Mary Gold is wounded

[Joy Lucas]

Dear All, for those who might be interested.....
CALENDULA OFFICINALIS - marigold

Positive qualities: Healing warmth and receptivity, especially in the use of
the spoken word and in dialogue with others.

Patterns of imbalance: Using cutting or sharp words, argumentative, lack of
receptivity in communication with others.

The Calendula flower imparts a warm, golden light of healing for those souls
who must learn to use "the Word" as a truly creative spiritual force. The
Word (or Logos) is the source of all creation, ever renewing itself through
the womb of Nature. Thus Calendula is also known as "Mary's Gold;" for the
golden sun-radiance of the Word must be birthed through the receptive
feminine matrix. In every human communication there is always this masculine
and feminine polarity, of that which is spoken and that which is heard, or
received. Calendula flower essence helps those whose innate creative
potential to use the spoken word often deteriorates into argument and
misunderstanding. It is especially indicated for personal relationship work,
and for all healing and teaching work when the art of communication must be
intensively developed as a soul force. Calendula gives great forces of
warmth and benign compassion to the human soul, especially helping to
balance the active and receptive modes of communication. Flower Essence
Repertory, Part III. Flower Essence Qualities and Portraits - Patricia
Kaminski and Richard Katz.

Such are the expressive qualities of one of our most well known homeopathic
remedies, and maybe they are suggestive of how powerful and deep acting this
remedy could be. There is creativity, birth, language, receptivity,
communication, spiritual forces and benign compassion - all contained within
the healing properties of this remedy.

Calendula was first used as a deobstruent - to relieve the obstruction, to
unblock, to let the free passage of expression flow forth - not just of
speech but for the birthing of all ideas. As Homeopaths we all know what can
happen when these acts of creativity are suppressed or thwarted, when our
natural inclinations are deviated into dis-ease. It becomes the first
instance of pathology.

My interest in Calendula is many fold - apart from the wide and varied
physical applications it is the lack of real depth in the mental and
emotional symptoms which are presented in the Materia Medicas; the link this
remedy has with Cancer and the fact that it has only been partially proved,
which really stir my imaginations.

There are many reasons why substances have been chosen for provings and much
has to do with how that substance has been used historically. Plenty of
scope here for Calendula then.

The ancients considered Calendula to be a deobstruent remedy, exerting a
great influence on the circulation and strengthening the heart. It has long
been used an an antiseptic, stimulant and diaphoretic. Dioscorides
recommended it for Cancer, and Fuchsius prescribed the juice for toothache.
Gerarde described its virtues for inflammations of the eyes. According to
Westring Calendula was formerly in much request as a medicine and was used
more especially in carcinoma and scirrhus with great effect in the third
stage particularly in diminishing the pain and rendering the pus less
corroding. It was also used in chlorosis, hysteria, epilepsy, jaundice and
some kinds of dropsy. Many found it of great efficacy as a lotion to fresh
wounds, inducing union by the first intention. Zorn considered it of great
service in throwing out the eruption of measles and small-pox, and as an
application to stop the bleeding of haemorrhoids. It was a favourite of
Boerhaave who employed it in uterine diseases and also diseases of the
kidney and liver. Also used for obstinate vomiting, cardialgia, diseases of
the glands, compound fractures, amputations, suppurating abscesses, and
violent pains of the uterus.

In its more 'modern' usage it has been efficient in gangrene, fractures,
sprains, herpetic eruptions, eczema, nasal catarrh, blisters on tongue,
syphilitic ozaena, gonorrhea, non-specific urethritis, uterine
subinvolution, engorgement of uterine walls, uterine hypertrophy, suppressed
menses, menorrhagia, chronic cervicitis, warts on the cervix, swelling of
the breasts without pain, gout of the spine, spina bifida, one sided
paralysis, coma, concussion, swollen glands, toothache, haemorrhages,
septicemia, injuries to the eyes, diplopia, insect stings (antidote to
Apis), open wounds, burns and life threatening injuries involving the skin,
tendons, cellular tissues and muscles - healing without leaving any scars.
"Calendula is the greatest non-poisonous germicide, antiseptic, reliever of
pain and healer of wounds that has ever been brought into use". Dr. W. M.
Gregory in Eclectic Medical Journal.

There are also some rather more unusual symptoms worth noting - deafness,
where one can hear better on a train, or hear distant sounds better, cannot
hear 2 people talking together - the pains are excessive and out of
proportion to the injury suffered - bulimia (and maybe other eating
disorders) - and stabbing pains from within to without, like being stabbed
in the back!

The modalities are subtle but to the point:- >> perspiration (unblocking and
free discharges), >> sleep, >> walking about, >> lying very still, >> 9-3pm
(when the flowers are open), >> for the radiance of the sun.
The hearing is very acute and sensitive so even the slightest noise can
startle them - they hear and sense everything acutely.

This extract is interesting....

Article by the Editor of the Hom. World, in the Homoeopathic Recorder, May,
1891, Vol. VI, No. 3,
"The other day I was told by a friend that he had, last autumn, chewed a
Calendula leaf for a few minutes; the effect was most marked and very
striking. It entirely removed for some days the difficulty in making water,
with which he had long been troubled, and which is so common in elderly
people. I have a suspicion myself that Calendula affects the spinal chord,
from certain unpleasant feelings which I have when making it from the fresh
plant." - C.W. To the foregoing the Editor of Hom. World appends the
following note: In response to our request for a fuller description of these
feelings our contributor replies that the symptom was very difficult to
describe. "There was such a feeling as if some overwhelming calamity was
hovering over me as to be almost unbearable. Three years ago, just after
making the tincture, my old enemy, the gout, nipped me in the middle of the
spine, and in three days spoiled all my powers of walking; and then the
dreadful feeling became very much exaggerated."

As Homeopaths we really need to prescribe this remedy to see for ourselves
how broad is its application. Then we can wonder at the results. The trouble
is - Calendula has only been partially proved.

From Kent Lectures.....

"The proving of Calendula is so nearly worthless that we cannot expect at
present to use it as a guide to the internal administration of the remedy.
There are only a few things that I have ever been able to get out of it. In
injuries Calendula cannot be ignored, in cuts with laceration, surface or
open injuries. Dilute Calendula used locally will keep the wound odorless,
will reduce the amount of pus, and favor granulation in the very best
possible manner, and thus it assists the surgeon in healing up surface
wounds. Calendula is all the dressing you will need for open wounds and
severe lacerations. It takes away the local pain and suffering. You may
easily see we are not now dealing with a condition that exists because of a
state within the economy, but because of something that is without. There is
nothing that will cause these external injuries to heal so beautifully as
the Marigold. Some will say it is not homeopathic, but these are the
individuals who "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." If there are
constitutional symptoms suspend all medicated dressing entirely and pay your
whole attention to the constitutional symptoms. Sometimes there are no
constitutional symptoms to prescribe on, but when they are present resort
locally to cleanliness and nothing else. Do not suppress symptoms that you
will need to guide you to a remedy."

One might argue that we do have enough of a full symptom picture for
Calendula but I would like to encourage a new proving, to absolutely confirm
the symptom picture of Calendula and give it its proper hierarchy in the
Repertories and Materia Medicas - even if it is just for wounded parents who
have lost a child.

Thanks for reading. Joy Lucas RSHom
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Sara Klein Ridgley PhD]

Joy Lucas wrote:

Joy,

Thank you so much for this incredible article. It gives me new angles to
look through!

Sara

[Rochelle]

Hi Joy ,
Thanks so much for what you wrote which sounds to me as if it comes from the
heart. Could you relate to us some cases where you have used it for symptoms
other than the usual physical one please?
I picked up on the following and wondered how , in the cases described, you
could easily distinguish it from Chamomilla?


Regards,
Rochelle
www.rochellemarsden.co.uk
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[Zaidee]

Excellent Joy...it would be so mean of me if I stop myself praising you for
such an excellent output...

Take care.

Sincerely,
Zaidee