A Comprehensive Guide to Select a Remedy for Suppuration : Learn A Drug Challenge

Books Referred:  Lectures on Clinical Materia Medica, Farrington
                            Kent's Materia Medica
                            Nash's Leaders in Homeopathic Therapeutics

For any given diagnosis or for any given set of symptoms, there are several drugs in our materia medica to choose from. Suppurations are one difficult case for me to treat. A wrong move could easily spoil the case, further it could lead them to a surgeon's knife. Farrington, in his Clinical Materia Medica gives a list of drugs for inflammations that has gone into suppurations, whether the disease be a boil, a tonsillitis or any other form of inflammation. They are Belladonna, Hepar, Mercurius, Lachesis, Silicea and Sulphur.

Belladonna is at the head of the list. Belladonna is the preferred remedy in the beginning of inflammation as in tonsillitis. A point of importance in Bell is the sudden and violent onset.There is intense heat and burning in the parts involved. The person cannot tolerate any jar, he will not even let the bed to be moved. The throat is bright red and swollen, difficulty in swallowing fluids and sharp pains. The pains come suddenly, they remain longer or shorter and goes suddenly. The fever too is never continuous. There is often a thirst in Bell fever, sometimes in large quantities other times constantly to wet the dry mouth. In fever the Bell has hot head with cold extremities. We may think of Bell in an abscess, when pus develops with lightning like rapidity.

Farrington says, you should think of Hepar, when the sharp sticking pains and chills indicate the beginning of suppuration. It may prevent suppuration when given in the incipiency of the process. Hepar has great sensitiveness, in that it cannot bear any touch, not even that of cold air, on the part affected. Hepar is extremely chilly. Wants to cover himself up, likes the room very warm etc. The pains in Hepar are often described as sticking and jagging like sharp sticks. Nash says, "Hepar comes in when pus is about to form or already formed. If given very high in the first case, and not repeated too soon or often, we may prevent suppuration and check the whole inflammatory process. But if pus is already formed, it will hasten the pointing and discharge and help along the healing of the ulcer afterwards. I am not at all sure, as is generally taught that it is necessary to give it low to hasten suppuration." But Farrington advises to give Hepar in low potency to hasten suppuration where necessary.

The next remedy in this series is Mercurius. Mercurius is suited to a still more advanced state when pus has formed and you wish it evacuated. If you give it too soon you will spoil the case. Induration is a general feature running in the drug, the inflamed parts indurate. The inflamed parts form pus rapidly is a characteristic feature of Merc. The inflamed parts burn and sting.  The parts are sensitive to heat and cold, they cannot especially tolerate the warmth of the bed. The discharges of pus are yellow green. The discharges are offensive. There is continuous fever, the patient is chilly and sweat a lot, the odour of which is offensive. Another feature of Merc is  repeated swelling and abscess formation without any heat. The abscess has slow and prolonged pus formation, there is no irritability in the abscess and no tendency to formation of granulation tissue and keeps on discharging. Merc will favour granulation in that case.

When the pus continues to discharge and the wound refuses to heal, Silicea follows Hepar.  Silicea comes in for healing after the discharge has taken place. In Silicea the complaints develop slowly. In Silicea there is tendency for the suppuration to become chronic. The Silicea person is very chilly. The constitution of Silicea needs to be kept in mind while prescribing. The Silicea patient is weakly with fine skin, pale face and lax muscles. He is faint hearted and yielding. Wherever the suppuration is, the improvement in the local affection generally follows the general constitutional treatment. Silicea has the tendency to throw out abscesses in old cicatrices. Following the treatment of abscesses or boils, if there is induration left behind, Silicea will cause to be absorbed. In some cases, the benefit of Silicea will cease. Then a dose or two of Sulphur will excite reaction and Silicea can effect a cure.

Lachesis is indicated when the pus degenerates and becomes of a dark, thin, offensive character, with the sensitiveness to touch of that drug.  In the complaints of Lachesis, there is tendency for the left side to be affected first. The parts take on a purple, mottled appearance. The discharge are also dark and offensive. Aggravations come after sleep or the patient goes into aggravation during sleep. When applying warm water to places that are inflamed, his mental symptoms are aggravated. Lachesis also have oversensitiveness to touch on the affected part.

The list of remedies for inflammations and suppurations are not limited to the above. Calcarea sulph is yet another remedy very useful in suppurations. An abscess that is slow to heal with a continuous discharge of yellow pus is a strong indication of this drug. There are much more drugs in materia medica for the same and as always it is always wise to choose the similimum for the patient and not the disease. In homoeopathy, it is always the similimum, that brings about a complete cure, in a rapid, gentle manner.