During the treatment of Drug-addiction, when a particular drug is withdrawn, the addict experiences a number of unpleasant symptoms both somatic as well as psychological, these are called withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms are specific to a particular type of intoxicant and their intensity varies from one person to another, depending upon the binding of that drug to opiate receptors in the body mainly the brain and rest of the central nervous system. In context to brown sugar addiction, which is considered to be one of the commonest addictions according to the data collected from various De-addiction Centres all over India, the symptoms that we observe in majority of these patients during the phase of drug withdrawal, are various types of pains - viz generalized body ache (constant dull-ache type), specified pains in calf muscles (excruciating type), headache (throbbing type or dull ache) and abdominal pain (griping & colicy type). Among homoeopathic medicines various drugs have been found to be useful to alleviate these pains of brown sugar withdrawal viz. Avena Sativa, Passiflora etc. (Sharma & Chauhan 1990). Dioscorea Villosa (wild yam) is considered to be a useful medicine for almost all types of pains - abdominal colics' pains In upper and lower extremity and various headaches (Boericke, 1927, Clarke, 1978,Allen 1980, Ghosh 1981). Dioscorea is considered to be a ‘Polycrest remedy’ since It works in multiple symptoms, Upon mind it has a sedative and tranquillizing effect. It relieves pressure and pain pertaining to head. It ameliorates severe abdominal pain In hands & fingers, fleeting pains from front to back, specific pains of internal organs like liver and kidney, pain increasing on bending like spondylitic pain and sciatica.

Material and Methods

This study was conducted on 50 brown - sugar. addicts admitted as indoor patients at ‘Prabhat’ De-addiction Centre, Agra. All the subjects were male belonging to age range 20 to 25 years and low middle socio-economic group. They were examined physically as well as psychiatrically in order to exclude any major physical and mental illness, associated. All these subjects started experiencing pain approximately 18-24 hrs after their last dose of intoxicant.

Dioscorea

was administered in the form of mother tincture (Q), 30 drops 3 times a day. Their pain was measured on a five- point scale every day after Discorea administration.

Results & Discussion

Majority of patients started feeling a little relief in pain 2nd day onwards. There was a marked relief on 4th day In the pains of lower and upper extremities. These scores are sent for statistical analysis. The data was found to be statistically significant on ‘T’ test. The findings are supporting our previous findings i.e. Heroin withdrawal symptoms can be successfully controlled by homoeopathic medicines viz Avena Sativa & Passiflora (Sharma and Chauhan 1990). Boerike, Clarke, Ghosh & Sidhankar have also mentioned the beneficial effect of Dioscorea in various disorders of nervous system including the brain disorder caused by alcohol, morphine and related drugs. This drug probably acts on receptor binding of opiates, by inhibiting the nerve impulse conduction it decreases the pain sensitivity and manifests as a relief in pain.