anyone for tennis - fragaria vesca and cream

[Joy Lucas]

I am sure that many of you will know that Strawberries and the Wimbledon
Tennis Tournament are synonymous with each other - 2 tons of strawberries
are consumed DAILY throughout the tournament, which equals approximately
27,000 kilos in total. And that also means thousands of litre of cream to go
with them. Yes, we love strawberries and their consumption is a British
institution!!

Strawberries have significant food values:-

They are an excellent source of Vitamin C; they are believed to eliminate
kidney stones (if you consume enough of them); relieve the sufferings of
arthritis, gout and rheumatism. The juice of strawberries is said to remove
discolouration on teeth and, if rubbed over the skin, will whiten it and
soothe sunburn. Culpepper claimed they made "an excellent water for inflamed
eyes and to take away a film or skin that beginneth to grow over them." They
provide a mild tonic to the liver and have antibacterial properties.

Unfortunately, there is a downside:-

Th seeds can cause severe irritation to people who have bowel disorders and
they are also famous for the allergic reactions they can cause in those who
are susceptible - the content of salicylates are thought to be the cause.

The connection with Gout, Rheumatism and Arthritis must have something to do
with a Uric Acid diathesis and just as strawberries can alleviate the
sufferings of these conditions, so can they aggravate them - the polar
opposites which we are familiar with in Homeopathy. Cravings of substances
can also mean aggravations, just like aversions can mean aggravations.

I have recently been having a discussion (offlist) with Rosemary and Andy
about the 'Strawberry' rubrics and the remedies contained within them and
unless you have significantly extensive computer repertories, you will
struggle to find a 'desires strawberries' rubric, but it is there and,
interestingly, the one remedy which has a huge aggravation from strawberries
also has a desire for them - Oxalic acid. Other rx that desire strawberies
include adam; ratt-n; and bar-p.

I personally am of the opinion that we have to tread carefully with many of
the food rubrics and I tend to use them only if the craving is just that, a
craving, and likewise the aversion and aggravations have to be much more
than reasonable. Because we are often allergic to the very foods we crave it
is legitimate to use the polar opposite of a particular food desire,
amelioration, aversion or aggravation - especially if the rubric is missing.

If you look at the remedies contained in all the rubrics there are at least
5 remedies which have 'allergic' keynotes - Ant-crud; Apis; Fragaria;
Sulphur and Urtica urens. Virtually all have some sympathy with a uric acid
diathesis - Ant-crud; China; Apis; Fragaria; Oxalic acid; Sepia; Thlaspi;
Urtica urens etc.

From Kent "the oxalic acid patient cannot eat strawberries. If you are ever
caught in a place where you have a patient get sick after eating
strawberries, tomatoes or oysters, and you have no homeopathic remedies at
hand, it is a good thing to remember that a piece of cheese will digest
strawberries, tomatoes or oysters, in a few minutes." Is it the milk content
of cheese which does this? Is that why we eat cream with strawberries, to
create a nutritional and chemical balance?

From P. Sankaran "Powel describes a case of allergy to strawberries who was
ameliorated on Fragaria vesca." This might hint at Isopathy but it comes
back also to the polar opposites we see so often in Homeopathy - cravings
versus aggravations.

And what of the remedy itself - FRAGARIA VESCA, actually the woodland
strawberry and part of the rose family. Homeopathy uses the tincture of the
ripe fruit and an infusion of the roots.

Still the combination of strawberries and cream/milk continues as one of the
chief functions of Fragaria is to dry up the breast milk after childbirth.
But the rest of the symptom picture is extremely varied.

The redness of the fruit is indicated in the complexion which is livid.

The allergic reactions have included fainting; suffocation; swelling
especially of the tongue (strawberry tongue); vomiting; violent colic;
convulsions and even death (Clarke).

It has tapeworms and chilblains which are << in hot weather. Has an affinity
to the spleen, skin eruptions (urticaria like), viscid perspiration, sprue
(chronic deficiency disease characterised by digestive disturbances with
fatty diarrhoea) and psilosis. Clarke also says, "I have known an indulgence
in strawberries to revive symptoms of gonorrhoea." Useful in strokes when
suffocation seems imminent.

Quite an unusual symptom picture.

It is related to Apis; Ars; Crat (also of the rose family); Hydr-ac.

I have not been tempted to write anything about the mental and emotional
symptom picture of Fragaria (little is known?) but one could approach this a
la Sankaran and look at the rose family in detail - a lot of allergies which
threaten not only with their suddeness but also because that threat carries
potential death. Crataegus is a heart remedy and heart attacks can be sudden
and threatening in the same way. There is a lack of control. So I imagine
fear and controlling issues would prevail.

We know that Oxalic acid both craves but cannot eat strawberries but I
couldn't help myself in looking at some of the other cravings and aversions
of some of the strawberry related remedies. The cream and milk theme
continues here also.

Ant crud and Sulphur will eat anything!
Sulphur cannot eat milk.
China has many cravings and aversions but cannot eat milk.
Urtica - although not a craving it also diminishes the secretion of milk
after childbirth.
Sepia cannot eat milk or acids.

But the best for me has to be Apis which craves milk and Thlaspi which
craves buttermilk - a lovely accompaniment to those strawberries!!

Thanks for reading.

best wishes, Joy