Archive for May, 2010

BAPTISIA

Mary
May 11 |10:40

wild indigo roots closewKEY SYMPTOMS

Severe infection, confusion and stupor, sensation that the body is scattered in pieces,  aversion to open air, offensive-smelling discharges.

REMEDY PROFILE

Baptisia is prescribed almost exclusively for acute feverish illness with a characteristic set of symptoms. These include confusion
or even stupor, as though drunk. The lethargy or exhaustion brought on by illness is so profound that the person even falls
asleep during conversations. Nightmares and delirium are common, notably a sensation that the body is scattered in
pieces. This feeling can lead to difficulty in falling asleep, as can sensations of suffocation or breathlessness.

Typical physical symptoms include foul breath, a yellowy-brown tongue, and a bitter-tasting mouth. The face may be

swollen and flushed dark red, with drooping eyelids. First developed for typhoid fever, Baptisia is now used mostly for acute fever, severe influenza, and gastrointestinal infections, as well as for sore throats and septic infections.

SOURCE DETAILS

ORIGIN

Native to eastern North America, growing from Canada down to North Carolina. Generally found in woods and clearings, and prefers dry, hilly terrain.

BACKGROUND
Traditionally used in North America as a decoction for fever and infection, a wash for wounds, a poultice for snake bites, and a
gargle to soothe sore throats.
PREPARATION
Fresh root, including the bark, is pulped and left to steep in alcohol for eight days. The resulting tincture is then repeatedly diluted
and succussed.
COMMON NAMES
Wild indigo, indigo weed, horsefly weed, rattleweed.

 

BELLADONNA

Mary
May 11 |09:54

KEY SYMPTOMS

Hot, flushed, red face, high fever,  delirium,  desire for sour things, sensitivity to light, noise, and movement.

REMEDY PROFILE

Belladonna is a major remedy for acute illnesses of sudden, violent onset. It is usually given to people who are generally fit and
energetic, but restless and agitated when ill. They are prone to sudden, explosive anger, marked by the desire to strike out or even
to bite.

Typical symptoms linked with Belladonna include high fever, dilated pupils, flushed, dry skin, and throbbing pain, particularly
in the head, due to rapid blood circulation. There is often hypersensitivity to light, noise, and touch, and also to rapid
temperature changes. Belladonna is typically given for acute pain, inflammation, or infection, chiefly of the upper respiratory tract. It may also be used to treat menstrual pain, sunstroke, febrile convulsions, cystitis, nephritis (inflamed kidneys), teething pain, and mastitis during breast-feeding.

SOURCE DETAILS

ORIGIN
Native to Europe, western Asia, north Africa, and North America, but now cultivated worldwide. Thrives in chalky soil, woods,
and wasteland.
BACKGROUND
Used traditionally for swelling and inflammations, colic, and ulcers. It formed part of a sleeping potion in Chaucer’s time and, six centuries later, provides an anesthetic still used in conventional medicine.
PREPARATION
As it comes into flower, the whole fresh plant, including the root, is dug up. It is chopped and pounded to a pulp, then the juice is expressed. This juice is steeped in alcohol before being filtered, diluted, and succussed.
COMMON NAMES
Deadly nightshade, belladonna, dwale, devil’s cherries, sorcerer’s cherry, witches’ berry.

belladona1

 

ARTEMISIA CINA

Mary
May 6 |12:55

KEY SYMPTOMS

Teeth-grinding,  irritability and touchiness,  temper tantrums,  ravenous appetite,  desire to lie on the hands and knees,  itchy nose that is constantly rubbed.

REMEDY PROFILE
Cina is typically perceived as a children’s remedy, and is given for intestinal worms or muscle twitches, associated with great irritability when scolded or in discomfort. Those affected cannot bear to be touched, held, or even observed—they often consider themselves ugly. Restlessness, a frantic state of mind, picking the nose, and grinding the teeth are typical symptoms in those
for whom Cina is appropriate. Sleep is often fitful and plagued by night terrors. All symptoms may be worse at night.

These people may have an “anxiety of conscience,” a groundless feeling of having done something wrong, which manifests itself
as touchiness and obstinacy. They may be survivors of childhood abuse. In addition to its primary use for worms, Cina has also been given to treat convulsions and seizures in children. Today it is still given as a treatment for worms, as well as for temper tantrums, violent coughing, muscle twitches, and sleep problems in children.

SOURCE DETAILS

ORIGIN
Native to a wide area ranging from the eastern Mediterranean to Siberia. Prefers semi-arid growing conditions.

BACKGROUND
Dried, unopened flower heads have been used since ancient times in preparations for expelling intestinal worms. The bitter plant
has also been used as a digestive stimulant.

PREPARATION
Unopened flower heads (called “seeds”) are harvested in fall, coarsely powdered,  macerated in alcohol,  diluted, and succussed.

COMMON NAMES
Levant wormseed, European wormseed, Tartarian southernwood.

artemisia

 

ARNICA

Mary
May 6 |12:06

arnicaKEY SYMPTOMS

Trauma,  bruising,  postoperative care,  tendency to deny illness,  bruised,  sore feeling,  bed seems too hard.

REMEDY PROFILE
People who respond best to this remedy may actually deny that they are ill, ignoring the severity of their condition. They generally prefer to be left alone and tend to be agitated, restless, and morose. Poor concentration and forgetfulness are typical, as are nightmares and a morbid imagination. Arnica is usually given as a first-aid remedy following an accident, surgery, bereavement, childbirth, or dental treatment. It is also used for joint pain, fever, and some skin problems.

SOURCE DETAILS

ORIGIN
Grows in alpine pastures and woodlands of the Pyrenees, Siberia, and central Europe, especially Switzerland and Germany.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally used externally as an ointment to improve local blood supply and speed healing in the treatment of bruises, sprains,
and muscle pain.

PREPARATION
The whole flowering plant, including the root, is steeped in alcohol, filtered, diluted, and succussed.

COMMON NAMES
Arnica,  leopard’s bane,  sneezewort,  mountain tobacco,  mountain daisy.

 

ANACARDIUM OR.

Mary
May 6 |11:52

anacardiumKEY SYMPTOMS

Lack of self-confidence,  conflict of wills,  sensation as if there is a plug in the anus, gut, or chest,  poor memory,  itching, burning skin eruptions.

REMEDY PROFILE

Anacardium or. is traditionally used for memory disturbance and a disturbed psychological state. It is considered especially

apt for those who feel they are experiencing a conflict of will or are trapped between extremes of good and evil, sometimes

described as “a demon sitting on one shoulder, an angel on the other.” These individuals are typically prone to low selfesteem,

or may exhibit hard, angry, cruel behavior. They may suspect that they are being pursued, or experience dreamlike states. Typical physical symptoms include a feeling of constricted pain, as if bands are wrapped tightly around the body, or as if the gut or anus is plugged. In this connection, the remedy is used for certain conditions of the digestive tract. It is also used for skin irritations marked by severe itching and burning, and for minor chest pain.  Juice is combined with chalk to make an ink for marking patterns on fabric, hence the plant’s common name, the marking-nut tree. The homeopathic remedy Anacardium or. was proved by Hahnemann in 1835. It is prescribed for both psychological and physical disorders.

SOURCE DETAILS

ORIGIN

Native to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Indian subcontinent, and found growing in dry, mountainous forest areas.

BACKGROUND

Arabian physicians traditionally used the juice of the marking nut to treat mental illness, memory loss, paralysis, and spasms.

PREPARATION

The ripe, dried fruit is macerated in alcohol for at least five days, before being filtered and then repeatedly diluted and succussed.

COMMON NAME

Marking-nut tree.