Senega Anhang
A sad and irritable state with much anxiety, which can alternate with
affection, playfulness and hilarity.
[J.T. Kent]
Old lung tonic, and probably has been an ingredient in most of the lung
medicines for the last one hundred years.
It has been only partially proved, and needs further proving to bring
out its particulars. When a medicine has been fully proved, it can be said of
it that its symptoms are so
well known that they can be examined as an image, i.
e., the drug has affected all portions of man in such a manner as to stamp
itself upon all of his natural actions and functions in a way peculiar to
itself. This remedy has done some wonderful things, and these results in many
instances can be only attributed to mere guesswork.
This is about all that can be said in favor of
careless and loose prescribing.
Chest: Especially a chest medicine: full of chest
symptoms and its relation to the air passages makes it worthy of consideration,
although many of the individualizing
symptoms have not yet been brought out.
From its most striking action on the mucous membrane of the air
passages, its chief use has been in chest complaints, asthmatic complaints, in
various forms of dyspnoea, cardiac and asthmatic. There are violent pains in
the chest (like pleurisy). Also symptoms like pneumonia (pleuro-pneumonia/pleuro-pneumonia
of cattle found its specific
in Seneg. The finding of specifics is more
likely to be true of animals than of human beings, as a remedy that is only
partially indicated - may cure an animal, but it requires much finer
discrimination among remedies in dealing with human beings.
A violent attack of pleurisy associated with pneumonia, too deep and too
vicious for Bry., often finds its remedy in Senega = a sort of cross between Bry.
(violent symptoms yet < from rest,
unlike Bryonia) and Rhus-t.
(> like Rhus-t., > motion, pain < when at
rest).
Pain (chest/rheumatic/inflammatory) < during rest, cough < motion
(asthmatic troubles < slightest motion). Cannot walk up hill/not walk
against the wind, because it brings on chest symptoms and dyspnoea.
DD.: Ant-t.: The rattling in the chest
marked as in Ant-t.
Kali-b.: Mucous tenacious/copious and as gluey and
stringy, so much is this the case that he can get it only part way up, and with
a spasmodic effort he swallows it, like Spong.: and Caust.
Seneg. has deep action, and is as well an acute
remedy. It is filled with sharp and acute sufferings, sufferings that come on
with rapidity, from taking cold, or from a cold
that involves the whole chest.
Eyes: There are some eye symptoms in the text that
are worthy of attention.
"Paralysis of the muscles of the eyes."
"Iritis and specks upon the cornea."
"Paresis of the superior oblique."
"Aching over the orbits."
"Eyes pain as if pressed out."
"Blepharitis."
It has cured opacity of the vitreous humor.
Larynx: Of the larynx the text says,
"Aphonia from severe cold or excessive use
of the voice."
"Constant tickling and burning in the larynx, leaving the patient
not a moment's rest and preventing him from lying down; fear of
suffocation."
Dry mouth and throat, and the cough is incessant; there is a constant
metallic coppery taste in the mouth and throat, as if he were coughing up
pulverized copper.
Mouth: A very little of this medicine in proving
will produce such a dryness and metallic taste in the mouth, and such a
tickling at the root of the tongue, the pharynx and larynx, and it will finally
end in a copious, thick, gluey discharge.
"Grippe, with stitches in right eye when coughing."
"Laryngeal phthisis."
"Copious accumulation of tough mucus in air-tubes, which causes the
greatest often ineffectual, efforts at coughing and hawking for its
expulsion."
This thick, tough mucus will lead most routine prescribers to give such
medicines as Kali-bi. Lach. and Merc-c.,
entirely overlooking the usefulness of Senega.
Wide range in complaints of the chest, larynx and trachea, in the severe
"colds" that settle in these parts, especially when associated with
tenacious mucus, so tenacious that
he cannot cough it up; it seems at times that he will strangle; he will
cough and vomit in the effort to expel the mucus, but it seems to disappear and
he does not know where
it goes.
"Sensation as if the chest were too narrow."
"Most violent suffocation with asthma."
"Short breathing and oppression of chest when going up
stairs."
"Dyspnoea especially during rest."
"Dry cough with aphonia; worse in cold
air and from walking," is like Phosphorus and Rumex.
Those two remedies cause a cough, which commences when he first goes
into the air. Senega, has another feature like
Phosphorus, in that the cough is so violent that it makes him shake from head
to foot; it brings on a tremulous feeling all over the body. He coughs from
inhaling cold air; the cough is violent and the expectoration most difficult.
In old, chronic catarrh of the chest for the earlier stages of which Bryonia was the most similar remedy, with this thick,
tough, ropy mucus,
Senega is most suitable, and even when the
patient is in the last stages of consumption. The symptoms become most
troublesome, the gagging and coughing and effort to expectorate because of the
thick, ropy mucus, are very distressing.
He breaks out in a cold sweat (upper part of the body). The chest is
full of coarse rales from the tough mucus which he
cannot expectorate. We think in such a case of remedies like Ant-t. Pyrog. Kali-bi. etc., but this remedy is just as suitable (a
great amount of dryness in the throat and larynx, dryness in the throat during
sleep and on waking, and inability to expectorate the tough ropy mucus).
"Shaking cough," i. e., the cough is so violent that it shakes the whole
frame.
The concussion from the cough causes discharge of urine involuntarily
and causes violent pains in the head and over the eyes. Senega,
is called for especially in those cases where the pleura has been involved at one
stage or the other.
The pains are increased and it seems as if the chest would be torn on
coughing.
"Walls of the chest sensitive or painful when touched."
"Profuse secretion of mucus in lungs of old people."
Leading remedy for the tough mucus and coarse rales
in old people without any other symptoms. It very often clears the throat and
helps to patch up an old man when he
is breaking down.
"Great rattling of mucus in
chest and flying pains in chest-"
It has sometimes cured pleuro-pneumonia when
there was the extreme exhaustion of Phos. and Ars. In such cases Senega has
caused reaction; it has such weakness
(advanced phthisis, when those symptoms are present).
It acts as a palliative. It does excellent patch work without serious
aggravations, relates more especially to superficial conditions. It is not as
deep acting as Sulph. and Sil.
We give such remedies only when we have a reasonable assurance that we
can cure, when the patient is yet curable.
But when we have given up all hope, then we pay more attention to the
most painful parts; we pay more attention to the local symptoms, to the group
which causes the most suffering and attempt to do patch work.
If the sufferings in the chest and the exhaustion become most severe it
is true that Ars. will patch him up a little and make
him feel more like life, and he will go on to the end with more comfort. If the
pains in the chest are most severe such medicines as Seneg.
or Bry. will help him; if he is sore and feels as if
bruised and he most move from side to side Arnica will relieve; but these are
not the remedies to go deep into the life and eradicate a deep-seated disease
like phthisis.
Yet with these one may take a consumptive patient in comfort to the very
grave, by simply patching him up and prescribing for his immediate sufferings.
Homoeopathic remedies give these incurable sufferers much greater comfort than
sprays and anodynes.
The pains of the chest < during rest/inspiring. Stitching in the
chest when lying on the right side. Great soreness in the walls of the chest.
Pain under right scapula when coughing. Pain > walking in the open air
[W.H. Burt]
Selects especially the mucous lining of the respiratory organs,
producing catarrhal inflammation, with copious discharge of mucus.
Therapeutics:
Head: Pressure or tearing in temples or forhead. Violent beating headache, with pressure in the
eyes.
Eyes: Pressure or burning. Secretion of hard
tenacious mucus in the canthi. Diplopia
and Flickering.
Chest: Violent rush of blood. Violent aching pain in
the chest. Tightness and oppression of the chest as if forcibly compressed.
Shortness of breath from accumulation of mucus in the chest and trachea.
Rattling of mucus which seems to fill the chest.
(Hydrothorax and pleuritic effusion; oedema of
lungs. Chronic Bronchitis with emphysema and bronchiectasis).
Violent boring pain in the region of the heart. Hard pulse.
DD.: Bryonia.
Ant-t.: Kent: Rattling in
chest
Kali-bi.: Mucus like Kali-bi.
[Vera Resnick]
Senega symptoms using Boenninghausen’s
Therapeutic Pocketbook and Synopsis Software. She also discovers Senega’s relationship to other remedies.
There are often remedies which show up in repertorization
which we overlook – remedies which we aren’t familiar with, have never used and
are just not part of our prescribing “vocabulary”.
For me, Senega is such a remedy. I have not
yet prescribed it, but I do see it showing up on occasion in repertorization.
Polygala Senega, or snake root is of North
American origin.
From Wikipedia:
This plant had many uses among Native Americans. The Cherokee used it as
an expectorant and a diuretic, and for inflammation, croup, and common cold.
The Chippewa used preparations of the root to treat convulsions and
bleeding wounds.
The Cree chewed the root for sore throat and toothache.
The Seneca: According to Canadian botanist Frčre Marie-Victorin, may have been inspired to use the tortuous root
to treat snakebite by its resemblance to the tail
of a rattlesnake. It’s still in use for treatment of pneumonia.
Proved by Massie in 1803. More detailed results of the proving can be
found, among other sources, in Hughes’ Cyclopaedia of Drug Pathogenesy.
Following are some examples from the proving:
Dr. MASSIE took 10 dr. of gum
dissolved in water.In 5 minutesthere
was a sensation in esophagus as if the membrane had
been abraded, lasted 1 hour.
Pulse, 84 before experiment, at 15 minutes was 78, 20 minutes 73, 30
minutes 70, 35 minutes 68, thence gradually rising to 76.
He then took 20 gr.: Irritation in esophagus
was again felt, with some nausea; the drug also operated slightly as a
purgative. (Inaug. Thesis, Penns.
Univ., 1803; from ALLEN.)
Mr. L. took 20 gr. of powdered
root. In 10 minutes burning sensation in esophagus
with considerable discharge of mucus from trachea (still continuing in slight
degree 1 1/2 hour later).Pulse, 65 before experiment, in 10 minutes was 70 and
fuller; later 72, whence it fell again. (Ibid.)
Mr. L – took same.Had similar feeling in esophagus,
with much hawking of mucus.In 30 minutes nausea,
which increased up to 40 minutes.Pulse, 65 before
experiment, gradually rose in 5 – 40 minutes up to 90, and was still 80 – 86
after 1 – 2 hours.
In 11/2 hour skin became very hot; in 1 3/4 hour profuse perspiration
set in, and disagreeable symptoms were quite removed. (Ibid.)
Mr. W. took same. Same
irritation in esophagus; pulse, 68, was 80 at 30 – 40
minutes, and only returned to its starting-point in 21/2 hours (Ibid.) So what
does Senega look like in Boenninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocketbook? And why do
this kind of review?
One of the greatest problems we have in homoeopathy is lack of certainty
about the information available to us. We
don’t always know which are the proving symptoms and which are clinical, or
whether the proving was done exactly according to Hahnemann’s instructions -i.e.
reliable- or not. Doing this kind of
review through other repertories may well give us a fractured jumble of many
similar rubrics with two or three remedies in each, where the remedy we’re
looking at features in some and not in others.
Certain information about what remedies can do is the lifeblood of
homoeopathic work, and without it, our prescribing is resting on very thin ice.
All the rubrics in the TPB and the symptoms in each rubric are the
result of Boenninghausen’s extensive sifting and
categorizing of information. Anything I
find on Senega,
or any other remedy where a proving may be less accessible, I can be
certain comes from either primary proving sources, Boenninghausen’s
own clinical experience or the experience of clinicians he trusted. This significantly ramps up the importance of
such a review in getting a reliable picture of what Senega
can do.
A brief note about grading in the TPB: remedies appearing in three or
four points for a symptom, are those where the symptom appeared in proving and
was frequently observed to be relevant in clinical use of the remedy. Remedies in one or two points are those which
were noted in provings. The clinical experience referred to was
primarily that of Boenninghausen himself and
of Hahnemann.
Senega appears in four points in the
following rubrics. However, it takes its place among many other remedies, and
does not appear in four points in any rubric with less than 50 remedies.
The number immediately after each rubric is the rubric number in the
P&W Synopsis software facsimile of the original 1846 edition of Boenninghausen’sTPB, the number in the square brackets
indicates the number of remedies in the rubric.
What about rubrics with less remedies? Senega
is prominent in the following, and appears in three points:
So far this gives us a picture of a remedy state where the patient has a
tendency to dryness, lack of perspiration and to an increased production of
mucus in the larynx and trachea. There is very clear aggravation from
mortification in this remedy state, and also relaxation of the body
(pathological) and very deep sleep.
Appearance in three points in “Mortification” Seneg.
Cham. Ph-ac. with Coloc. Ign. Nat-m. and Staph.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what can be learned
about a remedy through searching through the repertory. I did one last search,
to see where Senega appeared in any grade, in rubrics
with 10 remedies or less, and got the following result:
Senega’s only partner in the symptom: >
Chewing is Bryonia. Its only partner in the symptom
of Imaginary Odors resembling Pus: Sulph.
In the concordance symptoms and in this last search, for the most part Senega appears in one point, indicating that Boenninghausen did not have much clinical experience
with the remedy for these symptoms. However, its appearance in the TPB
means it has definite significance in such cases, where it matches the totality
of the disease state.
Vorwort/Suchen Zeichen/Abkürzungen Impressum