Werkboek Klassieke Homeopathie

By Valerie Sadovsky, RSHom(NA), CCH

Remedy chart

Levant Wormseed (of Compositae family) is a hardy perennial shrub growing in Kirghizstan. The active principle of the plant is Santonine, an active vermifuge. The drug has affinity with the central nervous system, inducing giddiness, impaired perception, coldness of surface, dilated pupils, profuse perspiration, vomiting, delirium, convulsions, coma and finally death from respiratory failure. Other prominent effects are yellow vision, yellow vomit, urine that leaves a yellow stain.

ESSENCE:

Mostly a children's remedy. "About the worst child, except possibly Stram." (Morrison). EXTREME SENSITIVITY of mind and body: offended by the slightest thing, peevish and cross, aversion to being caressed, cannot endure to be approached, touched or even looked at (touch induces or aggravates convulsions, spasms, trembling.): "Don’t touch me, don’t bother me, stay away from me." Have a great fear of being insulted or hurt; EXTREME OBSTINACY and defiance is their protection.

MENTAL SYMPTOMS:

- "Ugly" disposition: averse to being TOUCHED (and yet may demand to be carried), spoken to or LOOKED AT, to CARESSES … desires things, but pushes them away when offered … angry, cross continually crying, strikes anyone around him … seems never happy with anything … fear of being approached (Arn.)

- Unbreakable will, extreme OBSTINACY and DEFIANCE: cannot be reprimanded and will not tolerate parental authority … rules the house … will never do what he doesn’t want to do … says "no" to everything … anger can lead to tantrums and even to convulsions

- Child wants to be carried, esp. over the shoulder (= > pressure on abdomen) or rocked rapidly

- Very particular about certain things, e.g. child will through a fit if someone messes with his toy model.

- Feeling he’s done something wrong, he’s a criminal.

GENERAL SYMPTOMS:

CHILLY

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS:

Nervous system: convulsions associated with worms … convulsions, spasms or/and trembling from being TOUCHED, from being disciplined or scolded, from being looked at … child STIFFENS before coughing, from anger, when looked at, during convulsions

Head: face pale with fine, almost translucent skin which shows the veins … white or bluish discoloration around mouth … hot flash and redness of face (in fever) … PICKS NOSE or rubs the nose (child rubs the nose on the pillow, on the shoulders of the nurse, or with the hands) … chews, swallows or GRINDS TEETH in sleep … doesn’t allow his head to be touched (cannot have hair cut or combed)

Eyes: yellow vision ... strabismus from abdominal irritation.

Chest: gagging from the cough … violent cough with stiffening of the body and/or spasms of the limbs … pertussis

GI: all nutrition is "taken up" by WORMS (emaciation with ravenous appetite; hungry soon after eating; infant wants to be nursed all the time) … gurgling in esophagus from cough or when swallowing … many cravings and yet insatiable … aversion to mother’s milk … cramping and diarrhea, > chest/knee position, > being carried over the shoulder, > pressure

Rectum: worms in the stool (pinworms) … itching rectum … stool mostly colorless (contrary to the green, hot stools of Cham.)

Extremities: spasms of hands and feet

Female: Uterine hemorrhage before puberty … child refuses breast

Sleep: VERY RESTLESS … gets on hands and knees or on abdomen in sleep … screams and talks in sleep ... night terrors of children, cries out, wakes frightened. … child will not sleep unless rocked or kept in constant motion

ETIOLOGIES:

WORMS, esp. round worms … reprimand … difficult dentition

AFFINITIES:

NERVES [cerebro-spinal, ABDOMEN] … digestive tract … eyes … mucous membranes … CHILDREN … LEFT SIDE

MODALITIES:

<: Worms … vexation … reprimand or punishment … being looked at … DURING SLEEP … TOUCH

>: Lying on abdomen … moving about (characteristic of all Compositae) … being carried over shoulder (babies)

SENSATIONS:

Extreme sensitivity of skin and hair to TOUCH … itching (nose, anus)

PAINS:

Pain comes in shocks … spasmodic … cramping

NOTES:

Sankaran: "It is a kind of pest-like behavior, with frequent complaining and demanding of attention, a kind of behavior that makes you want to avoid or push away the child, rather than giving him immediate attention. I have often wondered if there is a connection between the pest-like behavior of the child and the tendency to worms."

DIFFERENTIALS:

Cham: The Cham. face is frequently red and hot on one side, and pale and cold on the other. Cina has glowing redness both sides, or is pale and sickly, with dark circles round eyes, or red with great paleness round mouth and nose. Then Cina has, in addition, boring and picking its nose, gritting its teeth in sleep, jerking in sleep, and frequently swallowing, or even coughing and choking. Such a combination is not found under any other remedy. Then Cina has alternating canine hunger and no appetite at all.....

PRIME INDICATIONS:

1. Touchy and ugly [pre-eminently in children]. Strong dislike to being touched, caressed, looked at (Cham.-like behavior, but even worse.)

2. Complaints related to worms.

3. Desire to lie on abdomen.

4. Ravenous appetite.

5. Boring in or rubbing of nose.

6. Ailments and yawning; and stiffening of body.

SOURCES:

Guanavante, Genius

Hering, Guiding Symptoms

Morrison, Desktop Guide

Murphy, Homeopathic Remedy Guide

Sankaran, The Soul of Remedies

Tyler, Homeopathic Drug Pictures

Vermeulen, Prisma

Roger notes

Cina

Now, Cina, I think we said is about the worst child maybe next to Stramonium, which is maybe even worse. Very much like Chamomilla, they want to be carried but they don’t want to be touched. I mean, you can see the kind of capriciousness there. They can go into convulsions. A very nervy, especially children, very nervy child, very irritable child who goes into convulsions from being scolded, and also in the books of course, it is convulsions from worms. It is one of the main keynotes. We don’t see that nowadays so much. Picking at the nose from sort of a nervous erythism within the nose, Cina is the main remedy for that. Then Chamomilla.

Memory card

Cina

Children (especially dark - haired) with worm affections; pale face, white about the mouth, boring of nose with finger, grinding of teeth at night, restless sleep, hunger, fever, etc.

III humor; cannot be quieted; dislikes caresses; rejects everything offered: may want to be carried but is no better.

Spasmodic affections especially convulsions, chorea, whooping cough; from intestinal irritation, particularly worms.

Ravenous appetite; hunger soon after full meal; craves many and different things, sweets.

Fevers, remittent, stimulating worm fever; intermittent, in children daily attacks at same hour; no thirst during chill or heat.

Note: The alkaloid Santonine is specific for Ascaris Lumbricoides.