Minutus

As it is soon to be Halloween (all soul's even) I thought we could have some fun. Apologies to those who do not celebrate this occasion.
Halloween is a gaelic celebration of the end of summer, the end of the lighter side of the year as we enter into the darker side - a time of harvest to keep nourished through sparse times. It is seen as a fragile time of division when good and bad spirits can pass through as well, hence the 'all soul's even' - but still a time to ward off those evil spirits with the dressing up in costumes and masks and carrying out certain festivities, many of which involve vampires, wolves, witches, skeletons, magic, black cats - you get the picture, it is a fusion of horror and hope fuelled by a fear of famine and getting through the dark side once more. The idea is to ward off fear with more fear. Similia.
These rituals, although now quite trivialised, are ancient and, depending on your culture, have been instilled within us and hence the real fears and phobias that can emerge in regard to wolves, vampires, witches, black cats and the like.
I am particularly interested in Wiccaphobia - the fear of witches and the group of remedies where this appears, that being the Solanum group (there are other rx where this occurs).
There are many remedies within the Solanum (Solanaceae) group –
Atropinum
Belladonna
Capsicum
Datura
Dulcamara
Fabiana
Franciscea
Hyoscyamus
Lycopersicum
Mandragora
Stramonium
Tabacum
Withania
but I would like to offer an insight into 3 remedies that have this connection to witches, either through fear or dreams.
Solanum tuberosum
Solanum tuberosum aegrotans
Mandragora
The remedies in the Solanum group are all remedies of terror in some form or another. Nearly all of them contain some deliriant alkaloid that causes this. Common to the whole group are symptoms that have a violence and suddenness to them and pains/sensations are characteristically spasmodic, jerking, shooting, choking. There is a lot of rage and blackness and fear of sudden death. Opposite to this, understandably, is stupor, fainting and unconsciousness that represents an escape from the turbulence. To complete the triad of active, passive and compensatory states there exists a cheerful and vivacious energy that allows them to be courageous in the face of adversity - a kind of adrenal excess.
The chain reaction begins with an initial disturbance of being poisoned which is akin to being disillusioned, bitter and resentful. This ‘poison’ sets up the turbulence –
Destruction (solanum tub aeg – the rotten potato)
Loquacity (solanum tub aeg)
Censorial and critical (solanum tub aeg)
Euphoria alternating with depression (mandragora)
Fearful – a huge collection of extreme fears and delusions including the fear and dreams of witches.
These delusions and fears are the innermost focal point of the group.
It would be very easy to get into a realm of psychobabble speculation about why anyone would be fearful of witches, it will always depend on the individual case. I will also leave it to yourself to research the history of Wicca, Witchcraft and its festivities, if you so wish. Suffice it to say that a probable cause of the fear of witches is linked with that of 'being accused' - a deep and dark negativity about being blamed for some wrong doing (whether true or not, is neither here nor there). This developed state comes with significant fear, believing they will die suddenly; they have frightful dreams or dream of death with violent weeping and of course the dreams about witches.
So, caught up in the turmoil with no respite terminates into an inability to express themselves appropriately –
Loquacity (solanum tub aeg)
Depressive psychosis (mandragora)
Stammering (solanum tub)
Constantly spitting (solanum tub)
Hurried breathing (solanum tub)
Unable to concentrate (mandragora)
Escape comes in the form of –
Lost consciousness (solanum tub and solanium)
Sleep (mandragora, solanum tub aeg, solanum)
Prolapse (solanum tub aeg)
Developing pathology includes -
Tumours (solanum tub, mandragora)
Convulsions (solanum tub, mandragora)
Amaurosis (solanum tub)
Prolapse (solanum tub aeg)
Swellings (solanum tub aeg)
Congestive headaches/migraines (mandragora)
Gall bladder disease (mandragora)
Pancreatitis and digestive ulcers (mandragora, solanum tub aeg)
Nearly all have violent gastric ailments - fear of being poisoned? They are all poisonous.
The legend of the Mandrake is from it being named the 'insane root'. There is an age old story of the root sending out a 'scream' when it is pulled from the earth. As with other rx in this group there is intense hyper-excitability of the senses and this includes the sexual energies as well - again common to this group. There is a host of history to be studied along these lines for Mandragora. Impotence and infertility come through the provings.
Of all the group remedies Mandragora has the strongest link to witchcraft. I know that many don't have much faith in wiki but these references here are very interesting:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandrake_%28plant%29
I particularly liked the link to an X- File episode
Solanum tub is possibly more of an acute remedy. It has violent colic. It plummets into coma, or near coma, showing signs of Trismus, spitting (has to be linked to hydrophobia and rabies - has dreams of dogs!) and paralysis.
Solanum tub aeg is a most discontented remedy. Extremely censorious, anxious, loquacious, fearful and restless. The focus is often that of always being ill, no peace anywhere.
All these remedies have a sense of 'being rotten' about them, all have bad odours. This brings us back to the 'fear of being accused' or 'having done wrong' and the core is that of feeling rotten, full of decay and not worthy of anything, feelings of shame.
All these remedies are sleepy, almost overpoweringly so and dreams feature a lot. It is as if being sleepy is a peaceful state for these remedies but the dreams bring their own terror.
Solanum tub dreams of dogs and other animals; being mutilated; of witches; of cannibals. Solanum tub aeg dreams of pools of blood; fires; revolution; corpses; dreams of an amorous nature; bodily transformations; acting; witches; magic; eating human flesh; dead bodies; drowning; being disconnected; swimming; fires; being cut to pieces - and more, if this isn't enough. Mandragora dreams of coffins; bones; dead bodies; mutilation; fires; waterfalls, and many more as well as a vast array of delusional states along the same lines.
As I said these are remedies of terror they are not happy, they are lonely, stand accused, borderline psychotic and in need of help.
Happy Halloween!
Joy
http://www.joylucashomeopathy.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeopathystudy/

Hi Joy
A very interesting collection of remedy facts - thank you.
May I suggest also that one reason why some people have this fear of witches is quite simply because of their association with evil, with the dark side of our world, with Satan. It seems (as I saw reported this week in the newspaper) that scientists have discovered that the human brain is 'hard-wired' to believe in gods/God. No surprise to me (I am a Christian) but if this is so, the opposite can also be true and can induce a primeval, instinctual fear.
Liz

Joy, thanks for another wonderful write-up!
If anyone has used it, I would love to hear some cases of solanum tub aeg. Is this more apt to be needed acutely rather than chronically?

Shannon

I've used it in a follow up to a guy (Irish as well, extraordinarily)
who was suffering from post treatment of a brain tumour. He was by all
accounts cured with allopathy and I thought his problems were coming
from the medications he was given until I realised the similar picture
of Sol-t-ae. Mainly headaches, terrible dreams, and a few other
physical sx (mainly bowels, and again I took this to be the drugs) and
some of the emotional ones, manly irritability.

I would say more a chronic application for Sol-t-ae. I think Sol tub
is more of an acute and if interested in Sankaran's groups then he
puts Mandragora onto the Leprous category which comes between Cancer
and Syph.

Joy

http://www.joylucashomeopathy.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeopathystudy/

For curiosity, did you happen to find out whether that seemed to have been the remedy he might have needed before the brain tumor, or whether brought on by the treatment?
Shannon

I've had to pull out all my old notes to remember with certainty and check details. There were a huge amount of notes and several rx given but, when I put it all together I would say, yes, if I'd been treating in the primary instance and been good enough to have found this rx then it would have covered some of the sx. Most telling though was the feeling throughout that the illness had come because he'd done wrong all his life, led to feel this, even as a child.

Joy

http://www.joylucashomeopathy.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeopathystudy/

Wow, so it's one to keep in mind for brain tumors too...
Joy, if you ever get a chance to write up that case (or even just a more detailed one of the remedy), I would love to read it! This remedy's been on my "read list" for some time anyway, but you've inspired me to move it up the list...
Shannon

Shannon,
Here's Massimo's take on Sol-t-aeg. I don't have any cases of his, but there is a Jeff Baker case you can find by googling. Not a remedy much used for acutes, I would suspect, though I've not had occasion to use it. I thought my potatoes might need it this year because of the blight in our area, but they seem to have made it through just fine.

MASSIMO: Full of solanine & very toxic; lies between Belladonna and the edible Solanaceae. Aegrotans (rotten) side is like Pyrogenium in that you’re dealing with a substance that’s rotten; it has a specific destructive component that’s not just a solanine; as in acids and certain nosodes, it rots & destroys.

Severe DECOMPENSATION – usually mentally decompensated. They feel completely unprotected, despised, deprived, attacked – much worse than in Bell., Stram. Not just that they are attacked, but that their surroundings want to STEAL from them the few things they have. There is very little structure, so they feel unprotected and deprived – an that others even want to take what little they have left. Can go into PARANOIA [but MM has not treated paranoid schizophrenics]. He perceive enemies that want to take from him, not just attack him. OVERSUSPICIOUS; can look like Ars., Merc., Merc-cor. Sol-t-aeg. has many skin sxs – over- defensive. Becomes PROFESSIONAL LOSER; strongly destructive in relationships.

Themes:

specific rotten destructive side (like acids, Pyrogenium, Tarent-c., carbons)

vegetable nosode (because disease of potato; but also stage of destruction) – more severe decompensation than in Bell.

more severely decompensated mentally – very suspicious, defensive - sense of control: in Bell. have feeling of self controlling anger, aggression; in Sol-t-aeg. risk of destroying even a little support is not there at all – more involved with defending self, because no possibility of relationship/affection left – has only self to defend, with very poor system

destruction evident both physically and mentally – they are less organized than Bell. and other Solanaceae, more readily aggressive – Bell. has to explode to act his aggression; Sol-t-aeg. shows aggression much more easily – I have to attack you before you attack me; often misinterpret others’ actions and think they’re out to destroy him –

Bell. effective in his reaction (knock-out punch); Sol-t-aeg. not organized; if has to defend self, ends up feeling much more injured – he’s on receiving end, not winning – not good enough to fight effectively – becomes professional loser (whereas Bell. is professional fighter) – strongly destructive in relationships

destructive diseases, even in childhood – tonsillitis in childhood severe; earache has perforated tympanum; sore throat with choking – often in critical, life-threatening situations – self-destructive pathologies - CONGESTIVE sxs like other Bell.-like, but more explosive and uncontrollable

dreams very destructive – commonly they have to act what they’re unable to do in life - act out their aggression, destroy in dreams – almost proud to tell you about their dreams (whereas Bell. keeps this potential for violence inside) – or PRETEND to do something strong, violent – e.g., kids who come home after clearly losing a fight and tell you they won

VEXATION of Bell-like much stronger in Sol-t-aeg. – unable to react

WATER – can be in water and unable to get out of it – not just a substance that you’re afraid to enter, but you’re in this monster that’s destroying you – also dreams of women transformed into animals, monsters – what sld be something that is nurturing you is a shark that’s devouring you; a vagina that will destroy you if you enter it - case of child, 10, who saw pornographic material in class – saw naked men and women – horrific experience for him – did horrible drawings after this of women with open legs, vagina dentata (vagina with teeth)

like Caps., tends to DWELL on his problems – can look like Ipecac, muriaticums, Verbascum, Scrophularia – huge story of terrible things they can’t elaborate – a source of gigantic anger they feel daily, making it bigger and bigger
Peace,

Dale

Excellent. Just as an aside Shakespeare mentions Mandragora in 'Macbeth' - I always thought that Lady Macbeth was the perfect illustration of Stramonium (same family), a state of terror that developed after her involvements of killing royalty but maybe her evolving state of terror was all about Mandragora.

Joy

http://www.joylucashomeopathy.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeopathystudy/

*Thanks* for that vivid picture! Is this notes from class?
(Do you know what miasm he assigns it?)