Schistocerca
https://www.homeopathyschool.com/the-school/provings/locust/
Vergleich:
Siehe: Arthropoda + Serotonin. (verursacht Heuschrecken zu schwärmen)
https://www.zeit.de/wissen/2021-11/heuschrecke-lebensmittel-essbare-insekten-eu-kommission
[Misha Norland, Peter Fraser]
Schistocerca gregaria is a species of short-horned grasshopper that can
form highly mobile swarms and spread over as much as 20% of the world’s land
mass.
Comprised of more than 30 million locusts per square mile, locust swarms
can travel up to 80 miles [129 km] a day and impact the livelihoods of up to
10% of the world’s population in 60 countries by eating the same amount of food
in a day as several thousand people.
Plagues of the desert locust have threatened agricultural production in
Africa, the Middle East, and Asia for centuries. The desert locust is
potentially the most dangerous of the locust pests because of the ability of
swarms to fly rapidly across great distances.
The species has 2 to 5 generations per year.
In swarms, adults are first pink but may become rose, brown or orange
brown when conditions are cool, such as in mountains. When they mature the
colour changes to bright yellow in males and dull yellow in females. In
solitarious forms the colour is greyish or brownish, but males may become
yellow when they mature. Males are 40–50 mm
[1.6–2.0 inch], females are 50–60 mm [2.0–2.4 inch] long. The
translucent forewings are greenish yellow with many brown spots. Between the
forelegs they have a peg-like structure. Male locusts start to mature first and
then give off from their skin a chemical substance, the odour of which causes
maturation to start in females, and also in any males in which it has not
already begun. At this stage large swarms break up into smaller ones, as those
locusts that mature first settle on the ground for breeding, while those not
yet quite mature fly on.
When copulation ends the males usually remain for some time on the backs
of the females. The females become restless and walk about carrying the males.
They begin to select a suitable place to lay their eggs by probing and testing
the soil with the tip of the abdomen. During this probing they can detect
warmth, hardness, moisture and salinity
[salt content] of the soil. They are also attracted to each other at
this time, assembling together in groups.
Plague locusts show an extreme form of phenotypic plasticity, changing
between a cryptic solitarious phase and a swarming gregarious phase. Solitarious
locusts show rapid behavioural phase change in response to tactile stimulation
directed to the hind femora. Repeatedly touching as little as one quarter of
the anterior [outer] surface area of
a hind femur produced full behavioural gregarisation within 4 hours. The
phases can be distinguished by differences in colouration, form, physiology,
and behaviour.
A solitary phase nymph adjusts its colouration to match that of its
surroundings, does not collect in groups, has low metabolic and oxygen-intake
rates, and is sluggish.
A gregarious phase nymph, on the other hand, has black and yellow or
orange colouration in a fixed pattern, gathers in large groups, has high
metabolic and oxygen-intake rates, and is active and nervous.
When a nymph of a solitary phase locust matures in the presence of many
other locusts, it undergoes a physiological change and produces offspring of
the gregarious type.
The young of a gregarious phase locust, on the other hand, will produce
offspring that revert to the solitary phase if it matures in isolation. The
solitary phase is the normal state of the species, with the gregarious phase
being a physiological response to violent fluctuations in the environment.
Locust well known for its effect on man (destructive power)/in
particular represents an example of a desert medicine.
The core sensation for this proving was related to the sensation of
metamorphosis or transformation between two states.
1st state: described as being in a hole or cave and patiently
waiting for some kind of signal. This state was solitary. In this state there
is a feeling of timelessness and spatial distortion. Strange desire to sit
still and listen; as if I am listening for something; sometimes I get feelings
with these episodes or vibrations; it is a moment of peace;
I tune everything out and wait for something – I don’t know what; almost
like I am expecting someone or something to say something to me; it is a space
time moment of nothingness.
Much change; it is as though nothing is ever the same in my life and I
wonder how people live day to day in the same thing; I actually like that I am
able to move quickly
and I hate it whenever I get stuck.
Spiraled down into this deep hole today; went into a hold deep in the
dearth; did not want to come out of it today; the sun came up and I realized
that this is the yellow
that I have been attracted to-the sun; hard time coming out of the hole
today; the hole is a really transformative place; I undergo some kind of
metamorphosis when I am
in the hole; it is like a deep cellular change; it brings me to the
brink of death and back again; when on the upswing I am ready to take flight
towards the sun.
2nd state: described as a frenzy. One prover described it as
“Tuberculinum on crack”. This state was very social and involved seeking a mate
and various group activities. Images of flying became involved. Sexuality
became very prominent with dreams of indiscriminate group sex and sex between
children.
Feeling of frenzy will not leave me alone; frenzy about eating, sex,
irritability, craziness in this phase; like swarming feeling; I cannot stand
the way people drive-it is like this swarm of cars; feeding frenzy; like
Tuberculinum on crack.
Very strange dream that was sexual and disturbing; came across this
house while driving; looking for a place to rent; glass wall; can see the
inside of it; hundreds of people naked standing in rows; some were engaging in
sexual activities but they were acting like animals; all mixed; very
disgusting; some were crawling like snakes on the walls; snake like people with
bright kinds of colors that were crawling around the edges of the wall; very
vivid dream; Walking through looking to rent a place; as we were going
I can see the inside of the house because of the glass wall; all these
people who are lined up; some are standing; all naked; waiting in these rows;
ton crammed into this area; 150 people; I could tell they were snakes the ones
that were running the show; these people were all around the corner of the
roof; purple, red, yellow, gold; very bright and colorful; what was disturbing
was that they were all animals; no trace of humanity; these people seem
disturbed; lost the human aspect of their reality; only left with their carnal desires;
no boundaries of age or sexual orientation.
This frenzy leads to the feeling of the destruction or the end of the
world. There is a quality of great destructiveness.
Dream that was very significant:
Sensation was profound; it was that I had gone into a doctors office to get
checked up; I thought I might be poisoned; standard inoculations; in
inoculating me I become paralyzed completely; I can feel this so strongly;
still completely paralyzed; as I sink back into my dream I see my grand
daughter who pulls out scalpel and needles; implements of destruction; I was
going to be destroyed; I try to move and throw myself over to get someone’s
attention; feeling of entire body paralysis and inability to speak. - - - - -
Dream: trying to repurchase the . . .
everything was water damage and falling apart. - - - - -
Another mobile home dream; end of the world sort of thing; trying to
direct and motivate people to get moving; hunting and fishing camps; something
going to happen; devastating; running out of time; shopping in a thrift store;
a frail old woman was working and she and I were left; everyone else had
evacuated; trying on clothes in case
of flooding; she was not interested in leaving; huge snake coming, like
out of a horrormovie; and she would not budge-this woman; other people were
trying to leave in an
old mobile home; these people could not get out. - - - - -
The transformation or metamorphosis sensation was accompanied by a
sensation of buzzing and humming. Provers were exquisitely sensitive to noise
(white noise = Rauschen).
The desert locust is well known to exist in two very different forms:
the solitary phase and the gregarious phase. The process of transformation was
well described in the following
Dream: Several people, about 20 and we
were at some sort of seminar or tour group; we were dropped off at this site
where it was just a plan slab from eons ago like a Greek ruin; there was a
building beside us; I went into the building and I could see that it was going
to collapse because there was water dripping in-it was full of water; I ran
back out of the building; there was this sense that this was more than the
building going to collapse; this was perhaps the start of the end of the world
as we knew it; I told everyone to stick together and stay away from the
building; The woman or tour guide wanted us to all rub our breasts and wanted
to show us how to channel sexual energy; we all were doing that and I remember
thinking this end of the world as we know it feeling might be a little bit more
important; I remember thinking how clueless people are;
So then the building started collapsing and it was a dimension change;
the building was going down and we aware of being pulled in that direction; I
told everyone to stick together and hold on to each other so as not to be
sucked in; everyone’s face/body was changing contorted and changing back and
forth as if we were transmuting into something else; lots of people were afraid
and screaming and I was afraid as well but then I got that we were just supposed
to go with it and let it happen; I screamed at everyone to go with the energy
and started smiling; it was way cool; could feel the energy moving through my
body and it twisting and changing and it was amazing;
when it was over this man started screaming at me as if I had caused the
whole thing saying his daughter/family were stuck in the rubble and would be
dead; I told him
it was not my fault and I was sorry for his lows and that we may be the only
people left on the entire earth and perhaps he should feel lucky he was alive;
then we walked
over to the building-nothing left but rubble; there was nothing as far
as the eye could see-no people, just could see far and wide; an eerie sense of
what if we are the only people left in the world; pissed off-I am not
populating the earth again; I signed up for this job? Felt like a time warp of
some sort that we went through; it was really quiet except for a
humming/buzzing noise. - - - - -
Extreme sensitivity to noise; < night; about to go out of my mind
with the noise thing; shrill buzzing, humming noise like cicadas or crickets;
white noise makes me berserk.
Hearing is acute; high pitched buzzing tinnitus.
Sensation of body vibrating all over when going to sleep.
Sensitive to noise; sounds not voices are louder than usual; it is the
background noise that is a problem; have trouble noticing their direction; have
to wear ear plugs; noises are loud and startling; I am hearing things before my
dogs.
Several provers described the movement back and forth between these
states as manic depressive.
The central motion: waving and flowing. This was variously described as
waving between dimensions of time and space or of flowing in a current. It was
also associated with flight. It feels in my life that I just bounce or flow
around things; over and under hills and waves and mountains and through things;
I seem to go right through things sometimes; if I hug someone I go right
through them; different dimensions become the same.
Movement/Flowing; sense of moving through things, through people;
flowing; riding the wind; wanting to drive fast; wanting to fly.
Faintness right after taking the remedy; a waverly feeling; woozy.
Dream: Sparkling, clear water sort of
like it was swirling and dancing in the current; this Time being in the current
I was bathed in wisdom like a wise old man at peace flowing in his current;
sometimes my friends would flow in his own current; I stayed completely at
peace in my current as I flowed through the corridor of life.
DD.: Insect Themes
Insect themes present in this remedy include primitive survival issues,
tubercular miasmatic traits, frenzied activity and being busy. Primitive
survival themes centered around food and sex.
Desert Themes
= Desert Locust. Widely distributed in the
Prominent desert themes were see throughout the proving. These included:
Water
Swelling
Dryness and constriction and
contraction
Isolation and aloneness
Waiting patiently
Frenzied activity
Violence; attack and defence
Drug like themes; distortions in
time and space
Falling, downward motion
Metamorphosis/Transformation
Birth/Death
Codependent and merging
Mistakes in communication
The sensation of birth through some kind of transformation or
metamorphosis was particularly prominent.
Several provers also noticed significant improvement in chronic
codependency traits.
Animal Themes
A strong focus on survival during the proving. In addition there was a
distinct animal consciousness. Many provers described themselves as feeling
like an animal.
Feeling of being a snake; searching for prey; ready to snap at anything
in my way; feeling of not being respected in my current relationship.
I feel I am in the beginning go of the declining decay phase; I feel
like an animal no longer able to be the top dog in the pack, so its my time to
slowly step aside and let the stronger more powerful ones be on the top.
My car window was cracked open all day; when I got in my care there was
a grasshopper sitting on my dash boar; at first I was grossed out and scared;
but then I just let
him look out the window while I drove; when I got in my car later he was
sitting on my back seat; I got to my destination and got in my car later again
and he was gone;
I’m convinced he is dead in my car and I am terrified to find a dead
insect there.
Dreams of animals, particularly insects were also prominent. Thoughts of
death and presentiment of death was noted. The feeling that would could be
attacked by others at any time was also seen.
Miasmatic classification is difficult to do based on a single proving.
However, there are fairly strong suggestions of the Tubercular
Miasm: desire to travel/desire for change, ennui, fear of things remaining the
same or getting stuck, the need to break free, frenzied activity, weight loss
and emaciation, feeling of suffocation and narrow tight places, desire for open
air, and restlessness.
The feeling of being trapped and wanting to escape was particularly
prominent.
This manifested in several provers in the idea of needing to rise to the
surface in order to breathe. These ideas are characterized further in the
proving themes.
General Characteristics
L. sided symptoms predominated. Tended to be chilly and was associated
with hot flushes in several patients. Several provers noted cures in the
feeling of chronic chilliness. There was some tendency < forenoon time.
Other general characteristics included a tendency towards injuries
(falls), weight loss, heaviness, swelling and lassitude. The tendency to
falling was associated with faintness and weakness (lower limbs) The weight
loss was sudden and associated with fluid loss. Several provers described up to
15 pounds of weight loss within 5 days of taking the remedy.
In addition to the falling seen in several provers, one prover described
the opposite - an improvement in her feeling of being connected to the ground.
This was described as follows:
I feel more grounded; I feel more connected to the ground; usually I
walk more on the balls of my feet but now I walk with m whole foot.
Pain: constricting/contracting/squeezing/cramping. Several provers
described this cramping and squeezing “As if all the water was being wrung
out”, leaving them feeling desiccated.
The biggest thing was the sensation of contraction and cramping in the
stomach; felt like everything was being squeezed and cramped (HG of cramping);
as if you had dried up;
like you squeezed something that had water in it and dries up; that
extended to my tongue.
Dryness was a prominent characteristic of the skin and mucous membranes.
This was associated with the external skin and mucous membranes. Cracking of
the nails and finger tips were noted.
One prover had a cure of chronic dry skin with a sensation of the hair
and skin feeling softer.
Electrical, buzzing and humming sensations were noted throughout the
body. A food craving for meat and especially raw meat was noted in several
provers.
Emotional and Mental Characteristics
Emotions were typically felt in the stomach. Most commonly this was an
empty or hollow sensation that had to be filled + feelings of loneliness, and
anxiety.
One prover described a cure of a chronic feeling of emptiness and
aloneness in the stomach.
Watchfulness was prominent in several provers as noted above. This + an
increased awareness of time and space. It was a torporous and slow state.
Confusion was associated with it, including confusion of identity. An
issue with boundaries was noted and several provers noted healing of
codependency traits.
The aggressivity of this remedy was particularly marked by irritability
and anger. This was accompanied by a profound sensitivity to noise,
particularly white noise < the irritability.
Music would somewhat ameliorate this. Sensitivity to light was also
noted but not as profound as the sensitivity to noise.
Mistakes in using words were noted in several provers.
The frenzy of this remedy manifested in irritability, restlessness,
hurry, impatience, impetuousness, impulsivity, confrontational, violence,
desire to attack others, panic and panic attacks,
threatening behavior, shrieking, hatred, mania and insanity. Sexuality
was prominent even to the point of nymphomania. In this state provers described
a feeling of being invincible.
Two provers noted improvements in their relationship with their
significant other after this remedy. They found that their relationship was
deeper and they felt more connected. Other prover
describe an improved connection to people in general.
Physical areas most targeted by this remedy included the jaw, mouth and
stomach.
Head: congestion, and a sensation of constriction
like a band or hoop. Headaches could be severe and of migrainous nature. The
head pain was most prominently pressing “As if in an armored helmet”.
The pains were typically sudden and violent. There was also a sensation
of water in the head.
Eye: Twitching of the eyelids was noted. There was
a tired sensation in the eyes and dryness. A scratching sensation was noted
with the need to rub.
Vision: blurry.
Ear: A stopped sensation in the ears. Tinnitus was
heard mostly of a buzzing, humming or popping character.
Hearing: Profound noise sensitivity and acuity was
noted.
Nose: Nasal obstruction was most prominent
accompanied by sneezing. Dryness was also strong and the nose was chapped.
Discharge when present tended to be viscid or bloody.
Face: characterized by problems with the jaw,
mostly related to pain. Dryness of the face and chapped lips was also marked.
Acne was noted. Swelling of the face and tension of the skin was also noted.
Mouth: Several provers noted cancre sores of the
mouth. Dryness was prevalent; The remedy seems to effect the salivary gland
with ranula symptoms. Inflamed of the gums was also prominent.
Throat: Dry with throat pain was noted. Several
provers described mucous in the throat. Accompanied Swelling of the cervical
glands.
Stomach: Decrease in appetite was prominent
accompanied by weight loss. A general feeling of constriction and contraction
in the stomach with crampy abdominal pains.
Pain > bending double/heat. Emptiness sensation was noted by several
provers. Nausea and vomiting was common. An interesting symptom of heat in the
stomach that ascended was noted.
There was much intestinal activity with grumbling noises in the abdomen.
Several of the provers described the abdominal pain as if someone was hitting
them as hard as they could in the
stomach, like a blow. The stomach was quite sensitive to touch.
Accompanied by THIRST.
One prover had a cure of a chronic feeling of emptiness in the stomach.
They described it as feeling full for the first time in their life whereas it
had always previously felt empty.
Another prover had a cure of chronic gastritis and food intolerance:
Abdomen: Lower gastric symptoms improved; I can eat
almost anything now, whereas before it would cause tremendous bloating and gas;
I used to get severe gastritis and a lot of distress usually; my stomach got
< initially during the proving; worst attack; severe distress; cramping and
burning; after the second week I could eat anything; was eating macrobiotic
before and now I can eat anything;
after 2 ½ weeks I could eat anything I wanted; now I only get occasional
twinges.
Rectum: characterized mostly by diarrhea. This tended
to be sudden and caused accidents.
Female organs: Sexual desire was quite high. Cramping pains
in the uterus accompanying menses were noted. Again, the symptom of pain in the
uterus as if being punched was noted. Several provers described amelioration in
symptoms of menstrual cramps during the proving.
Cough: The cough typically was dry and deep,
accompanied chest heaviness.
Respiration: difficult.
Chest: Angina like symptoms were noted.
Back: not much effected but stiffness was the most
prominent. This was in both the neck and low back. There was a feeling of
tension of the spine.
Extremities: Coldness was noted. Much cramping (lower
limbs). Electrical current sensations were noted. Ataxia and a propensity to
fall were noted. Limbs were described as heavy.
Pains were most prominent in the toes and to a lesser extent in the
fingers and shoulders. The pains again were often crampy and also stitching.
Swelling in the hands and fingers.
Sleep: restless and difficult. Falling asleep was
particularly a problem.
Skin: quite dry with cracking of the nails and
skin. Dry and rough. A sensation of tension was noted.
During preparation of the Remedy
Split; balance between two
poles; couples
Hurry, fast
Flighty
Live dangerously; that is what
makes life fun
Intimidation
Lost
Insect
Sensation of squeezing
Perfect; Confidence
Death
Rising
Fast manifestations. Freshwater. Increased by warmth. Marine; seawater.
Paralysis.
Red tide. Seafood; shellfish. Seasonal variation.
Acrididae is the predominant family of short-horned grasshoppers,
comprising some 10,000 of the 11,000 species of the entire suborder Caelifera.
hoppers are characterised by short, heavy antennae, a four-valved
ovipositor for laying eggs, and three-segmented tarsi, which are the distal
segments of the leg. Short-horned grasshoppers range in size from 5 mm to 11 cm
[0.2 to 4.3 inch] in length.
The shape of the body may be long and slender or short and stout. Many
species are green or straw-coloured, which helps them blend into their
surroundings. The large hind legs are modified for jumping, with greatly
enlarged femurs. The antennae have fewer than 30 segments and are usually
shorter than the body. Some species have wings, whereas others are wingless.
Among the winged species, the males can produce characteristic noises by
rubbing the front wings together or by drawing the hind legs across the edge of
the wings. Most species have a pair of tympanal [auditory]
organs at the base of the abdomen.
Acrididae are herbivorous and include some of the most destructive
agricultural pests known. The swarming phase of certain species of short-horned
grasshoppers are called locusts. They are also known as plague. or migratory., species.
Schistocerca, commonly called bird grasshoppers, is a genus of
short-horned grasshoppers, several of which swarm as locusts. Most species are,
however, sedentary and non-swarming grasshoppers that are ecologically diverse
and have adapted to different environments. The genus is also known for its
unusual biogeographic distribution where a single species, S. gregaria occurs
in the Old World, while the rest of the genus occurs strictly in the New World.
There are around 50 species, 2 of which have been introduced in the materia
medica.
S. americana is native to North America, where it occurs in the eastern
U.S., Mexico, and the Bahamas. There are occasional, localised outbreaks of
this grasshopper, and it is often referred to as a locust, though it lacks the
true swarming form of its congener, the desert locust, S. gregaria.
The overall colour of S. americana gradually changes from a
pinkish-brown or reddish-brown to more of a yellowish-brown hue as the
grasshopper reaches sexual maturity. The adults bear fully developed wings with
large dark brown spots on a lighter background. Adults are distinctly different
in appearance from the immature stages [nymphs]. The length of the male is 39
to 45 mm [1.5–1.8 inch], whereas the female is 42 to 55 mm [1.6–2.2 inch].
S. americana has 2 generations per year. It overwinters in the adult
stage, unlike most grasshoppers, which pass the winter in the egg stage. The
female deposits her eggs in the soil about 2 to 3 cm [0.8–1.2 inch] below the
surface by pushing her ovipositor down into the substrate. The grasshoppers
prefer areas with some ground cover to deposit their egg clusters. The egg
cluster generally consists of 60 to 80 eggs that are secured together by a
frothy polymer-like substance that the female secretes.
Females may lay up to 3 egg pods. The eggs are 7 to 8 mm [0.3 inch] in
length and are light orange in colour. The nymphs hatch from the eggs 3 to 4
weeks after deposition and must work their way to the surface. The nymphs go
through 5 or 6 instars [moults] before reaching adulthood. Initially the nymphs
remain aggregated in small groups, moving from plant to plant and feeding
gregariously. As they grow older they become less aggregated.
This species can cause injury to citrus, corn, cotton, oats, peanuts,
rye, sugarcane, tobacco and vegetables. Aside from commercial crops, it also
shows a preference for several species of grasses: bahiagrass, bermudagrass,
crabgrass, nutgrass and woods-grass. It also feeds on dogwood, hickory and palm
trees.
Phenotypic plasticity in behaviour induced by high rearing density is
often part of a migratory syndrome in insects called phase polyphenism. Among
locust species, swarming and the expression of phase polyphenism are highly
correlated. S. americana rarely swarms, even though it is closely related to
the swarming Old World desert locust, S. gregaria, as well as 2 swarming New
World locusts. Anecdotal field observations of locust-like behaviour in S.
americana indicate that it may express behavioural phase polyphenism, but
empirical investigations are lacking.
This species was the source of a newly discovered class of chemical
compounds called caeliferins. Caeliferins are composed of saturated and
monounsaturated sulphated alpha-hydroxy fatty acids with
15-20 carbons and are present in the grasshopper’s regurgitant/saliva.
When the grasshopper feeds on a plant, the caeliferins in the regurgitant
induce the plant to release volatile organic compounds.
This is a common response to herbivory in plants; the volatile organic
compounds are attractive to predators of the herbivorous insects. Caeliferins
may also play a role in defence, as the grasshopper expels large amounts of
regurgitant when attacked.
Symptoms from a proving by Todd Rowe, American Medical College of
Homeopathy [Arizona, USA], 9 female and 2 male provers, 30c, 2007.
Affinity:
Sensory organs; auditory. Gastrointestinal. “Physical areas most
targeted by this remedy included the jaw, mouth and stomach.”
Symptoms:
Desire to sit still and listen, as if listening for something, tuning
everything out and waiting.
Change. “As if nothing is ever the same in my life and I wonder how
people live day to day in the same thing; I like that I am able to move quickly
and hate it whenever I get stuck.”
Persistent feeling of frenzy; frenzy about eating, sex, irritability,
craziness; like swarming feeling; feeding frenzy. “The frenzy manifested in
irritability, restlessness, hurry, impatience, impetuousness, impulsivity,
confrontation, violence, desire to attack others, panic and panic attacks,
threatening behaviour, shrieking, hatred, mania and insanity. Sexuality
(nymphomania). In this state provers described a feeling of being invincible.”
Oversensitive to noise (white noise); < night. Irritability from
white noise; somewhat > music.
Emotions felt as an empty or hollow sensation in the stomach, &
anxiety and feelings of loneliness.
Attracted to the colour yellow.
Theme: Waving, flowing, moving. “Sense of moving through things, through
people; flowing; riding the wind; wanting to drive fast; wanting to fly.”
Left side more affected.
General characteristics: Tendency towards injuries [falls], weight loss,
heaviness,
swelling and lassitude. Tendency to falling & faintness and weakness
(lower limbs). Sudden weight loss, associated with fluid loss.
Pains constricting, contracting, cramping, squeezing. “Several provers
described this cramping and squeezing as if all the water was being wrung out,
leaving them feeling dehydrated.”
Dryness mucosa and skin. Cracking of nails and fingertips. Chapped nose
and lips.
Appetite decreased. Thirst increased.
Body as if vibrating all over when going to sleep.
Sensation of falling off the bed on waking up in middle of night.
Head “As if constricted by a band or hoop”; pressing “As if in an
armoured helmet”.
Fog behind eyes and temples.
Water sloshing around in head. Ears “As if stopped”.
Eyes “As if swollen”. Heavy feeling under eyes.
Dryness face, nose, cheeks; skin feels rough and crusty.
Pain “As if being punched violently in the stomach”. Stomach sensitive
to touch.
Bursting sensation stomach and right lower quarter of abdomen, “As if it
would rip open”, “As if intestines are stretching”.
Pain in uterus “As if being punched”.
Coccyx “As if dislocated”.
Leg bones as thick and heavy; heaviness in front of legs, “As if walking
through mud”.
Toes “As if bruised”, “As if curling them to grip”.
High-pitched buzzing tinnitus.
Severe diarrhoea, mainly; must rush to make it in time to the toilet.
Coldness limbs. Ataxia and propensity to fall. Heaviness limbs. Crampy
or stitching limb pains (toes, fingers, and shoulders).
Remedy Overview
“The core sensation for this proving was related to the sensation of
metamorphosis or transformation between two states. The first state was
described as being in a hole or cave and patiently waiting for some kind of
signal. This state was solitary. In this state there is a feeling of
timelessness and spatial distortion.
“The second state was described as a frenzy. This state was very social
and involved seeking a mate and various group activities. Images of flying
became involved.
Sexuality became very prominent with dreams of indiscriminate group sex
and sex between children.
“This frenzy leads to the feeling of the destruction or the end of the
world. There is a quality of great destructiveness.”
[Todd Rowe]
Rubrics strange, rare, peculiar
Mind: Ancient feeling.
Anger, before menses; on waking. Desire to attack others.
Aversion to self. Desire for change. Co-dependency. desires orange, red,
yellow.
Delusions: Being an insect; not appreciated; emerging from birth canal;
approaching death; forced to be here against one’s will; being in a hole; being
invincible; being a predator; something about her makes others stare; time is
endless; being trapped; being watched; moving in a new world. Increased
environmental orientation. Sensation of flowing. Gestures, picking at fingers.
Hurry while driving, wants to overtake all others.
Inquisitive, observing others.
Joy in nature.
Love for everyone around one.
Love for self.
Mania # sadness.
> Music
Sensitive to noise, background; high pitched; slightest; voices.
Concerned about social position.
Sun, > sunlight
Threatening.
Desire to travel. Watchfulness, waiting for a signal.
Dreams: • Being attacked. Babies. Being busy. Crowds. Devastation. Food.
Holes. Nakedness. Doing wrong.
Vertigo: On looking around.,
< Standing, While walking.
Head: Congestion, occiput; temples.
Discolouration, grey hair.
Formication, occiput; vertex. Pressing pain “As if in an armour”; “As if
by an iron helmet”.
Swashing, splashing sensation.
Eyes: Itching, morning on waking. “As if swollen”.
Ears: Buzzing noise in ears during headache.
Noises, popping.
Nose: Obstruction in morning. Sneezing in morning.
Face: Eruptions, acne, lips.
Itching in eyebrows; margins of lips.
Pain in jaw, on drinking.
Tension in jaw.
Twitching around eyes.
Mouth: Musty odour of breath.
Tingling tip of tongue.
Throat: Pain “As if something sticking in throat”.
Feeling of small sticks in throat.
Tickling in pit of throat
Stomach: Heat ext. upward.
Knotted together feeling.
Pain >: bending double/heat/lying/stretching;
Pain “As from a blow”.
Sensitive to touch. Sensation of sucking in.
Abdomen: Pain “As from a blow”, hypogastrium. Burning
pain > stool. Twisting pain.
Rectum: Diarrhoea on waking with urging in morning.
Female organs: Pain in uterus “As from a blow”, “As if being
punched”.
Sexual desire insatiable.
Larynx: “As if foreign bodies in larynx”.
Chest: Burning pain in heart region.
Back: Pain in lumbar region ext. hips.
Pain “As if dislocated” in coccyx.
Limbs: Cold feet at night.
Cramps in feet.
Dryness of hands (fingertips). “As if an electric current” in
feet/legs/upper limbs.
Heaviness in shoulders; legs, bones.
Pain in hips at night/in shoulders at night.
Roughness of fingertips.
Skin: Sensitive to open air; to touch.
Stings of insects, wasps.
Generals: Desires hot bathing.
Electricity, “As if electrical sparks”. “As if falling out of bed while
awake”.
Knotted sensation internally.
Noise, humming, buzzing and whizzing in body. Squeezing pain, “As if all
the water had been squeezed out”.
> Stretching; must stretch. Sudden change of weight
xxxx
Aversion: Alcohol/Chocolate;
Desires: Cold drinks/(raw/red) meat/seafood;
CUES & CLUES
Aggregating when young. Blending in. Grasses. Jumping. Regurgitating
when attacked. Shades of brown. Working one’s way to the surface.
Rage, like a ball of fire raging from stomach; wants to annihilate and
blow up
others.
Competing for attractiveness.
Darkness <. “Oppressive feeling as if the darkness would enclose me.”
Fascinated or harassed by flying insects, and spiders.
Aversion to the colour pink.
Imaginary odours: Cigarette smoke; smoke, like an ashtray. Heightened
sense of
smell.
Dream themes: Water and floods. Becoming
invisible. Black and white. Sexual encounters. Spiders of all different shapes
and sizes. Wood and wooden objects.
Hiding and wanting to keep things private. Building up energy, holding
it in until it bursts out with explosive force.
Exuberant energy. “Dancing manically in the evening for ages, really
energetically and powerfully with agility and confidence that my body could
bend in strange
ways and could jump and not fall.”
Need for fresh air, movement and exertion.
Very thirsty for cold water.
Sensation of leaning to the right on closing eyes.
Heavy back of head – hard to hold head up.
Outward pressing weight above root of nose, radiating outwards over
eyebrows.
Sharp pain and raw, hot sensation in tip of tongue, like a piece of
glass or splinter.
Taste of rotting meat in back of throat.
Nausea & profuse perspiration, sensation of bubbling inside, body
feeling like its going to explode into pieces. “A sense of pushing out from
inside, like a volcano
eruption, no control over it, waiting for it to happen feels really
uncomfortable.”
Sensation of nausea, like a fist of heavy metal stuck in centre of
stomach.
Heaviness in uterus like a breeze block, a solid heavy lump dragging the
insides down.
Breasts felt huge, as if they had metal plates on them; hard, swollen
and solid.
Mid-back feels crushed, compressed all out of place.
Tightness in upper right trapezius muscle, sensation of rope inside
muscle being stretched to capacity.
Burning stinging tip of tongue.
Nausea from eggs. Nausea < thought of food.
Fishy smell of urine.
[Peter Fraser]
Remedy Overview
“The fact that the locust has 2 different forms and physically changes
when it is a gregarious animal from the form it has when it leads a solitary
existence is definitely
characteristic. The need to conform and find a place as part of the
group, whether it be herd, flock or hive, is again a part of many animal
remedies. The particular
expression of this in the locust, especially the idea of being one or
the other and of there being no intermediate state, is more characteristic and
so more useful in under-
standing the remedy. There is also a contrary in that the provers felt
there was a need to be part of the group and they felt alone and abandoned when
away from it;
yet at the same time they feel suffocated by the needs of the group and
better away from it.
They feel vulnerable when alone and need company in order to feel safe.
There is a feeling of being particularly vulnerable when indoors where they
feel unsafe; they feel
much safer and less agitated when outside.
“The theme that came through most powerfully and which is so
characteristic is the idea of building up energy, holding it in until it bursts
out with explosive force.
This idea is expressed in many ways. In the purely physical form, gases
building up in the digestive tract until they burst out in explosive belching.
The provers were much better for physical exercise and exertion which allowed
some of their pent up energy to dissipate. On a more emotional level the
irritability that is common to the insects builds
up until it reaches a level of uncontainable anger. The most expressive
example of this in sexuality where a low level of sexual excitement builds to a
point of uncontrollable
need that could not be denied.”
FOOD & FLUID
Desires: Chocolate. Dairy; cheese;
<: Eggs;
>: Tea;
CUES & CLUES
Blending in. Cohesive groups. Disturbing transformation. Extremes; sharp
contrasts.
Harmless individuals, destructive crowds. Highly mobile. Long distance
journeys.
Millions. Reacting to environmental fluctuations. Settling for breeding.
Swarms.
Wirkung: tuberkulin/sycotic
Allerlei: Heuschrecke = Zähne des Windes
[Friederike Oertel]
ZEIT-online
Insect themes present in this remedy include primitive survival issues,
tubercular miasmatic traits, frenzied activity and being busy. Primitive
survival themes centered
around food and sex.
Wüstenheuschrecke = Schistocerca gregaria
Heuschrecken: Wüstenheuschrecke
Fruchtbar
Die Geschlechtsreife wird durch günstige Bedingungen ausgelöst: Wenn es regnet, erreichen alle Individuen des Schwarms die Geschlechtsreife gleichzeitig.
Ein einziges Weibchen legt etwa 80 Eier in den Boden. Auf einem Quadratmeter wurden schon bis zu 1.000 Eier gefunden. Die Heuschrecken schlüpfen nach zwei Wochen, nach etwa zehn Tagen können sie fliegen.
Wenn Flügel wachsen
Die Heuschrecke verändert ihr Verhalten, wenn sie engen Kontakt zu Artgenossen hat. Durch die Berührung wird Serotonin ausgeschüttet. Der Botenstoff bewirkt unter anderem ein Wachsen der Flugmuskulatur.
Die Verwandlung
Eigentlich ist die Wüstenheuschrecke eine Einzelgängerin: klein, braun und harmlos. Doch das kann sich ändern – innerhalb weniger Stunden. Erst färbt sie sich rosa, dann leuchtend gelb. Sie wird gefräßig, rottet sich mit anderen zusammen und fällt in riesigen Schwärmen über das Land her. Die Verwandlung ist so frappierend, dass Forscher
bis 1921 glaubten, es handele sich um zwei verschiedene Arten.
Eigentlich ist die Wüstenheuschrecke eine Einzelgängerin: klein, braun und harmlos. Doch das kann sich ändern – innerhalb weniger Stunden. Erst färbt sie sich rosa, dann leuchtend gelb. Sie wird gefräßig, rottet sich mit anderen zusammen und fällt in riesigen Schwärmen über das Land her. Die Verwandlung ist so frappierend, dass Forscher
bis 1921 glaubten, es handele sich um zwei verschiedene Arten.
In Kenia ist ein besonders großer Schwarm mit Hunderten Millionen Insekten unterwegs: 60 Kilometer lang und 40 Kilometer breit. Mit seinen 2.400 Quadratkilometern ist er fast so groß wie das Saarland.
Heuschrecken: In Kenia ist ein besonders großer Schwarm mit Hunderten Millionen Insekten unterwegs: 60 Kilometer lang und 40 Kilometer breit. Mit seinen 2.400 Quadratkilometern ist er fast so groß wie das Saarland.
150 Kilometer kann ein Schwarm am Tag zurücklegen. Dort, wo die Heuschrecken landen, bleibt kaum ein Halm stehen. Sie zerstören Acker- und Weideland.
Ursachen
Ostafrika erlebte zuletzt eine lange Dürreperiode, im Oktober und November dann überdurchschnittlich starke Regenfälle. Die Nässe schafft ideale Bedingungen für die Wüstenheuschrecke: Die Insekten legen ihre Eier gern in der feuchten Erde ab, die wachsenden Pflanzen liefern Futter.
Heuschrecken: Ostafrika erlebte zuletzt eine lange Dürreperiode, im Oktober und November dann überdurchschnittlich starke Regenfälle. Die Nässe schafft ideale Bedingungen für die Wüstenheuschrecke: Die Insekten legen ihre Eier gern in der feuchten Erde ab, die wachsenden Pflanzen liefern Futter.
Das große Fressen
Eine erwachsene Wüstenheuschrecke frisst am Tag so viel, wie sie selbst wiegt – etwa zwei Gramm. Bereits ein einziger Quadratkilometer Heuschrecken isst nach Schätzungen der UN-Behörde für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (FAO) so viel wie 35.000 Menschen.
Heuschrecken: Eine erwachsene Wüstenheuschrecke frisst am Tag so viel, wie sie selbst wiegt – etwa zwei Gramm. Bereits ein einziger Quadratkilometer Heuschrecken isst nach Schätzungen der UN-Behörde für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (FAO) so viel wie 35.000 Menschen.
Bekämpfung
Die einzige effektive Möglichkeit, die Insekten zu bekämpfen, sind Pestizide, die mit einem Flugzeug versprüht werden. 70 Millionen Dollar benötigt die FAO, um gegen
die Insekten vorzugehen und die betroffenen Staaten zu unterstützen.
Heuschrecken: Die einzige effektive Möglichkeit, die Insekten zu bekämpfen, sind Pestizide, die mit einem Flugzeug versprüht werden. 70 Millionen Dollar benötigt die FAO, um gegen die Insekten vorzugehen und die betroffenen Staaten zu unterstützen.
Hungersnot
Die UN warnen vor einer Hungersnot. Laut der FAO haben in der Region bereits jetzt 11,9 Millionen Menschen zu wenig zu essen. Hinzu kommt: Die meisten Menschen
in den betroffenen Gebieten sind Kleinbauern und sind von den Erträgen der Landwirtschaft abhängig.
Heuschrecken: Die UN warnen vor einer Hungersnot. Laut der FAO haben in der Region bereits jetzt 11,9 Millionen Menschen zu wenig zu essen. Hinzu kommt: Die meisten Menschen in den betroffenen Gebieten sind Kleinbauern und sind von den Erträgen der Landwirtschaft abhängig.
Hier ist die Not groß
Besonders betroffen sind Kenia und Äthiopien. Somalia hat diese Woche den Notstand ausgerufen.
Mehr als eine biblische Plage
Neben Stechmücken, Viehpest oder Hagel zählen auch Heuschrecken zu den zehn Plagen, von denen Ägypten laut der Bibel angeblich heimgesucht wurde.
Die Schwärme kann es weltweit geben, wie unsere Zeitleiste zeigt.
Heuschrecken: Neben Stechmücken, Viehpest oder Hagel zählen auch Heuschrecken zu den zehn Plagen, von denen Ägypten laut der Bibel angeblich heimgesucht wurde.
Die Schwärme kann es weltweit geben, wie unsere Zeitleiste zeigt.
[Misha Norland, Peter Fraser & The School of Homeopathy]
The
Locust is hemitabolous, it moults several times each larval stage, or instar,
is a little more like the adult form. Only the adult form, the imago, is able
to fly; the nymphal forms move by jumping and are called hoppers. The hoppers
can swarm but there are never mixtures of hoppers and adults. The female lays
her eggs in the ground pushing them into the earth with her long adapted
abdomen. The time taken for the eggs to hatch and for the larvae to develop
varies tremendously and is vastly speeded up when in the gregarious state.
The
Locust is associated with tremendous destructive power. They can form swarms of
many billions of individuals each of whom will eat its own weight (2g) of
vegetation every day. In the years in which the largest swarms occur they can
completely destroy the vegetation over an enormous area. Hence its name and the
place it has in biblical and other histories as one of the plagues that afflict
mankind. On the other hand, the Locust (perhaps all Orthoptera depending on the
authority you consult) is the only insect that is regarded as Kosher and Halal
and is the most widely consumed of all insects. Whilst the locust destroys the
crops of the landowner it is can be a nutritious windfall to those that have
nothing to lose.
When
swarming the insects are vulnerable to many predators. The unpredictable nature
of the swarming behaviour means that no predator can adapt to an exclusive diet
of Locusts but a great number of them do take advantage of the plentiful food
that a swarm, particularly a swarm of hoppers, provides. Not only are
individuals vulnerable but whole species are too. The Rocky Mountain Locust of
Western North America produced larger swarms than any other insect. One swarm
in 1874 covered an area greater than California and contained
12,500,000,000,000 individuals, yet 30 years later the species was extinct.
Swarming
occurs when favourable conditions cause the number of Locusts to increase. When
this happens they are more likely to come into contact with each other and if
they rub their legs against those of other Locusts a certain number of times a
serotonin based reaction is initiated which causes a hormonal cascade and the
release of pheromones. The insect then changes from its solitary form to the
gregarious form, which reproduces more quickly and forms the enormous
destructive swarms. In years of recession when there is no swarming the
individuals live quietly in an area of Africa north of the equator. In swarming
years, they spread throughout Africa, into Europe and across the Middle East as
far as India. Related species are found in America and Australia.
History
In the Bible, a swarm of locusts comprised the eighth plague in the story of
the ‘Plagues of Egypt’. This was because Pharaoh refused to set the
Israelites free so God decided to punish Him.
God
had told Moses to stretch out his hand over the land of Egypt to bring a plague
of locusts. The locusts covered the land and swallowed up every crop
and all the fruits of the trees. Afterwards there was nothing green in the
trees, and all the crops in the fields had been destroyed. ‘They
invaded the whole land of Egypt and settled on all its territory in swarms so
dense that the like of them had never been seen before, nor ever will be again’
Exodus 10:14
Plagues
of locusts are also mentioned in the Quran and is
mentioned in the below verses:
‘We
sent upon them the flood and locusts and lice and frogs and blood as distinct
signs, but they were arrogant and were a criminal people.’ (7:133) of chapter (7) surat l-a?raf (The Heights):
‘They
will emerge from their graves with downcast eyes, like swarming locusts.’ (Qur'an,
54:7)
The
Book of Revelation, which is the last book of the New
Testament, says that locusts with scorpion tails and human faces are to torment unbelievers for five
months when the fifth trumpet sounds.
Socrates
was an ancient Greek philosopher; having left no evidence of his own he is
known through Plato one of his students. He states that locusts were once
human.
When
muses first brought song into the world, its beauty captivated the people so
they forgot to eat and drink, to which they died. The muses turned these into
locusts, so they would be singing their entire lives.
The
words lobster and locust are derived from the Latin word
‘locusta’, which was originally used to refer to types of crustaceans and insects.
Mythology
The Ancient Egyptians carved locusts on tombs in the
period 2470 to 2220 BC. The grasshopper was a common motif for the
Ancient Egyptians and was used as a hieroglyph. It represented a symbol of
beauty and as an illustration of life along the Nile. As we know this species
can produce enormous populations, with these massive hoards it was considered a
plague. Due to the association with large numbers this became the hieroglyphic
meaning for locusts.
On
the wall of Medinat Habu reads an inscription ‘battalions will come like the
locusts’. In ‘Mereruka’ tomb locust are carved into the wall representing life
along the Nile. They also found in the tomb illustrations from the
New Kingdom and Tel el Amarna with the locust drawn in full flight with their
hind legs held along their sides.
These
illustrations were significant as they showed that the locust wings were drawn
with the hind wing in the same shape as the forewing. There are several
distinctive locust carvings and drawings in the tombs. Locusts were also
used as models for productions, the best known is the grasshopper toilet box
found among the treasures of King Tutankhamun (Hoving 1978).
Food Delicacy
Locusts are eaten in many African, Middle Eastern and Asian countries. They have
been used as food throughout history; and can be cooked in a variety of ways,
with them most often being fried, smoked or dried. The Torah
although disallows the use of most insects as food, permits the consumption of
certain locusts. In Islamic jurisprudence, eating locusts is considered halal.
Desert locust provides 11.5 g of fat, 53.5% of which is unsaturated, and 286mg
of cholesterol.
It
is recorded in the Bible that John the Baptist ate locusts and wild honey while living in the
wilderness. ‘John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin
about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey.’ (Mark 1:6).
Certain
kinds of locusts were permitted by God for consumption, and were a part of the
clean food diet. ‘Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and
the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the
grasshopper after his kind. ‘(Leviticus 11:2)
Scientific Uses
Locusts are used in biology as models especially for Olfactory, which is our sense of smell and the detection of
chemicals in the air. Neurophysiology which is the study into the functioning
of the nervous system and Locomotor which looks at the variety of movements and
the progression from one place to another. This is one of the organisms that
scientists have obtained detailed data from on information processing. Locusts
are suitable for these experiments due to their sheer growth in numbers,
easiness to reproduce as well as their robustness
Vorwort/Suchen Zeichen/Abkürzungen Impressum