Structuralism and the Plant Kingdom

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Frodsham (Chester), Cheshire, United Kingdom
Interests: Philosophy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Buddhism, Psychosynthesis, Hypnotherapy and R.E.B.T.

Saturday 13 February 2010

Commelinids:Liliales

Themes from the Synonym database: Lil-t: Arrogance. Sars: Capricious. Colch: Identity. Paris: Apprehensive.

The Liliales can be taciturn, or sexual, vain, hysterical, alcoholic, and often foolish.

Pervading rubrics:
    Dull. Morose. Angry. Intolerant of contradiction
    Excitable. Loquacious. Shrieking. Hysterical!
    Haughty. Censorious and critical.
    Lascivious.

family Alstroemeriaceae
family Campynemataceae
family Colchicaceae spp. Disporum, Ornithoglossum, Uvularia, Colch.

Colchicum (Meadow Saffron)

Colchicum grows in moist conditions, in meadows and woods. The patient needs liquids to prevent gout, etc.

Farrington: Affects the nerves, in typhoid conditions and debility, e.g. after missing sleep, there is great tiredness, no appetite, and a bad taste in the mouth. Compare with Nux-v. In typhoid the intellect is clouded. The face is cadaverous. The cold sweat on the forehead is similar to Veratrum. The tongue is heavy and stiff. There is almost complete loss of speech, and the breath is cold. The body is hot, the extremities cold. There is restlessness, retching and vomiting.

The state is very sensitive, she feel unprotected (Naked Ladies). Rudenes is the worst thing, it drives her wild! She does not forgive you.

  • Ailments from: Disappointment, bad news, emotions, grief, rudeness.
  • Contradiction, intolerant of. Taciturn. Rage.
  • Sensitive - to all external impressions. Excitement - nervous. Exhilaration.
  • Laughing - sardonic.
Colchicum children get upset by injustice. A patient saw her friend cheating at school, she was so upset she couldn't finish her own test.
  • Indignation - at misdeeds of others. Weeping.
  • Reading - understand, does not.
  • Writing - inability, for.
  • Speech - finish sentence, cannot.
  • Thoughts - disconnected.
Logical thinking becomes difficult when she looses her ability to focus her perception. She will jump from point to point during the consultation. It can be quite difficult to get the story into anything like a logical sequence (the very opposite of the structured story given by a "mineral" patient).
  • Feels mind is a jig-saw, the peices are there but not all together.
  • Confounding objects and ideas.
  • Answering - does not answer when questioned.
The gout makes her irritable and bad tempered.
  • Despair - pains, with the. Discouraged - pain from.
  • Contraction of muscles and tendons. Cramps. Rheumatic pains.
Therapeutics: Prostration, Coldness, Gout (affects muscular tissues, periosteum, and synovial membranes). Dysentry.
Sensation: pains like electric shocks or like a needle.
Miasm:Syphilitic or Malarial.
Similars: Ant-c CALC carb-v Merc.
All share : anxiety and depression. They are taciturn and tearful.
Corsiaceae Corsia spp.
Convallariceae spp. Alium Anthericum, Asparagus, Astelia, Helonais (Devils bit), Colchicum (Meadow saffron), Ornithogalum (Star of Bethlehem)
Rx: Verat(?), Par, Colch, Helon, Lil-t, Sabad, Agra, Orni, Aloe

Rajans Family Sensations as if: Squeezing out - like tootpaste
Theme: Neglected.

Convallaria (Lily of the Valley) Boericke

It affects the female genitals and the heart, and produces lassitude, relaxation and chilliness.
Proving: She feels as if she must protect her heart from painful emotions. As she ages she become more and more distant, until the colour of life fades away.
Rubrics:
  • Dull, can hardly think. > Depression. Grieves very easily.
Sensations: As if the heart stops and starts.
Liliaceae

Lilium Tigrinum (Tiger Lily)

Prooving:

A sense as if "she were going to be crazy, if she did not hang on to herself, and hold tight.

Profound mental depression; to the prover "the heavens seemed brass and the earth iron;" an apprehension of moral obliquity weighed grievously upon her, for about ten days after the sexual excitement, and continuing in alternation with the sexual excitement for more than four months after the proving.

Worse on going to bed; can't go to sleep; wild feeling in the head as though i should go crazy and no one would take care of me; thoughts of suicide; how much Opium would put me to sleep forever, and who would find my body, and who would care; a new train of thought for her.

While attending a lecture, desire to hit the lecturer, and in the evening desirous of swearing and damning the fire and things generally, and to think and speak obscene things; disposed to strike and hit persons; as these feelings came, the uterine pains passed away

It is a glamourous flower, and the woman can be passionate and beautiful. She has a strong sense of her own importance. Her personality can be haughty and domineering, her presence makes others cower. She has mood swings and is impatient and easily provoked; she is oversensitive. Once she takes offence she can be quite nasty - you might get a slap!

  • Busy, fruitless > Amusement, averse to. > Business, averse to. > Aversion, (to being approached).
Everything is pressurised and hurried, so she cannot tolerate dithering. They can get flustered by a 'wild' feeling when thoughts come all at once, its just like trying to spin too many plates at once. It may bring on a headache.
  • Haughty > Snappish >Throws, things, persons at. > Tears her hair > Head Pain, blinding.
Flow of the process: Thoughts Rush > Wild feelings > Confusion > Hysteria.

Lil-t imagines she is attractive, but flirtation is restrained by religion or just keeping busy (the theme of pennance has been recorded). They can be Evangalists, or join the Sally Army. They may find the bands and the uniforms exciting! The sexual feeling come from a hormonal imbalance ... not from emotional desire.

  • Fancies, lascivious. > Despair, religious, alternating with sexual excitement. > Self, torture.
Lil-t. Sensations: Throbbing. Cramping. Pressing. Dragging down.
Therapeutics: Menopause. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Antiversion of Uterus.
Miasm : Sycotic (Compare with Medorrhinum)
Similars: pall Plat. Iod shares irritability, depression, constriction of the heart, heat and a liking for cold air.
family Aloaceae

Aloe (Aloe vera)

Adapted to sedentary, "weary" persons; averse to either mental or physical labor. If he sits he deliberates about standing up.

Lassitude alternates with mental activity, depending on his digestion. The state is changable, hypochondriacal, from contentment to discontent, with a repulsive, anthrophobic mood. The misery is out of proportion to the complaint!

  • Kent: Hates people, repels everyone. > Restrains himself from voilence
  • Kent: Life is a burden. > Death, thoughts of. > Death, presentiment, predicts the time.
  • Hatred, revenge, and. > Contemptuous. > Contradiction, is intolerant of. > Cursing, swearing.
  • Timidity > Fear, people, of.
  • Thoughts, intrude, sexual. > Lascivious, (lustful).
She can become self-absored when she feels insecure, and fearful of failure.
Sensation: Heaviness (Digestion, Colon).
Theme: Security and Belonging.
Miasm: Leprosy
Similars: Aloe vs. Am-m
Both suffer irritability and a sense of heaviness and flatulence - worse for sitting around!

 

family Trillaceae Inset: Trillium erectum

Trillium pendulum

  • Confusion of mind - idenity, sense of duality.
  • Sadness. Irritability. Taciturn. Anger. Anxiety. Anguish.
  • Fear of impending disease and of death.
Therapeutics: Hemorrhage. Nosebleed. Bloody expectoration. Leukorrhea bloody or offensive. Metorrhagia, bright red.
Sensations: Falling apart, as if broken (bandaging amel).

Paris Quadrifolia (Trillaceae)

Herb Paris lives on calcerious soils in damp and shady woods. The rubrics conjour up the image of someone not quite with it (in a social sense). An only child (Calc.) who talks to himself all the time. He may even imagine he has friends to play with in his imaginary world.

Because his social development is poor he becomes a shy and indaquate teenager, who's antics and clowning give everyone the impression of some kind of fool. His behaviour becomes quite tiresome to his friends.

  • Egotism, speaking always about themselves
  • Delusions, person, two personalities opposing. > Thoughts, two trains of thought
  • Delusions, strange land as if in a. > Delusions, home, away from, is.
  • Loquacity, foolish. > Haughty > Rudeness. > Mocking.
The remedy may help him to be more aware of how others feel.
Similars: arg-n nat-c Merc CALC PHOS
Shared Sx: Taciturn. Vexation. Hysteria. Frightened. Desires company. Despair. Foolish. Alcohol.

 

family Smilacaceae spp. sars. smilax (pic). Rx: Sars, Smilin.

Top (core) Smilacaceae Rubrics ...
Anger, former vexations

Sarsaparilla

Summary of the Proving: Inactive, languid, indisposed to work, awkward. Dull and muddled in the head, all the forenoon, in the afternoon peevish and ill-humored.

Sullen. Readily insulted by a word. Very much vexed and cannot forget vexatious matters.

The soul is extraordinarily affected by the pains, the spirit is oppressed, the mind troubled; he feels unhappy and groans involuntarily. Disgusted with everything, she has no pleasure in anything.

Rubrics:

  • Mood alternating, changeable. (Morose fly on the wall, by)
  • Aversion to everything. (Conversation agg.)
  • Doubt of recovery or Fear of not recovering.
  • Delusions, dead persons sees. Spectres, ghosts sees.
Miasm: Syphilis or Ringworm.
family Luzuriagaceae Spp?
family Melanthiaceae spp. Helonias, Melanthium, Aletris, Trillium, Veratrum (pic)
Rx: Verat, Sabad,Verat-v, Helon, Xero, Alet, Polygo-o.
N.B. the Cronquist system places the Melanthiaceae in the Sapindales! 

Top (core) Melanthiaceae Rubrics ...
Unconsiousness (coma stupor)
Morose
Restlessness
Sadness
Answers, refuses

Aletris (Colicroot) Boericke

Rubrics: Concentration difficult. Discontented, Sulky.
Therapeutics: Debility with scanty menses.
Sensation: Heaviness (uterus).

Veratrum Album (Hellebore)

Farrington: Used for cholera since Hahnemans time. It seems to act prominently on the abdominal organs, probably through the splanchnic nerves. When these nerves are paralyzed the blood-vessels becomes over-charged with blood and pour forth their serum. The prostration the coldness and the terrible sinking sensation that belong to Veratrum all start from these nerves.

It is indicated in delerium when there is restlessness, with desire to cut and tear the clothing, with loquacity and rapid, earnest, loud talking; he strikes those about him; anxiety; frightened at imaginary things; lasciviousness; lewdness in talk; he springs out of bed and rushes about the rooms if thereby to obtain relief.

Verat is distinguished from Bell and Stram by coldness, esp. cold sweat on the forehead.

Image: We can visualize Veratrum as someone attractive who has grown up with every comfort of privilege (Comtempuous: "Dont contradict me! I'm never wrong"), who realizes she isn't really wanted anymore.

She loves routine and fears loss of wealth and status because they make her feel that she "belongs". She would loosing everything if she was pushed away - as in a divorce. Holding on to a egotistical attitude doesn't help much!

When the bubble bursts it all ends in a state of shock and depression. Verat. might fall back on a sense of Spirituality if he has the delusion that he is doing Gods will here on earth. Deep down he knows he is deluding himself to some extent ... which another source of anxiety. (Compare with Nux-v and Lyc.)

  • Uses every possible means to reach his goal.
  • Restless activity, works her way up
  • Boasting: Spending money. Wishes to be considered rich
  • Delusion, she is distinguished, a great person
  • Delusion: religious, appointed by god
  • Comtemptious, censorius, haughty, righteousness - hard on inferiors.
  • Flattering, affectionate, embraces everyone - respects superiors
Theme: Anxiety of being pushed away and abandoned. In Lac Caninum there is a sense of inferiority and dependence, which could manifest as the fear of being abandoned
Therapeutics: Cholera and intussusception (telescoping) of the bowels, with vomiting and purging, rice-water stool, colic and cramp.
Similars: Ars Carb-v Kali-c MERC PH-ac Sil
Shared Sx: Foreboding. Cheerful or discoraged. Hurried Obstinate. Rage. Mania. Insanity. Alcoholism.

Sabadilla

Closely related to Veratrum. The state can be brought on by fright and hysteria. It may be used (like Veratrum) in cases of imaginary diseases, e.g. false pregnancy.

Prooving: The mind seems overexcited, tense, the disposition however is little sensitive, cold; but after several days the understanding is decidedly depressed; he can with difficulty comprehend many things, thinks slowly; the disposition, however, is more easily excited, everything deeply affects him.

Strange thougths, confusion of identity, (Thuj) mixed with revulsion of ones body or sensations of deformity, especially shrinking or enlargement. Prooving: He imagines all sorts of strange things about his own body, for instance, that it had shrunk like that of dead persons, that his stomach was corroded, that the scrotum was swollen, etc.; he knows that all this is fanciful; he continues to imagine it,

The sensation of enlargement can be experienced mentally as a belief that he is appointed (or deserted) by God.

Rubrics :

  • Gloomy mood, as if he were the greatest criminal. > Vexed at every trifle.
  • Insensible to sexual excitement; he is even nauseated by amorous caresses
  • Delusions, separated, thoughts are. > soul, body was too small for or separate. > Delusions, thoughts being outside of body.
  • Fear, death, of. > Religious, (affections). > Has deserted the true faith > Has broken his vows
  • Fancies, exaltation of, sleeplessness, with.
  • Haughty > Unfeeling, hardhearted. > Vehement.
  • Vivacious > Passionate
  • Generals: Periodicity, 4th day. > 7th day.
  • Dreams: Busy. Amorous. Anxious (business)
  • Female/Male: Sexual aversion- > desire-increased.
Sensations: Separated (from goodness). Enlargement vs. Shrinking.
Beating dull stitches in several parts of the body, almost like pressure, and sometimes pinching, intermitting several times.
Therapeutics: Hayfever with violent spasmodic sneezing and lachrymation.
Miasm : Sycotic and Syphilitic.
Similars: CALC PHOS merc.
Shared traits: Anger, fear, sexuality, guilt, confusion, obscessions, hallucinations and alcoholism.

Veratrum viride

Farrington: Veratrum viride produces congestions of the base of the brain and of the upper portion of the spinal cord. It this interferes with the function of the pneumogastric nerves. At first it seems to produce engorgement of the lungs, just such as we witness in the beginning of the pneumonia. We have dizziness and faintness on attempting to sit up, nausea, cold sweat and orthopnoea (has to sleep propped up - a symptom of heart failure), and in fact every symptom of paralysis of the heart from over-exertion of that organ.

Thus you will see that Veratrum viride comes in as an invaluable remedy in those violent congestions which precede pneumonia. It may even abort the whole disease.


Similars : Hydr-ac

 

Helonias Diociac (Devils bit) Boericke

Very worn out but unable to sleep. Restless, moving about amel. Will keep busy to get through the tiredness. Which means she won't stop, even when told that she is wearing herself out.

Prooving: Prior to taking the remedy I never felt better; soon after taking there was an entire change in the surrounding circumstances; I very soon became irritable, gloomy, and dull; could not endure the least contradiction or receive any suggestions in regard to any subject; all conversation was unpleasant, and what I most desired was to be left alone, reserving to myself the privilege of finding fault with everything around me;

Rubrics:

  • Ailments, from joy, excessive. > "Ennervated by indolence and Luxury"
  • Restlessness, women, in. > Industrious, mania for work.
  • Censorious, (critical). > "Suggestion will not receive"
  • Sadness, company aversion desire for solitude.
  • Sexual desire-diminished.
Therapeutics: Conscious of womb, (prolapse). Backache, dragging in pelvis. Repeated miscarriage.
Sensations: Dragging downwards.
Compare: Sepia. Miasm: Sycosis

 

 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Heruka ,
    I just want to ask a simple question ? How can we apply these themes in our practice . Basically I prefer Mental analysis & if I fail to do so I search for matching disease symptoms with the medicine guiding symptoms .
    With Metta,
    prabhat

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Dr Pabhat,
    I have a database to Plant Kingdom themes which works like a repertory.

    A small gadetised version is embedded at the bottom of this blog.

    Full Version @ http://www.homeopathynowdatabase.co.uk/app/kingdom.html

    ReplyDelete