• HOMESICKNESS with a red face, sleeplessness and a disposition to suicide
• NOSE RED, BUT COLD
• TONGUE, GREENISH AT BASE
• Intense craving for stimulants, pepper
• Much thirst but drinking causes shuddering
• Stools followed by thirst, followed by shuddering
• Pain in distant parts on coughing

Source: Vegetable kingdom
Synonyms: Cayenne pepper
Formula: Solanaceae
Prover: Dr Samuel Hahnemann
Duration of Action: 7 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora
Diathesis: Phlegmatic
Temperament: Nervous
Thermal Relationship: Chilly patient

Introduction and History: Sprengel makes the Pipertis or Siliquastum of Pliny the Capsicum annuum of Linnaeus, but Roxburgh doubts this plant being a native of Asia, and considers it exclusively a native of South America, in which case it must have been unknown to ancients. In allopathy it has been chiefly valuable as a local stimulant to the mouth and throat in cynache malagna and Scarlatina angiosa.

The well known burning effect of red pepper is a leading indication for its use. Burning pains wherever occurring demands that Capsicum should have first consideration, if there are no other determining symptoms in favour of another remedy.

Habit and Habitat: South America and East and West Indies

Preparation and Parts Used: It is prepared from the tincture of dried pods, capsules and grains at maturity.

Constituition and Physiognomy

1. It seems suitable to those persons who are of lax tissue, are weak, lazy, indolent, fat, red, clumsy, awkward and have unclean habits.
2. Such people are opposed to physical exertion. Aversion to go outside their routine and they get homesick easily.
3. Also suited to old people who have exhausted their vitality, especially by mental work and poor living.
4. People who react poorly and are afraid of the cold. Abstainers from
   accustomed food.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): It acts mainly on mucous membranes, gastrointestinal tract, mind, locomotor system, ears, eyes, female sexual organs, kidneys, lungs, male sexual organs, urinary organs, rectum and throat.

Physiological Action

1. It belongs to the acrid aromatics, when applied to the skin produces a burning effect, well known of the red pepper family and acts as a vesicant.
2. When Swallowed in small doses, it creates a sensation of warmth in the stomach.
3. In larger doses it produces a glow over the body, excites thirst, quickens the pulse, and exerts a stimulating influence over the genitourinary organs.
4. In excessive doses it produces vomiting, purging, abdominal pains and gastric inflammation.
5. According to Vogt, it produces a paralysed and altered condition of the nervous system; produces affections of the head like sensation of drunkenness and giddiness.

Physio-pathological Action (Pathology)

1. This remedy belongs to the cerebrospinal group, having its special centre of action upon the posterior column of the spinal cord.
2. Through this it acts upon the mucous membrane of the intestinal canal.
3. It also acts upon the genitourinary organs causing intense burning along the urethral canal. Frequent but unsuccessful desire to urinate.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Patient is capricious and of changeable mood.
2. HOMESICKNESS with sleeplessness and disposition to commit suicide.
3. Sentimental, nostalgic mood.
4. Wants to be let alone.
5. Peevish, irritable and angry.
6. Clumsy, awkward, runs into everything.
7. Delirium tremens. Jovial and sings, yet gets angry on the slightest cause.
8. Always on the look out for insults.
9. If she wants something and the same is offered by another person she immediately opposes or rejects it.
10. Patient laughs and weeps alternately.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Headache: As if skull would split when moving the head, when walking or coughing.

Constriction: Constriction in fauces, throat, nares, chest, bladder, urethra and rectum.

Burning: Burning and smarting sensation, as from cayenne pepper, in the throat and other parts; not ameliorated by heat.

Tonsillitis: Tonsils are dark red, swollen, inflamed with burning, smarting pain; intense soreness, constriction of throat.

Painful deglutition: Burning, spasmodic, constriction and other pains; worse between acts of deglutition.

Ears: Painful swelling behind the ears (mastoid), extremely sore and sensitive to touch.

Cough: Nervous, spasmodic cough in sudden paroxysms, as if head would fly to pieces. With explosive cough there escapes a volume of pungent, foetid air.

Pains: In the bladder, knees, legs and ears on coughing.

Stool: Every stool is followed by thirst and every drink by shuddering.

ill-humour: As the coldness of the body increases, so does the ill-humour.

Thirst: Much thirst, but drinking causes shuddering.

Desires and cravings: Craves stimulating; pungent things, wants a bracer. Desire for coffee, but it nauseates.

Aggravation: From vegetables, causes flatulence.

Important Characteristic Symptoms

Headache: Headache as if skull would split when moving the head, when walking or coughing. Feeling as if head would fly to pieces; holds the head with hands. Feeling as if the head were large. Bursting pain and throbbing. Headache with pulsations in the forehead and temples; as if the brain would be pressed through the forehead. On stooping, sensation as if the brain would be pressed out, as if the red eyes would be pressed out on stooping. Worse by coughing, Stooping; better by lying with head high.

Respiratory complaints and hoarseness: It is useful in perplexing and troublesome chronic hoarseness. Patient is rotund, chilly and red faced. Hoarseness with cough. Worse empty swallowing. Cough in sudden paroxysms, convulsing the whole body. Cries after cough from headache. Stitches in the suffering part with the cough. Every cough jars the affected joint. Worse ascending, draughts of cold air.

Dysentery: It is indicated for dysentery. After stool, tenesmus and thirst; drinking causes shuddering. Smarting and burning in the anus and rectum. Violent tenesmus in rectum and bladder at the same time.

Haemorrhoids: Protruding haemorrhoids. Smarting, burning and smarting; like pepper. They sting and burn as if pepper has been sprinkled on them.

Urinary symptoms: Tenesmus of bladder, strangury. Patient is sensitive to cold and has a red face. Burning, biting pain after urination. Coldness of scrotum; swollen, oedematous prepuce. Indicated in old cases of gonorrhoea in which discharge is creamy. Last drop or creamy discharge passes with burning on urination. Pain in prostate gland after gonorrhoea. Worse after eating.

General Modalities

Aggravation: From slightest draught, even if warm, cold air, water, uncovering, dampness, bathing, empty Swallowing, drinking, motion, ascending.

Amelioration: From continued motion, heat, while eating.

Remedy Relationships

Antidoted by: Calad, Camph, Cina, Chin, Sul-ac or vapours of burning sulphur.

Antidote to: Effects of alcohol, coffee, opium or quinine

Compatible: Lyc, Puls, Sil.

Comparison

Pains are aggravated by slightest touch but ameliorated by hard pressure: Caps, Chin, Plb.

Pain in throat when not swallowing: Caps, Ign.

Dosage: Mother tincture and 200 potency.

Repetition: Can be repeated when symptoms call for it.

Therapeutic Value: Amaurosis, Asthma, Brain irritation, Delirium tremens, Cough, Diarrhoea, Diphtheria, Dysentery, Ear disorders, Colic, Gland disorders, Haemorrhoids, Headache, Heartburn, Homesickness, Intermittent fever, Lung disorders, Mastoiditis, Measles, Oesophageal stricture, Oral ulcers, Nasal disorders, Neuralgia, Obesity, Oral paralysis, Sciatica, Scrofula, Seasickness, Stomatitis, Sore throat, Paralysis of tongue, Trachea tickling in, Urinary disorders, Whooping cough, Yellow fever: