46.1 Sepia

SEPIA SUCCUS
Sumrio
Sepia succus.......................................................................................................................................... 1
Sepia...................................................................................................................................................... 2
Sinopse.................................................................................................................................................. 4
Anja Heij................................................................................................................................................ 8
Dr Shama............................................................................................................................................... 9
Tinus Smits.......................................................................................................................................... 13
Didier Grangeorge............................................................................................................................... 17
P Sankaran.......................................................................................................................................... 18
Rajan Sankaran The Soul of Remedies............................................................................................ 22
Vermeulens Prisma............................................................................................................................ 24
52 Lies de Homeopatia GEHSH 2
SEPIA
Sepia off. pertence famlia dos moluscos. Todos os moluscos representam variaes de um
definido padro de forma bsico, ou seja, um corpo inteirio, mole e gelatinoso encaixado numa
concha calcrea, calosa. A metamorfose desse padro de forma culmina na extrema oposio
polarizada na ostra e na lula. A lula liberta-se da passiva imobilidade da ostra; a revolta contra a
condio de quietude imvel, impassvel e macia de encerramento na ostra. Contudo, no se pode
subverter completamente o padro de forma do qual se origina. Mesmo que a metade do corpo da
lula permanea enclausurada, apesar de todo o esforo para se libertar, assim tambm as
tendncias sexuais, emocionais e do temperamento que repudiamos no podem ser simplesmente
descartadas; podero apenas ser transformadas lenta e gradualmente, atravs do desenvolvimento
de uma compreenso consciente que complemente o mundo de sentimentos instintivos que so a
expresso e a experincia primrias da mulher. A represso e o desafio s qualidades femininas de
tranqilidade, contemplao e receptividade, tornam-se os pontos chaves da patologia de Sepia.
[Whitmont; Psique e Substncia].
No plano mental h uma incoerncia entre o pensamento e as aes. Sepia perdeu o conhecimento
e lembra com nostalgia que antes tinha esse conhecimento. Agora tem conscincia permanente que
suas aes so opostas a suas intenes. No afeto s ficou a informao desse afeto, sem saber
como expressar.
SINOPSE
Link: http://www.cephbase.utmb.edu/
O paciente Sepia um tanto insensvel, fechado no seu prprio mundo, indiferente s outras
pessoas, mesmo a sua famlia e melhores amigos, mas muito afetado consigo mesmo e seus
prprios afazeres triviais [Gutman].
A SUBSTNCIA
Sepia, tambm chamada de tinta da China, um lquido marrom-preto muito utilizado
antigamente no desenho ou na pintura. a tinta da siba (cuttle-fish) molusco cefalpode
prximo da lula. Esta substncia composta de carbonato de clcio e de magnsio; cloreto de
sdio; sulfato de sdio; cobre; mucina; melanina; hormnios supra-renais; dopamina. Os
cefalpodes so moluscos predadores, que nadam expelindo um jato de tinta quando
ameaados, por um tubo estreito junto cavidade oral. Esses animais so encontrados no Mar
Mediterrneo; so muito ativos e altamente mveis e todos carnvoros. A preparao
homeoptica feita com o suco seco da spia.
FONTES
[Autoridades]: [e.1] Hahnemann, D.C.; [e.2] Goullon, ibid. ; [e.3] Von Gersdorff, ibid., [e.4] Gross,
ibid., [e.5] Hartlaub, ibid., [e.6] Wahle. [Nmero de sintomas]: 1655 em Hahnemanns Chronic
Diseases; 2324 em Allen e 6359 rubricas no Repertrio do Gehsh.
AO GERAL
Atua especialmente no sistema portal, com congesto venosa. Estase e desse modo ptose de
vsceras e cansao. Fraqueza, compleio amarela, sensao puxando para baixo bearing-down,
especialmente em mulheres, em cujo organismo tem o efeito mais pronunciado. Tendncia ao
aborto; do 5 ao 7 ms. Ondas de calor na menopausa com fraqueza e transpirao. Tendncia para
cima dos sintomas. Todas as dores so de baixo para cima. Condies patolgicas que se arrastam
ou deixam-se ficar. Reumatismo; casos crnicos ou agudos obstinados. Desmaia fcil. Sensao de
bola em partes internas. Sente frio mesmo em quarto quente. Atrofia de crianas, face como de
idoso, barriga grande, pele seca flcida; fezes moles. Inquietao aps sentar por muito tempo;
sintomas < sentando. As crianas se resfriam facilmente quando o tempo muda.
SINTOMAS MENTAIS
Todos os seus problemas aparecem em sua mente sob uma luz muito sombria, por isso ela est
temerosa.
Temeroso quando dirige uma carruagem.
Embotamento da compreenso; falta de habilidade para lembrar ou expressar seus
pensamentos; constri constantemente castelos no ar ou corre para eventos futuros.
Minha memria est to pobre que no posso lembrar o menor assunto, e isso me faz sentir
muito miservel.
No posso recordar as coisas que sabia; difcil para mim o trabalho, pensar ou estudar; parece
como se tivesse a cabea cercada, como se estivesse circunscrita... No consegue recordar
fatos bem sabidos.
Sente-se oprimido em tempo quente e mido, mas se torna mais alegre quando troveja e
lampeja.
Humor irascvel, como aps raiva suprimida.
Uma dose do medicamento retirou minha ambio; eu simplesmente no quero ter qualquer
atividade, nem trabalho ou diverso; nem mesmo exercitar o pensamento.
Ela s se preocupa por sua sade, pensa estar para contrair tuberculose e morrer em breve.
Extrema repugnncia vida ele sente como se no pudesse mais suportar sua vida miservel,
como se ele fosse se definhar a menos que se suicide.
Por contrariedades, ela est to excitada que teme um ataque cerebral, e tudo se torna negro
diante de seus olhos.
Ele pensa o que no quer pensar, usa expresses sabendo que esto incorretas; resolve fazer
algo contrariando suas intenes, e em conflito com ele mesmo, por essa razo possui um
temperamento inquieto e desagradvel.
Melancolia, ela sente-se infeliz sem causa.
Ela deseja estar s; evita a vista das pessoas e deita de olhos fechados.
Averso companhia; embora com horror a ficar s; horror a ficar s exceto na cefalia.
Ele no consegue estar s, nem por um momento. No Repertrio: ABANDONO_s no cemitrio.
Grande inquietude interna, por muitos dias, com pressa; ele deseja terminar seu trabalho to
logo comea.
Ocorrncias desagradveis do passado voltam por si mesmos, isto o torna muito irritado.
Uma trivialidade produz uma violenta ebulio de raiva, com tremores.
Contraditrio, brigo, se queixa de outros.
Tem prazer em incitar os outros.
Inquietude e falta de serenidade, por muitos dias; ocupada por memrias tristes, e ansiosas, ela
no tem pacincia de permanecer longamente num lugar.
Ela encontra erros em tudo, no deseja o que os outros querem; com choro...
Triste por sua sade e tarefas domsticas; descontente com tudo.
Sente-se desafortunado sem causa.
Medo de passar fome; est irritado, sente-se mortificado, se assusta facilmente e est repleto de
maus pressentimentos. No Repertrio: ILUSO_pobre; ILUSO_famlia morrer de fome.
Apreenso; sente-se desgraado com suspiros, teme o futuro por medo de perder sua posio e
de ser humilhado.
Tudo parece estranho para ela; o menor esforo parece o maior esforo; parece no poder
entender qualquer assunto e tendo de aprender de novo o que quer fazer; a maior indiferena a
tudo, morte de um parente prximo, ou a uma ocorrncia feliz, deixam ela igualmente
insensvel; nenhum resqucio do seu anterior amor pelos amigos ou mesmo por seu filho;
averso s relaes sociais chegando ao desprezo; constante mau humor; por vezes dor de
cabea com ansiedade.
Grande indiferena a tudo; grande indiferena a sua prpria famlia, e aos que mais ama sem
sentido prprio de vida.
Todas as manifestaes de amor marital, filial, aos pais e mesmo amigos prximos so um
dreno nas suas reservas de energia e um obstculo para sua necessidade de uma certa
quantidade de privacidade e independncia. A famlia imediata de Sepia, sendo o maior dreno
emocional, naturalmente o maior alvo... Spia vivencia o amor como uma responsabilidade ou
mesmo como um fardo. [Coulter].
INDEPENDNCIA X DEPENDNCIA Sepia busca emancipar-se do fardo do amor movendo-se um
direo a um mundo comparativamente isento de emoes pessoais, numa profisso...
[Couter]. H um sentimento de dependncia em Sepia... Ela sente-se forada a aceitar
situaes contra sua vontade, devido ao seu sentimento de no ser boa o suficiente. Isto a faz
sentir-se miservel e desafortunada. H um lado dela que diz: Faa o que voc quer fazer; seja
independente, ocupe-se... Mas se ela for independente demais, ela perder seu suporte e no
ser capaz de manter felizes seu marido e filhos. A dependncia pode ser emocional e ou
financeira [medo da pobreza]. [Sankaran].
SEXUALIDADE Averso ao sexo; nenhum desejo; nenhum orgasmo; sonhos de estupro; negao
da sexualidade; freqente histria de abuso sexual. Como a negao do papel de mulher
extende-se para incluir a recusa do papel de me, ns encontramos homossexualidade; frigidez
sexual; averso ao sexo oposto; ao marido e aos filhos. [Whitmont].
Ele se ofende com facilidade e tende a ser impositivo.
[LAMOTHE]: As caractersticas psquicas que podemos encontrar nas crianas so: a introverso;
a inibio afetiva; a depresso; a histeria com somatizaes; a irritabilidade; a obsesso; a
ansiedade. Borland diz: o que mais chama ateno nas crianas SEPIA, sua atitude negativa
em relao a tudo.
[Modalidades]: Sintomas mentais > quando come; Ocupao >. Tristeza > tempestade. < pelo
consolo. < narrando seus sintomas.
SONHOS: Sonhos ansiosos como se o corpo estivesse desfigurado. Sonho que est perdido num
bosque. Sonho de ameaa de estupro. Sonho de perseguio. Sonho caindo de uma montanha
alta. Sonhos com ratos, camundongos e cobras. Sonhos lascivos.
SINTOMAS SENSORIAIS
As dores de cabea podem ser: em pontadas; agudas; rasgantes; torcendo; pulsteis; migrnea;
de dentro para fora e para cima; cefalias semanais.
Cefalia nervosa e severa toda vez que vai s compras.
Otalgia crnica, unilateral, com dor de dente, retorna pelo menor frio.
Dor em queimao; roente; caimbras; pontadas; no estmago; vem em paroxismos; com
fraqueza.
Fgado doloroso, > deitado sobre o lado direito.
Violentas pontadas para cima na vagina, do tero para umbigo. Vagina dolorosa durante o coito.
Dor tediosa, pesada nos ovrios, especialmente o esquerdo.
Dismenorria em mulheres com regras escassas.
Lombalgia, com rigidez > andando.
Citica crnica; durante a gravidez.
Dores reumticas em cotovelos e joelhos.
Excessiva prostrao e exausto pela manh.
Sensao de areia nos olhos.
Sensao de vazio; de oco no epigstrio, abdmen, peito, msculos, lombar, costas.
Sensao de massa ou alguma coisa rolando internamente.
Sensao de plenitude em vrias partes.
Sensao de peso nas partes onde h fluxo de sangue; no abdmen.
Sente boca e lngua como se escaldadas; gengivas como se queimadas.
Sensao de tampo na garganta.
Sensao de relaxamento e puxando para baixo bearing-down > segurando-o ou cruzando pernas.
Sensao de frio em vrias partes do corpo.
Sensao de bola no reto.
Sensao de opresso no peito.
Sensao como se o corao parasse.
SINTOMAS FUNCIONAIS.
[Desejos alimentares]: vinagre; cidos e picles; doces; vinho; chocolate; condimentos.
[Averses]: gordura; carne; leite; po (durante a gravidez); cebolas; batatas.
[Apetite]: apetite com pressa para comer.
[Sede]: muita sede pela manh. Sede durante a cefalia.
Facilmente desmaia; especialmente em quartos quentes e quando ajoelha.
Nusea pelo cheiro ou vista de comida. Grande sensibilidade ao cheiro de comida cozida.
Queda de cabelo aps cefalia crnica; no climatrio; aps gravidez.
Fotofobia; manchas pretas; figuras pretas tipo teia de aranha. Viso turva por excesso sexual,
masturbao e doenas uterinas. Viso borrada antes da cefalia.
Hipersensvel ao barulho, especialmente msica.
Escarra massas ftidas ou caseosas pela manh.
Intolerncia a roupas no pescoo.
Dispepsia; flatulncia; eructaes; constipao de fezes grandes.
Enurese noturna; urina involuntria se o desejo no logo satisfeito.
Menstruao insuficiente ou atrasada; somente pela manh ou mais profusa quando na cama e
dormindo.
Transtornos relacionados a mudanas hormonais: menstruaes; gravidez; menopausa; ps-

parto; uso de plulas. Nunca bem desde a plula.[Vermeulen].
Dispnia < aps o sono, < sentada; > movimento rpido, > danando.
Asma espasmdica.
Sufocao em tempo tempestuoso.
SINTOMAS LESIONAIS
Catarros por supresso de erupes.
Dentes cariam rapidamente.
Prolapso de nus; tero, vagina.
Afeces do lobo mdio do pulmo direito; conseqncias de pneumonia negligenciada.
Leucorria profusa com dores queimantes e com urgncia para urinar
lceras em pequenas articulaes; herpes; verrugas; furnculos em axilas; eczema retro-
auricular; crostas espessas em cotovelos.
Carcinoma de lbio inferior; epitelioma.
LOCALIZAES
[Lados]: predominante direita. [Partes do corpo]: Circulao venosa [trato digestivo; sistema
porta]; pele; supra renal; genitlia feminina; nervos.
MODALIDADES
[Causalidades]: Clera e contrariedade. Umidade. lcool. Neve. Trabalho em lavanderia. Leite.
Gordura. Porco.Cigarro. [Agrava]: Ar frio. Neve. Umidade. Excessos sexuais. Antes da
menstruao. Gravidez. Aborto. Ajoelhando. Antes de tempestade. Toque. Lavando roupa.
Pneumonia negligenciada.[Melhora]: Movimento violento. Danar.Calor da cama. Presso.
Aplicao quente. Cruzando ou levantando os membros. Aps sono. Bebidas frias; banho frio;
ar livre. Afrouxando as roupas. [Horrio]: manh e de 12 at 13h e de 14 at 16 h.
[Periodicidade]: semanal.
CONCOMITANTES
Nusea com fraqueza, vertigem e escuro diante dos olhos.
Sensao de vazio na boca do estmago ainda que com averso a todos os tipos de comida.
Ondas de calor na menopausa com fraqueza e transpirao.
Cistite crnica, mico lente com sensao de empurrar para baixo bearing-down.
Menstruaes com grande exausto.
COMPARAES
Murex (sensao puxando para baixo como se tudo fosse sair pela pelve); Nat-m; Kali-c; Ferr; Petr.
ANJA HEIJ
Sepia (Squid Ink) [credits] by Anja Heij

Sepia is the ink from a squid. The squid usually lives alone, it is an independent individual. In case of
fear or danger they surround themselves with a hiding cloud of dark ink. When we project this image
on human beings we find that the homoeopathic Sepia suits people who need (more) personal space
around them, who cherish their independence, and who surround themselves with a dark emotional
cloud of negative temper in case they don't get it. Sepia especially turns out to be a remedy for
women. There are two types of Sepia women: one is the independent and ambitious career minded
woman, and the other one is the mother who feels that the responsibilities for her family ask so much
that there is no time left for herself. Women who need Sepia can also be a combination of both
types.
The best known Sepia picture is that of the overworked housewife. She fights an inner battle between
the duties and responsibilities of being a good mother and housewife on one hand, and living her own
private life on the other hand. Sepia's are responsible persons who find that having a family is a hard
and time-consuming job that hardly leaves time for anything else. And that's difficult since Sepia's
like to do things on their own. This conflict is the psychological reason for their exhaustion.
The physical reason for their exhaustion is a slow blood circulation, especially in the belly. This
results in a weak sex-drive, weakness of the sexual organs, prolaps of the vagina and womb, all
kinds of menstruation problems, PMS, morning sickness during pregnancy, postnatal depression,
miscarriages, vaginal infections and an irregular bloodcirculation in menopause (flushes of heat). So
Sepia is a great remedy in women's complaints. Other symptoms are a slow digestion, urinary
problems, constipation, back-pain, headaches and allergies. It is understandable that a slow and
irregular bloodcirculation leads to easily fainting, haemorrhoids and varicose veins. Knowing this you
understand what makes Sepia characters feel better: strong physical exertion, like gardening or
dancing, because that speeds up the body functions. Mentally they are irritable, dull and forgetful.
Their tired mind can be completely empty, unable to think anylonger.
Emotionally their temper matches the dark ink-clouds of the squid: they can be very negative,
complaining, grumbling, scolding, argueing, cold and indifferent, jealous or depressed. They love
their children and partner, but their exhaustion makes them disagreeable. There are also quiet and
reserved Sepia's hiding in a meaningful speechless dark cloud.
The second type Sepia woman is that of the career woman, business woman. She leads her own life
and enjoys that. She may have a LAT-relationship because that leaves time enough to be alone. Or
she is happy without a partner. It can be a woman who chooses not to have children. She is
ambitious and needs intellectual challenges. She is organized, efficient, strong, powerful, and she
likes sporting. Physically she can have the same problems as the first type Sepia woman.
Both types Sepia women or a combination of them may look hard or uninterested, but inside they are
vulnerable. They prefer to do things their way and dislike opposition. When they feel bad or hurt they
want to be alone; consolation is out of the question. They are often too tired for company. Sepia's
fear poverty and can be quite avaricious. They look yellowish due to a slow working liver and they
sweat easily. Milk and fat food cause indigestion. They can constantly feel hungry; in some cases
eating ameliorates. In other cases seeing or smelling food causes nausea. Sepia's like stimulating
food, like spicy, sour or bitter food.
Sepia children and Sepia men have a yellow skin. They are dissatisfied, critical, sarcastic, reserved,
closed, indifferent, negative, possessive, avaricious, lazy, tired and constipated. They change in a
positive way when physical action is required. Sepia's love thunderstorms! They feel worse by
change of weather, pregnancy and menstruation, warm rooms, company, coldness, milk and starting
movements. They feel better by dancing, strong exertion, being outdoors, warmth, cold drinks.
Article by Anja Heij
DR SHAMA
Common Name: *Inky Juice of Cuttlefish. (*The black color is due to melanin (the pignment in the human
skin).It is used as a camouflage by the cuttlefish).
Constitutional taint: Psora. Sycosis. Tuberculosis.
Action: Action especially on the portal system, with venous congestion. Stasis and thereby ptosis of the
visera and weariness and misery.
Typical subjects: Sepia is suited to tall, slim women with narrow pelvis and lax fibers and muscles; such a
women is not well built as a women. Kent says that, A woman who has the hips of a well-built and is not
buit for child bearing, she cannot perform the funtions of a women wihout becoming relaxed in the plevic
organs and tissues. Such a build is a Sepia build, very tall, slim, narrow, straight from the shoulders all the
way down. Persons of light complexion, Blondes. Persons of dark hair, rigid fibre, but mild and eaasy
disposition (Puls.). Women affected with diseases during pregnancy; during childbed and lactation. It is
called the washerwomens remedy. In point of fact, Sepia complaints are brought on by or aggravated by
laundry work. Children who take cold readily when weaather changes. Scrofulous persons. Men who had
been addicted to drinking and sexual excesses. Pot-bellied mothers, yellow saddle across nose, irritable,
faint from leas exertion, leucophlegmatic consitutitions. Persons with yellow or dirty yellow brown blotched
skin. Those who are inclined to sweat, especially about genitals, arm-pits and back. Hysterical diathesis.
Tubercular patients with chronic hepatic troubles and uterine reflexes.
Notes and features: 1. Relaxation. Proplapsus of uterus and vagina; as if everything would protrude from
pelvis; must cross her limbs to prevent perotrusion of the parts, with oppression of breathng. Child always
wets the bed during the first sleep. Discharge of prostratic fluid. Milky discharges: Leucorrhoea with
discharge like milk, only in the daytime; with soreness of pudenda. Milky discharge from posterior nares. 3.
Yellowish taint. Patient is of yellowish complexion. Yellow or brown patches on face. Yellow conjunctiva. A
yellow saddle across upper parts of the cheeks and nose. 4. Offensiveness. Leucorrhoea, sweat, etc. are
fetid. Cheesy or curd-like leucorrhoea which is horribly offensive. Horribly offensive lose stool. Urine is so
offensive tht it mut be removed from the room. 5. Induration. Indurated eruption like that of epithelioma.
Induration of a part oflip, which cracks and bleeds. Indurations on eyelids andnose. Lumps form on the skin.
If such lumps wear off at the centre, Sepia kis clearly indicated. Indurations purple in color. 6..Lumpy. Ball
like sensation. Ball-like (and heavy) sensation in inner parts, esp. in rectum. This sensation is felt in vagina,
uterus. Jelly-like and lumpy stools (in chronic diarrhoea). Sensation of a lump in throat (Nat. Sulph).
7.Coldness. Cold legs and feet in bed. Cold knees or heels. A peculiar condition of value is: As the feet
become hot. The bands become cold and vice versa. Coldness on top of head. Cold in spots. Coldness of
extremeties during fever. Feels cold even in warm room. Supression. Consumption after suppressed
gonorrhoea. After suppressed gonorrhoea there may arise: 1. Ring of condylomata round anus. 2. Small
velvety gonorrhoeal warts round margin of prepuce. In old cases of suppressed malaria, Sepia brings back
the chill, but its mot useful sphere is after a bad selection of the remedy and the cause becomes confused.
MENTAL SYMPTOMS: (very important) Dr. Nash says that, the mind symptoms of Sepia are like
Pulsatilla, in that she is sad and cries frequently without knowing the reason why. So, if in a tearful mind
with uterine disturbances Pulsatilla should fail you, the next remedy to be studied is Sepia. But there is
another conditon of mind not found under Pulsatilla or any other remedy in the same degree, and that is, that
, notwithstaanding there is no sign of demential from actual brain lesion the patient, contrary to her usual
habit, becomes, indifferent to her occupation, her house work, her family or their comfort, even to those
whom she loves the best. This is a very peculiar symptom and a genuine key-note for the exhibition of
Sepia. Then there are other marked symptoms:-Great sadness with tears. Pensiveness. Dread of being
alone: of meeting friends ; with uterine troubles. Weeps when telling symptoms. Indolent: not inclined to do
anything, either work, play or any mental labour. In point of fact, the patient is unfit for intellectual labour.
Miserly. Comprehension difficult. Language comes slowly. The Sepia women permits no opposition to her
opinions. The best impression ofher is lost if controvery arises. It is a leading remedy for Depression in
Women, with uterine troubles.
Head Symptoms: Upon the head Sepia is one of our best remedies in hemicrania of women of the Sepia
temperament, and who are suffering from uterine troubles. Migraine which has existed for years in women
with profuse leucorrhoea, is often cured by Sepia. It corresponds to the left eye and the left temple and the
pain extends backward. Headache < open air, ordinary motion, but relieve by violent motion, like most Sepia
symptoms in general; > sleep. Another peculiar headache is, that the pain comes in terrific shocks so as to
jerk the head at menstrual nisus, with scanty flow. Then another marked symptom of Sepia is Involuntary
jerking of head backward and forward, especially forenoons when sitting.Hair falls out.
Nose: The nose is a favorite locality loss of smell; yellow or green thick crusts fill the nose and cannot be
blown out; inveterate discharge of thick yellow pus. Large offensive-smelling plugs from the nose, often so
large tht they have to drawn back into the mouth and expectorated, causing vomitting. Dry coryza especialy
of left notril. Blowing of large lumps of yellow or green mucus or yellow-green crusts with blood from the
nose.
Eyes:Catarrhal symptoms with vesicles and pustules; granular lids; ulcers and psoric manifestations, various
infiltrative conditions of the eyes and about the eyes; pustules on th margins of the lids. Tarsal tumos, styes.
Musculr asthenopia; black spots in the field of vision; asthenic inflammations and in connection with uterine
troubles. Eyes are surrounded by dark rings. Glassy watery eyes in evening.
Ears:Herpes behind ears on nape of neck. The ears discharge thick, yellow pus; offensive
Face & Appearance::(important) Yellow , blotches on face. Face pale or sallow. Yellow about mouth.
Saddle-like brownish distribtin on nose and cheeks. Face emaciated. Pale bloatedness of face. A child
looks like a shrivelled dried up old person. Black pores on face. Herpes, scruf on face. Warts on face.
Swelling of under lkip. Moist an scabious eruptions on the red part oflips, and on chin.
Mouth: Tongue white. Taste salty, putrid. Tongue foul but clears during menses. Swelling and cracking of
lower lip. Toothache and neuralgia from taking cold. Gums are settled away from teeth.
Throat: Sensation of a lump in the throat (like Lach.) but the latter is better from swallowing. (The same in
worm roubles indcates Cina.). Uneasiness of the collar and corsets like Lach. Worse in the first sleep like
Lach.
Stomach: There is one symptom of Sepia upon the stomach that is also very ch aracteristic, viz., a painful
sensation of emptiness, goneness or faintness.The patient will call it an all gone feeling sometimes not
relieved by eating. The other remedies which have this symptom very strongly are: 1. Phosphorus: has more
of the typical hunger which is relieved by eating. The Ignatia patient is always sighing , cannot get rid of that
feeling. Oleander has an all-gone empty feeling as if he would die; food does not relieve, is not digesed, but
passes undigesed the next day. Lycopodium: has an all-gone feeling sometimes not better by eating. Felt as
markedly before as after eating, and after eating there comes a throbbing. Kali Carb: has it also, without the
amelioration from taking food, it is even intensified by eating, which is followed by a sensation of fulness and
throbbing. Other medicines also hve it in more or less marked degree but none so strongly in connection with
uterine symptoms as Sepia unless perhaps it be Murex purpurea, and you will not often have much difficulty
in choosing between these last two if you carefully examine all the symptoms. Nausea in morning before
eating. Disposition to vomit after eating. Burning in pit of stomach. Longing for vinegar, acids, and pickles,
Worse after milk, especially when boiled. Acid dyspepsia with bloated abdomen, sour eructations, Loathes
fat. Tobacco dyspepsia. Nausea at smell or sight of food (Colchicum, Arsenicum). Nausea < lying on side.
Abdomen:Distended with flatus, rumbling and distension. These disturbances are often chronic as in pot-
bellied mothers; abdmen covered with brown spots. Flatulent with headache. Liver sore and painful, relieved
by lying on right side. Feeling of relaxation and bearing down in abdomen. Kent says that Sepia has
removed tape-worm.
Rectum:Constipation; large hard stools ; feeling of a ball in rectum; cannot strain; with great tenesmus and
pains shooting upward in rectum and vagina. . Now this feeling of weight or ball in the rectum is not relieved
by stool. Dr. Nash says that Sepia is a remedy for constipation, and that of a very obstinate character. Like
Selenium it has great straining but manual aid is necessary to accomplish the stool. This is mostly in children.
It is also indicated in Chronic diarrhoea, when stools are jelly-like, lumpy, alternating with diarrhoea and
constipation. Dr. Nash says that he has cured a very obstinate case of entero-colitis(so-called cholera
infantum) after the complete failure of two eminent allopths, with Sepia, the leding symptom being being
always worse after taking milk. Oozing moisture from the anus finds its remedy here sometimes, but often
in Antinimonium crudum. Prolapsus ani.(Pod.).Then there are haemorrhoids whch develop when the rectum
is so packed with faeces and they bleed at stool.
Urinary: There is much urninary trouble; involuntary urination as soon as the child goes to sleep at night.
Sepia is complelled to keep the mind on the neck of the bladder or she will lose the urine; urine is lost when
coughing sneezing laughing, the slam of a door, a shock, or when the mind is diverted. Frequent, constant
urging to urinate with milky urine that burns like fire and after standing a while a milky , reddish clay colored
( like sand) deposit will form which is hard to wash off . the vessel. Dr. Kent narrates a case of a
saleswoman who was inclined to go to the toilet every few minutes; a violent pain like a knife cutting would
hold right on. She was compelled to keep her mind on the urine or she would lose it. She was tall, slim, with
sallow face, distressed look, worn and tired. Sepia cured here and she was never troubled again. Chronic
cystitis , slow micturition with bearing-down sensation about pubis.
MALE: Organs cold. Aversion to sex. . Offensive perspiration. Gleet; discharge from urethra only during
night; no pain. Condylomata surround the head of penis. Complaints from coition.
FEMALE: (important).: Like male, she has also aversion to sex. Vagina painful during coition. In the famale
there is a state as if she had indulged to excess, when this not the case. No endurance, tired after coition,
sleepless nights, sleep full of dreams, jerking of muscles, twitching,.Leucorrhoeayellow, grenish,with much
itching;leucorrhoea in little girls; congestion of the pelvis. A women who has been normal in her relations with
her husband brings forth a child, and hen the thought of sexual relations causes nausea and irritability. The
menstrual symptoms are of allsorts, no particular derangements characterizes Sepia. At one time it was
thought that scanty menstruation was the more striking feature, but this is not necessarily so; from provings
and clinical observaions, it has cured profuse as well as scant flow. Most violent dysmenorrhoea in girls of
delicate fiber, sallow girls.
Typical Pains: It cures violent dysmenorrhoea. Pains which are ameliorated by external heat. Pains extend
into back. Sepia comes in when the woman ought to menstruate when the child ceases to nurse; sometimes
the child dies and menses ought to be established but do not appear, and the mother runs down, pines
away; Sepia will establish the flow.(Calc. Is the opposite; the menses come on while the child is nursing.)
-Then there is a marked symptom of Sepia: Sensation of bearing down in the pelvis region, with dragging
pains from the sacrum; or feeling of bearing down of all the pelvic organs.(Hahnemann) And also
sometimes she gets Labor-like pains accompanied with a feeling as though she must cross her legs and sit
close to keep something from coming ou through the vagina.(Guernsey). -There can be Prolapsus of the
uterus, of the vagina, with pressure as if everything would protrude .(Lippe) -Pain in uterus, bearing down,
comes from back to abdomen, causing oppression of breathuing; crosses limbs to prevent protrusion of
parts.(Hering.). Dr. Dunham says that Experience has shown its value in cases of ulceration and
congestion of the os and cervix uteri. Its use supercedes all local applications. To summarise above, Dr.
Nash adds that No higher authority than the united testimony of these five of our best observers could be
brought to show the action of Sepia upon the pelvic organs. Comparison: Lilium Tigrinum resembles Sepia
closely in bearing down and dragging in the uterine region; with Lilium the patient has to support the vulva
with the hand; the two drugs are easily differentiated Also compare Murex which also has this symptombut
here there is excessive sexual desire. Though Dr. Dunham designated Sepia as the remedy par excellence
for prolapsus, it should not be prescribed in a routine way. The symptoms are clear and one should always
bear in mind , the irrepressible Sepianess of the remedy, that is, its characteristics of weakness, sallowness,
epigastric goneness and heaviness. Sepia like Sulphur, affects the general circulation in a very marked
manner. Flashes of heat with perspiration and fainteness is almost as characteristic of this remedy as of
Sulphur. But there are,with Sepia more apt to be associated with them the pelvic symptoms already given,
and they are also more apt to occur in connection with the climacteric. Indeed, these flashes often seem with
Sepia to start in the pelvic organs and from thence to spread over the body.
Respiratory:Dry-fatiguing cough, apparently coming from stomach. Dyspnoea < after sleep; better rapid
motion. Cough in morning, with profuse expectoration, tasting salty. (Phos.; Ambr.)
Heart: Violent, intermittent palpitation. Beating in all arteries. Tremulous feeling with flushes.
Back: One of Sepias most general characteristics is the amelioration from violent exercise; worse on
beginning to move but better by getting warmed up. This condition is closely related to the back symptoms.
There is a great amount of soreness in the back, the spine aches all the way down. Pressure on the spine
reveals sore places, spinal irritation. Aching in the back mostly from the loins to coccyx often coming on from
sitting and ameliorated by violent exercise. Apeculiar feature is > from hard pressure. The patient commonly
puts a book low down on the chair and presses the back against it. Sepia does not seem to get the
amelioration from lying upon the back as Natrum mur. does. Stooping < the backache. Backache worse
from kneeling.There is weakness in small of back.
Sleep: The sleep is full of dreams and distress; cannot sleep upon the left side because of palpitatin of the
heart. Palpitation in sleep, with pusations and trembling all over the body, pulsations to the finger tips.
Fever: In old cases of suppressed malaria, Sepia brings back the chill, but its mot useful sphere is after a
bad selection of the remedy and the case becomes confused. Frequent flushes of heat; sweat from least
motion. General lack of warmth of the body. Feet cold and wet. Shivering with thirst; worse towards evening.
SKIN(important):Brownish spots on the skin. Herpetic conditons about the knees and ankles, in the bends
of joints and behind the ears, at first dry, it becomes moist and discharges copiously. Yellow spots, liver
spots; urticaria on gong in open air; better in warm room. Ringworms, herpes circinatus. Chronic nettle rash
after milk or pork. Ichthyosis with offensive odor of skin.
Modalities:Aggravating influences:The patient is very much sensitive to cold air, esp. north wind, and there
is with Sepia great tendency to take cold. The patient experiences difficulty in breathing in evening. Worse
from alcohol, milk, fat food acids. Eating fat food causes disagreeable risings with nausea. And eating meat
and milk produces diarrhoea from which she is averse therefor. Worse : afternoon or evening, from cold air,
or a dry wind; sexual exceses; at rest; sultry, moist weather; before a thunderstorm(Psorinum) Better:
Warmth of bed, hot applications, pressure, cold baths. Violent exercise.
Side affinity: Generally left side is afffected. Right upper and rught lower extremeties. Left shoulder blade.
Relations: Comparisons: Smell of cooking food nauseates: Ars.Colch, Sight or thought of food is
nauseating: Nux. Vom. Flushes of heat at climacteric: Lach., Sang., Sulph., tuber. Greedy miser: lyc. Must
loosen neckband: Lachesis.
Complementary to Natrum muriaticum, Nux vomica and Sabadilla. (Inimical to Lachesis which shouldnot
be used before or after Sepia.)
Inimical to Bryonia alba, Lachesis and Pulsatilla.
Summary of indications: Gynaecological disorders-pregnancy disorders-depression-anxiety-leucoderma.
Antidotes:Aconitum napellus Antimonium curdum Antimonium tartaricum.
TINUS SMITS
http://www.tinussmits.com/english/
- DD. ALUM, CUPR, MURX, NAT-C COMPL NAT-M; FOLLOWED WELL BY NIT-AC
Type: thin upper lip with fine black hair, vertical wrinkles on upper lip (TS); cracked lower lip (3),
cracked corners of mouth (2); old looking (2); sallow discoloration of face (2); yellow saddle
across cheeks (3)[1]; thin, flat-chested (JTK); inclined to sweat, especially about genitals (3),
axillae (3) and back (3)(C1); HERPES on lips (3)
Cannot tolerate STRESS and CONTRADICTION (3)
SADNESS (3) and WEEPING (3); sadness during cloudy, misty weather (?,TS); likes black
clothes (TS)
SPITEFUL, ABUSIVE (2); CENSORIOUS (2); IRRITABLE (3), easily offended (2); permits no
opposition to her opinions (JTK)
OCCUPATION AMEL. (3); industrious (2), especially before menses (3); has to feel useful (TS)
Loves to DANCE (1), which amel. (3)
HYPERSENSITIVE to external stimuli, especially NOISE (3) and MUSIC (3)
WEEPS during the homeopathic interview (3)
Anger from INJUSTICE (especially when she feels she has been unfairly treated)(AG,TS)
MELANCHOLY (3), AGG. CONSOLATION (3) and COMPANY, amel. when alone (3)
INDIFFERENT to loved ones (3), to relations (3), to her children (3), to those nearest and dearest
(Cl); dreads meeting friends (Cl); fear of men (1)
INDOLENT, averse to work (3); not enjoying life, no affection for the delightful things of life (JTK);
sits and says nothing, answers questions in monosyllables when pressed to answer (JTK); all
things seem strange (1)
WEAKNESS (3): morning (3), on rising (2), on waking (2); with chilliness (1)[1], during
menopause (2), after flushes of heat (3), after coition (2), in company (1)[1], from slight exertion
(2), from perspiration (3), sudden (3), from walking (3); nervous (3); tremulous (2)
CHILLY, lack of vital heat (2); coldness of feet (3), evening (3), while sitting (2); chilliness in a
warm room (WB,=RK)
Loves the SUN; can sit for hours in it (AG,TS)
Likes to READ (?,AG)
AGG.: standing (3), touch (3), mental exertion (3), during (2) and after eating (3), approach of a
storm (2), during storms (2), at beginning of motion (1), rubbing (3)
AMEL.: (violent) exertion (3), occupation (3), dancing (3), running or jogging (3), walking fast (3);
evening (2); loosening clothing (2); warmth of bed (2); hot applications (WB); drawing up limbs
(3), after sleep (2)
AVERSION: fat (2), milk (2), potatoes (1), meat (3)
DESIRES: chocolate (2), especially before menses (TS), acids (2), vinegar (2), pickles (2), nuts
(GV), spices (1), pungent things (1), bitter things (1)
EMPTINESS OF STOMACH (3): not relieved by eating (3), during headache (head pain) (3),
when thinking of food (3)[1]
AVERSION TO COITION (3); enjoyment absent(3); NO DESIRE (2)
MENSTRUAL (SEE MENSES) MODALITIES:
before menses: irritable (2); industrious (3); sad (2); chilly (2)
irregular menses of nearly every form (JTK)
weakness, amel. during menses (3)[1]
PROLAPSUS uteri and region of uterus (3), as if everything would come out (3); amel.: crossing
limbs (3), pressing on vulva (3); agg.: walking (3), on urging to urinate (3), standing (3), before
(2) and during menses (3)
Constipation (3) without urging from inactivity of rectum (2)
Nausea riding in a carriage (3); nausea from odors (2), smell of food (2), thought of food (2)
Clothing, around throat agg. (2); intolerance of tight clothing, loosening amel. (2)
Pain back (3), amel. hard pressure (3), lying on something hard (2)
Headache (head pain) from shopping (2)[1]; in waves (4)
Upward direction of the symptoms (Cl): pains of the head, in anus, rectum and vagina, coldness
and flushes (Cl)
JAUNDICE (3)
CONSTIPATION without urging (2); stool remains long in rectum (Cl)
Likes to be balanced (AZ)
LITTLE CHILD DD. SIL, CALC
DRY ECZEMA (eczema of little children [MM of KENT]: ars, dulc, calc, graph, mag-c, sep,
sulph): eczema joints, winter (2); excoriation, bends of joints (2); cracks behind ears (2)
Aversion: milk (2)
Difficult dentition (1); diarrhea during dentition (2); excoriation between nates (2)
Open fontanelles (2)
Perspiration, scalp on falling asleep (1)
CHILDREN
Children who catch cold easily when the weather changes (Cl)
TIMID (3)
INTROVERTED, has few friends, dislikes social games (AG)
Strong urge to urinate (1)
EMACIATED (2) without appetite in the morning (2)
WORMY CHILD, especially taenia (2), with itching of tip of nose (2) and grinding of teeth (2)
Freckles on the face (2); pale face (3) with yellowish spots on nose and around mouth; herpes on
lips (3) and around mouth (2); styes (2); cracked corners of mouth (2); itching warts on hands (2)
[1]; warts on soles of feet (1)
White spots on nails (1), brittle (1), flaking (1), hangnails (1)
Teeth decay rapidly (3)
Heat and cold agg. (2)
ASTHMA: nighttime crisis (2); violent cough, evening after lying (3); must hold chest with hands
while coughing (2); must sit up (2)
Clings to parents when sick; drapes arms around mother's neck as she sits across her lap (AG)
Irritable (3)
Leucorrhea (3)
Enuresis during first sleep (3), while dreaming of urination (2)
Tends to faint over inconsequential things (2)[1]
Worries about his parent's relationship (AG)
ADOLESCENT
DENIAL OF SEXUALITY from fear of incest; often abused sexually (AG)
ANOREXIA NERVOSA (1)
Precocious (AG)
MIGRAINES; blurred vision before headache (head pain) (2)
ACNE (3)
DANDRUFF (2)
Profuse SOUR PERSPIRATION (3), especially axillary (3); agg. in the presence of strangers (2)
Menses only in the morning (3)
MIND
Spiritual seekers (GV); prays often (3)
Anxiety with fear (2) about real or imaginary evils (2)(C1) towards evening (Cl)
Fear that she will die soon (2)
Fear of being raped (AG)
Fear of ghosts (1); that something unusual will happen; perceives the atmosphere to be full of
figures not seen, but she is sure they are there, possibly the are dead friends or other nebulous
forms; they will vary in accordance with her religious beliefs (JTK)
Contradiction of will (1); undertakes things opposed to his intention (1)[1]
Cannot simulate or pretend; she cannot hide her sadness or irritability (AG)
Dwells on past disagreeable occurrences (2)
Loves watching thunderstorms (DF)
MALE: not easy to live with, indifferent to his wife; uncommunicative, refuses consolation if
things do not go well (AG); baldness (2)
GENERALITIES
FAINTING: while kneeling in church (3)[1] or while riding (2), after getting wet (2)[1], in a warm
room (3), during chill (3), during fever (3), from extremes of heat and cold (3)[1], after coition (2),
on exertion (3) from cold weather (1)[1], at trifles (2)[1], before and during menses (3), during
pregnancy (2); sudden (2)
Tendency to milky discharges from mucous membranes; whitish, milky discharges from the
posterior nares, from the vagina, excoriating, milky leucorrhea (JTK)
STIFFNESS (Cl)
Internal tension (3); tension of joints (3), of muscles (3)
Sensation of a ball or lump in inner parts (Cl)
Low blood pressure (GV)
After too many high potencies (3)
HEAD
HAIR falls out (3): baldness (2), menopause (2)[1], after parturition (2)
Headache (head pain): from shopping (2)[1], in waves (4); amel. by a good sleep (2); left side (3),
especially over left eye (2)
NOSE
Chronic nasal catarrh (Cl)
Smell diminished / lost (3)
FACE
Herpetic eruptions on lips (3) and about mouth (2)
Epithelioma of the lips (2), wings of the nose (JTK,=RK), and eyelids (JTK,=RK)
THROAT
Dryness (3)
Pressure as if collar too tight (2)
Sensation of a lump (2), on swallowing (2)
Stitching pains on swallowing (2)
Suppuration of tonsils (2)
STOMACH
Milky vomiting (3), during pregnancy (1) [1]; vomits up food and after emptying the stomach of its
contents, vomits or belches a milky fluid (JTK)
Almost constant nausea (JTK), agg. in the morning (3)
Stomach becomes like a leather bag, it fills up then the food is regurgitated just as eaten or at
times it is sour or mixed with bile (JTK)
ABDOMEN
Empty sensation (3)
Portal congestion (Cl); fullness, soreness and stitches in liver region (Cl)
Brown spots (3)
RECTUM
CONSTIPATION (3) from inactivity of rectum (2) with protruding piles (2)
Constipation without urging (2)
Diarrhea from milk (3), from meat (1)
Sensation of a lump in rectum (3), not ameliorated by stool (3)[1]
Heaviness in rectum and a feeling as if a plug were wedged between the pubis and coccyx (3)
Cancer of rectum (1)
Fissures of rectum (3)
Fistula (2)
URINARY
Frequent micturition (2), even at night (3)
Involuntary urination (3): when coughing (2), sneezing (1), laughing (3), at the slam of a door (1),
from a shock (JTK), or when the mind is diverted (JTK)
GENITALIA
After parturition: falling of hair (2); eczema in nursing mother (1)[1]; hemorrhoids, parturition agg.
(1); absent menses after stopping lactation (JTK); distension abdomen in mothers (2)
Leucorrhea during pregnancy (3)
Itching of external genitalia (3), not amel. by scratching (1)
Herpetic eruptions (3)
Frigidity (3); lack of pleasurable sensations of vagina (2); dryness of vagina (2), after menses (2)
Violent, stitching pains in vagina (2) extending upwards (2)
Sterility (3), habitual abortions (2), at three month (JTK), at five to seven months (2)
Uterus feels as though it contracts and relaxes (1)[1]
Menses generally scanty (Cl), variable (JTK)
Cancer of uterus (3)
RESPIRATION/COUGH
Whooping cough, when it has lasted 8 weeks or longer, and the paroxysms, though reduced in
number and virulence, do not disappear, and occur especially before midnight; the patient is
weakened, dyspeptic, irritable, tearful, easily angered or apathetic (Cl)
Holds his chest with both hands while coughing (2)
Dyspnea in the evening is characteristic (Cl)
-
BACK
Backache (back pain): amel.: lying on hard surface (2); hard pressure or pillow in the back (3);
exertion (2); as if struck with a hammer (3)[1]
Pains extend from other parts to the back (especially to the lumbar / sacral region)(AG)
Fine hair on the back (AG)
EXTREMITIES
COLD FEET, as though in water (3)
Hot hands with cold feet (2), or hot feet and cold hands (3)[1]; when the feet get warm the hands
get cold (JTK)
Raynaud's disease (GV)
Stiffness (3), after sleep (2)
SLEEP
Awakens stiff and tired (2)(C1)
PERSPIRATION
Sweat is pungent, offensive in axillae and soles of feet, causing soreness (Cl)
SKIN
Crusty eruptions (2)
Vitiligo (2), psoriasis (3)
The itching may drive him crazy, especially when it affects the genitals and anus (Cl)
DIDIER GRANGEORGE
Sepia officinalis
Couldn't be more of a woman*
There is perhaps no other remedy more feminine than Sepia, even though it is also at times
indicated for some men. The typical Sepia woman arrives at your office exhausted, visibly
overwhelmed by the agitated behavior of her numerous children. Her face is marked by yellow "liver"
spots from her last pregnancy.
At home, she puts too much effort into providing happiness for her little flock, which includes her
husband. He, in turn, does not get involved enough in household activities. Everything must be
sparkling clean in her home, and housekeeping is a constant worry due to her overly meticulous
nature. In fact, Sepia is a Cinderella who scrubs and polishes everything, is constantly devoted to
others, and secretly dreams that "one day her prince will come. . . ." In truth, the prince is
unconsciously the father, who is very important for the Sepia individual. Later on, the husband will
often be seen as a source of disappointment, and will sometimes be rejected.
Like the cuttlefish, a small sea animal with deep, dark eyes, Sepia accumulates all the blackness of
life within herself, then uses it as a screen to hide behind. Her temperament feels the effects and
turns quickly toward depression. In the physical sphere, we find constipation, hypersensitivity to odors
(the child who smells everything; nausea from the odor of cooking), and chilliness (especially the
extremities; hands and feet are always cold).
Physical exercise makes Sepia feel better, since it stimulates circulation of blood in the lesser pelvis
and helps decongest the venous system in the liver.
The Sepia girl has a dull complexion and is somewhat shy on her visit to the doctor's office, crossing
her legs and constantly biting her lips. She has white spots on her nails. Often, she will have warts
that cause itching on her hands or the soles of her feet. All symptoms are aggravated at the
seashore. In the summer, it is better to plan for good hikes in the mountains. Also of note, a great
sensitivity to E. coli bacteria (diarrheal disease and urinary infections caused by the colibacillus), as
well as to sore throats and to chicken pox, which is severe and leaves the patient in a state of
profound fatigue.
Sepia children are jealous of other children (Arsenicum album, Natrum muriaticum, Nux vomica).
They are talented in sports, especially rhythmic sports like gymnastics and dance. Sepia individuals
are among those who love children the most, along with Platina and Lycopodium. They are attracted
by professions that relate to children and childhood. However, in their phase of nervous exhaustion-
which happens often, since they try to do too much-they cannot stand children anymore.
Observations
Matthew, age ten, has suffered from asthmatic attacks for the last three years. Before that time, he
had numerous colds (nasopharyngitis) and his adenoids were removed. Also of note, the BCG
(tuberculosis vaccine), which he just received for the third time, fails to take effect on him. The
parents have noticed a curious fact: the asthmatic attacks seem to diminish, even disappear, with
physical exercise.
Recently, for example, he woke up with a moderate asthmatic attack that went away later that day
while he was playing soccer. He is a meticulous child and a good student. He loves acidic foods
(pickles, vinegar-laden dressings). He tends to become constipated. In addition, he is jealous of his
youngest sister, a five-year-old. With Sepia, followed later by Tuberculinum and Psorinum, the
asthmatic attacks disappear completely.
Melanie fits her name well. She is a dark-complexioned girl of eight, shy and too assiduous at
school. She has recurrent sore throats and white vaginal discharges. In her history, we find E. coli
urinary infections in her first year. Her head perspires profusely when she first falls asleep, since she
buries herself completely under her covers. Sometimes, she "forgets herself" in the early part of the
night, and wets the bed, which disturbs her greatly.
She is very sensitive to odors and will easily vomit after eating food that is too rich, or after
chocolate, which she adores, or again while riding in a car. Her appetite is absent at mealtimes,
especially in the morning at breakfast. At this time also, her white discharges are aggravated, and
diminish later on.
The sore throats and bed wetting disappear after a few doses of Sepia. Two of her great passions, by
the way, are dancing and horses.
P SANKARAN
Sepia officinalis
I think Sepia is a wonderful remedy to study and to use. A very eminent homoeopath has stated that
if he were allowed to keep only one drug, he would choose Sepia. Experience in practice confirms its
great usefulness and wide field of application.
Sepia is complementary to both Ignatia and Nux vomica, and combines all the depression and
sadness of the former with the irritability of the latter.
Considering the fact that it affects the sexual organs in women and considering that many of its
aggravations are connected with the sexual sphere, e.g. with menses, coition, pregnancy, abortion,
menopause, etc., it is an excellent remedy for various complaints in women. If you add the fact that
is also covers the bad effects of anger, fright, grief, disappointment in love, etc., you can imagine its
wide range of action. Women are particularly emotional and sensitive and they live in a small world.
Therefore, small things assume great significance for them. So when you combine this mental state
with the physical condition, you get a good picture of Sepia.
Generally, we have the impression that Sep. has great aversion for sex. But it has also got a
symptom, "sexual-minded". However, though she may be sexual-minded she has great agg. from
coition and so is unable to enjoy it. This is why Boger describes the Sepia patient as "Miserable". I
think it is particularly needed for women who have had many children or many abortions. Incidentally,
women seem to suffer more after an abortion than after a full pregnancy. Abortion seems to produce
a kind of serious disturbance in health. I also think that where women terminate a pregnancy by
inducing abortion because they don't want children, it may produce some kind of guilt complex.
The keynote of the physical symptoms of this remedy is relaxation. All the muscles and ligaments
are so relaxed that there is a displacement, esp. downward, for it is the ligaments that bind and keep
the organs and limbs in their proper positions. We get the various degrees of ptosis, e.g. of the
eyelids (cf. Gels., of which it is a complementary), visceroptosis, prolapse of the uterus or rectum,
dislocation of joints, etc. There is also a concomitant congestion of the pelvic viscera which causes
heaviness, aggravates the ptosis and produces the feeling of dragging down, which can be a very
uncomfortable feeling indeed! The downward displacement of the abdominal organs also gives rise
to a feeling of emptiness in the upper abdomen which the patient may try to fill up with food,
believing it to be emptiness of stomach, but as it is not so, and it only provokes nausea. *
The nausea is agg. by the sight, smell or thought of food. This symptom may be found in pregnancy.
So, even with hunger the patient cannot enjoy food which makes her miserable.
The discomfort in the pelvis is naturally aggravated by any condition which would increase the
congestion of that area. So in women there is great suffering before and during the menses, by
coition, pregnancy, abortion and during menopause. Repeated pregnancies and abortions (which
unfortunately are so common in India) with other concomitant physical and emotional stresses ideally
produce the Sepia picture. These promote further relaxation and congestion in the pelvis. As a result
of this aggravation by coition and pregnancies, the woman has aversion to and is disgusted by sex,
and is terribly upset even if the husband should make normal demands.
The displaced organs impinge upon one another provoking more symptoms, e.g. the uterus if
displaced backwards may press upon the rectum and produce a sensation of a lump or ball in the
rectum or a frequent sensation for stool (cf. Nux-v), so that the patient goes and strains without result
and only succeeds in adding to her discomfort by increasing the congestion. So also it may press
upon the bladder and provoke frequent urging for micturation. The sensation of a lump can be felt
elsewhere also, e.g. in the throat (globus hystericus cf. Ign.) or in the abdomen.
If one remembers that the pelvic viscera are attached by their ligaments to the posterior wall of the
abdomen or the back, and also the fact that all the ligaments supporting the vertebral column
become lax, then one can realise how much discomfort is referred to the back. And if the patient is
forced to stoop and work, the back is further strained.
So, you have the picture of a woman with a history of many abortions or pregnancies, a hard
working house-wife with many children to attend to, working and washing and wearing herself away,
who cannot enjoy her food, for she often has nausea at the sight, smell or even at the thought of food
(cf. Hyperemesis gravidarum) cannot rest, and cannot even satisfy her sex urge, which is so
fundamental. Is there any wonder she becomes disgusted by the home, by the husband, by the
children who all make so many demands on her and by life itself and wants to run away from it all? Is
it any surprise that though she may be full of love she has no apparent affection towards even her
near and dear ones?
The Sepia patient has got some kind of venous stasis and she improves very much by exertion, esp.
by violent motion such as dancing. Here, it is the opposite of Puls. which wants gentle motion, and it
resembles Tarn. which also wants violent motion.
Margaret Tyler with her marvellous insight calls it a washerwoman's remedy.
I shall now describe one of the best cases of Sepia I have ever seen.
"Mrs. J.K. H., aged 26 years, came for advice on 23rd April 1953. She was a Polish national and had
been in a Russian concentration camp during the war. She had tried to escape along with her father,
brothers and sisters. But all of them, her dear ones had been shot dead, all in front of her eyes.
Ultimately she had managed to escape alone. She had come over to India, had married and settled
down here. She had a baby born in August 1952 and since then she has not been well. She now has
headaches, vertigo, indigestion and leucorrhoea and feels very weak. Headaches occur almost daily
and are worse from noon till evening, hammering in type agg. pressure, amel. lying down, in the sun.
She has also developed vertigo with suffocation agg. moving about; frequent diarrhoea agg. eating
pulses and potatoes; great aversion to milk; desire for sour and spicy food; nausea after food, nausea
while travelling in a bus. Dreams frequently of the dead. She sweats less; she is amel. in open air.
She has become very irritable.
Wt. 96 lbs. B.P. 100/80. Has a brownish butterfly patch on her face.
Past Hist.: Typhoid 1940; Dysentery 1940; Malaria 1945; Vaccinated every year, no reaction.
Family Hist.: Mother died at the age of 49 of typhoid; father, brothers and sisters were shot. Has
three children, all healthy.
The case was repertorized with the following symptoms in Boger's Synoptic Key:
Pregnancy (p. 42)
Swaying, swinging, agg. (car sickness) (p. 29)
Ascending agg. (p. 19)
Aversion to milk (p. 73)
Saddle, brown, across nose (p. 94)
The only remedy to come through was Sepia and I was quite satisfied that this remedy covered the
case well. So I gave her Sepia 200, 1 dose and Sac-l B.D.
She improved steadily without any further medicine and by 9.6.1953, she was completely well. She
also put on some weight. On 10.4.1957, I found that she was still quite well."
Though the displacement of the viscera is downward, the direction of sensations is generally upward.
I have made a mark in my book Sepia as follows:
There is a sudden rush of blood upward to the chest and head (e.g. menopausal flushes), the
nausea with tendency to bring up food, pains shooting upwards in rectum, vagina, etc.
This direction reminds me of another case.
"A certain hysterical lady came to me with numerous symptoms, the prominent one being that she
often had a feeling that a ball entered her foot and travelled up, upto the shoulder and then
disappeared. She was what some would classify as an amazon; she had divorced once and her
innate haughtiness was heightened by her second husband's confession made to her that she had
been conferred on him by God after he had prayed for many years. She gave a history that since she
had no wish to have any children and that she had induced abortion nineteen times.
Since for certain reasons I did not wish to treat her, I sent her on to a colleague. He picked out her
remedy as Sepia correctly, no doubt basing his selection on, (1) the history of repeated abortions, (2)
the sensation as of a ball and (3) the ascending direction, the corresponding rubrics being (ref.
Boger's Synoptic Key):
1. Abortion (p. 84)
2. Ball, lump, knot, etc., as if (p. 31)
3. Direction, ascending (p. 84)
The remedy helped her considerably."
The Sepia patient is said to be chilly but one must remember that the typical Sepia washerwoman of
Dr. Tyler was also agg. by the heat of the room and the heat of the iron. Kent gives this remedy under
"cold and heat, agg." and this is often verified in practice.
The Sepia fish, when it is attacked, throws out a brownish inky secretion (which was used by artists),
and thus forms a cloudy protective screen to hide and to escape. The Sepia patient also develops
emotional antagonism and, behaving as if she is being attacked, throws out a screen of indifference
which clouds and masks her real tender nature and feelings.
Pulsatilla and Sepia often resemble each other, both being very touchy, but the Sepia patient does
not break down or weep so easily. Pulsatilla seems to be needed more by the immature, adolescent,
sensitive girl of puberty, while Sepia seems to be indicated better in the experienced, hardened
woman of climaxis. She has usually seen and put up with many more vicissitudes. She is, unlike
Puls., very indifferent and irritable, disliking sympathy and company. She does not lack in love but in
affection, which is the manifestation or expression of love. Even the love of self is stifled to such an
extent that the patient becomes indifferent to her own affairs. Though the Sepia patient often moans
or groans, one must remember that she is quite tough. She groans because of the intensity and
variety of troubles she has to undergo which however she will not express freely.
It might have been noticed that so many patients of Sepia are women. This sex shows a readiness to
develop subacute and chronic inflammatory conditions in the pelvis and these respond very well to
this remedy.
Another symptom often seen is the brownish butterfly-like patch (Chloasma) * seen on the face with
the wings on both sides of the nose. There is a recent belief in the medical field that certain areas of
the skin correspond to certain internal organs, and that disorders in these organs produce
corresponding changes in the relevant areas of the skin **. Homoeopathy has recognised much
earlier such inter-relationship of various tissues and organs.
Often Sepia resembles Nat-m. The latter is the chemical analogue of the former. After all, the Sepia
fish is a resident of the sea and remains thoroughly soaked in brine.
Here is another patient of Sepia who felt grateful to Homoeopathy for the relief she got.
"Miss B.F. , aged 47, came on 14.09.59 with the following complaints:
She has hypertension since 3 years. She gets vertigo and syncope if she looks upwards or
downwards. Has pain in limbs which is amel. by bandaging. Her menses are scanty and painful, with
pain agg. during menses. She passes urine three to four times at night. She is very irritable. On
examination : Butterfly-like brownish patch on the face. Her B.P. is 200/120.
Her case was repertorized using Kent's Repertory with the following rubrics:
Vertigo agg. looking up (p. 100)
Vertigo agg. looking down (p. 100)
Pain uterus, during menses (p. 734)
Puls. and Sepia came through. Because of her hyper-irritability I chose Sepia.
Sepia 1M, 3 doses in one day and placebo were given. She improved steadily, felt better and by
04.01.60, her B.P. came down to 130/80. "
"Mrs. S. aged 33, saw me on 13th May 1964. Her complaints were : Hernia for last 5 months. A pain
in the left lumbar region for last 2 months, which is amel. by bending forward and amel. by warm
application.
Her appetite, thirst, etc., are normal. Fried food and pulses cause flatulence and diarrhoea. Gets
cough on exposure to fan. Likes open air. She is not well since her last delivery 21/2 years back.
Feels a sensation of prolapse during her menstrual periods. She weeps easily at trifles. Gets irritated
and beats children because she does not have a male child. She is worried. Past History: She has
had typhoid twice, measles, whooping cough, chicken pox, flu, dysentery, rheumatism and tonsillitis.
She used to get numbness of the upper extremities including the fingers. O/E Tenderness in umbilical
region. She is obese. Has dark rings around the eyes. Her body smells offensive.
Her case was repertorized using Kent's Repertory and Phatak's Repertory with the following
symptoms:
Food, fat, agg. (K.p. 1363)
Food, beans and peas, agg. (K.p. 1362)
Pregnancy, child bed, affections of/or since agg. (Ph.p. 213)
Obesity (K.p. 1376)
Female genitalia, prolapse, uterus, menses, during (K.p. 743)
Only Puls. and Sep. came through.
She was first given Carcinosin 1M, because of the h/o several infectious diseases. One week later,
she received Sep. 1M, 3 doses in one day. Sepia was selected because of her irritability. She
improved steadily and became well by 30.05.64. "
"Mr. V.P. , aged 25 years, son of an allopathic doctor, came on 4th June 1971 with the following
complaints:
One year back, suddenly he got pain in both feet which extended upto the knees and thighs. He
consulted some specialist and took treatment with no relief. Now gets pain in the knees alternating
between left and right knee. It is agg. ascending, flexing, agg. beginning motion, agg. morning, and
amel. hot application. His appetite, stool, etc., are normal. Takes ten glasses of water per day. Gets
depressed easily. P/H: He had liver disease in childhood for which he has taken an ayurvedic
preparation of zinc for a long period. H/o trauma to knees. Fam. Hist.: His grandmother had tub.
adenitis. Great grandmother had cancer.
His case was repertorized using Phatak's Repertory and following symptoms were selected:
Alternating effects, sides, metastasis (p. 8)
Motion, beginning, agg. (p. 182)
Direction, ascending (p. 67)
Thirst (p. 269)
Only Phos. and Sep. covered the symptoms.
Because of the family history I gave him first Carcin. 1M followed one week later by Tub-bov 1M.
Because Phos. covered the h/o trauma rather than Sep. I gave him Phos. 30, daily once. As there
was no amel., I gave him as an antidote to the old Zinc medication, Zn 30, t.d. s. for a week followed
by Sep. 30, b.d. for a week. Sep. was given because of his depressive moods.
He started improving and the doses of Sep. were reduced. By 01.12.73 he became normal."
"Mrs. L.D. , wife of an allopathic G.P. also practising Homoeopathy, aged 25 years, came on 22nd
Aug. 1969.
She was pregnant. She had intense nausea for the last 11/2 months. It was agg. in a closed room ,
strong odours , agg. 4 p.m. agg. talking, and agg. walking. It was amel. in open air and amel.
vomiting. She had a bad or bitter taste in mouth. She was thirstless. She had an acute sense of
smell. She felt completely relieved with Tab. 30, 200 and 1M.
Unfortunately, she had a premature baby and the baby expired the day after birth. The next year
she conceived again and developed nausea and vomiting. Now she gets nausea and vomiting since
last 2 months. Tab., Lyc., Puls., etc., have been given without any relief. All the previous symptoms
have returned. She has become very sensitive to noise, touch and odours. She has a desire for open
air. Also has a strong desire for company. Cannot tolerate tight clothes on her body. Gets pain in
abdomen which is agg. lying on back. She had frequent urination and leucorrhoea. Her case was
repertorized using Kent's Repertory as follows:
Sensitive, noise, to (p. 509)
Clothing, intolerance of (p. 1348)
Air, open, desire for (p. 1344)
Company, desire for (p. 12)
Urination, frequent (p. 657)
Smell, acute (p. 349)
Leucorrhoea, pregnancy (p. 722)
Lying back, on, agg. (p. 1372)
Sep. alone covered all the rubrics.
Sep. 200, 3 doses t.d. s. given. She felt better and by 14.12.70 she became completely well with
Sepia, given as and when necessary."
"Shri E.S. N., aged 39 years, came on 14.12.63 for pain in epigastrium agg. when hungry, amel.
after eating, amel. eructations, agg. by pressure and agg. by bending forward. X-ray report on
23.03.61 showed chronic duodenal ulcer. No other symptoms of value could be elicited. The case
was repertorized using Boger's Synoptic Key with the following symptoms:
Eating amel.; Pressure amel.; Bending agg..
Only Sep. covered the symptoms. Sep. 200, 3 doses in one day and placebo given. He got relief.
With Sep. given in various higher potencies, he improved considerably. Later he required Kali-bi,
and then again Sep. to cure him."
I have also found it useful in chronic dysentery-like conditions.
"Shri A.D. D., aged 25 years, came with the following history:
Two months back he had an attack of dysentery. Since then he gets abdominal pain before passing
stool. Pain is stitching and is shoots up. Pain is agg. by taking cabbage, potatoes, cold drinks or
buttermilk, and agg. after stool. He dislikes hot drinks. He is irritable and gets tired by speaking.
The case was repertorized with Kent's Repertory and the following symptoms were selected, viz.:
Food, cabbage, agg.
Eating, satiety, to
Food, bread, agg.
Food, potatoes, agg.
Food, cold drinks agg.
Only Sep. covered all these symptoms. Sepia starting with 200 and going upto CM cured him."
RAJAN SANKARAN THE SOUL OF REMEDIES

Sepia officinalis
Sepia is an animal remedy made from the ink of the cuttlefish. It belongs to the syco-syphilitic
miasm.
The main feeling of the Sepia woman is that she is forced to undertake things opposed to her
intentions, to do what she doesn't want to do. It is a chronic situation in which she has been
dominated and not allowed to have her way.
There is a feeling of dependence in Sepia. She feels that her body is disfigured and unattractive,
especially to the opposite sex. In order to keep him happy, so that she is accepted by him, she has to
do what he wishes, not what she wishes. She feels forced to accept situations against her will,
because of her feeling of not being good enough. This makes her miserable and she feels
unfortunate.
There is one side of her that says: "Do what you want to do, be independent, occupy yourself." And
indeed Sepia likes to occupy herself mentally and physically, she likes brisk movements, dancing,
etc. But if she is too independent she will lose her support and will not be able to keep her husband
and children happy. The dependence may be emotional and/or financial (fear of poverty). So often
she is forced to do things she does not want to do. This is the uncompensated, failed side.
A successful Sepia is one who is independent right from the beginning. But in various life situations
she will be dominated or forced to do things that she does not want to. So there is divorce or
separation, or the patients remain spinsters. Many of them also join the Women's Lib.
But in most cases, she tries to keep her husband and children happy while at the same time
pursuing her career. This can become very strenuous. She becomes miserable and worn out since
she is busy all the time. This situation leads slowly to despair and indifference, to sadness from which
she tries to find some relief by being constantly occupied. She withdraws into herself and becomes
averse to her husband and children. I have seen that Sepia women in this stage do not even like to
take medicine.
Sepia has also the theme of rape (dreams of rape). She is tired, doesn't want to have sex, but to
keep her husband happy, she does it against her will, thus feeling forced to do it against her will.
Sepia comes close to Lachesis, with its envy and dreams of snakes, but in Lachesis the emphasis is
more on keeping herself attractive. It is as if there is competition and she has to win. If she does so,
all is well. In Sepia, there is despair, there is no hope in the relationship.
Sepia comes close to Tarentula too, since the theme of Tarentula is unrequited love and the need to
be attractive. The dancing, attractive hysteria and sarcasm are common to both and a young Sepia
can often seem like Tarentula. Tarentula can also be very industrious. But here again, the emphasis is
much more on attractive behaviour, and the contradiction of will as found in Sepia is not present.
Also deceitfulness, mischievousness and speed are much stronger in Tarentula.
Sepia comes closest to Natrum muriaticum. Both have the theme of disappointment in love, the
theme of the body being disfigured. But the dependence of Natrum muriaticum is much greater. The
main problem of Natrum muriaticum is not between relationship and occupation as in Sepia, it is
between the making and breaking of relationships. There is no contradiction of will in Natrum
muriaticum. The whole theme is one of relationship and not two separate themes of occupation and
relationship. Sepia is the larger sphere, of which Natrum muriaticum is a part. Also Natrum
muriaticum has "Cheerful after coition" which is the opposite of Sepia. Coition creates hope in
Natrum muriaticum, it creates confusion in Sepia.
The acute of Sepia is Nux vomica. Nux vomica is concerned with occupation and business, with
tremendous irritability and has many symptoms similar to Sepia, e.g. chilly, constipated, etc. In an
acute situation of business failure, the Sepia person can need Nux vomica.
Rubrics
- Undertakes things opposed to his intentions.
- Anger, from contradiction.
- Indifference, loved ones, to.
- Cares, full of, about domestic affairs.
- Delusion, that he is unfortunate.
- Exertion, from mental, aggravates.
- Fear, of poverty.
- Hysteria.
- Indifference to everything.
- Occupation ameliorates.
- Industrious.
- Irritability, consolation aggravates.
- Weeping when telling of her sickness.
- Will, contradiction of.
Kent
- Cataract in women.
- Eye, falling of lids during headache.
- Nose, yellow saddle across.
- Skin, cracks in winter.
Phatak
- Busy, when, ameliorates.
- Sadness over one's health.
- Lying on hands and knees ameliorates.
- Sadness, domestic affairs, over.
- Desire for bitter drinks (Synthetic Repertory, Vol. II).
VERMEULENS PRISMA
Sepia officinalis Sep
Wives are people who feel they don't dance enough.
[Groucho Marx]
Signs
Sepia officinalis. Common Cuttlefish.
CLASSIFICATION The cuttlefish are in the phylum Mollusca. Molluscs are invertebrates whose soft
bodies are usually covered with hard shells, such as with clams, oysters, snails, and slugs. First
making their appearance some 500 million years ago, molluscs have adapted to an amazing range of
environment. The phylum Mollusca is divided into six classes, of which the class Cephalopoda
includes the squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and chambered nautilus. The modern cuttlefish appeared in
the Micocene Epoch, about 21 million years ago, and derived from a belemnite-like ancestor.
CEPHALOPODS The cephalopods, 'head-footers', are unusual invertebrates because they have
evolved beyond the need for a shell. [Excepting the chambered nautilus, which is the only type
having a complete shell.] The cuttlefish, as well as the squid, have their small shell located inside the
body, rather than outside. The octopus has lost its shell completely. All cephalopods are marine
animals and all are carnivores. Contrary to the sedentary life style of most gastropods, cephalopods
are very active and highly mobile. Like all molluscs, cephalopods have a soft body covered with a
tough, skin-like layer called the mantle. The mantle encloses all of the body organs such as the heart,
stomach and gills. Whereas gastropods have one muscular foot, cephalopods have eight to ten arms
projecting from the head region. The body is elongated, with a distinct head area, well-developed
eyes and a horny beak. All cephalopods have three hearts, a single systemic heart and two gill
hearts. The rhythmical contractions and expansions of the mantle cause a circulation of water over
the gills where gas exchange takes place between the seawater and blood. Freshly oxygenated blood
from the gills enters the systematic heart, from which it is pumped out again to the tissues. The
deoxygenated blood returning from the tissues enters the gill hearts, each of which pumps the blood
through one gill. The saliva of cuttlefish contains a toxin that helps immobilize prey; the toxin also
appears to have a digestive function. It has a paralytic effect on certain animals and occasionally on
man.
FEATURES "Cephalopods have unique abilities which most molluscs lack. They are able to change
the colour of their skin so that it blends in with the surroundings. Cephalopod eyes have received a
lot of attention because they are much more developed than other invertebrate eyes. They are more
similar to vertebrate eyes because they have a cornea, lens, and retina. Cephalopods can see
images, an ability that is not found in other molluscs or any other invertebrates."1 The eyes have a
transparent cover and lid. They are set far apart on the sides of the head enabling the animal to look
forwards and backwards, with a horizontal visual field of almost 360o. To focus on close objects, the
cuttlefish contracts the muscles around the eye which pushes the lens forward, away from the retina.
To focus on distant objects, the cuttlefish relaxes the muscles and draws the lens inward. Minute
hairs along the cuttlefish head and tentacles detect low frequency vibrations. This enables them to
'hear' and locate their prey. "Cuttlefish are well known to scuba divers for their inquisitiveness and
lack of fear of the strange, bubbling animals intruding on their world. 'They will follow you round like a
little dog,' one diver affirms. 'If you move gently, you can pet them and if you don't pay enough
attention to them, they will keep following you. Penny, one of our team who wears a red outfit
underwater, swears that a cuttlefish was trying to have an affair with her one day, approaching,
putting its tentacles out towards her, then withdrawing them shyly. Their eyes can focus images and
distinguish colour, and Penny is a real mermaid."2
SEPIA There are about 100 species of Sepia, varying in size from 5 to 60 cm, all of them occurring
in the Old World. Sepia officinalis, the common cuttlefish, lives in the Mediterranean Sea and in
eastern Atlantic waters ranging from the North Sea to the Cape of Good Hope. Cuttlefish prefer
coastal waters at depths of 5 to 120 m, remaining hidden during the day and moving about to feed at
night. In the spring and summer they usually remain in shallow waters at depths of 10-20 m, to
migrate to deeper waters in autumn and winter. Most species live for only 12 to 18 months. Sepia
officinalis is fairly long lived for a cephalopod, they live for 1.5 to 2 years, depending primarily on
temperature. Sepia officinalis and many other species of cuttlefish are more social than the solitary
octopuses and are generally found in loose groups. The elongated body has fins that extend the
length of the mantle. In front of the eyes are eight arms and two tentacles. The eight arms are
attached to the head in a ring around the mouth. Contrary to the squid, the cuttlefish keeps its
tentacles withdrawn in two pouches beneath the eyes. When extended, they are long and thin with
suckers on the flattened end only. The arms have suckers all along the underside. Cuttlefish are
active predators that feed on small fish, crabs, prawns, and other cephalopods. Cannibalism is
common. They hunt by changing their body patterns or by a method of distraction. Prawns, shrimps
and other small prey are caught by blowing sand off their hiding places with a water jet. "The
tentacles are used for feeding. This cunning cephalopod will hide in the sand or seaweed with its
tentacles extended, wiggling like fat little worms. It is so well camouflaged that other animals will not
notice it. When a small fish comes closer to investigate the 'worms,' the cuttlefish will jet forward and
grab the fish with its arms. Or the cuttlefish may simply swim along, using its fins, until it sees a crab
or shrimp. Then it will sneak up from behind and nab the crustacean with its suckered tentacles. The
prey is quickly carried to the arms and directed to the hard beak."3 Cuttlefish are preyed upon by
seabirds, dolphins, sharks, rays and a variety of fish. They are very sensitive to heavy metals, esp.
copper. On the underbelly, there is a forward opening cavity that contains the gills and openings for
the gut, kidneys and sexual organs. The shell inside the mantle is called the cuttlebone. [Cuttlebones
are commonly found washed up on beaches. They are used for pet birds as a source of calcium.] The
oval cuttlebone provides support for muscles and serves as a hydrostatic organ. It has small, hollow
chambers that can fill up with gas and water. By changing the proportion of liquid to air in these
chambers cuttlefish can quickly vary their depths. By rippling their skirt-like fins they glide through the
water as if weightless. For fast movement through the water, the cuttlefish uses a form of jet
propulsion. It draws water into the mantle cavity through the mantle opening and then contracts the
mantle muscles which forces the water back out through the siphon. The cuttlefish then shoots away.
Cephalopods have large and complex brains. Protected by cartilaginous tissue and lying between the
eyes, the brain is placed as a ring around the oesophagus. The brain is unusual in that it has several
centres of nerve control, which in lower invertebrates are spread out over the animal. The sense
organs of the cephalopods are eyes, rhinophores [olfactory organs], statocysts [organs of
equilibrium], and tactile organs. Female cuttlefish produce between 200 to 500 tiny eggs which look
like grains of rice. [The Marine Biological Association of the UK mentions 1,000 to 10,000 as the
number of eggs produced by Sepia officinalis.] Unlike most octopuses, cuttlefish will still eagerly take
food after they start laying eggs. The females do not care for the eggs and soon after spawning
become lethargic. Their body quickly deteriorates and they die. The common cuttlefish [Sepia
officinalis] is highly regarded as table fare in the Mediterranean and in other parts of Europe. Its ink is
sometimes used as an ingredient in cuttlefish recipes. The animals are caught during the breeding
season - when they occur in shallow waters of coastal areas - by slowly trolling a female cuttlefish
behind the fishing boat to attract males. Sport fishermen often catch cuttlefish by using lights to
attract them to the surface.
COLOURS Cuttlefish can change their body shape and both the colour and texture of their skin
rapidly for camouflage purposes, mating rituals and to signal emotions such as anger, fear and
sexual arousal. [Because of this habit, which was described by Aristotle and others, it was regarded
as a symbol of inconstancy.] They will flush deep red when agitated. The ability to change colour is
due to pigment sacs, or chromatophores, embedded in the skin. Chromatophores provide cuttlefish
with colours ranging from orange to red, brown to black, and yellow, while cells termed iridophores
provide them with blue and green coloration and leucophores with white spots. As camouflage
virtuosos with the finest repertoire of all cephalopods, cuttlefish can change colour in less than a
second. When threatened, the animal will squirt ink from a sac near the anus into the water and
escape during the confusion. In addition, it has two other ways of escape: propelling itself backwards
by pumping water out of the siphon, and sinking to the sea bottom and burying itself in the sand.
Cuttlefish can also change the texture of their skin for natural camouflage. By contracting certain
muscles, the cuttlefish can sprout spiky-looking projections called papillae. They can use skin textural
and colour changes to disguise themselves as a patch of swaying kelp, a cluster of coral or even a
chunk of rock.
MATING Eyesight plays an essential role during courtship because both sexes [of Sepia officinalis]
have an almost identical skin pattern. The colours of females are slightly duller. To attract females,
the males splay their tentacles and use all of their colours to impress the females. A male
approaching another cuttlefish gets more vividly coloured and extends his fourth left arm, which has
more vivid markings than the other arms, towards the other individual. If it is a male, an aggressive
display of a zebra striped pattern follows, accompanied by bulging eyes and often a lining up parallel
to each other to size each other up or a copying of each others movements. If it is a female, the
display will not be answered, so that the male then carefully touches her. The female, in turn, either
accepts the male without delay or it swims away, in which case the male follows. Swimming side by
side, the male indulges in courtship behaviour with his arms. Eventually, the pair stands face to face,
intertwining their arms and remaining in this position for a couple of minutes. During this period of
time the male places with its fourth left arm the sperm packets on the inner side of the female's
mouth membrane. A male cuttlefish becomes rather aggressive when guarding the female he has
mated with, until she spawns. Soon after the mating the female retreats into a den - a deep crack in
the rocks or a small cave - and starts producing eggs. The male meanwhile blocks the entrance to
the den to prevent other males inserting their own sperm packets. The eggs are laid one at a time
and attached to corals or seaweeds after the female has squirted some ink into the egg case. The
female leaves the eggs uncared-for, in contrast to the caring female octopus who guards and
ventilates her eggs in the den. Soon after spawning the female dwindles and dies. The newborns,
measuring about 1-2 cm, are self-supporting from the time they hatch and able to distinguish and
efficiently hunt food, chiefly tiny shrimps. Few of the great number of hatchlings survive to adulthood.
4
FLIGHT The cuttlefish reacts to fright with flight. It relies for protection not on a heavy shell but
chiefly on its ability to leave the scene of danger in a hurry. It achieves this by expelling a jet of water
from a siphon near the head. The animal is pushed in the direction opposite to that in which the jet is
expelled and shoots through the water like a torpedo. Squids have been known to move as fast as 23
mph, and it may be assumed that cuttlefish will not stay far behind since they use the same water jet
mechanism. An additional diversionary tactic is used by emitting ink into the water. The ink is thought
to serve as a 'smoke screen', but it has also been suggested that it forms a dark object, a dummy,
that distracts the enemy while the squid goes off in another direction.
DYNAMICS "As one compares the different configurations of the shell-encased body, the basic
morphological model underlying the molluscs, one can see that this prototype undergoes a process of
eversion: from the simplest pattern as expressed in the oyster and expansion takes place which
reaches its culmination in the cuttlefish. The dominant tendency of the configuration of Sepia strikes
us like an overturning of the form pattern from which it evolved, a rebellion against the shell-
enclosed, soft, immobile and impassive quietness. ... The pattern of the shell-enclosed softness
appears as the alchemistic 'vas' or 'hermetic vessel' containing the prima materia ... the 'vas'
principle is inherent in the head but also, representing the matrix, in the uterus, the place of physical
creation. As a general tendency this form complex also represents the earthly, physical and,
particularly, the feminine principle. This principle in its purest, undisturbed form is embodied in the
oyster, as is attested by the pathogenesis of Calcarea carbonica. The dynamic life expression of
Sepia, on the other hand, which turns introversion into extroversion, thus basically rebels against the
contemplative, passive, protected femininity. Yet, an absolutely complete overthrow of the form
pattern from which it originates cannot be accomplished. Even as a half of the cuttlefish's body must
remain within the enclosing shell, in spite of all attempts to break loose, so also the temperamental,
sexual and emotional tendencies which one would disown cannot simply be cast off. ... Challenge to
and repression of the quiet, contemplative and receptive feminine qualities, symbolized by the
'creative vessel', thus become the keynotes of the Sepia pathology. ... Since the repressive tendency
of Sepia is directed particularly against the feminine character, its particular difficulty will be found
more frequently in women with a rather masculine tendency."5
MELANIN Melanins are pigments appearing in the skin, hair, and the retina of the eye. Melanin is
also found in non-visible anatomic parts such as the substantia nigra of the brain, the liver, and the
adrenal glands. It accumulates in pathological form in melanoma. Hyperpigmentation, an excess of
eumelanin, may occur in pregnancy and from the use of contraceptive pills in the form of blotchy,
brown pigmentation [chloasma]. "Melanic pigmentation is advantageous in many ways: [1] It is a
barrier against the effects of the ultraviolet rays of sunlight. On exposure to sunlight, for example, the
human epidermis undergoes gradual tanning as a result of an increase in melanin pigment. [2] It is a
mechanism for the absorption of heat from sunlight, a function that is esp. important for cold-blooded
animals. [3] It affords concealment to certain animals that become active in twilight. [4] It limits the
incidence of beams of light entering the eye and absorbs scattered light within the eyeball, allowing
greater visual acuity. [5] It provides resistance to abrasion because of the molecular structure of the
pigment. Many desert-dwelling birds, for example, have black plumage as an adaptation to their
abrasive habitat."6 In humans [and animals], melanin exists in two basic varieties: the black or brown
eumelanin and the yellow to reddish-brown, sulphur-containing phaeomelanin. Phaeomelanin
produces 'red' hair. Individuals having a predominance of phaeomelanin in their hair and skin also
have an impaired ability to tan, that is to produce more eumelanin in response to sunlight. Cuttlefish
ink, known as sepiomelanin, is an eumelanin. [Eu]melanin binds many organic and inorganic
products, gases and ions, recalling the behaviour of charcoal. This suggests a similarity between
Sepia and carbons such as Carbo vegetabilis, Carbo animalis and Graphites. Salts [sulphates] of
sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium also occur in the ink sack of Sepia officinalis. "We have
good reasons to assume that the melanin of Sepia can interfere in those processes which involve
alterations and anomalies in the pigmentation of the human skin. In Hahnemann's proving we find:
'Yellow spots in the face and a yellow saddle across the upper part of the cheeks and the nose.' This
observation, among so great a number of others in the proving, might be overlooked, were it not for
the corroboration by experience over some 130 years; the yellow-brown pigmentation in spots and
patches, particularly of the face, has again and again proved to be a valuable indication for the use
of Sepia. Strange as it may appear on first sight to approach an understanding of the actions of
Sepia-melanin from the peculiar phenomenon of pigmentation, it leads to conceptions remarkably
suited to obtain a coherent picture from the mass of seemingly disconnected symptoms. The said
changes of pigmentation are subject to neuro-hormonal control, and particularly to that functional
cycle in which the steroids of the adrenal and sex glands, in their reciprocal relationship to
proteohormones of the pituitary, have a prominent role. During and esp. at the end of pregnancy
fluctuations in the degree of skin pigmentation are conspicuous, the localized excesses usually
receding after parturition. At the climacteric phase, when the oestrogen production subsides and the
gonadotropic hormones of the pituitary are no longer inhibited, the yellow-brown spots and patches
are often seen in a certain type of women, but anomalies of pigmentation may occur as signs of
hormonal imbalance at any other phase. Although all these instances are on the border-line of normal
and abnormal occurrences, they are apt to throw some light on the constitutional background of the
actions of Sepia, The generalized bronze-brown pigmentation due to insufficiency of the adrenal
glands is of far more pathological consequence, though there, too, we have degrees, from mid forms
of so-called Addisonism to outright Addison's disease. One will, of course, not parallel the extreme
insufficiency of the adrenals with the symptomatology of Sepia, but a comparison of the latter with
the relative insufficiency in Addisonism is very revealing. All the characteristics of that syndrome,
hyperpigmentation, hypotonus, and adynamy, reduced blood circulation and tendency to lowered
body temperature, mental depression impairing concentration and pursuit of ordinary occupation, -
all, though in a minor key, are well represented in the drug picture of Sepia. This must not be
understood so as to justify a statement that Sepia acts on the adrenal glands, or on the pituitary for
that matter, but rather via this hormonal part-system."7
PROVINGS [1] Hahnemann - 6 provers; method: unknown.
[2] Robinson - 7 provers [6 females, 1 male] c. 1867; method: 30th, one dose each morning, night
and morning, or every third day; manner: no information how long proving was continued.
[3] Berridge - 5 provers [4 males, 1 female], c. 1871-74; method: 200th dil. [2 provers], 6000th [2
provers; single dose or repeated doses], CM [1 prover]; manner: no information on repetition.
[4] American Institute of Homoeopathy - 26 provers, c. 1875; 3rd trit., repeated daily doses for 2-7
days; 30th trit., twice daily for 3-5 days; 30th trit., one dose every half hour to three hours, for 1-7
days; 200th dil., doses at irregular intervals.
This collection of provings includes those under the superintendence of Owens, Wesselhoeft, and
Allen. Six of Wesselhoeft's provers had no reactions whatsoever.
[5] Kruger - self-experimentation, c. 1878; method: 3rd trit., "intermingling some doses of the 12th
dil.", and 4th dil.; no information on dosage or repetition.
[1] National Aquarium Baltimore USA. [2] Edgecombe, A Chance Acquaintance with the Curious
Cuttlefish; Habitat magazine. [3] National Aquarium Baltimore USA. [4] Kleine Winkler Prins
Dierenencyclopedie. [5] Whitmont, Psyche and Substance. [6] Encyclopaedia Britannica. [7] Leeser,
The Molluscs: Murex and Sepia; BHJ, January 1960.
Affinity
Venous circulation [digestive tract; portal system; FEMALE PELVIC ORGANS]. Nerves. Skin. *
LEFT SIDE.
Modalities
Worse: COLD [AIR; north wind; wet; snow]. Sexual excesses. Before menses. Pregnancy. Abortion.
Morning and evening. After first sleep. During and right after eating. Afternoon; 5 p.m. Sitting quietly.
Standing. Mental exertion. Milk. Menopause. Kneeling at church. Before thunderstorm.
Better: VIOLENT MOTION. Dancing. Warmth. Cold drinks. When busy. Sitting with legs crossed.
Loosening clothes. Open air.
Main symptoms
M MENTAL STASIS.
[confusion, absent-minded, dullness, thinking difficult]
M EMOTIONAL STASIS [indifference].
M Desire to be ALONE.
INDIFFERENCE to loved ones.
"All manifestations of love - marital, parental, filial, and even close friendship - are a drain on her
reserves of energy and an obstacle to her need for a certain amount of privacy and independence.
Sepia's immediate family, being the greatest emotional drain, is naturally the greatest threat. She
may see her children in direct conflict with her need for self-expression, and so she fights the
emotional bonds that stifle the growth of her individuality. Sepia experiences love as a responsibility -
or even a burden." [Coulter]
Negative attitude. Nagging, complaining and dissatisfied.
Inability to give love and affection.
No attachment, no commitment.
"The Sepia patient is rather irresponsive, shut-in in his own world, indifferent to other people, even
to his own family and best friends, but much concerned with himself and his own petty affairs, often,
however, indifference is even felt towards his own concerns and occupation; he feels as though he
does not care at all whatever happens. The patient does not open up quickly, when he does, his story
is accompanied by tears. He feels sad without apparent cause, has dark forebodings about his
illness, is inclined to cry every few minutes, sees everything in a gloomy light, and this depression
and despondency may even induce a suicidal mood. There seems to be no meaning to life;
everything to the patient is so indifferent, he does not care what happens, he has no ambition, either
for work or play. Affection, even for his own family, has vanished, there is a desire to be left alone, to
avoid the company of friends, to retire into oneself, but at the same time there is a fear of being left
alone." [Gutman]
M INCOMMUNICATIVE; defensive.
Weeping when telling symptoms; or just uncontrollable weeping without giving any information
[overwhelmed by sadness, no ability to think clearly].
M Aversion to SEX.
No desire, no orgasm.
[Fear of rape; denial of sexuality; often history of sexual abuse.]
"As the negation of the role of the woman extends itself to include the refusal of the role of mother
we find homosexuality, sexual frigidity, aversion to the opposite sex and to husband and children."
[Whitmont]
Will usually be very incommunicative about sexual symptoms.
c FEMALE issues.
"As with all the remedies from the sea, the idea of family and sexuality appears strongly. An
important point in Sepia is its lack of self confidence. The lack of self confidence is expressed in
rubrics like 'Fear of going out'. The split is about the lack of confidence in its sexual identity, eg: 'Am I
a real woman [or wife] or not?' 'Could I be a good mother or not?' So out of the lack of confidence in
those issues, Sepia chooses either to behave more like a male or tries to be a perfect woman or
mother. The split is in dealing with the issue of sexual identity and motherhood. So Sepia women
would give up the idea of family and marriage, and would follow a career [male behaviour]. Some of
them would look mannish and behave more like males. The other Sepia would try very hard to be the
best mother or housewife. She would take a lot of care of her children and husband, and would
always keep the house most clean, provide the best food, etc. That is why pregnancy is one of the
major exciting causes for Sepia. It emphasises the lack of confidence in the ability to be a real wife
and mother and have a family."1
"Sepia is often said to suffer from a loss of her femininity, as indicated by her aversion to men, her
indifference to her children, and her aggressiveness. All of these do occur, but they occur not so
much because Sepia has lost her femininity, but rather, because she has surrendered her
independence. Sepia is naturally very feminine, but her femininity is of a special kind, being intuitive,
and sensitive to life and the body. She represents one pole of Womanhood, whereas Pulsatilla
represents the other, more nurturing, passive pole. It is when Sepia is pressured by her upbringing
and her society to deny her own form of femininity that she becomes aggressive, and ultimately may
come to hate men." [Bailey]
An outstanding Sepia symptom is the flushing or blushing, conspicuous at puberty or menopause.
Groddeck observed that 'Changing colour, blushing or growing pale is associated with a feeling of
shame and a desire to hide. More primitive people than ourselves may have realised that in blushing
a woman disguises her weakness by the show of strength, for a man who reddens in anger is
terrifying to the timid, so the It of the timid woman imitates him and behaves as though it were the
dangerous male.'"2
M < CONSOLATION.
M > OCCUPATION; when busy.
M Independence - dependence.
Healthy Sepia women stand their ground with men in our society, but they do not usually try to
compete with men like Natrum and Ignatia women, since they honour their feminine wisdom, and
prefer to explore it quietly. They may fear the brutality of men, but they seldom allow their fear to
coerce them into conforming to men's expectations." [Bailey]
"Sepia seeks to emancipate herself from the burden of love by moving into a world comparatively
devoid of personal emotions, into a profession. ... This intellectually and emotionally fulfilled woman
is usually between 25 and 55, with a strong will and penetrating mind, whose life-style exhibits a
striving for self-realization. The remedy is frequently encountered in feminist champions of women's
rights. Whatever her field of professional endeavour, she is efficient, well-organized, and intelligent.
Her clear intellect thus contrasts with the better-known symptoms: 'mind is dulled, thinking is a great
exertion, thoughts flow slowly, words come slowly,' etc." [Coulter]
"There is a feeling of dependence in Sepia. ... She feels forced to accept situations against her will,
because of her feeling of not being good enough. This makes her miserable and she feels
unfortunate. There is one side of her that says: 'Do what you want to do, be independent, occupy
yourself.' ... But if she is too independent she will lose her support and will not be able to keep her
husband and children happy. The dependence may be emotional and/or financial [fear of poverty]. ...
A successful Sepia is one who is independent right from the beginning. But in various life situations
she will be dominated or forced to do things she does not want to do. So there is divorce or
separation, or the patients remain spinsters. Many of them join the Women's Lib." [Sankaran]
M Fault-finding, fretful, sarcastic, spiteful, striking.
< Before menses.
"It has been called the washerwomen's remedy and it has many queer symptoms associated with it
- one of the strangest being a kind of tendency to blame all their physical troubles on their nearest
and dearest - which they begin to dislike, if not actually hate."3
M Flight.
"The Sepia patient is often so apathetic and at the same time inimical to her environment that it is
difficult to make contact with her, and she answers brusquely the questions which are put to her. Why
is that so? The world has become too strong, too overpowering for the Sepia patient. She has been
overcome by the world, and finds herself defeated. The light is too bright, the sound too loud, the
children are too noisy, the husband is too rough; everything is stronger than she, and constantly
attacks and overcomes her. The world has become nothing but an attack; and now she needs Sepia
as the cuttlefish and kraken [octopod] need it when they want to protect themselves from the
importunity of their enemies. They darken the waters because then the enemy can no longer see
their figures; then they are as safe as their brothers, the snails, who can hide in their houses, and like
the mussels which breathe safely within the protection of their shell. Sepia discloses in its mental
symptoms the 'mollusc quality' which is inherent in this remedy. It strengthens the mind's defensive
tendencies, hardens the power of resistance against an environment which is growing too
overwhelming, and helps to restore the balance between man and his surrounding world. When the
water darkened by the sepia ink gradually begins to clear up again, the enemies have disappeared;
courage has been restored, and a new attempt can be made to exist. Cinderella, sitting alone and in
despair among the ashes in the kitchen, faced with the impossible task of separating the grain from
the chaff, is suddenly surrounded by a flock of doves who protect her and help to finish the task. This
is what Sepia does, if it is used in the proper way."4
G PHYSICAL STASIS.
[circulatory disturbances; constipation; bearing-down sensations; emptiness in stomach; great lack of
energy]
G Ailments related to HORMONAL changes.

[menses, pregnancy, menopause, puberty, postnatal, the pill]
Tendency to scanty menses or amenorrhoea.
Menses and great exhaustion [< mornings].
G Never well since the PILL.
G Very CHILLY.
< Cold in general.
< HEAD becoming COLD.
G HUNGRY.
"Constant hunger, chiefly for sweet things and meat."
"Hungry feeling in stomach as soon as 2 hours after a meal."
"Very hungry, but after a little food was satisfied, and stomach felt full." [Hughes]
G Craves ACIDS, pickles, and vinegar.
G Aversion to FAT.
G > EVENING.
G > EATING and COLD DRINKS.
G > PHYSICAL exertion.
> Violent exertion; running; walking fast.
> Dancing.
"May even indulge in solo dancing in the privacy of her own apartment." [Gibson]
G < BEFORE, DURING and AFTER menses.
G Periodicity: 28 days [menstrual cycle].
G MILKY discharges.
[nasal catarrh, vomit, urine, leucorrhoea]
G Easy fainting [esp. in warm rooms and when kneeling].
[1] Rosenthal, The Kingdom Approach in Homoeopathy; The Homoeopath No. 69, Spring 1998. [2]
Twentyman, Sepia in the male, or the male in Sepia; BHJ, Oct. 1974. [3] Gordon Ross, Three Queer
Fish; Homoeopathy, August 1967. [4] Karl Knig, Sepia; BHJ, April 1960.
Rubrics
Mind: Anger, < colour red [1/1]. Aversion to members of family [3], to husband [3]. Colours, aversion
to dark blue [1/1], desire for light brown [1], aversion to pink [1/1], desire for pink [2], aversion to red
[2]. Aversion to company, avoids the sight of people and lies with closed eyes [1/1]. Consolation < [3].
Dancing > mental symptoms [3]. Delusions, someone calls him [2], he were chased and had to run
backward [1/1], he is poor [2], family will starve [2], he is suspended in the air [1/1]. Mental symptoms
> when eating [1]. Indifference, to opposite sex [3]. Occupation > [3]. Sadness, > thunderstorm [1/1].
Weeping, cannot weep though sad [2], < consolation [3], when telling of her sickness [3].

46.1 Sepia

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46.1 Sepia

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SEPIA SUCCUS

Transtornos relacionados a mudanas hormonais: menstruaes; gravidez; menopausa; ps-

Sepia (Squid Ink) [credits] by Anja Heij

RAJAN SANKARAN THE SOUL OF REMEDIES

G Ailments related to HORMONAL changes.

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