Pulsatilla pratensis Anhang 3
[David Lilley]
ulsatilla is so intimately connected with the
archetypal patterns of our collective unconscious that its image has been
invested with mythological and symbolic meaning. These are significant to our
understanding of the remedy’s dynamic influence.
The myth of Adonis the beautiful young man beloved of both Aphrodite
(Venus), goddess of love, and Persephone, goddess of the underworld, who
bitterly contended with each other for his company and love, provides a
triangle of possessive and obsessive love, jealousy, seduction, selfishness,
guile, vindictiveness – two amorous, insatiable women and a compliant,
dependent, effeminate toy boy. The muse Calliope who was called upon to
arbitrate in this sensitive matter decreed that Adonis should spend one third
of the year with Aphrodite, one third with Persephone and, in order to
recuperate, the rest by himself. Aphrodite however did not play fair and won
the day (and night) by constantly wearing her irresistible magic girdle,
causing Adonis to give not only his third of the year to her, but also
Persephone’s. The myth ends with Adonis being gored to death, whilst out
hunting. His attacker was Aphrodite’s enraged lover Ares (Mars), the god of
war, in the guise of a wild boar. It was a scheming, green-eyed Persephone who
had told Ares of Aphrodite’s infidelity. From the earth soaked with Adonis’
blood, anemones sprang to life. However there are those who say that they
sprang from the tears of the goddess of love herself, when she witnessed his
death.
This legend is replete with Pulsatilla
emotions, behaviour and situations, So many young girls of the Pulsatilla type fall precociously under the power of the
goddess of love, become sexually active at an early age, easily persuaded and
lead by beautiful young men (Adonis) or by the macho, swaggering male (Ares),
and are such easy victims for seduction, abuse and date rape. Remember that
even in modern idiom Pulsatilla is from Venus, her
lover is from Mars. The male Pulsatilla is often an
Adonis, beautiful rather than handsome, of a gentle, timid, sweet disposition,
easily lead and persuaded, with a rather immature, girlish, androgynous
appearance.
So much of Pulsatilla’s nature and disposition
can be predicted in the appearance and growth habits of this small plant which
prefers growing on sunny hillsides, usually in great numbers or at least in
small clusters, rarely solitary. Here it is exposed to the winds, and the rich
carpet of gently hanging flowers yields to the slightest breath of air, which
passes through it like a rippling wave, changing direction continuously with
the vagaries of the wind. In this attractive scene we are made aware of a
small, uncertain ego, uneasy when alone, needing the support of others and the
confidence this can bring; an indecisive, fickle nature bending to the whims of
circumstance, opinion and demand, but also a temperament both supple and
guileful, able to compromise, yield and go with the flow.
The common names of a plant are often valuable, revealing the impression
it made upon the community, or giving us information about how it was used,
medicinally or otherwise. The Greek name anemone is derived from anemos, the wind, and Pulsatilla
comes from the Latin pulsare to pulsate, as indeed
the carpet of flowers does, to the rhythm of the wind. The folk name
“windflower” describes the same characteristic. Its love of windy hillsides
emphasises the type’s strong need for fresh open air and dislike of stuffy,
close conditions that intensify both the emotional and physical symptoms. The
preference for a sunny aspect reveals sensitivity to the cold, which is often
forgotten in Pulsatilla. “Chilly but craves the open
air.” This chilliness is increased if they are unwell or in pain.
The bell-shaped flower has deep purple petals and a rich golden centre.
Before it opens fully, it inclines its head gently and bashfully, as if in
timid submissiveness and resignation. Another folk name for the plant is
“shamefaced maiden”. These are strong characteristics of the Pulsatilla child and young woman. The temperament is mild,
gentle, shy and reserved. They are reluctant to speak up for themselves or
express an opinion. Often they are very attractive and know all too well how to
use their natural assets in subtle and seductive ways to captivate and
influence others, and to fulfil their desires, through the solicitation of
tears, coyness, flirtation and appealing helplessness. Invariably Pulsatilla gives that she may receive. The entire plant is
seductive, its stem, branches, leaves and even the inflorescence being covered
with fine hairs which give it a fluffy, cuddly appearance which invites contact
and cherishing. In human terms Pulsatilla is soft,
sensual, inviting and tactile – a true daughter of Aphrodite.
Habitat can also furnish us with clues and even reveal medicinal
relationships. Pulsatilla generally grows best in
sandy soil, which provides good drainage. This favours the plant because it
requires very little water. Homeopathically Silicea, sand, is Pulsatilla’s
closest relation. They follow each other well and Silicea
children often develop infections or conditions that respond to treatment with Pulsatilla. It is interesting to note that the Pulsatilla patient is rarely thirsty, even when suffering
from fever. But as we have seen in its response to the wind, Pulsatilla is fickle and changeable by nature, and some
species prefer a lime rich soil, showing the plant’s close relationship to Calc
carb.
This beautiful, purple and gold anemone bears a mysterious affinity for
the immature, vulnerable and dependent state of the human psyche. As such it is
one of the most fundamental remedies of
the materia medica,
frequently indicated in homeopathic paediatric practice. As a species homo
sapiens are completely helpless and unable to fend for themselves at birth, our
lives being characterised by a prolonged period of dependency, even extending
into the third decade of life, a highly developed interdependent social
structure, and frequently closing with a period of enforced dependency in old
age. Dependency runs like a thread through the Pulsatilla
mental picture revealing itself as a need for support, security, shelter,
sympathy and love, motivating the behaviour and even influencing physical
development and hormonal function.
Blood and tears are related to Pulsatilla.
Sometimes it is the remedy for the blood and tears of life experience, so often
in the role of victim; sometimes it is simply for those who are naturally weepy
and possibly anaemic, with scanty, pale menstruations that are unnaturally
delayed. Both copper and iron are essential for blood formation. Cuprum like Pulsatilla is a remedy for severe cramping pains at the
menstrual period, and also for the ill effects of suppressed or delayed
menstruation, which can occur due to swimming in cold water or getting the feet
wet. Both remedies are indicated for the persisting anaemia and detrimental
effects resulting from excess iron tonics that is, for the abuse of iron, and
by symbolic extension for the abuse of the chauvinist or misogynist Mars – for
the abuse of the lover, father, brother, son, be the abuse emotional, physical
or sexual.
The Pulsatilla adult
The changeableness of the plant, and therefore also of the remedy and
the patient, is made even more apparent when we consider the great number of
naturally occurring subspecies there are, and the vast array of colours that
are represented. There is no doubt that changeability and capriciousness are as
important Pulsatilla traits as is dependency. Pulsatilla must always be thought of when symptoms are
always changing and unpredictable. Likewise their emotions and moods are
unstable and swing from one extreme to the other, even during the course of a
day. They may appear mild and pleasant, and then after a while, seemingly
without reason, become irritable, peevish and tearful. In matters of friendship
and romance they may prove fickle, going where they think they will benefit
most rather than being influenced by loyalty and commitment. They are also
extremely indecisive, wavering and uncertain, quite dependent on the opinion,
advice or support of others.
The physical symptoms reveal the same variableness – when one set of
symptoms comes on another vanishes, discharges are forever changing their
colour, consistency and amount, no two headaches, no two periods, and in
diarrhoea no two stools, are the same. Pains, especially joint pains, are not
fixed, tending to wander from one part to another.
The inflorescence broadcasts a strong message through its vivid colours
– purple and gold. The purple petals point to a powerful influence upon the
venous system. The veins of the hands, forearms, feet and legs are full and
prominent. It is a remedy for varicose veins, piles and inflammation of the
veins – phlebitis. Venous drainage from the legs is sluggish. Symptoms are
worse from permitting the limbs to hang down. In hot weather and when
travelling, especially during flights, the legs tend to swell and deep venous
thrombosis (DVT) can be a threat. Chilblains are common, but even without such
definite lesions, the extremities may appear reddish-purple, inflamed and
swollen in cold weather. Heat aggravates the chilblains causing them to itch
and burn. Inflamed parts tend
to take on a bluish or purple hue rather than appearing red.
The striking contrast between the colour of the petals and the gold of
the reproductive organs indicates a marked affinity for the generative sphere
and hormonal function of both male and female. Many problems develop at
puberty, during pregnancy, after childbirth or at the menopause, and
pre-menstrual aggravation of the emotional or physical condition is common.
Yellow and yellow-gold show Pulsatilla’s connection
to the third or solar plexus chakra and therefore with the stomach, gall
bladder, liver, pancreas, and spleen. These patients often complain of being
liverish. They feel much worse after eating, and suffer all manner of
indigestion, heartburn, flatulence, distension and heaviness, especially after
rich foods, fatty food, ice cream, pastries, pork and eggs. The combination of
purple and gold, and therefore of veins and liver, indicates a remedial action
upon the portal circulation.
Pulsatilla sprang to life from blood and the
central core element of haemoglobin, the respiratory pigment of blood, is iron.
Small wonder that in her weakness, “anaemia”, she longs for Adonis/Mars,
“iron”, that to attain him she is manipulative and seductive and that when she
wins him her love is dependent, desperate, obsessive, smothering, possessive
and jealous and that when she loses him she weeps inconsolably and declares
that she cannot live without him. But she is also the windflower, able to sway
and yield to life’s gusts and buffeting without snapping. Soon she will shift her
dependency to the arm of another. She is a survivor!
[Keith Souter]
Pulsatilla nigricans
is one of our oldest and most useful homeopathic medicines. It was proved by
H. in 1805 and was extensively used by him to treat many hundreds of patients.
He said that: “this very powerful plant produces many symptoms on the healthy,
which often correspond to the morbid symptoms commonly met with.”
In that single sentence he describes the principle of homeopathy, which
he famously summed up as “similia similibus
curentur”, or “let likes be treated by likes.” Yet
Hahnemann was quite clear about when homeopathy worked best. Talking
specifically about Pulsatilla, he wrote that “this,
like all other medicines, is most suitably employed when not only the corporeal
affections correspond but also when the mental and emotional alterations
peculiar to the drug encounter similar states in the disease to be cured, or
at least in the temperament of the subject of treatment.” Essentially, you get the best results when
the physical, mental and emotional symptoms match those of the remedy profile.
Further, the remedy profile is so distinct, that a definite Pulsatilla
temperament can often be discerned.
The weathercock remedy
Dr William Boericke (18491929) became one of
the most successful homeopathic physicians of his era and was appointed as the
first professor of Homoeopathic Materia Medica at the University of California, a post he held for
30 years. His main work, The Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia
Medica probably rests on the desk of most
professional homeopaths.
Begins his entry about Pulsatilla with the
words: “The weathercock among remedies”. This image is worth focusing on, for
it sums up many of the attributes of this medicine. A weather-cock or wind-vane
is an instrument that is usually put on the highest point of a building to show
the direction of the wind. The traditional design is for a cockerel, hence the
name. If you observe one you will be aware that they change position with the
wind, sometimes being wildly changeable depending upon the weather. And of
course they are only of use outdoors. The key features of the Pulsatilla profile mirrors both this changeability and the
need or desire to be outdoors. The changeability is as unpredictable as the wind
itself.
The windflower
The homeopathic medicine Pulsatilla nigricans, usually just referred to as Pulsatilla,
is made from the whole meadow anemone, also known as the pasqueflower
or windflower. This perennial plant is
a member of the Ranunculaceae or buttercup
family. It grows in clumps on sandy welldrained soil
in sunny meadows, pastures and fields. It is soft and beautiful with pendulous bellshaped flowers, purple petals and a gold heart.
The Pulsatilla profile
Pulsatilla is predominantly a female remedy.
It is classically thought to suit blonde, blueeyed
females of a mild, shy and tearful disposition. Yet there is often much more to
these fair types, for they are usually quite paradoxical in virtually all
areas of their life.
The image they project often belies what they feel inside. Although they
tend to be goodnatured yet they can hide their
indignation about some slight they may have received. They tend to bottle
things up and hold onto emotions. On the other hand they can certainly be
weepy. Indeed, they will tend to weep when they describe their symptoms and
their upsets, but they will also be moved to tears when listening to music,
watching a romantic film or even seeing distressing news on the television. They
can be hopeless romantics and will probably be moved to weep when shown
kindness or given a present. The emotions they hold onto can also be very
negative ones. They can hold grudges and classically they feel peeved. They can
become quite jealous, quite sorrowful, depressed and very anxious.
They can also hold firmly to their views, in that they can be deeply
religious, or dogmatic about things that they hold dear. Their views can be
held so rigidly that any slight personal misdemeanour, especially if of a
sexual nature, can be regarded as a great sin and they hold onto guilt. And
figuratively speaking they can beat themselves up with this guilt, just as
they can with any of the other negative emotions. Pulsatilla
types are full of fears. They can fear the dark, illness, death, ghosts,
doctors, dentists and appointments. Sympathy always helps them. A cuddle or a
hug may make them weep, but it will usually help. It is that touch, that
comfort that is important.
Easily upset
Pulsatilla types may often be slightly plump,
which in itself is a bit of a paradox, since they are so easily upset by food,
especially any food that they feel is too rich. Fatty foods such as butter and
cheese upset them, as does pork. Their preference is for cold food, since hot food
can also upset them.
Their environment can have a deep effect on them. They like their surroundings
to be comfortable and homely. Yet they cannot bear a stuffy room. They will
open the windows or better still, seek the open air. When they can they like to
be outside in the garden, in the fields or on a walk.
Although they are chilly, cold usually makes them feel better. Yet it
has to be dry cold. Wet cold upsets them. Being caught in the rain, getting
their feet wet may bring on a chill, a cold, sinusitis, catarrh or even cause a
flareup of asthma. Almost certainly it will provoke
chilblains.
A great polychrest
Dr Samuel Hahnemann first used the term polychrest
in an essay about the medicine Nux vomica. By this he meant a medicine that had a great many uses.
Pulsatilla was one of his polychrests
and it remains one of the most useful medicines.
Night terrors
Jenny was a seemingly happy little six yearold
when she started to experience night terrors. These were more than simple
nightmares. She would wake up screaming, needing her mother to hold her tightly
until she settled. These had become very frequent and Jenny had become anxious
about going to sleep. She needed the light on and had to be surrounded by a
mass of cuddly toys.
Strikingly, Jenny’s mother described her as always needing reassurance
that she was loved. When she did sleep she always had her hands above her head,
a characteristic of Pulsatilla. Accordingly, Pulsatilla 30c cleared the night terrors up immediately.
Grief and bereavement
Pulsatilla is one of the main medicines
indicated during bereavement. The pattern is usually of someone who tries to
bottle their emotions up, yet who is weepy and in need of consolation. They
need someone to talk to, someone who will listen to them and if possible someone
who will put their arm about them.
Nancy lost her husband a week after he retired. They had been planning
to spend their retirement travelling about the country in a camper van when he
tragically died from a heart attack. They had no children and apart from her
small dog, Nancy was alone. Walking her dog and cuddling him were the only
things that helped. She had refused the offer of an antidepressant. High
potency Pulsatilla made a terrific difference, she
felt. Within three months she had joined a walking group and formed a close
friendship with another bereaved lady.
Hormones
Pulsatilla is often indicated when a woman
describes being “never well since” one or other of the key times in her
reproductive life.
Painful periods
Sally was eleven when she started her menstrual periods. She hated and
dreaded them because they were so painful that she couldn’t do anything for the
first day. They caused painful spasms which sent her into floods of tears. Only
hugs from mum and rubbing her tummy helped. Here again, Pulsatilla
30c on a monthly basis helped dramatically.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMT)
I generally find that there are about a half dozen homeopathic medicines
that cover most cases of PMT. The Pulsatilla pattern
is characterised by shifting moods, peevishness and extreme weepiness. Alison,
a 37 year-old secretary, had such a pattern. She also experienced premenstrual
headaches that were eased by going out for a stroll at lunchtimes. This is
again in keeping with the Pulsatilla profile and once
again, monthly Pulsatilla helped her to deal with her
problem.
Discharges
The general “holding on” of Pulsatilla and the
lack of thirst and perhaps slight dehydrating effect that results seem to
account for the tendency to produce thick mucus discharges. These can occur
anywhere that mucus membranes produce a discharge. There is often a tendency
to conjunctivitis, styes and blocked tear ducts.
Similarly, catarrh and its results can be a big problem.
Laura was a 40 year-old teacher who was plagued by recurrent sinusitis
and catarrh. She would have at least three episodes per term, usually requiring
a couple of courses of antibiotics for each one. A sinus washout had made no
difference. She described the discharges as being highly variable day to day.
Sometimes they were yellow, sometimes green, but always profuse and stringy.
This is
a Pulsatilla feature and the remedy in 30c
potency transformed her life.
Menopausal flushes
Hazel had been on HRT for ten years, but had been disappointed to find that
her hot flushes returned when she finally had her HRT stopped. Her libido had
always been quite good, but it disappeared when the flushes returned. This
irritated her greatly although her partner was very supportive. The interesting
features about her flushes were that they were completely unpredictable
in timing, intensity and sensation. Sometimes she felt hot, other times
cold and chilly and at other times, just clammy. Pulsatilla
gave her control of her life and some return of her libido. Vaginal discharges
are also common. As with the catarrhal symptoms, people in need of Pulsatilla often describe the variability in the quantity,
and appearance of the discharge. It usually burns and itches quite markedly.
When the overall pattern fits Pulsatilla, then help
is often at hand.
Venous problems
Congestion is the keynote here. The piles feel sore, may burn, but will
feel better for a cold application or compress. So too do chilblains and
varicose veins. Indeed, when chilblains are bad, or varicose veins are
troublesome, then even the heat of the bed may make them worse and the covers
have to be thrown back.
Wandering pains
This is such a characteristic feature of Pulsatilla.
Pains flit from joint to joint, or muscle pains wander.
Rosalind was 53 when she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Her pains were
never the same two days running. She was fatigued, peevish and never thirsty. Pulsatilla did not cure her, but it helped her to cope.
It is not only women
I have talked about bias in homeopathic prescribing before. It is
perfectly possible to practice homeopathy with a small number of the polychrest remedies. One of the old adages reduces this to
the somewhat cynical view that all men are Sulphur and all women are Pulsatilla. That is clearly so simplistic and restrictive
that you would reduce your chances of success considerably. Yet there is also a
tendency to be biased against the polychrests, since
they often seem to cover so many conditions. And it is also possible to be
biased against a medicine such as Pulsatilla when
considering a male. To use gender as an eliminating factor is not sensible. If
the overall pattern fits Pulsatilla then there is a
good chance it will be the right medicine for the individual.
Pulsatilla often works well when men have a
problem with their testicles. On several occasions in my career I have
prescribed Pulsatilla for males with mumps orchitis, which occured in up to
40%
of males after puberty before the MMR vaccine was available and which
could potentially cause fertility problems. On each occasion the condition
swiftly resolved.
[Deborah Olenev]
I did not intend this article to be a
comprehensive materia medica
of Pulsatilla nigricans
when I began writing it, but it grew in scope as I did research for the
article. Initially I wanted to present the pointers to the remedy that I carry
with me in my mind, and which inspire me to think of the remedy when I hear my
clients say them. The pointers are contained here, but I am also including
information about the affinities of the remedy and the mental symptoms, as well
as a quote from James Tyler Kent and three Pulsatilla
cases from my practice..
Modalities and General Symptoms:
A warm remedy (Sulph.). Both remedies can
uncover their feet in bed. (can be aggravated by any form of heat. Chilliness
is also in the remedy, but the < from heat is a guiding symptom.
Can be < from wearing a lot of clothing. They want to dress lightly
even in cold weather. Skin can also be irritated by wearing wool and flannel
(Sulphur).
Complaints often > by cold or ice cold applications (Ledum/Secale).
< by wet cold, like getting the feet wet while walking in a cold
rain.
Loves to keep the windows open in the house and loves the fresh air.
> walking in the open air, and can be > by gentle motion and walking
slowly in the open air.
Can be very restless and frantic when trying to keep still. < during
rest and > by slow, moderate activity.
< in the twilight hours when the sun is setting, like 18 – 19 h. It
can be < morning and night-time.
Sleeps on the back with hands over the head.
Can have wandering pains. Arthritis or rheumatism jumps from one joint
to another; neuralgic pains fly here and there. Inflammations go from gland to
gland.
Can have symptoms on ½ of the
body, while the other side is unaffected. For example, they can have one foot
hot and the other cold (Lycopodium), or perspirtion only on one side of the body.
Food and Drink: thirstless, but the presence
of thirst should not discourage you from prescribing the remedy, if the overall
picture fits. Parents often have a hard time to get child to drink water.
< rich, fat and creamy foods (ice cream/pastries) can also crave
these things. Child can get a stomach ache after eating birthday cake. Can be
< rubbing creams and ointments on the body.
They cannot tolerate fat internally or externally.
< hot food. This is what Kent says, “Cold foods are digested while
hot foods make the body warm from which symptoms are worse”. < pork.
Digestion can be disordered by
butter, coffee, fats, fruit, meat, onions, from overeating and from the
simplest food.
Affinities:
Often indicated in the ear aches of children (Cham.). The earaches may
come on at night or during the twilight hours. < heat, > open air, and
the child is weepy and wants consolation, and may want to be carried and walked
gently about. The ears have the characteristic discharges: thick, bland,
yellow, green, bloody, or purulent. (Mercurius and Hepar are main remedies for ruptured eardrum).
A well-known women’s hormonal remedy, and is often indicated during
pregnancy and labor, menopause and for menstrual
disorders where the ° characteristics are present. Nervous manifestations can
be present with the menses, such as fainting spells, or spells of blindness,
and twitching.
Headaches associated with the menses. It can have violent headaches and
one-sided headaches. Headaches can be > cold applications.
Listed in italics for varicose veins. They can be painful, distended and
engorged (Hamamellis). Ulcers surrounded by varicose
veins are common in this remedy.
The stomach is the seat of many disturbances. They can have slow and
weak digestion, and can feel < after eating.
Affinity for the eyes, and has catarrhal affections of the eyes. It can
form styes about the eyes, and have inflamed eyelids.
Hayfever when the picture is present.
Puls.: Often an acute remedy for children who need
Silica or Calcarea carbonica
constitutionally.
Catarrhal affections. ° colds are often characterized by thick, bland,
yellow or green nasal discharges (the ripe cold). ° can also have chronic nasal
discharges with the above characteristics. They can have stoppage of the nose
at night.
Acrid discharges wherever there are mucous membranes, such as acrid leucorrhea. The discharges thick, yellow, green bloody,
purulent and copious.
Emotional Symptoms:
On the emotional level ° children and adults can be shy or timid (Sil. Bar-c. Lyc.).
Known for its weepy disposition, and being easily moved to tears. Their
tears can inspire sympathy in others and a desire to console them. The weepiness
does not have to be present if other symptoms fit the case.
Can have changeable moods: crying one moment and laughing the next.
Loves consolation, and is affectionate by nature, but they can have
difficulty giving consolation or affection to others.
For forsaken feeling, or the feeling of being unloved (Mag-c.).
Emotionally sensitive and can have ailments from: shock, grief, in a
crowd, disappointment, excitement, fright, grief or sorrow, indignation and
jealousy, mortification, the rudeness of others, sexual excesses, and mental
work.
Mild and yielding disposition (Silica), and the desire to please. Anger,
is however, not a stranger to °. It is listed for anger at trifles, sudden
anger, temper tantrums, and they can be indisposed to talk when angry. This
side of ° is often not mentioned in the materia medicas, so people may overlook this remedy if they see
anger in the patient.
Rigid mind set, and be fanatical in their religious beliefs.
Here are some of the other emotional symptoms of listed in Roger van Zandvoort’s Repertorium Universale:
Affectionate children: kiss and caress
Alcoholism
Amorous disposition
Anguish, Anxiety, Confusion, Restlessness, Sadness – all < from heat,
ameliorated walking in the open air, < in bed, or driving them out of bed.
Answers no to all questions, monosyllabic
Anorexia nervosa,
Anxiety: must loosen clothing and open a window
Anxiety: hypochondriacal, mania to read
medical books
Avarice: wants all for himself.
Aversion - to everything/to men/to certain objects/persons, to:
unaccountable dislikes/to (opposite) sex/to women/to answering.
Blackmail, emotional, says, “you do not love me,” when refused.
Boaster, braggart: squanders through ostentation
Capriciousness in children
Carressed, desire for being.
Carried: desires to be: carressed, and
Change, desire for.
Childish behavior
Clinging to mother
Clinging: grasps at others: bystanders
Coquettishness
Deceitful, sly
Eccentricity: Religious
Effeminate
Fears: in the evening at twilight, in a crowd, driving him from place to
place, with a desire to escape, before examinations, in a warm room, lifelong
fears, overpowering fear with panic attacks, agoraphobia, fear of being alone,
fear of animals, fear of the dark, fear of dogs, insects, snakes, fear of
apoplexy, fear crossing a bridge, fear of death, fear of delivery, parturition,
fear of going to the dentist, fear of being taken by the devil, fear of
disaster, impending disease, fear of ghosts, fear of homosexuality, fear of
high places, fear of insanity, fear of girls in men, fear of mirrors, fear of
people, fear of poverty, fear to lose his lucrative position, claustrophobia,
fear of suffocation, fear of trains and closed plaes,
fear of boys in women,
Feigning sickness
Flattery, gives everything when flattered
Frivolous
Greed, cupidity
Harshness, rough; affectionate, yet
Helplessness, feeling of.
Hide, desires to: pregnancy during
Homesickness
House < in.
Marriage, to
Religious horror of the opposite sex.
Religious fanaticism
Relgious: affections; narrow minded in
religious questions
Rocking >
Runs about streets at night in insanity
Servile, obsequious, submissive
There are hundreds of mental and emotional symptoms listed for ° besides
the ones that I have listed above. ° is one of our great polychrest
remedies, meaning remedy of many uses.Introduced into
homeopathy by Samuel Hahnemann.
Quotation from James Tyler Kent’s Lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica:
Patient is an interesting one, found in any household where there arc
plenty of young girls. She is tearful, plethoric, and generally has little
credit for being sick from her appearances; yet she is most nervous, fidgety,
changeable, easily led and easily persuaded. While she is mild, gentle and
tearful, yet she is remarkably irritable, not in the sense of pugnacity, but
easily irritated, extremely touchy, always feels slighted or fears she will be
slighted; sensible to every social influence. Melancholia, sadness, weeping,
despair, religious despair, fanatical; full of notions and whims; imaginative;
extremely excitable. She imagines the company of the opposite sex a dangerous
thing to cultivate, and that it is dangerous to do certain things well
established in society as good for the human race. These imaginations belong to
eating as well as thinking. They imagine that milk is not good to drink, so
they will not take it. They imagine that certain articles of diet are not good
for the human race. to marriage is a strong symptom. A man takes it into his
head that it is an evil thing to have sexual intercourse with his wife and
abstains from it. Religious freaks; an especial tendency to dwell on religious
notions; fixed ideas concerning the Scripture; he misuses and misapplies the
Scriptures to his own detriment; dwells on sanctification until he becomes
fanatical and insane; thinks he is in a wonderfully sanctimonious state of
mind, or that he has sinned away his day of grace. This goes on until he
becomes insane on other subjects, and then the tendency is to sit day after day
in a taciturn way. He will not answer questions unless hard pressed, when all
he will say is “Yes” or “No,” or he will merely shake his head. Puerperal
insanity in a woman who was mild, gentle and tearful, later
sad and taciturn, and then she sits in her chair all day answering
nothing or merely nodding her head for “Yes” or “No.”
[Heike Dahl]
Pulsatilla
- ein homöopathischer Vielkönner
Wenn die charakteristischen Merkmale passen zeigt diese Pflanze große Wirkung bei der Behandlung von Schnupfen (Sinusitis), Entzündungen der Nasennebenhöhlen, der Blase (Zystitis),
Augen (Konjunktivitis)
und der Ohren (Otitis media). ....
Gelenkrheumatismus
Wie alle homöopathischen Arzneien
wirkt Pulsatilla nicht nur bei akuten Erkrankungen. In
der Behandlung chronischer Erkrankungen kann unter anderem der
Gelenkrheumatismus beeinflusst werden. Auch im akuten Stadium dieser Erkrankung
finden sich vor allem wechselnde Schmerzen und Schwellungen an wechselnden
Gelenken.
Hormonelle Wirkung
Ähnlich wie die Arznei Sepia
gehört Pulsatilla zu den homöopathischen
Medikamenten, die einen starken hormonellen Einfluss besitzen. So werden beide
Mittel vor allem während der Schwangerschaft und den hormonellen Umbruchszeiten
benutzt (Pubertät, Schwangerschaft, Wochenbett, Stillzeit, Menopause)
Mensesstörungen
Oft angezeigt, wenn Mädchen oder Frauen Probleme mit der Menstruation haben. So kann der Zyklus verkürzt sein und die Blutung spärlich. Schmerzen und verschiedene Symptome treten vor
und während der Menses auf und verursachen starke Beschwerden. (PMS, Dysmenorrhoe)
Die Regel kann ausbleiben, wenn
"Frau" sich die Füße verkühlt.
Venöses System
Von großer Bedeutung ist außerdem
die Wirkung auf das venöse System. Ebenso wie Sepia werden die venösen
Stauungen durch erschlaffte Gefäße hervorgerufen. Dagegen wirken vor allem
Bewegung und Kälte bzw. frische Luft positiv. Geschlossen Räume, Wärme und Ruhe
verschlechtern hingegen die Symptome. Im Sommer kommt es zu Schlappheit und
Energielosigkeit.
Katarrh
Formen von akuten oder chronischen
Katarrhen (Entzündungen der Ohren, Nase, Augen, Bronchien und Harnorganen
finden). Dabei sind die Absonderungen mild und gelblich. Schon manche
therapieresistente Mittelohrentzündung konnte mit Pulsatilla
behandelt werden.
Auch auf die Schleimhäute des Magen-/Darmtraktes wirkt Pulsatilla heilend, wenn die Beschwerden nach verdorbenem Essen, Durcheinanderessen oder zu Fettem-Essen auftreten, vor allem,
wenn die Beschwerden mit Aufstoßen
und Frösteln einhergehen.
Leitsymptom Veränderlichkeit
Veränderlichkeit der Symptome ist eines der deutlichen Charakteristika der homöopathischen Pulsatilla. Zum Beispiel ändern sich beim Durchfall ständig Aussehen, Geruch und Beschaffenheit
des Stuhlgangs. So findet sich
kein gleicher Stuhlgang hintereinander.
Symptome können verschwinden und dann wieder einsetzen. So ist Pulsatilla ein Hauptmittel, wenn die Regelblutung einen Tag während der Menses aussetzt. Wenn Kopfschmerzen einen Tag
so erscheinen und am nächsten Tag
anders, kann Pulsatilla das richtige Heilmittel sein.
Auch die Gemüts-Symptome können
von derselben veränderlichen Natur sein. Einmal erscheint der/die Kranke
gereizt, wenig später weinerlich und dann wieder sanft und liebenswürdig.
Depressionen
Depressionen, wenn diese im
Zusammenhang mit Hormonumschwüngen auftreten. (Pubertät, Schwangerschaft, nach
der Geburt, vor der Menopause) Dabei
unterscheidet Pulsatilla von Sepia (die auch bei homrmonell bedingten Depressionen angewendet wird), dass
Menschen, die die Kuhschelle benötigen, sich gern helfen lassen und Mut und
Hoffnung durch Trost erfahren.
Zuwendung, Trost und Unterstützung
Dieses ungewöhnliche Symptom ist
ein weiteres Charakteristikum dieser homöopathischen Arznei. Wenn bei
chronischen Beschwerden (Sinusitis, Otitis media, Konjuktivitis, Schmerzzuständen) ein starkes Verlangen nach
Zuwendung, Trost und Unterstützung vorherrscht, dann kann Pulsatilla
das helfende Arzneimittel sein. Bei akuten Beschwerden (Grippe, Halssentzündung etc.) hilft Pulsatilla
auch, wenn die oben genannten Symptome nicht vorliegen. Der Drang nach Bewegung
in frischer Luft, Frösteligkeit mit Abneigung gegen Wärme, mild-eitrige
Absonderungen sind jedoch fast immer bei den Krankheiten anzutreffen.
Durstlosigkeit
Die Pflanze Pulsatilla
liebt trockenen, kalk- und kieselreichen Boden, denn sie geht bei Staunässe
ein. Durch die bevorzugte Bodenbeschaffenheit versickert Regenwasser besonders
schnell.
Daher kann davon ausgegangen
werden, dass diese Pflanze eine Affinität zur Durstlosigkeit
besitzt. Silicea (Pulsatilla
liebt Kieselsäureböden) gehört zu den Komplementärmitteln der Pulsatilla.
Auch in der Homöopathie ist die Durstlosigkeit eines der bekanntesten Symptome für Pulsatilla. Hahnemann selbst fand "Hitze des Körpers ohne Durst".
Doch dieses Symptom wird oft überbewertet. Häufiger finden sich neben anderen
passenden Symptomen, viel Durst!