A comprehensive profile of Tuberculinum bovinum

Scientific overview

Mycobacterium tuberculinum, nosode from infected sputum, also from pure cultivation of human tubercular bacillus. Bacillinum is similar and made from pathological sample of tubercular lung abscess. TB is the world’s leading cause of death from an infectious pathogen, and a major problem in the Third World. It is increasing in the West recently due to immunosuppression from HIV and medical treatments. Prevalence is especially high in Asian countries, in some areas up to 80% of children are affected. The risk rises with poor social conditions, malnutrition and poor housing. Spread is largely by air-borne droplets and the primary infection tends to occur within the lungs, which then heal to leave a few dormant live bacteria. These can reactivate later to cause further local infection in that area, spreading throughout the lungs or further through the blood to other body parts. Reactivation is more common in drug and alcohol addicts, the elderly, immunosuppressed (e.g. HIV/AIDs patients) and those on steroids. Most infection in the UK is due to reactivation of a previous childhood primary infection, but there is increasing infection from contact with immigrants from Asia and the West Indies.

The initial infection causes a granuloma – a mass of scar-like tissue containing caseated cheesy necrotic (dead) material, giant-sized white cells and scar. This heals to leave dormant TB in that site. These later have calcium deposits. Pathology tends to concentrate within the lungs. Other areas affected by primary or reactivated TB are: (1) in the gut, at the ileocaecal area and the peritoneum (causing ascites fluid in the peritoneal space); (2) genitourinary system, the kidneys with tissue destruction and cysts, and the testes; (3) endocrine adrenals to cause destruction and failure (Addison’s disease); (4) nervous system such as meningitis and brain abscess; (5) skeleton, joint infection and osteomyelitis bone infection; (6) eyes, causing choroiditis, iritis; (7) lymph nodes anywhere may become infected and enlarged, then matt together to form sinuses that discharge pus.

The initial symptoms are a vague feeling of malaise, with a cough and sometimes a wheeze. Lymph nodes deep in the chest and along the airways enlarge to cause obstruction with collapse of that part of the lungs. Sometimes a pleural effusion occurs, or it may scatter throughout the lungs as small dots of TB (miliary TB), which is usually fatal. In reactivated TB there may be ‘vague symptoms’ e.g. tiredness, malaise, anorexia, weight loss, fevers, cough, and drenching night sweats. A chest x-ray can show the initial primary area affected as a calcified area, miliary spread, lung collapse or pleural effusion.

Any sputum the patient coughs up is stained and tested for the presence of the TB bacteria. Various skin tests exist, e.g. the Mantoux and Heaf test, with injection of trace TB antigen into the skin to check for an immune reaction, which indicate past exposure or active disease depending on the size of the reaction. Upon being diagnosed with TB the patient’s close contacts are tested and screened for infection and often given prophylactic antibiotics (usually isoniazid). Medical treatment involves several specialised antibiotics given over a 6-9 month period, e.g. isoniazid, rifampicin, streptomycin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. More TB strains are now resistant to these antibiotics, aggravating the present worldwide epidemic. For prevention many countries in the West use BCG vaccination, a cow strain of TB not considered dangerous to humans. The effectiveness of the vaccine varies around the world, and is hardly at all effective in India. Past medical treatments included the touching by a Royal hand (e.g. the King), instructing the patient to travel, frequent sunshine exposure, residing in mountainous regions with pine forests and frequent bathing in health spas. It was thus recognised that a deficiency of sunlight attributed to the disease.

Spiritual overview

Soul nature of the tubercular type

TB affects people with a particular constitution and the lungs are the most commonly affected. Infection is not due to inhalation contact per se, for there are always more bacteria in swallowed mucus without an infection occurring of the stomach or oesophagus. For the stomach to become infected by TB it would need six times as much bacteria than for the lungs. Not every person exposed to TB will be infected. The predisposition to TB arises if the person lives too much within the dynamic of the nerve-sensory system, this makes strong demands on them such that the foundation for chronic nervous exhaustion is laid. There are excessive metabolic processes entering the rhythmic region – especially into the lungs, where the dynamics of the nervous system predominate. There is thus an excessive rising upward of lower processes, which provides a living foundation or nutrient soil for the growth of TB bacilli.

Relationship with silica and ego forces

There is a clear polarity between TB and silica. The lungs have the highest susceptibility to TB but very low silica content (the right lung having even less than the left lung and being more infected by TB). The organ with the highest silica concentration is the pancreas and is the least infected. Silica carries the formative forces coming from the head pole. In TB these forces are too weak and therefore forced back, in organs were the silica forces are already weak TB is more likely to be present. Among the organs below the diaphragm, the adrenal glands are most frequently affected. Through the kidney system the catabolic forces of the nervous system, which are connected with silica, are limited in their activity and transformed into opposing anabolic or build-up processes. Therefore the predominance of anabolism within the adrenals is normal or physiological.

However this organ will be the first to be exposed to the consequences of the excessive metabolism in TB. The adrenals participate strongly in the metabolism of light (including vitamin D), a disturbance of which is the basis to TB. The pathology in lung TB leads to destruction and dissolving of the organ tissue with inflammation. After a while there is scarring and fibrosis within the area and this points to an opposite or hardening tendency which is always do to with the nerve sensory pole in that area. In this state the lung is trying to become ‘too much head’. Connected with this is an unhealthy nerve sensory activity where the individual has united too strongly with earthly conditions and diverted from sun, space and cosmos. Thus TB was common in poor living conditions of earlier times, as the social conditions changed the mental and spiritual basis for the disease also disappeared.

Weak incarnation of the soul

The lungs are the organ through which the soul-spiritual being incarnates into the Earth and corporeality. Thus if the lungs are disturbed through TB there is incapacity of the spiritual body to live in a healthy balanced harmony with the material world. This leads to a psychological shift, becoming very imaginative with an inability to think abstractly. The uncontrolled metabolism is felt as a strange sense of psychic discomfort and they live in an euphoric state widely out of context to their physical health. This is an expression of the weak connection they have with their physical body. They have poor communication with people and environment around them because they actually float above the Earth and the realities of the world. This state does however provide a foundation for artistic productive activity and hence TB was common amongst artistic people in the past. However progressively the person becomes more disconnected leading to withdrawal of vital forces and disappearance of structure and substance, causing severe lung damage and marked weight loss (hence the title pulmonary consumption).

The more dissolving inflammatory character of TB corresponds to the illusionary euphoric soul mood. The hardening productive scarring form of TB corresponds to psychic constriction with compulsive behaviour. In both cases the healthy balance of above and below is displaced and the organ of the middle, the lung, is disturbed. Although antibiotics have been implicated as causing the reduction of TB, the major forces have been improved public hygiene and the progressively stronger connection of humans with the Earth in civilised areas.

Astrology perspective

Hard aspects between Venus, Saturn, the transuranian Apollon and the asteroid Icarus. A particular pattern is Venus within the sign Gemini, opposed by Saturn conjunct Apollon within Sagittarius, and both squared by Icarus within Virgo. The Venus-Saturn interaction imparts constant feelings of dissatisfaction, jealousy, self-torment, unrequited love and intense emotional urges that remain unfulfilled. There is pathology of the hormones and glandular tissue, and also nervous system disorders (this latter due to placement within Gemini). Apollon intensifies the desire for greater levels of fulfilment, the individual being desirous of grand designs, having lofty ambitions and an active social life. Icarus, however, imparts the desire to escape from responsibility, duty or work, and to become carried away by the need for pleasure and hedonism.

Oriental diagnosis (Chinese medicine perspective)

Lung-chi deficiency, also lung and kidney yin deficiency combined pattern. Lung chi deficiency often arises from inherited constitutional weakness of the lungs (especially a family history of tuberculosis), also long-standing sadness, prolonged sedentary lifestyles with lack of exercise or proper breathing, and stuck episodes of exterior wind-cold or wind-heat invasion (often due to antibiotic distortion of the defence chi). The features include shortness of breath, chronic cough, watery sputum, weak voice, sweating, chilliness, pale complexion, low immune resistance, fatigue, a pale tongue and empty pulse. Lung yin deficiency may arise from lung chi deficiency or as a consequence of kidney yin deficiency. The features of this syndrome include dry cough, blood-tinged sputum, emaciation of the body, weight loss, worsening breathlessness, sore low back, weak limbs, fever and night sweats, nocturnal seminal emissions, a red peeled tongue with cracks in the lung region (just behind the tongue tip) and a floating empty pulse.

Craniosacral diagnostic perspective

There are inflammatory and mucus deposits within the subdural/subarachnoid spaces, especially at the level of the brainstem and spinal cord. These may arise from prior tuberculosis or any other microbial related infection. Space-occupying lesions (such as abscesses or mucus filled cavities) exist within the cerebrum, brainstem, cerebellum or spinal cord. The craniosacral rhythm becomes distorted, chaotic and obstructed.

Organ/tissue affinity

Lungs, adrenal glands, nervous system, gut, lymph nodes. Tubercular miasm. Base and throat chakra. Planets Mercury and Venus. Fourth ray.

Constitutional appearance is of a light complexion, pale face with red cheeks, narrow or caved in chest, thin, wasted looking with weak muscular build. Long fine eyelashes and blue sclera of the eyes, especially in children. Family history of tuberculosis, immigration from Third World, refugees, asylum seekers, alcoholics, homeless and dislocated people.

Modalities of the remedy

Aggravated by lack of ventilation, start of motion, over-exertion, cold damp weather, morning, standing. Improved by open air, gentle motion and exercise. Craves smoked foods, fats and cold milk.

Strange, rare, peculiar symptom features

A sensation of his head going round in a circle. That someone were behind him. That he was crushed by everybody's rushing around. That he could fly away. That he was in a strange place. A sensation of fluttering within the heart. That the clothes on his back were damp. That there was a fire burning in his upper spine. That cold wind blew through his bone marrow.

Mental symptom features

• Longing, romantic unfulfilled feelings, constantly dissatisfied and restless. Always want a change in their circumstances, bored and weary of life, wants to do something different and may become reckless. Frequent changes in job, relationship, house, etc. Desire to travel, want to try everything. Sensitive to music, very dreamy, idealistic and romantic with flights of imagination. Artistic and creative, but with a tendency to reject the material world and seek out higher truths, leading to despair and desolation. Learning difficulty and poor concentration in children from excessive daydreaming and boredom.


• Melancholic, hopeless and anxious, frequent changes in mood, contradictory and irritable, fits of violent temper with cursing and swearing. Violent, destructive, irritable and compulsive. Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in children, very restless and difficult to please. Precocious development in children, mentally or physically. Fearful of animals, especially dogs.


• Confused, dull-headed, averse to mental work. Insomnia and disturbed sleep with nightmares, hallucinations at night, awakes in fear with night sweats, shuddering sensation on sleeping. Stupor and excess sleepiness during the day.

Generals and Particulars symptom features

• Low resistance to infections, chilly and become ill whenever there is an adverse change of the weather. Frequent fever with heavy sweats, especially nocturnal. Profuse sweating after minimal exertion or even at rest. Poor recovery from illness, constantly changing symptoms, leading to difficulty in making exact pathological diagnosis, pyrexia of unknown origin, fevers without any apparent cause.


• Respiratory ailments, chronic, frequent or severe lung infections, chronic obstructive airways disease, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, pneumothorax and collapsed lungs lobes. Chronic or frequent cough, especially at night, barking, bovine or seal-like in nature. Expectorates phlegm with yellow-green foul mucous, haemoptysis, blood in sputum. Associated hayfever and allergies, especially to milk and dairy.


• Loss of appetite or hugely increased appetite, yet easily bloated and nauseous with food. Marked weight loss with lame, weak limbs and marked muscle wasting. Weak pelvic and abdominal floor muscles with hernia (inguinal, umbilical, femoral) or prolapse (bladder, rectum, uterus). Spleen deficiency with anaemia, low platelet count and diarrhoea and prolapse, splenomegaly, grossly enlarged spleen (palpable as a mass under the left rib cage radiating toward the right lower abdomen).


• Frequent headaches with severe pain, brain feels loose. Chronic ear infections, perforated eardrum, tinnitus, chronic offensive ear discharge. Enlarged tonsils, hoarse voice, tooth decay and sensitive teeth.


• Chronic kidney failure and urinary symptoms, poor stream, frequent urination and nocturia, haematuria, bright red blood in urine or trace amounts found on urinalysis. Painless haematuria or painful dysuria. Chronic adrenal deficiency, Addison’s disease, hypotension, low immunity, chronic low back pain, low sexual libido, infertility and general skin hyperpigmentation (brownish discolouration, from deranged levels of skin melatonin and light metabolism).


• Osteoporosis, osteomalacia, rickets and Paget’s disease of bone. Bone pains and pathological fractures, vertebral column collapse with disc prolapse and spinal cord compression or nerve damage – leading to sharp shooting neuralgic pains, paralysis from a particular body level downward, urinary and bowel weakness and sensory loss (touch, pain and joint position sense) below the level of pathology. Bedwetting, sticky urine sediment, strains at stool to pass the urine.


• Frequent skin boils and abscesses, lymph node enlargement, pustular acne. Alopecia, marked loss of hair of scalp.

Prescription guidelines

Useful remedy when symptoms are constantly changing and well selected remedies fail to work.

Related homoeopathic remedies

• Bacillinum – the deeper acting lung abscess form of Tuberculinum, use when chronic lung abscesses, mucus congestion and failure. Complementary to, follows after well, combines well with.


• Calcarea phosphoricum – indicated for children (especially below age 12) before prescription of Tuberculinum, assists the light metabolism within the bones, particularly for ‘growing pains’. Complementary to, precedes well.


• Carcinosin – emotional and mental patterns of dissatisfaction, but usually more passive, peacekeepers and doormat types, tendency to chilliness and lack of fevers or sweats. Complementary to, follows after well.


• Cuprum – balances the kidney/adrenal region, supportive to Tuberculinum (and often useful after), related to the Venus forces of creativity. Complementary to, precedes well, acute acting drainage for (use Cuprum to treat healing aggravations from Tuberculinum).


• Drosera – indicated for acute stage in chest infections of Tuberculinum origin, i.e. cough productive of coloured/bloody sputum, with fevers, sweats and weight loss. Complementary to, precedes well, drainage to (use Drosera in low potency as drainage remedy).


• Medorrhinum – for mucus congestion within genitourinary region, also tendency to hyperactivity, but usually more aggressive, callous and less sensitive, weakness more focused on sexual sphere than lung organ. Inimical to.


• Phosphorus – the light-bearer, supportive of Tuberculinum, useful in conjunction, best given 6c in morning and 30c at night to assist the movement of light in and out of the body, tendency to be creative, floating and spaced above the world, usually more fearful. Complementary to, follows after well.


• Pulsatilla – mucus congestion in upper airways, ears and nasal passages. Generally more weepy and vulnerable. Complementary to, follows after well.


• Silica – balances the whole organism against the reactivation of the miasm, generally more prone to skeletal ailments. Complementary to, follows after well.


• Stannum – extreme weakness of the lungs with mucus congestion, for end stages of lung failure and large pleural effusions, more mentally fatigued. Complementary to, combines well with.


• Tuberculinum avaire – the chicken form, useful where infection in animal workers, in young children and after ingestion of much dairy and eggs. Complementary to, follows after well.


• Tuberculinum testinum – the testicular form, useful for males, especially for ailments below the diaphragm, e.g. low libido, infertility, renal failure, osteomyelitis at hip joint. Complementary to, follows after well.