
ABSTRACT:
Compositae family is one of the biggest family in homeopathic world. It contains around 60 medicines of homoeopathic materia medica. Compositae is basically known as family of injury or trauma weather the trauma is mental or physical . some medicine in this family useful for convulsions which is reactivity of person to any mental or physical trauma.
One of them is Artemisia vulgaris, a lesser known medicine of compositae family. Its sharing many striking characteristic and clinical symptoms which can be useful in clinical practice for finding simillimum and having good results in cases of epilepsy, somnambulism , hysteria and worms . Its main seat of action is central nervous system. Injury, emotional disturbances and
menstruation are main causes for bringing up the complains
Dr Vani Jatinbhai Oza, Ph.d(scholar), MD, BHMS,
Associate Professor
– Dr. Vani Oza (Associate Professor)
Keywords : Composite family, medicine, injury, Artemisia vulgaris, convulsion, hysteria, epilepsy, fright , grief, bad news, blow on head.
Introduction
Compositae, Asteraceae family is second largest of flowering plants bearing approximately 1,528 genera and 22,750 species worldwide. Uniqueness of family is to be a single flower composite of many florets.(1) Artemisia vulgaris is one of the member of the compositae family. It is commonly named as mugwort or wormwood. (2,3) It is commonly used to flavor the food. It is also having medicinal property. It is thought to used as energy booster, for calm the nerves, support the digestion and promote regular period. Pharmacologically it is having antioxidant, hypolipaemic, antispasmolytic , bronchodilatory ,estrogenic and antifungal and antibacterial property. It is a popular drug in Greek and Roman much indicated in epilepsy in children. It has been used by allopathic physicians as a medicine before it was used homeopathically. (4)
Common medicines belonging to compositae include:
-Artemesia vulgaris
-Arnica montana
-Bellis perennis
-Eupatorium perfoliatum
-Erigeron canadensis
-Taraxacum officinale
-Cina
-Chamomilla
-Abrotanum
Commonly all the members of composite family are divided into basically 4 groups in homeopathy
1. Injury 2. Convulsive 3. Git and gut medicine 4. Fever group
In the convulsive group, there is extreme irritability, touchiness, and ill humor, while the injury group shows extreme fear and fright. Artemisia vulgarize, because of its prominent convulsive symptoms, is included in the convulsive group. Artemisia vulgarize produces the following symptoms. Clinically, it can be used for Epilepsy, worms, convulsions, hysteria, somnambulism, and hydrocephalus.
- Pathogenesis
It produces great congestion of cerebrospinal vessels of the meninges and produces extreme hyperemia of the medulla, spine, and meninges.
- Causation
Complaints can be brought on by a blow on the head, fright or grief, or bad news
- Convulsion/epilepsy
It has a prominent place in convulsions. It is best suited to children and girls in the puberty age group. It is useful for injury to the eyes as an internal or external medicine. The patient is irritable and excitable before an attack of epilepsy. It is useful for epilepsy without aura Epilepsy can initiate after fright and grief-like emotions. Epilepsy can start after a blow or injury to the head. Epilepsy can be associated with menstrual disturbances. Epilepsy is associated with teething. Catalepsy is induced by bodily exertion or by alluding to the disease. Epileptic spasms are also found while cooling when overheated and from dancing.
Before epilepsy, the person becomes very vexed, irritable, and depressed during the day before an attack at night. There is excitability all day before an attack at night.
In chorea, there is the inability to swallow. Right-sided convulsion left-sided paralysis. Attack of epilepsy is frequently repeated, then followed by long intervals of rest. It is useful in petit mal epilepsy. Walks on the street, suddenly stops and stares into space, often mumbles a few words, becomes normal, and remembers nothing.
There is sharp, shooting pain in the head drawn back with twitching. head bend backward and sideward during an attack.
Eyes are turning up before the attack. Piercing shrieks and eyes are turned with violent clonic spasms of all limbs. Left pupil dilated more than right. Twitching of face and mouth on the left side. The face looks older.
Lower joy pressed forward. Chewing motion of gums and grinding of teeth.Bites the tongue during a spasm.(6) Froth from the mouth during spasm. Speech is unintelligent during the attack(5). Can utter a single word with great difficulty. Swallowing is difficult, food escapes from the mouth. Passes faces and urine with spasm.
Long and deep sleep after spasm. After an epileptic attack, there is profuse sweat which has having garlic odor (5,6,7). After epilepsy, there can be seminal emission.(5) Cannot hold head up after spasms.
It is also useful in hydrocephalus in the second stage, when symptoms agree.
- Mind and sensorium
It is useful for somnambulism, the person gets up at night and works but cannot remember anything.(5,6,8) There is a tendency to steal things in boys with epilepsy(8). Colored light, for example, coming through colored glass makes him dizzy.(8) Letters run together while studying or writing.
- Female genital organs
Violent cramps in the abdomen with irregular or insufficient menstruation. irregular menstruation with convulsion .it is useful in the Prolepses of the uterus. It is useful for violent contractions of the pregnant uterus with threatened miscarriages. There is checked lochia.
After reviewing the material medical, it was observed that it shares similarities in the symptoms found in the drug of other medicines of the Compositae family. Here, one finds that the convulsion starts after an injury to the head. which is a common causation found in Arnica montana, Calendula officinalis. Bellis perennials which is having complaints after and due to injury.(2,,3) Convulsion may be brought on by Grief, Bad news, or fright . These emotions generate Mental trauma or Mental injury to the person feeling insulted or hurt like a member of the same family.(2,3) Convulsions are also very common in Cina , maritima, Chamomilla and Abrotanum. By nature, a person is irritable and vexed which is also found in Cina, maritime, and Chamomilla very commonly.
This all similarity suggests that this medicine is having many common features of composite and covers the essence or theme of the Compositae family, which is being injured hurt shocked (by injury or trauma).
Artemesia vulgaris a member of the Compositae family is a very serviceable remedy in epilepsy when the attack has been brought on by violent emotions and especially by fright, when the attacks come in closely repeated seizures, that is to say, when several convulsions are coming close together, and then a long interval of rest. the paroxysms are usually followed by sleep.
Again Artemisia vulgaris seems to be of some use in “petit mal” epilepsy. “The patient is walking in the street, when suddenly, he stops stares into vacancy, mumbles a few words possibly, regains a normal condition, and then goes his way totally unconscious of anything unusual having elapsed.”
Case Study

Conclusion
Artemisia vulgarize proves to be useful in cases of epilepsy in children and girls of puberty age group. It is also very useful in petit mal epilepsy which is the most common type of epilepsy found in children. Convulsion or epilepsy can be associated with emotional disturbances. The medicine possesses many characteristic striking features for epilepsy, convulsion, and hysteria. So this subject needs more research as well as proof of the medicine further to confirm the utility of Artemisia vulgaris in homeopathic clinical practice.
References
1. Patil J.D.. Group Study in Homeopathic Materia Medica, B.Jain Publication, December 2006, pg-71
2. Sankaran Rajan. An insight into plant, volume 1, Homeopathic Medical Publication, January and August 2007, pg-145
3. Sankaran Rajan. An insight into plant, volume 3, Homeopathic Medical Publication, January and August 2007,pg-1117
4. Ekiert H, Pajor J, Klin P, Rzepiela A, Siesak H, Szopa A, Significance of Artemisia Vulgaris L. (Common Mugwort) in the History of Medicine and Its Possible Contemporary Applications Substantiated by Phytochemical and Pharmacological Studies, Molecules, 2020 octomber ,volume 25, issue 19,
5. Clarke JH, A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica,volume 1, Indian Books and periodical publishers, reprint 2002,pg-195
6. Boericke W, Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica and Repertory, B.Jain Publication, year 2004, pg- 86
7. Phatak.S.R., Materia Medica of Homoeoapthic Medicine, B.Jain Publication, 1993, pg-76
8. Hering C., Guiding symptoms of our Materia Medica,volume 2 , b.jain publication, year1997, pg-154
9. Farrington.E.A., Clinical Materia Medica , 4th edition, B.Jain Publication, yea 1996,pg-242