Secale Cornutum


Dr. S.R. Phatak describes the clinically confirmed symptoms of the homeopathic remedy Secale Cornutum in his Concise Materia Medica, published in 1977….


Generalities

      A vegetable nosode called ergot, contracts the muscles of BLOOD, VESSELS and UTERUS; decomposes the BLOOD; producing haemorrhage which is thin, foetid, watery, black, oozing continuously. Twitchings; spasms, with fingers spread apart. Gnawing and cramps; with stiffness; in single parts or after the pains. Numbness. Insufferable tingling, crawling, starting in face; or back; in the limbs; in finger tips, better rubbing. Sensation of burning in the whole body or as of sparks falling on them, or here and there; like fire. Discharges are dark, thin, foul and exhausting. Tetanic spasms with full consciousness. Rapid emaciation; of paralyzed part; or with much appetite and excessive thirst. Loss of power of voluntary motion. Feels as if walking on velvet. Coldness; but does not want to be covered up. Convulsive jerks and starts in the paralyzed limbs. Neuralgia caused by pressure of distended veins. Varicoses. Thrombosis. Lymphoid tumours. Sensation of deadness; in any part. Gangrene; traumatic; from application of leeches or mustard, better cold. It is suited to irritable plethoric subjects; or to thin, scrawny, feeble women of cachetic appearance; to very old decrepit persons. Petechiae. Small wounds bleed much. Everything feels loose and open. Contracted arterioles. Chronic, sharp, stinging neuralgic pains, which burn like fire better application of heat. Paralysis; with distorted limbs; of lower extremities; of one side; of one arm or one leg; with tingling, numbness and prickling. Paralysis after spasms. Restlessness, extreme debility; and prostration. Collapse.

Worse

      WARMTH. Just before or during menses. Pregnancy. Loss of fluids. COVERS. Touch. Eating. Sexual excess. After abortion. Smokers.

Better

      Cold-bathing; uncovering, fanning. Rocking. Forcible stretching. Lying doubled up in bed. After vomiting.

Mind

      Weakness of; after spasms; after exhausting coition. Madness, inclination to bite or drown himself. Maniacal fear; or depressed by fear. Puerperal mania exposes the body, tears at the genitals, inserts her finger into the vagina and scratches until it bleeds; all idea of modesty lost. Laughs, claps her hand over head, seems besides herself.

Head

      Feels light or heavy with tingling in legs. Twisting of head to and fro. Falling of hair.

Eyes

      Sparks before the eyes. Senile, incipient cataract esp. in women. Sunken; surrounded by blue rings. Paralysis of upper lid; from coal gas. Tears suppressed. Double or triple vision. Blindness. Diabetic retinitis.

Ears

      Hardness of hearing, after cholera.

Nose

      Bleeds persistently; blood; dark; with great prostration, in old people, drunkards or young women.

Face

      Distorted or sunken, pale, pinched. Wild look. Tingling or twitching in face; which spreads all over the body. Lock-jaw.

Mouth

      Tongue; dry, cracked, exudes blood inky black; stiff, with tingling at tip; feels paralyzed; stuttering indistinct speech.

Throat

      Painful tingling; burning. Post diphtheritic paralysis.

Stomach

      Thirst; unquenchable. Unnatural ravenous appetite; craves sour things and lemonade. Vomiting; of dark brown, coffee-ground fluid. Empty retchings. Burning. Nausea, easy vomiting. Haematemesis.

Abdomen

      Excessively inflated and tight; wants uncovered. Empty feeling in hypogastrium; or bearing down; must lie doubled up in bed. Gushing, offensive; painless, watery, olive-green or bloody stools; with collapse; icy coldness and intolerance of being covered. Anus feels loose, and wide open; faeces pass involuntarily. Twitching of abdominal muscles. Formation of large lumps and swelling in abdomen.

Urinary

      Enuresis in old people. Bloody urine, white cheesy deposit. Urine; suppressed, pale, watery. Retention, with unsuccessful urging.

Female

      Menses; irregular, copious, dark, continuous oozing of watery, foetid, blood; until next period, Inert uterus, or bearing down with coldness. Contracted uterus; hour-glass contraction. Brownish, offensive, continuous, leucorrhoea. Threatened abortion; at the third month. Dark, offensive, green lochia. Septic placenta. Metritis. Gangrene of female organs. Severe after-pains. Suppression of milk, with stinging in mammae. Never well since abortion. Vagina hot or cool. Puerperal fever. Prolapsus uterus after forceps delivery.

Respiratory

      Pains through chest, on pressing spine. Burning in lungs.

Heart

      Palpitation of heart after sexual excess; in males. Pulse intermittent.

Neck and Back

      Tingling in back extending to fingers and toes. Pressure on affected portion causes pain there as well as through the chest. Myelitis.

Extremities

      Limbs cold. Bluish fingers and toes. Cramps in hands; legs and feet. Fingers spread apart, bent backwards or clenched, look water soaked. Fingers feel fuzzy; of smokers. Cramps in calves. Trembling, staggering or shuffling gait, as if feet were dragged along. Toes drawn up. Locomotor ataxia. Paraplegia. Hands and feet cold and dry, of smokers.

Sleep

      Insomnia of drug and liquor habitues. Deep, lethargic.

Fever

      INTERNAL BURNING; WITH ICY COLDNESS EXTERNALLY, YET AVERSE To BEING COVERED worse abdomen. Heat as of sparks. Erysipelas. Cold or foul sweat destroys shoes.

Skin

      Boils with green pus; matures slowly. Bloody blisters. Skin cold, dry, wrinkled or bluish; Agg. over affected part. Raynaud’s disease. Oedema neonatorum. Ulcers, foul, indolent; varicose. Twitchings or quivering in skin. Formication under the skin.

Related

      Chin; Merc; Nux-m; Puls; Ustilago

Complementary

      Ars; Thuja

S.R. Phatak
A pioneer of Homoeopathy in Maharashtra, Dr Shankar Raghunath Phatak was born on 6th September, 1896. He did his MBBS from Grant Medical College, in 1924. Started his practice but somehow not satisfied with Allopathic Treatment.

He was convinced about Homoeopathy while going through Sir William Osler's writings on 'History of Medicine' so switched over to an entirely Homoeopathic Practice in 1932. He also started working on Homoeopathic literature along with his Practice.

He has contributed immensely to homoeopathic literature. He was an ardent follower of Dr Boger. His Repertory is based on Boger's ''A Synoptic key to Materia Medica'.