINGLE RUBRICS FOR AGARICUS MUSCARIUS (a) Loquacity, awareness(b) Rage constant(c) Appetite – wanting, coition, after(d) Sexual passion, sleep, after(e) Nodules, Vagina in

(f) Pain – bearing down, uterus, lifting, after(g) Convulsions, coiton,after(h) Convulsions, suppressed, foot sweat, after(i) Convulsions, suppressed, milk(j) Pain, stitching, internally, cold needles, like(k) Pulse, irregular, stool after(l) Delusion, diminished, whole body is(m) Delusion, hell , at gate of, obliged to confess his sins(n) Delusion, dead, person, sees, sister(o) Delusion, spoonful, a, seems like a lake(p) Delusion, legs, don’t belong to her(q) Delusion, hole, small, appears like a frightful chasm(r) Delusion, mushrooms, fancies he is commanded to fall on his knees and confess his

sins and rip up his bowels by a (s) Excitement, alternates with delirium(t) Plans – revengeful

HEAD

Coldness- scratching, after Coldness- with external heat Pain- boring-sitting, while Pain, temples, midnight Pain, dinner, after Pain, sides, forenoon Pain, sides, walking in open air Pain, forehead, standing, while Pain, stretching aggravates

3) AGARICUS PHALLOIDES

COMMON NAME: Amantia bulbosa PARTS USED: Trituration of fresh fungus CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS: The poison is a

toxalbumin, resembling the poison in the rattles snake and the poison excreted by the cholera and diphtheria germs.It acts on the red corpuscles, dissolving them so that blood escapes into the alimentary canal and the whole system is drained.

(a) Extreme prostration and chilliness(b) Sweat - cold

(c) Violent thirst(d) Tongue-cold(e) Sharp changes from rapid to slow and from slow to rapid breathing(f) Incessant cramps in stomach(g) Hard, tense abdomen(h) Frequent whitish watery stool; or bilious, bloody stools(i) Constant restlessness(j) Staggers as if intoxicated, and, with odd gesticulations, labours to express his

sufferings but cannot articulate a syllable

4) AGARICUS PANTHERINUS

COMMON NAME: Spotted amantia CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS:

(a) General overpowering sense of fatigue(b) Loss of power of coordinating muscular

movements(c) Answers in monosyllables with an expression of

annoyance(d) Trembling(e) Invincible drowsiness

5) BOLETUS LARICIS COMMON NAME: White agaric/ Boletus purgans PROVER: Burt PARTS USED: Trituration CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS:

a. The gastro- enteric irritation common to the fungi was very well marked

b. Motion will aggravate headachec. Disposition to yawn and stretch when chillyd. Great restlessness after midnighte. Faintness after stoolf. Aching distress in all jointsg. Profuse perspiration at night with hectic chills and

fever

h. Chronic diarrhoea and dysenteryi. Loud rumbling in bowelsj. Hepatic complaints, especially jaundice

6) BOLETUS LURIDUS COMMON NAME: Boletus nigrescens PARTS USED: Trituration CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS:

a. Poisoning effects show delirium, sunken features, violet color of nose and lips

b. Violent pain in epigastriumc. Meteorismd. Intense thirst with loss of stoole. Urticaria tuberosa ( speedily followed by

death)f. Subsultus tendinumg. Cold sweat

7) BOLETUS SATANAS PROVING: There are two fragmentary proving of this fungus and

observations on 6 persons poisoned PARTS USED: Trituration CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS:

a. Troublesome dryness in mouth and throatb. Unquenchable thirstc. Sudden desire to vomit, no nausea between attacksd. Frightful pain in stomache. Faintness while vomitingf. Limbs cold, cold sweat over whole body

8) BOVISTA COMMON NAME: Lycopedron/ Puff-ball PROVER: Hartlaub ( proved in 1828)

PARTS USED: Trituration CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS:

The puff ball, exerts its influence on the circulation, causing relaxation of capillary system, thereby producing hemorrhagic diathesis.

(a) Stammering(b) Everything falls from hands(c) Enlarged sensation(d) Colic relieved by eating(e) Cannot bear tight clothing around waist(f) Tension headaches- senasation as if head were

enlarging(g) Sweat in axilla smells like onion(h) Tip of coccyx itches intolerably(i) Urticaria on excitement(j) Moist vesicular eruptions with formation of thick crusts

SINGLE RUBRICS FOR AGARICUS MUSCARIUS a. Sadness, society, in ameliorationb. Head, constriction, breakfast ameliorationc. Pain, extending nose, tod. Cosmetics allergy

9) PHALLUS IMPUDICUS COMMON NAME: Stink horn PROVER: Kalieniczensko took five or six teaspoonfuls of an

infusion of phallus in 24 hrs and the effects were observed. PARTS USED: Mother tincture/ Infusion of whole fungus CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS:

a. Vertigo, dullness, vision disorderedb. Viscid swetac. Gastro-enteric disturbances

10) POLYPORUS PINICOLA

COMMON NAME: Pine agaric PROVER: Dr. burt PARTS USED: Ttincture of fresh plant CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS:

a. Great lassitude, congestion of head with vertigo, face hot and flushedb. Prickling sensation all overc. Restless at night from pain in wrists and kneed. Headache about 10 a.m. , with pain in back, ankles and legs increasing until 3 p.m. ,

then gradually better.

11) RUSSULA FOETENS COMMON NAME: Russ PROVER: Alphonse Barrelet observed the effects of eating

cooked Russula foetens, which produced a very severe poisoning

PARTS USED: Tincture of fresh mushrooms CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS

a. Hallucinations, muscular tremors and clonic spasms

b. Eye symptoms more pronounced, complete blindness with peculiarity of the pupil- sometimes-normal, sometimes- dilated and sometimes contracted.

c. Patient could hear but completely blind

12) SECALE CORNUTUM COMMON NAME: Ergot of Rye/ Claviceps purpura PROVING: No proving PARTS USED: Tincture of fresh spores collected just before harvest CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS

Secale contracts the muscles of blood vessels and uterus, decomposes the blood, producing haemorrhage which is thin, fetid, watery, black, oozing, continuously. Produces contraction of the unstrapped muscular fibers, hence a tight feeling throughout the whole body. This produces an anemic condition, coldness, numbness, petechiae, mortification, gangrene.

a. Debility, anxiety, emaciation, though appetite and thirst may be excessiveb. Passive haemorrhages- continuous oozing of watery

bloodc. Brownish offensive leucorrhoead. Threatened miscarriage about the third monthe. Severe after-painsf. Craves acidsg. Violent crampsh. Icy coldness of limbsi. Skin feels cold to touchj. Great aversion to heat, formication under skink. Insomnia of drug and liquor habitsl. Internal burning with icy coldness, externally, yet averse

to being coveredm. Dry gangrenen. “worse from warmth will be leading indication in many

eye cases requiring secale.o. Tongue dry, cracked, blood like ink exudesp. Tingling of tip of tongue of , which is stiff.

SINGLE RUBRICS FOR SECALE COR MIND

a. Delirium – abandon her frelativesb. Delirium- absurd things, doesc. Mocking his relatives

VERTIGOa. Rocking, ameliorates

HEADa. Pain, outwardsb. Disgust for food, especially for meat and fat thingsc. Vomiting passes contents of stomach , then mucus, then only mucus mixed with

round worms or decomposed matterd. Desire for water with fever in diabetes.

13) USTILAGO

COMMON NAME: Corn smut / Ustilago maydis PROVING: Burt PARTS USED: Trituration CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS

a. Flabby condition of uterus, hemorrhageb. Uterine fibroids, bleedingc. Cervix spongy