Current case from Astrid Drescher, homoeopathic doctor
25‑year‑old man, at 2:00 am sudden severe pain in the right testicle, radiating to the groin and lower abdomen, severe increase of pain when lifting the testicle, suspected right testicular torsion.
Prescription: Bombyx processionaria C30 (Patricia LeRoux) as an acute dose, first every 5, then every 10 minutes, and referral to hospital.
On the roughly 30‑minute journey there was a "strange movement in the scrotum" on the right; on arrival at hospital pain had subsided by 90%. Ultrasound: unremarkable finding. Discharged home. By the next morning the patient was 100% recovered. Notably good mood.
NB: Father died 3 months earlier, he had been his "idol".
Excerpt from Patricia Le Roux - Butterflies in Homoeopathy:
4. PROVING (AMP) – Bombyx processionaria – processionary caterpillar
Drug proving by Dr Grandgeorge MD
This proving was carried out in 1991 at the Ecole Hahnemannienne in Fréjus, France. 20 provers, double‑blind with placebos.
The substance: Bomb-pr. Processionary caterpillar. Bombyx processionaria.
N.O. Lepidoptera. Trituration of the living caterpillar.
Starting material: trituration (C3), from which the C30 was made.
A student wanted to take part in the proving; he took 3 globules three times a day. The intake was to be stopped as soon as symptoms appeared.
Symptoms
An unusual feeling under the skin. Itching all over the body, worse in the evening. Nothing that relieves it. Therefore sleep is often disturbed, and then, during sleep, dreams in which the patient's arm is struck by an arrow. This pierces the muscles. Skin burning.
Dreams
Dreams of the body, of body parts, body corrosions, muscles pierced by an arrow.
Male genitals
Testicular torsion
Skin manifestations
Red spots, red points, eruptions, urticaria, strange sensations under the skin. Itching. Worse at night. Scratching does not relieve. Burning in general and burning pains.
Summary of themes
The student who had insisted on taking part in the proving phoned from Paris to tell Dr Grandgeorge that he had to stop the proving. He had been admitted to hospital with suspected testicular torsion. The surgeon wanted to operate, but then it turned out that the testicles were fine.
The main themes that appeared in the proving were
- Self‑castration – in the face of a contradiction or through the rules of an authority figure such as a father or teacher. Comparable to members of a sect who follow their guru processionally, subjecting their personal will and attitudes to a form of castration.
Here are two case reports to demonstrate the effectiveness of Bombyx processionaria:
Case 1: A ten‑year‑old boy was brought to me with suspected testicular torsion. I looked him in the eyes and threw a question at him: "Did you touch caterpillars?" He blushed and admitted it, although his father had warned him to stay away from the caterpillars. But he had been too curious and had not obeyed. I gave him three globules of Bombyx and sent him to the clinic. There the swelling subsided and the pain disappeared.
Case 2: I treated a 14‑year‑old boy for asthma, with no real improvement. I was not available when he developed a testicular torsion. He was therefore treated by an allopathic doctor who gave him antibiotics and later recommended removing the testicle as it was necrotic. When I returned and was informed about his emergency treatment, I gave him Bombyx C30. He never had asthma again.
It turned out that his father was the director of a college, very authoritarian – a castrator, psychologists would say.
- Feeling attacked – as if under assault. During the PROVING of Bombyx there was repeatedly a strong feeling of being attacked.
- Healing – dreams of being healed.
- Wounds – a recurring theme – as if the "castration" were so severe that wounds could appear (surgery futile).
- To go mad
- As if people were pointing at him – fingers point at him as if he were the scapegoat. Victim mentality.
The main paediatric symptoms of Bombyx processionaria
- Feeling of abandonment
This also occurs with the processionary caterpillar, as with all other butterflies tested so far, comparable to the father‑loss in the case example. - Remedy for testicular torsion and self‑castration
Dr Grandgeorge – Homoeopathy School in Fréjus – observed this symptom in his proving. If this remedy is given very quickly at the first suspicion of testicular torsion, the testicle can be saved by Bombyx. - Urticaria
The remedy can be given for chronic urticaria, as the stinging and scratching are so prominent.
Summary: Bombyx processionaria is an emergency remedy for testicular torsion and should therefore be in every emergency kit.
