Remedy spotlight – Pulsatilla
Pulsatilla is one of the most important homeopathic remedies for women.
For puberty, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause, Pulsatilla, where indicated, can bring balance and harmony and ease the passage through these hormonal milestones.
The remedy is made from the blossoms of the windflower, a purple bell-shaped flower that grows abundantly on hillsides in Northern Europe. According to Roman myth, the flower originated from the tears of the goddess Venus and one of the main keynotes of this remedy is tearfullness.
Another key indicator for Pulsatilla is ‘changeability‘. There can be changing moods – maybe from happy to sad, or a sudden flaring up of anger – or changing physical symptoms – a pain that comes and goes, switches from dull to aching or from one side to another.
Other personality characteristics of Pulsatilla are softness, yielding, a need for company, and a desire to be out in the open air. It is a good remedy for children who cling to their mothers and want to be carried, and are prone to ear infections.
At night, they will often sleep with an arm under their head.
Pulsatilla is often indicated for catarrh, hay fever, and sinus infections, and the changeability is seen here too, with a discharge that changes from green to yellow, or from dry to fluent. There is often a loss of taste and smell and a lack of thirst, even though the throat is dry.
On the digestive front, they are easily aggravated by rich food, especially pastries, butter and pork, and they are prone to heartburn and indigestion.
The homeopathic master William Boericke (1849-1929) described Pulsatilla as “mentally, an April day”
“O, how this spring of love resembleth
The uncertain glory of an April day,
Which now shows all the beauty of the sun,
And by and by a cloud takes all away!”
Shakespeare — Two Gentlemen of Verona
Homeopathy tips for Halloween
Some tips for Halloween…
Keep a bottle of Rescue Remedy on hand – it’s useful for children (or adults!) who are restless from anticipation, or sleepless and over stimulated from too much excitement and sugar.
Rescue Remedy is also good for counteracting the frights that often accompany Trick or Treating – the “monster” that jumps out of the darkness, the unexpected ghostly howl from an innocent- looking doormat, or just the unfamiliar feeling of being out at night in the dark. It can also be used to calm pets whose nerves are on edge from the stream of characters at the door or the strange sounds from the street.
If the fright persists, or the child or animal seems overwhelmed with fear, then Aconite 30C is the #1 remedy. There are also homeopathic remedies that can address cases of fear, such as night terrors or panic attacks, which continue long after the event, but this requires a consultation with a professional homeopath to determine the correct remedy for the situation.
For all kinds of overindulgence – whether it’s too much Halloween candy, pumpkin pie, or Zombie cocktails, Nux Vomica is the go-to homeopathic remedy. It helps with the gas, bloating, nausea and other discomforts associated with drinking or eating too much, especially if these symptoms are accompanied by an unusually irritable disposition. For children with these symptoms who are also clingy and weepy, Pulsatilla is a good remedy too.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about these Halloween tips, or general questions about homeopathy, and best wishes for a happy Halloween!
First aid remedies for summer vacations
IT’S VACATION TIME!
Don’t forget to pack your homeopathic emergency kit.
FOR SUNBURN:
CALENDULA OR URTICA URENS TINCTURE
To soothe sunburned skin, add 10 drops of the tincture to half a cup of water, dab on gently with cotton wool or use a spray bottle. Alternatively, you can apply Urtica Urens cream, which is useful for any kind of burn (handy to keep in the kitchen)
For more severe sunburn, take a dose of CANTHARIS 30c
If you are susceptible to sunburn, it might be worth nurturing an aloe vera plant. Break open a leaf of aloe vera and the sticky liquid inside is a healing balm for sun damaged skin.
FOR INSECT BITES AND STINGS:
LEDUM TINCTURE
Ledum is useful for puncture wounds, especially when the skin is cold to the touch. For bites and stings, make up a solution of 10 drops of the tincture and half a cup of water and apply to the affected area.
Ledum can also be take internally, one pellet of 30c.
If the skin is hot, burning, and itching, feels worse from hot compresses and better from cold, then APIS 30C is the remedy. It’s especially good for bee stings, and also for jelly fish stings.
BELLADONNA 30C is indicated when the skin is red, swollen, throbbing and burning.
FOR SUNSTROKE:
Sunstroke comes on suddenly with violent headache, nausea, and a rise in temperature.
Avoid becoming dehydrated – drink plenty of water while out in the sun, don’t over-exert yourself and stay in the shade wherever possible. Never fall asleep in the sun!
Sunstroke is a medical emergency and you should call 911.
In the meantime these homeopathic remedies can help to minimize the effects of sunstroke.
GLONOINE is the first remedy for sunstroke. The key symptoms are confusion, chilliness after sun exposure, pulsating headache with the sensation that the brain is too small for the skull, nosebleed, nausea and/or vomiting.
BELLADONNA is recommended where there is burning skin with a red face, rapid pulse, drowsiness and tightness in the chest.
The third remedy, NATRUM CARBONICUM, is needed when there is dizziness, extreme weakness, mental and physical exhaustion, eye pains from sunlight, black spots in front of the eyes, and sharp shooting pains in the head – especially after drinking wine or when there has been too much sun exposure in the past
FOR FOOD POISONING :
It seems no trip to undiscovered, exotic, out-of-the-way, or just different, places is quite complete without at least one episode of traveler’s diarrhea (TD).
TD is self-limiting and usually resolves by itself within 3 or 4 days, but within the context of a precious 2-week vacation, 3 or 4 days can seem like an eternity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), diarrhea is the most common travel-related illness; with an estimated 30-70% of travelers affected, or 10 million people a year! Those most vulnerable are travelers from industrialized nations, such as the US and Northern Europe, and the highest risk travel destinations are Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, and Central and South America.
Interestingly, young adults are most affected – possibly because of their more adventurous tastes in foods.
In addition to keeping well-hydrated and eating a simple diet of bland foods such as bananas, plain rice, toast or crackers, homeopathic remedies can help to alleviate symptoms.
The two most-used remedies for food poisoning are ARSENICUM ALBUM and VERATRUM ALBUM. The main difference between these two remedies is that with Arsenicum there is a great restlessness, weakness, and intolerance of pain that is not found in a case of Veratrum.
If the cause of food poisoning is cold food, ice water, bad fish, or ice cream, the likely remedy is Arsenicum, If there is profuse, violent retching and vomiting, the likely remedy is Veratrum. Both remedies have a strong thirst for cold water, but Veratrum wants to chug large quantities while Arsenicum drinks in small sips.
I hope you find this information helpful, but please feel free to email me if you have any questions or would like more information.
And have a great summer!
