Caladium seguinum
Dieffenbachia seguine · American arum, dumb cane, poison arum. · Plant · Araceae
Caladium is most appropriate for people who feel debilitated, nervous, restless, and forgetful, perhaps following a feverish illness. Illness depletes their energy levels and libido, despite a prior history of high sexual energy and a susceptibility to lascivious thoughts. Other symptoms include rough, dry, itchy skin and a marked craving for tobacco.
Key symptoms
- Marked action on genital organs with intense pruritus
- Impotency; relaxation of penis during excitement; no emission or orgasm
- Erections when half-asleep, cease when fully awake
- Pruritus of vulva and vagina during pregnancy
- Modifies craving for tobacco; tobacco heart
- Slightest noise startles from sleep; dread of motion
- Sweet sweat attracting flies; insect bites burn and itch intensely
- Asthmatic complaints; itching rash alternates with asthma
Worse (aggravation)
Better (amelioration)
American Arum
This remedy has a marked action on the genital organs, and pruritus of this region. Coldness of single parts and inclination to lie down, with aggravation on lying on left side. Slightest noise startles from sleep. Dread from motion. Modifies craving for tobacco. Tobacco heart. Asthmatic complaints.
Head
Headaches and mental states of smokers. Very forgetful, does not know about the occurrences of things. Confused headache with pain in shoulder, pressure in eyes and forehead; extremely sensitive to noise, throbbing in ear.
Stomach
Gnawing in orifice of stomach, which prevents deep breathing and eructations. Eructations. Stomach feels full of dry food; sensation of fluttering. Acrid vomiting, thirstless and tolerates only warm drinks. Sighing respiration.
Male
Pruritus. Glans very red. Organs seem larger, puffed, relaxed, cold, sweating; skin of scrotum thick. Erections when half-asleep; cease when fully awake. Impotency; relaxation of penis during excitement. No emission and no orgasm during embrace.
Female
Pruritus of vulva (Ambr; Kreos) and vagina during pregnancy (Hydrogen peroxyd 1: 12 locally). Voluptuousness. Cramp pains in uterus at night.
Skin
Sweet sweat-attracts flies. Insect bites burn and itch intensely. Itching rash alternates with asthma. Burning sensation and erysipelatous inflammation.
Respiratory
Larynx seems constricted. Breathing impeded. Catarrhal asthma; mucus not readily raised. Patient afraid to go to sleep.
Modalities
Better, after sweat, after sleeping in daytime. Worse, motion.
Relationship
Incompatible: Arum triph.
Complementary: Nitr ac.
Compare: Capsic; Phosph; Caust; Selen; Lyc. Ikshugandha (sexual weakness, emissions, prostatic enlargement).
Dose
Third to sixth attenuation.
Caladium is a wonderful remedy; perhaps some of you have read It endeavoring to understand it; it is a difficult medicine to understand, because it is quite evident from the provings that the prover did not understand how to describe and report symptoms; did not know how to tell his sensations because they were so strange; he could not relate his mental state.
Mind
An individual puts his mind to bear upon something which seems to have taken place during the day, but he is not quite sure whether it took place or not; he thinks the matter over, and yet he cannot be really sure whether it took place or not, until he actually goes and puts his hands upon the object thought about; proves to himself by actual contact and observation that his vague impression was so, that it was true, then he goes away and again he is undecided as to whether it was so or not.
Caladium seguinum. Arum seguinum. Dumb Cane. (South America.) N. O. Araceæ. Tincture of whole fresh plant.
Clinical
Asthma. Dropsical swellings. Gleet. Impotence. Irritation. Nymphomania. Pruritus vaginæ. Spermatorrhœa. Typhoid. Typhus. Worms.
Characteristics
Like the other Arums, Caladium has an intensely irritating effect on the mucous membranes and skin, and produces many burning sensations. Calad. is one of the best remedies for that troublesome affection, pruritus vulvæ. Sometimes this is set up by intestinal worms finding their way into the vagina, and they may then cause masturbation, and even nymphomania. There is also great disturbance in the male sexual sphere. Masturbation and its results. Nocturnal emissions occurring either without dreams or with non-sexual dreams. Spermatorrhœa. The glans penis is flabby from masturbation, prepuce if drawn back remains so from loss of contractility. Catarrhal asthma, mucus not readily raised, but giving relief when it comes up.
American Arum. (Araceae.)
Very sensitive ot noise; slightest noise startles from sleep (Asar., Nux, Taren.). Eructations, frequent, of very little wind, as if stomach were full of dry food. Impotence: with mental depression; relaxed penis, with sexual desire and excitement (Lyc., Sel.). No erection, even after caress; no emission, no orgasm during an embrace (Cal., Sel.). Prutius vaginae; induces onanism (Orig., Zinc.); during pregnancy; with mucous discharge. Falls asleep during evening fever and wakes when it stops. Sweet sweat attracts the flies. Mosquito and insect bites burn and itch intensively. Aversion to motion; dreads to move (Bry.). Destroys craving for tabacco.
Male Sexual Organs
Impotence with mental depression; relaxed penis with sexual desire and excitement.
Calcarea carbonica
(see Calc ost)
Head
Vertigo when suddenly raising or turning the head, even when at rest; or when going upstairs or a hill.
Head
Internal or external sensation of coldness of various parts of the head.
Head
Itching of scalp; children scratch their heads when their sleep is disturbed or they are awakened.
Head
Head too large; fontanelles not closing, and profuse sweat.
Neck and Back
Easily over-strained from over-lifting, neck becomes stiff and rigid. Especially from working in water like ditching.
Extremities
Feet constantly cold and damp, as though she had on damp stockings.
Phatak's chapter on Caladium seguinum is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
