Proposal for scientific interpretation of the therapeutic indications of homeopathic remedies, and of their mechanism of action.

The study of the pharmacological activity of the active ingredients, present in the extracts of some toxic plants, explains the therapeutic indications of the corresponding homeopathic remedies and their mechanism of action.

Take for example the plant Laburnum anagyroides. Botanical name is Cytisus Laburnum. Small tree of the Leguminosae Family. The most active active ingredient is cytisine, a quinolizidine alkaloid, which has a very similar action to nicotine (Mitchell RG 1951). EFSA, 2009, and Bruneton, 2002, report the presence of cytisine in all parts of the plant. The seeds of the plant contain the largest amount, up to 1.4% (Antoniuk VA 1982). According to the German homeopathic Pharmacopoeia, the Homeopathic Mother Tincture is prepared with equal parts of flowers and fresh leaves.

Toxicological activity of cytisine: causes vomiting, restlessness, depression. In Literature it is possible to find numerous works that report cases of intoxication caused by the ingestion of its seeds, especially by children. The toxicological picture consists of vomit and restlessness, and less frequently abdominal pain and convulsions (Forrester RM 1979). In case of massive ingestion of its fruits, you can get to death by respiratory paralysis (Bruneton 2002). Vomiting and abdominal pain are caused by gastric contractions accompanied by simultaneous relaxation of the gastric sphincter. Two events that appear following stimulation of nicotinic receptors at the gastrointestinal level.

Let's now look at the toxicological symptoms of restlessness and convulsions. Cytisine acts by stimulating, at the cerebral level, the alpha-7 subunits of nicotinic receptors (Leonard S 2001), whose excessive stimulation leads to the appearance of mental excitement up to convulsions (Stitzel JA 2000, Eger EI 2002). Symptom of psychic depression may appear next to the toxicological symptom of disquietude. We know that in small quantities nicotine has an exciting action (Slotkin TA 2006) because it causes release of serotonin through the action of acetylcholine (Quattrocki E 2000, Kornum BR 2006). However, excessive stimulation of nicotine receptors caused by nicotine leads to psychic depression (Picciotto MR 2002, Zhang H 2004) which is determined by massive release of dopamine (Bertrand D 2005) through the action of acetylcholine (Partridge JG 2002).

Homeopathic therapeutic indication: vomiting accompanied by restlessness and / or psychic depression (Boericke). These symptoms correspond to the toxicological framework of the seeds of the plant, which causes vomiting and after an initial phase of excitement leads to psychophysical prostration and psychic depression.

Mode of action of the homeopathic remedy: it is obviously classically homeopathic. The homeopathic remedy is used for the purpose of countering (according to the inversion law of the effect) a vomit accompanied by restlessness and / or psychic depression which is similar to that caused by the Laburnum plant, which determines the symptoms described above by cytisine, which stimulates nicotinic receptors. So if the extract of the plant Cytisus Laburnum causes vomiting accompanied by restlessness and / or psychic depression by stimulating the nicotinic receptors, therefore the corresponding homeopathic remedy (according to inversion law of the effect) improves a vomiting accompanied by restlessness and / or psychic depression by blocking nicotinic receptors.

Another example is another plant: Veratrum album. It is the European Hellebore. A Liliacea. EFSA, 2012 states that all parts of the Veratrum plant contain veratrinic alkaloids such as veratridine. The German Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia reports that the fresh roots with which TM is prepared contain no less than 0.15% and no more than 0.33%. Toxicological pharmacological activity: the veratrinic alkaloids cause an opening of the sodium channels with consequent entry of calcium into the nerve cell (determining its persistent activation). More precisely, they act by increasing the permeability of the rapid sodium channel at the level of the cell membranes with consequent entry of calcium which causes an increased nervous excitability (Bruneton J 2002). The picture of intoxication caused by this plant is well known (Rauber-Lüthy C 2010). The intestinal picture present in the Veratrum album intoxication characterized by diarrhea is due to the massive release of acetylcholine determined by veratridine (Katsuragi T 1992, Duarte-Araújo M 1994). According to some authors, the release of acetylcholine stimulates the intestinal release of the peptide called VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide) (Kimura H 2004) which has a diarrheal function. We see the cardiovascular picture caused by veratridine: the vagal fibers affecting the coronary sinus and the left ventricle are stimulated, with consequent bradycardia and severe hypotension.

Homeopathic use: the homeopathic remedy Veratrum album is used for serious hypotensive seizures (with prostration, intense sweat and cold sensation) or is used in cases of intense and repeated diarrhea that lead to hypovolemic hypotension.

Mode of action of the homeopathic remedy: from the above it is clear that the homeopathic remedy Veratrum album works in a classically-homeopathic way, according to the principle of inversion of the effect. In practice, the homeopathic remedy is used with the purpose of countering (according to the law of reversal of the effect) hypotensive crises and diarrhea similar to those caused by the Veratrum plant, which, due to veratridine, determines hypersympaticotonia opening excessively the channels of sodium. So the homeopathic remedy works by blocking the opening of the sodium channels.

Is it possible to give a scientific explanation to this inversion of the effect of a substance when its concentration is changed? Veratridine was tested in vitro on deferent vessel muscle cells from experimental animals. We have seen that, depending on the concentration to which it is used, causes contraction, or, on the contrary, inhibition of muscle cells. It has been widely established for some time that veratridine acts on tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channels (TTX) called I (Na). The interesting thing, recently testified, is that the veratridine applied on the above described muscle cells in low concentration (1-10 μM) stimulates the channels I (Na) (causing contraction of the muscle cells) while at higher concentrations (≥30 μM) it inhibits. The explanation is that depending on the concentration used, the veratridine acts on two different I (Na) channels called Na (V) 1.6, ie it intervenes on the Na (V) 1.6 (- / -) channels or on the Na (V) 1.6 channels. (+ / +) (Zhu HL, 2009). This example demonstrates that the body responds in a completely opposite way depending on the intensity of the stimulus to which it is subjected.

This is my proposal for the scientific interpretation of the therapeutic indications of homeopathic remedies, and their mechanism of action, which is contained in the forthcoming book by the Edra Editor of Milan. A completely "logical" proposal that can open up scientific scenarios to the Hahnemann Doctrine, which unfortunately remained blocked two hundred years ago, thus causing rejection by the Health Institutions.

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