Ruminating on Remedies, My thoughts on homeopathy

Julia Coyte, CHom

My thoughts on a few of the many thousands
of homeopathic remedies available.
Where, when and how they may be applied in everyday life.

#wellnessawaits

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Ruminating on Remedies: Digging Deeper

Introducing in-depth homeopathic articles,
digging a little deeper into topics that take my fancy.

At this point in time, it is only available at homeopathy.substack.com but
I hope to have it available here in the near future!

Ruminating on Remedies is and always will be free.
Those articles are listed below.

Thanks for reading!!

6/6/2026

Sticta when it's stucta

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Sticta has been stucta in my mind lately. Not sure why, but it won’t let go. Let’s take a quick look at this tiny, little, sticky remedy.

Choudhuri’s Study of Materia Medica (1916) says:
"This is comparatively speaking a little known and a rarely used remedy but that does not render it any the less important, for those cases that will call for Sticta will need Sticta; there Sticta and none but Sticta will help."

This little remedy, Sticta pulmonara, also known as Lobaria pulmonara, is even kinda stucta where it grows. It’s a form of lichen which grows on tree trunks.

wet Lobaria pulmonara & dry Lobaria pulmonara
(images from US Forest Service)

The second part of its name, pulmonara, is kind of handy, too. Pulmonary = relating to the lungs. Clarke (1902) says: “There cannot be much doubt whence Sticta received its name of Pulmonaria. The likeness of the plant to lung tissue is self-evident.”

"'It was first used’ says Hale, ‘for severe harassing cough,’ and such good results accrued that provings were made to ascertain its full value.

'It was found to cause severe coryza, with violent sneezing, intense headache, and conjunctivitis.

'These attacks were preceded or followed by rheumatic pains and swelling of the small joints.’ The catarrh of Stic. is for the most part obstructive, and if there is discharge it dries quickly, and forms crusts or scurf.
Constant need to blow the nose, but no discharge comes on account of dryness." (Clarke 1902)

Sticta is known for its “excessive and painful dryness of the mucous membrane is not due to any want of secretion; for secretions occur but they dry up very rapidly leaving thick crusts behind them.” If you have ever experienced the crusts in the nostril problem, it’s easy to envision that wet Lobelia plant above just instantly shriveling up to the dry Lobelia. This is what I refer to as “wallpaper.”

Sticta may be useful when there is stuckness in the respiratory system and it also may be useful for stuckness in the joints.

Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa. Bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac that cushions bones and tendons and muscles near the joints. When there is overuse, for example, the bursa gets inflamed resulting in pain and tenderness.

Many people with bursitis describe a “stuck” feeling in the affected joint due to the stiffness, swelling and pain rather than a true mechanical lock. The inflamed bursa swells, thickens and irritates surrounding tissues, resulting in a tight feeling.

The hip may feel stiff or stuck when standing from sitting. There may be difficulty raising the arm overhead — it feels frozen or stuck halfway. The knee may feel like it’s kind of stuck - unable to bend or straighten all the way.

Here is a quick look of grade 3 & 4 rubrics for Sticta:

housemaid’s knee (bursitis of the kneecap)
dry mucus membranes
pressing pain, including headaches
lung irritation & pain
dry throat
coughing without expectoration

Sticta really shines in the nose:

compelled to blow the nose
dry, chronic catarrh
stuffy nose without discharge
nasal discharges — dry, hard crusts, scabs, inside the nose
dryness in the nose
sensation of fullness at the root of the nose — way up there

Mentally and emotionally, an argument could be made for being stuck in a loop:

a nervousness which causes sleep disturbances
Knerr lists it as a (3) for hysteria

and one more loop-like stuckness from Choudhuri: “under Sticta it is due to his inability to keep his tongue quiet.”

"Feels as if she must talk, about everything and anything, whether listened to or not.… Confusion of ideas, patient must talk." — Murphy

This little remedy has a surprising number of one remedy rubrics, like:

Children - INSOMNIA, children - nervous, children, during cough
Ears - PAIN, ears - behind, ear - acute, deep in mastoid
Intestines - RUMBLING, in - yeast, as if full of
Larynx - TICKLING, trachea - right
Legs - MOTIONS, general - lower - involuntary - night
Mind - HYSTERICAL, behavior - light, and noise agg.
Mind - TALKING, talks, general - listens, does not care whether anyone talks
Mouth - DRYNESS, mouth - palate - leather, like, soft palate

Feeling stuck? Try some Sticta to become unstuckta.

Julia Coyte, CHom

Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

11/14/2025

Congestion

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Back when I first thought about writing this article (in 2023), decongestants were front and center in the news, just like one’s nose is front and center when it’s all stuffed up. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association suddenly announced that currently available decongestants don’t work. I didn’t dig into all the details because that was another lifetime when I cared about such things.

Back in the day, I was a big fan of Sudafed. I used it very frequently and it really never occurred to me to think there was any reason why I shouldn’t use it. Until one day after years of regular Sudafed use, I had what seemed like, (in hindsight, anyway), a panic attack. At that time, I lived at sea level and I was visiting a high altitude. I took my little red Sudafed, because that’s what I did pretty much every day, and I ended up breathing into a paper bag to calm my system. I have never checked out the side effects of Sudafed until literally right now and, lo' and behold: "fast, pounding or uneven heartbeat" and "severe dizziness or anxiety." It appears (according to Drugs.com) I should have sought medical attention but I didn’t know that at the time. I don’t think I ever had another Sudafed after that miserable experience.

Since finding homeopathy, the thought has honestly never again occurred to me to take any of the allopathic over the counter decongestants.

In the homeopathic literature, the word congestion refers to hyperemia or "an excessive amount of blood in a given part of the body." To look up congestion, as in, “a head filled with snot,” those words would be catarrh and coryza. Old words for colds, basically. From the Oxford Dictionary of English, 2nd edition:

Catarrh: excessive discharge or build-up of mucus in the nose or throat, associated with inflammation of the mucus membrane.
- Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary adds, “inflammation of the mucous membranes, esp. of the head and throat.”

Coryza: catarrhal inflammation of the mucous membrane in the nose, caused especially by a cold or by hay fever.
- Taber’s adds, “An acute inflammation of the nasal mucosa accompanied by profuse nasal discharge.”

As you can see by these clear (as mud!) definitions, there is considerable overlap.

For simplicity’s sake, let’s say catarrh is stuffed up (congestion) and coryza is running out. Both problems are associated with colds and allergies which are both causes of congestion. (It's getting circular again!) I suppose one could say it’s better to have it running out rather than being stuck in there, “better out than in!” — but that has its own set of problems.
In an ideal homeopathic world, we would investigate catarrh as it exists in the individual. Where is the congestion located? The eyes, ears, sinus, larynx, trachea, etc.

Were I to begin treating some acute generic catarrh of the cold or allergic derivation (remember, catarrh could be in any part of the body and therefor other remedies may be more appropriate), I would start with either Kali bich or Calc carb.

How would I choose? Well, if it is thick, I’d start with Kali bich. (Did you catch that rhyme there? Very useful to remember.) If the ears are involved to a high degree, I would start with Calc carb. (If we’re talking about a child, I would start with Calc carb because it’s just a good remedy for children, in general.)

For the following symptoms which I gathered from Robin Murphy’s Repertory, both remedies are indicated, but one or the other is generally more indicated.

With chills? Calc carb.
A tendency to catch colds? Calc carb.
Laryngitis or hoarse cough? Kali bich.
Dry cough? Calc carb.
A dry cough but with copious hawking in the morning? Kali bich.
Coughing with mucus in the chest? Kali bich.
If the eyes are affected? Calc carb.
The mucus is ropy and/or tenacious? Kali bich.
With sharp pains? Calc carb.
With localized pain in specific spots (think the pain one has with a sinus headache — in the forehead, just above the root of the nose)? Kali bich. (See also, One Little Spot.)
Headache bothered by lights or noise? Calc carb.
Irritation in the air passages? Kali bich.
Mucus in the air passages? Kali bich.
Greenish expectoration? Kali bich.
Profuse expectoration? Calc carb.
With anxiety, depression, fear, apathy or mental slowness? Calc carb.
Post nasal drip? Kali bich.
Watery discharge? Calc carb.
Crusts and scabs inside the nose? Kali bich.
Hard, dry nasal discharge? Kali bich.
Sinus complaints? Kali bich.
Diminished sense of smell? Calc carb.
Bad smell in the nose? Kali bich.
Bad or sour taste in the mouth? Calc carb.
Mucus in the throat, especially if it’s thick or stuck? Kali bich.
Sore throat, esp when swallowing? Calc carb.

Let’s sum that list up…
Calcarea Carbonica (Calc carb)

Chills, tendency to catch colds, dry cough, profuse expectoration.
Eyes affected, sharp pains, headache worsened by lights/noise.
Anxiety, depression, fear, apathy, mental slowness.
Watery discharge, diminished sense of smell.
Bad/sour taste in mouth, sore throat (esp. swallowing).

Kali Bichromicum (Kali bich)

Laryngitis, hoarse cough, dry cough with copious morning hawking.
Cough with mucus in chest, ropy/tenacious mucus, irritation/mucus in air passages.
Greenish expectoration, post-nasal drip.
Localized pain (e.g., sinus headache in forehead/root of nose).
Crusts/scabs in nose, hard/dry nasal discharge, bad smell in nose.
Sinus complaints, mucus in throat (thick/stuck).

It’s important to remember that BOTH Calc carb and Kali bich are indicated in all of these symptoms. What I have highlighted here is when one remedy was MORE indicated in each of these symptoms. (It's also important to remember there are many more remedies indicated in every one of these symptoms. I just chose to focus on the two most highly indicated remedies for catarrh, in general.)

As a rule of thumb for an acute situation, choose one remedy and try a few doses. For example, take a dose of your chosen remedy in a 30c, approximately every 15-20 minutes for one hour. If there is ANY improvement, stick with that remedy. If there is NO improvement (I mean none!) then try a few doses in the same manner of the other remedy.
For further ideas on dealing with colds and congestion, see: “Cough cough!” ; “Tis the Season for the Crud”; “Her Ears were Yuck”; “Calming the Cold”; "Allergies are Back".

Forget trying to figure out which over the counter decongestants may or may not work and try some homeopathy. Homeopathy has no side effects. Homeopathy doesn’t interfere with other medicines. Homeopathy is not addictive.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits