– VERMEULEN Frans,
Staph.
Honour in life and honour in death is the only choice for a man of any nobility.
[from Sophocles’ tragedy Ajax]
Signs
Delphinium staphisagria. Stavesacre. Knight’s Spur. N.O. Ranunculaceae.
CLASSIFICATION Delphinium belongs to the Buttercup family. The Buttercup family is divided into two subfamilies: the Helleboroideae and the Ranunculoideae. The former comprises two tribes, of which the Delphinieae contains the genera Delphinium and Aconitum.

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GENUS The Delphiniums or Larkspurs form a large genus of some 250 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbs with hairy palmately lobed leaves and spike-like racemes of irregular, spurred flowers that bear five petal-like sepals and two pairs of petals. The genus is native to northern temperate regions and mountainous areas of East Africa. There are two general groups of larkspurs, commonly designated as tall larkspurs and low larkspurs. Low larkspurs – such as Delphinium staphisagria and D. ajacis – occur in open or exposed places, up to 3,000 m elevation. They blossom in early spring and form seeds, after which the tops die in early summer. Tall larkspurs grow in moist situations at higher altitudes in the mountains. They blossom in summer, produce seed in late summer or autumn, and die down to the ground in late autumn. All species are poisonous. The biennial Delphinium staphisagria has loose spikes of purple-blue flowers sometimes tinged with green. [Green tinges are not a permanent feature of Delphiniums, but arise when the plants grow on acidic soil instead of the slightly alkaline soil they normally prefer.] It grows 60 cm high and is found in arid mountainous regions in the Mediterranean and SW Asia. Many species and cultivars – commonly tall larkspurs – are grown ornamentally, and numerous hybrids exist. Commended highly by horticulturists, one may find Delphiniums described as having “a superior range of shades and textures within the blue area of the spectrum” and being “extremely noticeable because of their tall, elegant, dignified appearance as they tower above surrounding plants.” These “garden aristocrats” are the result of at least 130 years of expert breeding and are “rightly called the ‘Queen of the Border’.” Yet their stately size is at the same time their very weakness, for the hollow stems, too weak to carry the heavy flower spikes, easily break when not supported or protected against wind. Apart from that, Delphiniums tend to deteriorate after a few years and are subject to slug damage.
NAME The generic name Delphinium comes from Gr. delphinion, diminutive of delphis, a dolphin, in allusion to the appearance of the flower buds. ‘Larkspur’ refers to the spurred flowers. Two explanations are given for the specific name staphisagria. It derives either from Gr. staphis, raisins, and agria, wild, referring to the resemblance of the leaves to those of the vine, or from L. staphis, louse wort, and agrios, sharp, because the seeds were used as an insecticide. For the latter reason the Romans knew the plant as Pedicularia [pedis = louse].
TOXICOLOGY The toxicity of Delphinium staphisagria is due to the presence of various alkaloids, of which delphinine chemically and pharmacologically resembles the aconitine in Aconitum, Delphinium’s closest botanical relative. Stavesacre seeds formerly were used as an ingredient of a mixture to stupefy fish. Pliny warned against the use of the seeds as a purgative because of the danger of “choking and strangulation, for surely they be enemies of the throat and windpipe.” Hahnemann illustrates the “enormous power” of the seeds by relating an experience of Schulze, who, to relieve toothache, kept a few seeds for some time in his mouth, but got so violent an aggravation that “he thought he should go mad.” In 16th century Europe larkspur seeds were believed to be good for ‘the stinging of scorpions’ and could, if thrown in the path of a ‘venomous beast’ immobilize it until ‘the herbe be taken away’. Ingestion of the seeds causes nausea, vomiting, giddiness, restlessness followed by immobility, convulsions, and death from respiratory paralysis. With the exception of locoweeds [Astragalus and Oxytropis species], larkspurs cause greater losses among cattle in North America than any other poisonous plants. Symptoms include “loss of appetite, general uneasiness and staggering gait. In acute cases the animal falls and lies with feet extended more or less rigidly. Poisoned animals are constipated and severe cases are nauseated and some are also bloated.”1
MEDICINE Larkspurs have been cultivated since the times of the Pharaohs for their medicinal properties. The seeds were used to destroy body vermin. The plant was a popular medicine for the treatment of eye diseases in the Middle Ages. An old German custom was to look on the Eve of St. John [June 24] through a bunch a larkspur at the bonfire, in the belief that this would preserve the eyes for the next year. “The seeds are so violently emetic and cathartic that they are rarely given internally, though the powdered seeds have been given as a purge for dropsy, in very small quantities at first and increased till the effect is produced. The dose at first should not exceed 2 or 3 grains, given in powder or decoction, but the administration of the drug must always be accompanied by great caution, as staphisagrine paralyses the motor nerves like curare. The seeds are used as an external application to some cutaneous eruptions, the decoction, applied with a linen rag, being effectual in curing the itch [scabies]. Delphinine has also been employed similarly to aconite, both internally and externally, for neuralgia. It resembles aconite in causing slowness of pulse and respiration, paralysis of the spinal cord and death from asphyxia. By depressing the action of the spinal cord it arrests the convulsions caused by strychnine.”2
HEROES and KNIGHTS Delphiniums have been associated with grieving gods, dishonoured heroes, brave knights, and slain dragons. Two Greek myths reveal the origins of Delphinium. The first tells of the beautiful lad Hyacinthus who was much loved by both the sun god Apollo and the god of the West Wind, Zephyrus. Hyacinthus preferred Apollo. This provoked the jealous spite of Zephyrus, so that one day, when boy and god were throwing a discus at one another, Zephyrus deflected the discus with a gust of wind, driving it at Hyacinthus’ head and killing him. [Zephyrus evidently was not so lucky in matters of the heart because the beautiful nymph Anemone, with whom he had fallen in love, was transformed by the jealous Flora into the wind flower – again a representative of the Ranunculaceae.] In his grief Apollo transformed the blood that flowed from the mortal wound into a dark blue flower with marks on its petals inscribed with the signature ‘ai ai’ [alas, woe]. The flower gave Hyacinthus a kind of immortality for it returned every spring, recalling Apollo’s great cry of grief at his lover’s death. The god also promised that the flower, by these same marks on its petals, would one day commemorate one of the bravest of heroes. This hero would be Ajax the Greater, son of Telamon and famous hero of the Trojan War. The myth relates how Ajax argued with Odysseus as to who should receive the armour of the slain hero Achilles. Odysseus was awarded the armour and the enraged Ajax decided to kill the Greek leaders to avenge this slight to his honour. But Athena, goddess of wisdom, sent him mad; and instead of killing men he slaughtered the ‘horned cattle and splendid flocks of goats’. When his madness left him and he realised what he had done, full of shame and despair he fell on his sword. In Ovid’s version of the tragedy, the ‘hyacinth’ sprang up on the spot where Ajax’ blood fell on the ground, its petals marked with the first two letters of Ajax’ name and also of the word meaning ‘alas’. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus meets the shade of Ajax in Hades and begs him to forget his bitterness over the award of Achilles’ arms. Ajax refuses to speak, stalking away in haughty silence. 3 [For obvious reasons, this plant has been looked upon as the hyacinth. But its description – in more details given by Ovid – makes it almost certain that both myths refer to a Delphinium, in particular the Mediterranean species Delphinium ajacis which has the said marks on its petals.] An Italian legend gives another explanation for the creation of the plant. Three warriors killed a dragon and wiping their swords clean on some grass the grass changed into the larkspur. The blue dragon’s blood gave the flowers their colour and its venom made it a poisonous plant. Through the resemblance of the flower spurs with [medieval] knight’s spurs Delphinium became associated in the Middle Ages with chivalry, courage and dedication. This tradition is still reflected in some of the plant’s common names, such as Ridderspoor in Dutch [ridder = knight, spoor = spur], Rittersporn in German, and Riddarsporre in Swedish. Its deep blue colour represented dignity and the Virgin Mary. 4 The ideals of knighthood found expression in total rejection of the corruption of the outside world and, above all, of treachery. “In practice, however, knight were not always wholly immune to these influences and the violent, brutal, lustful, coarse, quick-tempered medieval knight was no model of perfection. Yet some displayed a high degree of refinement in the context of the morality of their age and were civilizing influences upon it. … If the symbol of the knight is completely internalized, that is to say if, as some authorities claim, it is solely concerned with spiritual struggle, it tends to become confused with that of the saint. In this context St Louis of France and St Ignatius Loyola may be instanced. The symbol also loses all specific meaning if it is identified with that of the king. It would be better, therefore, to characterize it as ‘skill at arms’, horsemanship, of course, but also self-mastery, exercised either in the service of his lord, or in obedience to his lady, or in the performance of public office or in the conduct of war. The knight was not the master, but the servant who achieved self-realization in promoting some great cause. The ideal of knighthood might degenerate in the directions of power [the Teutonic Knights], wealth [the Templars] or unreality [Don Quixote], and the knight themselves set themselves up as defenders of their own lands, their own wealth or their own delusions. … The symbol of the knight is enshrined in the notion of fighting and in the tendency to spiritualize the battle. Such spiritualization took place either by choosing some noble cause, or by choosing honourable means, or by admission to an élite order, or by finding some extraordinary leader to whom allegiance might be pledged.”5 In the language of flowers larkspurs in general stand for lightness and levity [signature of the lark], while pink larkspurs embody fickleness and purple ones, particularly those with double flowers, haughtiness and pride.
PROVINGS •• [1] Hahnemann – 13 provers; method: unknown.
[1] Muenscher, Poisonous Plants of the United States. [2] Grieve, A Modern Herbal. [3] March, Dictionary of Classical Mythology. [4] De Cleene and Lejeune, Compendium van Rituele Planten in Europa. [5] Chevalier and Gheerbrant, Dictionary of Symbols.
Affinity
NERVES. TEETH. Genito-urinary tract. Fibrous tissues [eyelids; skin]. Glands. Right deltoid. * Right side. Left side.
Modalities
Worse: Emotions [grief; vexation; indignation; quarrels; insults; mortification; suppressed]. Sexual excesses. Onanism. Touch. Cold drinks. Lacerations. Mercury. Night. Morning. Tobacco.
Better: Warmth. Rest. Breakfast.
Main symptoms
M PRIDE AND HONOUR.
c Haughtiness.
• “Illusion as if all surrounding objects were lower, and the patient himself much taller than in reality.” [Clarke]
• “Staphisagria avoids other people because his inner weakness makes him fear them. He is not afraid that they will injure him [Stramonium and Hyoscyamus] or ridicule him [Baryta carbonica], but it is the specific fear that other people, and esp. those knowing him, will see his weakness and consequently get power over him. Staphisagria wants to be superior to others and mostly thinks he actually is. And still he is very vulnerable and always goes around with the fear that others could be superior to him, that they will see through him and find his weak spots. As a result we find in this remedy an ongoing struggle between controlling others or being controlled by them, resulting in a constant state of anxiety. Pride, arrogance, and tremendous ambition are characteristic for Staphisagria.”1
c Too dignified to fight.
Losing control = losing dignity.
• “A gentleman comes in contact with one beneath his station and an altercation takes place, an argument which ends in insult, and the gentleman turns his back on the other. He goes home and suffers; he does not speak it out, but controls it and then suffers from it. … These patients are irritable, easily fatigued, most excitable, and when they have to control their emotions they suffer intensely. One who is in health can easily put aside a controversy, knowing that he has done what is right, but a Staph. patient when he has to control himself goes all to pieces, trembles from head to foot, loses his voice, his ability to work, cannot sleep and a headache follows. Many a time a man has come into my office with blue lips, trembling hands, pains about the heart and all over, and he thinks he is going to die. He tells a story of an altercation and pent up wrath, and Staph. stops his trembling and quiets him.” [Kent] [my italics]
c Great aversion to any authority.
• “Where there is powerlessness on the one side, there is a great need for power on the other. Any situation where power is involved, or where their power is taken from them, can be a causative factor for the remedy to emerge. That explains their great aversion to any authority, and their sympathy for nations that have lost their personal power and therefore their dignity [Indians. Eskimos. Aborigines etc.]. They talk about being taken for granted, not being seen, being overruled, and there is great need to be seen, to be in the middle and have all the attention [talking always about themselves in company]. There is a strong ego element involved and the need of power is definitely there, but the strength to fight for it is often missing.”2
M SENSITIVE to all external impressions.
Sensitive to RUDENESS of others.
• “Morbidly sensitive; easily offended.” [Boger]
• “Nice, mild, sensitive, socially well-behaving people. In silence they hope to get the recognition they feel they deserve. They will never ask directly for it, but feel insulted if they do not get it. On the other hand, if it is given, they tend to do anything for you, but at the same time, they are angry with themselves to be so dependent. Another side of the remedy is an angry person that gets into outbursts of anger and fights to become free. Free from anybody’s opinion, influence and control. They can drop out from society and refuse to conform to any kind of social rule. They want to break free from the traditional roles of the mother or the wife. The male refuses the role of the macho and can become quite feminine. Within themselves, they fight their sensitivity, and their vulnerability to the influence of others on them. Once you’ve granted them their personal freedom and respect them for who they are, without rejection, they always stay loyal to you and highly appreciative. Both have the desire to accomplish something and to do something that makes them look different from anybody else.”3
M Fear of LOSING SELF-CONTROL.
Fear of his own shadow.
Violent outbreaks of anger from mere trivial causes.
• “I have known Staphisagria 30 remedy this state when the impulse to throw things at persons passed into a mania.” [Clarke]
M YIELDING, MILD, avoids quarrels, doesn’t want to cause trouble.
TIMID.
Skilled at avoiding uncomfortable situations.
Accept authority to an extreme degree.
M Very romantic; easily disappointed.
[Compare cystitis in newly married women.]
• “The Staphisagria patient’s sweet resignation is a kind of timidity. The reason for this is that such patients may not appear timid in public, in their occupations, at parties, etc. They are nice people and they can be quite friendly. Their timidity occurs whenever they meet someone to whom they feel romantically attracted. Then they develop an active fantasy life, but they fear too much closeness. The highly excitable Staphisagria patient is easily aroused in a romantic relationship. The mental realm of fantasies and romantic imagery is greatly stimulated. She thinks about her lover all day long. Before falling asleep at night, she replays in her mind past encounters with her lover and imagines future possibilities. Her problem arises, however, when the relationship comes to the reality. She is more comfortable at a distance. She can be easily and fully satisfied by a purely platonic relationship. Such a patient can derive great pleasure from such a mental relationship for many years. … She may be easily satisfied by small things, but she may also suffer great agony over them. For this reason – and also because of her reluctance to proceed beyond the realm of mentalised romanticism – many of her relationships fail to last. She experiences disappointment and her vulnerability increases. Thus, in Staphisagria patients you see many romantic grieves.” [Vithoulkas]
M SEXUALLY MINDED; unsatisfied urge.
• “Staphisagria is a very sexual type and this is esp. true of the Wild type. There is a very close connection between lust and aggression [the male hormone testosterone has been shown to promote both], and the poorly suppressed anger of the Wild Staphisagria tends to fuel his libido. Given the type’s taste for and addiction to excitement, it is not hard to see why the Wild Staphisagria has a tendency to be promiscuous, and to dive impulsively and passionately into sexual affairs. The Wild Staphisagria is liable to be both aggressive and sexual when he is disinhibited by alcohol.” [Bailey]4
Intruding sexual thoughts; driving to MASTURBATION.
Strong sexual fancies evening in bed; can only sleep after masturbation.
• “It produces both physical and moral sexual disturbances, provokes excesses and irregular sexual appetites, a tendency to masturbation, and a physical state corresponding to the effects of that habit. It is one of Gallavardin’s chief remedies [Passion Génitale] for removing the habit of masturbation in children, and for removing improper appetites in adults. Staph. is one of the remedies which has ‘< from coition' [in men], dyspnoea occurring during or after the act; dyspnoea and prostration also follow an emission. In women coition is painful because the external parts are excessively sensitive. This property [which is also allied to the vulnerary power of Staph.] makes Staph. a remedy of extreme value to women in the early days of married life. Some women suffer very acutely [in mind as well as body] during and for some time after the first coitus. 'Constant urging to urinate in young married women' is the characteristic." [Clarke] M Often a history of abuse. • "It is also interesting to note that Staphisagria is often useful in asthma, where there is masochistic behaviour [the person inflicts self-injury by holding the air in too long]; that in Staphisagria families, there is often an austere atmosphere [Louis XIII furniture, animals stuffed and mounted for display ...]; and that some teachers who are too strict can turn their pupils into Staphisagria patients. In the area of religion, excessive emphasis on the moral value of pain and suffering, as well as worshipping of martyrs, with a wealth of details about the tortures inflicted upon them, are definitely in line with this remedy." [Grandgeorge] M Ailments from SUPPRESSED EMOTIONS. And Constant swallowing. M Some form of ADDICTION. Overeating, overworking, abuse of alcohol, constant occupation with the children, watching TV, etc. [Zaren] G Chilly. G Craving for SWEETS, MILK [or aversion to milk] and TOBACCO. Can digest only if he eats large amounts of sugar. G Oversensitive to tobacco SMOKE. G Sleepy all day, sleepless all night. G < AFTERNOON NAP. G > After BREAKFAST.
G Extreme SENSITIVENESS to TOUCH.
[genitals, warts, haemorrhoids, eruptions]
G Trembling from [suppressed] anger or nervous excitement.
G Odour of ROTTEN EGGS [sweat, flatus, stool].
G Pains that move into teeth.
P Dental decay.
• “Teeth turn black, and have dark streaks through them; cannot be kept clean; crumble; decay on edges.” [Clarke]
P Cystitis after coition.
Cystitis after catheterization.
Pain bladder [or abdominal colics] after surgical operation.
• “For stretched sphincters, with the agonizing pain that ensues, – as when a hospital patient, after operation of the anus, was in such pain and distress that a male nurse had to be arranged for to keep him in bed. Luckily the Resident Medical Officer knew his work, and fetched a dose of Staphisagria; and came back an hour later, to find patient and watcher both asleep.” [Tyler]
P Stings.
Ledum is reputed for its ability to alleviate the stings of insects, and to even prevent them. Trexler examined Staphisagria’s clinical ability to affect the susceptibility to “the insect menace, particularly mosquitoes,” because “their effect on the human race has presented quite a problem through the ages.”
• “I have been using the homeopathic preparation equivalent to 1/1,000 grain [3x] and have never found any toxic symptoms. I might also add that in twenty-three years, I have never encountered any toxicity, nor cumulative effects when used in this dosage. I have tried different ways of using the tablets; the most effective being to dissolve them under the tongue at least 1 or 2 hours prior to exposure. The length of time of effectiveness seemed to vary with the individual. … When the drug is taken internally it apparently is excreted through the skin and is offensive to mosquitoes. The short period of time it takes to produce the desired result after introduction into the body leads me to believe that it is excreted through the skin instead of changing the chemistry of the body. … Resumé of my record of experimental field testing in my practice and acquaintances is as follows: I find that I have used it in 32 states, Puerto Rico, and 11 foreign countries with an approximate total of 461 people. It was approximately 90% effective. In many instances it deterred flies and other insects from annoying the patient. This was true of the Mexican flies, the midges in Finland, the little red bugs in Florida, and the gnats and green flies in the Poconos. Staphisagria, taken internally, is effective in deterring insects, particularly mosquitoes from biting even though they may alight on the body. … Those that received bites before taking the medication noted that the pain and discomfort was considerably alleviated, and the bites disappeared much faster after they started taking the tablets. … A number of patients with athlete’s foot reported a definite improvement after taking Staphisagria.”5
[1] H.V. Müller, Die Kontaktarmut [contactual problems]; Similia Similibus Curentur, March 1985. [2-3] Corrie Hiwat, Staphisagria; HL 3/95. [4] Bailey describes four sub-types of Staphisagria in his book Homeopathic Psychology. He distinguishes the Sweet, the Wild, the Subdued, and the Smooth Staphisagria. [5] Trexler, Staphysagria and Mosquitoes; Journal of the Am. Inst. of Hom., May-June 1965.
Rubrics
Mind
Ailments from loss of position [1], rudeness of others [3], shame [2]. Ambition for fame [1]. Anger, about his mistakes [2], throwing things around [3]. Colours, desire for dark blue [1], for light blue [1]; pink > [1]; desire for white [2]. Delusions, she is criticised [1], all surrounding objects were lower and he himself much taller [1*], people, someone is behind him when walking rapidly [1H], friends are talking about her [1], he is unfortunate [1]. Egotism, speaking always about themselves in company [1]. Fear, of his own shadow [1]. Loss of self-control [1]. Self-denial [1].
Head
Pain, after dispute [1], after nursing infant [1], > yawning [1].
Vision
Dim, as if full of water [2]. Flames, at night in bed [1].
Teeth
Pain, < brushing teeth [2], after dental work [1], in nursing mothers [1]. Throat Constant disposition to swallow, < excitement [2/1], while speaking [2/1]. Stool Like a dog's [1]. Long and narrow [1]. Odour like rotten eggs [2]. Urethra Sensation of a drop rolling continuously along urethra [1/1]. Larynx Pressure in throat-pit after anger [1/1]. Voice, lost after anger [1], weak after anger [2/1]. Respiration Difficult, towards end of coition [2/1]. Chest Palpitation when listening to music [2]. Limbs Sensitive fingertips [2], soles of feet [2]. Sleep Great need of sleep [2]. Sleeplessness, after dispute [1], in illuminated room [3]. Dreams Humiliation [1]. Shameful [1]. Skin Sensation as if a woollen cloth were drawn over skin [1/1]. Generals After afternoon sleep [3]. Biting teeth together > [2].
* Repertory additions; [H] = Hahnemann.
Food
Aversion: [3]:Milk. [2]: Cheese; solid food. [1]: Soup.
Desire: [3]: Sweets. [2]: Alcohol; brandy; liquid food; meat, must have; milk; rice, dry; tobacco. [1]: Beer; bread; cold milk; fruit; juicy things; onions, raw; soup; sour; spicy; whisky; wine.
Worse: [3]: Milk; tobacco. [2]: Sour; vinegar. [1]: Beer; bread; cheese; cold drinks; fat; meat; rich food; wine.
Better: [1]: Milk.

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