Encyclopedia of Homeopathy

118 • MINOR REMEDIESAbies canadensis syn. Tsuga canadensisABIES CAN.COMMON NAMES Hemlock spruce, Canadapitch, Canada spruce.ORIGIN Native to North America andeastern Asia.BACKGROUND As early as 1535, nativeAmericans used this plant internally forindigestion, and externally (mixed with castoroil) for gonorrhea.PREPARATION The fresh bark and young budsare macerated in alcohol.Remedy profileAbies can. is best suited to people who tend tobe either fretful or quiet and careful. Oftenweak, nervous, and lightheaded, they may liedown frequently, especially with their legsdrawn up, to avoid fainting.Classic physical characteristics includechilliness and clammy skin, a sensation thatthe blood has turned to cold water, or afeeling that there is a wet cloth between theshoulder blades.Abies can. is given primarily to treat digestivedisorders associated with inflamed mucousmembranes in the stomach and poor absorptionof food. Overeating is common in such cases;even after eating there are hunger pains andrumbling in the bowels. Nausea, bloating, andsevere burning pain in the abdomen may causepalpitations to develop in the heart.Symptoms better For pressure on the affectedarea; for passing gas.Symptoms worse After standing for longperiods; for sitting; for drinking tea.Acanthia lectularia syn.Cimex lectulariusCIMEXCOMMON NAME Bed bug.ORIGIN Found in unsanitaryenvironments in temperate regions.BACKGROUND The ancient Greeks andRomans crushed bed bugs with salt andhuman milk to make an eye ointment. Whenpowdered they were used for fevers and as apreventative remedy for plague.PREPARATION Live bed bugs are steeped inalcohol, diluted, and succussed.Remedy profileCimex is most appropriate for those who areprey to anxiety, especially after a chill ordrinking alcohol. They may adopt acrouching position, desiring to creep intotheir own body because they are unable tocurl themselves up sufficiently. A chilly stagemay develop prior to fever, during which theymay be violent, wanting to tear everything topieces or clenching their hands in rage.Cimex is typically prescribed for certain typesof joint or muscle aches accompanied by astrong compulsion to stretch and, sometimes,chills and fever. Muscles and tendons such ashamstrings may feel too short for the limbs.Symptoms better For sitting huddled up; forpassing gas; for avoiding alcohol.Symptoms worse For movement; for stretching.Achillea millefoliumMILLEFOLIUMCOMMON NAMES Yarrow, milfoil, woundwort,staunchweed, nosebleed.ORIGIN Native to Europe and western Asia,yarrow grows wild in meadows and wasteground in temperate regions.BACKGROUND The Latin name of this plant derivesfrom the warrior Achilles, the Greek hero of theTrojan war, who used yarrow to staunch thewounds of his soldiers. The plant has also beenused for centuries in Europe as a bitter tonic.PREPARATION The fresh, flowering aerial partsare chopped and steeped in alcohol.Remedy profileMillefolium best suits those who tend to bemost irritable in the evening. Longing for restACHILLEAMILLEFOLIUM(Yarrow)but going to bed late, they wake feelingunrefreshed, confused, dizzy, and stupefied,as if drunk. When irritable, they may becomeoverly excitable and violent. Children who fitthis profile tend to moan and sigh.Millefolium is used chiefly for bleedingfrom injuries, and for internal bleedingand menstrual irregularities, such asdelayed or absent menstruation that maylead to convulsions, or heavy menstrualperiods that impair fertility. Millefolium mayalso be given in pregnancy for severecolicky pain, diarrhea, and painful varicoseveins, or for recovery from miscarriage. It isused for profuse, painless uterine bleedingfollowing childbirth or an abortion, and forsore nipples and suppressed breast milkafter childbirth.The other key symptom for Millefolium iscongestion, associated with piercing pains inthe ears, teeth, and temples. There may becongestion in the ears, eyes, nose, and chest.Symptoms better For bleeding; if missedmenstruation is reestablished; for wine.Symptoms worse For sleeping or lying down;for doubling over; for lifting; for violent exertion;for injury; for coffee.Acidum aceticumACETIC AC.COMMON NAMES Acetic acid, glacial aceticacid, ethanoic acid.ORIGIN Chemically prepared.BACKGROUND Dilute acetic acid is a principalcomponent of vinegar, and is used in theherbal and culinary traditions of manydiverse cultures.PREPARATION Acetic acid is dissolved inalcohol, diluted, and succussed.Remedy profilePeople who benefit most fromAcetic ac. often sigh due to feelingsof depression, anxiety, orirritability, and are also prone to forgetfulness.They are often anemic, with pale, waxy,clammy skin and intense thirst. Despiteprofound sleepiness, they may find itdifficult to sleep.Debilitation and emaciation are the keyfactors linked to this remedy. It is oftenprescribed to treat fainting, breathlessness,water retention, diabetes, or greatexhaustion following an injury, anoperation, or hemorrhaging.Severe burning pains and tenderness in thestomach can also be treated using Acetic ac.,if they are accompanied by symptoms suchas sour-tasting belches, vomiting, and