Castoreum

by C.M. Boger — A Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica

REGION

NERVES.
Female generative organs.

WORSE

Emotions.
Cold.
During menses.
Debilitating diseases.

BETTER

Pressure.
Weak and lacks reaction. Nervous

and spasmodic effects of uterine origin. Fibrillar twitchings. Hysteria. Irritability. .................... Twitching in tongue. Abdominal symptoms, with yawning. Colics, with sudden weakness, > pressure. Summer diarrhœa of green mucus stools (Asar.). Violent cutting dysmenorrhœal colic, then cold sweat. Exhausting sweats after fevers.

Related: Mos. Val.

Castoreum across the other classic books

Castoreum appears in 8 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.
“Castor Fiber, Linn. Nat. order , Rodentia. Class , Mammalia. Common name , Beaver. Preparation , Tincture of the secretion contained in the preputial sacs. Authorities. Very sad, lachrymose, and languishing, in the afternoon (third day), 2. Very melancholy and depressed, as if something evil would befall her, in the…”
Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“The Beaver (CASTOREUM) A great remedy for hysteria. Prostration marked. Hysterical symptoms. Day-blindness; cannot endure the light. Nervous women who do not recover fully, but are continually irritable, and suffer from debilitating sweats. Spasmodic affections after debilitating diseases. Constant yawning. Restless…”
Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“The Beaver. N. O. Rodentia. Tincture of secretion, found in preputial sacs of beaver. Chorea / Convulsions / Digestion, disordered / Dysmenorrhœa / Eclampsia / Flatulence / Hernia / Hysteria / Ileus / Paralysis / Pregnancy, vomiting of / Reaction, deficient / Sexual organs, inflammation of; spasms of / Sycosis /…”
Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Castor Fiber. Rodentia. Tincture of secretion in preputial sacs of the beaver. Mentioned by Galen, Hippocrates and Pliny, and in use among the Arabians, who gave it in hepatic and uterine troubles, and in epilepsy and convulsions. Recommended later for hysterical complaints by Pomet and Hill ; for deafness, by Lemery…”
Lippe (KN) — Only the symptoms Lippe considered reliable enough to prescribe on.
“Predominant chilliness. Restless sleep with frightful dreams and starting. Attacks of chilliness with ice-coldness in the back.”
Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: beaver. Nervous, apprehensive and sad during menses (F.). Predominant chilliness (Ant-C., Aran., Arn., Bry., Camph., Chin., Meny., Nat-M., Nux-V., Sabad., Sec., Staph., Verat.). Is indicated in cases of nervous, hysterical woman, who are greatly prostrated as the result of some exhausting disease (Bl.)…”
Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Castoreum. “Exhausted, pains better from pressure, menstrual colic, with pallor and cold sweat.””

Castoreum in Kent's Repertory

Kent's Repertory lists Castoreum in 444 rubrics. These are the ones where it carries the highest grade — the symptoms Kent treated as most characteristic. Most of them sit in HEAD (90), EXTREMITIES (55), MIND (38), ABDOMEN (36), STOMACH (35).

BLADDER - URINATION - frequent
EXTREMITIES - HEAVINESS, - Thigh - menses - during
EAR - DISCHARGES - suppressed
EXTREMITIES - PAIN - Upper Arm - night
STOMACH - THIRST - dinner,after
ABDOMEN - DISTENSION - afternoon
STOOL - WATERY - white
HEAD - PAIN, - Occiput - pressure - amel.
TEETH - PAIN, - warmth,external - amel.
TEETH - PAIN, - eating, - during
MIND - IRRITABILITY - evening
STOOL - MUCOUS,slimy - green
RESPIRATION - SLOW
MIND - RESTLESSNESS,nervousness - bed, - tossing about in
STOMACH - THIRST - burning,vehement
STOMACH - COLDNESS
GENERALITIES - REACTION,lack of
STOOL - WHITE
RESPIRATION - DEEP
RECTUM - PAIN - burning - stool - after

Search all 7 classical repertories

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