Asarum europaeum
Hazelwort, European snakeroot, wild nard, public house plant. · Plant · Aristolochiaceae
People who respond best to Asarum are nervous, excitable, and oversensitive. They are usually weak, often feel chilly, and are unable to live robust, ordinary lives. Often they are overly ambitious and exhausted due to a stressful occupation. Asarum is also given to recovering alcoholics.
The classic symptom picture for this remedy is of nervous hypersensitivity and edgy, hysterical behavior; even the sound of scratching on cloth becomes unbearable. Other symptoms commonly include nervous exhaustion, restlessness, hand-wringing, severe insomnia, and a sensation of floating and dizziness. Noise may trigger pain in the ears and teeth.
Digestive problems with an aversion to eating, possibly associated with anorexia, may accompany this disturbed state. There is often alcoholism or a desire for alcohol, and an aversion to sexual intercourse.
Key symptoms
- Scratching on silk or linen or paper is unbearable
- Always feels cold; cold shivers from any emotion
- Excessive nervous erethism with increased sensibility even from mere imagination
- Eyes feel stiff; burn; feel cold; better in cold air or water
- Desire for alcoholic drinks; nausea worse after eating
- Strings of odorless yellow mucus pass from bowels
- Tension and contractive sensations; feels as if parts pressed together
- Nervous deafness and asthenopia
- Menses too early, long lasting, and black
Worse (aggravation)
Better (amelioration)
European Snake-root (ASARUM EUROPUM)
A remedy for nervous affections, loss of energy, with excessive erethism. Scratching on silk or linen or paper unbearable. Pains and spasmodic muscular actions. Nervous deafness and asthenopia. Cold shivers from any emotion. Feels as if parts were pressed together. Tension and contractive sensations. Always feels cold.
Mind
Thoughts vanish, with drawing pressure in forehead. Sensibility increased, even from mere imagination.
Head
Compressive pain. Tension of scalp; hair painful (China). Coryza, with sneezing.
Eyes
Feel stiff; burn; feel cold. Better, in cold air or water; worse, sunlight and wind. Darting pains in eyes after operations. Asthenopia.
Ears
Sensation as if plugged up. Catarrh with deafness. Heat of external ear. Noises.
Stomach
Loss of appetite, flatulence, eructation, and vomiting. Desire for alcoholic drinks. Smoking tobacco tastes bitter. Nausea; worse after eating. Clean tongue. Great faintness. Accumulation of cold, watery saliva.
Rectum
Strings of odorless, yellow mucus pass from bowels. Diarrhœa of tough mucus. Undigested stools. Prolapse.
Female
Menses too early, long lasting, black. Violent pain in small of back. Tenacious, yellow leucorrhœa.
Respiratory
Nervous, hacking cough. Short respiration.
Back
Paralytic pain in muscles of nape of neck. Weakness, with staggering.
Fever
Chilliness, single parts get icy cold. Easily excited perspiration.
Modalities
Worse, in cold dry weather; penetrating sounds. Better, from washing; in damp and wet weather.
Relationship
Asarum Canadensa-Wild Ginger (Colds, followed by amenorrhœa and gastro-enteritis. Suppressed colds). Compare: Ipecac, especially in diarrhœa; Silica; Nux; China.
Dose
Third to sixth potency.
Asarabacca. Hazelwort. Wild Nard. (Mountainous woods in Europe.) N. O. Aristolochiaceæ. Tinctures of root and whole fresh plant.
Clinical
Alcoholism. Anus, prolapse of. Catarrhs. Cholerine. Diarrhœa. Dysmenorrhœa. Eyes, affections of; operations on. Fidgets. Headache. Hysteria. Levitation, sensation of. Typhus.
Characteristics
Before Hahnemann's time Asar. was little known except as an emetic. His proving brought to light some unique characteristics. Most remarkable is a state of over-sensitiveness of the nerves, the scratching of linen or silk, or even the thought of it, is insufferable. Sensation of lightness of the limbs, thinks she is gliding through the air when she walks. Nervous irritability and exaltation. Sensation as though whole body or single parts were being pressed together. Pain as from contraction in forehead, temples, and behind ear, with watering and burning of the eyes; < afternoon, > when sitting, and by washing. Eyes inflamed, bleared, staring. Weak sight, < bright light. When reading …
European Snake Root (Arsistolochiaceae)
Nervous, anxious people; excitable or melancholy. Imagines he is hovering in the air like a spirit (Lac. c.); lightness of all the limbs. Cold "shivers" from any emotion. Oversensitiveness of nerves, scratching of linen or silk, crackling of paper is unbearable (Fer. Tar.). Sensation as if ears were plugged up with some foreign substance. When reading, sensation in eyes as if thy would be pressed asunder or outward; relieved by bathing them in cold water. Cold air or cold water very pleasant to the eyes; sunshine, light, and wind are intolerable. Nausea: in attacks or constant (Ipec.); < after eating, tongue clean (Sulph.); of pregnancy. Unconquerable longing for alcohol; a popular remedy in Russia for drunkards. "Horrible sensation" of pressing, digging in the stomach when waking in the morning (after a debauch). Great faintness and constant yawning.
Generalities
Oversensitiveness of nevers; scratching of linen or silk, crackling of paper is unbearable.
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Excessive sensibility of all the nerves, when merely thinking (and this he must continually), that someone might with the finger tips or nail scratch even lightly on linen or similar material, a most disagreeable sensation passes through him arresting momentarily all his thoughts and actions.
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Lightness of all the limbs; when walking seems to be gliding through the air.
Phatak's chapter on Asarum europaeum is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
