It is quite well understood now that the gut is not only important in its own right, but also is important for immunity, general health and mental health. Dr Edward Bach was very much ahead of his time when he identified the Bowel as a leading cause of disease.
When he started working with the bowel he cultured faecal samples and then classified them based on the way they fermented different sugars. From this he came up with seven different types:
Proteus, Dystentery, Morgan, Faecalis Alkaligenes, Coli Mutabile, Gaertner and No 7.
His classification of what he found varies considerably from how we classify bacteria these days. That has led to controversy over exactly what the different bowel nosodes are. But microbiology aside, they are a highly effective homeopathic tool for not only normalising gut bacteria, but supporting whole health.
We cannot talk about the Bowel nosodes without also talking about John Paterson. Paterson was a coworker of Bach’s who continues the study of the bowel nosodes after Bach moved his focus to the flower essences. He studied thousands of stool samples, and did over 20 years study into the bowel, and how intestinal flora changes with disease.
Morgan – there are three types of Morgan: Morgan Pure, Morgan Bach and Morgan Gaertner. Morgan Bach is Dr Edward Bach’s original nosode, with Morgan Pure and Morgan Gaertner being nosodes developed by Paterson.
Morgan Bach has a lot of congestion, both of the mucous membranes – nasal congestion, sinuses etc- and in the gut with constipation. It is a remedy I often use if there is histamine problems, as it helps balance histamine production and reduce reactivity. Mentally and emotionally there can be anxiety and they may even have a tendency to depression. They also can have a lot of skin problems and eczema.
Morgan Pure has skin eruptions, liver problems or gallstones.
Morgan Gaertner is self centred and self pitying, and may be indicated for renal colic and kidney stones.
Dysentery Co – is for those who have a lot of anticipatory anxiety, nervous stammering and fears. They can stress and worry over everything and may end up with tics or depression.
Gaertner – reminds me more of Silica, where there can be deficiency in connective tissues and problems with absorption or nutrition. It also has aspects of Phosphorus and Mercurius. It is a remedy for coeliac disease, intolerance of fatty foods, chronic gut problems and recurrent thread worms.
Proteus- this is one of my favourite bowel nosodes, for people who are irritable, and everyone walks on egg shells around them. Their temper has a hair trigger and they can go from fine to explosive in the blink of an eye. Peripheral nerve problems, cramps and spasms are also seen in proteus.
Faecalis – this remedy is not one much used in practice, and is just described as being full of hate.
Mutabile – this one was named because it mutated when the sugar it was fermenting changed. Not much has been written about it, but that it is similar to Pulsatilla and has altering or changing symptoms, particularly skin eruptions alternating with asthma.
No 7 (Paterson) – so named because it was the 7th non lactose fermenting bacillus. Symptoms include feeling prematurely old and worn out, both with mental fatigue and physical weakness. Arthritic pains, swelling and stiffness.
Sycotic Co – this is one of Paterson’s nosodes, and is one for the Sycotic miasm with overgrowth, a remedy for warts and also congestion, with plenty of mucus formed. They can have a nervous irritability and a fear of the dark and being alone. Interestingly it is also one of only a few remedies listed for sibling rivalry. Paterson successfully used this remedy to treat Gonorrhoea infections in the US armed forces during World War II.
No 10 is anxious, irritable and depressed with frequent urination and an itchy vagina. They often skip breakfast and crave sweets and chocolate.
Before we leave Bach and Patterson’s work I want to touch on a few newer bowel nosodes.
Colibacillinum (E Coli) – while some of the original bowel nosodes may actually have E Coli in them, we now have a remedy that is just E Coli. There can be memory issues, and weakness and it may be useful in Alzheimer’s disease. It is also a bacteria frequently indicated in urinary tract infections, and as a homeopathic remedy it can be useful for cystitis, nephritis as well as gall stones or kidney stones.
Ton Jansen has combined bacteria and bowel nosodes to make his combinations Poly Bowel and Poly Bowel Plus.
I love using the bowel nosodes, and have plenty of examples of them making a long term difference for healing. Come back tomorrow to find out more about Bach’s Twelve healers and his other homeopathic remedies.
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