Highly competitive – he has to be in first place, it is very important to him, to be number one – with his siblings in particu- A Case Study Based lar, even though he is younger than they are. When his siblings fight he tells them – he is friends with both of them. On the one on the Wondrous hand he competes with them and on the other, it is highly important that everyone likes him. Should one brother tell him, “I Order Table am not your friend”–he wants to die. This really threatens him. It is highly important Michal Yakir, Israel that they will not be angry with him. If I am angry with him – he is worried about it, from a young age”.

Case of a Child Suffering cool and gets along with everything. He He is short for his age. has no anxieties during day-to-day life. He MATERIA MEDICA AND CASES from Ear Infections was always a calm child, and this is why I Cravings: Sweets (3) especially lollipops, decided to have yet another baby… but purple, pink and red ones. He likes to eat This is a case study of a four-year-old child, perhaps, something which is suppressed chocolate and cheese. Otherwise he is not arriving with his mother for a first consul- during the day surfaces at night? During much of an eater. tation on 28.4.10. the day he is calm, but a medium we con- sulted suggested his anxieties are related He is not fond of tomatoes (recently) and Observation: a delicate looking child, with with a past life. …He is occupied with what potatoes. an adorable smile. Plays with the fairies happens when one dies, what will happen and butterflies on my desk. when he dies? When his mother dies? Pregnancy was desired and healthy but the labor was induced (Pitocin) since he was The problem for which they approached He is a sensitive child, and highly sociable. not yet born by his due date. “The hospital me: repetitive ear infections. He is friends with everyone in his play- pressured us to induce the labor, but it was school; when he sees someone from afar unnecessary. The birth was horrific, and I The child suffers from a common cold most he will call him even if he is on the other went through immense pain. I felt horrible of the time. The mother tells me that since side of the street. He is also quick to be- contractions – the worst pain I ever felt.” he was a baby he suffered from recurring friend new children. ear infections, a condition accompanied Speech late: it took a while until he spoke. with secretion from the ears. He has a highly developed imagination and To this day he mispronounces words. a high ability to concentrate; he can occupy He constantly suffers from the common himself on his own. Pimples? The mom suffered from them as a cold, which became a chronic condition teenager, the father did too. with a constantly stuffed nose. He likes cuddling, falls asleep at night while stroking me. He is good with girls. He is not The last ear infection occurred a month ago, a fighting, physical boy. (Strokes himself Case Analysis when he was found to have enlarged ade- with a feather at my office.) Knows how to noids, a third tonsil and an air blockage. express love, to cuddle and hold, can even In approaching this case I used the Table of hug and kiss his friends from time to time. Plants structure (see further details later The teacher in his playschool thought his on), as the case demonstrates clear indica- hearing was decreasing. Medical findings Communicates, like my husband, some- tions of the fifth column in the Table: the showed a slight decrease. thing optimistic, happy and safe. However, competitiveness, bossiness, his need to like him, he is addicted to control: he is control others, to be the first, to be “taller”. This document was downloaded for personal use only. Unauthorized distribution is strictly prohibited. He grinds his teeth at night, especially bossy, tries to dictate the course of events All that points to the fifth column. His need when it is noisy – for instance, when his so that things will go the way he intends to establish relationships, his needs to baby brother cries. them to. He dislikes changes. Rigid, even please others, to be likeable in a charming though from the outside he appears soft way along with excessive emotional sensi- Still wets his bed at night. and sweet. tivity, occupation with the world beyond,

The mother narrates SUMMARY “He has two older brothers (8, 11) and a younger one-year-old brother (received him relatively well, pretty much ignores This case demonstrates the use of my systemʼs table of plants in arriving at him…) and deciding the remedy – and understanding the reasoning in this case.

He is an amazing child, he becomes accli- KEYWORDS Table of Plants, , Rosa damascena, Wondrous Order matized quickly everywhere. He is very

6 Michal Yakir, A Case Study – Homœopathic Links Spring 2013, Vol. 26: 6–11 © Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd. He does not eat well. He only eats candies and cakes.

The teeth grinding decreased, but it still ex- ists.

He does not wet his bed that much.

The competitiveness is still there: he must be first to receive the food; he fights over his place with his elder brother, even though he loves him. Apparently, the issue is his young brother; it seems now that he would have been happy to give him away. The jealousy is out.

He is more insolent and rebellious than be- fore. He used to be a conformist child. He MATERIA MEDICA AND CASES used to do anything to make you like him. Now he threatens to leave the house when things are not done his way.

Prescription: Switch to fluid Rosa damas- Fig. 1 Rosa damascena (Damask rose). cena C12, 1 drop daily

Again two months later Table 1 Repertorization using RADAR program. Bed-wetting ceased entirely: one day he Repertorization ros-d. nux-v. sil. staph. lac-leo. aur. simply asked to sleep without a nappy and 3/3 2/3 2/3 2/2 2/2 1/3 has been dry since. 1 MIND – ANGER – contradiction; 7512211 3 from Teeth grinding has almost stopped. His 2 MIND – COMPETITIVE – brother or 21–––1 – sleep is calmer. sister with* He no longer suffers from the cold. (A symptom I added to the reper- tory, based on my clinical experi- – ence and Chetna Shuklaʼs proving) Mentally he is calmer, less agitated, has less tantrums, is still competitive with his 3 EAR – EUSTACHIAN TUBE; com- 151111–– plaints of brother and sister but the most clear change is individualism, which was absent beforehand. This can be seen with his friends: if they do not want to play his thoughts about death and ghosts – all point Prescription: Rosa damascena C12 once games – he goes on to play by himself, and to the first row, particularly with the his- daily does not try to please them. He began tak- tory of an early-induced labor, which is a ing his remedy by himself (with a shy and clear indication of a “pre” process, or the Follow-up engaging smile he tells me that his mother first row. After two months helps him. So this quality of the remedy is A day after taking the remedy for the first still there). There is an excessive need to please, the time he developed a high fever which, This document was downloaded for personal use only. Unauthorized distribution is strictly prohibited. gentleness, the desire to hug, kiss and cud- within one day, was gone, on its own. Since Prescription: Raise potency to Rosa damas- dle, and the desire for sweets; the “pink” then he has been healthy, apart from one cena C15– 1dropaday. aura that surrounds the entire case. All occasion on which the parents went abroad these point to the Rose family (which is and he was in playschool. He got sick but Later on, we further increased the potency situated in the beginning of the fifth col- recovered two days after his parents re- to C18. umn). turned. He was healthy until a flu epidemic erupted at school a few days ago. His par- Again two months later Out of the Rosales, Rosa damascena has a ents travelled and left him with his grand- Physically he is fine. Hearing is normal. Si- known affinity to ear pathology, and issues parents: he woke up saying that his body nuses clean. No cold. The jealousy for his with height and competitiveness. Thus it hurts and he cannot go to playschool. Has a brother also passed and he is very nice to was chosen as the remedy for the case (see cough, which is rather deep, but no sinusi- him. Also, the anxiety level decreased sig- Fig. 1 and Table 1). tis even though he suffers from a slight nificantly. In playschool he is highly popu- common cold. lar, a leader. Wants things to be done his way – rather spoiled…

Michal Yakir, A Case Study – Homœopathic Links Spring 2013, Vol. 26: 6–11 © Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd. 7 In the following winter they came for an ad- Plants were the first to fashion the idea of becomes quite easy to decipher the homeo- ditional session as he had a slight cold and separation in nature: Unlike minerals, pathic sense of it by assembling the Materia some teeth grinding. He has fears of ghosts. plants have a membrane separating them Medica information from all the remedies Again his mother tells me he is very popu- from the environment, an attitude that al- within each family –“as if one remedy”, lar among his friends; he is bossy but in a lows them to develop along their own evo- and interpreting it according to its location sweet manner (he intervenes and says: “I lutionary lines and pace, which is a quicker in the table. In an astonishing order, the ax- am going to dress up as a king.”). He likes to one than the mineralsʼ. The evolutionary es of botanical development and their cor- feel soft fabrics, strokes his motherʼs sleeve changes plants go through propel evolution- respondent remedies are found to parallel before falling asleep. Again, he is jealous of ary changes for the whole biosphere, includ- stages of human development. the attention that the older sibling provides ing the atmosphere, minerals and animals. his sister. This way, each square in the table presents More so, plants are the foundation for the a convergence point of two axes – Ego con- Now we refer to his eating habits: he is still existence of life, providing oxygen, carbon struction and levels of growth and develop- a very picky eater and will not touch many and nutrition. Plants propel minerals from ment: the horizontal axis is formed by sep- types of food. Eats a small variety of fruits earth outward and from the air inward into aration and individuation stages while the and vegetables and still prefers sweets. the earth, availing it to the biosphere, al- vertical axis forms maturation levels. This lowing growth and continuation of life on provides physiological, emotional and MATERIA MEDICA AND CASES Prescription: Increase to Rosa damascena earth. In this sense, the plants kingdom acts mental content to each family of plants. C30 1 drop daily as a stirring mediator between the worlds, While Families of plants present the collec- expressing an archetype of continuous tive themes that correspond to any given Fifteen months after intake growth and development. location on the table, a single remedy de- Still takes Rosa damascena C30. scribes only certain variations of those In accordance with its developing nature, themes. The cold is gone and for the rest of the win- the kingdomʼs evolution can be seen ter he did not suffer from it. to correspond with human psyche develop- The Table of Plants thus provides a schema ment, seeing that both share the innate na- that links plantsʼ developmental stages to Sleeps well. ture of growth and development. At times human developmental stages. The table re- where development is halted, manifesting fers to the challenges and obstacles met His eating habits have improved. All of a as a disease, the corresponding plant can during the developmental journey of the sudden he has an appetite. be summoned. This is one more gift the Ego from a primary stage of union and one- plant world offers. ness to an advanced stage of individuality. It turns out that there was something they Learning and absorbing the lessons of the never reported: a tendency for weakness The Plants schema structure expresses this feminine and the masculine elements. with heart involvement: it appears he correspondence in a manner akin to the ho- would get tired easily. Also, when he com- meopathic understanding of the Periodic The Plants table provides reason and expla- peted with a friend, if the friend was about table of elements; its axes, however, are nations to remedies, as well as to qualities to beat him, he would complain that his founded on evolutionary stages of botanical of families of remedies. It allows better heart aches. This has improved as well. development. The building block of the ta- understanding of cases, as well as promot- ble is not a single plant or a remedy, but a ing understanding of small remedies and He remains bossy. whole botanical group. Thus every square new provings. The Plants table can provide of the table contains one or few Orders2 or an understanding as to why the remedy Treatment: continue for another month Families. The reason the Plants schema displays certain characteristics as well as with Rosa damascena C30 and then in- doesnʼt present specific remedies as its to why a case calls for a remedy belonging crease to C200. Single dose. building blocks is that while the Mineral to a certain Family. The beauty of the plant Kingdom contains 118 elements, the Plant tableʼs systematics is that, without contra- Two months later Kingdom consists of thousands of plants The parents report that all is well. Should which necessitated aggregating them by This document was downloaded for personal use only. Unauthorized distribution is strictly prohibited. the need arise, they will give a single dose groups – namely Families and Orders. 3 In the 1980s, the botanist Arthur Cronquist of Rosa damascena C200. (1919 –1992) postulated a systemic scheme of I found Cronquistʼs3 systematics suitable for classification that defined the evolutionary pro- cesses of plants in a way that created a clear as- the tableʼs scheme as it is led by evolution- sociation between families, orders and higher The Structure and ary vision, being grounded mostly on ho- taxonomic rank. Cronquistʼs system places flow- Methodology of the meopathic-like “signs and symptoms” of ering plants into two broad classes, Monocotyle- function and sense in the Plant Kingdom. dons and , divided into subclass cat- Plant Table egories, where related Orders, Families and Spe- cies are placed by certain morphologic order. When the table is systematized in such an Arranged from primitive to advanced, the inner Plants are the source of natureʼs ability to order, with vectors of botanic evolution, it order is decided by appearances, signs, and evolve and develop. Observing nature, we symptoms (as in homeopathy), by the evolution- learn thatdevelopment is inherent tothe es- ary advancement of the flower, fruit, pollen and 1 seed structures. In this narrative, the most primi- sence of the plants kingdom. Continuously Most of the plants continue to grow and gain tive plants are positioned in the base of the tree; 1 mass all their life. growing and ever evolving, plants adapt to the most advanced plants appear in the topmost nature and create it at the same time. 2 Order is a higher taxonomic rank above Family. part of the tree.

8 Michal Yakir, A Case Study – Homœopathic Links Spring 2013, Vol. 26: 6–11 © Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd. In the Fourth Column (Nurturing and Ma- turity), the maternal element is attaining Table of Plants Attributes maturation. After the previous columnʼs journey in the feminine element, the indi- Columns pires to acquire awareness, conscious- viduation process reaches a stage where it The columns present the 10 botanical ness, identity and uniqueness, subse- necessitates gaining equanimity: an ability Subclasses of the table, portraying a quently returning to the source, this time to nourish or be nourished, provide, give transformative journey of differentiation, though as a conscious part of the whole, a or take without being belittled for it. The separation, independence and individua- witness of creationʼs wondrous harmony. lesson obtained is maturity of the maternal tion, while aspiring toward freedom quality, an ability to give or receive yet keep “ ” from the Ego boundaries. The Ego is The Columnsʼ attributes are loosely your separate individual identity. Imbal- transported from a state of oneness, from linked to C.G. Jungʼs stages of develop- ance at this final maternal column would “ ” the whole, indistinctive Self , towards ment of the Ego. More about that in Won- be expressed as mother/daughter issues, formation and realization as an individu- drous Order, the systematic table of plant family issues, complications related to – al Ego preparing to shed its Ego layer remedies. motherhood and elements of abandonment again, wiser than before. From unity to and dependency. We shall often see over- individuation and back to unity again. Rows responsibility for the family, anxiety about The journey is initiated by contending The Rows present large botanical groups family matters and carrying the burden of MATERIA MEDICA AND CASES with the feminine element. Once the les- describing levels of development and family, which sets the ground for exhaus- sons are learned, separation and a split maturation within each column, begin- tion of personal energy, fatigue and back from the feminine element occur, the ning with pre-birth and proceeding with pains. Eating and digestive disorders will struggle shifts, and the Ego has to face infancy, childhood, adolescence maturity often ensue. Typical remedies are Bamb, the masculine element. Gaining the mas- and finally old age. Sacc-a, Trit, Cypr, Thea, Choc, Bry, Brass, ʼ culine element s experience and lessons Sin-a. allows departure from the Ego closure Rowsʼ attributes are based on Erik Erik- and progression toward interaction and sonʼs human development stages [2]. In the Fifth Column (The Other),theEgois “ ” a relationship with the other and with already solid and constructed. In order to the world at large. From union and one- Intersections continue its development, the Ego must at- ness to a differentiated Ego, now able to Meeting points of rows and columns: tend fully the lessons of the masculine be part of the outer world, to cooperate Each column presenting as a stage of Ego quality, which creates boundaries, rules and unite again, yet retain its distinctive- separation and individuation progresses and separation, giving purpose and direc- ness and unique presence. accordingly, expressed within itself tion. By the masculine borders, the Ego is through nine levels of readiness and ma- enabled to realize what is apart from him- In the developmental journey as present- turity, presented by the rows. self, to separate from what is not himself – ed by the columns, the human soul as- and thus come to meet the other, as an indi- vidual by itself. This separation allows a ma- ture relationship to be created, so that is diction, it complements and adds depth to impulse enters the process of the table), fol- why the subject of relationship is of utmost case analysis, regardless of whether the ap- lowed by a sense of smallness and weak- importance, especially in its beginning (i.e., proach is of a conservative or modern ho- ness, as effort is put into “standing by one- the Rose family). Later on the emphasis meopathic method. self”. Issues presented are related to being turns to the expression and fulfilment of small or big, being in this world or remain- oneʼs role outside the family, to doing and Extended description of the essence of ing in the other world (or remaining in any acting. The split of the masculine from the the columns other previous state). Here or there, indeci- feminine element is the strongest issue The First Column (Unity) depicts an initial sion, “should I return to the unified state or here, causing rigidity, stiffness, and in the state of awareness to the unified feminine should I separate?”“Will I create bound- end (like in the Conium family) to dryness quality element that, by its nature, gives aries or will I have them blurred?” Rem- and suppression of the feminine, emotional birth and initiates processes. The first col- edies such as Cann-i, Urt, Ficus and Quercus level. Relationship will be an issue in the This document was downloaded for personal use only. Unauthorized distribution is strictly prohibited. umn represents a unity with the infinity are characteristic to this column. The strug- beginning of the column, later to be shifted from which everything bursts, and is sym- gle and lessons are still in the territory of to suppression of the heart and relation- bolized by water, first chakra and more. the feminine quality. ships, competition, work, duties, rules, reli- Problems or lessons related to the first col- gion and rigidity. Prominent remedies are umn can be expressed as a lack of bound- In the Third Column (The Hero), there is a Rose, Crat, Anac, Rhus-t and Con. aries and discrimination, a weak, depen- strong and intensive battle to separate from dent and influenced Ego, spaced out and the feminine-maternal quality that though In the Sixth Column (The Group), one inattentive. A state of awareness might be before gave life, is now perceived as stran- meets the world at large, stands up to it, there, yet the inability to act. Typical rem- gling and limiting. Expressed as a struggle fights with it, conquers oneʼs place and de- edies are: Op, Staph, Arist, Lotus, Asar, Nux- to separate from anything that appears fines oneʼs place in it. The sixth column fits m, Acon, Puls. “controlling”, the developing Ego fights for our time: an age of individuality that verges its individuality: with the characteristic on egotism. Here the feminine and mascu- In the Second Column (Here or There) the statement: “I want to do it my way”. Char- line had not recovered from the split, thus initial separation begins (a first masculine acteristic remedies are the various Cacti. fighting amongst themselves, always on

Michal Yakir, A Case Study – Homœopathic Links Spring 2013, Vol. 26: 6–11 © Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd. 9 Table 2 Wondrous Order: The table at a glance.

Old age No Remedies Arales Empty column Orchidales Young adult No plants Orchidales here Juncales Adolescence Graminales School age Aracales Early childhood Babyhood- basic trust Beginning of life Before birth ALISMATIDAE ARECIDAE COMELIDS LILIDAE Before Here or there The Hero Nourishing The Other The Group separation Maturity Relationship in the world MATERIA MEDICA AND CASES Dicotyledons Magnolids Hamamelids Caryophyllids Dillenids Birth, before life, connection to the neither world, Urticales Dileniales Rosales Polemoniales unwillingness to be born, difficulties in confronting Illiales Theales the self or the inner world. Deep connections to the Nympheales subconsciousness, myths. The shaman. Beginning of life [oral stage] feeling secure about Urticales Saraceniales existence, experiencing basic stability, first connec- tion to mother. Acknowledging the other versus autistic isolation, suspicion, disbelief, hopelessness. Infancy [Anal stage], autonomy, dependence, Hamameli- Gentianales [mother time] separation borders (skin diseases), dales Malpigiales getting control. The Will formation, shame, criticism, being oneself versus self-doubt. Early childhood, play, curiosity, inquisitiveness, Aristolo- Hamameli- Caryophy- Malvales Malpigiales Gentianales pulling apart. Initiative – or none. Paralysis, sex, chiales dales liiales Violales Scrophular- penetration. Unable to take role or set a goal. Euphorbiales iales School time, latency, capability sense, preparation Ranunculales Juglandales Caryophy- Scrophular- to life [father time], learning norms and rules, be- liiales iales ginning of social learning. Unreadiness to learn, Rhamnales feeling inadequate, not fitting in, inferiority. Not recognizing roles. No purpose Adolescence, identity integration or confusion. Myricales Polygonales Primulales Rhamnales Rubiales Self-image reflected from outside. Body image. Plumbagi- Adolescence themes: freedom, excitement, search nales meaning, imaginations, fancies and planning. De- pendence on group. Looking for meaningful figures. Early adulthood, young adult, establishment of Santanales independence, of position. Breaking off depen- dence, developing capability to real friendship and

caring to the other, > inability to intimacy, isolation. This document was downloaded for personal use only. Unauthorized distribution is strictly prohibited. Forming love relationships and partnership. Adulthood, creativity and fertility. Ability to care Papaverales Dispacales and concern about the other, to give. Ability to de- Campanu- vote to ideas, to higher ideal. Finding self-expres- Capprales lales sion. Versus selfishness, not changing, conserving. Asteridales Old age, completion and wisdom. Retirement, Papaverales Capparales Apiales Asteridales preparing for death, towards unification of the I. Salicales Inability to collect, understand and unify life im- pressions, leads to bitterness, hostility, dissatisfac- tion, life has been a waste, despair. Dependency and fear of death. End of any process.

guard, causing the intra-relationship to be Ego to display itself, prove oneʼs worth and expressed as allergies or a tendency to get difficult and physical infertility at times. find oneʼs place in society can escalate to a worms: any other thing that violates oneʼs Also the need of the now fully developed clash with the world. Physically this can be boundaries or is even perceived to do it.

10 Michal Yakir, A Case Study – Homœopathic Links Spring 2013, Vol. 26: 6–11 © Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd. On the one hand it has over sensitivity to istic lore. The human journey toward ac- the worldʼs impressions, on the other hand quiring awareness finds its parallel in a References it shows ambition and aggression: “the de- number of developmental sequences: the veloped Ego fights back”. The sixth column developmental stages of the minerals, the 1 Desai R. Re-exploring our Magnificent expresses a battle to function within a progress of the history of humanity, the Plants. New Delhi, India: B. Jain; 1999 group, while yet maintaining oneʼs hard- first six chakras and the six first days of cre- 2 Erikson EH. Childhood and Society. New earned individuality. Prominent remedies ation. Like a gigantic fractal, the world dem- York/London: W. Norton & Company are Verat, Lil-t in the Monocots and Bell, onstrates its patterned rules of creation in Inc.; 1950, 1963 Stram, Coff, Chin, Nux-v, Ign, Menth, Abrot, every aspect of life, all in a wondrous order. Cham and Arn – in the Dicots. Wondrous Order book and schema Vita This is the end of our journey, and, perhaps, The Table of Plants cannot entirely be ex- a preparation for the seventh stage, where plained in one article, the above is only the Michal Yakir is a former chairwoman of the all will be returned to the unified state, essence, a short portrayal, but the informa- Israeli association for homeopathy. She is keeping a complete awareness of the tion perceived through the plant table editor of the IACH Bulletin, teaches home- uniqueness that will have been attained. schema can be easily validated by being opathy in Tel-Aviv, Israel, and lectures on compared to oneʼs knowledge of remedies the Plants Table. Development across the Columns and cases. MATERIA MEDICA AND CASES All columns are divided by levels of devel- opment – The rows (which follow E. Erik- An extensive description and much more sonʼs levels of development [2]). The rows information is available in my book “Won- Michal Yakir, PhD, RCHom express the lesson of each column, initiat- drous Order”. Sadly, for the time being, the Nahal Yarkon 21 ing the journey at a juvenile and unpre- book is only available in Hebrew. However, Modiin 71700 pared state, evolving to maturity and even- it is in the final stages of translation into Israel tually growing old and ending. Priming it- English so it should be published in a few Internet: self to begin the next step in the journey. monthsʼ time. For those interested in mak- http://www.homeopathy-plants.com ing first inroads to using the Plants schema, E-mail: [email protected] The columns are constructed according to please consult my website. Jungian developmental stages and Kabbal- This document was downloaded for personal use only. Unauthorized distribution is strictly prohibited.

Michal Yakir, A Case Study – Homœopathic Links Spring 2013, Vol. 26: 6–11 © Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd. 11