Ruminating on Remedies, My thoughts on homeopathy

8/22/2026

Quickie Pain Relief: OHM sells a little kit

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OHM is an excellent homeopathic pharmacy located in Texas. They make a nice little kit aimed at pain management. Unfortunately, OHM doesn’t sell to the general public; but, that doesn’t stop you from creating your own little kit based on their suggested remedies.

Let’s see why these 12 11 remedies are included in this select little kit and why you may want to consider having some handy.
Note: this is a quick list to get you started — it is far from complete.

Aconite 200c

Pains that come on suddenly and intensely; may follow shock.
Sharp, shooting, stabbing pains; may be quite severe.
Nerve/neuralgic pains, especially when they are accompanied by anxiety or restlessness.
Burning pains, particularly in the face or extremities.
Throbbing pains; headaches.
Pains are worse from the cold and may improve with warmth.
Sore throats, sudden colds and coughs.
Mentally/Emotionally: marked restlessness and anxiety; with a fear of death or disaster.
Particularly good when used as soon as possible when the symptoms arise.

Arnica 30 & 200

Bruised and sore pain, especially after physical trauma or injury. Soft tissue injury.
Muscle and joint pains and stiffness from overexertion or strain.
Helpful following surgical or dental procedures.
Headaches that feel bruised or sore; following head injury/concussion.
Aggravation from touch or pressure.
Restless and unable to find a comfortable position.
Useful where the body or mind is in a state of shock due to a recent injury or traumatic event.

Bryonia 30c

Sharp, stabbing pains — may be quite intense and are often localized.
Worse with any movement or jarring; complete stillness is preferred.
Joint pain, especially when movement makes it worse.
Headaches that feel heavy and are worse from movement; may be described as “bursting.”
Chest pain which is worse from deep breathing or coughing.
Abdominal pain: sharp and worsens with movement. Constipation.
May feel restless but only find relief when completely still.
Dryness: dry, sore cough; dry mucous membranes.
Irritability and thirst.
Acute inflammatory conditions affecting the joints, lungs and abdomen.

Calc phos 6c

Growing pains, especially during periods of rapid growth.
Bone pains or soreness, particularly in cases of fractures or delayed healing.
Neck and back pain; may be associated with weakness or poor posture.
Joint pain may be worse in cold, damp weather and improve with warmth.
Headaches resulting from mental exertion or stress — a dull ache.
Abdominal discomfort or colic, especially in children

Calendula 30c

Pain associated with cuts, scrapes and other wounds; abscesses or infected wounds.
Burns or burning pains (including sunburns); burning sensations.
Sore and tender skin: dermatitis, rashes, cuts, abrasions.
Helpful to alleviate pain and promote healing after surgical procedures, especially in soft tissue.
Joint pains which are worse movement and better with rest; sprained joints or muscles.
Sensitive to touch or pressure.

Chamomila 30c

Particularly effective for teething pains, characterized by irritability and discomfort.
Colicky abdominal pain, often accompanied by cramping and restlessness.
Intense headaches with irritability or anger. (See also, Caffeine Withdrawal.)
Neuralgic/nerve-y pains that are sharp and shooting.
Sore or tense muscles, especially after exertion.
Mental/Emotional: often indicated when pain is exacerbated by emotions like anger or frustration. Sensitive to pain, feeling overwhelmed by even mild discomfort. May seek comfort from being held or cuddled, particularly in cases of teething or colic. Oversensitive to pain.
Worse at night or during emotional distress. Better from warmth and warm applications.

Hypericum 30c

Nerve pain: sharp, shooting, tingling or burning sensations. Nerve trauma.
- Nerve-related pain following surgical procedures.
Pain resulting from injuries to nerve-rich areas (fingers, toes, spine).
Cuts or lacerations involving nerve endings.
Headache with a neuralgic component.
Shooting pains; may radiate from one area to another.
Sensitivity to touch.
Worse from movement.
Mental/Emotional: emotional distress related to injuries or trauma.

Phosphorus 30c

Burning pains, especially in the chest, stomach or extremities.
Neuralgic/nerve pains: sharp and shooting, often with heightened sensitivity.
Headaches: intense and throbbing; often described as bursting.
Joint pains worse in the cold weather; improves with warmth.
Crampy or colicky abdominal pain with digestive issues.
Pain associated with bronchitis or pneumonia.
Vascular trauma.
Post-anesthesia effects.
Often very sensitive to external stimuli, including touch, noise and light.
Worse at night and during times of emotional stress.
Thirsty for cold drinks which may temporarily relieve the burning sensations.
There may be an emotional aspect to the pain: anxiety or fear accompanying physical symptoms.

Rhus tox 30c

Stiffness and soreness in muscles and joints; worse after periods of rest. Muscle or tendon sprains.
Rheumatic (deep aching or throbbing) pains, worse in cold, damp weather and better with movement and warmth.
Burning sensations.
Pains following overexertion or strain.
Restlessness due to discomfort — feel they need to move to relieve the pain.
Skin sensitivity or rashes; eczema.
Worse at night or at rest.

Ruta 30c

Bruised, sore and aching pains, especially after trauma or injury.
- Injuries to bones and periosteum; sprains and dislocations.
Useful for tendons and ligaments — often described as stiffness or strained; following injuries.
Back pains which are worse from lying down or sitting but improves with movement.
Eye strain — may lead to aching eyes and headaches.
Deep pains in the bones; following injury or over-doing it.
Sensations: strained and bruised, particularly in joints and tendons.
Worse from cold and damp; better from warmth and rest.
Good for mechanical injuries; overuse of muscles and tendons.

Symphytum 30c

Deep, aching bone pains, particularly after fracture or injury. Injuries to bones, cartilage and periosteum.
- NOTE: do not use Symphytum with suspected fracture until after imaging and the bone is properly set.
Pain from injuries to bones and soft tissues. Joint pains often better with movement.
Bruised or sore sensations.
Pain following surgical procedures involving bones or joints.
Nerve pain occurring in conjunction with bone injuries.
Sensitive to touch — even the slightest touch can cause discomfort.

This kit suggests using the appropriate remedy every 15 minutes in acute situations. Reduce frequency repetition upon improvement.

I have a number of longer homeopathic pain remedy articles still in the works. Sit tight!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

8/8/2026

12 Angry… Homeopathic Remedies

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We are definitely in the dog days of summer here in the desert southwest. It is monsoon season but the rain is not landing on us. We do have a couple of rooms in the house that have a little air conditioner, the rest of the house is cooled with a swamp cooler. For the most part, I definitely prefer the swamp over refrigerated air — the windows need to be open for them to work properly (we still hear the birds and the the little fountain!) and we’re not hermetically sealed inside and they add some much needed moisture into our desert house. For those unfamiliar, a swamp cooler is an evaporative cooler, meaning it only works during low humidity. How high does the humidity need to be for the swamp cooler to turn the house swampy? Not very — once we go above 30% humidity, it starts to feel fruitless. See here for more information. As I write this, the swamp has cooled our porch down to 80 (from the 99 outside), but with 56% humidity I have the unusual (for us) experience of a water glass covered in condensation.

These hot and (relatively) humid days, remind me of the movie 12 Angry Men. Have you seen it? The original film with Henry Fonda (1957)? Fantastic movie. If you haven’t seen it, put it on the list — again, the original black and white movie. (You’ll get over it not being in color soon enough. You can do it.)

12 Angry Men is about the 12 jurors stuck in a jury room where one juror holds out against the others — and, of course they have to confront their own biases and demons while enduring a hot, sweaty environment.
There’s so much to say about this movie — swimming against the current… doing what is right even though you’re alone and it’s difficult… bias, prejudice and yes, anger.

I’m not the only homeopath who watches a movie and wonders what homeopathic remedy may benefit each character. (See also, Fictional Wounds for a previous take.) I wish I had taken notes during the movie to flesh out the characters and their anger. In hindsight, it was really only 11 angry men and 1 who was determined, rather than angry.

With these memories of this movie popping into my head with these hot and sweaty days, I thought I would take a look at different kinds of anger. Well, sort of — more of how anger is expressed or what sets it off.

Let’s now look at our 12 angry men. It has been a couple of years since I last watched it and I didn’t take notes, so I did ask Grok for a review of the characters to refresh my memory (turns out I did pretty well without any notes — the movie must have made a bigger impression on me than I realized!)

A man who just had to be right
A man who was angry with the idea of missing his ball game
A man who was really angry about his estranged son and his anger colors his thoughts on the defendant.
A man who was openly angry about immigrants.
A timid man who would get annoyed at being ignored or talked over.
A man who was angry about being looked down upon due to his upbringing.
A man who would get angry when he felt older jurors were not being shown the respect he thought they deserved.
A man, the foreman, who was frustrated by the lack of order — he was trying to keep things proper and run an efficient meeting.
A man who was indignant about how he saw prejudice clouding judgement.
A man who was angry that others were not showing the proper respect to the justice system.
A man who was irritated at having to be inconvenienced.
The not very angry man, our protagonist, who was determined, rather than angry — he was frustrated by the rush to convict without giving it the attention the situation deserved.

Let’s ruminate on some anger remedies (and, rubrics)!
Are there other rubrics? Absolutely! It’s a movie, I went very surface level, here! Note: I used Murphy (via RadarOpus) unless otherwise noted and I kept it to just two possible remedies for each man — just enough to get a broad overview of the anger aspect of each remedy.

For the man who had to be right (#1) I would consider Platinum metallicum or Lycopodium.

Platina is known for its haughtiness and arrogance and a fear of losing control over themselves or their environment
Lycopodium has a fear of failure and a strong desire to be seen as competent and knowledgeable — leading to the need to always be right.
- Rubrics used:
  - Mind - CONFIDENT - excessive, self-esteem
  - Mind - SELF, general - self-sufficient, needs no help from others - overly confident
  - Mind - PRESUMPTUOUS
  - Mind - CONTRADICTIONS, general - intolerant, of

#2, the man who was angry about missing a ball game, Ignatia or Gelsemium.

Ignatia is known for anger with anxiety and silent grief; it may alternate with cheerfulness or anger from bad news.
Gelsemium is the anticipatory anxiety remedy. This man was anticipating his ball game and he was angry he couldn’t attend.
- Rubrics chosen:
  - Mind - ANGER, general - refused, when things he wants are
  - Mind - ANGER, general - trifles, at
  - Mind - SELFISHNESS (Gels is not in this rubric)
  - MIND - Emotions effects - Anger, bad news, disappointment, vexation (Boericke)
  - Mind - ANGER, general - vexation, from
  - Mind - ANTICIPATION, general - ailments, from
  - Mind - DISAPPOINTMENTS, ailments from

The 3rd man was really angry with (at?) his estranged son. This one was trickier because there is most likely so much underneath this anger. For the sake of this discussion, however, I would be looking at Natrum muriaticum and Lycopodium (and in this situation, it’s even trickier because both remedies are included in some very important rubrics).

Nat mur dwells on past unpleasant memories — how in the past is this estrangement, I don’t recall (or, they never said). They are easily provoked to anger and has a disinclination to mental work (like jury duty, I am assuming).
We looked at one aspect of Lycopodium anger above, let’s look further. Lyc has complaints brought on by fear and fright, chagrin, anger, vexation, anxiety. Might this man have been fearful for/of his son or embarrassed that his son was keeping his distance from him?
- Rubrics chosen:
  - Mind - ANGER, general - absent, persons while thinking of them, angry at
  - Mind - ANGER, general - grief, with silent
  - Mind - ESTRANGED, feels - family, from
  - Mind - ABANDONED, forsaken feelings - ailments, from being
  - Mind - DISCORDS, ailments from

Man #4 is an angry bigot. The top 2 remedies are Causticum and Lycopodium.

Causticum — has (most of) the word “Cause” in it. These are people who get angry over an injustice.
Lycopodium, Farrington (1935) tells us, is “irritable, malicious and intolerant of contradiction, and goes about seeking a quarrel. … He is restless, and full of anxiety and fears. At times he may be haughty and domineering…”
- Rubrics chosen:
  - Mind - PREJUDICED, attitudes
  - Mind - INTOLERANCE
  - Mind - CRITICAL, censorious
  - Mind - INTOLERANCE - ailments, from
  - MIND - PREJUDICED - traditional prejudices

Our 5th man is timid and doesn’t take kindly to being talked over. Here comes Lycopodium again, as well as Staphysagria.

Turning to Farokh Master (2017), Lycopodium has an “extreme lack of confidence in his own abilities… This arises from being verbally criticized by dominating parents.” (Was the 5th man dominated by his parents? We don’t have that answer.) Cowperthwaite (1909) adds: “morose, peevish, vehement, angry, timid. Easily aroused to anger.”
Staphysagria is well known for its suppressed anger and I don’t think it’s hard to see how suppressed anger can lead to timidity. Master, this time from his book Suppressed Staphysagria (2003), says: “He gets angry when any injustice is done but does not retaliate due to timidity.”
- Rubrics used:
  - Mind - TIMID
  - Mind - CONFIDENT - alternating, with - timidity (Staph)
  - Mind - TIMID - public, about appearing in, to talk (Lyc)
  - Mind - ANGER, general - ailments, from - suppressed, from
  - Mind - DOMINATION, by others, ailments from - history, of, a long

Juror #6 is the man who is angry about being looked down upon due to his upbringing. Once again, we are comparing between Staphysagria and Lycopodium.

I am going to make the assumption that shame (See, also: Shame.) plays a role in this man’s anger. Staphysagria is a big shame remedy. Murphy (2003) says: Great indignation about the things done by others or by himself, grieves about the consequences. Humiliation, deep guilt and shame.… Very sensitive as to what others say…”
Lycopodium shame, however, according to Jonathan Shore (1990): “Humiliation and shame, as opposed to indignation.… Indignation is a certain sort of anger, righteous anger. Mortification is anger with shame, humiliation.”
- Rubrics chosen:
  - Mind - ANGER, general - ailments, from - suppressed, from
  - Mind - DOMINATION, by others, ailments from - history, of, a long
  - Mind - SHAME, ailments from

Angry man #7 is the one who would get angry when he felt the older jurors were not being shown the respect he thought they deserved. Colocynthis and Causticum.

Colocynthis cannot tolerate injustice. Arndt (1904) tells us Colocynthis is “useful in troubles caused by anger or indignation.”
As we learned above, Causticum believes strongly in justice. Master (2017): “Cannot tolerate injustice; very strong morals and an innate sense of what is right and wrong.”
- Rubrics chosen:
  - MENS - SYMPATHETIC, compassionate - misfortune of others, greatly affected by (Mangialavore)
  - MENS - AILMENTS from - misfortune of others (Mangialavore)
  - R.R. - Mind; Anger, irascibility; injustice, from (Viva: Reliable Rep)
  - Mind - ANXIETY, general - others, for
  - Mind - INJUSTICE, general - injustice, cannot tolerate

#8 (should probably be #1 since he was the foreman) is frustrated by the lack of order — he worked hard to keep thing running properly. Aurum metallicum and Calcarea carbonica are two remedies which take their responsibilities seriously.

Aurum met can be angry with himself and his mistakes or about business matters; there may be some anxiety with the anger.
Calc carb may have some anxiety with the anger or, just thinking about former stresses may bring on some anger.
- Rubrics used:
  - Mind - CARES, full of
  - Mind - RESPONSIBILITY, general - ailments, from too much
  - Mind - CARES, full of - trifles, about
  - Mind - ANXIETY, general - business, about
  - Mind - BUSINESS, general - cares, worries about business
  - Mind - WORRIES, tendency, to - business, or work
  - Mind - ANGER, general - business, about

The 9th man was indignant about how he perceived others’ prejudices clouding their judgement. The two remedies I would think about for this man are Nux vomica and Ignatia.

Nux vomica is an irritable sort who gets easily annoyed by lots of things. According to New England Journal of Homeopathy (1995), Nux vomica “gets very angry at injustice. She does not watch the news, because it depresses her.”
Looking further at Ignatia from Shore (1990): “Except… you see she has this feeling for the children being teased… but it is not really like Causticum. It is not a question of injustice; it is a question of pain. … It is just sort of a passing thought, especially when she was talking about how she didn’t like it when other kids were being teased.”
- Rubrics chosen:
  - Mind - CONTEMPTUOUS
  - MENS - ANGER, irascibility - tendency (Mangialavore)
  - MENS - ANGER, irascibility - tendency - contradiction, from (Mangialavore)
  - MENS - IRRITABILITY - injustice, from
  - Mind - INJUSTICE, general - injustice, cannot tolerate (Mangialavore)

Juror #10 is the man who was righteously angry that others were not showing the proper respect to the justice system. This was a harder one to figure out, but I came down to Kali carb and Cuprum metallicum.

Kali carb, from New England Journal of Homeopathy (1996): “As a result of their perfectionism and self-containment, Kali carbonicum individuals develop a deep Resentment [sic] of any person who appears to be breaking the rules without evidence of conscience or remorse. They are driven to be ‘good’ by their internal critic, while they judge and condemn anyone who does not conform to their idea of correctness. Eventually they are filled with resentment and display a chronic Irritability [sic].”… “If, however, their partner embarrasses them by breaking a rule of behavior they can become quite angry and are unable to recapture the view of their partner as a good person.”
Vermeulen (2004) says Cuprum metallicum is “Very respectful of RULES; angry when others do not respect them.… He is a lover of leadership, rules and regulations.”
- Rubrics used:
  - MENS - LAW, very respectful (Mangialavore)
  - Mind - DUTY - sense, of duty, too much
  - MENS - DUTY - great sense of

#11 is a man who was irritated at having to be inconvenienced. This one, too, has so many underlying possibilities, it’s hard to get a handle on it, but I am going to make a couple of assumptions in my rubric choices. The main remedy that comes up is Nux vomica but further down the way were two rubrics that led me to an interesting choice of remedy that I would not have thought about: Ipecac.

Nux vomica is a big “business” and “work” and “anger”remedy, but it also has some selfishness, too. When we put together a man who is irritated at an inconvenience for his civic duty, perhaps some of these rubrics point us to Nux.
Buck (1895) says Ipecac is “Angry for the smallest trifle.” Clarke (1902) reminds us: “Irritability, and disposition to be angry.”
- Rubrics chosen:
  - Mind - SELFISHNESS
  - Mind - LAZINESS, behavior - business, when transacting
  - Mind - GLOOMY, morose - business, does not proceed fast, when
  - Mind - ANGER, general - business, about
  - Mind - MUTTERING, general - business, matters, about (Note: it has been too long to remember if this character muttered, but it felt right. Regardless, it’s an interesting rubric.)

Our final juror, our protagonist, was not actually angry but very determined and was frustrated by the rush to convict someone without giving it the attention the situation deserved. In this instance, there is nothing to be addressed, homeopathically speaking. However, here are a few rubrics that could be used in conjunction with this man:

Mind, general; determination, general (Viva: Murphy Meta)
Mind, general; determination, general; strong (Viva: Murphy Meta)
Mind - OBSTINATE, stubborn, headstrong
Mind; Dutiful (Viva: Reliable)
Mind - JUSTICE, obsessed with
Mind; Integrity, sensation of; concerned about his (Viva: Reliable)
Mind - VEHEMENCE

There is one more character in this movie: the weather. It was hot and muggy with all the men sweltering with just one measly fan in the room.

Mind - STUPEFACTION, mental - weather, during hot
Generals - HOT, weather - agg.
Generalities; Weakness, enervation; weather; hot (Viva: Reliable)
Generalities; Weather; hot weather; ailments from (Viva: Reliable)
Mind; Weather; sultry, agg (Viva: Reliable)

Since I have the information sitting in front of me, Antimonium crud and Lachesis are the predominant remedies from these hot weather rubrics.

12 Angry Men nicely illustrates the individualization of homeopathy — there is not one remedy that would address the various expressions of anger in all these men. Their past experiences and the way their anger shows up and what they do with that anger — these are all very important considerations in finding a suitable homeopathic remedy.

This article has been rolling around in my head since I last saw this movie a couple of years ago and I now know why it took so long to see the light of day — it’s actually a really big topic. (Look for the Digging Deeper into Angry Remedies soon.)

It turns out, though, that I was more than happy to while away some of these really hot days sitting in front of my fan, listening to my little fountain outside the open window and finally putting some possible homeopathic remedies to these characters.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

Reference list
Arndt, H. E., 1904. First Lessons in the Symptomatology of Leading Homoeopathic Remedies. accessed through Radar Opus software.

Buck, H., 1895. The Outlines of Materia Medica & Clinical Dictionary. accessed through Radar Opus software. B. Jain Publishers.

Clarke, J. H., 1902. A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica. accessed through Radar Opus software.

Cowperthwaite, A. C., 1909. A Text-book of Materia Medica and Therapeutics, Characteristic, Analytical and Comparative. accessed through Radar Opus software.

Farrington, H., 1935. Homeopathy and homeopathic prescribing : A study course for graduate physician.

Master, F., 2017. Clinical observations of children’s remedies. New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.

Master, F. J., 2003. Suppressed staphysagria. B. Jain Publishers.

Murphy, R., 2003. Homeopathic medical repertory : a modern alphabetical repertory. Blacksburg, Va.: H.A.N.A. Press.

New England Journal of Homeopathy, 1995, 4 (2).
accessed via Radar Opus software

New England Journal of Homeopathy, 1996, 5 (2).
accessed via Radar Opus software

Shore, J., 1990. Seminar Glasgow [Scotland]. Presented at the Seminar Glasgow. Accessed through Radar Opus software

Vermeulen, F., 2004. Prisma : the arcana of materia medica illuminated : similars and parallels between substance and remedy. accessed through Radar Opus software. Haarlem, Netherlands: Emryss.

Ruminating on Remedies

Julia Coyte, CHom

Quickie Pain Relief: OHM sells a little kit

Digging Deeper: Anger Remedies

12 Angry… Homeopathic Remedies

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