Comparison Lachesis Naja
tripudians Elaps Naja mossambica Bitis
arietans with Hemachatus
haemachatus
[Lize
de la Rouvière]
General
characteristics of snake remedies
gloom and fury, apprehensive irritability. There may be anguish and
anxiety, which may be unbearable.
Hemachatus haemachatus produced emotional lability, with rapid changes in
mood. Provers experienced anxiety, a sense of apprehension and a fear that
something terrible may happen,
to the point of experiencing panic attacks.
Thakkar (2007) identifies home and relationships as the two most
important areas for Lachesis muta. Great anxiety and care for relatives and
friends, and great sympathy and affection
for others. Their involvement with others and their relationships deepen
very quickly, and their commitment and care leaves them very vulnerable to hurt
and disappointment.
The themes of home and friends also featured very strongly in the
proving of Hemachatus haemachatus. There was a need to organise and sort out
personal space, and a desire to go home
or remain at home, as it felt the safest place to be.
There was intense sympathy for friends and acquaintances in need, and a
desire to reconnect with old friends, as well as dreams of old friends and work
colleagues.
Lachesis muta is a remedy for patients whose ailments follow
disappointment in love, grief and death of family members. In health, they are
communicative, vivacious, affectionate and
amorous, craving amusement and entertainment. This relates to feelings
of positivity, capability, joy, enthusiasm and elation seen in Hemachatus
haemachatus, with a carefree, bubbly mood,
and enjoyment of the company of friends.
Lachesis muta becomes argumentative, opinionated, domineering, jealous
and suspicious when unbalanced, and in the proving of Hemachatus haemachatus,
feelings of jealousy and argumentativeness were produced.
Lachesis muta displays clairvoyance, and can feel the energy of others.
In Hemachatus haemachatus, we see sensitivity, vulnerability and provers
absorbing the mood of others. There was
a feeling of deepened spirituality, of reconnection with themselves, and
of transcendence. This contrasts with Lachesis muta, who may become very
religious, even dogmatic, moralistic
or puritan (Vermeulen, 2000), praying fervently (Thakkar, 2007).
Lachesis muta sleeps into an aggravation and is aggravated after sleep
(Gibson, 1987), with many symptoms being aggravated in the morning on waking.
There is a marked tendency to
Insomnia (before midnight) (Vermeulen, 2000). Symptoms are predominantly
left-sided. Patients are warm-blooded (Vermeulen, 2000). There is an aggravation
from the sun, and
from heat and humidity, and a tendency to hot flushes.
Lachesis mutans crave alcohol but are aggravated by it, and have an
aversion to tobacco as well as being aggravated by it (it is one of the
remedies listed as useful to increase the disgust
for tobacco). All of these symptoms were also produced in the proving of
Hemachatus haemachatus.
Lachesis mutans has a particular affinity for the throat, causing
tonsillitis/pharyngitis which is left-sided or spreads from left to right.
There is a constricted sensation in parts of the body,
e.g. a sensation of a lump in the throat, which may be painful and
returns after swallowing (Vermeulen, 2000).
Hemachatus haemachatus produced sharp, raw throat pain with dryness of
the mouth and throat. Also “As if a lump in the throat, or something stuck to
the tongue or to the sides of the throat.
Lachesis
produces headaches which are one-sided and spread to the neck and back.
Pains may shoot down to the eye, or from the zygoma to the ear, or down the
nape to the shoulders (Gibson, 1987).
The pain is bursting, pressing and congestive, and < motion, heat and
after sleep.
The headaches of Hemachatus haemachatus were predominantly in the frontal,
temporal or occipital areas or around the eyes. Ext. from the occiput to behind
the eye, or neck to the temple,
from the temple to the eye, or from the temples to the teeth. Some
headaches extended to or from the neck or back, or + neck stiffness or spasm.
Congestive, bursting, pounding head pains were also produced, as well as
sharp piercing stabbing pains. Headaches <: light; >: pressure, and icy,
cool applications;
The marked photophobia in Hemachatus haemachatus, with itchiness,
dryness and scratchiness in the eyes, is also seen in Lachesis, which has
intense photophobia with pain, itching, stinging and sensitivity to touch, and
a desire to rub the eyes (Gibson, 1987).
Lachesis mutans produces hard thumping palpitations of the heart, <
lying down, associated with a sense of constriction or tightness of the chest
(Gibson, 1987). There are episodes of
oppression of the precordium.
Hemachatus haemachatus produced palpitations, with anxiety, felt when
pausing or lying down. There was a sense of constriction around the chest, and
burning parasternal pain as if fingers dug
into the chest. In the respiratory system symptoms of Lachesis, there is
shortness of breath and asthma, with air hunger and < in a closed stuffy
atmosphere.
Hemachatus haemachatus produced a feeling of shortness of breath.
In the female reproductive system, the most striking symptom of Lachesis
muta is severe PMS which is markedly > by the appearance of the menses. Menses is thin, dark, scanty and offensive. Provers taking Hemachatus haemachatus
experienced irritability and snappishness which was compared to pre-menstrual
tension. Menses was dark, fluid, muddy or sandy, with an absence of clots, and
a decrease in the usual pain. Both remedies have pain in the ovarian region.
During menopause, Lachesis patients suffer from hot flushes, headaches,
palpitations, dyspnoea, night sweats and severe mood changes (Gibson, 2007).
These symptoms were also produced in the proving of Hemachatus haemachatus.
Abdominal bloating is common in Lachesis muta, > loosening the
clothes round the waist (Gibson, 1987). There may be much ineffectual urging to
stool. Bloating and flatulence were strong features
in the proving of Hemachatus haemachatus, and there were also other
digestive disturbances such as heartburn, abdominal pain, acidity, and
constipation.
There is a tendency to frequency of urination in both remedies, and in
Hemachatus there is also lower abdominal pain likened to provers to that of
cystitis, and incontinence.
Low back pain in Lachesis muta, as if the back was dislocated, +
weakness, fatigue and trembling. In
Hemachatus haemachatus, lumbar pain was sharp shooting, stabbing, as if
stretched or a
tight, stiff, strained pain. The pain was aggravated by movement or a
change in position, and was relieved by lying down and by a bath.
Naja tripudians
Highly neurotoxic venom with hardly any cytotoxic or haemorrhagic
effects. Ross (2007) identifies the fundamental conflict in Naja tripudians as
that between the duty and responsibility they feel due to life circumstances,
and their own needs as a human being.
Naja tripudians has strong maternal instincts, with a strong sense of
duty and dedication toward their children, younger siblings and family members
(Thakkar, 2007). Their duty is carried to the
point of domination, and they may become bossy, impatient, controlling
and dictatorial, which leads to conflict and disappointment, felt intensely by
Naja tripudians. There are feelings of being disappointed in love, of being
neglected, alone and forsaken, not being appreciated and betrayed by the loved one. Thakkar (2007)
thus sees this conflict between the anxiety of neglecting their duty, and the
apprehension of doing something wrong as the core issues in Naja tripudians.
This is reflected in dreams of not protecting siblings or children or pets.
Sankaran (1997): the qualities of nobility, morality and responsibility
seen in Naja, are often in conflict with the feeling of being wronged, with
anger, malice and an impulse to harm the offending person. The comparative
extraction shows rubrics which support this interpretation.
There is a lack of self-confidence in Naja tripudians, with a feeling
everything they do is wrong, and that they cannot succeed. There is a tendency
to sadness, introspection, and specifically brooding, even over imaginary
troubles. There may be thoughts of suicide, and a feeling as though they are
not worthy of the gift of life.
Naja tripudians has a fear of being alone with a corresponding desire
for company, fear of accidents, and fear of death during heart symptoms.
Naja tripudians patients display mildness and timidity, with a loss of
will-power. They are sensitive, secretive and sentimental.
There is an alternation in moods. There are delusions that they are
being deceived, injured or wronged, and a delusion of being trapped.
Hemachatus haemachatus produced feelings of sympathy for others,
especially those in need. There were dreams of protecting the weak and
abandoned, such as animals or babies. There was however a sense that the object
of affection had something wrong with them, either it was deformed or had some
offensive disease, and there was a sense of being trapped into looking after
it.
Hemachatus produced much greater irritation than Naja, even with members
of the family, and there was an aversion to company, with a need to be alone in
a quiet, restful, safe space. There was sometimes an effort to control the
irritability and concomitant violent impulses, but often provers were snappish,
shouting at offenders. Provers experienced a sense of not being good enough,
(in the realm of personal relationships, and easily felt rejected or not
appreciated). There was also dwelling on past relationships with a deep sense
of longing or yearning for love, and a sense of something or someone missing in
their lives. The lack of self-confidence
was also expressed as a feeling of being unable to cope, of not managing.
Provers felt sensitive and vulnerable, with a need to be appreciated, to be
worth something to the world.
In the proving of Hemachatus haemachatus there was a sense of being
harassed, picked on, persecuted, and purposefully annoyed. There were dreams of
others being mean to them. There was intense frustration with a feeling and
dreams of being trapped or stuck, and a need to get out. Irritability was much
more marked in Hemachatus haemachatus, and this was specifically directed at
inefficiency, incompetence, others being slow or slack.
The alternation in moods was marked, with moods changing rapidly.
The conflict between duty in responsibility in Hemachatus haemachatus
manifested in an avoidance of responsibilities, which was coupled with great
lethargy and lack of motivation. Responsibilities were perceived to be
regarding work, and the aspect of duty toward the family did not arise in the
proving.
Elaps corallinus
is the Brazilian coral snake, a member of the Elapidae family.
It is known in homeopathy primarily for a few leading or keynotes:
a desire to play (in the grass), a need to get into the country away
from people, black discharges, a craving for oranges, salads, ice and yoghurt,
and dreams of falling (Vermeulen, 2000).
Thakkar (2007) has provided greater insight into the remedy. She
identifies a feeling of isolation, of being separate and not belonging to the
world as central to the remedy. There is a strong sense
of independence, a need for freedom, with an aversion to being
domesticated, held back or obstructed.
Elaps displays intolerance to the pretence, dishonesty and lies of
humanity, an inability to live in the city for too long, and a deep connection
with nature and the outdoors. They are critical of themselves and others, and
intolerant of others who are unaware and careless, hurting others because they
are not mindful of their actions. They may feel rage, as of the blood boils,
with a need
to shriek or break things, together with a fear of losing control.
Elaps may also be fastidious, and particular about cleanliness and order.
The comparative analysis in RADAR (Appendix H) identified some emotional
characteristics unique to Elaps corallinus.
There is a strong aversion to company, they cannot bear even the sight
of anybody, with a need to get into the countryside away from people. At the
same time, there is a fear of being alone, due to
a fear that something may horrible happen. There is moroseness and
taciturnity, and a tendency to sit wrapped in thought, dwelling on past
disagreeable occurrences. There is anger and irritability,
felt (when disturbed or spoken to).
Hemachatus haemachatus produced intense irritability, but this was
caused by perceived inefficiency, incompetence and poor planning. There was
disgust with hypocrisy. There was anger
with violent impulses to harm the offender - to punch them in the face, or rip
their heads off, but these were controlled, and frustration was mostly vented
by shouting. There were feelings of frustration, and of being deliberately
harassed or picked on. Provers had a feeling of being trapped, and a need to
get outside, into nature or go for a walk on a field.
Hemachatus haemachatus displayed and aversion to company and a need to
be alone, in a quiet restful space, but home was identified as that safe space,
and provers retreated to their homes or rooms to pursue their own interests.
Provers experienced a sense of anxiety, as if something bad, such as an
accident, might happen, or as if something was just not quite right. There was
a fear of driving, a sense of danger on the roads, even dreams of a massive
accident.
The playfulness seen in Elaps corallinus is echoed in the carefree,
bemused, happy, bubbly feelings of Hemachatus, the enjoyment of the company of
friends and the irritation felt by one prover at
that fun being spoiled by a member of the group. Joyfulness, vivacity
and a desire for entertainment seem, however, to be qualities common to all the
snake remedies.
Naja mossambica
is the Mozambican Spitting Cobra, an Elapid indigenous to the
north-eastern parts of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The proving by Smal and Taylor (2004)
produced symptoms in
the mind section very similar to those produced by Hemachatus
haemachatus.
Naja mossambica has the symptoms alertness, mental clarity, increased focus
and concentration. There is increased energy and enthusiasm and motivation to
get things done. Provers felt carefree, relaxed and light-hearted. There were
feelings of not caring about tests and work, just wasting to have fun. Very
similar feelings were seen in the Hemachatus haemachatus proving.
In Naja mossambica, we see heightened emotions, even emphasized to the
extreme, with mood swings and a sense of being unbalanced. Provers felt
somewhat manic and mad, with bouts of uncontrollable laughter and giggling and
acting in a silly manner. There was restlessness and hyperactivity, a feeling
of being rushed. While Hemachatus haemachatus also produced sudden changes
in mood, the unbalanced, manic quality was absent.
In Naja mossambica there was a feeling of being spaced out,
light-headed, dazed or stoned, which seems similar to the spaced-out feeling of
Hemachatus haemachatus, which had the feeling „”As if
taken tranquilizing drugs‟. There was however a spiritual element
of transcendence, of reconnecting to themselves or of observant spaciousness in
Hemachatus haemachatus, while in Naja mossambica the feeling seems more out of
control and dazed.
In Naja mossambica there is anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed
and not able to cope. There was depression, a feeling of being low, and
anti-social feelings. Similar emotions were experienced by provers in the
Hemachatus haemachatus proving. Depression was also described as a feeling of
being low or flatness. Both remedies show tiredness and lethargy and a lack of
motivation, perhaps more strongly seen in Hemachatus haemachatus.
While there was a need for private space in Hemachatus haemachatus, we
also see an effort to connect with old friends, and dreams of old friends and
work colleagues. The sentimental longing or yearning seen in Hemachatus
haemachatus, as well as the sense of vulnerability and insecurity, was absent
in Naja mossambica.
Naja mossambica produced irritability and frustration, with a desire to
just be at home by themselves, a need for space and quietness. The irritability
was directed at family, and everything they did irritated provers. It was also
felt towards authoritative people pushing them around, as well as when driving.
The irritability produced by Hemachatus haemachatus was more central to
the proving, as it was experienced more intensely by a greater number of
provers.
It was either causeless or triggered by trifles, or specifically felt in
response to incompetence, inefficiency and poor planning; on the road towards
incompetent drivers; when provers felt harassed by others; or when they felt
emotionally hurt or neglected. There were many similarities in the dreams of
the two remedies: dreams of fighting, being bothered or harassed by a man and
then punching
or attacking him, attack on one‟s house, ships, strange but
familiar places, sleeping or bathing in excrement, rescuing animals, vivid
dreams, frustrating dreams about difficulties in communication, dreams of
snakes, being pursued, being stuck.
Physically, there are many points of similarity between the two
remedies. Naja mossambica has feelings of lightness of the head, as well as
light-headedness.
Hemachatus haemachatus also has vertigo, and a feeling of heaviness of
the head, as well as various strange sensations: as if the head wrapped in
cotton wool, made of feathers, or is under water.
The headaches of Naja mossambica were felt in the forehead and temple,
those of Hemachatus in the frontal, temporal or occipital areas or around the
eyes.
Many headaches in Hemachatus haemachatus extended from one area to
another: from the occiput to behind the eye, or from the neck to the temple,
from the temple to the eye, or from the temples to the teeth. Some headaches
extended to or from the neck or back, or were accompanied by neck stiffness or
spasm.
Both remedies affect the eyes.
Naja mossambica caused burning, redness, marked swelling, difficulty in
focusing and even purulent discharge from the eyes, while in Hemachatus
haemachatus, itchiness, scratchiness, a gritty
feeling and photophobia predominated. Both remedies caused sneezing and
coryza, as well as dryness of the mouth and lips, and a tendency to formation
of vesicles in the mouth. Both remedies caused sore throat – sharp raw
scratchy pain in Hemachatus haemachatus, scratchiness in Naja mossambica.
Both have the sensation of a lump in the throat, which we saw earlier is
a common symptom in snake remedies.
Both remedies have increased thirst and an increase in appetite.
Naja mossambica had intense cramping in the stomach and abdomen, with
mild symptoms of nausea and flatulence.
Hemachatus haemachatus produced cramping, heartburn and marked nausea in
the stomach; and cramping, burning or stabbing lower abdominal pain, and much
flatulence. The lower abdominal pain produced by Hemachatus haemachatus,
likened to provers to that of cystitis, the urinary frequency and incontinence,
and the hot and viscid urine, were absent in Naja mossambica.
Both remedies produce pain in the ovarian region.
Hemachatus has dark red, almost black menses, with an absence of clots
and pain,
Naja mossambica has scanty menses, late in appearing, also with
decreased pain.
Hemachatus haemachatus showed increased libido in both sexes, not
mentioned in Naja mossambica.
Naja mossambica produced sharp pains in the chest, while Hemachatus had
a sense of constriction, or a burning pain as if fingers dug into the chest.
Both remedies have painful enlargement of axillary lymph nodes. The
symptoms corresponding to mastitis seen in Hemachatus were absent in Naja
mossambica.
Both remedies low back pain and pain in the extremities, but more
strongly so in Hemachatus haemachatus.
Itchy, dry skin, with eruptions and redness, was also a more pronounced
feature of Hemachatus haemachatus.
Both remedies had in increase in body temperature, with provers feeling
hot.
In Hemachatus haemachatus, it was experienced particularly at night,
preventing sleep, and there were flushes of heat to the face. Sleep was either
restless and disturbed or deep, in both remedies.
The intense lethargy and sleepiness seen in Hemachatus haemachatus was
not as pronounced in Naja mossambica.
Bitis arietans arietans
is the Puff Adder, Africa‟s largest viper, responsible for most
snake bites in Africa. The venom is haemolytic and cytotoxic. Wright conducted
a proving of the venom in 1998.
The feeling of being spaced-out and disconnected was prominent in the
Bitis arietans arietans proving. Provers felt intoxicated, trippy, or stoned.
There was difficulty in concentrating during conversation or attempting to
think, read or write, and easy distraction. Similar sensations were seen in
Hemachatus haemachatus.
Provers from felt removed from reality, with everything seeming unreal,
even feeling disconnected from themselves, while in Hemachatus haemachatus
there was a feeling of reconnecting with their
spiritual side. The sensation of
„cotton wool in the head‟ seen in Hemachatus haemachatus was also
experienced in the Bitis arietans proving. Both remedies have clumsiness and a
tendency to drop things, trip or bump into things.
Lethargy and laziness were prominent symptoms in both provings, as well
as depression and feelings of downness. Provers taking Bitis arietans arietans
felt sensitive to the opinion of others, and feelings of being socially left
out were experienced.
Strong feelings of being socially embarrassed and humiliated were
experienced by one prover taking Hemachatus haemachatus.
We also see strong feelings of not being good enough, specifically in
the realm of relationships. The sadness and yearning for love, dwelling on past
relationships, sense of someone missing in their lives, and the dreams of old
friends and acquaintances in Hemachatus haemachatus, are echoed in the sad,
sentimental thoughts of the past of Bitis arietans arietans.
In Bitis arietans arietans there was some anxiety, which was
specifically felt while driving, to the point of panic attacks, which is also a
feature of Hemachatus haemachatus.
There was an urge to clean and tidy and a need for order in Bitis
arietans arietans, but in Hemachatus haemachatus the impulse was stronger, with
energy to get things at home sorted out and do major home improvements.
The feature of retreating to the home or private room, seen as a quiet,
restful, safe space, so prominent in the Hemachatus haemachatus proving, was
absent in Bitis arietans arietans.
Provers experienced irritability in the Bitis arietans arietans proving
< crowds or groups of people, and also felt when relatives were staying in
the family home. This is similar to the irritation felt in
the Hemachatus haemachatus proving, when friends of provers’ parents, or
children of acquaintances, where in the home. Irritation was however a much
more prominent feature of Hemachatus haemachatus, specifically felt in response
to incompetence, inefficiency and poor planning; on the road towards
incompetent drivers; when provers felt harassed by others; or when they felt
emotionally hurt or neglected. Sometimes it was causeless or triggered by
trifles.
There are similarities in the dreams produced in the two provings. Both
have dreams of pursuit, of escaping, of snakes, of children and babies
connected to violence, and ambiguous or inappropriate sexuality. There was a
dream in Bitis arietans arietans which is similar to a dream in both Naja
mossambica and in Hemachatus haemachatus.
It involves being in a swimming pool with a male, and spending time with
or being pursued by him, even though the prover doesn’t particularly like him.
Bitis arietans arietans produced a decrease
in energy, tiredness and lethargy.
Stiffness was a prominent feature. Provers became more chilly and
cold-sensitive, the opposite of the heat and hot flushes of Hemachatus
haemachatus. “As if being charged”, with increased static electricity, was a
feature of both remedies. Bitis arietans arietans produced throbbing congested
headaches, occipital, temporal or behind the eyes, and a heavy feeling of the
head was prominent.
The eyes were affected much less than in Hemachatus haemachatus: eyes
felt tired, overstrained and slightly itchy. Vision was blurred with difficulty
in focusing. Mouth and lips were dry, but no blister formation was noticed.
Appetite was mostly decreased with Bitis arietans arietans.
There is abdominal cramping and a marked increase in flatulence, similar
to Hemachatus haemachatus. There was urgent desire to pass stool in Bitis
arietans arietans, followed by another loose stool some half an hour later, and
also some ineffectual urging. Female provers experienced heavier than normal
menses, with dark clots, which came on too early and without the normal warning
signs.
In Hemachatus haemachatus, menses tended to be dark, fluid, lighter than
normal, with an absence of clots, and generally a decrease in the usual pain,
but with pain in the ovarian region.
Respiration was affected more in Bitis arietans arietans, with symptoms
similar to asthma produced. Stiffness of the back, neck and extremities was a
marked feature. The pain in smaller joints of hands, feet, wrists and ankles
seen in Hemachatus haemachatus, was not as pronounced. Sleep was less restless
and broken than that of provers taking Hemachatus haemachatus.