Doctrine Of Signatures Research Articles

Relationship of remedies -A Homoeopathic Study

Introduction: The subject of the relationship of remedies is one of the most fascinating in homoeopathy and many aspects of it have not been developed in the literature. Long before Hahnemann, Paracelsus wrote much on the doctrine of signatures and the old herbalists determined the uses of their remedies partly from those suggested signs. A vast amount of work on the relationship of remedies to each other, rather than to symptoms, has been done by various stalwarts like Boenninghausen, Hering, Clarke, Gibson Miller, Kent, Guernsey, and Lippe. Most of this work has been done after considering one main line that of Complementary remedies, in other words those remedies which carry on or complete most successfully the action of other given remedies. Need of Remedy Relationship: Materia Medica is a systemic collection of various numbers of symptoms and in order to study relationship of this chaos of Materia Medica it will be necessary to adopt some plan of study. This creates a need to study this topic from different angles. Evolution of The Concept: Boenninghausen was having a master piece mind of a lawyer. He had given more weight age on comparative values of remedies in relation to particular symptom groups, evolved through years of experience. Each remedy had some of the qualities of the attributes of every other remedy to some extent. It would hardly be possible to select two remedies so different from each other that they would not touch at some point. They were having some symptoms which were common and some were differentiating fetchers. Thus the whole concept of relationship of Remedy in the form of comparative study of Materia Medica was evolved. Conclusion: On the basis of the concept of stalwarts we may conclude that 1. The whole subject of remedy relationship has grown out of clinical experience so there is always some difference of opinion in the practical application of it. 2. In the practical application of this concept Boenninghausen stands supreme as an unfailing guide. 3.The study of Remedy relationship create the internal relationship of the massive data and facts collected in the form of Materia Medica and in this way it has provided an opportunity of study an isolated drug to the level of comparative Materia Medica.

Doctrine of Signatures of Plants in Old-Anatolian Turkish Texts

Bu çalışmada, bitkiler (Regnum: Plantae) özelinde 13. ve 15. yüzyıllar arasında Anadolu’da Türkçe yazınında İşaret Teorisi’nin yansımalarını göstermeye çalışacağız. İşaret Teorisi basitçe, (çalışmamız özelinde) bitkilerin bir parçası ya da tamamının insanın bir organına benzemesinin, söz konusu bitkinin ilgili organ üzerinde tedavi edici özellikler taşıdığına dair doğal bir kod olduğuna dair bir inanıştır. Bu inanışa göre, bir bitkinin kökleri ya da yaprakları saça benziyorsa, bu bitkinin saçla ilgili rahatsızlıklarda (dökülmesi, kırılması, erken ağarması, geç uzaması, vb.) faydalı olması beklenmektedir. İşaret Teorisi ayrıca, süte benzer bir usaresi olan bitkinin süt salgısını arttırdığı, bitkinin bir parçasının muayyen bir hayvanın organına benzemesi halinde o hayvandan gelecek zararlara karşı etkili olduğu, nemli bölgelerde yetişen bitkilerin rutubet kaynaklı hastalıklara iyi geleceği, vb. gibi geniş bir algı çerçevesine sahiptir. Benzeri, benzer özellikleri olması nedeniyle tedavi eden benzer’e, örneğin kokusu ile benzeyen başka bir bitki de zaman zaman benzer’in ikamesi olarak kullanılmıştır ve bu kullanım da teorinin kapsamı içinde değerlendirilmelidir. Bu anlayışa dair görüşlere Hint, Çin, Yunan ve Roma uygarlıklarının yazınlarında rastlanmaktadır. Bu görüş daha sonra mezkûr uygarlıkların metinlerinin Süryanice, Farsça, Arapça ve Türkçeye tercüme edilmeleri ile İslâm uygarlığında da karşılık bulmuştur.

Cultural significance of locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets in sub-Saharan Africa

BackgroundIn sub-Saharan Africa, there is a wealth of information about insects which is often only orally available. The purpose of the study was to remedy this shortcoming and make an overview of how orthopteran species are utilised, perceived and experienced in daily life across sub-Saharan Africa.MethodEthno-entomological information on Orthoptera in sub-Saharan Africa was collected by (1) interviews with more than 300 people from about 120 ethnic groups in 27 countries in the region; (2) library studies in Africa, London, Paris and Leiden; and (3) using web search engines.ResultsMore than 126 species of crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts have been identified as edible in sub-Saharan Africa. Some toxic species, such as Zonocerus spp., are eaten by some groups who use processing and detoxifying techniques. The katydid Ruspolia differens is very popular as food in central and eastern Africa and is captured by indigenous and commercial methods. Vernacular names refer to their morphology, behaviour, characteristics or the beliefs associated with the insect. The aposematic pyrgomorphid species, such as Zonocerus spp., are often used as medicine. Children play with grasshoppers, by for instance herding them like cattle, and they consider cricket-hunting for food as a game. The doctrine of signatures probably plays a role, as crickets, because of their chirping, are used to improve the sound of a music instrument, or as medicine to treat earache. Locust plagues are considered a punishment which requires repentance, but also an opportunity to acquire food. Proverbs and stories relate to using the orthopterans as food or to the underground lives of the crickets. Possible explanations are given as to why so many practices, beliefs and stories about orthopterans are so widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. The relevance of recording such ethno-entomological practices is discussed.ConclusionGrasshoppers, locusts and crickets, although they may be agricultural pests, are very popular as food. They are also used in medicine, and as toys, and they play a role in religion, art and literature.

Medicinal plants of Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines: Traditional knowledge and use amongst healers and locals

Health care quality and services can be significantly improved through the involvement of grassroots communities. In the Philippines, herbal medicines have been integrated into mainstream clinical practice to improve the healthcare system. However, knowledge of ethnopharmacology in the country is still limited, especially in rural areas like Aurora in Zamboanga del Sur— a municipality with a long history of herbal medicine usage. This study aims to document folk healing practices, utilization, and knowledge of medicinal plants and to quantitatively evaluate ethnopharmacological data from the area. This study documented 165 ethnomedicinal plant species from 64 families, categorized into 16 use categories. We found differences in medicinal plant knowledge based on age, social status, and occupation but not gender. Ethnopharmacological utilization of plants among informants was in strong agreement, with the highest number of species (71) used to treat digestive problems. Several interesting features of local folk medicine were noted, including tuga (healing power bestowed by gods and spirits) and himulso (pulse analysis). Concepts of people–plant interactions and the doctrine of signatures were also observed. Several plant species identified in this study remain understudied; thus, our documentation provides a starting point for the discovery of novel bioactive compounds while promoting pharmacovigilance. This study will also serve as a reference for establishing better management and conservation strategies of floral resources and culture in the area.

Paracelsus, His Herbarius, and the Relevance of Medicinal Herbs in His Medical Thought

Abstract This article aims at reassessing the significance of Paracelsus’ Herbarius, a work deemed a loose collection of field notes and juvenilia by Karl Sudhoff, Paracelsus’ most famous editor and scholar. By comparing it to Von den natürlichen Dingen, another treatise that overlaps extensively with the Herbarius (four of the six Gewechse discussed in the Herbarius are also dealt with in Von den natürlichen Dingen), the article suggests that both texts, although unfinished, must be read as well-crafted treatises rather than mere drafts. It also examines two hypotheses concerning the relationship between the two treatises: the Herbarius will alternatively be read as a simplified version of Von den natürlichen Dingen, written concomitantly in order to be understandable by the “common man” (gemeine Mann); and as its preliminary version, further elaborated upon by Paracelsus several years after he wrote the Herbarius. By tracing the early reception of the Herbarius, the article attempts to understand its relationship to the several writings that were deemed by the followers of Paracelsus to be part of a supposedly larger Paracelsian herbal centered on the doctrine of signatures: to them, the Herbarius was undoubtedly a mere excerpt of Paracelsus’ Herbarius spiritualis sidereus, a concept investigated here.

The Doctrine of Signatures in Israel-Revision and Spatiotemporal Patterns.

The present survey includes forty-three plant species with present-day medicinal applications that can be related to the Doctrine of Signatures (DoS). The main uses are for jaundice (33.3%), kidney stones (20%), and as an aphrodisiac (8%). Ten Doctrine of Signature uses (22.2%) are endemic (to Israel and Jordan); while none of these plant species are endemic to the region at all, their DoS uses are endemic. Summing up of all these data reveals that 73.2% of all uses found in present-day Israel could be considered as related to Muslim traditional medicine. About one quarter (24.4%) of the DoS uses are also common to Europe, and some (8.8%) to India. The two adventive species with DoS uses serve as evidence that the DoS practice is not necessarily based solely on its historical background but is still evolving locally in accordance with changes in the local flora. The current broad geographic distribution of many of the doctrine’s uses may serve as indirect evidence of its current prevalence, and not just as a vestigial presentation of ancient beliefs.

Evolution of the Doctrine of Signatures of Things and the Adamic Language in the Chemical Philosophy of the 16th and 17th Centuries

The aim of the paper is to investigate paths along which a transformation of the doctrine of natural signs was developed in works by Paracelsians, forming one of the main religious and philosophic currents of Late Renaissance. The modifications of the doctrine are discussed in a context of intensive speculations on the essence of the primordial language of humankind and on the possibility of its restoration, which can describe the intellectual life of that epoch. It is argued that within “chemical philosophy” the possibility of restoration of the Adamic language directly depends on mastering the art of interpreting natural signs (signatura rerum), which can give a key to correct understanding of nature. And shifts in the conceptualization of such signatures involved transformations in formulating and solving of the Adamistic problems, which did not exclude reverse causation. It is also ascertained that the most orthodox followers of Paracelsus usually appealed to the Adamistic narrative in order to reinforce legitimacy of the symbolic hermeneutics of nature, developed with chiefly medico-pharmacological purposes. Meanwhile, relatively more independent Paracelsians often paid more attention to linguo-philosophic issues. Realizing the deficiency of the doctrine of signatures for reconstruction of the primordial language, they postulated the necessity of one (or two) of the following premises: (a) supplementing the doctrine with a mystical illumination; (b) acceptance of a weaker version, according to which natural signs are just sparse reference points slightly simplifying empirical study of nature; (c) abandonment of search for the Ursprache and constructing its artificial substitute, a universal semiotic system.

Paracelsus’ Medicine – an Effective Holistic Approach to Contemporary Health and Ecological Issues

Paracelsus (1493 – 1541) is mainly known as an alchemist and a “miracle doctor”, the first who challenged the dogma which prevailed in western medicine for around 1300 years. In his comprehensive treaties he included the science about studying the effects of the movement of celestial bodies on nature and humans, as well as astute observations of various life forms. The doctrine of signatures is an associative, artistic method reflecting similitude in aspect, habitat and organoleptic characteristics of the substance and the symptoms addressed. He was also the first to introduce the concept of dose in medical treatment. Paracelsus’ description of pathophysiological processes and their address through something similar to them, not antagonistic methods, was innovative and reflect approaches in other traditional medicine systems.

The Plant Cynomorium in Maltese Materia Medica

The search for possible effective local therapeutic agents led to the discovery of a plant that was later known as Fungus Melitensis. This parasitic flowering plant was initially believed to grow only on a small islet off Gozo known variably as General's or Fungus Rock. It is now known to be more widely distributed with a range extending from the Canary Islands to China. First mentioned in 1647 by the Maltese historian Gian Francesco Abela, the plant was later described and illustrated in 1674 by the Palermo botanist Paolo Boccone, while a detailed clinical treatise was prepared in 1689 by the Maltese physician Gio Francesco Bonamico. Based on the principles of the “doctrine of signatures,” the plant was considered useful by virtue of its color in conditions involving bleeding, while on the basis of the phallic appearance, it was considered efficacious for venereal disease. The medicinal properties of the plant became renowned throughout the European continent, increasing the demand for its collection and export. Measures were introduced to limit the collection to authorized individuals while physical access to the islet was made more difficult by cutting away the sloping parts of the islet. The plant lost its medicinal reputation during the early decades of the 19th century and has now been relegated to the annals of medical history and folklore, though it is still designated a protected species.

Plant listening: How North American herbalists learn to pay attention to plants

What kinds of relationships enable plants to become medicines? Can humans communicate with plants – and if so, how? In this article, the author engages with Western herbalists in the rural northeast of the United States as they transmit knowledge about medicinal plants. She focuses on herbalist teachings which use ‘the doctrine of signatures’ as a framework for the learning process of attuning bodily attention to plants. Herbalist modes of learning how to attend to, and thereby enable, communicative relationships of different sorts with plants have implications for the ways that humans understand the interconnectedness between human life and other kinds of life. Cross‐disciplinary multispecies studies may learn from herbalist practices as well, opening up a more vibrant set of possibilities for thinking about the connection, communication and relationship between humans and other‐than‐humans. The broader context of this cross‐species attention lies in the question of how humans and other beings can learn to attend to one another and mutually thrive in a time of environmental disruption.

English

The knowledge and application of the notion of “doctrine of signatures or correspondences” was evaluated among the Ikale and Ilaje people of Ondo State, Southwestern Nigeria. Information was solicited by administering questionnaires to one hundred and five (105) informants. Periodic field observations were also made. The research yielded 60 plants belonging to 37 families. The plants have characteristics such as colour, taste, habit, structure, and appellation which are suggestive of their trado-medical uses. Azadirachtha indica, Petivera alliaceae, Vernonia amygdalina, and Morinda lucida commonly known as “bitters” are used as antimalarial plants. Due to the shape of their fruits/tubers, Kigelia africana and Ipomoea batatas formed part of recipes used in the treatment of breast disorders while others such as Carica papaya and Alstonia boonei are useful as botanical galactogogues. Plants used for magical preparations are also documented. This study confirms the application of the doctrine in plant knowledge and uses. This doctrine can be applied in future bio-prospect and drug development. Key words: Traditional medicine, Doctrine of Signatures, ethnobotany, Ondo State, Nigeria.

Ulysses and the Signature of Things

James Joyce’s depiction of autographic signatures resembles the “doctrine of signatures”—a pre-modern system of correspondence between medicinal plants and parts of the body. Certain aspects of this episteme reappear in the late nineteenth century. This recurrence is due, in large part, to developments in the technology of writing that threaten what Friedrich Kittler calls the “surrogate sensuality of handwriting.” Reading the “Nausicaa” episode of Ulysses against fin-de-siècle ideas about graphology, I argue that signature offers a unique perspective on Joyce’s taxonomic representation, which questions the boundaries between a body of text and (non)human bodies.

Doctrine of Signatures Mystic Heritage or Outdated Relict from MiddleAged Phytotherapy?

Doctrine of Signatures Mystic Heritage or Outdated Relict from MiddleAged Phytotherapy?

THE DOCTRINE OF SIGNATURES: A WARFARE BETWEEN MYTH AND REALITY

ABSTRACT:The plants and animals, from the very beginning of their existence, are being studied by two widely distinct standpoints viz., (i) the philosophical and (ii) the utilitarian. The plants especially from the latter standpoint were/are studied as a source of medicine and agriculture. The science of medicine was/is based on ‘cause and effects’, apart from certain other theories and philosophies. One such philosophy is ‘the doctrine of signatures’. However, it has been criticized since its beginning. The present communication is the result of analysis of the knowledge of ancients and author’s own observations. It is aimed at inviting attention of intellectuals to revive and point out relevance in its totality.The paper sheds light on history and development of this doctrine, contributions of pioneers, types of signature, background of planetary influence, comparison of signatures from ethnomedicine to modern medicine, echo of doctrine of signatures on common plant names in various human societies, various views of proponents and opponents of the doctrine, etc. It is concluded that the drug sources based on the doctrine alongwith verification on scientific lines is a better way to human welfare.KEY WORDS: Doctrine of signatures, History, Myth, Reality.

Aphrodisiacs, Fertility and Medicine in Early Modern England by Jennifer Evans (review)

Reviewed by: Aphrodisiacs, Fertility and Medicine in Early Modern England by Jennifer Evans Jane Bitomsky Evans, Jennifer, Aphrodisiacs, Fertility and Medicine in Early Modern England (Royal Historical Society Studies in History), Woodbridge, Boydell, 2014; hardback; pp. 225; 3 b/w illustrations; R.R.P. £50.00; ISBN 9780861933242. Oysters, artichokes, and new-laid eggs: provokers of venery or medicaments for infertility? Jennifer Evans explores the role of aphrodisiacs in early modern England. According to early modern medical and popular understandings, various consumables could both stimulate lust and enhance the generative body. Evans’s study focuses on how the consumption of aphrodisiacs was considered one of the viable treatments for infertility, with others including soft beds and hot baths, from 1550 to 1780. Through the analysis of printed and manuscript sources, the author argues that, though restricted within the sphere of marriage, early modern England had both a knowledge of what constituted ‘provoker[s] of lust’, and a belief that such foods and other substances affected the body’s reproductive processes. Early modern knowledge of the sexual body and generation was disseminated through a diverse range of literary genres, from erotic literature to household recipe collections. The author asserts that an understanding of how views on sexual and reproductive bodies were inextricably intertwined is essential to historicising aphrodisiacs. In a statement alluding to Galen’s two-seed theory of sex and humoral theory, early modern theologian, Isbrand van Diemerbroeck, observed that ‘there is in the Seed of all Creatures, that which renders the Seed fruitful, and is called Heat’ (pp. 56–57). Without an initial sexual desire ‘heating’ the body and thereby stimulating the sexual organs, it was believed that conception would be unsuccessful. While the use of aphrodisiacs did not neatly conform to either Galen’s two-seed or Aristotle’s one-seed theory of reproduction, the practice did highlight the continuity of humoral theory in early modern England. Medical writers in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries believed that a failure to conceive could be largely attributed to a loss of heat, a deprivation of seed, or a loss of sexual pleasure. Evans asserts that aphrodisiacs constituted a clearly delineated category of medications in the early modern period, with one of their key functions being to ameliorate the suspected causes of infertility. Irrespective of whether the cause of infertility was believed to be natural or magical, the ingestion of natural substances, such as aphrodisiacs, was consistently proffered as an effective treatment. Indeed, scepticism as to the reality of witchcraft in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries led to medical writers identifying other causes of infertility, such as anaphrodisiacs, rather than enchanted objects or ligature spells. Curiously, the author also draws a link between aphrodisiacs and emmenagogues, indicating that aphrodisiacs were believed to play a role in improving fertility even outside of the act of sexual intercourse. [End Page 293] Aphrodisiacs were grouped into four main types: hot foods and heating herbs (e.g., rocket, mustard, pepper); nourishing foods and seed provokers (e.g., parsnips, crab, quail); windy meats and flatulent foods (e.g., beans, peas, pine nuts); and sympathetic stimulation and the doctrine of signatures (e.g., satyrion, carrots, acorns). The author observes that many of the grouped aphrodisiacs were thought to have multiple properties, and could fall into more than one of the above classes. It should be noted that windy meats were a contested category, and ultimately discarded upon the late seventeenth-century medical finding that the male erection was driven by a series of blood vessels, as opposed to wind. Ideas about aphrodisiacs in the early modern period were ubiquitous and dynamic. Anatomical discoveries led to shifts in which substances were considered effective. An initial belief in the ability of aphrodisiacs to also prevent miscarriage had faded by the eighteenth century. The author attributes this particular shift to an emerging sense of food and medicine as distinct entities. Similarly, while aphrodisiacs were initially considered to have universal application, by the eighteenth century, they were increasingly becoming gendered. Evans offers an engaging and thorough analysis of the changing role of aphrodisiacs in early modern England. This text presents an integrated view of early modern sexual health practices...

Embodied Resonances: Early Modern Science and Tropologies of Connection in Donne’s Anniversaries

We argue in this essay that the phenomenon of resonance structures the formal and metaphoric coherence of John Donne’s Anniversaries , underpinning the poems’ allusions to magnetism, the doctrine of signatures, atomism, and Paracelsian theory. Linking analogy and metonymy through resonance allows Donne to engage emergent scientific discovery, the epistemological upheaval of the early seventeenth century, and the extra-linguistic dimensions of language. We explore the workings of this concept as a musical, scientific, and passional principle of cosmic cohesion; through his verse Donne seeks to harness resonance as a vital force of magnetic and emotional connection.

The history of ginseng in the management of erectile dysfunction in ancient China (3500-2600 BCE).

Emperor Shen-Nung was the second of China's mythical emperors (3500-2600 BCE). Widely considered the father of Chinese medicine, he catalogued over 365 species of medicinal plants which he personally tasted. Through his treatise ‘Shen Nung Benchau Jing’, we relive Emperor Shen-Nung's contribution to urology with reference to his management of erectile dysfunction. Time-related sources in medical and historical literature were reviewed, including the ‘Shen Nung Benchau Jing’ (The medicine book of Emperor Shen-Nung), archives and manuscripts at the Wellcome History of Medicine Collection, the Royal Society of Medicine, London, The Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences, and The Museum of Medical History, Shanghai, China. Chinese traditional herbal medicine began approximately 5000 years ago. Agricultural clan leader, Emperor Shen-Nung, was said to have a ‘crystal-like belly’ to watch the reactions in his own stomach of the herbs he collected. Ginseng was among of Shen Nung's contributions to herbal medicine. He experienced a warm and sexually pleasurable feeling after chewing the root. He advocated this as a treatment for erectile dysfunction and used it to stimulate sexual appetite. The reputation of ginseng as an aphrodisiac is based on the doctrine of signatures, since the adult root has a phallic shape. Shen-Nung believed that ginseng's resemblance to the human form is proof of its rejuvenative and aphrodisiac properties. It was believed that the closer the similarity to the human figure, the more potent the root. The use of ginseng for erectile dysfunction by Emperor Shen-Nung was unique for its time. It continues to hold parallels as a modern-day herbal aphrodisiac 5000 years on.

“CAM” Education in Medical Schools—A Critical Opportunity Missed

Discussing CAM offers an opportunity to study the development of basic medical science that refuted vitalism, homeopathy, humoral theory, miasma theory, the doctrine of signatures, and other prescientific myths that persist today.

The future is written: Impact of scripts on the cognition, selection, knowledge and transmission of medicinal plant use and its implications for ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology

Apart from empirically learned medicinal and pharmacological properties, the selection of medicinal plants is dependent on cognitive features, ecological factors and cultural history. In literate societies the transmission of medicinal plant knowledge through texts and, more recently, other media containing local as well as non-local knowledge has a more immediate and a more prolonged effect than oral transmission. Therefore, I try to visualize how field based studies in ethnobiology and especially medical ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology run the risk of repeating information and knowledge and illustrate the importance of differentiating and acknowledging the origin, transmission and rationale of plant use made by humans. Reviewing literature dealing with the traditional parameters (e.g. hot/cold dichotomy, organoleptic properties, doctrine of signatures) influencing the selection and transmission of plant use in a juxtaposition to our recent finding of causal influence of text on local plant use. Discussing the passing down of knowledge by text as a special case of oblique/one-to-many knowledge transmission. Historical texts on materia medica, popular books on plant use, clinical studies, and informants of ethnobotanical field studies generate a circle of information and knowledge, which progressively conditions the results of ethnobotanical field studies. While text reporting on phytotherapeutical trends may cause innovation through the introduction of "new" applications to local customs, persistently repeating well established folk remedies leads to the consolidation of such uses adding a conservative dimension to a local pharmacopoeia, which might not actually be there to that extent. Such a "shaping" of what might appear to be the results of a field investigation is clearly outside the ordinary principles of scientific enquiry. The traditional pillars of ethnobotanical field studies - that is, "input to drug discovery" and "conservation of cultural heritage" - are also incompatible with this process. Ethnobotancial field studies aimed at a contribution to natural products research and/or the conservation of cultural heritage, as well as those aimed at an assessment and validation of local pharmacopoeias should differentiate between local plant use and widespread as well as modern knowledge reported in popular textbooks and scientific literature.

Solution to “Doctrine of Signatures” challenge

Solution to “Doctrine of Signatures” challenge