Recently, it has become increasingly apparent that many people still have no awareness as to when they will be reunited with their friends and family members. This refers to those both here in this country but mostly overseas and is due to the continuing and changing restrictions which have been imposed on whole populations of people. This has led to a great longing within the individual and can affect them as much as to keep them awake at night with the unfathomable yearning this stark reality induces in them.
An effective remedy for homesickness is Capsicum Annuum. This is usually considered in the context of treating children and is especially known for serious ear aches - especially those affecting the mastoid process. However, nowadays with the situation described above, it is as if childhood emotions are being revealed in line with the degree of duress being suffered - this period of time extends way beyond the early years.
In order to understand the application of this remedy in such unprecedented times as we now face, I decided to research the Mind rubrics from the repertory (1) appertaining to Capsicum Annuum. They include:-
Fear, censored, being, of.* (Causticum and Sulphur are the only other remedies).
Brooding, capricious, censorious. (Aurum Metallicum, Ignatia, Natrum Muriaticum, Veratrum Album main black type remedies).
Confusion of mind.
Contrary.
Fear, reproaches, of.*
Homesickness, ailments from. (Phosphoric Acid is the only other remedy in black type).
Jesting, alternating, with anger.* (Ignatia is the only other remedy in the rubric).
Joking, jesting, averse to/joke*, cannot take a*.
Mood, alternating.
Obstinate.
Offended easily.*
Pining, away from mental and physical, anxiety Quarrelsome.
Reproaches others.
Repulsive mood. (Hepar Sulphuricum and Pulsatilla only black type remedies. Cina is the only remedy in sub-rubric ‘help, repulses’.)
Sadness, mental depression.
Sensitive, reprimands, to.* (Carcinocin, Natrum Muriaticum and Staphysagria in black type).
Shrieking during sleep.
Suicidal disposition.
Suspicious*.
Will, contradiction of. (Anacardium Orientalis is the only remedy in black type).
When considering the rubrics with an asterisk, it can be appreciated that Sankaran considers this remedy the member of the Solanacae family which belongs to what he defines as the malarial miasm. They are stuck in a position where they are exposed to attacks of violence. (2) This is very relevant in this trolling age where bullying has become so much more apparent in mainstream society.
There is an overlap between many remedies. This is probably due to the fact that Capsicum Annuum belongs to the Solanacae family along with others such as Belladonna, Dulcamara, Hyoscyamus, the Solanum derivatives, Stramonium, and Tabacum. It should also be said that, as a substance, chilli pepper from which Capsicum Annuum is derived, is known for its piquancy and pungency. (3)
In terms of ‘pining’, Aurum Metallicum is the only remedy in black type and could also match diseases of the mastoid process. However, the manifestation is more destructive on all levels in this latter remedy, as seen in the differentiation for suicidal depression where this symptom is much more marked in Aurum Met. After all, Aurum is a mineral remedy and Capsicum is derived from a vegetable source.
Alongside the overwhelming longing which is increasingly becoming apparent, there is a growing obesity issue in the population not only in this country, but also as a world-wide phenomenon. This has been seen as a predisposing factor to vulnerability to Covid-19. (4) It is pointed out in this report that the Covid-19 pandemic has occurred at a time when the prevalence of individuals with obesity is increasing in virtually all countries globally. In fact, almost all countries today have a prevalence of obesity greater than 20%. To date, no country has experienced a reduction in the prevalence of members of the population with obesity.
To make matters worse with the lockdowns experienced so far, a more sedentary lifestyle has been induced. This has been compounded by unavailability of healthy foods to members of poorer strands of society as well as comfort eating across the board. Capsicum Annuum is known for its sluggish circulation. However, what startled me the most was discovering the rubric:-
‘Reaction, lack of, obese, people in’.
Here, Capsicum Annuum appears in black type as the single remedy in the rubric! This made me appreciate it as a profound remedy, going deep into the organism and evoking a deeply buried reaction otherwise hidden from view. “Individuals who find it difficult to express their feelings and physical needs may suffer more with eating disorders than other members of the population.” (5) In fact, this discovery clinched my decision to write this blog as I then realised that this remedy is stepping up in its pathological role right now. It chimes with a time when this rampant ‘elephant in the room’ of obesity continues to grow so dangerously across the generations and different continents.
I had recently come across a case where, after great strides had been made over a period, suddenly a brick wall had been reached. It was only after using this remedy, when I perceived the longing contained in its picture through discovering it in this rubric, that a breakthrough could finally be made. The patient was then released on all levels. This was just when a blank had been drawn to previously life-changing results achieved but then held hostage by such embedded and dual-pronged adversities co-existing in the same patient.
When seeking the similimum for contemporary illnesses such as described above, the homeopath may be required to translate the pre-existing remedy picture in order to bring it into alignment with such unprecedented times as we face today.
This is at a time when perhaps other approaches have failed to hold up against such odds on many fronts. Through igniting the oxytocin receptors along the vagus nerve by applying remedies such as Capsicum Annuum, joy can be restored to the heart along with easier passage into the new normal.
Murphy, Robin, N.D., 2005, Homeopathic Clinical Repertory Third Edition, Lotus Health Institute
Sankaran, R., 2002, An Insight into Plants Volume 2, Homeopathic Medical Publishers.
Murphy, Robin, N.D., 2006, Nature’s Materia Medica, Lotus Health Institute.
Popkin BM, Du S, Green WD, Beck MA, Algaith T, Herbst CH, Alsukait RF, Alluhidan M, Alazemi N, Shekar M. Individuals with obesity and COVID-19: A global perspective on the epidemiology and biological relationships. Obes Rev. 2020 Nov;21(11):e13128. doi: 10.1111/obr.13128.
Adalian, Elizabeth, 2017, Touching Base with Trauma: Reaching Across the Generations - A Three-Dimensional Homeopathic Perspective. Writersworld.
Adalian, Elizabeth, 25.3.19, Oxytocin - the Elusive ‘Element’, https://www.adalian.uk/post/2019/03/25/oxytocin-the-elusive-element
Comentarios