Silene
diocia = Red
Campion
Vergleich: Siehe: Caryophylales
Proving date: 2017
[Misha Norland, Mani Norland & The School of Homeopathy]
Read full proving: Red Campion
(Silene dioica)
Habit: attractive
medium to tall perennial plant with a downy stem.
Leaves: opposite pairs, with hairs on the leaf.
Flowers: pink-red in colour with five petals that are fused at their base
forming a tube that is surrounded by a purple-brown calyx. Red campion is
dioecious, a botanical term, meaning the male and female flowers grow on
separate plants, hence the species name dioica. The flowers of red campion are
important for various pollinating insects (bees, butterflies and hover flies).
Where: native. Look for this species in lightly shaded areas in woodland,
along hedgerows, fields, ditches and roadside verges. This species is an
ancient woodland indicator, so may give a clue to the history of a wood.
When: a perennial or biennial, it flowers from May to September.
Medicinal: traditional medicines used red campion seeds to treat
snakebites.
Folklore and art: a noticeable flower the red campion has been mentioned
in various poems, for example ‘Summer Woods’ by the poet Mary Howitt.
Red campion’s genus name Silene probably derives from the Greek word sialon,
which means saliva in reference to the gummy exudate occurring on the stems. It
may also derive from Silenus, teacher, faithful companion, and foster father of
Dionysus (Greek god of wine) who was covered with foam, referencing the gummy
exudate commonly found on stems.
Misha
Norland: “I had wanted to prove Red Campion for years because it evokes pure
happiness, flowering all through the spring and summer, and then again in
September. Being a flower of woodland verges and hedgerows, it graces walks
into favourite habitats. It had been colonising our woodland gardens at
Yondercott, thriving in shady borders. Unlike related carnations, with their
aroma, the campion is, you could say, a poor man’s pink, a brave coloniser of
poorer soils, that will grow amazingly tall (up to
one
and a half meters) given a spade-full of manure. And then I learnt that the
entire family Caryophyllaceae are a family without a single proving! Therefore
we decided
to
amend that! I crammed a bottle full of leaves and flowers (both male and female,
all growth above ground) in May 2017 and filled up to the brim with absolute
alcohol. From this tincture the proving was done.”
One
of the proving supervisors shared this childhood memory of the plant: “One of
my main memories as a young teenager, (about 13) was of hanging, probably
wilfully, far out of the family car just so that I could run my hands over the
top of an entire roadside hedgerow of Red Campions. Probably demanding my dad
to drive closer and closer, just so I could touch them! I remember I did this
for what seemed ages, so he ‘got it’. Maybe he didn’t, maybe he was pissed off
and like most safety conscious fathers, worried I’d fall, but all I remember is
this blissful moment of connecting to this great coloured flower. We were
driving along quiet, scented Norfolk country lanes, on another of our long
blissful Summer Holidays spent wandering the countryside. I remember feeling
enchanted by the bright reddy crimson colour, intoxicated by their legginess at
a
time when being a young girl at the edge of youth and freedom a mere wild
flower was beckoning me to ‘run wild and be free.’ The image has always stayed
with me.
These
were Red Campions, and even in the edgy red aridness of an Australian desert,
that memory is a bookend to youth, female vitality and energy.”
Mental Themes
Water / watery / runny / waves
Flowing water (and other types of liquid) featured strongly in the proving and
this appears to be a central theme of the remedy. Dreams of water were
frequent, often flowing through cylindrical pipes and channels. It seemed to
feature in a sinister way, posing a threat. There is fear of falling in,
drowning, getting stuck, flooding and being unable to breathe. In the waking
life of provers there was also an unusual disinterest in going into water with
other family members during the holidays.
Power / Energy / Telepathy/ Supernatural
The themes of telepathy and communication were expressed both in dreams and in
the imagination. The provers who experienced power, energy and telepathy felt
they could communicate directly through thought whether it was with another
person or an animal. “I feel 'plugged in' to some sort of universal energy;
feel energetic and aware of the energy of those around me. Want to reach out and
talk and be involved; strong sense of unity… I was running through a show
routine in my head whilst out riding and at the exact moment I trotted in my
head, my horse started to trot in real life.”
Fearful / uneasy / disturbing / bullied / unsafe
The theme of insecurity and a feeling of being unsafe was prominent throughout
the diaries of provers. There were concerns about the safety of children, the
threat of drowning and various structures that appear to be precariously built
or at risk of falling and causing damage. For example, there are dreams about
precarious houses and a sense of things being unstable. In addition to
structural and physical insecurity, there was a concomitant emotional
expression of this. There was a sense of feeling ‘like a stranger in a strange
land’ and of being on the periphery of the group - being disconnected and not
belonging. An ominous feeling of danger on the horizon with dreams and fears of
being unsafe, feeling insecure.
Alone / detached / unwanted / isolated
Even though surrounded by others, there was a palpable sense of loneliness, or
of wanting to be alone. This isolation was also expressed in dreams – “I felt
like an observer; I wasn't part of this 'world' but was being allowed to sit in
on it and watch it for a while. The feeling was 100% I'm not part of this but
it wasn't a negative feeling. I just didn't belong there.” Feelings of being a
stranger in their own life; “At times, I had a very vacant sort of feeling,
like my body was there but my brain was just empty and not functioning… There
were times of feeling paranoid around others like they didn’t like me or I had
upset them and I needed to be away from them and as a result, feeling isolated
or excluded.”
Unsafe houses / houses
Safety in the house was also a pronounced theme. There were dreams of houses
with structural issues, suffering from neglect or of intruders. Interestingly,
there were dreams of bright light and cylindrical shapes or the dreams
contained aspects within them that reflected this shape – like a pipe or
channel. Dirt and mess were also central to many of the houses featured in
provers’ dreams. There was a desire to clean the houses and put them in order,
both in the dreams and in reality. “I had a dream of a wooden house / hut with
steep wooden stairs without a banister and the whole thing was wobbly.”
White / light
One prover had several dreams featuring white light pouring through the windows
of their house. They described these dreams as taking place at home or in other
houses. “I go into our house and its very bright - there's light pouring in the
windows and everything is white in terms of decor.”
Sensitivity to sound, rhythm, noise & light
The sensitivity to noise and light was experienced in a bothering and annoying
way and also appeared in dreams. Some provers had the delusion they could hear
noises whilst others had visual disturbances. ”Light from the window is
bothering me, feels too bright… I also experienced quite a lot of symptoms
related to my auditory senses, such as external noises seeming to come together
to form a rhythm, usual external sounds (such as my car) not sounding quite
right and auditory hallucinations when listening to music, hearing extra lines
that have never been heard before.”
Anger / irritable / annoyed / bad tempered
A great sense of being angry and annoyed came through in this proving. This was
mainly brought on by others and different situations but with a couple of the
provers they were making themselves feel this way from their own mind set. “Finding
that I have no filter and am really just saying whatever I want. This has
included swearing more and saying exactly what I think.”
Still / quiet / calm / relaxed
Even though there was a lot of restlessness and hurriedness with this remedy,
the polarity was also expressed as a feeling of calmness and relaxation. This
was felt through the daily tasks of cleaning, driving and working but carried
out in a calm, relaxed frame of mind and body. “Another very relaxed morning.
There is no sense of rush; I move through tasks one by one and leave the house
with no stress.”
Lack of energy / tired / no focus / not bothered
Provers were tired, groggy, aimless, lacking in energy and found it hard to
focus. There was a mental ‘woolliness’ and lack of concentration. When in this
state, the provers did not seem that bothered by it. This was contrasted by a
compulsion to clean and tidy. Words were muddled and spelling became unusually
difficult. There was also a distortion in the sense of time and an inability to
make decisions.
Busy / hurried / industrious / restless / mind chatter
There was a pronounced sense of hurry, urgency and restlessness amongst the
provers; many of whom were constantly busy for mindless activities and tasks. “I
was busy pottering around constantly (cooking, cleaning tidying etc.) but there
was a complete aversion to anything that required any thought whatsoever, I
just didn’t want to have to think at all.” Provers found it hard to sleep and
woke with a busy mind, feeling unrested.
Happy / high / hugging / connected
Provers experienced the feeling of being on a “high”, engaging more with others
and lifting personal boundaries by touching, feeling and engaging physically;
enjoying others’ company. “I experienced feeling very welcomed by people and
getting closer with some that had previously been acquaintances. I received
several invites to do things and was more welcomed into the fold in a social
group that I am part of.”
Sharp / stabbing / stinging / pinching / throbbing
All the provers (except one) had sharp stabbing pains and sensations – this was
the most prominent physical expression in the proving. This was experienced
mainly in the extremities and the left-hand side of the body was more affected
than the right. Pains were often worse with movement. “Thought of a nail being
hammered into my foot (like a crucifixion), then had the image of an insect
being pinned to a board in the way collectors do.”
Zig-zag / dizzy / fuzzy / fizzy
Many of the provers experienced sensations of being fizzy, dizzy, giddy and
swimmy. There were migraines that interfered with vision. “A real interference
with vision, eyes appeared to be working in a zig zag type motion.” The dizzy,
fizzy spells appeared to come on quickly but then only lasted for a matter of
seconds. “Short spell of dizziness… Another spell of being dizzy. They don't
last long and feel like losing their balance only for a moment.”
Nausea / hunger / restrictive / constipation
Some of the provers had a feeling of nausea which two experienced in the
mornings, just like morning sickness. The nausea was accompanied by a feeling
of hunger. “Waking up with a strong feeling of nausea, like in pregnancy.” Gurgling
stomachs and bowel movements were also mentioned. “Very achy stomach with
noises, gurgling and movement.”
Fullness / swelling / pressure / heat/ inflammation / redness
A feeling of fullness, pressure, inflammation and redness was evident across
many of the physical symptoms. Several provers expressed a feeling of pressure
in the stomach, abdomen and other body parts. “Still feeling full; wearing
tights and the pressure of the waistband around my tummy is uncomfortable… Felt
a sensation of increased pressure in my head.”
Aching
Almost all of the provers experienced aching down the body from the ears to toe
joints. This seemed to be more on the right-hand side of the body. “A painful
aching in my hips, felt very deep inside (bone pain?) right side worse than
left.”
Dryness / itching / crusty
Half of the provers experienced dryness mainly on the skin and eyes. For some,
this dryness then cracked and became crusty causing the desire to itch and
scratch. “My eyes feel unusually dry this morning; there is lots of gritty,
sandy stuff on the eyelashes.”
Vorwort/Suchen Zeichen/Abkürzungen Impressum