Sambucus Nigra

Elder

by William Boericke — Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica & Repertory

Acts especially on the respiratory organs. Dry coryza of infants, snuffles, œdematous swellings. Profuse sweat accompanies many affections.

Mind

Sees images when shutting eyes. Constant fretfulness . Very easily frightened. Fright followed by suffocative attacks.

Face

Turns blue with cough. Red, burning spots on cheeks. Heat and perspiration of face.

Abdomen

Colic, with nausea and flatulence; frequent watery, slimy stools.

Urine

Profuse urine with dry heat of skin. Frequent micturition, with scanty urine. Acute nephritis; dropsical symptoms, with vomiting.

Respiratory

Chest oppressed with pressure in stomach, and nausea Hoarseness with tenacious mucus in larynx. Paroxysmal, suffocative cough, coming on about midnight , with crying and dyspnœa. Spasmodic croup. Dry coryza. Sniffles of infants ; nose dry and obstructed. Loose choking cough. When nursing child must let go of nipple, nose blocked up, cannot breathe. Child awakes suddenly, nearly suffocating, sits up, turns blue. Cannot expire ( Meph ). Millar's asthma.

Extremities

Hands turn blue. Œdematous swelling in legs, insteps, and feet. Feet icy cold. Debilitating night-sweats ( Salvia; Acet ac ).

Fever

Dry heat while sleeping. Dreads uncovering. Profuse sweat over entire body during waking hours . Dry, deep cough precedes the fever paroxysm.

Skin

Dry heat of skin during sleep. Bloated and swollen; general dropsy; profuse sweat on waking .

Modalities

Worse , sleep, during rest, after eating fruit. Better , sitting up in bed, motion.

Relationship

Compare: Ipec; Meph; Opium; Sambucus Canadensis (great value in dropsies; large doses required-fluid extract, 1/4 to 1 teaspoonful three times daily).

Antidotes: Ars; Camph .

Dose

Tincture, to sixth potency.

Sambucus Nigra across the other classic books

Sambucus Nigra appears in 10 of the 13 classic books on Similia. Each was written to do a different job — here is what each adds on this remedy, with the opening of its entry.

Allen HC — The keynotes that separate this remedy from its nearest neighbours.
“Elder. (Caprifoliaceae.) Adapted to diseases of scrofulous children, which affect the air passages specially. Persons formerly robust and fleshy, suddenly become emaciated (Iod., Tub.). Bad effects of violent mental emotions; anxiety, grief, or excessive sexual indulgence (Phos. ac., Kali p.). Oedmatous swelling in…”
Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“Sambucus nigra, Linn. Natural order , Caprifoliaceæ. Common names , Elder; (G.), Flieder, Schwarzer Holunder; (Fr.), Sureau. Preparation , Tincture of the leaves and flowers. Authorities. (Nos. 1 to 7 , from Hahnemann, R. A. M. L., 5, 61). Periodical delirium, saw frightful things on the wall, 1. Constant fretfulness…”
Boger (GA) — Which general headings this remedy belongs under — the analytical scaffolding.
“EXHALATION. Agg. LYING, Agg. MOISTNESS, fluidity, increased secretions in general, etc. (Comp. Dampness.) MOTION, Amel. RESPIRATION 3 P.M. 12 Night”
Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“Respiratory organs. Respiration. Kidneys. Skin. Dry, cold air. Cold drinks, while heated. Head low. Pressure over a sharp edge. Motion. Wrapping up. Sweats or gets short of breath; with many symptoms. Nephritis. Dropsy. .................... Fretful. Half open eyes. Snuffles. Bluish, puffy face; < coughing. SUDDEN…”
Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“(Linn.). Elder. N. O. Caprifoliaceæ. Tincture of fresh leaves and flowers. Angina pectoris / Asthma / Chest, oppression of / Coryza, dry / Cough / Croup / Emaciation / Headaches, catarrhal / Hoarseness / Hydrocele / Ileus / Laryngismus / Perspirations / Phthisis / Scurf / "Snuffles." / Starting / Whooping-cough The…”
Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Elder. Caprifoliaceæ. The European elder, Sambucus nigra, differs but slightly from the American, Sambucus canadensis. The tincture is prepared from the fresh leaves and flowers. Introduced and proved by Hahnemann, assisted by Franz, Gross, Hartmann, Langhammer and Wislicenus, R. A. M. L., vol. 5. CLINICAL AUTHORITIES.”
Lippe (MM) — The strict Hahnemannian reading — the symptom picture without clinical interpretation.
“Periodical delirium, with visions and hallucinations. Very easily frightened; trembling, anxiety and restlessness. Fright followed by suffocative attacks, with bluish, bloated face. Tension in the head; when moving it sensation as if it were filled with water. Sudden jerks through the head. The head is bent backwards…”
Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: elder. We are often led to this remedy, when we find a great deal of perspiration, occurring with any other trouble, which may last all the time, or it may come and go in paroxysms (G.). Bad effects of violent mental emotions, anxiety, grief, or excessive sexual indulgence (Kali-P., Phos-Ac.) (A.)…”
Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Is a prime remedy for “snuffles” in small children. It is of the dry variety, completely obstructing the nose, child must breathe through the mouth. It is also one of the best remedies for asthma millari. The attacks come on suddenly in the night; child turns blue, gasps for breath and seems as if almost dying. Then…”

Sambucus Nigra in Kent's Repertory

Kent's Repertory lists Sambucus Nigra in 764 rubrics. These are the ones where it carries the highest grade — the symptoms Kent treated as most characteristic. Most of them sit in GENERALITIES (147), EXTREMITIES (74), MIND (53), HEAD (49), COUGH (42).

EXTREMITIES - COLDNESS - Foot - heat - of - body during sleep,with
FEVER - DRY heat - night - sleep - going to on
FEVER - SLEEP,heat comes on - during - cold feet and sweat on waking
GENERALITIES - WEAKNESS,enervation - perspiration,from - while awake,dry,burning heat while sleeping
PERSPIRATION - DAYTIME - awake,while
PERSPIRATION - EVENING - 7 p.m. - to 1 a.m.
PERSPIRATION - PROFUSE - evening - 7 p.m. lasting until 1 a.m. dry heat returns on going to sleep
PERSPIRATION - SLEEP - during - dry heat,perspiration on waking
RESPIRATION - DIFFICULT - midnight - after - frequent attacks until 4 a.m.
PERSPIRATION - AWAKE only,while
FEVER - BURNING heat - sleep,during
PERSPIRATION - PROFUSE - debilitating - not
RESPIRATION - ASTHMATIC - midnight,after - must spring out of bed
COUGH - SUFFOCATIVE - night - midnight
NOSE - SNUFFLES - in new-born infants
FEVER - DRY heat - night - sleep - during
HEAD - PERSPIRATION scalp - except the head
PERSPIRATION - PROFUSE - waking,on
PERSPIRATION - SLEEP - on going to amel.
RESPIRATION - DIFFICULT - midnight - after

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