CEANOTHUS - A NICE CUP OF TEA & A PIECE OF AGUE CAKE
Imagine, in the light of the full moon, December 1773, Boston Harbour and a
jubilant mood amongst the crowd as hundreds of chests of tea were thrown off
the British ships into the sea (the Boston Tea Party). But next morning,
when the party was over they were left wondering what would take the place
of their beloved Bohea Tea. Forsaking the comfort of a nice cup of tea was
going to be difficult. Various enthusiastic experiments led to the use of
Ceanothus americanus as an acceptable substitute, and it was just one of
many Liberty Teas of the time. Hence one of its common names being New
Jersey Tea. It is also referred to as Red Root Bush - more of that later.
Whether or not it really did provide the soothing and refreshing qualities
that Camellia sinensis did would be interesting to discover as part of
Ceanothus' homeopathic picture is that of soothing a state of great
agitation - again, more of that later.
Often thought of as an 'organ support' remedy, Ceanothus is well known for
its affinity to the spleen and symptoms arising from an enlarged spleen and
because of this it is regarded as a left sided remedy. Th spleen is an organ
lying within the abdominal cavity, situated under the margin of the ribs on
the left side. It resembles a large lymph gland in structure and is a
vascular organ having a large arterial blood supply. On entering the spleen
the blood flow slows greatly as it enters a meshwork of dilated blood
vessels. These lie between large masses of lymphocytes (circulating white
blood cells). Their walls contain phagocytes which are capable of engulfing
certain cells and foreign particles in the blood and removing them from the
circulation The relatively large amount of arterial blood which enters the
spleen leaves via the splenic vein and passes to the liver via the portal
vein - here you might then have a situation of symptoms which go from left
to right and back to left again. The spleen plays an important part in the
production of antibodies as well as removing abnormal or dying blood cells -
so many blood disorders come under its range.
Enlargement of the spleen can go virtually unnoticed or mis-diagnosed for a
very long time. As it becomes bigger and bigger it presses on other organs
around it thus causing further symptoms. Many infections such as infectious
mononucleosis, viral and bacterial infections and inflammations cause the
spleen to enlarge as well as parasites, liver diseases and tumours within
the lymphatic system. Malaria is probably the most common parasitic
condition which causes the spleen to swell. These parasites develop in the
liver and multiply in red blood cells which cause them to rupture and the
cycle continues. The spleen has to work extremely hard under these
conditions. In contrast this might suggest a right to left action of a
remedy.
'Ague cake' - that wonderful old medical term - is a form of enlargement of
the spleen resulting from the action of malaria on the system. It suggests
'congealed' and 'moulded into a solid mass'. The spleen can enlarge so
extremely it can reach upwards to the thoracic viscera and downwards to the
navel causing agonising pain.
But there are other symptoms which are worth noting:-
pain is usually cutting and deep seated in nature, sometimes neuralgic
cannot lie on the left side because of the pain
very chilly - chills go down the back, face feels hot, generally hot after
the chills
back and legs feel weak
bearing down sensations in the abdomen
right sided headaches (as if brain enlarged)
crackling noises in the head
the beat of the pulse is felt in the head
hair falls out
violent vertigo
mouth very dry and full of ulcers (can also have excessive saliva)
extremely visible heart beat
eyes feel large and dry
suppressed menses or too early and profuse (where fibroids might be present)
yellow leucorrhea
loss of appetite
desires sour things and water
constant urging to urinate
green urine
diarrhoea and dysentery
chronic bronchitis
asthma with dyspnoea
suffocation, has to fight for breath (entangled)
veins become knotty and painful
skin cancers
leukaemia
hodgkin's disease
cancer of the spleen
cancer of the pancreas
cancer of the liver
there is periodicity
general sleeplessness
dreams of snakes
<<< motion, left side, lying on left side, damp weather, pastry, water
Compare:- china; arsenicum; lachesis; nat mur; carbo veg; ipecac; merc; nat
sulph; berberis; myrica; cedron; agaricus; chel; ferrum mur; aconite;
veratrum viride; ferrum phos; tarax; nit-ac.
Historically it has been used as an astringent, expectorant, lymphagogue,
stimulant, antiseptic and sedative and like any good cup of tea it will both
soothe and revive!!
I would like to go back now to two earlier points which hint at the mental
and emotional picture of Ceanothus.
Another name for Ceanothus, as mentioned earlier, is Red Root Bush. Not only
does the 'red' suggest its affinity to the blood but that also it is the
roots of the shrub which have been used historically by herbalists and they
contain anticarcinogenics (the homeopathic preparation uses only the
leaves). The roots are fractured, hard, tough and splintery. Roots of any
shrub can grow to become entangled as they strive to access space and
nutrients and it is this 'ENTANGLEMENT' which is at the essence of the
mental and emotional symptom picture.
There us a great deal of nervous excitement, as if the nerves are shaken, a
state of great agitation. They makes gestures as though trying to grasp
something. There are many fears to do with their own state of ability. They
fear they will be permanently disabled and will never get better. They have
dreams of snakes which become entangled as they slither round and round
their own body. They carry with them an uneasy foreboding and a great sense
of melancholy, a fear that something will happen. There is violent vertigo
with a great deal of shaking, as if they mean to become disentangled. The
intestines feels as if they are in knots.
During fright and alarm reaction the spleen contracts and discharges stored
blood which increases the volume of blood in the general circulation. Also
red blood cell production accelerates and the ability of the blood to clot
increases. These reactions combat bleeding. Therefore ailments from fright
and haemorrhagic conditions are significant.
The oval shaped spleen is the largest mass of lymphatic tissue in the body -
approximately 12cm long. The superior surface is smooth and convex and
conforms to the concave surface of the diaphragm. Neighboring organs make
indentations in the spleen - stomach, left colon, left kidney. Dense
connective tissue and scattered smooth muscle fibres surround the spleen
(ENTANGLED), this, in turn, is covered by a serous membrane. There is a
TANGLED sensation in the left hypochondrium, with air hunger.
I have only ever used this remedy as an organ support and I would strongly
urge you to read Eric Sommermann's case which was printed in the Homeopath,
vol. 13.2, 1994 - it is a fabulous write up.
Thanks for reading and also thanks to Andy H. for supplying some excellent
research notes (as he always does
)Best wishes, Joy Lucas RSHom
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