Clinical Cases

A Case of Agaricus Muscarius

Written by Adam Fiore

Homeopath Adam Fiore shares an Agaricus case in which the patient’s sensations and energy corresponded to the Fungi family.

Patient & homeopath observations

An 11-year-old boy came into the initial consultation in September 2008 accompanied by his mom.  The patient has filled in his own health intake form (see handwriting below).  He presents as self assured and talkative with a strong ego.

His mom describes him as “… high energy, very social, very talkative, strong in school, argumentative, opinionated.. ”

She shared that during her pregnancy, “I had a negative reaction that something was inside of me, like an invasion!”

Chief Complaints:

  1. Stomach cramps
  2. Nail biting
  3. Pain in knees
  4. Fear of intruder at night, difficulty sleeping
  5. Clenching/grinding of teeth

Etiologies, modalities, PQRS etc

  • Stomach cramps
    • has experienced them as long as he can remember. His stomach cramps are frequent but random and can result in explosive diarrhea.
    • Painful, stabbing, nagging sensation, > pressure.  Moves into intestines
    • “I can’t do anything”
  • Nail biting
    • The nail-biting has been as long as he can remember.
    • “I like to chew on them, fidget with them, it keeps me occupied”.
  • Pain in knees
    • Stiffness sensation; Weakness sensation; > walking
    • He feels that the knee pain ‘holds him back’.
    • As if “an obstacle that I can’t pass, a missed opportunity.”
  • Fear of intruder at night
    • There is a strong fear of an intruder breaking in. Fear of the dark.
    • Desire to protect the family
    • He slept with a knife for one year (note – he has a passion for knives and outdoor survival)
  • Difficulty sleeping
    • He wants to run around the block at night. He has high energy then and always wants to run, to move.
  • Clenching/grinding of teeth
    • At night, long-standing complaint

Symptoms etc

Dreams fearful, dreams of being chased, dreams of weapons and swords

Patient’s Main Focus and Themes in case

He spontaneously emphasized that he is more mature once his mom left the consultation room:

Advanced, Mature, Older

“I am in 6th grade.  I am the oldest in the class.  I am the second oldest in the school’

Smart, Ego, Fear

He feels he is very smart and is admired for that.  The opposite is someone who is clumsy.   He fears being completely scared and not knowing what to do.

Fighting, Protecting:

He has a passion for reading spy books.   He likes that “…they are smart and know how to fight…”  He is also into mythological stories – that of quests, saving the world, demi-gods etc.  Passion for knives and outdoor survival, to survive completely on my own in nature/woods, to be completely autonomous.  He wants to ‘protect’ his family as if in the case of an intruder and talks about wanting to protect his friends if need be.

The two sides that came up during the consultation on all levels of experience:

  • Camaraderie, gang, friends, always together, powerful, unbeatable, protect, defend
  • Bigger, powerful, autonomous, boost ego, superior, best in the world, leader, everyone looks up to me, I’m always right, confidence
  • Power reduced, ego smaller, timid, alone, vulnerable, handicapped, not knowing how to react, physically hurt, intruder

When asked about fears & dreams:

  • Dreams of being chased, dreams of weapons and swords
  • Strong aversion to insects and bugs. “ Disgusted, hot sensation, grossed out, want to kill all the bugs”
  • “Strong fear of insects that can crawl inside, living inside of me, something in you, take blood out of you”
  • Invading, stabbing, it goes inside, squeezes

Case Analysis

The sensations and energy correspond to the Fungi family as described in Dr. Rajan Sankaran’s Schema[1].  The striving and ego aspiration corresponds to the remedy Agaricus as per the Répertoire de thèmes et de matière médicale dynamique by Guy Loutan[2].

Rajan Sankaran’s Schema:

Sensation: invading, digging, penetrating and spreading.

Active reaction: Invades, spreads, fights, egotism, courageous, strength increased

Compensation: courageous in the face of danger and invasion.

 

Agaricus – Guy Loutan (translated from the French to English by MICH)

“The child who presents himself as if he were an adult. He rejects his own human smallness out of envy of something greater or divine. He feels weak and small. “

From the provings: “Laughed about their not standing and walking straight”, “Laughs at his attempts to stand and walk”.  He is upset that it takes time to develop, evolve, to become great, to be forced to grow: these are immense obstacles for him. He wants to be an adult right away, wants his power, not his wisdom, because true greatness seems inaccessible to him”.

 

Highlights from Agaricus Materia Medica, by Frans Vermeulen and Jan Scholten

Frans Vermeulen[3]: …. self-esteem, reciting his exploits; delusions of grandeur; exalted strength. Curious and inquisitive. Energetic, fearless or fearful

 

Jan Scholten[4]:

Grandiose, potent, omnipotence, haughty, self-assured, self-confidence.

Underlying insecurity. Critical, dismissive, condescending of others.

Two sides: growing smaller or taller.

Fearless or fearful.

 

Agaricus Muscarius Confirming Rubrics (Kent)

Mind, delusions, great person, is (p. 26)

Mind, courageous (p. 17)

Teeth, grinding, sleep, during (p. 432)

 

Remedy Given: Agaricus Muscarius 200k (2018-09-10)

  • From the period of 2018-09 to 2019-11 the patient received a single dose remedy Agaricus Muscarius 200k for the broad action and non-aggravating nature of the Korsakov preparation. Initially there were monthly follow ups then every few months as needed in consultation with the homeopath.

Agaricus Muscarius 200k Follow up (2018-10-15)

  • Sleep/Fears – “not a problem anymore, I have no more fear” He qualified 100% amel.
  • Knees – “… much better.” He qualified 90% amel.
  • Teeth-grinding – “gone…” He qualified 100% amel.
  • Nail-biting – “stopped for a few weeks then returned again”
  • Cramps -”not a big change, still there but not as intense cramping”
  • Energy “feel good but had exams this past weekend and was stressed”

His mom noted that he is “calmer and less confrontational, less argumentative with parents.”  Patient still emphasizes being mature for his age and therefore being frustrated with the younger and less mature peers at school.

Remedy: Agaricus Muscarius 1M single dose 2018-10-31 Because all the emotional issues were addressed with the first dose.

Agaricus Muscarius 1M Follow up (2018-12-10)

  • Sleep/Fears – continues to be fine, no dreams or fears of intruders
  • Knee pain – no longer a problem.
  • Teeth-grinding – continues to be fine
  • Nail-biting – still present
  • Cramps – better, no cramps for the past two weeks. Some morning cramping prior.

He started to love going to sleep.  Mom continues to report that he is ‘less confrontational and less argumentative.”  Patient still emphasizes being more mature than others and frustrated that he is held back from being a leader.

Remedy: Agaricus Muscarius 10M single dose 2018-12-10

Agaricus Muscarius 10M Follow up (2019-02-11)

  • Fears, Knee pain, Teeth-grinding etc continue to be completely ameliorated
  • Energy level – “Great, playing soccer almost every day. I’m playing at a high level with the bigger kids.”
  • Strong point of view/anger
    • “no big arguments just minor disagreements, hasn’t happened often”
    • “In past I would be mad for a few days, now it leaves fast”
  • Frustration – feeling less impacted by others in environment and thus frustration is improving
  • Cramps – return sometimes due to stress (ie. fencing competition)
    • Less frequent overall, 1-2x week (before was 5-6x week)
  • Nail-biting – still comes and goes; often related to ‘performance’

Continued Agaricus Muscarius 10M with Follow ups (2019-02 to 2019-12)

  • From the period of 2019-02 to 2019-12 the patient took the Agaricus Muscarius 10M three times
  • Along with the above noted ameliorations he continued to be less argumentative, more positive and better able to listen to others

 

[1]  Dr. Rajan Sankaran. Sankaran’s Schema. Mumbai: 2005: p16

[2]  Dr. Guy Loutan. Répertoire de Thèmes et de Matière Médicale Dynamique. Editions Loutan 2011: p16

[3]  Frans Vermeulen. Prisma. Haarlem 2002.

[4] Scholten, Jan.  2019.  Qjure Homeopathy Wiki.  https://qjure.com/remedy/agaricus-muscarius-4/

About the author

Adam Fiore

Adam Fiore has maintained a full time homeopathic practice for the past ten years. A long-time practitioner of meditation, he complements his approach with Buddhist philosophy and methods for addressing underlying stress. He has taught mindfulness and movement therapy programs to children and young adults, with a focus on spectrum disorders. He has since worked with adults and teens facing challenges of depression and mental health, and brought meditation and contemplative programs to diverse populations including women’s groups, recovering addicts and dual-diagnosed young adults.

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