Drosera Anhang
[C. Kurz]
Insectivorous plant, grows in swampy regions of Europe, Asia, and
a new set of leaves above the moss, thereby smothering it. The obstinate
and pertinacious character of this plant with which it fights to survive,
enables it to live in its swampy environment.
The rounded, stemmed leaves are covered with inumerous
small glandular hairs which exude a clear, sticky fluid. This fluid gathers at
the end of each hair and attracts small insects which mistake it for a source
of nectar. Once an insect touches a droplet, it is caught by the sticky fluid. Neighboring glandular hairs curve toward the insect and
make escape impossible. A digestive enzyme in the fluid slowly dissolves the
insect body, and the plant eventually absorbs it, leaving behind the empty chitinous hull. Dros. can survive
on an insect-free diet but doesn't grow as tall nor develop as many seeds.
It may be interesting to note that all insectivorous plants I know grow
in or near the water. Certainly in the case of Dros.
the capture of an insect by the plant is in some way analogous to the dangers a
swamp poses to an unsuspecting wanderer. The pertinacious and stubborn clinging
to the intruder, which makes escape impossible, is present in
both cases. The engulfing nature of the surroundings are reflected in
the behavior of the plant.
The Insect
It is the morning of a bright and beautiful day. The little insect is
already thirsty (Stomach, thirst, morning); "He dreams of thirst and
drinking, wakes very thirsty, obliged to drink."). The night before it
slept very restlessly and had many anxious dreams (Dreams, anxious); Sleep: unrefreshing/waking frequent; "Frequent starting at
night from sleep, “As if from fright or fear”, but without anxiety on
waking."). It is almost as if the night had been a foreboding of danger
(Fear of hearing bad news; Fear of misfortune; Suspicious, mistrustful). On the
search for something to drink, the little insect is drawn from one flower to
the next (capricious/inconstant/irresolute/indecision), when it
notices a plant whose leaves appear to be covered with nourishing
nectar. An irresistible attraction (Delusion, someone calls; Illusions of
hearing) which calls out to it!
This sight is so gorgeous and mouth watering that its fears are
dispelled (Cheerful, gay, mirthful). Proceeding to this plant it decides to
land directly on one of the leaves covered with drops of nectar. The little
insect gets stuck in the resinous fluid and quickly realizes that this was not
such a good idea. What deceit (Delusion of being deceived)! Kicking and
screaming it tries to free itself (Courageous; Restlessness, anxious; Violent,
vehement; Rage, fury) - to no avail. The more it struggles the deeper it
becomes entrapped, and the leaf seems to turn inward on the poor little insect
(Delusion, tall, things grow taller; Delusion, persecuted; Delusion pursued by
enemies).
Movement becomes increasingly more difficult ("All the limbs feel
paralyzed."). The little insect realizes that it is alone; nobody is
coming to help (Anxiety, when alone;
Desire for company; Discouraged about future; Sadness, despondency,
dejection; Forsaken feeling). How much it wishes that it had stayed at home
(Homesickness)!
Finally, as the digesting enzymes eat away, we are reminded of the
consumptive disease, tuberculosis, for which Dros.
is an important remedy.
The Plant
It is the morning of a bright and beautiful day. The sundew plant (Dros.) enjoys the quiet and calmness which the early rays
of sun bring (Tranquility, serenity, calmness).
Each of its hair-like tentacles is crowned by an enticing droplet, ready
to deal with breakfast (Deceitful, sly). There, as if out of nowhere, comes a
little insect and lands squarely on one of the sundew's leaves. The plant has
never really gotten used to the impertinence with which insects approach its
seeming bountiful source of food.
Anger over this intrusion starts to well up (Mood, alternating,
changeable; Morose, cross, fretful; Offended easily, takes everything in bad
part). As the insect continues
to fight and struggle, the sundew curves its leaf inward to engulf the
intruder (Extremities, stiffness, upper, fingers; "The fingers are
inclined to be spasmodically contracted, and, on closing them, the joints of
the middle finger to be stiff, as if the tendons would not yield, now in the
right, now in the left hand."). The fighting of the insect tickles and
stimulates more fluid to be exuded (Sensitive, oversensitive). Now what is
needed is perseverance and patience. Very few insects have ever managed to free
themselves, most eventually tire and give up (Perseverance; Pertinacity; Plans,
carrying out, insists on; Obstinate, headstrong).
I hope that with this account I have shown that the remedy Dros. is more than just the plant Dros.
We can clearly perceive the situation of the struggling insect as well as the
tenacious plant. Many symptoms not mentioned here will fit either one or the
other element. The totality appears to comprise the interwoven fates of the
plant and the insect.
Of course, everyone knows that Dros. is a leading
whooping cough remedy with the typical barking sound and retching afterwards,
leading to vomiting in some cases.
The obstinate laryngeal tickling which provokes the cough is very
characteristic of Dros. and fits in nicely with the
totality as described above. When one focuses on the physical aspects of the
cough, there are of course many remedies that come close to Dros.
(Corallium, Cuprum, Hyoscyamus,
Kali-c, and many others).
[Margaret Tyler]
described it as belonging closely to the tubercular miasm
and therefore being similar to Tuberculinum. In this
respect one has to think also of Calc-p. and Rhus-t.
as belonging to this group (Puls.). Many Dros. cases have in common this feeling of wanting to shake
off something terribly annoying and harassing, which clings to them
obstinately. Sankaran mentions a very descriptive
case in The Substance of Homeopathy, page 89. It is of a school teacher who
feels constantly harassed by her principal yet feels trapped in her job and
does not want to give it up.
Drosera:
Keynotes:
- Whooping cough with retching and vomiting.
- Vertigo when walking in fresh air with tendency to fall to the left.
- Coldness of left side of face with hotness and stitching pains of the
right side.
- < at night, with restless sleep and anxious dreams
Mind: Anxiety and fear at night, starting from sleep
. Obstinate
. Feeling of being persecuted and harassed
. Easily angered
Generals: Weakness of entire body.
. Oversensitive to noise and smells.
<: Being alone
. After midnight
. On lying down
>: Company
. Sitting up in bed
Face: Left side cold,
right side hot.
Head: Heavy, pressing
headache from cheekbones extending downward.
Throat: Persistent tickling in larynx, “As if from a bread crumb”.
. Difficulty swallowing solid food
. Low and weakened voice from tenacious mucus.
. Difficulty exhaling
Chest: Spasmodic, dry, irritating
cough in paroxysms
. Barking noise when coughing
. Cough starts as soon as head hits the pillow.
Extremities: Paralytic pains, stiffness, and weakness in joints
. Bed feels too hard
. Stitching pains in muscles and joints
Dros.
!! Keuchhusten !!
Muskelkrämpfe
Kitzelhusten mit Erbrechen
• Krampfhafter Husten nachts mit Schmerzen in der Brust, so dass diese mit den Händen gehalten wird
• !! Unerträgliche Stiche in der Brust und im Hypochondrium beim Husten und tief Atmen > Pressen der Hände gegen die Brust
• Die nächtlichen Hustenanfälle folgen sich so rasch, dass der Patient kaum zum Atmen kommt, er läuft blau an
• Husten durch Reizung im Kehlkopf, Husten kommt tief aus der Brust
• Rauhe trockene Kehle mit Heiserkeit, bellender Husten mit gelb-schleimigem Auswurf
• Auswurf ekelhaft bitter
• Brenzlicher Geruch des Atems beim Husten
• Husten < Essen und Hinlegen
Nandita Shaw was in
suggested Nit-ac (central delusion, that he was involved in a lawsuit).
Nit-ac failed to act. Nandita then analyzed the case
again, this time restricting attention to the physical
particulars (of cough) - which were quite prominent and characteristic.
Out came Dros., which acted curatively for the whole
person - physicals and M/E's as well.
Dros.:
skinny, eats a lot - tubercular
delusions - imaginations, enemy, rest allows him no enemies surrounded
by is persecuted, that he is deceived (Dros, Ruta)
obstinate, headstrong, execution of matured plans in pertinacity
rage, fury, violence
suspicious, mistrustful
"As if had to do with none but false people" -
"As if enemies would not leave him quiet - envied & persecuted
him" - MM Pura the senses of Dros.
are the senses of the plant with the insect inside.
[Sankaran]
Drosera is a tubercular remedy. I am not
sure if it should be classified as belonging to the plant or animal kingdom,
because Drosera has not only the sensitivity and
reactivity common to remedies of the plant kingdom, but also the persecuted
feeling, violence and aggression of animal remedies. Drosera
is a carnivorous plant – a plant behaving almost like an animal.
I think it is difficult to obtain this plant without an insect trapped
inside it, and this may be a part of the remedy prepared.
The main feeling of Drosera is that of being
persecuted, deceived, trapped, choked and killed. The reaction is to be
aggressive, violent, trying to get out, which is often not possible.
The expression of Drosera is that even a small
irritation can get the patients into a tremendous outburst of rage and the
inner feeling is of being harassed, cheated, deceived.
They are suspicious.
Phatak’s Materia Medica:
“Fear being alone and is suspicious of friends. Imagines being deceived
by spiteful, envious people”. In Phatak’s Repertory Drosera is mentioned under
“Delusion, being deceived” along with Ruta.
Hahnemann’s Materia Medica
Pura shows the following symptoms under Drosera:
All day long, uneasiness of
disposition and anxiety, full of mistrust, as if he had to do with none but
false people.
Silent and reserved, with
anxiety, he always feared he was about to learn something disagreeable
Anxiety as if his enemies
would not leave him quiet, envied and persecuted him.
He is sad and dejected about
the ills of life, which people cause one another and himself, respecting which
he is anxious and concerned; at the same time, want of appetite.
Thus the theme of Drosera is that of being
stabbed in the back, of being deceived by one’s own friends and yet at the same
time there is a great dependence on them.
There is a feeling of weakness, due to which he is dependent, but at the
same time, he feels his weakness is being taken advantage of. This is a typical
tubercular feeling.
Drosera feels harassed by others and let
down by his own friends. Drosera reacts to this
“oppression” violently. In rage he becomes loud, shrieking and violent. Drosera also has a suicidal inclination.
The Drosera cough too is described as
“harassing” by Phatak and is accompanied by
irritation, violent paroxysms.
Rubrics:
Anger, trifles, at.
Anger, violent.
Company, desire for.
Delusion, persecuted,
he is.
Delusion, vexations
and offences, of.
Fear, alone, of being.
Suicidal disposition.
Suspicious,
mistrustful.
Violent, vehement.
Rage, fury.
Kent:
Cough, attacks follow
one another quickly.
Phatak:
Dust aggravates.
Imaginations, being deceived
[Rajan Sankaran]
Drosera is a tubercular remedy. I am not
sure if it should be classified as belonging to the plant or animal kingdom,
because Drosera has not only the sensitivity and
reactivity common to remedies of the plant kingdom, but also the persecuted
feeling, violence and aggression of animal remedies. Drosera
is a carnivorous plant – a plant behaving almost like an animal. I think it is
difficult to obtain this plant without an insect trapped inside it, and this
may be a part of the remedy prepared.
The main feeling of Drosera is that of being
persecuted, deceived, trapped, choked and killed. The reaction is to be
aggressive, violent, trying to get out, which is often not possible. The
expression of Drosera is that even a small irritation
can get the patients into a tremendous outburst of rage and the inner feeling
is of being harassed, cheated, deceived. They are suspicious. Phatak’s Materia Medica mentions: “Fears being alone and is suspicious of
friends. Imagines being deceived by spiteful, envious people”.
In Phatak’s Repertory Drosera
is mentioned under “Delusion, being deceived” along with Ruta.
Hahnemann’s Materia Medica
Pura shows the following symptoms under Drosera:
All day long, uneasiness of
disposition and anxiety, full of mistrust, as if he had to do with none but
false people.
Silent and reserved, with
anxiety, he always feared he was about to learn something disagreeable
Anxiety as if his enemies would
not leave him quiet, envied and persecuted him.
He is sad and dejected about
the ills of life, which people cause one another and himself, respecting which
he is anxious and concerned; at the same time, want of appetite.
Thus the theme of Drosera is that of being
stabbed in the back, of being deceived by one’s own friends and yet at the same
time there is a great dependence on them.
There is a feeling of weakness, due to which he is dependent, but at the
same time, he feels his weakness is being taken advantage of. This is a typical
tubercular feeling. Drosera feels harassed by others
and let down by his own friends. Drosera reacts to
this “oppression” violently. In rage he becomes loud, shrieking and violent. Drosera also has a suicidal inclination.
The Drosera cough too is described as
“harassing” by Phatak and is accompanied by
irritation, violent paroxysms.
Rubrics:
Anger, trifles, at.
Anger, violent.
Company, desire for.
Delusion, persecuted,
he is.
Delusion, vexations
and offences, of.
Fear, alone, of being.
Suicidal disposition.
Suspicious,
mistrustful.
Violent, vehement.
Rage, fury.
Kent:
Cough, attacks follow
one another quickly.
Phatak:
Dust aggravates.
Imaginations, being
deceived.
Vorwort/Suchen Zeichen/Abkürzungen Impressums