Aloe Socotrina – a Most Valuable Remedy in Need of Rediscovery

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Aloe Socotrina

A Most Valuable Remedy in Need of Rediscovery by Dr. André Saine, D.C., N.D., F.C.A.H. At the annual meeting of the International Hahnemannian Association in 1888, William P. Wesselhœft presented a paper entitled Aloe Socotrina, an Anti-psoric Remedy. (1) (1) This paper (which is recommended reading) can be found in the Homœopathic Physician section of ReferenceWorks and starts with the following sentence from Hering: "Aloes has many symptoms like Sulphur and is equally important in chronic diseases with abdominal plethora." In it Wesselhœft reports the cure of a number of patients with chronic diseases following the administration of Aloe, which was selected on account of the chronic intestinal or hemorrhoidal complaints. The interesting aspect of these cases is the reappearance of a previously suppressed skin eruption. Despite of being relatively well proven, Wesselhœft noticed that Aloe will "clear away a number of other psoric symptoms not yet contained in its pathogenesis." Two years later there appeared another most interesting paper on Aloe by Dr. Jekyll entitled Aloes. (2) (2) To quote: For a long time I have considered that Aloes was the most valuable remedy in the whole materia medica with which to commence the treatment of most of the chronic diseases that come into our hands, and especially those that came from the hands of the "regulars," where a wholesale drugging had taken place and the symptoms were so obscured that it was impossible to separate the disease symptoms from those of the drugs that had been already administered; or in those cases, where the disease had been suppressed by improper doses, or by the profuse use of external applications. Some thirty years since in a conversation with several physicians, whose names I cannot now recall (and perhaps it would be improper to give them if I could), I made the above remarks, and I well remember that my assertions were well poohed at by them and that I held my peace for the time being; but I still continued to watch the action of the drug, and let me here say that it has seldom disappointed me when administered in any of such of the above cases. If you will carefully go over the symptoms of Aloes you will find that it has a vast number of symptoms in common with almost every drug in the Materia Medica; besides many that it has cured that are not recorded in any Materia Medica that I have seen, and I have examined everyone that has been published in the English language; or at least have tried to do so. Where or when this idea fastened itself upon me is more than I can now tell, and it has been acted upon accordingly, to the best of my ability. In the examination of cases where eruptions have been suppressed or driven from the surface by improper dosing or the use of external applications, you will find many Aloes symptoms are produced, and if Aloes be administered, it will cause to assume, more or less, its original form and can then be treated as the original; or it will so far clear up the case and symptoms, so that the proper simillimum may be selected for the complete cure. In other words it will relieve the oppressed vital organs, so that they can rally and throw off, to a certain extent, the oppression, which had taken possession of the vitality of the patient, together with the drug symptoms, and clear up the case, so that the proper simillimum may be selected for the complete cure of the case, which would have been impossible to have done in the first place, on account of the then muddled up condition of the drug and disease symptoms which could have been elicited from the patient. Perhaps I could not better illustrate the matter than to give a few of the cases that have come into my hands for treatment. Jekyll goes on to describe three instances where Aloe cleared up the case for another remedy. To quote one of his cases: Some ten years ago, Mr. ___ came to me; he was about twenty years of age, rather tall and slim, light complexion, light brown hair; had an old look; poor and scrawny; was cross and snappish; complained of great lassitude, hard work to move; ill humored, dissatisfied with himself and everything around him; vertigo, especially when looking up, as if everything was in a whirl; dull, heavy, stupid headache, more in the forehead and over the eyes; dimness and flittering before the eyes, very sensitive to any noise, the hearing of music, the play of children, the talking of persons would almost set him wild; very gloomy and despondent, thought that life was hardly worth living; metallic, sticky taste in the mouth; yellowish ulcers on the tongue and in bucal cavity; no appetite except for fruits or knick-knacks, which caused an oppression of the stomach, with acrid, bitter belching of gas from the stomach, loose acrid stool with the passage of large quantity of gas soon after eating, with urging; restless sleep with vivid, frightful dreams; offensive sweat under the arms, in the groins and about the genitals; a hoarse, husky voice; chilly feeling in the open air; cutting pains in the upper portion of the right lung and in the lower portion of the left, with a gripping sensation in the region of the spleen; enlargement of the joints, very painful at the change of the weather, especially if damp, which made him very despondent and gloomy; said that he felt that he was certain to hear some bad news; scary and fearful, did not like to be left alone for fear that something dreadful would happen to him; skin was dry and harsh; a slight bruise or scratch would take a long time to heal, and if of any size was sure to ulcerate, with fearful itching and burning; lips, face and hands chap and the skin cracks as soon as cold weather sets in, with fearful smarting and burning – a sensation which covered all of the exposed parts of the body. I soon elicited that when about six years old, he had a very bad case of itch, which was treated with large doses of sulphur; sulphur and molasses internally, a teaspoonful twice a day, and sulphur and lard as an ointment, which was applied every other day, or rather at night; this was kept up until some time after the eruption had all disappeared. He said that he had never been well since he had the itch, that he had been in the hands of a great many physicians and none of them had done him the least good; in fact, his mother said that he was getting worse every day, could anyone wonder at it? I gave him seven doses of Aloes 1 M, to be taken one dose just before bedtime, and to report as soon as the powders were all used. He returned in a week. There was but very little change except that his mother said that she believed that he had a little better appetite. He got seven doses of Sacarrhum lactis and to report when used. At the third call there were symptoms of the eruption making its appearance. Another seven powders of Saccharum lactis was given, and upon the fourth call he had as nice a case of itch as you would wish to see; he said that he itched from head to foot; that he could not keep still one moment, and the more he scratched the worse he was. Otherwise his health was better; had a very good appetite; did not feel so gloomy; felt more like living if he could get rid of that infernal itching. He now got one dose of Sulphur 1 M, and Saccharum lactis to last him for one month. Before that time the eruption had all disappeared. He then got one dose of Sulphur 10 M and Saccharum lactis for another month. This was all the medicine he got, and in about one year he had entirely recovered his health, and has remained well from that time to this.

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Dr. Jekyll proceeds with two similar cases and ends his articles by saying, "I think that these cases are sufficient to establish the values of Aloes; if not, I can give any number of a like character." The main difference between the cases of Drs. Wesselhœft and Jekyll is that Jekyll completed the cure of his patients by prescribing another remedy after the appearance of the skin eruptions. It was Sulphur in the first case and Pulsatilla and Nitricum acidum for his second and third cases, respectively. On the other hand, Wesselhœft often noticed that no other remedy than Aloe was necessary to complete the cure even after the appearance of the previously suppressed skin eruptions. A case by Dr. L. Whiting illustrates Wesselhœft’s point, that when Aloe is indicated in an acute or subacute complaint, which often happens to be diarrhea, it will often also be the chronic remedy: "Mrs. ____, age forty. Morning diarrhea for many years past, comes on every morning after arising and continuing till 10 A.M. Stools yellowish, thin, fecal, accompanied by much flatus, and an immediate irrepressible desire for stool; can not delay one minute. Aloe 30 was prescribed for the case, a powder dry on tongue night and morning. Having taken only four doses of the Aloe, the stool became of normal consistency, and the case became one of scabies over the entire body. Upon enquiry it was ascertained that she had the itch when about ten years of age, and that it was treated by inunction of sulphur and lard, and she was of the opinion that the diarrhea had been her constant companion since about that time, a period of thirty years. She received no further medicine and in three days time the power of the drug that had produced the scabies had also effected a cure of the same, with no return of diarrhea." (3) However no routine assumption should replace careful observation and strict individualization. Whether the case should be cured with Aloe alone or with the help of a complementary remedy, as illustrated in the following case of Wesselhœft presented two years after his original paper, cannot be a routine decision: H. B. A., aged twenty-seven. Blonde, thin, active. For a year troubled with diarrhea. Always has a loose, watery stool at seven A.M. A second stool may follow any time during the day—early evening, forenoon, or afternoon. The stools are very urgent, often nothing but a little sputter with much flatus; is obliged to run to the closet as soon as he feels the desire, as he has but little power to retain stool. Much rumbling of wind in abdomen after going to bed. Usually awakens an hour after going to bed with palpitation of heart; after passing flatus goes to sleep and rests easily the remainder of the night. At night he can pass flatus with confidence, which he could not do during the day. All the flatus he passes is hot. Free discharge of prostatic fluid after stool. Constant sensation of soreness in lower abdomen, over os pubis, not sensitive to pressure. Tongue clean, appetite very good. He affirms that he has been well all his life up to a year ago. When a boy he had tinea ciliaris. Now, what bothered this young man more than anything was the discharge of prostatic fluid after the stool, and that is what he came to be "doctored for." We all know that such a solitary symptom will give us no indication for a remedy, and if I had known as much as I do now about this symptom thirty years ago it would have saved me much trouble and often anxiety. In every instance I should have made this symptom a secondary and not a primary indication, no matter what the wishes of my patients might have been. Instead of trying all the remedies enumerated under the head of discharge of prostatic fluid during stool, I should have worked at other more important features of the case. But how often is the young physician misled by the patient’s mind, and especially if he comes with a diagnosis already concocted by some celebrity which aids and abets the fears of the patient? The diarrhea with the characteristic weakness of the sphincter, which would not allow him at any time, except in the night, to pass flatus, the flatus always being hot when passed; the clean tongue and good appetite led me to give him a dose of Aloes CM. In a fortnight he came back with the following story: One formed stool a day for the last ten days. No urgency. Passes flatus with confidence and is not hot. Has slept well every night, no palpitation. Very little prostatic fluid has passed. Reappearance of sick headaches, of which he had two violent ones during the fortnight. These have been absent for over a year and were treated by Bromo-caffeine. Now consider for a moment my astonishment when my patient told me that he has always suffered from sick headaches up to the time his other troubles commenced! I gave Sacarrhum lactis. A fortnight later came the following report: Stools have remained perfectly normal. No discharge of prostatic fluid for two weeks. Soreness in lower abdomen over region of bladder entirely gone. During the fortnight has had four severe headaches with nausea but no vomiting. Gets very faint at stomach every morning about ten o’clock—another old symptom which accompanied his former sick headaches. Just forty days after the dose of Aloes he received a dose of Sulphur CM. Three weeks later he reports: No headache to speak of. One or two attempts at one, but not severe enough to keep him from work. His stools remain normal. Is troubled a little with flatulence that has easy and confident egress [exit]. Has gained four pounds during the last three weeks. Is discharged cured. (4) Now let’s examine a few more cases. An Autistic Child with Recurrent Diarrhea

I will present this case in full detail and with most of the follow-up visits, as the evolution of its cure is a very interesting one. This is the case of M. D., a mentally retarded 9 1/2-year-old boy, whom I first saw on May 14, 1997. The chief complaint was chronic diarrhea. M. D. was born with complete agenesis of the corpus callosum, one of only two cases ever diagnosed in Canada. There was no given prognosis. He also had severe dysmorphic myopia (-21 diopters), strabismus, hyperflexibility of his ligaments, cryptorchidism and cardiac malformation with aortic regurgitation (Marfan’s syndrome which is also very rare as he was one of two cases with this type of cardiac anomalies to be diagnosed in Canada). He was completely limp at birth. M. D. had been completely absorbed within himself. He never answered any questions. It was impossible to know anything such as emotions, feelings or what he experienced except for the basic needs of life. He showed almost complete lack of reaction to his surroundings, including situations that would cause pain. He had cried fewer than 20 times in his life and only in situations where there was an incredible amount of pain. He blocked his ears and closed his eyes when spoken to. He always spoke with a very low voice, almost like whispering. He was totally obstinate. He would do nothing unless it was what he wanted to do. He was mentally retarded except for auditory and visual memory for which he was two years ahead of his age group. He learned how to read and calculate in a few days when he was 9 years old. He stopped growing on three different occasions. He had not grown in 1 1/2 years when I saw him and was three years behind on the growth chart. He had been having 6-8 episodes of diarrhea per day. The diarrhea started 10 months after the parents separated two years ago. It was more severe at first, with 12-14 episodes per day. He tested negative for celiac disease and for the presence of blood. Psychiatrists treated him to no avail. Dietary changes helped at first, but benefits lasted only 3-4 weeks. He often became dehydrated. The diarrhea was only by day, worse from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. (1) and especially worse between 12:30 P.M. and 1:45 P.M. (2). It was always the same: a watery, yellow brown, offensive

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diarrhea followed by albuminous mucous (like the white of an egg). It was so explosive that it hit the walls and the ceiling of the bathroom. It sputtered out by little shots of gas. Just prior to an episode he became totally distended (3) "like a child with marasmus" with a round hard abdomen and gurgling (2). He had to be in diapers as he had involuntary stools on a daily basis. It was a very offensive diarrhea (3). There seemed to be no other circumstances that would trigger the diarrhea except stress. His parents separated in July of 1994 due to the father’s having an affair. M. D. didn’t show any reaction to the separation. From December of 1994 until March of 1995 the father threatened the family and pursued them "like in the movies," which ended with the intervention of police who arrested him in March of 1995. The entire family lived in fear for their lives; policemen would accompany them on outings. M. D. developed diarrhea in April of 1995, which was worse on school days and much worse during hot weather (3). He had had diarrhea during hot weather since birth. The diarrhea was also worse after corn (3), wheat (2) and broccoli (1). It was unknown whether the diarrhea was painful. M. D. had no physical or mental endurance. He became tired very easily from slight physical exertion such as walking. He was often found resting, lying on his abdomen with his two hands between his thighs and in the last 6 months, he preferred to lie on his back with his hands under his head and knees bent. He was restless while sitting. He preferred to raise his legs if sitting or even kneel on the chair if he could, which calmed him down. When tired, he became pale and rubbed his forehead. He also became very tired with any mental effort (3). M. D. had many peculiar idiosyncrasies. He always wanted to be first: to enter the car, to climb the stairs, to enter school. He had an aversion to having his head washed. In fact, he would not let his head be washed. He also had a great fear of having his hair cut. Eventually, when his hair really needed to be cut, he would develop diarrhea. For the past two years, he couldn’t have his penis touched, even by himself. He didn’t laughed until he was about 6 years old. From infancy, the palms of his hands would peel for a period of two weeks, then there would be a pause of one or two weeks, then it would start again. He had an aversion to round food: grapes, round candies, etc. He rolled paper a lot. He had been falling asleep with the blanket over his head for the last year. He loved animals. He startled easily (2), and sensitive to sharp and low noise. If angry, which happened 3-4 times in his life, he would grind his teeth and pinch, but could not express a word. He rarely experienced pain. He very much needed routine (3): i.e., if a toy was used it needed to go back to where it belonged, or if a little box was used to put horses in, it could not be used for other animals. For general orderliness he was, however, normal. On the other hand, he was very meticulous in many other things: i.e., he had difficulty writing anything and then erased it 10-20 times; if one of his socks fell down, he had to lift it to where it belonged; he had to wear a T-shirt under his shirt. He had a history of having nightmares that were always related to the ocean and waves. He had never had a cold, flu or any other common infection except for one episode of otitis media two years ago. When pregnant with him, his mother was sure that something was not normal in his head. The family’s life was completely compromised. Because of M. D.’s diarrhea the family could not leave the house for common outings. Generalities:

Temperature: If he overdressed in the morning and the day became warm, he would not remove his clothes. He couldn’t breath in cold air (2) or if there was wind (3), even in summer. He got frostbite easily. He did not react to hot and cold water when being washed. He had an aversion to the sun (2), which tired him. He always sought the shade. He had an aversion to the heat of the summer, spending his time in the basement. His neck and head perspired during the entire night, but he never perspired while awake, even if it was very hot. Only his ears became red. Energy: He was more tired after lunch, around 1-2 P.M. (2). Sleep: He went to bed at 7:30 P.M. and slept until 5:45 A.M. He was very restless in his sleep, and would grind his teeth almost every night for the last 4 or 5 years. He never uncovered himself in sleep. Appetite: He had a poor appetite. There were only a few foods that he would eat: pasta, chocolate, sweets, ice cream and cheese. Other foods he liked a lot were eggs, cucumber and soups. Thirst: he used to be a big drinker before the diarrhea. He preferred his drinks at room temperature. Personality: He feared wolves and heights (3), after going up three steps he would panic. He feared going downhill (2). He was claustrophobic (2). He had an aversion to being touched (1), to being caressed (1), to being massaged (1), to being buckled in the car (1) and of crowds. He was very sensitive to admonition. If scolded, he would punish his mother by saying "no." If he was sad he would not accept consolation. He was mildly jealous . He had never been violent or destructive. He was sympathetic (2): he seeme d to suffer more than the ones that were hurt. He was very sensitive to the emotions of others (2). Objective symptoms: M. D. was completely different from any child I had ever seen. He walked, moved and acted as if from another world. He wore thick glasses. He acted as if I was not present. He repeated many times during the interview "go." His mother would say, "When the doctor is finished asking questions we will go home." He would again say, "go." He was lean and had a very enlarged, round and hard abdomen like a balloon (3). He couldn't protrude his tongue and couldn't lick. Every 4-6 months, plugs of wax had to be removed from his ears. Ht.: 130.5 cm (51.5 "). Wt.: 26.25 kg (57.75 lb.). He was very hairy, especially on his back. On auscultation of his heart, we could hear a distinct double S2 every fourth beat. Current medication: M. D. had been slightly better since taking China 30 CH once a day for the last month, which another practitioner had prescribed. Case analysis: We had a 9 1/2-year-old boy born with many congenital anomalies and a type of autism with many idiosyncrasies. What was most characteristic was the recurrent diarrhea that he had since birth and which was much worse during hot weather. Other characteristic symptoms were the perspiration of the cervical area and head all night, every night of his life, and his difficulty breathing in the wind—which I somewhat downplayed as it could have been related to his physical anomalies. Other peculiar symptoms that he had were the grinding teeth in sleep, amelioration from raising his legs, his weak and cautious nature, fear in high places, emaciation with an enlarged abdomen, his stubbornness and his food desires for ice cream and cheese. All these add up to a very good indication for Calcarea carbonica—better than any other remedy as the simillimum. Plan: As the child had been under the care of another practitioner prior to our visit and had been taking until then China 30 C once a day, I decided to stop the China and wait until there was no further change. The mother would then give him one dose of Calcarea carbonica 10 M (Hahnemann Pharmacy). June 2, 1997: He took the remedy at 8 A.M. on May 24. By 2 P.M. he had an aggravation of the diarrhea. He was passing transparent gelatinous stool with much white froth (ROS: Stands for the return of old symptom(s).) for the first 3 days, followed by his typical diarrhea. The following four days he woke at 5:15 A.M. with abdominal pain, urging for stool and passing only gas. On the third day after the remedy he became more affectionate; he started inquiring about the well-being of others for the first time in his life. The day before, he developed a coryza for the first time of his life. A colleague at the office saw him and on examination found bilateral otitis media. He had the exact same manifestation of otitis media two years ago. During the exam of his ears he said "Ouch!" (Such reaction to this level of pain was new). He also cooperated during the exam, which was new. He had a 99.6 °F temperature. His forehead was warm with cold hands and feet. His face was red and congested. His eyes were half closed and injected. He was very quiet.


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Assessment: The initial reaction to the remedy seemed favorable as there was an aggravation of the diarrhea, a return of old symptoms, an improvement in his general disposition and the appearance of a first coryza. The picture of the acute condition was clearly indicating Belladonna with the characteristic symptoms of a congested face, hot head and cold extremities, quiet disposition with the eyes half open and injected. Plan: My colleague prescribed Belladonna 200 D (Dunham) two doses: one now and one at bedtime. June 4, 1997:

By the next morning he was mostly recovered. His ears, appetite, energy and color were back to normal. Assessment: Favorable reaction to Belladonna. Plan: Wait. July 2, 1997:

On June 5 the coryza returned without any fever and lasted for 4-5 days. The diarrhea and bloating disappeared completely from June 7-17 and then relapsed exactly like before. He had changed overall. After Calcarea carbonica, he improved mentally until about two weeks ago. He was now stable. He now was calmer and happier, "quite remarkably." He inquired about death every day in the last week for the first time in his life. He developed growing pains in the last week (his sister was also subject to growing pains). For the last three weeks, he complained of headaches for the first time in his life, as the temperature had been warmer—in the mid 80’s. The most we could get from him was that he felt them in his forehead and they were worse from light. Since Calcarea carbonica he had started to bend double during stools with both hands on the floor, moaning. The incontinence of stool happened about three times a day. Since one week he had been hiding from strangers. Since Calcarea carbonica his nose was itchy up to 25-30 times per day and he was sneezing for the first time in his life, around 3:30-4 P.M. everyday. He insisted that all windows and doors be closed, and panicked with open windows in the car. He wanted to hide more. He covered his head more, i.e., if he went to the pool he put a towel over his head. He let other people touch him (new). The peeling of his hands, perspiration at night, stubbornness, low voice, being startled at noise, teeth grinding in sleep, and perfectionism were unchanged. A few days before he got his hand caught in a door and didn’t complain of any pain, although he should have. He grew 5/8 of an inch since the first visit, which was the first sign of growth in over 1 1/2 years. Assessment: The reaction to the remedy was good, not great. However, there were enough good changes, especially on the mental/emotional level, but also with the return of old conditions (the white frothy mucous and the ear infection) and increased stature, to warrant another dose of the remedy. One thing was clear: M. D. was sensitive to remedies. So far he had received three different remedies (China, Calcarea carbonica and Belladonna) and had responded positively to all three of them. This enhanced his prognosis but was also a signal that he would likely respond to any remedy with a certain degree of similarity to his case. Therefore, one had to pay great attention to the direction of cure to assure that the remedy to which he was responding had a high degree of similarity. Plan: Another dose of Calcarea carbonica 10 M was prescribed. August 5, 1997:

The diarrhea got worse after the remedy like after the first dose, but it was a bit different: "It comes out in one shot: like a cork." Since July 23 he asked for the first time to take a bath and let his hair be washed. He stopped inquiring about death. For the first time in his life he was willful. Since the very hot weather the diarrhea had been much worse. He still had loud rumbling before stool. The sneezing, peeling of the hands and perfectionism were gone. The grinding of the teeth was worse. The headaches, perspiration at night, itching nose, startling easily were unchanged. He cried loudly for the first time in his life. Assessment: Calcarea carbonica was not the best remedy in this case even though the child made some progress on the mental level. The fact that the diarrhea in hot weather not only did not improve, but got worse under Calcarea carbonica, was a sign that its degree of similarity was not high enough. I started to look for a remedy with a higher level of similarity and studied the case anew. While taking the initial case I had considered Aloe as it covered so well the picture of the diarrhea, but dropped it as it didn’t cover the rest of the case—especially some of the very peculiar symptoms mentioned earlier which indicated Calcarea carbonica. But, as the diarrhea was now clearly worse and aggravated in hot weather and characterized by this loud rumbling prior to the stool I again strongly considered Aloe. Moreover, after the first dose of Calcarea carbonica there was a return of the transparent gelatinous stool with much white froth which is very similar to frog spawn found under Aloe. At that point two prior cases of Aloe which I had successfully treated came to mind and I became convinced that Aloe had to the simillimum of the case To illustrate, I will temporarily interrupt M. D.’s case to present these two other cases. The first one is not complete in all its detail, as his file could not be retrieved. It was the case of young man about 18 years old whom I saw about ten years prior to M. D. He had a history of cryptorchidism and came to me after having been treated about 18 months previously with surgery and chemotherapy for testicular carcinoma. He had had diarrhea ever since chemotherapy. He presented the typical diarrhea of Aloe, which resolved it quickly. Following Aloe, I treated him successfully with Argentum nitricum for his chronic state. But the most interesting aspect of this case, which I recalled when considering a better remedy for M. D., was that this patient had a long history of great need for routine with aversion to change as well as cycles of fixations. For instance, when he was a child, he ate the same food three times per day for long periods of time and nothing else. Then, he would switch to another food three times per day and leave aside completely the previous one. If he had a project he would focus obsessively on it to the exclusion of almost everything else, until it would be replaced by another project. He was also overly meticulous in every minute aspect of his projects. The second case which came to mind when I was considering a better remedy for M. D. follows in greater detail. In August of 1993, a homeopath called me from a hospital where T. P., her 20-year-old son, was being treated with chemotherapy for testicular carcinoma. Her son had been very sick since receiving chemotherapy, and after trying different remedies she was seeking my help. The history of T. P. was as follows: About five weeks earlier, T. P. started experiencing pain in his left testicle and kidney area. In the second week of July he noticed that his left testicle was enlarged and had hardened. T. P. also had a history of cryptorchidism. On July 27 he was operated on and was diagnosed with embryonic testicular carcinoma, which had already spread to the abdominal lymph nodes and the lungs. He started to receive chemotherapy on August 4. He got progressively sicker after the first chemotherapy, experiencing nausea, vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, faintness and abdominal cramping. The presenting symptoms were burning and heat from the mouth to the rectum. His mouth was completely covered with Candida albicans. He had a fever of 101.7° F (38.7° C) and a pulse rate of 100. He experienced great weakness. He was not thirsty (usually he was very thirsty). He had been having diarrhea every 1/2-1 hour. His abdomen became hot and gurgled with cramps before each stool, which was a watery, yellow brown, lienteric diarrhea with "a sweet and sour smell (like a baby diarrhea)." The cramps, heat and gurgling in the abdomen were relieved by stool or flatus. He passed a great quantity of sputtering gas during each stool, and felt weak afterwards. Sometimes he did not recognize that he was passing a stool. He constantly felt a small ball in the rectum, and had a small hemorrhoid. He was chilly (1), his lips were chapped (2) and his mouth was dry (2) with a bitter taste. His tongue had a thick white coating. He had had no appetite for four days. His skin was sore (2). He was cool to the touch with the fever (2), and his face was cold and clammy (2). He was hypersensitive to jar (2) and to noise (2), which created "an electric shock" throughout his body. In general, he felt better in the morning and after 10:30-11 P.M. (1). He felt worse from 4-11 P.M. (2). He was intolerant of people especially if they made noise or jarred his bed. He never wants any visitors (previously he was very gregarious). He turned his head away when


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his girlfriend picked up his hand or if his mother wanted to kiss him. His oncologist and gastroenterologist thought that he had developed an intestinal infection, but all the cultures had been negative. T. P.’s mother had typhoid fever when she was eight months pregnant and T. P. was treated for active typhoid soon after birth with the antibiotic Chloromycetin. He had developed mycotic infections everywhere on his skin, mouth and throat. Case analysis: T. P. was presenting a perfect picture of Aloe with heat and gurgling before stool, sputtering of the flatus, unconscious passing of stool, ball in the rectum and especially his tendency to "repel everyone." Plan: Aloe 200 C one dose. 1 P.M. or two hours after the remedy:

T.P. felt better. He experienced a sense of well being very soon after taking the remedy that descended from above down. Since the remedy, T. P. had one small semi-solid stool and no diarrhea. The cramps were much less. He was very hungry. He was irritable and had a headache from hunger, which was common for him. His energy was better, 1-2 (0). He was not permitted to eat. Assessment: He had a very good reaction to Aloe. The new symptoms of irritability and headache with hunger are characteristic of Sulphur, the only known complementary remedy of Aloe. Plan: Sulphur 200 C. August 12, 1993 at 4 P.M.:

His headache and the burning in the abdomen got worse immediately after the remedy. Then he felt better. The headache disappeared. His energy was up to 5. He had not eaten yet. He had four small stools since the remedy. The gurgling and the flatus were much less. The burning from the mouth to the rectum was reduced by 20 %. The abdomen was not hot anymore. He had been very thirsty since the Sulphur. The hemorrhoid was better. Assessment: He had a favorable reaction to Sulphur, with an immediate aggravation followed by a good improvement. Plan: Wait. August 12 at 7 P.M.:

He had four large, watery stools in 2 hours. He was weak again, down to 2. There was a lot of gas. The hunger disappeared. His palate and throat were dry without thirst (2). The hemorrhoid began to bleed. Assessment: Relapse of the original condition. Plan: Aloe 200 C. August 12 at 9 P.M.:

He fell asleep soon after taking the remedy and had no stool afterwards. Assessment: Good reaction to the remedy. Plan: Wait and repeat the remedy at the first sign of a relapse. August 13 at 10:30 A.M.:

During the night he experienced diarrhea at 2:30 A.M. and three more times after waking up at 7:30 A.M. He took one dose of the remedy after each diarrhea. He had almost no pain or gurgling. He felt quite well. August 13 at 4 P.M.:

He passed a small, formed stool at 12 noon. His energy was up to 7. He had no headache. The temperature was normal. He had been eating well since that morning. The gastroenterologist did not know what happened; he planned to do a sigmoidoscopy but upon finding that his patient was so improved, he cancelled it. T. P. told him that he had taken some homeopathic remedies. The gastroenterologist wanted to know the name of the remedy, and was essentially relieved to know that his patient was better. In the afternoon, the chemotherapy was resumed. August 14 at 10 P.M.:

The Candida albicans came back right away after the chemotherapy (part of it was Bleomycin, which is a powerful antibiotic). He had a fever of 100.8 F° (38.2° C). His eyes burned (2) each time he experienced the fever. He had no diarrhea but a formed stool about every 6 hours. He was very thirsty for cold drinks. Before the fever he experienced chills going down his back. His energy was good (6-7) but he became very weak within a minute after standing up (3). Assessment: The burning eyes with the fever, weakness worse standing, the return of the thirst and the descending chills indicated Sulphur. Plan: Sulphur 200 C. He responded well to Sulphur and continued to do so for several months afterwards. The interesting aspect of these two Aloe cases is that both of them had a history of cryptorchidism, testicular carcinoma and both had developed a similar severe diarrheal reaction to chemotherapy, which clearly indicated Aloe. Now, when looking at M. D.’s case and acknowledging that Calcarea carbonica was not his remedy, I wondered, could this be a case of Aloe? With the history of cryptorchidism of M. D., the typical Aloe diarrhea and the need for routine, I sensed that Aloe was not only the acute but also the chronic remedy for M. D. I therefore prescribed Aloe 1 M (Borneman) to M. D. on August 5, 1997 and was looking forward to his reaction to the remedy. August 13, 1997:

After the remedy he was happier. This stool became dramatically better the next day for three days. Then he developed a flu for the first time in his life. He had a relapse of the diarrhea and another dose of the remedy was given on August 9 which had no effect, except for a large evacuation of white froth. Assessment: The fact that he relapsed so quickly and that there were no changes with the second dose would typically not be seen as a favorable response. However, remembering the cases of Jekyll where he repeated Aloe 1 M several times before he open them, I still felt that Aloe was the most similar remedy and I needed to persist. Plan: Repeat Aloe 1 M up to three times within the next twenty-four hours. If there is an obvious reaction to the first or second dose do not give the subsequent dose(s).


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August 26, 1997:

Three doses of the remedy were given. He became very tired for the first 6 days after the last dose. The mother said that she had forgotten to mention that at least once a day the gurgling prior to stools was so intense that it made a similar sound as the drain of a very noisy toilet bowl and since the first dose of Aloe it had happened only three times. He was even happier than before. His energy returned to his usual low normal. He stopped being startled at noise. He felt pain and really cried on one occasion. Assessment: A clear aggravation followed by an improvement on the mental/emotional level was a good sign. Plan: Wait. September 16, 1997:

He did very well until 6 days ago when school started; he refused to go and once he cried in his mother's arms. The diarrhea with the bloating, involuntary stools and abdominal pain completely relapsed. He did not want to get dressed anymore. Assessment: Relapse with the stress of returning to school. Plan: Repeat Aloe 1 M now and at the first sign of relapse. September 24, 1997:

He was dramatically better. The diarrhea stopped right away. His energy was much better after September 17. On September 18, he developed another cold with much discharge and sneezing, day and night. The foam reappeared again for one day. Personality-wise, he opened up. He began addressing others spontaneously. He was less self-absorbed. He was more demanding about his needs. He was more present. He stopped grinding his teeth and sweating at night for the first time. The bloating was gone. Assessment: Excellent reaction to the remedy. Plan: Wait. Repeat Aloe 1 M as needed. November 19, 1997:

On October 1, he had a relapse of the diarrhea, self-absorbed personality, bloating, peeling of the hands, covering his head, grinding his teeth, loud gurgling before stools, refusal to dress or go to school. He became silent. He didn't want to talk or eat. The remedy was repeated on October 3. The next day he developed a cold with much discharge and sneezing which lasted only 24 hours. Again, he had the white frothy mucous in his stool on the first day. Then he was much better. The stool became formed and only once a day. His appetite returned. He was able to eat any food, even milk, without problems. He was much more expressive and was 50 % less self-absorbed. He asked to go play outside (never before) and laughed regularly with other kids (also never before). His self-confidence was much better. He was crying 2-3 times a week. It was only since


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Aloe Socotrina – a Most Valuable Remedy in Need of Rediscovery

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