Happy New Year to you all!
I’m excited to switch things up with my blog and do something special this year! This year, I’m going to start a monthly series focusing on each of the 19 remedies found in my Teach Me Health and Homeopathy: Evie and the Secret of Small Things curriculum.
And the MOST exciting part is that I’m going to be including a link to a specially curated Pinterest board for each remedy. (Read through to the end to access the link!) I hope to inspire you to own these remedies even more with beautiful art, bite-sized education, helpful mnemonics, links to additional resources, and more! Basically, anything that takes me to my homeopathy happy place, I want to share with you.☺️
So with that introduction out of the way, I’d like to start the year off with one of my favorite remedies. This remedy is a first-aid must-have and has brought relief to high-intensity situations more times than I can count—it’s the one and only Aconite!
Aconite
Fully named Aconitum napellus, Aconite is a top remedy to always carry with you. It is a fast-acting remedy that lends itself to a variety of first aid accidents, sudden onset illnesses, and other high-intensity situations.
When approaching the keynotes or symptom picture for Aconite, learning about its source material is a great place to start!
The homeopathic remedy is derived from the plant Aconitum napellus, commonly known as Monkshood or Wolfsbane. This beautiful purple flower tends to grow in mountainous regions. Some interesting characteristics about this flower is that it is one of the first flowers to come up in the spring—while it is still very cold and snowy, it is a very quick-growing flower, and it was historically used as a poison to dip arrows into.
These characteristics help remind us of a few keynotes of homeopathic Aconite. First, it is very sensitive to cold, being suddenly exposed to cold wind or air, or extreme changes in temperature. In modern day, this can sometimes look like sitting too close to an A/C vent or going into a walk-in freezer. And, unsurprisingly, in its modalities, Aconite symptoms get worse when exposed to cold wind or air.
Second, just as the flower grows quickly, Aconite is a great remedy to use for sudden onset illnesses or accidents. This can look like waking up with a fever or a terrible sore throat when you went to bed feeling fine. It is also a fast-acting remedy in these situations; you will often notice improvement within just a few minutes of taking the first dose.
Finally, its connection to death through its use as poison reminds us of a major keynote of Aconite—the fear of death. Aconite is amazing for people experiencing shock, panic, and/or fear of death. This comes up regularly in first-aid scenarios where an injury has occurred, and the person becomes frantic.
The lyrics to my song for Aconite in my memory work music help summarize the major keynotes for Aconite:
Use Aconite when symptoms come on suddenly from pain, or fright, or cold wind exposure. Aconite is for any type of shock including accidents, physical trauma, sudden illness, or emotional drama.
How Aconite Looks Across Illness and Accidents
Aconite is a polychrest, meaning it is a wide range remedy used to treat conditions across the physical, mental, and emotional spheres. Looking at Nash’s trios of remedies gives us a taste of Aconite’s influence, as Aconite is a part of four different trios of remedies. It is a part of the Trio for Croup and is the first remedy to consider, especially if the etiology is cold, dry air, the cough is barking, and there is great fear and anxiety. Aconite is also a part of the Trio for Pain and should be considered when the pain is accompanied by restlessness, fearfulness, and increasing desperation.
In the Trio of Restlessness, Aconite is used for mental restlessness when the person is anxious, impatient, inappeasable, and beside themselves. Physically, they may be tossing about in agony with a fear of death. Finally, Aconite is part of the Trio of Fevers and is applicable when the fever is very high with a sudden, violent onset. The skin will be dry and hot, with no sweat, and the person will again have a great fear of death, believing it will happen very soon.
So, how does Aconite look in a real-life scenario? When my 12-year-old son shot off a firework in our living room and burned his hand, he came upstairs in complete shock. He kept apologizing and saying, “I’m going to die. I’m going to die. I’m so sorry. I’m going to die.” It was so helpful that he kept repeating these words because one of the keynote symptoms of this remedy is that you’re in shock and you have a fear of death! So that clearly pointed to Aconite. I gave him just Aconite 30c, and my son took a huge breath and said almost to himself, “Oh, ok. Maybe I’m not going to die.” It was amazing how quickly it worked!
Even something as mundane as starting back to school can be an Aconite situation for some kids. Think of it when your child is really freaked out and scared. You can see their eyes are wide and panicky. Look for rapid heartbeat, panic attacks, or as if they’re having a hard time breathing.
My friend Marilyn had a great personal experience using Aconite:
About 1 month ago, I was woken up in the middle of the night by my 3 year old son. He had a loud, barking cough, was breathing fast, sweating, and crying. He was terrified. Providentially, I had heard the live with [Miranda] Castro about coughs and colds that very day. Fortunately, I printed the document attached with all that GOLD information, including how to treat Croup! I had to wait until the morning to get Aconite (because the pdf said it was the #1 remedy for croup!) plus from what I have learned, Aconite is great for sudden onset and fears, and best to give within the first 24 hours. I got Spongia tosta as well because per the pdf it said it was the #2 remedy for croup. Anyway, I only gave him a 30c dosage of Aconite 3 times that day, and by night the bark was gone! It was amazing, and I’m so thankful for homeopathy and for everyone who shares such great information!♥️
I hope it is obvious why I included Aconite in the 19 remedies. I consider it to be the most relevant and commonly used for families. I know of Aconite converting more people to homeopathy than any other remedy due to its quick-acting intervention in often scary situations. I love to share my deep appreciation for this delightful remedy with others!
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