Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / Provings are an essential element in the development of the homoeopathic medicine knowledge base and scope of practice. There are many South African indigenous plants and animals that can play a role in homoeopathy but need to be proved first. Several indigenous snake venoms have already been proved as homoeopathic remedies, so the proving of Dendroaspis angusticeps venom expands this particular knowledge base. Aim The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a homoeopathic dose of the venom of the Dendroaspis angusticeps on healthy individuals in order to elicit and document the resulting mental and physical symptomotology, so that it may be prescribed to those that require it based on the Law of Similars. The other aims of this study were to compare the proving symptoms of Dendroaspis angusticeps 30CH to the toxicology of Eastern Green Mamba venom and to analyze the remedy picture in relation to the doctrine of signatures. The thirtieth centesimal potency of the remedy was hypothesised to produce clearly observable signs and symptoms in provers (healthy volunteers). The symptoms obtained from the proving were also compared to the doctrine of signature analysis of Dendroaspis angusticeps to help clarify the nature of this snake and to expand the remedy picture of the substance and facilitate our understanding of the remedy in light of the toxicology of the venom and the doctrine of signatures. vii Methodology The homoeopathic proving of Dendroaspis angusticeps 30CH was carried out as a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial. The proving population consisted of 30 provers. Twenty four of the provers were in the experimental group and they received the potentised snake venom. Six provers were in the control group and they received the placebo. As this was a double blind, placebo-controlled trial, neither the individuals taking part in the study nor the researcher had any knowledge of who received placebo or the active remedy. Provers were also unaware of the substance being proven or the potency in which it was prepared. Results Provers recorded their symptoms in a journal over a period of 5 weeks and were monitored regularly by the researcher. At the completion of the proving period, the researcher collected all the recorded data and each journal was assessed by the researcher to determine the suitability of the recorded symptoms. The symptoms were then translated into the language of the materia medica and the repertory and a remedy picture was formulated. Thereafter a comparison was made to the nature of the snake by means of the doctrine of signatures and the toxicology of the venom as an attempt to broaden the repertoire of our knowledge of the action of the remedy. Provers experienced a wide range of symptoms particularly on the mental and emotional spheres including feelings of powerful assertion and confidence; cheerful and excited energy; spiritual and prayerful feelings; seductive, sensual and extravagant mannerisms; desire to dance and heightened energy; clairvoyant natures and desires to be in nature as well as pronounced irritability, anger and sadness. Other symptoms included desire to be alone and withdrawn feelings; quarrelsome natures; desire to kill; deceitful ways; intolerance to injustice; poor concentration; thoughts of the past; confusion and antagonism of the will and anxious thoughts. Delusions, fears and thoughts of death also manifested in provers. There was a marked polarity of symptoms as: Anger, rage, irritability vs calmness / spirituality; Sadness / depression vs cheerfulness / joy; Poor concentration / forgetful vs mental power / mental clarity; Alone / withdrawn vs desire to be touched, caressed; and Prostration, exhaustion vs energetic. On the physical sphere there were marked symptoms produced in the head area with a wide range of headaches. Eye symptoms were also vast in the inflammation, heaviness and ptosis of the eyes. Throat symptoms manifested as pharyngitis and sore throat. Toxicological symptoms included vertigo, ptosis, pain in different areas, inflammation, vomiting, blurred vision, slurred speech, difficulty breathing and difficult swallowing. Back pain and lower back pain were also key symptoms. Sleep difficulties and sleepiness were experienced by provers. Dream symptoms were the most prevalent in this proving. Dreams were repetitive in provers in the dreams of changing places and being in many places and unfamiliar places. There were marked dreams of sexuality, death, spirituality, friendships, colours, snakes, weddings, fighting and killings and past recollections. Conclusion Dendroaspis angusticeps 30CH thus did produce clearly observable signs and symptoms in healthy volunteers as hypothesised. The correlation of the proving symptoms to the toxicology of the venom and the doctrine of signatures also illustrated the themes of this remedy and aided in development of the remedy picture for this new addition to the knowledge base of indigenous South African substances and their homoeopathic application. / M

Mini-dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2002. / The first objective was to investigate the effect of Sutherlandia frutescens 30CH on healthy provers and to record the signs and symptoms produced, so that it could be prescribed according to the Law of Similars, as required by homoeopathy. The second objective was to analyze the symptoms obtained from this proving according to the doctrine of signatures. It was hypothesized that Sutherlandia frutescens 30CH would produce observable signs and symptoms in healthy volunteers which would correlate to a doctrine of signatures analysis of the plant. A double blind proving of Sutherlandia frutescens 30CH was conducted. 24 provers were selected and randomly divided into two groups, the first consisted of 18 provers who received medicated powders and the second consisted of the remaining six who received placebo. The subjects were unaware of the nature of the substance that they took nor the potency thereof as an added control measure. Provers were examined and kept journals before, during and after administration of the remedy so as to serve as their own control. This information, along with data collected by the researchers from case histories and physical examination, was then assessed on completion of the proving. The researchers then translated the symptoms elicited into Materia Medica and repertory language and formulated a homoeopathic picture of this remedy. Data was analyzed by qualitative methods, as the data was not amenable to standard / M

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Technikon Natal, 2001. / The purpose of this study was to analyse and compare the NMR spectra ofa homoeopathic remedy (in this case Natrum muriaticum was used for its easy solubility and purity), that was prepared in the classical single vial Hahnemannian method, and also the widely used multi-vial Korsakovian method. Comparison was made in terms of the chemical shift (8) and relative integration values of the CH3, CH2, H20, and OH signals. A control was employed for both methods. The only difference between control and test remedies was the actual inclusion ofNatrum muriaticum in the latter, and the same weight of solvent as solute in the former. Comparison was made between both test methods, between test and control, and between the two controls. It was hypothesized that the method of dilution plays an important part in the potentisation process, and thus becomes part of the remedy's information content. The evolution of distinct physicochemical identities was hypothesized to occur specific to each method in ascending potency levels. Differences were therefore also hypothesized to exist between both methods at parallel potency levels in terms of chemical shift and relative integration values. The experiment was conducted as per the limitations of the scientific method. Both methods and their controls of Natrum muriaticum were potentised to the 9C, 30C, and 200C potency levels. They were prepared in 16ml volumes and transported to the NMR spectroscopy laboratory in Pietermaritzburg for analysis. / M

Mini-dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2002. / The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of Sutherlandia frutescens 30CH on healthy provers, and to record the signs and symptoms produced, so that it may be prescribed according to the Law of Similars. A further aim of the investigation was to compare those remedies yielding the highest numerical value and total number of rubrics on repertorisation of the proving symptoms to Sutherlandia frutescens. It was hypothesised that the 30CH potency of Sutherlandia frutescens would produce clearly observable signs and symptoms in healthy provers, and that the comparison of Sutherlandia frutescens to those remedies yielding the highest numerical value and total number of rubrics on repertorisation of the proving symptoms would highlight differences and similarities between the remedy symptoms so that confusion as to indication is erased. It was hypothesised that a fuller understanding of Sutherlandia frutescens and its relationship to other remedies would be gained following this comparison. III A double blind, placebo controlled proving of Sutherlandia frutescens 30CH was conducted on twenty-four healthy volunteers who met the inclusion criteria. Six of the twenty-four provers randomly received placebo, with neither prover nor researcher knowing who was on placebo. Provers had a homoeopathic case history taken and physical examination performed on them before commencement of the proving. The provers recorded their signs and symptoms before, during and after administration of the remedy, by means of a journal. On completion of the proving, the information was correlated and assessed by the four researchers, the symptoms elicited translated into Materia Medica and Repertory language, and a homoeopathic picture of the remedy formulated. Data from the case histories, physical examinations and group discussion were also considered. / M

Mini-dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2004. / The first objective was to investigate the effect of Sutherlandia frutescens 30CH on healthy provers and to record the signs and symptoms produced, so that it could be prescribed according to the Law of Similars, as required by homoeopathy. The second objective was to analyze the symptoms obtained from this proving in a direct comparison to the effects of the major pharmacologically active compounds present in Sutherlandia frutescens. A double blind proving of Sutherlandia frutescens 30CH was conducted. Twenty-four provers were selected and randomly divided into two groups, those receiving medicated powders (18 subjects) and those receiving the placebo powders (6 subjects). As an added control measure, the subjects were also ignorant to both the nature of the proving substance and the administered potency. Prior to taking the remedy, each patient provided their own case history and received a physical examination so as to establish each individual's baseline. Each prover was then required to keep a daily journal, in which all symptoms were recorded in accordance with a suggested guide. The researchers then collated the data and translated the symptoms produced into Materia Medica and repertory language. Finally a homoeopathic picture of the remedy emerged in which marked themes exist. These themes and central characteristics of the remedy were then compared to the toxicology of the major chemical constituents of Sutherlandia frutescens. Data was analyzed by / M

Submitted in fulfillment of the Masters Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / Introduction All the studies on the perception of homoeopathy in South Africa conducted so far have found that the group least knowledgeable about homoeopathy is the African group. However, no study yet has focused on this group, and tried to find out more detail about their perceptions of homoeopathy. The study took place in Mnambithi, a town in the northern part of KwaZulu Natal within the Uthukela District with a population of about 200 000 people. Aim of the study The overall aim of this study was to determine the perception, knowledge and utilization of homoeopathy amongst African adults resident in Mnambithi, KwaZulu Natal. Methodology The survey method was employed to conduct this study. The research instrument was a self-administered questionnaire. The number of questionnaires completed was 1034, distributed according to suburbs 10.6%, centre of town iii 9.8%, former township areas 58.7% and rural areas 20.6% which approximately reflected the proportion of the population resident in those areas. The data was primarily analyzed by means of descriptive statistics using frequency tables. Results The sample consisted of 50.3% males and 49.5% females, with the largest group of respondents being 41 years old and above. Most were unemployed (61.8%). The educational standard was high, with 43.8% of respondents having matric and 20.4% having a diploma or degree. Most respondents (98.6%) had not heard of homoeopathy before. Only 0.1% of respondents had consulted a homoeopath before. 83.8% of respondents answered that they would consider consulting a homoeopath in the future, and 43.3% indicated they were interested in learning more about homoeopathy. The lack of knowledge about homoeopathy and yet being interested in learning more, is a similar finding to other perception studies. Conclusions It can be concluded from the results that the level of knowledge of homoeopathy amongst respondents was minimal, with only 10 out of 1034 respondents having heard of homoeopathy. Questions relating to the perception of homoeopathy were restricted to those who had heard of homoeopathy, but because of the small number, no conclusions regarding perception can be drawn. / M

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2002. / The purpose of this study was to investigate whether frequency strength is a parameter requiring consideration when conducting NMR spectroscopy studies on hornoeopathic potencies. To this end, samples of Sulphur 30CH and a Lactose control were analysed using NMR spectrometers operating at three different frequency strengths of 80MHz, 200.MHz and 500.MHz. It was hypothesized that differences existed in the spectra of respective Sulphur samples, control samples, and between parallel samples of Sulphur and control. It was further hypothesized that differences between parallel samples of Sulphur and control would be more noticeable at the lower frequencies. This hypothesis was based on the assumption that a higher frequency strength would have more intense resonance effects on the structure of the homoeopathic potency, thereby disturbing the micro-structural changes induced during potentisation. The design of the investigation was that of a scientific experiment. Potencies of Sulphur and a lactose-based control were prepared to a 30CH potency each, in 87% ethanol. The final prepared volumes (10ml) of Sulphur and control were blinded by means of colour codes by a third party prior to analysis. The blinded samples were transported to the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, where they were subjected to analysis using the following instruments: 1) A Varian FT80A 80.MHz instrument 2) A Varian Gemini 200MHz instrument 3) A Varian Inova 500.MHz instrument At each instrument NMR spectroscopy was conducted on ten (10) samples from each group (Sulphur and control). The samples were prepared in coaxial tubes using acetone as both an external lock and reference, and NMR spectra were recorded for each sample. All the samples were run at a thermostatically controlled temperature of 24\xB0C (\xB1 O,2\xB0C), and the laboratory was maintained at a constant temperature of 22\xB0C. The spectra and data of all the samples were recorded in terms of the chemical shift and integration values of their respective CH2, H20 and OH signals. / M

A mini-dissertation in partial compliance with the requirements for a Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2002. / The purpose of this study was to compare the amount of caffeine extracted from triturated samples and ethanolic samples of Coffea tosta using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) as a method of analysis. The study wanted to expand on homoeopathic pharmaceutical knowledge, specifically looking at the two methods of remedy preparation of plant materials. From the same batch of ground roasted coffee beans, using the decimal scale of dilution, the mother tincture (bill) and the first triturated (bill) samples were prepared. The subsequent 2xH and 3xH triturated and ethanolic potencies were then made in accordance with homoeopathic methodology. Each group contained three different dilution levels (bill, 2xH and 3xH), 18 samples per group giving a total of36 samples that were analysed using HPLC. Three samples were analysed from the three dilution levels in each Group, in total there were 18 samples from the triturated group and 18 from the ethanolic group. . The samples were analysed quantitatively using the highly accurate and advanced method of high pressure liquid chromatography. This method gives accurate readings of the caffeine concentrations of a sample compared to a caffeine standard. This allowed for quantification of the caffeine concentration of each sample. The percentage caffeine was calculated from each sample. The aim of the study was to evaluate the difference in each method of preparation by measuring the amount of caffeine extracted from the samples. The results obtained from the inter-Group Mann-Whitney and ANOVA tests showed that there was a significant difference between the ethanolic dilutions and triturated dilutions with regards to the 1xH and 2xH dilutions. In the 1xH dilution the ethanolic method retained / M

Mini-dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, Durban, 2002. / The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Sutherlandiafrutescens 30 CH on healthy individuals so that it may be prescribed according to the law of similars. It was also the purpose of this study to compare all existing indications of use of Sutherlandia frutescens to the proving symptomatology. This would allow a greater understanding of the plants spheres of action and would contribute to the formation of a comprehensive remedy picture by highlighting similarities and differences between the homoeopathic and traditional indications of use. The comparison also served to investigate whether Sutherlandia frutescens acts, in accordance with the fundamental law of homoeopathy, the law of similars, in traditional application. It was the intention of the study to shed light on the possible 'homoeopathicity', or not, of current traditional use of Sutherlandia frutescens, as opposed to overt pharmacology of phytochemicals. It was hypothesized that Sutherlandiafrutescens 30CH would produce clearly observable signs and symptoms in healthy provers. The second hypothesis was that the proving symptomatology of Sutherlandia frutescens 30CH would be similar to the existing indications of use. The homoeopathic proving was a double blind placebo controlled study conducted by four Master's in Technology: Homoeopathy students. A total of 24 subjects formed the proving group, 25% of whom (6 of the 24) were randomly assigned to the placebo group. The subjects were unaware of the substance they were proving and the potency of the substance to be proven. The provers also served as intra-individual controls by recording their state prior to the administration of the remedy, to provide a baseline for comparison after the administration of the remedy. Provers took one powder three times daily until proving symptoms appeared, but for no longer than 2 days i.e.: a maximum of 6 doses. Provers recorded their symptoms daily in a journal and were in / M

Mini-dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban University of Technology, 2007. / The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of Chamaeleo dilepis dilepis on healthy volunteers (provers), and to record the signs and symptoms produced, so that it may be prescribed to those suffering from similar symptoms as determined by the Law of Similars. A further aim of the investigation was to compare the materia medica of Chamaleo dilepis dilepis as determined by proving symptoms to those remedies yielding the highest numerical value and total number of rubrics on repertorisation of the proving symptoms of Chamaeleo dilepis dilepis. / M