Capsicum annuum

by Adolph von Lippe — Text Book of Materia Medica

Mind and Disposition

Peevish, easily offended.

Home-sickness, with redness of the cheeks and sleeplessness.

Head

Vertigo and giddiness, especially during the cold stage of the intermittent fever if the head would burst, with fulness.

Pressing headache, as if the head would burst, with fulness, nausea, and vomiting; worse in the evening, -from moving the head,- when walking in the cold air; better when lying with the head high, and from heat.

One-sided headache, pressing, with nausea and vomiting; worse from moving the head and eyes.

Darting pain through the head; worse during rest; better from moving about.

Eyes

Burning in the eyes, (in the morning), with redness and lachrymation.

Objects appear black when brought before the eyes, (incipient amaurosis).

Ears

Swelling behind the ears, painful to the touch.

Hardness hearing after previous burning and stinging in the ear.

Nose

Bleeding from the nose, in the morning in bed.

Face

Redness of the cheeks, (without heat often changing to paleness.

Dull pressing pain in the cheek bone, excited by touching the parts.

Swollen, cracked lips.

Lips peel off; burning of the lips.

Mouth and Throat

Burning blisters in the mouth.

Stomacace.

Fetid odor from the mouth.

Spasmodic contraction of the throat.

Inflammation, with dark redness and burning of the throat.

The pain in the throat is worse between the acts of deglutition.

Appetite and Taste

Unnaturally increased appetite, alternated with aversion to food.

Taste sour.

Thirstlessness.

Stomach and Abdomen

Burning in the stomach, (after eating).

Distention of the abdomen, with suffocative arrest of breathing.

Colic from flatulence.

Painless rumbling in the abdomen.

Stool and Anus

Dysentery; stools of bloody mucus with tenesmus, and strangury.

Diarrhœa at night, with burning at the anus.

Hæmorrhoidal tumors, with burning, (bleeding).

Urinary Organs

Strangury, with tenesmus of the bladder.

Spasmodic contraction of the neck of the bladder.

Burning while urinating.

Discharge of blood from the urethra, which is painful to the touch.

Sexual Organs

Men. Impotence, with coldness of the scrotum.

Purulent discharge from the urethra.

Dwindling of the testes.

Chest

Oppressed breathing appearing to come from the abdomen, or from fulness of the chest.

Asthma with redness of the face, eructation and sensation at; if the chest were extended.

Deep breathing, almost like a sigh.

Dry, hard cough in the evening and at night, with pain in distant parts, (stitches in the bladder, pain in the know or legs, ears, throat).

When coughing, he exhales fetid smelling air.

Generalities

Aversion to exercise.

Phlegmatic temperament, and relaxed fibres.

Fever

Pulse irregular, and often intermitting.

Chill almost always with violent thirst worse after drinking.

Heat, with perspiration, and no thirst.

Perspiration after the chill, without previous heat.

On the upper part of the legs cold perspiration.

Skin

Sensation over the whole body, as if the parts would go to sleep.

Conditions

Stiffness and painfulness of all the joints when beginning to move.

Cracking of all the joints, (finger joints, knee).

Most complaints are aggravated from eating and drinking; are most severe on beginning to exercise; and axe relieved or ameliorated by continued exercise.

Capsicum annuum across the other classic books

Capsicum annuum 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.
“Cayenne Pepper (Solanaccae) Persons with light hair, blue eyes, nervous but stout and plethoric habit. Phlegmatic diathesis; lack of reactive force, especially with fat people, easily exhausted; indolent, dreads any kind of exercise ; persons inclined to be jovial, yet angry at trifles. Children; dread open air…”
Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“Capsicum annuum, Linn. Nat. order , Solanaceæ. Common name , Cayenne, or red pepper. Preparation , Tincture of the powdered ripe pods, with the seeds; in the proportion of 20 grains of the powder to 400 drops of alcohol. (Hahnemann). Authorities. He makes reproaches and becomes angry at the faults of others; he…”
Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Cayenne Pepper (CAPSICUM) Seems to suit especially persons of lax fiber, weak; diminished vital heat. A relaxed plethoric sluggish, cold remedy. Not much reactive force. Such persons are fat, indolent, opposed to physical exertion, averse to go outside of their routine, get homesick easily. General uncleanliness of…”
Boger (GA) — Which general headings this remedy belongs under — the analytical scaffolding.
“CHEST, backward in CHILLY, cold COUGH, painful CRACKING JOINTS DIRECTION of sensations, Downward DIRECTION of sensations, Radiating EARS FINE PAINS, needle, splinter, thread or hair-like, etc. HEAT, burning, etc. HEAT, partial, local, etc. LYING, Agg. LYING, bent or doubled up, Amel. MOTION, beginning, Agg…”
Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“MUCOUS MEMBRANES. THROAT. Kidneys. Bones. Mastoids. SLIGHT DRAFTS. COLD: AIR. Water. Uncovering. Dampness. Bathing. Empty swallowing. Drinking: < throat, or excites urination. Eating. Drunkards. Continued motion. Lax, lazy fat, red (Asaf.), clumsy, unclean persons (Sul.), who react badly and dread the cold. Old age…”
Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“annuum. Cayenne Pepper. (South America and West Indies.) N. O. Solanaceæ. Tincture of the dried pods. Amaurosis / Asthma / Brain, irritation of / Delirium tremens / Cough / Diarrhœa / Diphtheria / Dysentery / Ear affections / Glandular swellings / Hæmorrhoids / Headache / Heartburn / Hernia / Home-sickness /…”
Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Cayenne or red pepper. Solanaceæ. This plant is cultivated abundantly almost everywhere. The stem is smooth, thick and branching, rising to the height of two or three feet ; leaves are ovate and pointed ; flowers are solitary and white, standing on long peduncles ; the fruit is a pendulous pod, containing numerous…”
Kent — The mental and general picture — who the patient is, before what the remedy cures.
“Most of the substances that are used on the table as seasoning in foods will in the course of a generation or two be very useful medicines because people poison themselves with these substances, tea, coffee, pepper, and these poisonous effects in the parents cause in the children a predisposition to disease, which is…”
Lippe (KN) — Only the symptoms Lippe considered reliable enough to prescribe on.
“Home-sickness with redness of cheeks and sleeplessness. Phlegmatic temperament and laxness of the muscles. Tendency to get fat. Stiffness and painfulness of the joints when beginning to move. Crackling of joints. Cough with pain far from the chest. Tearing drawing from above downward. Stools of bloody mucus with…”
Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: cayenne pepper. Phlegmatic temperament and laxness of the muscles (Calc.). TENDENCY TO GET FAT (Amm-M., Ant-C., Calc., Calc-Ars., Cupr., Ferr., Graph., Kali-B., Kali-C., Lac-D., Lyc., Nat-C., Sep.). Stiffness and painfulness of the joints, when beginning to move (Rhus-T.). CRACKLING OF THE JOINTS (Led…”
Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Burning pains, especially in mucous membranes, or smarting, as from red pepper, on the parts. Cough with pains in distant parts, as head, bladder, knees, legs, etc. Chill or shuddering after every drink; begins between the shoulders and spreads all over. Capsicum is also a good remedy for dysentery, or the later stage…”

Capsicum annuum in Kent's Repertory

Kent's Repertory lists Capsicum annuum in 1,530 rubrics. These are the ones where it carries the highest grade — the symptoms Kent treated as most characteristic. Most of them sit in EXTREMITIES (186), GENERALITIES (166), MIND (107), HEAD (106), STOMACH (70).

EAR - CARIES,threatened - petrous portion temporal bone
HEARING - ACUTE - noises,to - perspiration,during
SLEEP - SLEEPLESSNESS - homesickness,from
URETHRA - DISCHARGE - cream-like
HEARING - ACUTE - chill,during
BLADDER - RETENTION of urine - exertion,after
FEVER - SHIVERING - with - drinking from
MIND - SENSITIVE, - noise,to - chill,during
RECTUM - DIARRHOEA - air - cold,on abdomen - currents of
FACE - DISCOLORATION - red - fever,during - without
FEVER - DRINKING - cold water - shivering from
GENERALITIES - UNCLEANLINESS agg.
RECTUM - PAIN - tenesmus - bladder,and
STOMACH - COLDNESS - icy
BLADDER - TENESMUS - stool, - during
CHILL - BEGINNING in and extending from - back - between the scapulae
RECTUM - PAIN - burning - dysentery,in
CHILL - AIR - in the open - exercise in,amel
EAR - CARIES,threatened - mastoid process
HEAD - PAIN, - sore bruised,sensitive to pressure - walking, - while

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