Coffea appears in 12 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.
“Coffee (Rubiaceae) Tall, lean, stooping persons, dark complexion, sanguine choleric temperament. Oversensitiveness; all the senses more acute, sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch (Bell., Cham., Opium). Unusual activity of mind and body . Full of ideas; quick to act, no sleep on this account. Ailments: the bad effects…”
- Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“Coffea Arabica, Linn. Nat. order , Rubiaceæ. Preparation , Tincture of the raw berries. Authorities. [The symptoms without authority are so found in Stapf's résumé.] Emotional. Lively fancies; full of plans for the future ; contrary to his custom is very much charmed by the beauties of nature, descriptions of which…”
- Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Unroasted Coffee Stimulates the functional activity of all organs, increasing the nervous and vascular activity. The drinking of coffee by the aged is likely to increase production of uric acid, causing irritation of kidneys; muscle and joint pains, and with the increased susceptibility of old people to the…”
- Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“NERVES; cardiac. CIRCULATION. Sex organs. Women. NOISE. Touch. Odors. Air (Open. Cold. Windy). Mental: Emotions. Exertion. Overeating. Alcohol. Night. Lying. Sleep. Warmth. Emotions cause severe symptoms. EXITABLE AND OVERACTIVE. OVERSENSITIVE; to noise, it may even be painful (Ther.); to pain, pleasure, etc…”
- Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“Coffee. N. O. Rubiaciæ. Tincture of raw berries. Apoplexy / Asthma / Aural neuralgia / Colic / Convulsions / Diarrhœa / Ecstasy / Excitement / Headache / Heart, hyperæsthesia of / Hernia / Hyperæsthesia / Hysteria / Intermittents / Joy, ill-effects of / Labour pains / Metrorrhagia / Neuralgia / Over-sensitiveness /…”
- Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Coffee. Rubiaceæ. Introduced by the Dutch into Java about 1690. The Coffee plant is a small tree from 15 to 30 feet in height ; the branches are opposite, gradually diminishing in length as they ascend, forming a pyramidal summit, which is covered with green foliage throughout the year ; the leaves are opposite…”
- Kent — The mental and general picture — who the patient is, before what the remedy cures.
“Sensitiveness: This drug is characterized by a general sensitivity. Sensitiveness of vision, of hearing, of smell, of touch; sensitiveness to pain. it is most astonishing sometimes about this great sensitiveness. Pains are increased by noise. Sensitiveness of hearing is so great that sounds are painful. Pains in the…”
- Lippe (KN) — Only the symptoms Lippe considered reliable enough to prescribe on.
“Excited and over-sensitive. Great sensitiveness to pain, driving to despair with weeping. Great movability of the muscles. Excessive activity of the vital powers. Twitching of the limbs. Sleeplessness on account of excessive excitability of the mind and of the body. Aversion to the open air and from it aggravation of…”
- Lippe (MM) — The strict Hahnemannian reading — the symptom picture without clinical interpretation.
“Over-sensitiveness; weeping mood. Great anguish; cannot be composed; is not able to hold the pen; trembles. Sentimental ecstasy; excited imagination; increased power to think. Excessive weeping and lamentations over trifles. The pains seem insupportable, driving to despair. Fright from sudden pleasant surprises…”
- Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: coffee. It produces a nervous erethism (over-sensitiveness). All the senses are rendered more acute, and pains are felt intensely (D.). EXCITED AND OVER-SENSITIVE (Bell., Hyos., Lach., Nux-V., Stram.). GREAT SENSITIVENESS TO PAIN (Acon., Bell., Cham., Hep., Lach., Plat., Stram.); DRIVING TO DESPAIR WITH…”
- Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“All senses more acute; reads fine print easier; smell, taste and touch acute; unusual activity of mind and body; full of ideas, quick to act, no sleep on this account, etc. Affections from sudden surprises, especially joyful surprises; very emotional. Pains insupportable, drive to despair; exasperation, tears, tossing…”
