The Best Way to Learn Thuja: Learn A Drug Challenge

Books Referred: Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, Dr. J.T.Kent
                Lectures on Clinical Materia Medica, E. A. Farrington
                The Essence of Materia Medica, George Vithoulkas
                Allen's Keynotes

 I whole-heartedly agree with Dr. Vithoulkas when he says, "The symptamatology in Thuja is usually UNCLEAR. You feel there is something there which you cannot quite grasp. Consequently, it is rare that you feel fully confident of a thuja prescription. The full image is never clear because the patient never opens up enough." Modern repertorisation software makes the selection of a drug less difficult. But the knowledge of the physician is tested when he has to make the final decision, the selection of the similimum, that which alters the health of the patient and aids him in speedy recovery.


The Books

Kent is definitely the master blaster. The symptoms and the remedy relations are explained in detail. The hints and practical tips were not noticed by me in earlier readings (I am not an avid Kentian). His description will surely imprint the picture of the drug, in its entirety, in your mind. Remedy relations too are note worthy. Reading the book more than once is recommended. Not to worry, this is not a lengthy lecture, take care to read it word to word. Farrington has nothing much more to add. If you have read Kent you can as well skip this book. Farrington does give the differentiation between few drugs in a general way and between particular symptoms too. You might as well skip the introduction and jump to the comparison to add to your repertoire. Vithoulkas' Essence of Materia Medica gives an insight into the mind of the drug. The mind how it evolves is particularly interesting. The keynotes are mentioned in brief. He does state that the symptomatology in Thuja is unclear. Do include The Essence of Materia Medica in your study of Thuja. Allen's keynotes are a staple in the study of materia medica. Thus for Thuja too, the study is incomplete without including keynotes.

The symptoms

A drug review is not complete without pin pointing the symptoms of the drug. Kent portrays Thuja as a weakly, sick looking individual with a waxy appearance. Vithoulkas uses the words ugly and Deceipt in describing a Thuja patient. Reserved cautious individuals who are manipulative and discontented. You can't study Thuja without studying its warts. They are soft, burning, itching and bleeding easily. Thuja patients are prone to all kinds of tumours.  It is very interesting the way Vithoulkas describes these tumours. He says Thuja are hard people. The hardness in their emotional expression manifest even on the physical level- as hard tumours.  Thuja affects the glands too. Besides the uterine tumours, growth in the cervix etc. Thuja females have ovarian troubles. Kent adds where the ovaries have been affected for some time there will be mental symptoms, a most violent irritability, jealousy, quarrelsomeness, ugliness. The fixed ideas of Thuja are well known, so are the headaches, described in most of the books as a nail driven through the head. Kent while describing the fixed ideas speaks of the person saying, his legs are made of glass. Vithoulkas says, patient usually describe a sensation of fragility, as if their legs are easily breakable. We have studied Thuja to be of great use in bad effects of vaccination. However, Vithoulkas says this applies only to small pox vaccination; "A person who is susceptible to small pox vaccination, is also likely to be sensitive to Thuja." Thuja patients are full of catarrh. The study of Thuja in asthma needs consideration. In those cases where Arsenic seems indicated but doesn't cure, Thuja or Natrum Sulph will take up the work and cure. The classic bung hole diarrhea of Thuja is well known. The sweat on the uncovered parts and the honey like odour of the sweat of the genitals, likewise is what we read often. Thuja is indicated in gonorrhea and urethritis. These patients also suffer from neuralgia.

The relationship

Thuja leads all the remedies for suppressed warts. When warts have been suppressed we get symptoms of Nitric Acid, Thuja, Mercurius and Staphysagria. For herpetic erruptions everywhere, consider Thuja, Rhus Tox, Graph, Kali Hydr and Mezereum.For the famous Thuja headaches, the closely running remedies are Ignatia and Anacardium. For the ovarian pain, differentiate Thuja from Lachesis and Zinc, both of which finds releif from the flow. In Thuja it is otherwise. Differentiate between Thuja, kali Bich and Puls in ozaena. The condylomata of Thuja patients needs to be compared with Sabina, Euphrasia and Cinnabaris. Allen's keynotes mentions Med, Sab and Sil as complementary to Thuja. Farrington says, the complement of Thuja in sycotic troubles is Natrum Sulph.

The Experience

Reading, reading and reading again makes certain symptoms or words stand out amongst the others. I am humbled by my efforts to learn Thuja, there is yet so much more for me to learn. There are yet more details left out. The effort has reduced the chaos and given them an order. There are much much more for me to learn to become an expert in recogonising Thuja. Well, I must mention that the description of Thua as the dissatisfied, calculating individuals striked me as resembling the villianous characters portrayed in Television soap series.