Insights Into the Consciousness of Snake Remedies

Review

This book review is reprinted from Volume 21, Autumn 2008 edition, with permission from Homeopathic Links.

Reviewed by Ralfjeutter, PhD, RSHom, UK

A good way of learning materia medica thoroughly and methodically is by starting with a well known remedy, learning its symptomatology in great detail, and then moving on to the next remedy which is similar in its symptomatology, but is sufficiently different to allow close comparisons. Hering called this the diagnostic method. Remedies are being compared regardless of family or kingdom groupings, simply by their similarity in terms of symptoms. In this book the author combines Hering's method with family grouping: she starts her investigation into the snake remedies with Lachesis, and works her way from there through known and lesser known remedies: Crotalus horridus and C. cascavella, Cenchris, Bothrops, Toxi­cophis, Vipera, Bitis, Daboia, Naja, Elaps, Bungarus, Dendroaspis and Hydrophis. She also offers a comparative materia medica outside the snake group with polychrests such as Arsenicum album, Phosphorus, Na­trum muriaticum etc.

She follows a particular pattern in the discussion of each remedy: she writes in detail, and always engagingly, about the snake itself - the lifestyle, mating and reproduction, survival, bite and venom and some toxicological information. She then moves on to the remedy by presenting cases. This is followed by characteristic mental emotional symptoms and physical guiding symptoms, after which she lists the physical particulars, and concludes with clinical pictures (of child, woman and man, when there is enough information available). Each snake is summarised by a chapter headed "The Insight", It is a pattern which works very well, and all parts are integrated and inform each other. The case presentations are a particular strength of the book, often given in great detail, but analysed in a straightforward manner which is easy to follow. The Doctrine of Signatures is used judiciously.

Another great strength of the book is its layout - lots of useful tables and graphs, which summarise her findings well, and aid a revision of the key features of the snake remedies. Her style is fluent, easy to read, never slipping into any jargon ­ clarity reigns. This is a book which could well become a standard work for the study of snake remedies. The only criticism I have concerns the bibliography. A book of this scope should include a comprehensive list of publications regarding snake remedies. But she only presents nine publications and a host of website links (one of which is no longer even alive while others are rather non-academic). It would be great if this could be rectified in a subsequent edition.

This book review is reprinted from Volume XXI Winter/Spring 2008 edition, with permission from Simillimum.

REVIEWED BY NEIL TESSLER

Sadhana Thakkar's new book is the most comprehensive discussion to date on the subject of remedies from snakes. It is also perhaps one of the most detailed general discussions of the world of snakes, both in general, and species by species. All aspects of their physical nature, habitats, behavioral characteristics, and venom are discussed in very considerable detail. Of course, the purpose is to create a bridge to a deeper understanding of the remedies.

I appreciated her comments on the subject of doctrine of signatures, notable for the fact that rather than simply assume that this is somehow an innate aspect of homeopathy, as in Ildiko Ran's Sensations, she takes a little more time to contrast Hahnemann's discussion with the approach that is being advocated nowadays. She discusses the clinical value as well as the relevance and drawbacks of this approach. The emphasis on the snake family itself is so pervasive, involving so much of the book, and is so central to the general presentation as well as that of each individual remedy, that it might in some quarters raise interesting questions. Hers is certainly a unique study as to the value of an associative approach between source and medicine. Certainly there is much of interest in this area as she details the animal, the remedy and the relationship between them. Her differentiation of snake families is helpful. Discussion of each individual remedy is again accompanied by a thorough discussion of the specific snake species.

Cases are offered with each individual remedy to illustrate the pattern. Some of the illustrative cases are incomplete in presentation, discussion and follow-up, which some readers will find disappointing. Sadhana explains in the introduction that each case has been treated for a period of one to seven years. Each was closely monitored. She chose to exclude lengthy follow-up in order to concentrate on the materia medica itself. However, she asserts that each person had gained sustained and consistent relief from "all their suffering".

Mental characteristics of each remedy are usefully contrasted in charts late in the book. A small point is that I might have liked more citation of her teachers. The influence of Sankaran is suggested by her overall approach and phrases, but nowhere is he explicitly mentioned. I think in advancing a theory, it is a good idea to show your full hand and refer to your specific influences. Rajan himself dedicates his new book on minerals directly to Jan Scholten, tipping his hat to the groundwork that Scholten laid down in this arena.

All in all, though, there is a great deal of information on the individual remedies and useful charts contrasting them. Since many of these remedies are less well known, a question may arise as to the reliability of the information. As with any volume substantially based on clinical findings (without reference to provings, well-established references, and many detailed cases that can be reviewed completely), to some extent we are riding on faith in the author's perceptions and in the associative approach that defines this volume. While keeping this in mind, it is fair to say that this is an excellent reference on the subject of the snake family, from both a homeopathic and natural history point of view.

This book review is reprinted with the permission of Winter 2007 Edition of The Homeopath.

Reviewed by Steven Cartwright

Insights into the Consciousness of Snake Remedies comprehensively fills a gap in our current homeopathic materia medica of the order Ophidia. If there is anything you wanted to know about the place of snakes in homeopathy this is where you will find it clearly and extensively set out. The author, Dr Sadhana Thakkar, is a graduate of the University of Bombay now living and working in California. Her wealth of experience shines through in her writing and is coupled with an accessible style and format which makes the book easy to read and use in practice.

Split into essentially two sections the first part of her book begins by discussing ways of studying remedies in general and then quickly moves on to apply those methods to studying snakes and the remedies made from them. Dr Thakkar looks at all the biological and behavioural aspects of snakes - their morphology, digestion, skin, reproductive and nervous systems, habitats, intelligence and survival strategies, including venoms. Comparative and differential studies presented in the form of tables throughout makes for fascinating reading, particularly in relation to the effects of different snake venoms whether myotoxic, haemotoxic or neurotoxic.

The material in section one provides an essential basis for assimilating the following section on materia medica and shows how an understanding of snake biology can illuminate our understanding of snakes as medicines.

Section two looks at no less than fourteen different homeopathic snake remedies including some I have never used such as Bitis arientans, Hydrophis cyanocinctus and Daboia Russellii. Many examples such as Lachesis muta, Naja tripudians and Crotalus horridus are examined in great detail with differential diagnoses and case studies. Even lesser used remedies such as Crotalus cascavella, Cenchris contortrix, Bothrops lanceolatus, Toxicophis pugnax, Vipera berus and Elaps corrallinus are extensively examined and where homeopathic information is scarce as with Bungarus fasciatus, Hydrophis cyanocinctus and the dreaded Black Mamba ( DendroasPis polylePis ) the author uses the biological and behavioural knowledge from section one to fill out provings and case studies.

The book ends with remedies related to the snakes, snake mythologies and dreams and extensive comparative and differential tables and charts listing much of what has been covered in the text in a quick reference form. Finally links to snake web sites of all kinds allows the journey of discovery to continue.

Do I recommend this book? You bet. Even if you are not a homeopath this volume possesses such a wealth of information at all levels for any ophiophilist (and who of us is not fascinated by these fascinating creatures) your bookcase would have a place for it. Well presented and written, this book is hard to fault and really is a must for all practitioners. Well done Dr Thakkar for providing a long overdue treatise.

This book review is reprinted from Volume 28, Number 2, March/ April 2008 edition, with permission from Homeopathy Today.

Reviewed by DIANA GUBBAY, CCH

GET READY TO SNUGGLE UP WITH A SNAKE AS YOU READ SADHANA THAKKAR'S informative book about the history, lore, and habits of many snakes that form a rich part of our homeopathic materia medica. From the better known Lachesis muta ("the translation ... means 'silent fate' in ancient Greek") to the more reticent Bungaris fasciatus ("shy, docile and primarily nocturnal"), you are guaranteed to come away with some piece of new information that may tickle your fancy, expand your knowledge, or enhance your ability to prescribe these remedies that are prepared from snakes or their venom.

In recent years, it has become increasingly common at seminars and in publications to organize and present homeopathic materia medica by kingdom-botanical, chemical, or zoological. Thakkar has chosen the Ophidians, and her love for the subject is evident from the earliest pages of the book. "I chose snake remedies because I felt that both snakes and snake remedies were undeserving of the negative image, critical judgment, and intense fright and disgust they receive from human beings;' she says. Synthesizing her many years as a clinician with extensive research, she concludes that, contrary to many people's assumptions, patients needing snake remedies are not as combative and aggressive as might have been supposed. She notes that "their first instinct is to avoid conflict, sometimes even at the cost of their own health, except when they are cornered or threatened:' Not surprisingly this mirrors the tendencies of snakes in their natural habitats.

The book is divided into three sections with several chapters in each. Section I is launched with a thoughtful description of the process for studying materia medica, showing us the template for Thakkar's subsequent investigations. This section also covers the classification of snakes, their reproductive habits, survival mechanisms, and forms of venom. Well-designed charts summarize over thirty pages of this section's information to enable quick reference.

Section II will become dog-eared from use by the student and practitioner alike. Here are fourteen chapters, each devoted to a single snake. I was puzzled by the omission of some snakes (e.g., constrictor snakes) and the inclusion of others, such as Bungaris fascitus, which has no proving and for which no clinical data is included. Yet, where little homeopathic material is available, Thakkar makes helpful suggestions for differential analysis through comparison with other snakes.

Anchored by Lachesis muta, about which we know a great deal, these fourteen chapters detail the individualizing characteristics of the snakes through biological data and cases from Thakkar's practice. The cases, presented in the patient's first-person narrative, vary by age and sex and provide the link between information about the snakes and the specifics of a homeopathic prescription.

Thakkar's decision to include cases exclusively from her own practice paradoxically both limits and enhances the book's appeal. Where she has no cases to provide for some of the lesser known snakes, I found myself wishing for cases from other experienced homeopaths, to increase the book's "one-stop" use as a clinical reference. Yet," by grounding the book in her direct experience, the book has a consistency that is not muddied by the many methods of case-taking and analysis that are used by different homeopaths. Acknowledging these gaps, Thakkar invites the community to share cases with her. Perhaps we will see a follow-up book in years to come that builds on this invitation.

The shortest section in the book, Section III, contains Thakkar's attention-grabbing inquiry into the nature of diseases among snakes. She recounts the story of a snake breeder who lost 40 snakes to a deadly virus after the snakes succumbed to pneumonia (confirmed by autopsy). Before dying, the snakes had rapid weight loss and became dehydrated. At the same time it was noted that, before dying, the snakes became edgy, aggressive, and moved around quickly within their enclosures. Having observed similar symptoms in some people with upper respiratory illnesses, for which Arsenicum album, Belladonna, and Phosphorus have been curative, Thakkar suggests a clinical relationship between these three remedies and some of the snake remedies, carefully mapping the areas of overlap and difference for the prescriber.

In case your ability to retain one hundred percent of what you read is compromised, as mine is, there is a valuable appendix with charts that compare and contrast much of the information found in greater detail in the book's pages. This is a useful reference in itself, and is not duplicated in any text I know of.

This book is a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in homeopathy. It will expand students' knowledge and help practitioners in the nitty gritty of differential prescribing. Chock full of information, it is also a personal testament to one practitioner's love of homeopathy and her wish to enhance knowledge and dispel prejudice about the snake family of remedies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Diana Gubbay, CCH, has a busy family practice as a Classical Homeopath in New York City. She is also on the faculty of The School of Homeopathy New York where she has been a core teacher and clinical supervisor for several years.