Homoeopathy — Page 617
Secale Cornutum 617 SECALE CORNUTUM (Ergot) Ergot, a dreadful poison, has been used since ancient times in labour, despite the fact that its slightest overdose can prove extremely dangerous. The general health of the woman can be seriously affected and she may suffer from some sort of serious internal problem throughout her life. There is no known cure for such complications so far. Ergot has a constricting effect on the arteries and other tissues of the body, resulting in serious life-long illnesses. A woman overdosed with Ergot suffers from continuous dark coloured vaginal bleed. The body becomes thin and wasted. The skin becomes dark and contracted. The limbs can become paralysed. The patient cannot tolerate heat. He/she likes to be in the open air and cold. As in Arsenic, the patient feels very restless and a burning inside. The difference is that the Secale patient feels hot inside though the body feels cold to touch. The hands and feet may become ice cold, yet, the patient feels hot and under fire, putting the feet out of the bed. Whereas, in Arsenic, the patient feels severe burning inside, and the body may not be cold. He feels better in the heat and likes to keep himself covered and still feels cold, although his body may be warm on the outside. He feels better with hot fomentation i. e. external heat seems to suppress his feeling of heat inside. Concersely a Secale patient feels comfortable with cold applications. Even if it is very cold outside, he feels hot. Sometimes, it may be very difficult to distinguish Arsenic from Secale due to similarities of symptoms. They are also complimentary. In other words, they can compliment each other, if used one after the other. On proving, it was discovered that Secale works better on patients of thin and lean build. Obese people are rarely Secale patients. This is why the remedy is described to be ideal for the patients who are thin, lean and rather emaciated. Their skin is dry, shrivelled and very unhealthy. As already mentioned, every Secale patient does not have to be so. It can also be effective in obese people. Additionally, Secale patients exhibit violet coloured spots or red spots with bluish hue. It is the bluish tinge or the cyanosis , which is important. These spots are