Homeopathic Mind Maps: Remedies of the Plant Kingdom

As the practice of homeopathy evolves the methods of case-taking, research, and analysis become simultaneously more simplified and increasingly more sophisticated. Homeopaths need new ways of viewing the remedies, a linear model is no longer solely sufficient and an additional new integrated model is now imperative.

Mind maps are a multi-dimensional concept, which allow the homeopath to view the remedy in a holistic and visual form. Alicia Lee has created her mind maps using the key group analysis concepts of Rajan Sankaran and Jan Scholten in a unique structure allowing the picture to unfold in an intuitive, logical and natural manner. This gives us an alternative to the previous form of definition, with the old familiar pictures to which we are accustomed, and allows for key concepts to be highlighted and primary symptoms to arise from a central scaffold and unfold in a cascade.

This form also allows a full view to be seen at a glance and the relationship of symptoms to emerge in an engaging and easily assimilated way.

Images also assist us to give texture, tone, emotion, sensation and energy to the remedy picture and photographs are a simple and effective way of achieving this. The Images on these mind maps are vibrant and powerful and assist in bringing the mind maps to life.

Presented in four volumes - Remedies of the Animal Kingdom, Remedies of the Mineral Kingdom, Remedies of the Plant Kingdom and Remedies of the Class Aves (Birds) - 'Homeopathic Mind Maps' are an inspired and valuable new resource for homeopaths to use in their everyday practice.

“The books of Alicia are a marvellous compilation of many sources. Her pictures give a concise insight into the essential aspect of the remedies. I like them!” Dr Jan Scholten, 2011 (Dr Scholten is an internationally respected teacher whose work has had a profound influence on homeopathy. His 'Group Analysis' of the periodic table has revolutionized how we fundamentally view and analyse the remedies.)

“The Mind Maps are a flow chart of the remedies, whose elegance and easy to read format, hides the blood and sweat effort it takes to compile the huge data of our remedies in a deceptively simple format. The flow moves from families and groups, expanding and resting at the delusions, before connecting those with the key generals of the case. The choice of the rubrics, indicate a wealth of clinical experience that they have been drawn from. The pictures stick in the memory, while bringing alive the delusion and some key information on the preparation from the source which I found valuable. For example - that Tarentula cubensis, by the time it reached the USA, had rotted as the vial had broken. I like the maps, they are clear and elucidate the delusion, as we know it until now, clearly and with key rubrics too.” Dr Divya Chhabra, 2011. (Dr Chhabra is a homeopath, teacher, master prover and lecturer and is well known for her unique and very effective 'free association' technique of case taking.)

“These volumes are beautifully, skilfully put together so that they are easy to follow and get the gist. It is a pleasure to witness the author's mind at work, putting a narrative upon the information. It's really helpful to have the photographs too. Altogether a delight! I am particularly impressed by the mineral and animal volumes, the mineral because of Jan Scholten's vision, that is so clear, and the animal because the relationship between form, life-style and nature of the animal helps to organise and clarify its homeopathic usage. The author's beautiful volume of plant kingdom maps seem to highlight the problems of classification that has dogged botanists since Linnaeus - work still in progress. Despite the classifying work of Rajan Sankaran, this is still a largely unchartered landscape within which the better known remedies stand out. When this is the case, these mind maps also spring wonderfully into life. I think that Alicia has drawn out themes from the prover's diaries in a manner that was not really apparent for us. These mind maps are inspiring.” Misha Norland, 2011. (Misha is the Founder and Principal of The School of Homeopathy, Devon, England, a much loved and respected teacher and master prover.)

“They are wonderful. They combine so much information in an easy and readable format. I have really enjoyed reading them. The new Birds book is also beautiful!! I am so impressed with the organization and Alicia’s determination to cover the complete story from myth to physical symptoms… and the pictures are so beautiful… it is a work of art. Congratulations on a really thorough job well done.” Nancy Herrick, 2014. (Nancy is an author, master prover and international lecturer in homeopathic medicine.)

“These three nicely composed manuals are an unusual gathering of information of important symptoms and signs of remedies as applied to specific remedy groupings. They can be used for learning, teaching and the daily work in the practice.
Alicia Lee has developed an oversight for each remedy from its central idea. She represents modern as well as proven remedies and that way she gives a perfect oversight for the materia medica.
I think these Mind Maps are wonderful and I always feel joy when I use them in preparing my classes. Thank you for your great work, Alicia, which you are doing for us.” Elisabeth Schulz, 2012. (Elisabeth is a homeopath, teacher, master prover of remedies as well as an author of two books: Homeopathic treating of children and My life with homeopathy: provings of remedies and the morphic fields.)

“The mind maps are a very nice way of trying to show more clearly than in text alone the relationships between several symptoms/rubrics within a specific remedy through nuclei. This might be a very good learning experience that results in a solid understanding of a remedy. The wonderful photographs included give it a finishing touch.” Roger van Zandvoort, 2011. (Roger is the author of the Complete Repertory and the former Repertorium Universale. Roger is also co-developer in the Complete Dynamics Project.)

• Author: Alicia Lee
• ISBN: 9780473179991
• 186 pages
• Spiral Bound
• Published in 2010
• Printed in New Zealand

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Published in Similia, The Australian Journal of Homoeopathic Medicine, June 2011 (Volume 23, Number 1). Reviewed by Jenni Tree.

Alicia Lee wrote to ask me for some technical advice some years ago, when this daunting project, begun as part of her Auckland College of Classical Homeopathy course, was in its infancy. I was interested to follow her progress and she sent me the proofs of each book, so that what I am reviewing may not be the final version.

In short, each book is A4 size, necessary for the visual mind map layout, and spiral bound to le flat for ease of reference. The paper is a good quality semi-gloss to carry the photos, and a serif font is used.

Each medicine has one page devoted to it. The information is laid out with the most important mentals at the top, leading to the emotions, and the physicals lower down the page. 'Thought' arrows connect them, and Lee is at pains to explain that these are her personal connections. The books are her interpretation and understanding of materia medica, as she has been taught, and from her wide reading in many sources, most of which are credited. It is interesting to see a modern student's eye view of 'Maximum information in Minimum space', and to understand the themes, connections, language and information felt necessary for a differential prescription now, in comparison with Vermeulen's Silver Book, the Synoptic Materia Medica of 1992. Lee's Animal Kingdom in particular contains outlines of many medicines not available 20 years ago, such as the majority of the birds and snakes, the sea horse and salmon, to name a few.

The medicines in the Animal Kingdom are arranged alphabetically by family, from Bears through Birds to Spiders. This book also contains the Fungi and the Nosodes, which, it is true, are often characteristically animal in behaviour. The Mineral Kingdom starts with Acids, continues with the Halogens, and then reverts to Hydrogen, making its way down the periodic table in rows, with some magnificent tables of differentials for the salts in each series; and ending with Hecla Lava, Natrum glutamate (monosodium glutamate), Sanicula, Aqua Camelford, Aqua Sulis and Aqua Taosca and a list of the Mineral waters. There are also overviews of the Lanthanides and Actinides.

Plant Kingdom information is arranged alphabetically in families from the Anacardiaceae to the Violales, and ends with a section on Trees. Much of the Plant Kingdom layout follows the teachings of Rajan Sankaran's Sensation Method, but is easily balanced by rubrics, delusions, physicals, herbalism, myth and pharmacology.

The running order of the books shows the influence of Scholten and Sankaran in that we are now expected to have a working knowledge of the Periodic Table, and some rudimentary understanding of which plants belong in which family, to say nothing of their miasmatic affiliation. Sherr and Shore have provided much new material and indeed kingdoms. Lee has drawn on a huge range of resources, from unpublished lecture notes, seminar material, online resources, and many old and new homeopathic texts in order to collate this material into three extremely useful books, appositely illustrating each medicine. For those who like their information in a visual, succinct, full-colour, contemporary way, for whom mind maps make sense, these three books are a fascinating read for keynotes and clinic. There is nothing like them on the market.