Lycopodium clavatum for the management of urolithiasis: A randomised double blind placebo controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Urolithiasis is the most common disease of urinary tract found worldwide. There are several approaches for the treatment of urolithiasis that include the use of various synthetic and natural drugs and/or surgery in the conventional system of medicine. Objective: This study was taken up to evaluate the efficacy of Lycopodium clavatum in the management of urolithiasis. Materials and Methods: A multicentric, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Patients having symptomatology like Lycopodium clavatum were enrolled after screening and repertorisation as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria. During acute renal colic, despite group allocation, the patients were either prescribed the indicated homoeopathic medicines or conventional medicine. The analysis was carried out with an intention-to-treat approach, and missing values were handled using Last Observation Carry Forward method. Results: There was no statistical significance between the groups (P = 0.31) in reference to the number of cases in which stones expelled during the trial. The mean size of single stone expelled was 9.4 ± 4.9 and 13.9 ± 2.2 in Verum and Placebo groups, respectively (P= 0.12). There was also no significant difference in the mean size of mean size of multiple stones; in Verum group (10.1 ± 5.3) and Placebo group (16.1 ± 9.1) (P = 0.11). For assessment of pain and dysuria, Visual Analogue Scale was used, and a statistically significant difference was found between the groups (P = 0.039) for pain, and positive trend for Homoeopathy was noted for dysuria. A verified symptom syndrome of Lycopodium clavatum has been observed. Conclusion: Future studies with pragmatic study design and individualistic Homoeopathy can be undertaken to assess the effectiveness of treatment in urolithiasis.