Phalaenopsis
gigantea (Phal-gig)
= Elephant. ear. Orchid./= Giant-leaved Moth Orchid
Vergleich: Siehe: Asparagales
[Louis Klein]
The most widely-grown orchids in the world are from the genus
Phalaenopsis, including hybrids.
This particular species is native to forests up to 400m in parts of
Indonesia and Malaysia including Borneo, Sabah, and Sarawak, and first described
in 1909.
As an epiphyte it can be found growing in the tops of trees with the massive roots wrapped around
branches for support.
In Malesia, the humidity is high and rainfall plentiful, although there
is a drier season (usually towards the middle part of the winter). The plant
requires an intact root system
to maintain leaf hydration, and
responds poorly to root disturbance.
Named for its gigantic leaves -the leaf span can easily exceed 2 feet
(60 cm) - it is the largest of the Phalaenopsis species.
The 5 to 6 massive leaves are pendent, leathery, broadly rounded, pale
silver-green and shiny on both surfaces, bearing some resemblance to elephant
names and Meanings
Generally, the plants grow with steeply-tilted leaves so as to shed
water, in order to prevent crown rot.
The orchid flowers the most in the summer, although the plant can bloom
from four to six months at a time.
A typical Phalaenopsis gigantea flower has a natural spread of about
2" (5 cm). The flowers tend to have a cream or yellow background with
varying degrees of green
around the column. They have full, round, waxy petals that are roughly
equal in size, usually overlap and have raised red-brown spots or blotches that
you can feel with
your fingers. After a relatively long maturing period of 8 to 12 years,
as short as 4 years in optimum conditions, plants are capable of producing hundreds of flowers on branching
stalks that reach 16" (40 cm) in length, rising from a very short
monopodial stem.
Blooms within a single growth season open simultaneously and have a
sweet, citrus scent. [Pfahl, Wikipedia]
it can be found growing in the tops of trees with the massive roots
wrapped around branches for support. In Malesia, the humidity is high and
rainfall plentiful, although there is a drier season (usually towards the
middle part of the winter). The plant requires an intact root system to
maintain leaf hydration, and responds poorly to root disturbance. Named for its
gigantic leaves the leaf span can easily exceed 2 feet (60 cm) it is the
largest of the Phalaenopsis species. The 5 to 6 massive leaves are pendent,
leathery, broadly rounded, pale silver-green and shiny on both surfaces,
bearing some resemblance to elephant ears. Generally, the plants grow with
steeply-tilted leaves so as to shed water, in order to prevent crown rot. The
orchid flowers the most in the summer, although the plant can bloom from four
to six months at a time. A typical Phalaenopsis gigantea flower has a natural
spread of about 2" (5 cm). The flowers tend to have a cream or yellow
background with varying degrees of green around the column. They have full,
round, waxy petals that are roughly equal in size, usually overlap and have
raised red-brown spots or blotches that you can feel with your fingers. After a
relatively long maturing period of 8 to 12 years, as short as 4 years in
optimum conditions, plants are capable of producing hundreds of flowers on
branching stalks that reach 16" (40 cm) in length, rising from a very
short monopodial stem. Blooms within a single growth season open simultaneously
and have a sweet, citrus scent. [Pfahl, Wikipedia] See the Full Hahnemannian
Proving in Section 4. Homeopathy Commentary The distinguishing feature of this
Orchid is the problem with concentration, memory, and the ability to communicate
clearly and express oneself. There is a high expectation about their abilities,
thoughts, and ideas, but a difficulty in expressing them. There is stammering,
slurring of words, and a strong sense of general confusion when attempting
either to concentrate or to speak. This Elephant Ear Orchid was proved in a
full Hahnemannian way with Sally Williams as the master prover. Ever since
then, and for a number of years now, colleagues and I have been successfully
prescribing it. One cured case was that of an overweight child on the autism
spectrum who was obsessed with elephants. In one of her many cases of this
remedy, Sally gave the remedy with excellent results to an adult whose
inability to learn, and most importantly to communicate, led him to become depressed
and to withdraw, frustrated, from family and friends. With these central
aspects of confusion and poor communication, Phalaenopsis gigantea has already
been confirmed as an important remedy for ADD, ADHD, and neurodevelopmental
disorders. In the broadest terms, there are difficulties with concentrating and
with learning, problems in retaining information, writing, and speaking.
Frequent expressions used by provers (and now patients) include: I m very, very
confused, My confusion continues, I have a lack of concentration; I have a lack
of focus.
11 200 PHALAenoPSIS GIGAntea Materia Medica Section 3 With respect to
this issue one prover remarks: I was not able to listen and remember almost
like I cannot hear. My concentration is lacking; I have a dopey feeling all the
time. Another prover records: Letters on the computer screen made no sense at
all; I had to read [them] over and over. A patient given Phalaenopsis with
success described this state as a feeling of being underwater. Also, there is a
sensation that the mind is racing but that my brain is sleepy. The patient can
feel sleepy much of the time, especially when concentrating or in school. These
will be patients who have great difficulty in reading and will avoid reading
books, instead watching television, videos, or movies. Most of the participants
of the proving were enrolled in a homeopathic college. During the proving they
temporarily had trouble absorbing and retaining information, as if they had
learning disabilities. They suffered from weak memory, a fogginess of mind, and
a dullness of the senses overall. During the proving, taking tests was
overwhelmingly challenging. As well, in all areas of writing there were
misspellings and mistakes along with confounding letters. One prover said, I m
confused on what I should write, and another said, I could not think straight
to articulate proper words. Conversely, in a confirmation of this theme, one
prover with a history of ADD did very well during the proving (a curative
response!) and many of his concentration difficulties were resolved. The
frustration over the inability to communicate creates social embarrassment.
There is a feeling of being trapped by what they perceive as an overpowering
disability a disability that must be hidden; this is experienced as both a
desire and an inability to escape. The natural tendency of the patient who
needs this Orchid remedy is to blend into their environment and to be
secretive. (It is one of the only Orchid provings so far that have brought out
a concept of secretive and used the word secret. ) Even while they attempt to
keep the extent of their problem secret, precisely because of their memory and
expression issues they are forced out of hiding. This trapped feeling, and
comparable scenarios, came out in many dreams of the provers. The primary
source of these feelings, as is now clear from clinical experience, is a sense
for the Phalaenopsis gigantea individual that they are misunderstood. In this
remedy picture my colleagues and I have found irritability over
misunderstandings
12 Section 3 Materia Medica PhalaenoPSIS GIGAntea 201 and a consequent
tendency to provoke arguments with co-workers, with friends and spouse. Whilst
stuck in an attention-deficit state, patients experience (as did the provers)
anger and resentment towards those around them. They can accuse family members
of causing their problems, or of not helping them properly as a child. They can
feel that others are laughing at them, gossiping and talking about them, and
this aggravates them further. Moreover, with their victimized attitude they
then go on to incite this same feeling in others. In addition, such an outlook
inflames the feeling of being abused and wrongly accused. Eventually, as the
inability to communicate increases so does the frustration, culminating
inevitably in an attempt to escape the situation mainly through withdrawal.
Ultimately, since their self-esteem is based disproportionately on what others
think of them, they come to feel lost, with no direction, and with a feeling as
if they do not belong. The proving also engendered dreams exemplifying a major
theme within the Orchid group that of sexuality and sensuality as a means of
disarming a situation. In this specific Orchid what emerges as notable and thus
particularizing is an associated strong need to escape: 04, 31: I dreamt I am
on the street at night in New York City. A guy comes along, he was suggestive
and threatening. I can show him by being funny and flirty, and go across the
street to a gallery. A safer looking man is there, he hires me to be a model. I
don t know what this means but I am willing to go along, it turns out to be
fun. Still, it is all just a means of me finding a way to get out of this. I
escaped to an elevator. I watch as it carries us (others strangers in the
elevator) up and up. When I see the number 47 th floor, I think no, that s
going up too high and I want to go down. The elevator opens and oddly, here I
am out on the street level again, safe. I feel I was rescued using my own
resourcefulness. In the dream, with respect to the elevator ascending in an out
of control fashion, there are two escape options: escape through a narrow
place, such as a tunnel or via an elevator, or escape through sexuality. In
other words, the prover has the feeling that only through sexuality or through
their own resourcefulness can they escape danger and conflict. In the case of
Phalaenopsis gigantea, for the most part, the patient feels hopelessly stuck
and trapped with no way of escape except through a very narrow challenging
place.
13 202 PHALAenoPSIS GIGAntea Materia Medica Section 3 This resonates
strongly with the feeling of the Malaria miasm (see Malaria Compound in Miasms
and Nosodes, Volume 1). Confirming this, other aspects are shared between this
remedy picture and the Malaria miasm: family feuding, the feeling of needing
help and money from family members; the feelings of frustration, anger, and
irritability with other family members. This feeling is that others will not
help them, even to the point that loved ones are dead to them and that they
cannot trust anyone. They get very angry and frustrated with their spouse or
with family members their own resourcefulness becomes the only option
remaining. Many remedies in the Malaria miasm have problems communicating. Some
of the main remedies for stammering, like Niobium, are in this miasm. One
Phalaenopsis patient said: I feel incapable to communicate. That is probably
the hardest thing. That is probably the biggest thing. I feel ignored. I get
blamed for the miscommunication. This leads to resentfulness but this is a
resentment without strong bitterness and without the completely closed-off
aspect we might see in other Malarial remedies, such as China officinalis. (A
differentiation may still be required because China also has the tendency to
confound words and numbers which is part of Phalaenopsis and, perhaps, part of
the miasm as a whole.) There is also an element of alienation evident in the
Malaria miasm (as well as in the Syphilitic miasm). In this remedy, this alienation
is particularly felt in regards to their mother (and family) as previously
discussed. The Phalenopsis patient has high expectations of their mother and
subsequent feeling of resentment, even self-pity, believing they do not get
enough care, support, and attention from their mother. They may test the limits
of their parents, requiring care and money. Yet, they never feel they are
getting the right support from their family, especially their mother and as
such, from a young age feel distant and hostile. The memories, hostility, or
slights stay with them for a long time, into adulthood. At a young age, they
may start overeating to deal with their emotions and, in spite of difficulty
with concentration and focus problems, can become good cooks. But these
feelings can also come about because someone else is hostile towards them or as
a result of an uncommunicative or very negative mother
or family environment. As an adult, they may partner with someone who is
argumentative and, while feeling it necessary to keep it light and harmonious,
will nevertheless fall into irritability and anger. They never feel quite part
of their family. I also think of this remedy for children born to a young
teenage single parent. The child may have learning disabilities and social
problems, and may feel stuck with a desire to escape. In a related manner, the
remedy is for someone growing up in a violent household or in a social
environment where adults show immature behaviors. Like most Orchids, there can
be periods characterized by a carefree attitude, a lack of concern about being
late, for example (which then provokes others). There is also a sensation that
time is going too fast, so fast. Again, like other Orchids, there is difficulty
in falling asleep and when asleep there are many complex and varied dreams. As
mentioned above, the theme of being trapped and narrowly escaping is prominent.
There were other dreams similar to other Orchids, including dreams of partying,
of big parties, and playing. Likewise, the Phalaenopsis proving was no
exception to the general Orchid theme of stairs, and of going up and down
stairs. In this proving it was more to do with downstairs and was related to
the theme of food. But the food has a price it is heavy and requires a lot of
work: I help carry heavy bags of fruit and vegetables downstairs. Then I feel
the weight is lighter and find the bag of vegetables is almost empty. I keep on
going downstairs and a man brings a thick stack of vegetables saying that it is
what I had dropped. I go to a place. A lady is cooking and says if today is an
important day for me she can share some food with me. I said no, my birthday is
in October, so I walk away. Another group of people is getting dinner ready so
I tell my husband, and we both go to join them for dinner. As with the Vanilla
proving there was a theme of purchasing beautiful clothing: There is a clothing
sale in a beautiful home with many beautiful women with lots
of money to spend. The clothes are beautiful and displayed on exquisite
hangers. Each item costs $ I chose many items, hats, shoes, dresses. Several
women comment by murmuring that I have a lot of things. I react by questioning
myself whether that is true but I conclude that I like everything and I will
buy them all.
In this prover s dream a particularizing aspect emerges and we see,
again, the Phalaenopsis patient s sensitivity to what others think of, and say
about them along with the feeling that others are judging them. Staying with
the dreams, there were also many concerning dogs which implies to me that
someone needing this remedy could well be
a dog-lover. Some of these dreams involved dogs doing silly things the
idea of frivolity being a strong aspect of the remedy. One such dream involved
being trapped in a house with weird people and lots of dogs. With respect to
more threatening (animal or non-human) energy, there were dreams of a spider
crawling on the back and also of aliens sucking people up into their
spaceships. As with the proving of Vanilla planifolia there were dreams of both
bugs and of blue colors. There were also dreams of being pregnant, and in this
remedy we do see hormonal problems similar to those evident in other Orchids.
Primary to this particular Orchid, however, remain those dreams related
to being lost or that others are lost. Similarly, there is a frustrating
and embarrassing aspect related to the dreams of being confused and not knowing
what direction to go in. There was strong sexuality and eroticism, both in the
dreams and in general. One prover said she had a homoerotic dream with two
girlfriends of mine on holiday.
The mental dysfunction that is such a strong aspect of the remedy can be
reflected on a physical level. We can see a sensation of dizziness, as well as
clumsiness.
There can be heaviness in the lower limbs. Combining both the theme of
food and of difficulty in processing what the environment offers, there can be
severe digestive problems that result in liquid diarrhea and bloating. Symptom
Guide Mental/Emotional Symptoms Confusion and Memory Loss Difficult
concentration Forgetfulness
cannot remember clearly Forgetting what has done or what is about to do
Foggy thinking
Homeopathy commentary
The distinguishing feature of
this Orchid is the problem with concentration, memory and the ability to
communicate clearly and express oneself.
There is a high expectation about their abilities, thoughts, and ideas,
but a difficulty in expressing them. There is stammering, slurring of words, and a strong sense of general confusion when attempting either to
concentrate or to speak.
This Elephant Ear Orchid was proved in a full Hahnemannian way with
Sally Williams as the master prover. Ever since then, and for a number of years now, colleagues and
I have been successfully prescribing it. One cured case was that of an overweight child on the autism spectrum
who was obsessed with elephants.
In one of her many cases of this
remedy, Sally gave the remedy with excellent results to an adult whose
inability to learn, and most importantly to communicate, led him
to become depressed and to withdraw, frustrated, from family and
friends.
With these central aspects of
confusion and poor communication, Phalaenopsis gigantean has already
been confirmed as an important remedy for ADD, ADHD, and neurodevelopmental
disorders.
In the broadest terms, there are difficulties with concentrating and
with learning, problems in retaining information, writing, and speaking.
Frequent expressions used by provers (and now patients) include: “I’m very, very
confused,” “My confusion continues,” “I have a lack of concentration; I have a lack of focus.”
With respect to this issue one prover remarks: “I was not able to listen
and remember - almost like I cannot hear... My concentration is lacking; I have
a dopey feeling all the time.
”Another prover records: “Letters on the computer screen made no sense
at all; I had to read [them] over and over.” A patient given Phalaenopsis with
success described this state as a feeling of
being underwater. Also, there is a sensation that the mind is racing but
that “my brain is sleepy.”
The patient can feel sleepy much of
the time, especially when concentrating or in school. These will be
patients who have great difficulty in reading and will avoid reading books,
instead watching television, videos, or movies. Most of the participants of the proving were enrolled in a homeopathic
college. During the proving they temporarily had trouble absorbing and
retaining information, as if they had
learning disabilities.
They suffered from weak memory, a fogginess of mind, and a dullness of the senses overall. During the proving,
taking tests was overwhelmingly challenging.
As well, in all areas of writing
there were misspellings and mistakes along with confounding letters.
One prover said, “I’m confused on
what I should write,” and another said, “I could not think straight to
articulate proper words.”
Conversely, in a confirmation of this theme, one prover with a history
of ADD did very well during the proving (a curative response) and many of his
concentration difficulties were resolved.
The frustration over the inability to communicate creates social
embarrassment. There is a feeling of
being trapped by what they perceive as an overpowering disability –
a disability that must be hidden; this is experienced as both a desire
and an inability to escape.
The natural tendency of the
patient who needs this Orchid remedy is to blend into their environment and to
be secretive. (It is one of the only
Orchid provings so far that have brought out a concept of “secretive” and used
the word “secret.”) Even while they attempt to keep the extent of their problem secret, precisely because
of their memory and expression issues
they are forced out of “hiding.”
This trapped feeling, and comparable scenarios, came out in many dreams
of the provers. The primary source
of these feelings, as is now clear from
clinical experience, is
a sense for the Phalaenopsis gigantean
individual that they are misunderstood. In this remedy picture my colleagues
and I have found irritability over misunderstandings
and a consequent tendency to provoke arguments with co-workers, with
friends and spouse. Whilst stuck in an attention-deficit state, patients
experience (as did the provers) anger and resentment towards those around them.
They can accuse family members of causing their problems, or of not helping them properly as a child. They can feel that others are laughing at
them, gossiping and talking about them, and this aggravates them further.
Moreover, with their victimized attitude they then go on to incite this
same feeling in others. In addition, such an outlook inflames the feeling of
being abused and wrongly accused. Eventually, as the inability to communicate
increases so does the frustration, culminating inevitably in an attempt to
escape the situation – mainly through withdrawal.
Ultimately, since their self-esteem is based disproportionately on what
others think of them, they come to feel
lost, with no direction, and with a feeling as if they do not belong.
The proving also engendered dreams exemplifying a major theme within the
Orchid group – that of sexuality and
sensuality as a means of disarming a
situation.
In this specific Orchid what emerges
as notable and thus particularizing is an associated strong need to escape:
04, 31: Dream I am on the
street at night in New York City. A guy comes along, he was suggestive and
threatening. I can show him by being funny and flirty, and go
across the street to a gallery.
A safer looking man is there, he hires me to be a model. I don’t know
what this means but I am willing to go along, it turns out to be fun. Still, it
is all just a means of me finding a way to get out of this.
I escaped to an elevator. I watch as it carries us (others – strangers
in the elevator) up and up. When I see the number 47th floor, I
think no, that’s going up too high and I want to go down. The elevator opens
and oddly, here I am out on the street level again, safe. I feel I was rescued
using my own resourcefulness. In the dream, with respect to the elevator
ascending in an “out of control”
fashion, there are two escape options: escape through a narrow place, such as a
tunnel or via an elevator, or escape through sexuality. In other words, the
prover has the feeling that only through sexuality or through their own
resourcefulness can they escape danger and conflict.
In the case of Phalaenopsis
gigantea, for the most part, the patient feels hopelessly stuck and trapped
with no way of escape except through a
very narrow challenging place.
This resonates strongly with the feeling of the Malaria miasm (see Malaria Compound in
Miasms and Nosodes, Volume 1). Confirming this, other aspects are shared
between this remedy picture and the Malaria miasm: family feuding, the feeling
of needing help and money from family
members; the feelings of frustration,
anger, and irritability with other family members.
This feeling is that others will not help them, even to the point that
“loved ones are dead” to them and that they cannot trust anyone. They get very
angry and frustrated with their spouse or with family members – their “own
resourcefulness” becomes the only option remaining.
Many remedies in the Malaria miasm have problems communicating. Some
of the main remedies for stammering,
like Niobium, are in this miasm.
One Phalaenopsis patient said: “I feel incapable to communicate. That is
probably the hardest thing. That is probably the biggest thing.
I feel ignored. I get blamed for the
miscommunication.” This leads to resentfulness – but this is a resentment
without strong bitterness and without the completely closed-off aspect we might see in other Malarial
remedies, such as China officinalis. (A
differentiation may still be required because China also has the tendency to
confound words and numbers which is part of
Phalaenopsis and perhaps, part of the miasm as a whole.)
There is also an element of
alienation evident in the Malaria miasm (as well as in the Syphilitic
miasm). In this remedy, this alienation is particularly felt in regards to
their mother (and family) as previously discussed. The Phalenopsis patient has
high expectations of their mother and
subsequent feeling of resentment, even
self-pity, believing they do not get enough care, support, and attention from
their mother. They may test the limits of
their parents, requiring care and money. Yet, they never feel they are
getting the right support from their family, especially their mother and as
such, from a young age feel distant and hostile.
The memories, hostility, or slights stay with them for a long time, into
adulthood. At a young age, they may start overeating to deal with their
emotions and, in spite of difficulty
with concentration and focus problems, can become good cooks. But these
feelings can also come about because someone else is hostile towards them or as
a result of an uncommunicative or very
negative mother or family environment. As an adult, they may partner with
someone who is argumentative and, while feeling it necessary to keep it light
and harmonious, will nevertheless fall into irritability and anger.
They never feel quite part of
their family. I also think of this remedy for children born to a young
teenage single parent.
The child may have learning disabilities and social problems, and may
feel stuck with a desire to escape.
In a related manner, the remedy
is for someone growing up in a violent household or in a social environment
where adults show immature behaviors.
Like most Orchids, there can be periods characterized by a carefree
attitude, a lack of concern about being late, for example (which then provokes
others). There is also a sensation that time is going too fast, “so fast.”
Again, like other Orchids, there is difficulty in falling asleep and
when asleep there are many complex and varied dreams.
As mentioned above, the theme of
being trapped and narrowly escaping is prominent. There were other
dreams similar to other Orchids, including dreams of partying, of
big parties, and playing. Likewise, the Phalaenopsis proving was no
exception to the general Orchid theme of
stairs, and of going up and down
stairs. In this proving it was more to
do with “down-stairs” and was related to the theme of food. But the food has a price – it is heavy
and requires a lot of work:
I help carry heavy bags of fruit and vegetables downstairs. Then I feel
the weight is lighter and find the bag of vegetables is almost empty. I keep on
going downstairs and a man brings a thick stack of vegetables saying that it is
what I had dropped. I go to a place. A lady is cooking and says if today is an
important day for me she can share some food with me. I said no, my birthday is
in October, so I walk away. Another group of people is getting dinner ready so
I tell my husband, and we both go to join them for dinner.
As with the Vanilla proving there was a theme of purchasing beautiful clothing:
There is a clothing sale in a beautiful home with many beautiful women
with lots of money to spend. The clothes are beautiful and displayed on
exquisite hangers.
Each item costs $15.00. I chose many items, hats, shoes, dresses.
Several women comment by murmuring that I have a lot of things. I react by
questioning myself whether
that is true but I conclude that I like everything and I will buy them
all.
In this prover’s dream a particularizing aspect emerges and we see,
again, the Phalaenopsis patient’s sensitivity to what others think of, and say
about them – along with the feeling that others are judging them.
Staying with the dreams, there were also many concerning dogs - which
implies to me that someone needing this remedy could well be a dog-lover. Some
of these dreams involved dogs doing
silly things - the idea of frivolity
being a strong aspect of the remedy.
One such dream involved being “trapped in a house with weird people and
lots of dogs.” With respect to more threatening (animal or non-human) energy,
there were dreams
of a spider crawling on the back
and also of aliens sucking people up
into their spaceships.
As with the proving of Vanilla planifolia there were dreams of both bugs and of blue colors.
There were also dreams of being
pregnant, and in this remedy we do see hormonal problems similar to those evident
in other Orchids. Primary to this particular Orchid, however, remain those
dreams related to being lost or that others are lost.
Similarly, there is a frustrating and embarrassing aspect related to the
dreams of being confused and not knowing
what direction to go in.
There was strong sexuality and eroticism, both in the dreams and in
general. One prover said she had a “homoerotic dream with two girlfriends
of mine on holiday.”
The mental dysfunction that is such a strong aspect of the remedy can be
reflected on a physical level.
We can see a sensation of
dizziness, as well as clumsiness. There can be heaviness in the lower
limbs. Combining both the theme of food and of difficulty in “processing” what
the environment offers, there can be severe digestive problems that result in
liquid diarrhea and bloating.
[Sally Williams]
The most widely grown orchids in the world are the species and hybrids
of Phalaenopsis. Phalaenopsis gigantea or “Elephant Ear Orchid” is native to
Borneo and was first described in 1909. Named for its gigantic leaves that
easily exceed 60 cm., it is the largest of the Phalaenopsis species. The
massive leaves are pendent, leathery, broadly rounded, pale silver green and
shiny on both surfaces, resembling “elephant ears”. An epiphyte; it can be
found growing in the tops of trees with the massive roots wrapped around
branches for support. In Borneo, the humidity is high and rainfall is
plentiful, although there is a drier season usually towards the middle part of
the winter.
Generally, the plants grow with steeply tilted leaves to shed water in
order to prevent crown rot from occurring.
The flowering season is heaviest in the summer; the plant can bloom from
4-6 months at a time. A typical Phalaenopsis gigantea flower has a natural spread
of about 5 cm.
The flowers tend to have a cream or yellow background with varying
degrees of green around the column.
The flowers have full, round petals that are about equal in size, are
usually overlapping and have raised red-brown spots or blotches that can be
felt with the fingers. Mature plants are capable of producing hundreds of
flowers on branching stalks reaching 40 centimeters.
Commentary:
The decision to prove Phalaenopsis gigantea arose from the theory that
orchids who mimic animals or have animal names may address learning
disabilities, even autism.
The two successful cases I have seen of this remedy were for a child on
the Autistic spectrum who was obsessed with elephants and an adult whose
inabilities to communicate and learn well led him to become depressed and
withdraw
from family and friends.
The central idea of Phalaenopsis gigantea is confusion with a lack of
comprehension and difficulty in concentration, learning, retaining information,
writing, and speaking.
The proving participants were enrolled in a homeopathic college. During
the proving each one temporarily had trouble learning and retaining information
as if they had learning disabilities. There was also difficulty with memory,
fogginess of mind and a dullness of senses, “not able to listen and remember
almost as though I cannot hear”.
A patient given Phal-gig with success described it as “a feeling of
being underwater”.
Taking tests was difficult and many of them failed an exam, but were
able to take the test again and pass when the proving was over. Yet one prover
with a history of ADD did very well during the proving and many of his
concentration difficulties were subsequently curatively resolved.
In addition, there was frustration over the inability to communicate --
a feeling of being trapped by it with a desire to, but inability to escape.
These trapped feelings and scenarios came out in many of the dreams of provers.
The primary source of these feelings is a sense that they can’t communicate
effectively and are misunderstood.
There was irritability over misunderstandings, provoking arguments with
co-workers, friends and spouse. The more intense the inability to communicate
became the more the provers tended to withdraw. Ultimately, they felt lost and
directionless, feeling as if they did not belong.
Mental and Emotional Themes:
- Confusion/difficult concentration
- Frustration/Anger/Irritability
- Difficulty Learning, Writing, and Spelling
- Difficult communication
- Memory/forgetfulness
- Anxiety/Depression/Alienation/Suicide
- The Number Three
- Trapped/Escape/Resourceful
- Dogs/Animals
- Leaves/Trees/Mountains
Physical:
- Alcohol tolerance
- High/Low Energy
- Blurred vision
- Congestion and burning of eyes, nose and sinuses
- Bitter/metallic taste
- Heartburn and reflux
- Lack of libido
- Heavy extremities/clumsy
- Sleepy/sleepless
As a general quality, Orchid remedies are also
important for patients who are in situations and relationships that involve
sexual or physical abuse and violence. And in a more moderate society, this
leads to many Orchid patients being in jobs that exist in the midst of conflict
or even violent confrontation
and threats, including lawyers or law clerks,
social workers or counsellors. Their approach is friendlier and more
enthusiastic than is the norm, offering
calm, cheer, and solace, yet at the same time
they remain somewhat detached from the situation.
In a
comparable manner, this theme may appear as the Orchid patient being the
partner of someone with a shadowy and difficult, even abusive personality. The
Orchid patient compensates, putting on a brave or cheerful face but, like Lac
delphinum, can also attempt to hide the problems or abuse of the other person.
A further way it may manifest is someone who marries into a family, where the
previous spouse of their new partner has just died and they are the outsider
who, through their elegant and joyful demeanor, helps heal the family’s grief.
Another
way of expressing the preceding theme is “adaptability within conflict.”
Many
stories about orchids, and especially narratives about the search for these
exotic plants, involve this theme. Orchids are widespread throughout the world,
primarily in warmer climates, but species do exist even in very cold climates.
The Orchid patient is adaptable and makes any conflict around them much more
livable. Such adaptation can also be an internal process. The patient needing
an Orchid remedy can adapt to serious limitations and challenges
in their health – including such challenges as
multiple sclerosis, neurological problems, paralysis, and weakness. They may keep a joyful countenance in
the face of any great physical or emotional
challenge. And
as mentioned in the beginning of this section, they may disengage and
focus on more superficial, self-gratifying elements in their reality.
Since they grow on dead
matter, the issue of death and dying is important in Fungal remedies. Dreams of death and the
impression of death also prominent
in many of the Orchid provings and clinical cases. I
have also seen this theme manifested in a number of Orchid cases where a
patient cannot conceive and
has multiple miscarriages. These are also remedies for individuals who may have suffered
the death of parents or other caregiver at a young age.
As well as heightened
awareness, anxiety, or fear of death, it may also be contemplated calmly
or joyfully. In
the proving of Trichoceros antennifer there
was the idea of taking care of someone who wishes to die and is
suicidal. In Vanilla, there is a feeling of
death and evil surrounding the individual and a need for protection from
it. So
you could say that many Orchids are “in the midst of death, dying and
suffering,” whether this involves a close friend or relative,
or
a wider societal situation where there is much
violence and death.
The parasitic and
dependent qualities of Fungi are also shared by Orchids.
In many of
the Orchid remedies there are themes of helplessness yet cooperation. Related
issues of how Orchids give and demand care and support are discussed
further below.
Heightened
Senses and extreme
Sensitivity
In the Orchid
provings, the senses were accentuated, There can be
hypersensitivity in one type of sense or in various senses. Particularly
profound was the sense of sight, with light playing an important role.
Touch was also heightened and refined. We can also see the seemingly
opposite situation – where the senses are overwhelmed, and therefore
blocked, and expression is stultified, even apparently impossible (as is seen
in many neurobehavioral disorders and autism). You could say that the problem is more to do with
expression than with the actual experience of the senses.
In other
words, the sensual experience may be increased but with little ability
for outward release.
This sensitivity is
also why we may see such a strong interest in their material environment. In
the case of autistic or Asperger’s children it may be that they have an attachment
to, or an aversion to the way certain things feel, smell, or look. They
may desire to feel or even smell objects around them repetitively. Orchid
patients may also be artistically sensitive with an acute awareness of
the environment around them and a desire to work with it or depict it in
an elevated, aesthetic way.
In other instances,
there may be a great environmental sensitivity to smells and chemicals. They
may have strong allergies to chemicals, smells, perfumes, dust, or other
substances. This is a theme of patients needing remedies from the whole
plant order of the Asparagales, of which the family Orchidaceae is a part.
I have also seen homeopathic Orchids being useful for patients with sensitivity to electromagnetic
emanations.the exquisite sensitivity can get. They
can pick up, and be quite sensitive to the psychic forces around them.
The Outsider
and Issues of Support
Although some Orchid
patients may be quite gregarious, the opposite polarity of extreme and
exquisite sensitivity towards the physical or emotional environment can
lead to them cutting off from their surroundings.
They can
become isolated and disconnected as outsiders and eventually there can
be
a complete compensatory disengagement as
we see in Asperger’s syndromes and autism. Patients with deep
pathology of this type need a lot of care and attention.
In less
extreme cases, there is less severe but still debilitating ADD, ADHD, and other
types of neurobehavioral disorders that affect communication, with a
tendency to withdraw. They may feel alone, like a
castaway, and experience either resentment or resignation as a result. They
can have difficulty connecting to purpose or meaning in life or work,
preferring to freeload and make demands on others.
In some cases,
as indicated in the description of Phalaenopsis
gigantea,
withdrawal is combined with resentful frustration at communication difficulties. They may derive strength
from other people and need social assistance (especially noted in the
epiphytic and lithophytic Orchid types), sometimes to the extent that a whole
family is on chronic welfare.
Even though they
may be lovingly embraced by a group of people or a new family or relationship,
they may have underlying feelings that they will be rejected or that they
are the outsider in the group.
On the other hand,
they may be in a situation where they care for a relative who requires
continuous, substantial financial and emotional support. The needy individual
may be someone who is physically, mentally, or emotionally challenged, including
someone who is treated as an outcast. This could be a child with
autism or Down syndrome or a sibling or parent who is drug addicted or
has some sort of disabling
Description and Source
The most widely-grown
orchids in the world are from the genus Phalaenopsis, including hybrids. This particular species is
native to forests up to 400m in parts
of Indonesia and Malaysia
including Borneo, Sabah, and Sarawak, and was first described
in 1909. As an epiphyte it can be found growing in the tops of trees
with the massive roots wrapped around branches for support. In
Malesia, the humidity is high and rainfall plentiful, although there is
a drier season (usually towards the middle part of the winter). The
plant requires an intact root system to maintain leaf hydration, and
responds poorly to root disturbance. Named for its gigantic
leaves – the leaf span can easily exceed 2 feet (60 cm) – it is the largest of
the Phalaenopsis species.
The 5 to 6
massive leaves are pendent, leathery, broadly rounded, pale silver-green
and shiny on both surfaces, bearing some resemblance to elephant
Names and Meanings
Abbreviation: Phala-g.
common names: elephant ear Orchid,
Gigantic
Phalaenopsis,
Giant-leaved
Moth
Orchid
Scientific name:
Phalaenopsis
gigantea J. J.
Sm.
Synonym: Polychilos
gigantea
Meanings: Phalaenopsis –
from Greek phalaina, a moth
+ -opsis, like. From the supposed
resemblance of some types to moths in flight. There is also
a genus of large moths named Phalaena by
Carl Linnaeus.
Gigantea
– from Latin, referring to the leaf size.
classification
type: epiphytic
Subfamily: (Higher) epidendroideae
tribe, Subtribe: Vandeae,
Aeridinae
ears. Generally,
the plants grow with steeply-tilted leaves so as to shed water, in order
to prevent crown rot.
The orchid flowers
the most in the summer, although the plant can bloom from four to six
months at a time. A typical Phalaenopsis
gigantea flower has
a natural spread of about 2" (5
cm). The flowers tend to have a cream or yellow background with varying degrees
of green around the column. They have full, round,
waxy petals that are roughly equal in size, usually overlap and have
raised red-brown spots or blotches that you can feel with your fingers.
After a relatively long maturing period of 8 to 12 years, as short as 4
years in optimum conditions, plants are capable of producing hundreds of
flowers on branching stalks that reach 16" (40 cm) in length, rising from
a very short monopodial stem. Blooms within a sing le
growth season open simultaneously
and have a sweet,
citrus scent. [Pfahl, Wikipedia]
See the Full
Hahnemannian Proving in Section 4.
Homeopathy commentary
The distinguishing
feature of this Orchid is the problem with concentration, memory, and
the ability to communicate clearly and express oneself.
There is a high expectation about their abilities, thoughts, and ideas, but a difficulty in expressing them. There is
stammering, slurring of words, and a strong sense of general confusion when attempting either to concentrate or to speak.One cured case was that of an overweight child
on the autism spectrum who was obsessed with elephants. In one of her many cases of this remedy, Sally gave the remedy with excellent results to an adult whose inability to learn, and most importantly to communicate, led him to become depressed and to withdraw, frustrated, from family and friends.“I have a lack of concentration; I have a lack
of focus.” With respect to this issue one
prover remarks: “I was not able to listen and remember
–
almost like I cannot
hear... My concentration is lacking; I have a dopey feeling all the time.” Another prover records: “Letters on the computer screen
made
no sense at all; I had to read [them]
over and over.”
A patient given Phalaenopsis with
success described this state as a feeling of being underwater. Also,
there is a sensation that the mind is racing but that
“my brain is sleepy.”
The patient can feel sleepy much of the time, especially when concentrating
or in school.
These will be
patients who have great difficulty in reading and will avoid reading books,
instead watching television, videos, or movies.
Most of the
participants of the proving were enrolled in a homeopathic college. During
the proving they temporarily had trouble absorbing and retaining information,
as if they had learning disabilities. They suffered from weak memory,
a fogginess of mind, and a dullness of the senses overall.
During the proving, taking tests was overwhelmingly challenging
. As well, in all areas of writing there were misspellings and mistakes along with confounding letters. One prover said, “I’m confused on what I should write,” and another said, “I could not think straight to articulate proper words.”In addition, such an outlook inflames the
feeling of being abused and wrongly accused. Eventually,
as the inability to communicate increases so does the frustration, culminating
inevitably in an attempt to escape the situation – mainly through withdrawal. Ultimately,
since their self-esteem is based disproportionately on what others think
of them, they come to feel lost, with no direction, and with a feeling as if
they do not belong.
The proving also engendered
dreams exemplifying a major theme within the Orchid group – that of
sexuality and sensuality as a means of disarming
a situation. In this specific
Orchid what emerges as notable and thus particularizing is an associated
strong need to escape:
04, 31: I
dreamt I am on the street at night in New York City. A guy comes along, he
was suggestive and threatening. I can show him by being
funny and flirty, and go
across the street to a gallery. A safer looking man is there, he hires me to be
a model. I don’t know what this means but
I am willing to go along, it
turns out to be fun. Still, it is all just a means of me finding a way
to get out of this. I escaped to an elevator.
I watch as it carries us
(others – strangers in the elevator) up and up. When I see the number 47 th
floor, I
think no, that’s going up too high and I
want to go
down. The elevator opens and oddly, here I am out on the street level again,
safe. I feel I was rescued using my own resourcefulness.
In the dream, with
respect to the elevator ascending in an “out of control” fashion, there
are two escape options: escape through a narrow place, such
as a tunnel or via an elevator, or
escape through sexuality. In other words, the prover
has the feeling that only through sexuality or through their own
resourcefulness can they escape danger and conflict.
In the case of Phalaenopsis
gigantea, for
the most part, the patient feels hopelessly stuck and trapped with no
way of escape except through a very narrow challenging place.
This
resonates strongly with the feeling of the Malaria miasm. Confirming this, other aspects
are shared between this remedy picture and the Malaria miasm: family
feuding, the feeling of needing help and money from family members; the
feelings of frustration, anger, and irritability with other family
members.
This feeling is that
others will not help them, even to the point that “loved ones are dead”
to them and that they cannot trust anyone. They get very angry and
frustrated
with their spouse
or with family members – their “own resourcefulness” becomes the only
option remaining.
Many remedies in the
Malaria miasm have problems communicating. Some of the main
remedies for stammering, like Niobium, are in this miasm. One Phalaenopsis patient
said: “I feel
incapable to communicate. That is probably the
hardest thing. That is probably the biggest thing.
I feel
ignored. I get blamed for the miscommunication.”
This leads to
resentfulness – but this is a resentment without strong bitterness and without
the completely closed-off aspect we might see in other Malarial remedies, such
as
China officinalis, (A
differentiation may still be required because China
also has the
tendency to confound words and numbers which is part of
Phalaenopsis and,
perhaps,
part of the miasm as
a whole.)
There is also an
element of alienation evident in the Malaria miasm (as well as in the Syphilitic
miasm).
In this remedy, this alienation is particularly felt in
regards to their
mother (and family)
as previously discussed. The Phalenopsis patient
has high expectations of their mother and subsequent feeling of
resentment, even self-pity, believing
they do not get
enough care, support, and attention from their mother.
They may
test the limits of their parents, requiring care and money.
Yet, they
never feel they are
getting the right
support from their family, especially their mother and as such, from a
young age feel distant and hostile. The memories, hostility,
or slights stay with them
for a long time, into
adulthood.
At a young age,
they may start overeating to deal with their emotions and, in spite of difficulty
with concentration and focus problems, can become good cooks.
But these feelings can
also come about because someone else is
hostile
towards them or as a result of an uncommunicative or very negative
mother or family environment.
As an adult, they
may partner with someone who is argumentative and, while feeling it
necessary to keep it light and harmonious, will nevertheless fall into
irritability and
anger. They
never feel quite part of their family.
I also think of this
remedy for children born to a young teenage single parent.
The child
may have learning disabilities and social problems, and may feel stuck with a
desire to escape. In
a related manner, the remedy is for someone growing up in a violent
household or in a social environment where adults show immature behaviors.
Like most Orchids,
there can be periods characterized by a carefree attitude, a lack of
concern about being late, for example (which then provokes others). There is
also
a sensation that
time is going too fast, “so fast.”
Again, like other
Orchids, there is difficulty in falling asleep and when asleep there are
many complex and varied dreams. As mentioned above, the
theme of being trapped
and narrowly
escaping is prominent. There were other dreams
similar to other Orchids, including dreams of partying, of big parties,
and playing. Likewise, the
Phalaenopsis proving
was no exception to the general Orchid theme of stairs, and of going up
and down stairs. In this proving it was more to do with “down-stairs”
and was related to
the theme of food. But the food has a price
– it is heavy and requires a lot of work:
I help carry heavy bags
of fruit and vegetables downstairs. Then I feel the weig ht is lighter
and find the bag of vegetables is almost empty. I keep on going
downstairs and a man
brings a thick stack of vegetables saying that it is what I had dropped.
I go to a place. A lady is cooking and says if today is an important day
for me she can share some food with me. I said no, my birthday is in October,
so I walk away. Another group of people is getting dinner ready so I tell my husband,
and we both go to join them for dinner.
As with the Vanilla proving there was a theme
of purchasing beautiful clothing:
There is a clothing sale
in a beautiful home with many beautiful women with lots of money to
spend. The clothes are beautiful and displayed on exquisite hangers. each I
tem costs $15.00. I chose many items, hats, shoes, dresses. Several women comment by
murmuring that I have a lot of things. I react by question-
ing myself whether that is true but I conclude that I like everything and I
will buy them all.
In this prover’s dream a particularizing aspect emerges and we see,
again, the Phalaenopsis patient’s sensitivity to what others think of, and say
about them – along with the feeling that others are judging them.
Staying with the dreams, there were also many concerning dogs – which implies to
me that someone needing this remedy could well be a dog-lover. Some of these dreams
involved dogs doing silly things – the idea of frivolity being a strong aspect of
the remedy. One such dream involved being “trapped in a house with weird people
and lots
of dogs.” With respect to more threatening (animal or non-human) energy,
there were dreams of a spider crawling on the back and also of aliens sucking
people up into their spaceships.
As with the proving of Vanilla planifolia there were dreams of both bugs and of
blue colors. There were also dreams of being pregnant, and in this remedy we do
see
hormonal problems similar to those evident in other Orchids.
Primary to this particular Orchid, however, remain those dreams related to
being lost
or that others are lost. Similarly, there is a frustrating and embarrassing
aspect related
to the dreams of being confused and not knowing what direction to go in.
There was strong sexuality and eroticism, both in the dreams and in general.
One prover said she had a “homoerotic dream with two girlfriends of mine on holiday.”
The mental dysfunction that is such a strong aspect of the remedy can be
reflected on a physical level. We can see a sensation of dizziness, as well as
clumsiness.
There can be heaviness in the lower limbs. Combining both the theme of
food and of difficulty in “processing” what the environment offers, there can
be severe digestive problems that result in liquid diarrhea and bloating.
Symptom
Guide
Mental/emotional Symptoms
Confusion
and Memory Loss
Difficult concentration
Forgetfulness – cannot remember clearly
Forgetting what has done or what is about to do
Foggy thinking
Vorwort/Suchen Zeichen/Abkürzungen Impressum