Rosa as an Intercurrent Remedy in Homeopathy

In 1862, Boenninghausen wrote an article concerning the use of Thuja as an

intercurrent remedy in homeopathy, in which he stated:
“Every Homoeopathist knows the value, indeed the indispensable necessity, of an
intercurrent dose of Sulphur in many cases, of both acute and chronic diseases, in
which a remedy, though accurately selected and strictly homoeopathic, does not act.
However this experience may be sought to be explained, this much is certain, that it
often occurs and that the favorable result is often truly astonishing. A somewhat
similar observation has been made by myself and several others, in secondary Syphilis,
and even in mercurial diseases, a new dose of Mercury being given in one of the
highest potencies and in the smallest doses, whereupon the other remedies, which
corresponded accurately to the symptoms and were for the most part antidotal began to
unfold anew and actively their healing power.”
In conclusion he wrote: "It appears then of no slight importance, so far as
practical results are concerned, in certain cases and especially in those in which the
above remedies are indicated, to administer an intercurrent dose of high potency of
Thuja, just as we give in parallel circumstances a dose of Sulphur or Mercurius. I can
myself, from my own experience, strongly affirm the advantages of such a treatment,
and even though the soundness of the above propositions should be on many grounds
called in question, nevertheless, in this view, indisputable facts speak in its favor –
facts which have for us a greater weight than simple ratiocination or an individual
hypothesis.”

It has been pointed out the action of an intercurrent in alternation while the
major remedy is active, can overlap with the action of the major remedy, as
in Hahnemann’s use of rapid alternation, and it will be almost as if they had
been given in the same bottle (Handley, 1997; Verspoor, 2003). Then was
Boenninghausen giving intercurrents in close alternation, or simultaneously
with the symptomatically indicated remedy when he wrote this? This cannot
be ascertained one way or the other. It is known that Hahnemann had
experimented (in 1833, with Boenninghausen and Aegidi) with suitably
chosen dual remedies, mixed for simultaneous ingestion, but was prevailed
upon to drop the practice for the sake of preserving homeopathy against the
potential threat of allopathic take-over (Verspoor, 2003); it is presumed that
Boenninghausen adjusted his private practice accordingly. He did, however,
as we have seen, continue to advocate the practice of intercurrent prescribing.

So we propose the use of Rosa spp (e.g., Rosa Canina) as an intercurrent to

be given in cases where an anti-miasmatic spiritual quality needs to be
evoked, e.g., when "the indicated remedy fails to act." Whether it is given in
the same bottle as the symptom-indicated remedy, or separately in alter-
nation, will depend on the experience of the practitioner, and the case itself.

The rationale for the intercurrent use of the Rose is that Rosa spp. spiritually
represent the soul’s love-energy. Meher Baba said, “Feelings and emotions
are the energy of the mind, and love the energy of the soul” (Haynes, 1997).
Aurobindo's Mother described (2000) the significance of the Rose as "Love
for the Divine." Jan Scholten (2013) gave the keynote of the Rose species as
"romantic love", as opposed to so-called love-making. Irene de Castillejo
wrote (1967): "Love happens. It is a miracle that happens by grace… We
can never make it happen nor make it stay." Nancy Herrick wrote (2004):
“For the Sufi’s, the Rose is the symbol of the opening heart; it embodies the
enduring capacity to love and absorb oneself in mystical union with God.
The heart, like the Rose, starts as a tightly closed bud which, when exposed
to the bright light of the Sun, Truth or Love, gradually opens wider and
wider until it bursts itself, and merges with the Beloved.” Love itself is the
remedy for the negativity of desires asserting ego-separativity, the basis of
the three miasms (Schall, 2016). True Love means self-sacrifice. Meher
Baba wrote (Kalchuri, 1985): “love is associated with sacrifice, selflessness
and courage. It is this love that frees one from the bindings of lust, greed,
anger, pride and jealousy”, i.e., the "7 deadly sins" which are antithetical to
spirituality and productive of chronic illness (Schall, 2016). We find roses
depicted in the Ten Circles Chart of Meher Baba (Gayley, 1983) at junctures
between the different levels or circles of spiritual unfoldment. This chart was
painted by Rano Gayley in accordance with the instructions of Meher Baba.
The presence of the rose seems in this depiction as if to give the spiritual
aspirant a push to progress from lower to higher levels of conscious
awareness. It thus may be that the Rose remedy can be used when a case
with major spiritual components present needs a push.

Some rose symptoms were first published in homeopathic literature by

Hahnemann in his Organon (1810) for ophthalmia, and later by Farrington
(1908) for "rose colds", a form of hay-fever (Walsh, 1912). Symptoms of
specific rose-toxicity are naturally very uncommon, so ordinary provings do
not give much of a symptom-picture. Mental indications for use of Rosa
canina (the original Rose species) are found in the Bach flower remedy
literature, stated as what we call "spiritual apathy." Here is Edward Bach's
description of indications for use of wild rose (1936): "Those who without
apparently sufficient reason become resigned to all that happens, and just
glide through life, take it as it is, without any effort to improve things and
find some joy. They have surrendered to the struggle of life without
complaint."
Spiritual apathy in its ordinary negative expression is called acedia (aka
ennui, sloth, boredom, etc.), defined as "resistance to love" (deYoung, 2004;
Peers 1959, et al.), and is considered the inciting cause of the 7 deadly sins.
Hahnemann called "ennui" an obstruction to cure (1896): "As the good
physician will be pleased when he can enliven and keep from ennui the mind
of a patient, in order to advance a cure which is not encumbered with such
obstructions…" But in a positive sense this may be a mystical expression of
"Be as it may," Upasni Maharaj's mantra for spiritual liberation (1957).

Homeopathy is said to be useful not only for health-restoration but for the
spiritual quest (Schmidt, 1929; Merizalde, 1997; Paschero, 2000). Thus we
might regard love (and the Rose remedy) as the pre-eminent anti-miasmatic.
For potentially useful psycho-somatic indications: there are several modern
Hahnemannian rose-provings (Herrick, Maule, Ostermayr, Shukla et al.),
and a assortment of spagyric and homeopathic clinical literature (Berkowsky,
Pelikan, Sankaran, Scholten, Shah, Wirtz), etc., which collectively confirm
the use of "love" as the operative keynote of the Rose-remedy (Schall, 2012).

In conclusion, we recommend the intercurrent use of Rosa canina (or other

Rose spp.) in potency when a case with a strong spiritual component does
not seem to respond to suitable antipsoric treatment. How well this works
remains to be seen; we feel that it should be put to the test ("Aude sapere!").

References

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