STAPHISAGRIA Medicine


STAPHISAGRIA symptoms of the homeopathy remedy from Plain Talks on Materia Medica with Comparisons by W.I. Pierce. What STAPHISAGRIA can be used for? Indications and personality of STAPHISAGRIA…


      STAVESACRE-LARK-SPUR.

Introduction

      You will call this plant Staphisagria (o-rais, staphis, grape plus aypios, agrios, wild, hence the common name stavesacre) when speaking to a homoeopath; Delphinium staphisagria (delpis, delphis, a dolphin, which its flower is supposed to remind you of) when speak to a druggist; and Lark-spur (any plant of the genus Delphinium, so-called from the spur-shaped formation of flower) when telling the nurse in charge of an orphan asylum to use the ointment on the children’s heads, for it is very efficient, locally, for body or head lice.

Hahnemann, in speaking of the results of his proving, says: “Curative virtues have been elicited from this medicinal substance which are of infinitely greater value that its power to kill lice.” He recommends its use in the 30th.

Symptoms

      Staphisagria is frequently of value as an antidote to the chronic effects of mercury poisoning (139), especially as found in the mouth. It has a pronounced effect on the nervous system, with great sensitiveness “to the least impression, either mental or physical” (Hering).

The Staphisagria child has a temper (184) and the mother always looks in the father’s direction when she speaks of it (30). The child is cross, peevish and irritable; you cannot please it and it throws away anything you give it to play with. This irritability is one degree in advance of that found under Chamomilla. Associated with this irritability we may have a state of ravenous hunger (119), hunger even when the stomach is full.

The adult prefers solitude and while shy of the opposite sex, he lets his thoughts dwell on sexual subjects.

The patient is very sensitive to adverse criticism and is always thinking of it; feels acutely the slightest wrong of “thinks the least thing done is a premeditated insult” (Talcott); and Staphisagria is not only useful for illness due to wounded pride or chagrin, but also for the bad effects of anger.

In the head there is a neuralgic headache, with a sensation of a lump or ball in the middle of the forehead which cannot be shaken off, or as if the head, at the forehead, were being compressed (106).

It is a useful remedy for moist, fetid eruptions on the back of the head and behind the ears (64), which serve as a good breeding place for pediculi. There is itching and biting, the hair falls out and the scalp is painfully sensitive to touch (91).

It is of value for scrofulous ophthalmia (76) and for tumors or chalazion of the lids (79) and it is of first importance for the recurrence of styes, especially on the lower lid, when they are inclined to abort and leave little, hard nodules. It acts also as a prophylactic against styes (183). if the case is seen in time, the remedy will often abort the stye that is coming, and if taken too late to do that, it will bring it to a good head and prevent the rest of the crop from making their appearance.

The mouth is sore and ulcerated (140), associated with much mucus and perhaps bloody saliva. The gums are spongy, bleed easily (84), are retracted (84) and painful to touch.

It is of value for dental fistula (187), with sensitiveness to cold water.

In children the teeth grow black (186) and become brittle (186) and in older people the teeth decay early (186), and are soft and crumble.

It is useful in toothache associated with menstruation (187) as well as in the toothache of pregnancy (188). With the toothache we have pains shooting into the ear and temple, aggravation after eating (187), from cold drinks (187), cold air (187) and cold weather. Hard pressure frequently relieves the toothache, which may be aggravated by light pressure (188).

Besides the condition of ravenous hunger, already spoken of, as associated with the crossness of children, there is a sensation of goneness as if the stomach and abdomen hung down relaxed (179), and noticed especially, perhaps, after one’s feelings have been hurt.

Staphisagria has a griping, twisting colic from drinking cold water (177), with aggravation from heat or hot applications, and Hering speaks of “biliary colic, after domestic disturbances” (177). There are eructations (182) and flatus tasting and smelling like rotten eggs and in the diarrhoea the movements ate hot and of the same odor as the flatus (59).

The diarrhoea is often caused by, or is worse form, drinking cold water (57), or it is a chronic condition (58) in weak and sickly children, where, as additional indications, we find the black and crumbly teeth and the moist, fetid eruptions on the scalp.

Staphisagria is a remedy that will be indicated very frequently in those who are addicted to abnormal sexual thoughts and actions; and included in its general train of symptoms will be the hypochondriacal state of which we have already spoken (168).

Talcott says: “It produces a chronic irritation and hyper- excitability of the male genital organs, particularly of the prostatic urethra and the adjacent seminal ducts; and secondarily develops all the physical and mental symptoms of spermatorrhoea” and it is of great value “in removing the results of excessive masturbation in either sex.” In addition we have the relaxation of the abdomen, with, in the male, prostatic irritation or inflammation (155), or posterior urethritis, and in the female prolapsus of the uterus (203) and ovaritis, with great sensitiveness (148).

In the female this state is often due to enforced continence during absence of husband or from widowhood and Staphisagria has been called the widow’s remedy (146).

It has been used for amenorrhoea (134) “from severe chagrin or great indignation” (Minton), and it is useful for irregular menstruation, with aching around the hips, loss of power in the legs and general lack of tone, especially when the result of a too prolonged engagement or the unhappy ending of one.

Staphisagria is occasionally indicated in secondary syphilis, with soft excrescences on the pains, which are moist and offensive.

It is of value in orchitis, with burning, stinging, or pain as if compressed (188), and especially when due to metastasis from mumps (188).

Staphisagria is a remedy to be thought of in chronic gout, with nodosities especially of the fingers (161).

It is useful for herpes zoster (141), with shooting pains down the thighs, and for eruptions which are moist, offensive and accompanied by itching, with the peculiarity of the remedy that while scratching relieves, the itching reappears in another place.

It is a remedy useful for injuries resulting from smooth, clean cuts and is, therefore, of value for neuralgic pains following operations (15).

Ranunculus bulb. is more or less incompatible with Staphisagria.

I use Staphisagria 30th.

Willard Ide Pierce
Willard Ide Pierce, author of Plain Talks on Materia Medica (1911) and Repertory of Cough, Better and Worse (1907). Dr. Willard Ide Pierce was a Director and Professor of Clinical Medicine at Kent's post-graduate school in Philadelphia.