Carduus Marianus appears in 9 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 TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“C. marianus, Gærtn. Nat. order , Compositæ. (Old generic name, Silybum.) Preparation , Tincture of the seeds. Authority. Reil, proving with 5 to 50 drops of the tincture, and with repeated doses of an infusion of the seeds, Hom. Vierteljahrschrift, 3, 453 (translated in N. Am. J. of Hom., 3, 379). Slight dulness of…”
- Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“St. Mary's Thistle The action of this drug is centered in the liver, and portal system, causing soreness, pain, jaundice. Has specific relation to the vascular system. Abuse of alcoholic beverages, especially beer. Varicose veins and ulcers. Diseases of miners, associated with asthma. Dropsical conditions depending on…”
- Boger (GA) — Which general headings this remedy belongs under — the analytical scaffolding.
“DAMPNESS, getting wet, wet weather, bathing, working in water, damp rooms, etc., Agg. YELLOW, golden, bright or orange”
- Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“Silybum. N. O. Compositæ. Tincture or trituration of the seeds. Bronchitis / Dropsy / Epistaxis / Fever / Gall-stones / Hæmoptysis / Hæmorrhages / Hæmorrhoids / Influenza / Intermittents / Jaundice / Liver, affections of / Metrorrhagia / Neuralgia / Phthisis / Pleurisy / Rheumatism / Sciatica / Spleen, affections of /…”
- Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Silybum Marianum Gaertno. Compositæ. Radix, Herba et Semen Cardui Mariæ, in use since olden times. Revived by Rademacher in 1848. A very complete history and some symptoms given by Reil (Clotar Müller's Quarterly, vol. iii, p. 453, 1852) ; proved by Lembke (Zeit. für Klin., vol. vi., p. 18) ; a most excellent proving…”
- Kent — The mental and general picture — who the patient is, before what the remedy cures.
“This is one of the most important liver remedies, if a homoeopathic author can be excused for the expression. There are many pains, pressing, dragging, drawing, burning; worse from motion. The patient is very sensitive to cold, and is subject to attacks of bilious vomiting at regular or irregular intervals. The author…”
- Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: st. mary's thistle. Sad, depressed and hypochondriacal (Ign., Nux-V., Sep., Staph., Sulph.) (Bl.). Dull frontal headache (Bry., Chin., Kali-M., Nux-V., Puls., Sep.) (B.). Dark or brown urine (Benz-Ac., Bry., Chel., Merc-C., Phos., Sep., Sulph., Zinc.) (K.). Want of appetite, with nausea and vomiting of a…”
- Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Is a so-called liver remedy, and I have seen good results from it in liver troubles, yet I do not know of any special indications for its use. I have known cases of habitual colic from gall stones checked and the further formation of the stones prevented by this remedy. One of them was a very bad case, for which old…”
