Exploring the Homeopathic Therapeutic Potential of Acorus calamus: A Multi-center Open-Label Clinical Verification...

Area of Science:

• Homeopathy
• Clinical Research
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Homeopathic clinical verification systematically validates rare medicines.
• The Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) investigates lesser-known remedies like Acorus calamus.
• This program expands the therapeutic applications of traditional medicines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess symptom intensity changes in patients treated with Acorus calamus using the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile-2 (MYMOP-2) scale.
• To evaluate the medicine's impact on daily living via the Outcome in Relation to Impact on Daily Living (ORIDL) scale.
• To identify any novel clinical symptoms associated with Acorus calamus administration.

Main Methods:

• A multi-center, open-label study conducted across 14 CCRH hospitals/clinics in India.
• Inclusion criteria required participants to have at least three symptoms matching Acorus calamus's known indications.
• Data collection involved follow-up assessments to measure symptom changes and overall impact.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in symptomatology was observed in 321 participants completing follow-ups.
• Acorus calamus showed effectiveness in treating conditions including headache, constipation, respiratory issues, musculoskeletal pain, and eczema.
• Statistically significant improvements (p < 0.0001) were noted in both MYMOP-2 and ORIDL scores.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully verified Acorus calamus's symptomatology, confirming its efficacy in managing diverse health conditions.
• New symptoms like sneezing and difficulty breathing were identified, expanding the known symptom profile.
• Further randomized controlled trials are recommended to quantify Acorus calamus's efficacy for specific clinical indications.