Compositae Family drugs in Homoeopathy

Dr Vivek N Patil

It is one of the biggest family in our materia medica. There are 60 remedies mentioned in our MM. They are annual or perennial herbs, shrubs and rarely trees. There are 900 genera & 19,000 species of this family.

Uniqueness of family is what appears to be a single flower  is actually composite of many florets. Hence the name of the family is compositae. These florets are arranged in disc like flower head or receptacle in centripetal manner enclosed in involucres of whorled bracts of modified leaves

Flowers of compositae is of many individual florets, which are of two types Regular or Disc florets Irregular or ray florets- disc florets form the central disc of short flower and ray florets form outside petals.

All plants are characterized by strong aromatic odour either pleasant or pungent. Bitterness is the prevailing characteristic of these plants

Active principles
Hydrocarbons, alcohols, phenolic ester, acetone, acids, esters, sugars, starch, resinoid, glycosides, alkaloids

IMPORTANT REMEDIES OF THE GROUP
Since the group is one of the biggest family, the remedies can be studied in groups

1. Injury group
2. Convulsion group
3. GIT& GUT group
4. Cichoriaceae family
5. Fever group

INJURY GROUP:

1. Arnica montana
2. Bellis perenis
3. Calendula officinalis
4. Cineraria maritima
5. Erigeron canadensis
6. Achiller millefolium

CONVULSION GROUP:

1. Abrotanum. ( Artemisia Abrotanum)
2.  Absinthium. (Artemisia Absinthium)
3. Artemisia vulgaris
4. Cina maritima(Artemisia maritima)
5. Chamomilla.
6. Tanacetum vulgare

GIT AND GUT GROUP:

1. Brachyglottis
2. Cardus marianus
3. Cardus benedictus
4. Senecio
5. Senecio Aureus
6. Gnaphalium
7. Inula
8. Solidago
9. Tussilago Farfara.
10. Tussilago Fragrans.
11. Tussilago petasites

CINCHORIACEAE GROUP:

1. Cichorium
2. Lactuca virosa
3. Taraxacum
4. Liatris spicata
5. Lapsana communis

FEVER GROUP:

1. Eupatorium Aromaticum.
2. Eupatorium Perfoliatum.
3. Eupatorium Purpureum
4. Helianthus Annus .
5. Parthenium Hysterophorus .
6. Pyrethrum Parthenium.

OTHER IMPORTANT REMEDIES:

•   Echinaceae Angustifolia.
•   Echinaceae Purpurea
•   Wyethia.
•   Grindelia.
•   Guaco.

Sphere of action and pathophysiological action:

1) Blood- relaxation & weakening of capillary vessels – stasis – extravasation – capillary oozing – ecchymosis – internal haemorrhage.

2) Muscles & soft connective tissue – inflammation.

SORE, LAME, BRUISED FEELING

GENERAL FEATURES

1. Mental irritability.
Abro, Arn, Art –v, Card-m, Cham, Cina, Lact, Tarax.
Abrotanum : — cross, irritable, anxious, depressed,   malicious.
Absinthium : — wants nothing to do with anybody, brutal.
Cina : — ill humour, does not want to be touched.
Patient is hungry , cross,ugly, wants to be Rocked.
Tanac : — irritable, sensitive to noise.
Senecio : — nervous and irritable.
Irritability children in – Abro, cham, cina .
Irritability convulsion before — Art- v
Irritability dentition during – cham, cina
Irritability dinner after — Millefolium.
Irrtitability eating after – Arn, cham.
Irritabilty menses during – cham, cina .
Irrritability questioned when – Arn, cham .
Irritabilty sends the doctor home, says he is not sick- Arn, cham.
Irritability excessive physical – Absin, Arn, cham

2. Nervous excited, fidgety, worried .
Absin, Arn, cham, cina, Calend, Senecio, Tanac.

3. Hysterical tendency.
Abrot, Absin, Cham, Eup arom, Eup pur, Cham, Lact, Mill, Senecio.

4.   Sadness, mental depression.
Abro, Arn, Cham, Cina, Echi, Eup per, Eup pur,
Lact, Senecio, Tarax.
Arn –wants to be left alone. Indifference inability to perform active work , morose delirious.
Abro – cross, irritable, anxious depressed.
Wyethia – nervous uneasy , depressed.
Senecio – despondent, inability to fix mind upon any one subject.
Cardus – despondency , joyful, apathetic.

5. Nervous affections
Convulsions – Absin, Arn, Art vulg, Cham, Cina.
— anger after – Cham, Cina.
— Begin in face – Absin, cina.
— Clonic – Arn, Art v, Cham, Cina, Tarax
— Consiousness with – cina.
Consciousness without – Absin, Cham, cina, tanac.
Epileptic form – Arn, cham, cina. Tarax.
Epileptic solar plexus from – Art v.
Fright from – Art v.
Injuries from – Arn, Art v , Absin.
Pregnancy during – Cham, mill.

Absinthium: Epileptiform seizure. Nervous tremors precedes attack.
Sudden and severe giddiness, delirium with hallucinations and loss of consciousness cerebral irritation, hysterical and infantile spasms come with in the range of this remedy chorea tremor nervous, excitements, sleepiness in children.
Arnica : Remote effects of injuries. Disposed to cerebral congestion.
Neuralgia originating in disturbances of pneumogastric.

Guaco: Paralysis of lower extremity. Bulbar paralysis tongue heavy and difficult to move spinal irritation ,beer drinkers threatened with apoplexy.

Cina: choreic movements of face and hands nocturnal convulsions.
Twitching and jerking distortions of limbs, trembling. Paralysed shocks  patient will jump suddenly as though in pain. Sudden inward jerking of  fingers of right hand. Left foot is in constant spasmodic motion.

Calendula : paralysis after apoplexy
Eup. Arom : Nervous erythesm hysteria ,chorea
Gnaph: Anti crural neuralgia
Grind : Induces paralysis beginning in extremities
Lact: tremors of hands and arms. Delirium tremens with sleeplessness, coldness and tremor.
Artemesia : epilepsy without aura . Several convulsions close together.
Congestion of brain. Spasms during menses , after fright, other violent emotions and after masturbation.
Millifoleum: convulsions and epilepsy from suppressed menses
Tanac: Nervous tiered feeling useful in chorea and reflex spasms ( worms)
Tarax: Neuralgis of knee > pressure

6. Affections of children.
Convulsion Children—Art v ,Cham, Cina
Dentition during-Art v,Cham, Cina
Dentition problems.
Worms complaints.
Emaciation-Abrot,Arn,Cham,Cina,Nabalus
Echi : – foul discharges with emaciation and great debility
Cina: night terrors of children Scream and wakes frightened talks in sleep grinding of teeth worm trouble – convulsions.
Bores at nose till it bleeds.
Absin: Nervousness excitement and sleeplessness in children.
Abrot: Worm complaints- Ascarides
Anthemis: Itching of anus with white putty like stools
Cham : Diseases of children Where peevishness.Restlessness and colic give the needful indication. Complaints from anger and vexations. Diarrhoea during dentition.
Eup arom: sore mouth in infants.

7.Injuries, bad effects of injuries; including blows, falls, bruises.
Arnica:- Produces conditions upon the system quite similar to those resulting from injuries, falls,blows,contusions,for any remote effects of  injury. For sprains and strains ,mastitis from injury. Also for mental trauma- traumatism of grief,remote or sudden realization of financial loss.
Bellis: First remedy in injuries to the deeper tissue , after major surgical work injuries to nerves with intense soreness and intolerance of cold bathing. Traumatism of pelvic organs , autotraumtism , excellent remedy for sprains and bruises . Railway spine .
Calendula : pain excessive and out of all proportion to the injury. Useful for open wounds ,parts that will not heal, ulcers etc. Promotes healthy granulations and rapid healing by first intention.
Chamomilla: Ankles give way in the afternoon. Pains unendurable associated with numbness.
Cineraria : traumatic eye affections.
Echinacea: – Crushing injures.
Liatris spicata: Unhealthy wounds and ulcers.
Mill: Bad effects from fall from a height, overlifting.

8. Generally left sided affections
Abrotanum:  Darting pain in left ovary.
Art v : Spasmodic twitching with mouth drawn to the left .
Cina : Left foot in constant spasmodic motion.
Cardus mar : Left lobe of liver very sensitive. Stitches in left side of stomach near spleen
Eup per: vertigo sensation of falling to left . Swelling of left great toe
Eup pur: Pain around left ovary. Left sided headache with vertigo. Pain from left shoulder to occiput.
Erigeron : Pain left ovary and hip.
Helian: Rheumartic pain in left knee . spleen affections.
Gnaph: Left sided sciatica .
Grindelia: Dull pain and fullness in left hypochondrium, Cutting pain in region of spleen extending to hip. Spleen enlarged.
Inula : tearing pain in left palm unable to double fingers.
Lactuca: lame hip down left side < walking.
Parthenium: Pain in left hypochondrium. Spleen affection.
Senecio: Sharp pain over left eye through left temple toothache-sharp cutting pain left side.
Tarax: Sharp stitches in left side .
Wyethia : pain in left ovary shooting down to knee.

9. Complaints associated with coldness.
Abrot:    Face wrinkled cold with blue rings around the eyes , Pain in stomach with feeling of coldness. Pricking and coldness in fingers and foot.
Anth nob: Gastric disturbance with coldness.
Arnica: Head hot with cold body. Cold spot on forehead. Internal heat, feet and hands cold. Deathly coldness of forearm.
Calendula: with cold hands.
Echin: In fever has cold flashes allover back.
Cina: In fever face is cold and hands warm. Cold sweat on forehead nose and hands .
Erech : flashes of heat and coldness.
Lactuca : coldness and numbness of feet and legs,heat of face,headache with general coldness.
Tarax: Chilliness after eating and < drinking fingertips cold.

10. Marked action upon the blood , muscular fibres of the bloods vessels — venous congestion and haemorrhagic tendency.
Abro : Haemorrhoids. frequent urging, bloody stools worse as rheumatic pains abate. Pain in sacrum with haemorrhoids .
Arn : affects the venous system inducing stasis, ecchymosis and haemorrhage. Relaxed blood vessels black and blue spots. Tendency to haemorrhage, blood from ears, bleeding from nose after every fit coughing; vomiting of blood. Uterine haemorrhage from mechanical injury after coition.

Bellis: exudations, stasis, swelling comes within the range of this remedy.
Varicose veins in pregnancy. Ecchymosis venous congestion due to mechanical causes.
Calendula : Haemostatic after tooth extraction.
Cardus m : varicose veins and ulcers. Hges esp connected with hepatic diseases. Haemorrhagic piles, prolapse of rectum.
Cham : Haemorrhoids with painful fissures.
Echi : corrector of blood dyscrasias, symptoms of blood poisoning , septic conditions generally.
Erecthites : hgic remedy from any part esp lungs always attended by excitement of circulation. Epistaxis of bright red blood.
Erigeron : hges are caused and cured by this remedy. Profuse bright red blood. Persistent hge from bladder, from uterus with painful micturition.
Bleeding haemorrhoids , nose bleed instead of menses.
Heliathus : Nasal haemorrhage.
Mill : Haemorrhage blood bright red, haemoptysis, nose bleed, he from bowels, bleeding haemorrhoids, haematuria, hge from uterus, painful varices during pregnancy.
Wyethia : Useful in hemorrhoids, constipation with hemorrhoids not bleeding.

11. Action upon the respiratory mucus membrane – causing allergic manifestations, dyspnoea and whooping cough; exudative processes.
Abro : exudative pleurisy and other exudative processes. Dry cough following diarrhoea. Impeded respiration.
Ambros : hay fever, lachrymation and intolerable itching of the eyelids.
Respiratory tract in its entire length is stopped up.Watery coryza sneezing, stuffed up feeling of the head. Asthmatic attacks, wheezy cough. Some form of whooping cough.
Anthemis : coryza with much lachrymation sneezing ,discharge of clear water from the nose < indoors. Constriction and rawness of the throat .
cough tickling < in warm room.
Arn : paroxysmal cough at night , during sleep dyspnoe with haemoptysis .
Whooping cough child cries before coughing, pleurodynia.
Calendula : corya in one nostril with much green discharge.
Cham : coryza with inability to sleep.sensitive to all smells.irritable dry tickling cough suffocative tightness of chest with bitter expectoration in day time.rattling of mucus in child’s chest.
Carduus : asthmatic respiration.
Echin : nose feels stuffed up. Right nostril raw bleeding. Post nasal catarrh with ulceration and fetor.
Eup per : coryza with sneezing.hoarseness.cough with soreness in chest, must support it. Influenza with great soreness of muscles and bones. Chronic loose cough < night.> getting on hands and knees.

Grindelia : bronchorrhea with tough mucus, difficult to detach. Stops breathing when falling asleep , wakes with a start and gasps for breath . Pertusis with profuse mucus secretion.

Helian : coryza , catarrh, nasal he and thick scabs in nose.

Inula : a mucus membrane medicine. Dry cough < night and lying down. Chronic bronchitis, cough with much thick expectoration.

Lactuca : Difficult breathing . suffocative breathing from dropsy of chest. Constant tickling cough. Incessant spasmodic cough as if chest will fly to pieces. Squeezing sensation in lower chest.

Mill : cough with bloody expectoration.

Senecio : Acute inflammatory condition of upper respiratory tract. cough loose with labored inspiration . chest sore and raw. Dyspnoea on ascending.
Dry teasing cough stitching chest pains. Fullness of nasal passages, burning sneezing and profuse flow.

Silphium : in various forms of asthma and chronic bronchitis. cough with expectoration profuse stringy, frothy light coloured. Excited by sense of mucus rattling in chest < drafts of air. Catarrh with copious stringy mucus discharges. Desire to hawk and scrape the throat. Irritation of posterior nares, involving mucus membrane of nasal passages with constriction of supra orbital regions.

Solidago : Hay fever . eyes injected watery, burning stinging. Nares irritated with abundant mucus secretion. Paroxysms of sneezing. Bronchitis, cough with much purulent expectoration , blood streaked , oppressed breathing, continues dyspnoea. Asthma with nightly dysuria.

Tanac : Hurried , labored stertorous respiration, frothy mucus obstructs the air passages.

Wyethia : Hay fever symptom, itching in posterior nares. Constant clearing and hawking the throat. Dry posterior nares no > from clearing. Throat feels swollen, epiglottis dry and burning . Difficult swallowing. Dry hacking cough . burning sensation in bronchial tubes. Dry asthma.

12. Predominant action on liver and spleen
Anth : Aching in region of liver , griping and chilliness inside of abdomen and into legs.
Bellis : Stitches in spleen,sore enlarged.
Cardus : Acts on liver and portal system.causing soreness pain, jaundice.
Pain in region of liver – left lobe very sensitive. Gall stone diseases with enlarged liver. Hyperemia of liver with jaundice, cirrhosis with dropsy.
Cham: Hepatic colic. Bilious vomiting.
Eup per: Hepatic region sore. Vomiting and purging of bile. Vomiting preceded by thirst. Avoids tight clothing. Constipated with sore liver.
Helian : Spleen remedy. Vomiting black stools, congestion and dryness of mouth and pharynx.
Liatris spicata : Useful in dropsy due to liver and spleen diseases . Diuretic action .
Parthenium : Pain in left hypochondrium.spleen affections.
Senecio : Early cirrhosis of liver.
Tarax : Liver enlarged and indurate. Sharp stitches in left side .
Tympanites. Bilious attacks with mapped tongue and jaundiced skin.

13. Rheumatic affections:
Abro : Rheumatism following checked diarrhoea . Rheumatism without swelling, pain excessive > motion.Gout with pain and swelling of inflamed joint . Joints stiff and lame.
Absin: Pain in limbs. Paralytic symptoms.
Arn : Rheumatism begins low down and works up. Rheumatism of muscular and tendinous tissue, esp. of back and shoulders. Gout – great fear of being touched or approached . Sprained and dislocated feeling. Pain in back and limbs as if bruised and beaten . < least touch, motion , damp . cold.
Bellis : Joints sore, muscular soreness .lameness as if sprained. After gout debility of limbs. Exudation stasis and swelling come within the range of this remedy . Wrist feels contracted as from elastic band around joint.
Guaco : Pain in deltoid, shoulders, elbows , arms and fingers. Pain about hip joint. Pain in ankle joints and soles. < motion.
Gnaph : Pain in joints as if they lacked oil . chronic muscular rheumatism of neck and back. Rheumatic pains in ankle joints and legs . gouty pains in big toes > drawing limbs up, flexing thigh on abdomen .
Inula : Pain in right shoulder and wrist . Tearing in left palm, unable to double fingers. Pain in lower limbs feet and ankles.
Cardus : Pain in hip joint ,spreading into buttocks and down thigh. < from stooping.
Cham : Violent rheumatic pains drive him out of bed at night , compelled to walk about. Ankles give way in the afternoon. Insupportable pains in
loins and hip, lumbago , stiffness of neck muscles.
Eup per : Aching in bones of extremities with soreness of flesh. Gouty soreness and inflamed nodosities of joints.
Lact : marked action on extremities. Lame hip down left side< walking.
Lappa arctium : Pain in all joints. Pain in hands, knees, ankles extending downward to fingers and toes.
Wyethia : Pain in right arm , stiffness of wrist and hand.

14. A general sensation of soreness, lameness, and bruised feeling.
Abro : Back lame, weak and painful. Joints stiff and lame.
Arn : Sore, lame , bruised feeling. Every thing on which he lies seems too hard. Pain in back and limbs as if bruised and beaten. Soreness after exertion. Cannot walk erect on account of bruised pain in pelvic region.
Bellis : Much muscular soreness.lameness as if sprained. Sore bruised feeling in the pelvic region.bruised soreness of head. uterus feels sore as if squeezed. soreness of abdominal walls . varicose veins with bruised sore feeling. Joints sore. Sprains with great soreness.
Brachyglottis : soreness in urethra .writer’s cramp. Soreness extending along flexor carpi ulnaris.
Cardus : Fullness and soreness in liver region.
Cham : Earache with soreness, swelling and heat driving patient frantic. Nipples inflamed sore and tender. Soreness of anus .
Echi: Sore throat .
Erig: Desentary with soreness and burning in bladder .
Eup arom: Sore nipples sore mouth in infants .
Eup per : soreness of eyeballs. Hepatic region sore. Influenza with great soreness of muscles and bones. Chest sore, chill preceded by thirst and great soreness and aching of bones , soreness of flesh.
Lact: lame hip down left side.
Lapsana: sore nipples and piles.
Lappa arct: An exceedingly sore bruised feeling in uterus ,
Senecio: Chest sore and raw .

15. Most of the remedies of this group is useful in cancerous affections.
Abrotanum: prevents metastasis. Angioma of the face.
Calend: As an intercurrent remedy in cancer.
Cardus m: rectal cancer with profuse diarrhoea.
Echi: Tendency to malignancy in acute and subacute disorders. Last stages of cancer to ease pain .
Guaco: Cancer
Senecio jacoboea: cancer
Tarax : Cancer of bladder.

16. Sensitive to cold open air.
Abrot: aggravation cold air cold causes a raw feeling in respiratory tract.
Anth nob: sensitive to cold air and cold things .
Arnica : worse in damp cold.
Bellis: complaints due to cold food or drink when the body is heated, and in affections due to cold wind. Intolerance of cold bathing
Calend: coldness,great sensitiveness to open air. Great disposition to take cold,especially in damp weather.

17. Has a general action upon the urinary system.
Abrot: Back lame weak painful.
Absin: constant desire to urinate urine of very strong odour and deep yellow colour.
Anth :   Bladder feels distended. Frequent urination. Pain along spermatic cord which feels full as if varicosed .
Arnica: Vesical  tenesmus with very painful micturition. Urine retained from over exertion. Dark brick red sediment in urine .
Brachy : Produced symptoms of albuminuria pressure in neck of bladder, urging to urinate,soreness in urethra feeling as if urine could not be retained.Urine contains mucous and epithelium,albumen and cast . Cardus:  Pressure on bladder, producing dribbling of urine urging to urinate without necessity of passing water .Burning in urethral meatus. Disturbs sugar metabolism urine is cloudy golden coloured . Also used in strangury renal Calculi.

Cham: In supportable pain in loins and hips. Lumbago .
Cina : Involuntary urination at night .Turbid white turns milky on standing.
Echi: urine albuminous, scanty, frequent, and involuntary.
Erech: Scanty urine with edema of extremities.
Erig: persistent hemorrhage from bladder.Chronic gonorrhea with burning micturition, continued dribbling.
Eup pur: Albuminuria diabetes , strangury .Irritable bladder , Enlarged prostate constant dsire to urinate Insufficient flow strangury diysuria deep dull pain in kidneys burning in bladder and urethra ion urinating. Diabetes insipidus weight and heaviness in loins and back .

Gnaph: Polyuria , irritated prostate. Chronic backache in lumbar region.
Better resting on back . lumbago with numbness in lower part of the back and weight in pelvis .
Guaco : Pain over region of bladder. Urine increased, cloudy , phosphatic.
Pain along spine worse bending < motion.
Inula :Diabetes.Frequent urgung to urinate, passes only in drops.violet odor.
Lappa arctium : Profuse and frequent urination.
Liatris spicata : Renal dropsy . Here the suppressed urination is most favourably influenced . General anasarca due to kidney disease.
Senecio : Renal colic. Great heat and constant urging. urine scanty high coloured , bloody with much mucus and tenesmus . Nephritis. Irritable bladder of children with headaches .backache of congested kidneys.
Silphium : cattarah of bladder.

18. Marked action upon skin
Abro : comedones with emaciation . eruptions come out on face ; are suppressed and skin becomes purplish. skin flabby and loose.furuncles.
Falling out of hair.itching chillblains.
Anth :  itching of the soles, as if from chilblains, gooseflesh.
Arn : Itching burning eruptions of small pimlples .crops of small boils. Ecchymosis, bedsores, acne indurata,characterised by symmetry in distribution.
Bellis : Boils, ecchymosis, swelling very sensitive to touch .acne.
Calend : promotes favorable cicatrization , with least amount of suppuration. superficial burns and scalds. Erysipelas.
Cardus : Eruption on lower part of sternum . Itching on lying down at night. Varicose ulcers.
Echin :Recurring boils, carbuncles,pustules. Irritation from insect bites and poisonous plants. lymphatics enlarged .Old tibial ulcers.Gangrene ,erysipelas and foul ulcers and foul discharges.
Grind : Rash like roseola with severe burning and itching . vesicular and papular eruptions . Herpes zoster, itching and burning , ulcers with swollen purplish skin.

Helian : Redness and heat of skin .
Lappa arct :  Eruptions on head , face,neck. Pimples, acne, crops of boil and styes. Eruptions on extremities.
Liatris spicata : Increases the functional activity of the skin.
Solidago : Blotches on lower extremities. Itch . exanthema of lower limbs with urinary disturbances , dropsy  and threatened gangrene . pain in region of kidneys with dysuria. Kidney sensitive to pressure . Asthma with nightly dysuria . Urine scanty ,reddish brown ,thick sediment . Urination difficult , pain in kidneys extents forwards to abdomen and bladder . Backache of congested kidneys.
Tarax: cancer of bladder .
Tusilago Petasites : Crawling in urethra useful in gonorrhoea .

19. Marked action upon eye
Ambros : Eyes smart and burn and with lachrymation.
Arn : Diplopia from traumatism , muscular paralysis , retinal haemorrhage . Bruised sore feeling in eyes after close work . Must keep eyes open, dizzy on closing them.
Art v : coloured light produces dizziness. Pain and blurring of vision > rubbing , < using eyes.
Calend : Injuries to eyes which tend to suppuration; after operations . Blenorrhoea of lachrymal sac.
Carduus Benedictus : strong action on eyes with sensation of contraction in  many parts.
Cham : spasmodic closing of lids, smarting of lids , yellow sclerotic .
Cineraria : has reputation in the cure of cataract and corneal opacities . Effective in traumatic cases.
Eup. Per : Pain and soreness of eye balls.
Euphorbium : Eyes inflamed and agglutinated in the morning .
Lappa : styes and ulcerations on edges of eyelids.
Parthenium : Heavyness of eyes, eye balls ache.
Senicio : Sharp pain over left eye and through left temple.
Solidago : Eyes injected watery , with burning and stinging

GENERAL MODALITIES:

Aggravations
Touch, jar, motion, damp cloudy weather, cold air, injury, drinking,evening, night, music and suppressed discharges. Sensitive to cold open air

Ameliorations
Continued motion, rest, lying on abdomen, better after discharge, profuse sweating.