I have always been fascinated with the relationship of remedies - no more so than when I carried out the research for my May 2021 blog about Butyric Acid - a remedy I had discovered to be very applicable for the assimilation of vitamin D and the enhancement of the microbiome. (1) It was then that I discovered its direct relationship with Nux Moschata - among very few other remedies. Also, it was revelatory for me to learn of Butyric Acid’s action as an ‘anti-depressant’ (constant fear and nervousness as well as impulsive thoughts of suicide, brooding). (2)
Nux Moschata had always featured in my mind as a remedy comparable with Alumina in its action on senile dementia. At the same time, I had observed that a certain dryness runs through both remedies and could underpin the mental state in both remedy pictures. Dryness is illustrated in dry skin eruptions, feeble menstruation, lack of perspiration, and limited thirst. These symptoms indicate that dehydration has a major effect on functioning of the brain. After all, the brain is composed of 80% of water. (3) Even restless sleep could be due to dehydration. (4)
However, after learning of Nux Moschata’s direct relationship with Butyric Acid, it shifted my focus in understanding its pathogenesis literally ‘from the bottom up’. Nux Moschata as a spice (nutmeg) is specifically related to weak digestion. In the homeopathic proving (2), one sees a picture of:-
Thirstlessness:
Distention of the abdomen -
Paralytic weakness of the intestines - (here there could well be an overlap with Alumina).
Also in the proving:
Aggravation from alcohol,
Colic immediately after eating,
Dryness of mouth and tongue - latter can adhere to roof of mouth,
Food turns to gas, triggering headache,
Generalised ill effects of over-eating,
Hunger or loss of appetite,
Aggravation from milk / diarrhoea from milk,
Rectum, inactivity of.
Sleepiness, overpowering evening (often a sign of digestive inertia).
Ailments from fright,
Ailments from mental exertion,
Confusion, loses way in well known streets,
Lack of reaction.
When observing other related remedies for senile dementia which also comprise inertia in the gut, for example - Anacardium Orientale, Opium, Plumbum Metallicum, Selenium, and Zincum Metallicum, one could conjecture that Butyric Acid could add to their individual action to augment treatment on the combined levels of distress - i.e. beyond the sphere of Nux Moschata. It is therefore possible that Butyric Acid acts as a transmitter to deliver this vital substance to the dwindling brain in these potentially nutrient-deprived cases. Sources of Butyric Acid include butter and prebiotic foods rich in dietary fibres, such as fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, almonds and pulses, as well as soy.
References
Adalian, Elizabeth, 26th May, 2021, The Elephant in the Room -
Vitamin D and Malabsorption, adalian.uk
Murphy, Robin, N.D., Nature’s Materia Medica, Third Edition, 2006, Lotus Health Institute.
Memory and the Brain, www.human-memory.net/brain.htmi.
Adalian, Elizabeth, Touching Base with Trauma - Reaching Across the Generations: A Three-Dimensional Homeopathic Perspective, 2017, Writersworld.