Alstonia - A Remedy For Gastritis
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1994 Jul / Aug Vol III No 4.
Bansal V P.
Materia Medica.
` Alst-s.
Alstonia is a neglected medicine in our day to day practice. I have found it to be highly effective in diarrhoea and dysentery as a tonic after exhausting fevers. We can compare it in such cases with China. Alstonia is from the vegetable kingdom. It is a member of the Apocynaceae family which also includes remedies like Apocynum, Canabinum, Gelsemium, Nux-vomica, Ignatia and Spigelia. This order of plants is very poisonous, they depress the nervous system causing prostration of mind and even narcosis, paralysis and eventually death. Homoeopathically it is very effective in these very same conditions.
Alstonia was proved by Dr. Cathcart of Australia. It is a native plant of New South Wales and Queensland.
The common name of Alstonia is Bitter Bark. Its Latin name is Alstonia constricta. In India Alstonia-scholaris has shown similar effects as Alstonia constricta. Dr. Dietz has tested it clinically and gives the following leading indications for its use -
- Debility from lack of digestive power in stomach or general assimilative power.
- Nausea worse in morning before breakfast. It is hence a good remedy for morning sickness of pregnancy.
- It can also be used in fever, lactation, excessive effect of leucorrhoea and palpitation.
- Samuel Lilienthal describes in his therapeutics that it is useful in camp diarrhoea, summer diarrhoea, full of undigested food and tinged blood, especially when complicated with symptoms of malarious poison or from drinking bad or swamp water, impregnated with decayed vegetable matter.
In diarrhoea use it in 30th potency and give frequent doses, it will never fail. One of the keynotes is - Diarrhoea immediately after eating. Its tincture is also used locally for ulcers and rheumatic pains.
Dr. V.P. BANSAL
M.B.B.S., M.D., DHMS
Indore - 452 001.
