Searching for Rubrics (Semantic Search)

Finding the right rubric in Similia is fast thanks to Semantic Search: you can type symptoms in natural language, the way patients speak, and Similia will surface the most relevant rubrics.

Semantic search of the seven classical repertories is included on Free and Pro. A premium repertory can be searched, by keyword or semantically, once your account has access to it.

How to search for a symptom or rubric

1. Open Repertory.
2. Type your symptom, for example "fear of the dark" or "headache better lying down".
3. Choose the search type in the menu beside the search box:

• Semantic, for meaning and context
• Keyword, for exact words

4. Review results and open a rubric to see remedies and grades.
5. Use sorting and the buttons above the results to refine them, for example by the number of remedies in a rubric (Pro).

When only premium repertories are selected, the menu offers two Semantic options: a faster one marked with a lightning icon ("Fast results ranked by similarity.") and a higher-quality one marked with a crosshair icon ("Higher quality ranking, may take a few extra seconds."). What's the difference? in the same menu explains them.

If there is no search-type menu, Manual work mode is on. See "Work mode: AI-assisted or Manual" below.

Finding rubrics that contain particular remedies

To find the rubrics that contain a remedy, use the Remedy filter next to the search input. Open it, search for the remedy, and select it; the results are then limited to rubrics containing that remedy. The pill shows a badge with how many remedies you have selected. Under Degrees, tick the grades (1 to 4) the remedy must have in the rubric. This works on Free and Pro. If none is ticked when you search, Similia shows "Please select at least one weight when searching with a remedy." and does not run the search.

When you select two or more remedies, a Remedy match choice appears:

• All remedies: shows only rubrics that contain every selected remedy. This is the default.
• Any remedy: shows rubrics that contain at least one of the selected remedies.

With a single remedy selected the choice is hidden, because there is nothing to combine.

Seeing the remedy's grade in each rubric

Select a remedy and run the search with an empty search box to list every rubric that contains it. Each rubric then prints the remedy after its name in the grade typography used inside rubrics (plain, italic, bold, bold underlined) and in the grade colours from Settings, so you can see the grade without opening the rubric. By default, remedy-only results open ordered by grade, highest first; the Sort pill offers Remedy grade alongside Relevance and Remedies. Keyword and plain-language searches with a remedy filter get the same Remedy grade sort option, except searches that load as you scroll, where it is greyed out. This works on Free and Pro.

Advanced search syntax

At the end of the search box there is an i button that opens the "Advanced search syntax" panel. You can require or exclude individual words:

Operators are separated by spaces. Phrases, OR, and escaping are not supported. If you require and exclude the same word, Similia tells you, for example: "The term “skin” is both required and excluded."

There is no operator for rubric size. To narrow results by how many remedies a rubric contains, use the Filters button instead (Pro).

Loading and filtering results

Searches that use the + or - operators in Keyword mode, and searches made only of operator terms (for example +skin -red) in either mode, load their results as you scroll: the list shows "Scroll for more rubrics" and fetches the next batch as you reach it, rather than using numbered pages, until it shows "All matching rubrics are loaded".

After a search, typing different words in the search box narrows the rubrics already listed, without running a new search. Press Enter or Search when you want a new search with the new words. When more results are still waiting to load, Similia makes this explicit: it tells you it is "Filtering the N loaded rubrics — press enter to search all rubrics". If nothing already listed matches, it shows "Press enter or Search to make a new search".

Sorting and narrowing results

The section filter sits next to the search input, and Sort sits in the bar above the results:

• All Sections: choose which sections of the repertory to search. Once you pick one section the pill shows its name; with two or more it shows how many are selected (for example "3 sections"). The pill appears only when a single repertory is selected; it is hidden while you search several repertories at once.
• Sort (the pill shows the current order, for example Relevance): choose Relevance or Remedies (most or fewest first), and Remedy grade when a remedy filter is active. Remedy grade is unavailable for searches that load as you scroll.

The bar above the results also holds these icon buttons; hover over one to see its name. On narrow screens they are grouped in a gear menu in the same bar:

• Filters: limit rubrics by Number of Remedies (minimum and maximum) and by Remedy Grade. Requires Pro; on Free the button opens an upgrade prompt.
• Author filter: filter by author source. Available when a single Complete, Saine or Suggesta repertory is selected.
• Filter by kingdom/family: requires Pro.

The earlier Cards, Tiles and List view options and the A–Z letter scrubber are no longer available. The bar above the results still lets you switch between one and two columns (on wider screens) and, for some repertories, show or hide cross-references and switch between tree view and expanded view.

Choosing which repertories to search

On the standalone Repertory page on a desktop screen, the Sources panel on the left is where you choose premium and classic repertories. You can collapse it with the chevron on its edge (Hide sources panel) and bring it back with Show sources panel. On smaller screens there is no side panel; choose sources from the repertory selector instead. Inside a case analysis, the repertory selector sits next to the search box.

Each repertory is listed by its short name with the full title underneath, for example MetaRep with "MetaRepertory 4th Edition" underneath (Robin Murphy's MetaRepertory). To search several repertories at once, tick All premium repertories or All classic repertories, then tick or untick individual repertories.

Similia remembers this selection in your browser. When your account gains a repertory (a purchase, an add-on or a trial) and the browser is set to search several repertories, the new repertory is ticked once, the next time repertory search loads, on the Repertory page or in a case analysis. If you untick it, it stays unticked. If you search a single repertory, Similia does not switch it for you: select the new repertory yourself.

Translated Complete Repertory sources

Semantic Search, like Keyword search, can use translated Complete Repertory sources when the account has access to those sources.

Supported translated Complete sources include:

• Complete Repertory 2026 (German), listed as Complete26_DE
• Complete Repertory 2026 (Turkish), listed as Complete26_TR
• Complete Repertory 2026 (Spanish), listed as Complete26_ES
• Complete Repertory 2026 (Portuguese), listed as Complete26_PT
• Complete Repertory 2026 (Russian), listed as Complete26_RU

Translated Complete sources are available only when the account has Complete access and the matching translation add-on. If the account does not have access, the translated source is locked or not listed.

Work mode: AI-assisted or Manual

In Settings, under Repertory & analysis, the Work mode section ("How you find rubrics") offers two choices:

• AI-assisted (marked "Default"): semantic search, and the AI tools your plan includes, suggest rubrics from the patient's words.
• Manual: "Keyword search only." The search-type menu is hidden and repertory search runs by keyword.

Manual also hides these tools where your plan includes them: semantic search in the materia medica, Notes to Rubrics, AI Analysis, Analyze Photo, MM Rubrics and AI Chat; Live Audio still transcribes, without the AI analysis. Your plan, AI credits, cases, notes and saved analyses stay exactly as they are. The choice is saved to your account.

To bring semantic search back:

1. Open Settings.
2. Under Repertory & analysis, open Work mode.
3. Select AI-assisted.

The search type you had chosen before comes back.

Troubleshooting

• A premium repertory you unlocked (a trial, an edition or an add-on) does not appear in your results. Check that it is selected: on a desktop, find it under Premium repertories in the Sources panel on the Repertory page and click its name (if you are searching several repertories, tick its box, or tick All premium repertories when you have more than one); on smaller screens and inside a case analysis, use the repertory selector next to the search box. If it still shows a lock, make sure you are signed in with the same account that holds the plan or add-on; Settings → Plan & billing shows that account's plan.
• There is no Semantic option. Manual work mode is on: choose AI-assisted in Settings under Work mode.
• "Sorry — semantic search is temporarily unavailable." This is usually brief. Click Try again, or Use keyword search instead to keep working.
• The All Sections pill or the Author filter is missing. Both appear only when a single repertory is selected, and the Author filter only for Complete, Saine or Suggesta.
• Filters or Filter by kingdom/family opens an upgrade prompt. These filters require Pro.
• You are offline in the installed app with offline mode turned on (a paid Pro plan; not during the free trial). Semantic search needs a connection, so the downloaded repertories are searched by keyword and Similia shows "Offline · keyword search". The + and - operators also need a connection. See "Using Similia Offline (Beta)".

Quick repertorization

You can start a repertorization without opening a case first, using Quick repertorization.

What it does

When you click Quick repertorization on Home (Quick rep on small screens):

• Similia creates a new case named "Quick case N"
• creates an empty analysis inside it
• places it in, or creates, a "Quick cases" folder
• automatically opens the new analysis so you can start adding rubrics

Starting from a rubric

Rubrics in the Repertory section — in search results and in the chapter explorer — carry a green + button ("Start a repertorization with this rubric"). Click it and Similia creates a quick case in the same way and opens its analysis with that rubric already on the clipboard, so you do not need to open a case first and find the rubric again. Rubrics with no remedies, and personal rubrics you created yourself, do not show the +; add those from inside a case analysis.

Notes

• Each quick case counts as one new case and one analysis. If you are on the Free plan and you have already used this month's 3 new cases or 3 analyses, Similia prompts you to upgrade before creating a quick case or starting a repertorization from a rubric.
• You can later rename the case, move it to another folder, or keep it in "Quick cases".

Updated on: 11/10/2026