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!)

1. A man who just had to be right
2. A man who was angry with the idea of missing his ball game
3. A man who was really angry about his estranged son and his anger colors his thoughts on the defendant.
4. A man who was openly angry about immigrants.
5. A timid man who would get annoyed at being ignored or talked over.
6. A man who was angry about being looked down upon due to his upbringing.
7. A man who would get angry when he felt older jurors were not being shown the respect he thought they deserved.
8. A man, the foreman, who was frustrated by the lack of order — he was trying to keep things proper and run an efficient meeting.
9. A man who was indignant about how he saw prejudice clouding judgement.
10. A man who was angry that others were not showing the proper respect to the justice system.
11. A man who was irritated at having to be inconvenienced.
12. 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.

​One of the first remedies I gave my (then) young son after beginning to study homeopathy was Stramonium.

He was about 9, I think, and my previously easy-going young fellow had become pretty surly. To paint the picture, he had previously had a good relationship with the after-school tutor who had been helping all 3 of my boys at various times for a few years. They would sit at the dining room table when I was cooking dinner and they chatted nicely and joked as she explained to him how this thing called “math” worked. Then, one day, he just became unpleasant and rude to her. It was not just with the tutor, but that relationship provided the clearest display of what was happening. 

I had learned recently about the homeopathic remedy Stramonium and I ordered a tube because it sounded like a pretty good fit for him. As the days went by, waiting for the remedy to arrive in the mail, I hoped that it was actually just a passing phase and my pleasant son would return. My hopes went unanswered.

As luck would have it, the Stramonium arrived in the middle of a tutoring session. I opened the package and popped a couple of pellets in his mouth. A few minutes later, he said, “what did you just give me? It has made me really angry!”

I have to admit that I panicked for a minute. What had I done? (In hindsight, a lower potency probably would have been better.) But, a few minutes later, he calmed way down after a short-lived aggravation*. I don’t think I ever actually gave him a second dose of Stramonium and his old, pleasant self soon returned.

What is Stramonium and how can it possibly have this effect?

Stramonium is made from jimson weed, a nightshade relative of tomatoes, eggplants and tobacco, and is known to trigger psychosis when ingested (Mental Health Daily 2015). All parts of this plant are toxic and in its raw state can cause convulsions, hallucinations and even death if ingested (Nafici 2016).

The bloom itself is quite striking, but the seedpod (see top photo) is a better depiction of what this plant is all about. Jimson weed, also known as “locoweed,” “mad-apple” “thorn-apple” and “stinkweed” is “UNSAFE [original author's emphasis] when taken by mouth or inhaled” and “contains chemicals such as atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine” which “interfere with one of the chemical messengers (acetylcholine) in the brain and nerves” (Rxlist.com 2021) and can be fatal in high doses (Charmley 2022).

Alrighty then! Message received — keep a safe distance from the plant itself! (If you or your pet do come in contact with this plant, call Poison Control at 1.800.222.1222.)

“Jimson weed poisoning is found primarily among adolescents who seek the hallucinogenic effects of the plant” (Chan 2002) but it can also harm animals (Guthrie 2014) and makes the list of the “10 common poisonous plants” (Charmley 2022). (A quick search of the internet turns up many news articles of teens ending up in trouble from smoking or ingesting this weed.)

Many of homeopathy’s most powerful medicines come from the most poisonous substances on the planet: Belladonna, Hemlock, Aconite… the list goes on because as we know in homeopathy, “Like cures Like.”

What does that even mean? "Like cures like" means the symptoms or conditions which can be created or caused by a substance in its natural state can then be “cured” through the use of the potentized homeopathic version of the same substance. (See also, “Hom, not home”.)

Indeed, one of the ways we find out the healing properties of homeopathic remedies is through historical accounts of poisonings. Take for instance Socrates, the Greek philosopher who was sentenced to death in 399 BC by drinking a hemlock liquid mixture — his symptoms were recorded by Plato in his book Phaedo (Dayan 2009). Plato told of the slowly ascending paralysis which crept up his legs and resulted in death when the paralysis reached the respiratory muscles. Enid Bloch (n.d) researched the veracity of this account and discovered Scottish toxicologists of the 19th century conducted their own experiments and found similar effects. John Harley, author of The Old Vegetable Neurotics, poisoned himself and recorded the physiological effects, again confirming Plato’s account. As a result, we have a good homeopathic picture of what Conium maculatum (Poison Hemlock) can do. (For this article, suffice it to say that homeopathic Conium can help with feelings of constrictions, indurations, nodules and tumors; conditions where the symptoms move upwards; it is highly indicated in a number of coughs, especially when lying down; sensations of heaviness and weakness, and, finally, paralysis.)

Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homeopathy, “found that the more he diluted his medicines, the more the toxic impact of their original substance was washed away. And he found something else that was even more surprising: that the more dilute the medicines became, the more powerful they became in terms of their healing power” (McCabe 2010).

McCabe goes on to speak of the homeopath E.B. Nash (1838-1917) who said, ‘the stronger the poison the stronger the cure.’ “Homeopathic remedies, when given in micro dose, have no toxicity left. But it is also true that they retain their inherent medicinal strength, making the remedies taken from poisonous substances particularly curative.” How these diluted solutions actually work eludes scientists to this day.

Back to jimson weed…

Along with the hallucinations, Charmley lists “aggressive or unusual behavior” as one of the dangers of consuming this plant. Dewitt (et al. 1997) lists “combative” behavior. This is where I found the homeopathic version of this plant useful all those years ago.

Homeopathyonline.org (2013) says “the idea of Stramonium is we have lived through a night of terror … but more commonly the terror is internalized.” A person or a child has seen or experienced something frightening and that fright got stuck inside them.

Morrison (1998) lists a “change of character” and “rages.” “Terror. Night-terrors. Feeling of threat or violence.” Boger (2015) lists “DREADS DARKNESS … Fearful, desires company or wants to escape … talks incessantly … wildly excited … or does all sorts of crazy things. Raving mania … cursing … Awakes in fear or screaming.” 

How do these internal terrors express themselves? Often through rage which shows itself with a red face. Or, rage alternating with laughing; rage with cursing and hitting, even an uncontrollable, violent rage. Stramonium is one of only 5 remedies listed in Murphy’s Repertory for rage and fury in children.

It doesn’t have to get to this level though. Those symptoms listed above are extreme examples. Like all homeopathic remedies and their symptoms, there is a range of expression. Stramonium is also used for plain old anger: those who are easily angered and those who are angry from being frightened. It’s a good remedy for those who get angry as a result of anxiety and for temper tantrums. 

It was the idea of temper tantrums that caught my attention all those years ago. I realized that was what my young son was doing. It wasn't like the temper tantrums of a toddler, this was different, but very much the same -- an unreasonable bout of anger, out of reach of logic.

Where else is Stramonium useful? For those suffering from fear: fear of being alone, (especially children), as well as fear of being alone in the darkness — they want light and company. Fear of animals and dreams of scary creatures. Fears of being attacked or bitten. Claustrophobia, the fear of going to the doctor, fear of ghosts and imaginary things. The fear of being injured, the fear of mirrors in a room, and being afraid of monsters and scary noises. 

As you can see, Stramonium is an excellent homeopathic remedy for frightened and/or angry children.

Was my son exhibiting fearful behavior at this same time? I don't remember now and I didn't have the knowledge to look for such things then. Did my son see some show or read some story that freaked him out and got stuck in his head? Possibly, but I’ll never know for sure. What I do know is homeopathic Stramonium removed that layer of anger from him, regardless of where it originated, and returned to me the sweet young fellow I knew him to be.


Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath


#wellnessawaits

​* Remember, an aggravation is considered a good thing in classical homeopathy. It is an exacerbation of the existing problem. The pendulum swings further in the direction of the problem and then corrects itself soon after, resulting in equilibrium.

Reference list:

Bloch, E., n.d. Hemlock Poisoning and the Death of Socrates: Did Plato Tell the Truth? Academic Paper. [online]. State University of New York at Buffalo, NY, USA. 

Boger, C. M., 2015. Synoptic key of the materia medica : a treatise for homeopathic students. New Delhi: B. Jain.

Chan, K., 2002. Jimson Weed Poisoning—A Case Report. The Permanente Journal [online], 6 (4), 28–30. 

Charmley, S., 2022. Top 10 most common poisonous plants: How to identify [online]. www.medicalnewstoday.com. 

Dayan, A. D., 2009. What killed Socrates? Toxicological considerations and questions. Postgraduate Medical Journal [online], 85 (999), 34–37. 

Dewitt, M. S., Swain, R. and Gibson, L. B., 1997. The dangers of jimson weed and its abuse by teenagers in the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia. The West Virginia Medical Journal [online], 93 (4), 182–185.

Guthrie, T., 2014. Jimsonweed – a poisonous plant that may be found in or around your horse pasture [online]. MSU Extension. 

Homeopathyonline.org, 2013. Stramonium [online]. homeopathyonline. 

McCabe, V., 2010. From Poison to Medicine: Homeopathic Medicines made from Poisonous Plants. kindle. McBooklets.

Mental Health Daily, 2015. Drug-Induced Psychosis: List Of Causative Agents [online]. Mental Health Daily. 

Morrison, R., 1998. Desktop companion to physical pathology. Nevada City, Calif.: Hahnemann Clinic Publ.

Murphy, R., n.d. Repertory, version 3. Accessed through Radar Opus software.

Mutebi, R. R., Ario, A. R., Nabatanzi, M., Kyamwine, I. B., Wibabara, Y., Muwereza, P., Eurien, D., Kwesiga, B., Bulage, L., Kabwama, S. N., Kadobera, D., Henderson, A., Callahan, J. H., Croley, T. R., Knolhoff, A. M., Mangrum, J. B., Handy, S. M., McFarland, M. A., Sam, J. L. F. and Harris, J. R., 2022. Large outbreak of Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) poisoning due to consumption of contaminated humanitarian relief food: Uganda, March–April 2019. BMC Public Health [online], 22 (1). 

Nafici, S., 2016. Weed of the Month: Jimson Weed [online]. Brooklyn Botanic Garden. 

Rxlist.com, 2021. Jimson Weed: Health Benefits, Uses, Side Effects, Dosage & Interactions [online]. RxList. 

I noticed an interesting thing after I posted my last article … An increase in people finding my site by searching for the term “rage.”

Whether you are raging at governmental mask mandates or raging at fellow citizens who refuse to follow the governmental mask mandates, it is clear to me that anger and rage are alive and well in 2022.

Does anger follow chronic illness or does anger contribute to chronic illness? Is the grumpy old man with a bad back grumpy because he has a bad back or does he have a bad back because he’s grumpy?

Carson (et al. 2007) suggests patients who have more difficulty expressing emotions may experience higher pain and anger. Burns (et al. 2012) suggests suppression of anger may be linked to heightened pain.

Suppressed anger seems to be the biggest problem. Where does all that energy go if it doesn’t have an outlet? There is a word for this in Korean: Hwabyung: a culture-related anger syndrome known to occur due to continued repression of anger. Suh (et al. 2021) says this phenomenon affects patients’ physical, psychological and social functions. Mills (and Dimsdale 1993) found men who routinely suppressed their anger had increased beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity. These receptors play an important role in regulation of heart function (Wallukat 2002).

Homeopathy takes anger very seriously. Frederik Schroyens Synthesis (2012) repertory lists hundreds of rubrics in regard to anger, for example: Mind, anger, morning; evening; causeless; easily angered; from noise; throwing things in anger; when touched; weeping from anger… the list goes on.

Let’s take a look at the top 5 anger remedies (general anger, not suppressed or differentiated in any way. Though, suppressed anger is really fascinating and is worth a look in the future!)

Bryonia: Homeopathic Bryonia is known as “the grumpy bear” remedy and this aspect is very clear when talking about how Bryonia relates to anger. Headaches from anger. Anger resulting from pains. Not wanting to talk when angry. Exceedingly irritable. There can be chilliness with the anger. A red face when angry.

Chamomilla: Homeopathic Chamomilla is often indicated in children with anger — or children who become angry and irritable due to their physical situation — think teething. Those who have difficulty breathing after their anger or suffer convulsions after anger. Anger associated with PMS/menses. Those easily angered. A red face when angry. Temper tantrums. Vomiting after anger. A person needing Chamomilla may get hot and sweaty with their anger.

Hepar sulph: Homeopathic Hepar sulph is highly indicated in violent anger. Sensitive to noise and odors. Irritable and angry. Easily angered and abusive. Anger “at the least trifle” — oversensitive mind. Peevish. 

Lachesis: Homeopathic Lachesis is highly indicated in anger associated with jealousy. Violent anger. Anger from disappointed love. The mingling of melancholy/sadness and anger. In children, they awaken angry or suffer anger from dentition or jealousy and during sleep.

Nux vomica: Homeopathic Nux vomica is one of the first remedies I think of for anger. Nux vomica is highly indicated in liver issues and where is anger processed? According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver (Suttie 2022; Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation 2021; Cutler 2011). Convulsions following anger. Angry dreams. Anger associated with anxiety. Anger from business failures or work related issues. Easily angered. Angry in the morning, upon waking. Anger at little things. Violent anger. A red face when angry. Vomiting after anger.

Anger vs Rage: what is the difference? According to Psychologydictionary.org, rage occurs when anger cannot be controlled.

Emotional Healing with Homeopathy (Chappell 2003, p. 126) differentiates homeopathic remedies for rage thusly:

Chamomilla: with contrary behavior, great irritability, impossible to meet demands, worse evening.

Nux vomica: with great irritability, impatience, frustration, and gastric upsets. Road rage.

Back to the original thought of why there may be an increase of people who may be angry at this point in history: anger at mandates and anger at those who won’t comply with said mandates. Homeopathic Causticum, though very highly indicated in anger, is not in the top 5 remedies for anger, but is definitely worth a mention here.

Causticum: inclined to fits of anger with scolding. Great anger over injustices toward himself or others. Stammering on account of anger. Angry against the system. Sensitive and inclined to anger, while the nerves are much affected.

Now, take some deep breaths and a dose of whichever remedy suits your symptoms best and go forth in peace.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath


#wellnessawaits

I mentioned last time that our children always seemed to have made some emotional growth spurts following a big, acute illness and I wondered if that could be the case for me. Here’s what happened…

I could not budge my low-grade fever. No remedy made a dent. Period. I eventually contacted one of my previous instructors asking for help.

Her response: “something is stuck inside. Your symptoms are being too shy.”

Hmmm.

She recommended some Sulphur 30c.

Sulphur is an interesting remedy. It is often used to clear up/clean out the remnants of an acute illness. I had considered the idea, but given I was not at the end, I didn’t think it was time for me yet. The Father of homeopathy,  Samuel Hahnemann, used to begin every case with Sulphur because it was going to illicit some sort of a response in everybody.

Sulphur definitely pulled a little somethin’ somethin’ out of me. Immediately upon taking it (I mean immediately), I became so weak I had to abandon the shower I had just turned on. Within 5 minutes, I began weeping and the tears simply wouldn’t stop. For the first time since my illness began, I couldn’t get out of bed.

The tears eventually stopped and I was able to get out of bed again, but the fever remained. I wondered and pondered at what could be "stuck." December was a fraught month for me — it could have been any number of emotions that got stuck.  

Anger was stuck.

I raged in my mind for hours one morning and I could literally feel the crud breaking up. My temperature dropped a bit but it soon went back up again. 

So, I wrote and I wrote and I wrote. I raged and I raged again and I began to understand what was stuck inside of me. Again, I felt the crud breaking up. By the next morning, the fever was gone, for the first time in nearly 2 weeks.

Coincidence? Perhaps. But I had also worked through serious amounts of stagnant emotion and that can only be a good thing.

Was Sulphur the only remedy I needed? Nope.

Sulphur got things going.

Once I recognized anger as the culprit, Nux vomica was suggested and it made good sense, homeopathically speaking. Nux vomica is a major liver remedy and the liver, of course, is where that anger gets processed. But, Nux didn’t do much for me this time around.

Natrum muriaticum was suggested. Nat Mur is a well indicated remedy for ailments from anger. I only took 1 dose and it was abandoned in order to keep chasing the current symptoms.

Chamomilla was suggested and Chamomilla definitely did something. It was as if the Chamomilla opened the door to usher the anger through.

Then, it was suggested to take Bryonia alba in 3 ascending potencies. I took the first dose and the fever continued to improve, so I left it at that.
The next morning was when the fever was gone.

So, what’s left?

Fatigue is what’s left and a little dizziness. Turns out a low-level fever for 2 weeks and very little appetite takes its toll on a person’s energy.

So, was there emotional growth that happened for me?

Why, yes! There was some growth that happened!
Some emotional growth and some good homeopathic education, too!

We turned the page into 2022 and suddenly the acknowledgment of the shame that has been foisted upon us for the past 2 years is everywhere.

As I am writing this, a news alert popped up on my phone: “Whoopi Goldberg stunned by testing positive for COVID: ‘I’ve done everything I was supposed to do.’” Earlier this week, a friend shared an article from American Thinker titled, “Shame as a Covid Strategy.” Later that same day, I logged onto Facebook and saw a post from the Autoimmune Protocol Diet talking about shame being at the root of disordered eating (here’s some recent research to go along with that thought — Nechita et al. 2021). Another article in the same day was talking about CNN’s editor-at-large Chris Cillizza saying, “But I do think societally we unknowingly turned having Covid into some sort of judgment on your character.”

We certainly have done exactly that and we don’t yet know what the ramifications are of such a mass, unjustified shaming. 

Did you know people are being put in special camps in Australia when they test positive for Covid, (Cave 2021), or have a friend who tested positive (Barkoukis 2021) or where they wait until they can prove they don’t test positive? (Dixon 2021). We, in the US, thankfully, still have the idea of innocent until proven guilty, but we no longer have healthy until proven sick.

Germs are gonna germ. Viruses are gonna virus. There is very little you can do to keep those germs and viruses from getting to you. (There are things you can do to keep those germs and viruses from taking hold of you, but that’s a whole other topic.) We don't segregate people because they may have other contagious diseases (unless they are being treated in a hospital). For the first time, to my knowledge, people are being blamed and shamed for getting cold and flu-like symptoms as a result of having contracted Covid. 

Once upon a time, if you were unable to attend a social gathering because you had the flu, the automatic reaction on the other side was sympathy. That automatic reaction is now full of aspersions. I find this very sad. 

Frederickson (2020) describes the difference between guilt and shame: guilt refers to a deed; shame to our being — “I am a bad boy” as opposed to “I did a bad thing”. He goes on to talk about shame being triggered in therapy sessions as a result of suffering “crippling shame over possessing universal, human desires or flaws.” This is most likely why shame has been such a useful tool to maneuver the population in regards to Covid — everybody has experienced shame and it is an easy ploy to manipulate behavior. Shame is ubiquitous. Show me someone who has never felt shame — I don’t think it’s possible to find someone who has never felt shame.

What exactly is shame? My then 3-year-old once said to me, "My body feels like it did something wrong." I think that's an excellent description of how shame feels. Technically, though, “shame” has two definitions as a noun in the Oxford Dictionary (Oxford University Press 2021): 1. A painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. 2. A regrettable or unfortunate situation or action. As a verb: make (someone) feel ashamed. 

Tell me, what, definitionally, could possibly be shameful about “catching Covid?” The shame and stigma and shunning that people have suffered over the last 2 years simply because they, or a family member, were diagnosed with or tested positive for Covid is simply shocking.

Cândea and Szentagotai-Tăta (2018) found that “external shame (perceived negative evaluations of others) seems to be more strongly associated with social anxiety symptoms than internal shame (negative self-evaluations)”.

Philosopher Jean Paul Sartes points out that a mild embarrassment in one can induce mortification in another (Lyons et al. 2018). If shame is not dealt with, it can have damaging consequences. Deep-seated shame plays an important role in many self-destructive ways. We saw above that it plays a role in eating disorders. Shame is also linked to psychotic experiences, particularly paranoia (Carden et al. 2020). 

It is not my intention to equate the societal Covid shaming to the deeper shame which some people carry with them. However, we don’t know how this newest layer of shame may affect the population. When society lays a  blanket of shame over huge numbers of people (especially without true justification), many will likely be adversely affected by that shaming. Again, we simply don’t know what the ramifications of these last two years will be but a recent Telegraph article may tell us a little about what may be headed our way: "Number of children admitted to hospital for eating disorders surges 70% since pandemic." Is shame to blame for this increase? We don't yet have that answer but I wouldn't be surprised to see those dots connected at some point in time.

The Lancet’s Stories of Shame notes that doctors don’t talk much about shame (Lyons et al. 2018). Psychiatrist Aaron Lazare said, “it is shameful and humiliating to admit that one has been shamed and humiliated.” 

Doctors may not talk about shame, but homeopaths do. Homeopathy recognizes the destructive force that is deep-seated shame.

Referencing Murphy’s repertory (n.d.) shows us the rubric: Mind - SHAME, ailments from. Front and center in the 9 remedies listed is Staphysagria, in bold-type and underlined.

Homeopathic Staphysagria is made from a tincture of the seeds of the Delphinium plant, also known as Larkspur. 

We know Larkspur from Greek Mythology. Ajax the Great was unable to live with his shame, and in anger he fell upon his sword and the Larkspur flower sprang from his blood (Greek Legends and Myths; Theoi Greek Mythology).

C.M. Boger (et al. 2008) talks about the morbidly sensitive person who is easily offended in regard to one who could benefit from homeopathic Staphysagria. Which came first? Did that extreme sensitivity result from the shaming or was the sensitive person highly susceptible to the shaming? "Sheepish, sensitive, imagines insults.” The person who could benefit from Staphysagria is worse for emotions, chagrin, vexation, indignation and quarrels. Let’s be fair here. Who is actually better for these? True, but when differentiating homeopathic remedies this person would be markedly worse for experiencing these circumstances. There are plenty of people who can roll with some embarrassment or chagrin, but the person who would most likely benefit from homeopathic Staphysagria is not that person.

Staphysagria is also known as “a great germicide” and it has been used allopathically as well as homeopathically, to treat lice (Vicentini et al. 2018; Choudhuri 2016; Farrington 2018; Tyler 2003), a condition which most certainly can historically be considered “shameful”. 

Physically speaking, aside from treating lice, homeopathic Staphysagria is known to help with surgical wounds (Alecu et al. 2007). "Incised wounds, it is the best remedy … where there is a clean cut as after surgical operations" (Tyler 2003, p. 767). "Similarly, after surgery when the tissues have been 'lacerated' there is a great sense of violation … and Staphysagria is one of the first remedies to consider (Pitt 2015, p. 362). 

Tying back to shame is the connection of words which can "cut deep." Humiliation, insults, shameful attacks -- they all can cut deep and have great effect on a person and their well-being.

Don’t accept the responsibility of carrying somebody else’s shame because you, through no fault of your own, contracted a highly transmissible virus. Put that silly idea away!

However, if you or someone you know is dealing with deep-seated shame, humiliation or suppressed anger, please consult and work with a professional homeopath.
​

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath


#wellnessawaits

Reference list

Alecu, A., Alecu, M., Marcus, G., Brezeanu, R., and Cojocaru, A., 2007. Effect of the homeopathic remedies Arnica Montana and Staphysagria on the time of healing surgical wounds. Cultura Homeopática, (20), 19–21.

Barkoukis, L., 2021. Australia Is Throwing People Who Don’t Even Have Covid-19 Into Internment Camps [online]. Townhall. 

Boger, C. M., Bradford, T. L., and Tiwari, Shashi Kant, 2008. Boenninghausen’s Characteristics Materia Medica & Repertory With Word Index With Corrected & Revised Abbrrevations & Word Index. accessed through Radar Opus software. B Jain Pub Pvt Ltd.

Buck, H., 1997. The Outline of Materia Medica and a Clinical Dictionary. accessed through Radar Opus software. B Jain Publishers.

Cândea, D.-M. and Szentagotai-Tăta, A., 2018. Shame-proneness, guilt-proneness and anxiety symptoms: A meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders [online], 58, 78–106. 

Carden, L. J., Saini, P., Seddon, C., Watkins, M., and Taylor, P. J., 2020. Shame and the psychosis continuum: A systematic review of the literature. Psychology and Psychotherapy [online], 93 (1), 160–186. 

Cave, D., 2021. Australia Is Betting on Remote Quarantine. Here’s What I Learned on the Inside. The New York Times [online], August 20, 2021. 

Choudhuri, N. M., 2016. A study on materia medica : an ideal text-book for homoeopathic students. accessed through Radar Opus software. Noida, U.P., India: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.

Dixon, R., 2021. I finally made it home to Australia. Washington Post [online], May 22, 2021. 

Farrington, E. A., 2018. Lectures on Clinical Materia Medica in Family Order. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers, LTD.

Frederickson, J., 2020. Shame: The Disavowal of Our Shared Humanity. Psychiatry [online], 83 (1), 33–35. 

Greek Legends and Myths, n.d. Ajax the Great in Greek Mythology [online]. Greek Legends and Myths.

Lyons, B., Gibson, M., and Dolezal, L., 2018. Stories of shame. The Lancet [online], 391 (10130), 1568–1569. 

Marlee, S., 2022. CNN’s Chris Cillizza just discovering Covid shaming; Twitter reality-checks him hard · American Wire News [online]. American Wire News. 

Nechita, D., Bud, S., and David, D., 2021. Shame and eating disorders symptoms: A meta‐analysis. International Journal of Eating Disorders [online], 54 (11), 1899–1945. 

O’Brien, T., 2022. Shaming as a COVID Strategy [online]. www.americanthinker.com.

Oxford University Press, 2021. Oxford Dictionary of English. 14.1.1.47 ed. Oxford University Press accessed through mobisystems.com app.

Pitt, R., 2015. Comparative materia medica : integrating new and old remedies. San Francisco, California: Lalibela Publishing.

Theoi Greek Mythology, n.d. PLANTS & FLOWERS OF GREEK MYTH 1 [online]. www.theoi.com. 

Tyler, M. L., 2003. Homœopathic drug pictures. New Delhi, India: Indian Books & Periodicals Publishers.

Vicentini, C. B., Manfredini, S., and Contini, C., 2018. Ancient treatment for lice: a source of suggestions for carriers of other infectious diseases? Le Infezioni in Medicina[online], 26 (2), 181–192. 
‌​

Further reading on shame:
​
Ellenbogen, S., Colin-Vezina, D., Sinha, V., Chabot, M., and Wells, S. J. R., 2018. Contrasting mental health correlates of physical and sexual abuse-related shame. Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health [online], 30 (2), 87–97. 

McElvaney, R., Lateef, R., Collin-Vézina, D., Alaggia, R., and Simpson, M., 2021. Bringing Shame Out of the Shadows: Identifying Shame in Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure Processes and Implications for Psychotherapy. Journal of Interpersonal Violence [online], 088626052110374.

Seidler, Z. E., Rice, S. M., Kealy, D., Wilson, M. J., Oliffe, J. L., and Ogrodniczuk, J. S., 2021. Men’s Shame and Anger: Examining the Roles of Alexithymia and Psychological Distress. The Journal of Psychology [online], 1–11. 

Shaughnessy, M. J., 2017. Integrative Literature Review on Shame. Nursing Science Quarterly [online], 31 (1), 86–94. ​

Further reading on Covid death rates:

Berezow, A., 2020. COVID Infection Fatality Rates by Sex and Age [online]. American Council on Science and Health. ‌

Ioannidis, J. P. A., 2020. Infection fatality rate of COVID-19 inferred from seroprevalence data. Bulletin of the World Health Organization [online], 99 (1), 19–33F.‌

Mahase, E., 2020. Covid-19: death rate is 0.66% and increases with age, study estimates. BMJ [online], m1327.

Salzberger, B., Buder, F., Lampl, B., Ehrenstein, B., Hitzenbichler, F., Holzmann, T., Schmidt, B., and Hanses, F., 2020. Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. Infection [online]. 
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Too much! ​

If there was ever a holiday that was just too much, it’s Halloween! Too much excitement and anticipation. Too much scariness and visual stimulation. And, of course, too much candy!

Nux vomica is the homeopathic remedy to think of when there has been an overindulgence of any kind, but Halloween is like a tailor made holiday for Nux vomica.

Nux vomica is well indicated in fullness with gas (from either end). When your tummy is full and feels like a stone is sitting in there. Indigestion, nausea and even vomiting can be signs pointing toward Nux vomica. Add in some irritability and you can be pretty certain you're on the right track!

Many years ago following a Halloween night indulgence, one of my kids got into bed and wanted the rest of us to be quiet. He had a tummy ache and was not feeling well. He wanted quiet and he wanted no lights. I remember saying he looked and sounded like he had “tied one on.” (And, yes, it’s good for that, too!) It was literally like he was hungover. Were this situation to rear itself again today, I would give a dose of Nux vomica 200c. I suspect he would have fallen into a peaceful sleep and would have awakened feeling much better about life. 

Homeopathic Nux vomica for “TOO MUCH”… collapse and fatigue states from over work… burning the candle at both ends… too much stimulation (lights, noise, odors, etc)… too much anger and frustration… too much coffee or chocolate… too much no sleep, (like after a sleep over)… too many thoughts disturbing sleep… too much and too frequent sneezing… too much coughing, (often leading to a headache)… I think you get the picture.

If your little one (or you!) experienced too much Halloween, try homeopathic Nux vomica and see if a little relief can come your way.

In good health and moderation,


Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath


#wellnessawaits