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t’s a spooky time of year — let’s take a look at some seasonally-appropriate rubrics and remedies and try a few scary ways to remember the remedy.  Ghosts show up mainly in the following mind rubrics (from Murphy, Phatak, & Knerr, Boericke, Boger — all level 3 unless otherwise mentioned) and I chose to compare a few commonly found homeopathic remedies which popped up in the repertory:
Arsenicum album I think of Arsenicum album more of an anxious remedy, but it’s right there big and bold in Murphy’s large general fears and phobias rubric. Arsenicum album is afraid of being alone and dying alone (yet, they may be averse to company, too; in fact, they may desire company but fear them, at the same time). They may be afraid when going to sleep.
Belladonna is also a bold level 3 in Murphy’s general fears and phobias rubric. In particular, Belladonna is afraid of animals (real and imaginary); fears while in bed; of coughing; of death and, imaginary things, think: ghosts and monsters.
Camphora is not my first thought for scared remedies, but I trust Knerr, so let’s take a look. Camphora is afraid of the dark and being left alone, especially at night (Ars, Phos, Stram) and being in bed, alone, on going to sleep. They are afraid of their own thoughts. A hall of mirrors might be too much for this person. And, they might just have the poop scared out of them, literally (Ars, Puls). Visions of ghosts and spirits may show up in their sleep. ☠️ Halloween connection: Sensory horror. Oversensitivity to noise and light, startles easily, and a fear of ghosts and of being alone in the dark. The picture that shows up from the proving is a little like someone visiting a haunted house. Another thought is embalming and the morgue. Camphor has been used as a deodorizer for the sickroom. The remedy is known to be cold to the touch, like a corpse. Camphor is a classic remedy for collapse, sudden chill and the sense that the body is shutting down and for coldness in spots (as if a part has already died). Carbo vegetablis is another remedy I would think of more for anxiety, but it, too is big and bold in Murphy’s general fears and phobias rubric, including the fear of ghosts… and monsters.
Carbo veg isn’t the first remedy I would think of for fears, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good one to try, especially if they have some keynotes of Carb-v in general:
They may fear a little something might escape involuntarily while tooting or urinating (Phos). 🎃 The Halloween connection: Carbo-veg is made from rot and putrefaction and this connects to the digestive keynotes of foul gas, bloating and a feeling of inner decay. Another thought is the pumpkin with a candle in it — left to rot and the oxygen is all gone, the jack-o-lantern gasping for air. Chamomilla might be a reluctant trick or treater with their fear of people (Lyc), or approaching others (Ars, Stram)… or, having others approach them (Stram), too. They, too are afraid of imaginary things and night time and the wind (Ars, Lyc, Puls), but for Chamomilla, this fear of night might be heightened during pains, especially teething. Their fears may be overpowering to them (Bell, Carb-v, Puls). Chamomilla’s boldest fear rubrics are being touched and shaking with fear. 👻 Halloween connection: To remember Chamomilla, think of the screaming child — the child who is furious and inconsolable and wants to constantly be carried and who screams more when they are put down. The temper tantrum that occurs when the little trick-or-treater is having a meltdown. They are hyper sensitive to pain and the itchy costume as well as the whole night in general might be too much for them. Kali carb may have some sadness (Ars, Lyc) and tears (Ars) with their fear. Their fear of being alone may be ameliorated by holding mom’s hand (Lyc, Puls, Stram). They might want to be alone, but that’s too scary, but being with people is too much (Ars, Lyc, Stram)… that’s a scary vicious circle on Halloween night! Like Chamomilla, they don’t don’t want anyone near them for fear of being touched (Stram) or being struck by someone coming toward them (Bell, Stram). Birds, real and imagined; lying down in bed; monsters and they may dream of ghosts.
👻 Halloween connection: Think of the last of the pack of trick or treaters, alone in the dark, jumping at the slightest noise, imagining they’ve been jabbed or struck with something. They are chilly and can’t wait to get back to their warm home and eat their highly anticipated sweet treats. Lycopodium is a big, bold and underlined fearful remedy. They are afraid of being outside (agoraphobia) (Ars, Stram) and being alone but to make matters worse, they might want to be alone but they are also averse company (Ars, Stram). The Lycopodium child may want to hold mom’s hand (Puls, Stram). They may fear being away from home (Ars). They may be fearful in bed, but they may also wet the bed (but they might also be fearful of wetting the bed). They may fear bugs (Ars, Puls, Stram) and cats (Stram) and crowds, and public places (Phos, Puls) and monsters and the dark. Sadness or depression with their fear (Ars, Kali-c). Fearful after eating (Carb-v). Constant fear of everything (Ars, Phos, Puls, Stram). A few stranger fears of Lycopodium which may be troublesome on Halloween:
Phosphorus is one of our “scarediest” remedies. Once again, they are afraid of being alone… in the dark… at night. Ghosts and insects and monsters (Ars, Puls, Stram), rats and noises (Stram) are all overpowering, causing them to cry (Ars) and startle. If there is a thunderstorm on the way, watch out. And, watch out cuz there might be some diarrhea (Ars, Puls) with a Phosphorus fear. They have terrible dreams and they may jump when they are touched (Bell). Being in crowds, crossing the street, electricity and even their friends. Causeless fear, cemeteries, and waiting for something to come creeping out of the corner (are all shared with Stramonium). 👻 Halloween connection: White phosphorus glows green in the dark — one of the closest things science has to offer as a ghost — if one sees ghosts everywhere, that can lead one to being fearful all the time (Ars, Puls)… of everything. Phosphorus was what was on the match heads — think of lightning (Bell) and the startling response it can cause. Pulsatilla Ghosts are a big one for Pulsatilla with visions, fears and dreams of them. Puls also has a big fear of being alone but more specific to Pulsatilla is the fear of being abandoned or being left alone (Ars, Camph) or neglected (Ars). Yet, they may be afraid of people. Going to sleep (Ars, Phos), bugs, spiders (Stram) and snakes (Ars), too.
🎃 Halloween connection: October is considered a windy month in many places —as the fall winds usher in the new season — windy and unsettled, just like Pulsatilla. They are weeping and clinging and need their hand held as they make their way through the haunted house or through the neighborhood streets. Stramonium can be an angry remedy and their fear might alternate with rage (Bell). They are afraid of being alone, wanting to hold mom’s hand (Kali-c, Puls) and want light and company (Bell) and they are better from company (Ars, Bell). Stramonium is our biggest fear of the dark in this group of remedies. Halloween must be a tough day for someone in need of Stramonium. They have a fear of something creeping out from every corner (Phos). They are afraid of black/dark colors (Ars). And, don’t post them next to someone who is dressed as Big Bird — they have a fear of feathers, too. Bugs, flies, spiders, cats (Lyc), ghosts, monsters, wolves (Bell), graves and cemeteries (Phos). You might want to skip the hall of mirrors, lest he should see himself. Their fear of animals and dogs…especially black dogs (Bell)… goes further than our other remedies in that they fear being devoured by them (Bell). There is a fear of being attacked or bitten (Bell) and hallucinations of being pursued by ghosts. 😱 Halloween connection: Nightmares! They are terrorized in the dark and need some company and some light (but not direct light). Please remember there are many more important fearful remedies, these are just some common homeopathic remedies referencing ghosts and goblins, not fear in general. Heck, there are even many more ghost and goblin remedies, too!  Goblins Frans Vermeulen’s Synoptic Reference says the name of Cobaltum metallicum comes from the German word for goblin, Kobold. Miners would find a promising bit of ore and as soon as smelting began, it would vanish in a poisonous stench. The miners blamed the kobolds (goblins), but it turns out it was the toxic arsenic trioxide vapors, not the goblins that were the cause.  Witches My favorite witch is named Hazel — Hamamelis virginiana (aka, Witch Hazel). Back to Vermeulen for some information on Hamamelis, (this time from Prisma), who surmises the connection to witches comes from “the peculiar ‘magical’ seed dispersal of the plant: their expulsion takes place with such force that it suggests witchcraft.… Another explanation is the use of the twigs by the early settlers in Virginia [in about 1700] for water divining and for discovering precious metals.” He goes on to say that others dispute the origin of the name and posit that “it comes from the word ‘wych,’ which has nothing to do with witches but is related to Anglo-Saxon ‘wicken’, to bend, or Old English ‘wich,’ quick or loving, or possibly even to the modern word, ‘switch.’” Another witchy connection is with Stramonium (see above). Alphonse Teste says, “Thron-apple, vulgarly termed stinkweed and witch-herb, on account of the fantastic visions which these poor imbeciles procured with it, and which they believed to be real.” (See also, Anger & Fear for more on Stramonium.) Gibson tells us: “All down history the various species of Datura*** have been used as medicaments and intoxicants. The medieval witches’ salves consisted primarily of black henbane and thom-apple; the hallucinations they produced were considered to have been real even after the intoxication and mental derangement had worn off.” Apparently, Stramonium was part of the recipe to make people think they were flying. Are witches in the repertory, too? Yup. Again, from Murphy: Dreams of witches: Agaricus and Stramonium. Agaricus muscarius is a bit of a spooky remedy in itself, so let’s take a very quick look at it. Agaricus is made from the mushroom of fairy tales. Don’t let the jolly red cap fool you, though, cuz it’s poisonous.  I asked Venice AI to make me a fairy tale version of this mushroom, which really is just a cleaned up version of the actual mushroom. Roger Morrison tells of an Agaricus case where someone is preoccupied with morbid thoughts… thoughts about graveyards, coffins and they had “an element of spookiness about them.” A strange rubric: Mind, Insanity, general, madness - graveyards visits. (Agar-3, Bell/Stram-1). I had no idea Halloween was so rich in remedies! Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits *There is a lot of cross-over with these remedies. I did not cross reference every rubric — my purpose was to give an overview of each of these fearful remedies. **Most of these remedies are excellent for scared children, actually, especially Belladonna, Chamomilla, Lycopodium, Phosphorus and Pulsatilla. ***Datura is a group of highly poisonous, night-blooming plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Reference list
Boericke, W., 2002. New manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica and repertory. B. Jain Publishers. Boger, C. M., 1905. Boenninghausen’s Characteristics Materia Medica & Repertory with Word Index. accessed through Radar Opus software. B. Jain Publishers. Gibson, D. M., Harling, M. and Kaplan, B., 2011. Studies of homoeopathic remedies. Kandern, Germany: Narayana Publishers. Knerr, C. B. and Hering, C., 1896. A Repertory of Hering’s Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica. accessed through Radar Opus software. Murphy, R., 2010. Homeopathic medical repertory : A modern alphabetical and practical repertory. New Deli: B. Jain. Phatak, S. R. and C Jeevanandam, 1963. A concise repertory of homoeopathic medicines : alphabetically arranged. accessed through Radar Opus software. New Delhi: B. Jain Pub. Teste, A., 1854. The homoeopathic Materia Medica. Vermeulen, F., 2004. Prisma : the arcana of materia medica illuminated : similars and parallels between substance and remedy. accessed through Radar Opus software. Haarlem, Netherlands: Emryss. Vermeulen, F., 2011. Synoptic reference. accessed through Radar Opus software. B Jain Publishers Pvt Ltd.
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 No matter what you want to call it … (if you’re squeamish, just know we’re talking about diarrhea and skip forward to the next paragraph). If toilet humor is your thing, here we go: Number 3, Chocolate Thunder, Poo Stew, Rectum Rapids, Turd Tea, Emergency Evacuation, The Squirts, Brown Bomb, Liquid Lunch, Poop Soup … I’ll stop now. (If you would like a few more unseemly names, see Travelers’ Diarrhea.) Don’t worry, I won’t continue with the graphic descriptions. What follows is a long list of situations where one might experience diarrhea and the most highly indicated remedies for each. Once again, if you are experiencing diarrhea beyond an acute bout, please seek professional medical advice. Before embarking on my long list of unfortunate bottom-related circumstances, let me share one of my first amazing homeopathic "wowee!" moments. We were traveling and my then young teenage son was very sick in the night with suspected food poisoning. I was hemming and hawing, trying to remember what I had learned about remedies. I went with Veratrum album and within minutes everything stopped. I mean, everything completely stopped. He slept the rest of the night and woke up fine and dandy. “Better out than in” is what we say around here! As a result of this experience, I keep a little vial of Veratrum album in my little travel kit that accompanies me every time I leave the house with my suitcase. Veratrum album is my go-to homeopathic remedy for if things are coming out of both ends. What else may point to the use of this remedy? The diarrhea (or vomiting) may be violent, voluminous and relentless. Collapse following diarrhea (not the only well indicated remedy in this rubric, but a good place to start). The person may be cold: cold limbs, generally chilly, and/or clammy. Diarrhea with perspiration. Diarrhea after eating fruit; diarrhea after eating cucumbers (technically a fruit, after all). Diarrhea during menses. Diarrhea which is made worse by movement/motion (Bryonia is another one to think of for this symptom). And, here’s one more unusual concomitant symptom for Veratrum album: hiccups during diarrhea. Isn’t that just what you need in that situation?! Children & Diarrhea: If you have an infant with diarrhea, administer Podophyllum on the way to see the doctor — dehydration can set in quickly. Diarrhea while cutting teeth: Chamomilla. Chamomilla is such an excellent remedy for children, in general, and it doesn’t let us down in this situation, either (but these symptoms are not confined to children. With everything homeopathy, if the symptoms match, the remedy would be effective for man, woman, child or animal.) Diarrhea with abdominal pain. Diarrhea: following anger; after taking a cold; after eating and, specifically after eating rhubarb. Emotional diarrhea or from excitement. During hot weather. Painless diarrhea. And, here is a rubric unique to Chamomilla (but hopefully you wouldn’t find this in a child!): diarrhea after smoking. The Elderly & Diarrhea: Like children, the elderly, too, have some remedies with great affinity to their age. In this particular situation, I would lean toward China officinalis. China is so good for enfeebled people, as can often be found in the later years. In particular, China is useful for weak digestion; dyspepsia/indigestion; flatulence; chronic belching. Dysentery, in simple terms, involves frequent bowel movements with blood and mucus in the stool, often accompanied by cramps and pain. Give some China while on the way to see a doctor. Please seek medical assistance if you are experiencing these symptoms. If diarrhea and constipation alternate in older individuals, consider Antimonium crud. On to the general list… If experiencing abdominal pain, and it feels like diarrhea is imminent, Aloe would be my first recommendation. There may be accompanying weakness. Diarrhea after eating and in particular, diarrhea following the slightest dietary indiscretion. Walking makes it worse. Lots of toots during the diarrhea. There are a few rubrics where Aloe and Sulphur “tie” when it comes to diarrhea: burning pain in the rectum; being driven out of bed in the morning, needing the toilet desperately (Sulphur has the specific times of 5-6 am); painless diarrhea; standing makes it worse. Where Sulphur “wins out” over Aloe: diarrhea after beer and nighttime diarrhea, especially after midnight. If the diarrhea alternates with another symptom, such as:
Diarrhea and emotions:
Feeling wiped out after all that wiping? China is a good place to start. If the weakness is particularly pronounced, also consider Phosphoric acid. If the act of wiping actually causes pain: Graphites. Diarrhea during pregnancy: Phosphorus Diarrhea during menopause: Lachesis Diarrhea following an injury: Arnica If it’s coming out as from a hydrant: Podophyllum If it has a really noxious smell: Baptisia Diarrhea following the consumption of:
If you find your appetite increases with diarrhea: Petroleum. Cold hands with diarrhea: Phosphorus Cold feet: Lycopodium Cold limbs: Arsenicum album, Camphora and Veratrum album Positionally speaking: If lying down make it worse: Dioscorea If lying down makes it better: Bryonia (though it may be worse lying on your side) Sitting upright makes it worse: Bryonia Time of day: If it starts after you have risen from bed and moving around: Bryonia or Nat sulph After midnight: Arsenicum album or Sulphur If the diarrhea causes sleeplessness: Phosphorus I changed my mind. I will use one more dysphemism: the sharts, also commonly referred to as “gambled and lost” (Flanagan 2010). If you are having diarrhea during rectal flatus, there are a number of well indicated remedies, but I would start with Aloe — the remedy for an insecure rectum (click that link to read the previous article with the same name.) What would cause an “insecure rectum?” Let’s go back to Giulia Enders’ Gut for this explanation. Apparently we have a pair of “sophisticated” sphincters which Enders takes a few pages to explain and I am going to try and shrink it down to the bare essentials using her words, (but the full explanation is certainly worth a read). “The outer muscle is a faithful servant of our consciousness. When our brain deems it an unsuitable time to go to the toilet, the external sphincter obeys and stays closed with all its might. … Our internal sphincter is a no-nonsense little guy. His motto is, ‘If it’s gotta come out, it’s gotta come out!’ … The external sphincter, on the other hand, has to deal with the vagaries of the outside world and its many options.” Suffice it to say, we need these two sphincters to communicate well. A few more remedies for involuntary stool (not necessarily diarrhea):
As you can see, homeopathy can be invaluable when it comes to diarrhea — there is a homeopathic remedy for almost any situation! Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits References:
Enders, G., 2015. Gut : the Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ. Greystone Books. Flanagan, D., 2010. Everybody poops 410 pounds a year : an illustrated bathroom companion for grown-ups. Berkeley, Ca: Ulysses Press. Murphy, R., n.d. Homeopathic Remedy Guide. accessed through Radar Opus software. |
Julia Coyte, CHomI am passionate about homeopathy and I love sharing this passion. Having a working knowledge of homeopathy shouldn't be kept a secret. If people have the ability to help themselves, their children and their friends when they have minor ailments, life just gets better for everyone. That is the purpose behind Ruminating on Remedies. Archives
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