Mirza Tahir Ahmad   James Tyler Kent  

spigelia 1Spigelia is prepared from a plant called pink root. It is renowned for the treatment of neuralgic pains affecting the left side of the body. It is also of great value in the treatment of joint pains. Patients suffering from chronic multiple joint pains become irritable and hypersensitive. Spigelia will be very useful in the treatment of these patients. Spigelia is highly effective in certain heart conditions, such as inflammation of the outer covering of the heart as well as the valves of the heart, and rapid heartbeat (tachycardia). Spigelia is of immense value for the treatment of left-sided facial neuralgia. According to the majority of Homoeopaths, Spigelia can cure any form of neuralgic pain affecting the neck and the face. Sometimes, the pain at the neck and shoulder becomes chronic. It feels better on application of hot fomentation. The Spigelia ailments become worse in cold weather, though the pain as such is of burning and lightning type, as if the affected part has been tied with hot burning wires. The patient feels hot up to the end of the nerves. Spigelia should not be forgotten in this situation. As far as possible, one should avoid having injections, etc. Injection therapy may suppress the condition, but the wrong choice of injection may inflict permanent, serious harm. Spigelia, when effective, needs no supplementation with injections. If Spigelia fails then one should look for other appropriate Homoeopathic remedies.

The neuralgic pain of the eye (ocular neuralgia) usually arises, on exposure to cold. The pain undulates along the course of the nerves. The Spigelia pains fleet around, over the entire body.

Spigelia is very useful in the treatment of pericarditis as well as endocarditis. Pericarditis means the inflammation of the outer covering of the heart, causing fever and tightness in the chest. Endocarditis means the affliction of the valves of the heart by bacteria, resulting in fever, difficulty in breathing and dysfunction of the heart.

The neurologic symptoms of Spigelia include a weak memory, general indifference, restlessness and confusion. The patient feels dizzy on getting up suddenly. The weakness may be due to increase or decrease of blood pressure, or due to the disturbance of the fluid level in the internal ear (labyrinth). Dizziness may sometimes be due to an ear infection. Despite severe pain, the patient is drowsy. The patient feels better on lying down with the head elevated. The symptoms of Spigelia become worse on bowing the head forward.

The aches and pains of Spigelia can affect the right as well as the left side of the body. Yet, Spigelia is considered ideal for the treatment of left-sided problems. Sanguinaria is considered useful for the problems related to the right side of the body. The headache amenable to treatment with Spigelia begins at the nape of the neck, and then shifts to the right or the left side of the head. It is associated with severe throbbing and is of undulating type. The pain may become localized to the forehead over the right or the left eye. During the pain, the head feels tightly tied. Sometimes, the patient starts having cold sweats due to the extreme severity of the pain or he may start throwing  up. Such a patient should be immediately wrapped in a heavy quilt, given hot black tea and Spigelia be administered to them without delay.

Unusual high sensitivity to pain is found in Pulsatilla, Hepar Sulph, Chamomilla and Oxalic Acid. For details, please refer to the appropriate chapters.

In Spigelia, the pain is felt in the substance of the nerve. It is not due to inflammation or injury to the nerve. The pain is very severe and may be externally marked with red lines along the course of the nerve. It may probably be due to increased blood flow along the nerves. This symptom is typical of Spigelia. The red lines are visible only on the affected area. The pain may be of piercing type and touch is unbearable.

In Spigelia, the eyes feel big. The patient cannot focus the eyesight and sometimes objects look out of their actual place. The pain in the eye is associated with extreme pressure. The eye hurts on moving the eyeball. However, the eye is not red. Pain without redness indicates the neuralgic nature of the pain. One may feel dizzy on trying to move the eye.

The eyes water and are sensitive to light. The facial pain may involve the cheekbones, eyes, teeth and the temple areas. The pain becomes worse on bending forwards.  Spigelia is also useful in the treatment of intestinal worms.

Antidote: Pulsatilla

Potency: 30 or higher

by Mirza Tahir Ahmad


James Tyler Kent

spigelia 2SPIGELIA ANTHELMINTICA

Pains: Spigelia is especially known by its pains.

It is indicated in persons who are debilitated from taking cold and who have become rheumatic, run down, victims of pain.

Hardly a nerve in the body escapes; shooting, burning, tearing, neuralgic pains; they are most marked about the eyes and jaws, neck, face, teeth, shoulders, burning like hot needles through the face and neck in any direction, stitching, tearing, worse from motion, from doing anything, even thinking, mental exertion, worse from eating.

Pains in the neck and shoulders are better from heat; those about the eyes are better from cold. Shooting, tearing pains in the extremities like hot wires.

Sometimes the pains are worse from lying down, but most commonly better from keeping still; worse from light, eating, motion, jarring; so sore in the painful region that any gentle exercise like going up or down stairs, or riding in a carriage that jar, makes the pain unbearable.

The Spigelia patient is sensitive to cold, to atmospheric changes, he is a rheumatic patient, but the nerves a-re attacked by neuralgia.

Eyes: Violent pains about the eyes.

Routine practice limits the use of the remedy to this region. Worse from hard pressure though sometimes better from it, if gentle and prolonged, firm pressure, but any movement of the pressing hand aggravates. The part is turgesced and inflamed. Eyes red and engorged.

Chest: Neuralgic affections of the muscles of the chest.

Many of the Spigelia pains in the chest are attributed to the heart, but there is intercostal neuralgia; tearing pains shooting into the shoulders and neck, especially the left side and down the arm. Pains shooting hither and thither.

Irregularity of the heart. Painful complaints associated with valvular troubles, especially growing out of rheumatism. Pericarditis and endocarditis of rheumatic character. Thrusting pains in the chest like a knife, in the eye like a knife.

Mind: This remedy needs further proving, its mental symptoms are scarcely known.

"Weak memory; disinclination to work; restless and anxious, solicitude about the future; gloomy, suicidal mood; afraid of pointed things, pins, etc.; easily irritated or offended."

This is all that is thought worthy of admission into the Guiding Symptoms, showing that the mental state has not been well brought out.

Many complaints are manifested in the morning; tired in the morning and full of tearing pains.

Old anemic subjects where there has been a transfer of the complaints to the nerves; broken down, pallid, nervous, with neuralgia, palpitation, irregular pulse. Vertigo on rising; gets up with violent pains and dizziness. So nervous that she must "fly," full of excitement, cannot keep still, cannot keep control of herself.

Head: Pulsating and stitching in the head; sometimes better lying with the head high; worse from stooping, motion, and from noise.

Sometimes better from washing in cold water when the pain is about the eyes and head, but worse after washing; better while the cold water is applied. With these headaches and neuralgias there is stiff neck and shoulders, an apparent stiffness in that he cannot move on account of pain.

He sits in a chair as if transfixed, is aggravated from noise, light, from seeing things move in the room, which he must follow with his eyes.

"Fine burning, tearing pains in the brain."

It seems to be in the brain, but is more likely in the nerves of the scalp.

"Violent pain in the left parietal bone on motion or walking or making a misstep; toward evening-violent pressure and pressing outward in the forehead, worse from stooping, worse from pressure with the hand; tensive tearing pain in the forehead, especially beneath the frontal eminence, extending towards orbitis."

Notice the intensity of the pains. Burrowing, tearing pain in the occiput, in the left side of the vertex and forehead, worse from motion, from loud noise, and when he speaks loudly or even on opening the mouth slightly; better when lying down.

Pressive pain in the right side of the forehead, involving the right eye, in the morning in bed, but still more after rising; pain deeply seated, unaffected by pressure, very acute on motion, on suddenly turning the head, the brain seemed to be loose; worse from every joy, step, or straining at stool.

When moving the muscles of the face, there is a sensation as if the head would burst. Sensation as if a band were about the head. Neuralgic pain settles in and above the left eye, or below it, from cold in damp, rainy weather; hyperesthesia of the filaments of the fifth pair.

On the pain first beginning there is not so much hyperesthesia, but as it goes on this increases and the eye becomes congested. I have seen the pains so severe that they produced perfect prostration, cold sweat, vomiting.

The Hepar patient is so sensitive to pain that he becomes unconscious; faints with the pain. Cham. feels pain with such intensity that he gives way to violent frenzy, irritability, and outbursts of anger.

The Spigelia patient suffers intensely and the pain leaves its mark, the part becomes red and inflamed and sensitive. The head pains are worse from warmth; better temporarily from cold; the pains in other regions are the reverse.

The Phos. head and stomach symptoms are better from cold; the chest and body are better from warmth. In Ars. the head is often better by washing in cold water, while the patient himself is sensitive to the cold and wants warmth in the rest of his complaints.

Eyes: Spigelia is full of visual symptoms; visual symptoms bring on complaints; at times he can do nothing but look straight ahead, for he has vertigo even when there is no pain, from looking downwards, every, thing goes round in a whirl.

Such a state is common to many people when they look down from a height, but Spigelia has it from looking down along his nose, so he sits and looks straight ahead.

Esophoria; exophoria disturbances in accommodation all sorts of tiny spasmodic conditions it is most difficult to fit glasses no settled focus, no fixed vision. Spigelia has from a mere neuralgic state what Ruta has from eye strain. Latent errors of vision.

Eyes that are always changing need a remedy. Stabbing pains in and around the eye, often radiating in every direction from one point. Eye-ball sensitive to touch. Eyes worse when thinking about them. Worse at night. Intolerable, pressing pain, worse on turning the eye, dizzy on attempting to move the eyes, must turn the whole head to see.

Pain radiates to the frontal sinuses and head. Sensation as if the eye were too large for its orbit. I remember a patient who had been traveling about from oculist to oculist, who had many visual troubles and no glasses would suit.

She had one sharp, stinging pain over the left eye day and night and she could only sleep when worn out. Lac fel. cured. Constant, fine, stinging pain over left eye was brought out by the provers of cat's milk.

This medicine has cured a pterygium, probably a false pterygium, that came from violent neuralgia, prolonged and lasting for months.

Chest: Stitching pains in the chest, worse from the least movement, breathing, sensation of tearing in the chest; trembling feeling in the chest when moving the arms or from any movement.

Can lie only on the right side with the head high. Rheumatic troubles especially in the left side of the chest. Feeling as if the heart were compressed with a hand. Purring feeling over the region of the heart, wave-like motion not synchronous with the pulse.

Waving palpitation not synchronous with the pulse. Trembling of the carotids. Acute pericarditis with anxiety and weight in the praecordium. These troubles following a rheumatic attack, at its close or many months after the fever has subsided. Spigelia is seldom indicated in rheumatism of the heart in phlegmatic persons who do not feel intensely.

When a rheumatic affection attacks the venous side of the heart, and there is a sense of stuffiness, of fullness through the whole body, limbs swollen, but do not pit on pressure, face mottled, it is a serious case and may end in Bright's disease and death.

by James Tyler Kent