China Officinalis – Homeopathic Medicine: Its Uses, Indications and Dosage

Homeopathic medicine China Officinalis is prepared from dried bark of plant Cinchona Officinalis also known as Peruvian bark. It belongs to the family rubiaceae.  When dried bark of this plant is potentised as per homeopathic formula that extracts and intensifies its medicinal properties, we get as a result a highly valuable homeopathic medicine. It is a top listed homeopathic remedy to manage numerous gastric complaints and weakness.

The ‘China Officinalis’ Constitution

This medicine is mainly suited to people who are lean, thin and are predisposed to get nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. It is highly suitable to persons who have turned weak from excessive loss of blood, diarrhoea.

Drug Action 

The prime action of this medicine is seen in the gastric system. Next important action is on blood to manage ill effects of blood loss like weakness, fatigue and anaemia. Other than this it acts well on the liver, gallbladder, ears, nose, face, male and female genitals. 

Clinical Indications

Gas (flatulence), bloating, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, liver diseases, gallstones, gall stone colic, anaemia, noises in ear, meniere’s disease, ear pain. ear discharge, nose bleeding, facial pain, nightfall, testicle pain, menstrual complaints, vaginal discharge (leucorrhoea), malaria.

Scope as a Homeopathic Remedy                              

1. Gastric Issues (gas, bloating, diarrhoea, anorexia, vomiting, liver disorders)

China Officinalis has a wide action on gastric tract where it helps settle various problems. Firstly, it is very helpful to ease the complaint of gas (flatulence) in the abdomen. In cases needing it there is gas in the abdomen which is felt for a long time after eating along with bloating. Weight in the stomach occurs following eating even a slight amount of food. Burping that tastes like food or is bitter may occur but it affords no relief in bloating. Motion may relieve bloating. A person may also have pain in the abdomen from obstructed gas. It is better from bending double. Gas pain after operation can be managed well with it.  Secondly, it is a top grade medicine for managing diarrhoea attended with excessive weakness. Stool is loose, brownish or yellowish, having undigested food particles with weakness. Passage of stool occurs with much escape of gas. Stool is offensive and can be frothy. It is also suitable when loose stool arises from eating fruit or drinking milk. Diarrhoea occurring in hot weather is also treated magnificently with this remedy. 
This medicine can be given for cases of worm infestation as well. It is also used when there is vomiting that may be sour, of undigested food or of mucus.
Another well known effect is to help cases of loss of appetite (anorexia). Persons who need it have an aversion to eating any sort of food and feel full all the time. It can be given for a low appetite when a person feels stomach is full from eating very little food. Appetite loss in case of malaria is an important indication for its use. It can handle gastric issues that occur from eating fruit, fish or from drinking milk, impure water, tea and sour wine. Cases of food poisoning from drinking impure water or eating bad meat, bad fruit can be treated well with this medicine. This medicine also acts well on the liver and gallbladder. Here it proves to be effective to manage cases of liver inflammation, liver enlargement, liver cirrhosis, gallstones and its related colic. 

Key indicating features

Gas and bloating, slightly better from motion
Abdomen pain from obstructed gas better from bending double
Gas pain after operation
Diarrhoea with excessive weakness
Loss of appetite with aversion to eat any sort of food
Gastric troubles from fruit, fish or milk, impure water, tea and sour wine
Liver complaints (its enlargement, inflammation and cirrhosis)
Gall stones and gall stone colic management

2. For weakness

It is one of the best medicines for managing cases of weakness and fatigue. This medicine is mainly selected when weakness occurs after diarrhoea, after bleeding (loss of blood). In males when weakness arises from excessive seminal emissions, this medicine can be really helpful. Females who suffer from weakness during breastfeeding, or after heavy periods may also find this medicine very useful to regain strength. Besides these its use can be done in cases of weakness that follows mental or physical exertion. 

Key indicating features

Weakness after diarrhoea, after bleeding (loss of blood)
Weakness occurring from excessive seminal emissions in males
Weakness in females during breast feeding or after heavy periods

3. Ear (noises in ear, pain, ear discharge)

This medicine acts well on ears and treats many ear related problems. It is mainly utilized for managing noises in ears (tinnitus) which can be roaring, ringing or humming type. With this there occurs vertigo, headache, and difficulty in hearing. Its use is recommended to manage meniere’s disease (an inner ear disorder with triad of symptoms including noises in ear, hearing loss and vertigo) too. It can be used for pain in the ear, tearing type worsening from slightest touch. Sometimes there is a stitching sort of ear pain. It is useful to manage ear discharge, which is foul smelling, consisting of pus and blood. 

Key indicating features

Roaring, ringing or humming noises in ear
Noises in ear with vertigo, headache and difficult hearing
Meniere’s disease
Ear pain increasing from little touch
Ear discharge having pus and blood with foul odour

4. Nose (cold, sneezing, nose bleeding)

With its action on the nose it manages complaints of cold, sneezing and nose bleeding. There is watery discharge from the nose with sneezing. This is accompanied with pain in the temple region of the head. Pain can be felt at the root of the nose. Eye watering may be present too. Smell is very acute and the person is sensitive to the smell of cooking and flowers. It is beneficial for managing nose bleeding (epistaxis) with head congestion and pale face. The bleeding episodes are frequent and occur especially in the morning on rising.

Key indicating features

Cold with watering from nose, sneezing, eye watering
Nose bleeding with congestion of head and pale face
Nose bleeding in morning on rising

5. Face (facial pain, dark circles)

This medicine can be given for cases of facial pain. The characteristic for using it is needle-like pain in the left side of the face. In some cases pain can be burning or tearing in nature on the right side of the face. The facial pain gets worse from movement and touch. Face turns alternately red and pale. This medicine is also indicated for dark circles when there is an appearance of bluish discoloration around the eyes. Face looks pale, sickly, bloated. 

Key indicating features

Needle like facial pain on left side
Facial pain increasing from touch and motion
Pale, sickly looking face with bluish discoloration around the eyes 

6. Male Issues (inflamed testes, impotency, testes pain, nightfall)

When it comes to males this medicine is recommended for complaints including inflammation of testes (orchitis), testes pain, impotency (inability to get or maintain an erection to have sexual intercourse) and nightfall. Persons needing it feel cramping, contractive pain in testes. They may have tearing pain in their left testes. It deals well with cases of swollen testicle after gonorrhoea infection (gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae).
Next, it is an important medicine to manage impotency from excessive indulgence in sexual activity.
Lastly it is known to be effective for cases of excessive seminal emissions at night accompanied with weakness.

Key indicating features

Inflammation of testes and cramping, contractive pain in testes
Swelling of testes after gonorrhoea infection
Impotency from excessive indulgence in sexual activity
Nightfall, frequent with weakness

7. Female problems (heavy periods, vaginal discharge)

This medicine can rectify certain female problems. It is a principal medicine for managing heavy periods with anaemia. The menstrual bleeding is dark, with clots and periods may come early. It is attended with pain and abdomen distension may be present too. After menses excessive weakness can be felt which is magnificently relieved with this medicine. There may also occur intermenstrual bleeding of dark blood. It is also of great value to help cases of vaginal discharge. It is typically indicated for blood stained vaginal discharge. It is accompanied with pain and bearing down in vulva. 

Key indicating features

Heavy periods with anaemia, weakness
Weakness after menses
Blood stained vaginal discharge 

8. Perspiration (sweating)

It is a prominent medicine for excessive sweating. People needing this remedy have increased sweating after exertion. It is also indicated for heavy sweating during sleep, at night accompanied with weakness. The sweat drenches the whole body. Next notable indication is profuse sweating in case of fever, malaria.

Key indicating features

Increased sweating during sleep
Excessive sweating causing weakness
Profuse sweat from fever, malaria

9. Fever

It is a highly valuable medicine for cases of malaria fever. All three stages of chill, heat and sweat are well marked. The symptom of utmost importance to use it is violent chills internally with icy cold hands and feet. There is shivering with nausea, vertigo, vomiting and pain in the head. During the heat stage, the mouth is dry, face is red, pricking is felt here and there and excessive thirst for water. Sweating mainly occurs during sleep and also during movement, and is very profuse and attended with much weakness.

Key indicating features

Malaria fever with well – marked stages of chill, heat and excessive sweat
Fever with excessive sweating especially at night time with marked weakness

Modalities

Worsening factors: complaints worsen after eating, slight touch, at night, from eating fish, fruits and drinking milk

Relieving factors: Complaints are better from hard pressure and in open air.

China Officinalis Dosage

It can be used in both low and high potencies. Its frequent repetition can be done in low potencies but in high potencies frequent repetition of this medicine should be avoided. 

Relationship with Other Remedies

Antidoted by: Arsenic Album, Carbo Veg, Ferrum Met, Ipecac, Merc Sol, Nux Vomica, Sepia and Sulphur

It antidotes Calcarea Carb, Chamomilla, Coffea Cruda, Iodum and Veratrum Album

Followed well by: Acid Phos, Arsenic Album, Asafoetida, Carbo Veg, Ferrum Met, Phosphorus and Veratrum Album