Therapeutic possibilities of coriaria myrtifolia L. in high dilutions

Abstract

Background: Homeopathy literature shows references about Coriaria myrtifolia L. at some important Homeopathic Materia Medica: Allen,TF [1], Voisin H [2] and Vijnovsky B [3]. Those reports are unsatisfactory to fulfill a contemporary standardized study basis on: origin and description, preparation, medicine general action, sensations and modalities; demanding a broader investigation.
 
 Aims: Identify therapeutic possibilities on Coriaria myrtifolia L. from ratifying and broadening the homeopathic materia medica knowledge.
 
 Methodology: Literature review on botanical, biochemical and pharmacological data [4-12]. The use of plant in various fields since XVIII century and analyzes of clinical-toxicological reports described in medical reviews published.
 
 Results: Coriaria myrtifolia L. is a toxic shrub, growing wild in western Mediterranean region. The entire plant contains a sesquiterpene-lactone called coriamyrtin, a potent convulsivant neurotoxin. Clinical manifestations of acute intoxication includes: Central Nervous System – generalized tonic-clonic seizures, recurrent, which may evolve to status epilepticus, coma, apnea and death. Respiratory Tract – respiratory depression due to anoxia, respiratory arrhythmia alternating with apnea, respiratory muscles tetanization evolving to respiratory arrest. Cardiovascular System – central excitatory action which may initially promote increased blood pressure followed by heart failure, as a result of the seizures, due to anoxia and acidosis, leading to cardiac arrest. Gastrointestinal Tract – nausea, vomiting and stomach pains that precede seizures; since there is no evidence of toxin direct action on mucosa, those symptoms may relate to Central Nervous System action (attributed to impairment of cranial nerve VIII). Knowledge of these aspects gave us possibility to build a Coriaria myrtifolia L. materia medica with broader clinical indications.
 
 Conclusion: Coriaria myrtifolia L. is a valuable source to be used in high dilutions as medicine indicated for epileptic syndromes treatment, characterized by tonic-clonic seizures, mainly presenting a malignant tendency, with recurrent seizures, which may evolve to status epilepticus and potential mortality risk. Among the clinical indications proposed stand out etiologies of great incidence at emergency rooms such as metabolic or vascular primary disorders, or resulting from systemic diseases (diabetes, hepatopathy, nephropathy), encephalitis and meningitis with or without Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, withdrawal syndrome from alcohol or drugs, exogenous poisoning, poisoning or overdose of alcohol or drugs, traumatic brain injury and intracranial expanding lesions.