Something new in homeopathy

Homeopathic remedies are made from an intriguing collection of plants, herbs, minerals and animal parts all used in the name of restoring health and harmony. Monkshood, snake venom and sulphur are all remedies that have been in use for 200 years. Modern additions to the list of remedies include coca-cola, scorpion and bamboo. The list has been growing in number each year since the inception of homeopathy and currently there are about 3,000 of these homeopathic remedies. Today, research on each new remedy can take up to three years to complete. Needless to say there are ripples of excitement in the homeopathic world when a new and very useful remedy is unfolded.

In Germany, Bernd Schuster completed research on bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea) as a homeopathic remedy in 1994. The research has since been applauded as one of the most complete, readily applicable, and important pieces of work in modern homeopathy. Bernd and his colleagues had the idea to work on bamboo after becoming captivated by the nature of bamboo. After noting the similarity of the shape of the stem of bamboo to the spinal column, they surmised that bamboo as a remedy would surely be helpful for the pathologically altered or stiffened spine, an intuition which later proved correct.

The nature of bamboo

The nature of bamboo is beguiling. It is actually a species of grass but grows like a tree. It is hollow inside but is very strong. In Asian countries bamboo is a part of daily life, used for water pipes to irrigate, building material, scaffolding, food, raw material for paper and receptacles for food and drink. In Australia some regard it as something of a symbol of eastern mysticism. We feel it implies a meditative quality and music played on a bamboo flute can allow you to enter a trance. The beauty of the drooping bamboo leaves is portrayed in countless Japanese ink paintings and the eerie grace of giant bamboo stands in various movies. This beauty makes it easy to forget that fast growing bamboo was used for torture and that some species of spreading bamboo are regarded as pests. It is known as the fastest growing plant on earth with one species able to grow an incredible 47 inches in a single day.

In China people identify bamboo as a symbol of desirable personality characteristics – it stands for elasticity, endurance and perseverance. The stem bends and does not break. In a storm the tall branches may bend so much that they seem almost to touch the ground. The leaves are moved by the wind but don’t easily fall. Bamboo yields to the storm and survives.

Bamboo as a medicine

One part of Bernd’s research was to unearth the traditional uses of bamboo as a medicine. Bernd and his team learned that just as bamboo has many uses in daily life, it also has many uses in folk medicine. In folk medicine the leaves have been used for blood diseases and inflammation.

“Tabashir,” which can be found as a hardened material inside bamboo, has been used for tuberculosis, asthma and leprosy. In Chinese diet therapy a soup of bamboo shoots and carp is used to treat measles. The tips of the branches have been used in India for uterine disorders. The shoots are said to be an appetite stimulant and aid digestion. The root has been used for ringworm. The juice from the flowers has been used for ear ache and deafness.

Some modern studies have been done on bamboo which confirm its anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour effects and its action on the uterus. There had however, been no systematic research on its therapeutic benefits and the team felt compelled to convert bamboo into a homeopathic medicine and do more extensive research.

The homeopathic research

The homeopathic research method is called a ‘proving’. Provings include a detailed listing of the many mental, emotional and physical symptoms that can be treated by the medicine. The homeopathic proving of Bambusa found the plant to be capable of treating emotional problems of a very specific nature as well as many of the physical problems which it had already acquired a reputation for in traditional use.

The research showed that bamboo is useful emotionally for post-natal depression accompanied by irritability and impatience. The remedy can be needed when a mother makes statements such as, “I feel as if my emotional foundations are lacking. I feel deserted and no one asks if they can help me. I would like to run away and I can easily cry over trivial things. I am anxious about what’s in store for me over the next few years. There’s a huge mountain to overcome. I find too much closeness in a relationship to be suffocating. I need more support. I can’t handle my child and I have no desire to get out of bed.”

The research showed that there were two important themes for someone needing the remedy. Firstly is when the mother does not feel emotionally supported. Physically there was a need for support in the back with pain, sciatica, stiffness and changes to the spine along with a tendency to lean against things and to prop up the head.

Secondly, Bambusa is of great use when emotional problems are compounded by hormonal problems. It has been shown to help with symptoms such as swelling of the breasts before menses accompanying depression. The other homeopathic remedies which it may resemble are Cimicifuga and Sepia and should be carefully differentiated from them before being prescribed.

Case studies

Since the research has been completed there are hundreds of reported cases which confirm clinically that the remedy has a powerful action. It appears to be especially useful in the postnatal period if depression is associated with back pain, torticollis, sciatica, arthritis, stiffness and problems associated with the return of menses after childbirth.

Some cases from Bernd Schuster are related below:

• Karen (a 29 year old mother) could not look after her 12 week old baby because of severe headaches. The baby was delivered by caesarian and her headaches started shortly afterwards. Initially the pain was only when shaking her head or cleaning her teeth, but by the time the baby was three weeks old she could only lie down. She could not bear the sound of her child crying. It did her good to lie down or support her head which was necessary because of a feeling of heaviness or enlargement of her head. She menstruated immediately after child birth and everything got on her nerves. She said that she “wishes her little boy would get lost”. Then she laughed and said she didn’t mean it and then cried and said, “I feel guilty enough about not looking after him properly”. After being given Bambusa the head and neck pain did not return and her mood markedly improved.
• Lisa (a 35 year old new mother) reported that “the stress with the birth completely changed me, it was difficult, I am nervous and weak, breastfeeding makes me feel weaker, while nursing I have a terrible feeling, my mood is the same as when my mother died, I always weep when I am nursing, I feel empty, miserable, depressed, drained of all my energy.” She was completely stressed and almost felt persecuted by her crying baby. She lay in bed all day. She was afraid to be solely responsible for the child. “I imagined the relationship with the child to be more close, but I need someone to help me, I need more support.” After being given the remedy Bambusa, Lisa is more at ease with the baby, the weakness, emptiness and depression have gone and did not return and she has more energy. She finds it easier to tell friends how she really feels and to say “Yes” when they make suggestions of help.
• Judy (38 year old mother of two) suffered from headaches, backaches, sciatica, and feeling stiff in the morning, all of which was worse for three days before her period. She had been diagnosed with post-natal depression in the past. She said these days she would describe it as “feeling down”. “My children are not babies anymore, but still everything to do with them depends very much on me, my husband is never there, my parents have now moved here, they are always wanting something. And I have to do a lot of jobs physically which women don’t usually do. They all come to me when they want something but no-one ever asks if they can help me. It bothers me for the future – if I get ill, no-one will be there for me.” She has had other homeopathic remedies and chiropractic which both worked well but it was not until she was given Bambusa that her mood improved profoundly, she changed the dynamics in her relationships and her pain and stiffness have not returned.

It appears that Bambusa is usually needed straight after birth. It is a time of high demands on the mother and the whole family. The family situation is turned upside down, accompanied by sleep deprivation, being always on call, breastfeeding and worry about the child’s wellbeing. The mother often feels stressed, strained, tortured, overwhelmed and underhelped. She feels trapped with her roots firmly in the ground, she stiffens up, she can only yield to the demands made of her and her energy goes into surviving. The resulting ineffectual search for help and support is the central idea of Bamboo on the emotional level. The bamboo plant is often used as a foundation, providing structure and stability. Bamboo is hard, tough, indestructible, giving protection against typhoons and can help to support and stabilize the new mother. The remedy will work most effectively when support is encouraged from husbands, friends, chiropractic, counsellors and support groups. This is especially true since a major part of the action of the remedy is to allow the woman to finally ask for help, to take time out or more importantly to accept help when it is offered.

It is in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (described as ‘bamboo spine’) that Bernd feels there is promise and would like to see more research in the area. In the meantime Bernd says “with almost clinical certainty, Bambusa relieves a stiff neck” so it should certainly be considered the leading homeopathic remedy for postnatal depression when it is accompanied by a stiff neck, back pain or sciatica.

Bambusa is one of many remedies available in homeopathy to help certain kinds of depression. If you feel you would like to discuss it further please contact a homeopath in your area by phoning the Australian Homeopathic Association in your state or visiting www.homeopathyoz.org