Access to Information on Homeopathy
The traditional books are enough to differentiate between remedies for most homeopathy at home. They are inexpensive so it is handy to buy the books listed below.
Beginner resources
Also, most homeopathy books can be found on line. The exception is Phatak’s materia medica. He has written excellent short and pithy descriptions of physical symptoms. But, his book is not on line.
DESCRIPTIONS OF MAJOR REMEDIES ARE IN THESE MATERIA MEDICA. LISTED BY AUTHOR’S NAME.
These first two books above are inexpensive and to differentiate remedies for Polarity Analysis, perhaps you don’t need more. I would tend to go to Phatak first.
The main way I use the web when I am interviewing a patient is by accessing the Polarity Analysis repertory. That is simple and quick. I interview and repertorize at the same time. Then, I take out a book form of materia medica and ask questions to confirm the remedy that I suspect to be curative.
William Boericke http://www.homeoint.org/books/boericmm/index.htm is very inexpensive. It is so succinct that at first, I ignored it. Without more detail, so many remedies seemed the same. Vermeulen, an encyclopedia of homeopathic materia medica relies on Boericke for a short, simple description of each remedy. Then he goes in detail that eventually you will discover to be very helpful. Once you sort of know the remedy, short descriptions such as those written by Boericke and Phatak are useful. Before that, you probably will want more detail.
James Tyler Kent’s Materia Medica is cheap. The problem with using, for example, a Kindle version of this kind of reference is the table of contents is not automated. So, searching for a specific remedy is not easy. I still use it after all these years, so having even a second hand version is worthwhile.
The books mentioned below are expensive, but I will include them for reference. Phatak’s materia medica is excellent for physical symptoms. But, often you need to know the personality of a remedy to differentiate it from other remedies that will come up when you repertorize a remedy.
Vermeulen’s encyclopedia-type materia medica are all very expensive. Prisma is the best one for a quicker overview of the remedy. He has revised them several times, but people do not get rid of their homeopathic books easily. So, I do not see second-hand books of his. In a lecture that he gave on his own learning process, he said that he did not understand the importance of Allen’s (Timothy) encyclopedia when he did the first editions. So, the earlier editions do not include that vital information. But, for a beginner, Phatak is plenty and an earlier edition of Vermeulen's Prisma would seem overwhelming in the detail that it contains. Yet, if you can afford it, then get at least one of his. The problem is in getting a modern version of the mind symptoms of polycrests. When I began, I liked Vermeulen because he included more of a portrait of the remedy. Also, at a glance, I could see where the mind and the physical symptoms expressed the same syndrome.
Recently, I have taken a liking to the lectures on Materia Medica given Robin Murphy. They are poorly edited direct transcriptions of lectures. I find the book easier to access than lectures. Unlike the above books, they are casual discussions of the remedies. But, what I still use every day are the standard Materia Medica listed above.
libraries on many homeopathic subject
Books are briefly described and can be downloaded on your computer.
Whole classical books can be downloaded. The Indians have been very helpful in providing resources for free.
This library contains some other useful books for download.
Software Access
The following description is probably not for casual beginners who only need to find a remedy to heal COVID or home emergencies.
If you are very serious about learning homeopathy, rental of software is a cheaper way to get help accessing information. Polarity Analysis probably does not require homeopathic programs, but I could not do homeopathy without them (I have never tried.) I use the Complete Dynamics (CD). It can be rented in most of the world and bought in India. Not only does it give me access to a huge repertory, but if you do not know the language of the repertory, the links that it gives to related symptoms are invaluable. Also, if you are looking up a remedy, looking across a wide variety of traditional sources will help you. Note however, the newer books are not in the CD. I use Reference Works because I need to access newer books and also, the display of references is very good for looking through a long list of references. This is a much more expensive option because you must to buy it. No rental is available.
Application on digital devices
The big software repertories such as Synthesis can be bought for a nominal price to use on digital devices. The speed will depend on your device. Application of Materia Medica can be bought at locations such as the Apple Store. Only a few of the good ones have a table of contents or allow you to type in the remedy name that you are looking for.
Online LECTURES
I learn remedies by hearing and reading cases. Many other teachers on Youtube such as Vithoulkas or Misha Norand are excellent for getting the big picture of a remedy. If you are really interested, contact me and I will help you find more lectures. For more advanced students, some lecturers have migrated to venues such as Facebook or to Podcasts. When you listen to advanced lectures, the key is to summarize the most important points. Do not try to memorize information. For example, this Indian homeopath is easy to understand and pithy lectures give you some clinical insight. If you look at a reference book as you listen to him, you will see how he summarizes the information. That is the skill that you want to develop.
Learning to Read paper books
My videos often contain sections where I help students to read the traditional books. How to look for the information that will be most useful to you takes some practice. Some of my favorite general modern Materia Medica are written by Vermeulen, Murphy, Roger Morrison, and Vithoukas. Modern MM are helpful because they describe the psychological state that is commonly can be used to select or differentiate remedies. I am helping students to study remedies organized in groups. This method takes more effort because students learn how to use the various forms of information found in modern books. Recordings of tutorials are offered for free to anyone. If you feel that your needs are not being met by the available tutorials, please contact me and I will arrange to tutor you on your special area of interest.