A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Drug Picture of Sepia is one of the very frequently asked question in exams.

It is also the Polychrest remedy which is most frequently used medicine by Homoeopathic practitioners all over the world.

  • SYNONYM- Sepia Octopus, Sepia Succus.
  • KINGDOM– Animal.
  • COMMON NAME– Cuttlefish, Sepia Officinalis.
  • NATURAL ORDER- Cephalopoda.

[Note: words with ( * ) are particularly defined at the end of this post].

SEPIA FULL DRUG PICTURE

PROVER– Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.

HABITAT– Cuttlefish are the migratory marine species that spend the summer and spring near the sea coast for spawning* and then move to depths of 100 to 200 m during autumn and winter.

PREPARATION– Trituration from the inky juice of the cuttlefish.

CONSTITUTION OF SOURCE MATERIAL​

These marine animals prefer their freedom and distance from other fish, if they feel forced upon or threatened, they spray dark ink.
This ink even in a very small quantity is capable of making the whole water around the fish completely dark so the cuttlefish can escape from the site of predator*.

PROVING DATA OF SEPIA​

SEPIA FULL DRUG PROVING

Hahnemann accidentally proved this drug on an artist friend who had a habit of wetting his paint brush with his saliva.
The paint brush contained Indian Ink which was being absorbed by his system slowly over the time.
So, he developed certain chronic illness.
Hahnemann after many failed efforts to treat him thought that the saliva containing Ink might have some maintaining cause.
Then he advised the artist to discontinue that habit and he was completely cured of his ailments.
This unique experience led him to prove sepia.

INTRODUCTION

Sepia is an animal remedy which is made from the Ink of cuttlefish, it Belongs to Syco-Syphilitic Miasm.
It is Known as ‘Washer Woman’s Remedy’.

PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION​ OF SEPIA

Mainly acts upon vegetative functions* of the body especially Female genital organs, gastrointestinal tract, liver and portal system, nervous system, skin and glands.

PATHOGENESIS*​ OF SEPIA

• Sepia diminishes the general energy and produces venous congestion.
• GIT disorders.
• Causing fatigue and exhaustion.
• Develops much relaxation.
• Impairs liver secretion.
• Herpetic eruptions*.

CONSTITUTION​ OF SEPIA

sepia-constitution

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Body-Like traditional images of witches they tend to be very thin, bony and have long, thin limbs, digits and neck.

Slim waist, often narrow pelvis, small breasts, full and round hips & relaxed stomach.

WHAT IS CONSTITUTION IN HOMOEOPATHY?

Face

  • Bony, angular and long, thin nose.
  • Yellowish saddle across nose.
  • Women tend to hirsute*.
  • Deep & hollow looking eye sockets.

COMPLEXION– Unhealthy yellow or pale brown color (yellow & earthy).

TEMPERAMENT– Nervous temperament.

THERMAL RELATION– CHILLY patient.

HEALTHY SEPIA MIND​

SEPIA DRUG PICTURE
  • Sepia is naturally independent- she is just being herself & refusing others to mould her personality on their terms.
  • Healthy sepia is ambitious, struggles for an independent position in their career.
  • They stand on their ground with men in society, but usually do not try to compete with men like Natrum & Ignatia women.
  • They have high respect towards their womanly insights and prefer to explore it quietly.
  • She is well connected to her body, can feel the pleasure of physical energy so, she gets attracted to dance and physical exercise and is sensitive to music (due to her natural rhythm).
  • They have high but well-controlled sexual drive as she respects herself when it comes to a relation with men.
  • A Healthy mother is less possessive and sentimental towards her children, but she is not cold.

SEPIA MIND AS A PATIENT ​

SEPIA MIND- DRUG PICTURE
  • Complications arise when she is being forced to do the things against their will.
  • She feels suppressed, disrespected and abused.
  • She feels like not being understood and not allowed to be self-sufficient.
  • She becomes irritable, gets easily angered.
  • Over the time her frustration & internal battle leads to the feeling of hopelessness.
  • She becomes depressed and indifferent (unconcerned) towards everything.
  • She no longer cares about anything.
  • She only wants to be left alone.
  • She begins to lose her spirit and enthusiasm towards life.
  • She feels sluggish and dull both mentally & physically.
  • She starts to feel less about her husband & children.
  • She loses pleasure from eating, drinking or socializing which she used to feel.
  • As the condition progresses, she starts to feel drained of energy even for daily chores (Aversion to business).
  • She feels nothing even if she tries to make love or feels weepy or irritable subsequently.
  • Her mind gets so prostrated* that she makes mistakes in simplest tasks.
  • She becomes vulnerable* and weeps whenever she tells someone about her feelings.

PHYSICAL GENERALS​ OF SEPIA

  1. Diseases of women especially those occurring during Pregnancy, Parturition* & Lactation.
  2. Lack of vital heat mainly in chronic diseases.
  3. Faints easily from extremes of heat & cold, after getting wet, riding in carriage, while kneeling at church.
  4. Very sensitive to cold air, “CHILLS VERY EASILY”.
  5. General relaxation, weakness and bearing down sensation.
  6. DESIRES- Acids, Pickles, Vinegar, Sweets, to be left alone, Bread, Butter, Soup, Wine, Spicy, Pungent & Bitter things.
  7. AVERSIONS- Milk, Tobacco in any form, meat, smell of food.

CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS​ OF SEPIA

1. MIND​

sepia-mind-DRUG PICTURE
  • Excessively nervous & sensitive to least noise. (Cocul., Sili.)
  • Very irritable, fretful & easily offended. (Bryo., Chamo.)
  • Anxiety with fear, heat flushes over the face and head.
  • Fear of real or imaginary evils especially towards the evening with sense of helplessness.
  • Great apathy*; Indifferent to her own family.
  • Great sadness & depression with much weeping. (Lyco., Nat Mur., Puls., Plat.)
  • Sluggish mood; unwilling to do any mental or physical exertion. (Nux vom., Sulph., Phos.)
  • Absent-minded, dullness to understand, stupidity.
  • Unable to collect thoughts, weak memory.

2.HEAD​

sepia-head-DRUG PICTURE

• Headache in delicate, sensitive & hysterical women with the feeling of coldness in vertex.
• Violent pressing & bursting feeling with rush of blood to head.
• Menstrual headache with scanty flow; sensation as if head would burst.
• Great hair falling after chronic headaches of climacteric women.
• < by stooping or mental labor.
• > by external pressure & continues motion.

3.FACE​

sepia-face-DRUG PICTURE
  • Yellowness of face & conjunctiva.
  • Yellow spots on chest.
  • Yellow saddle over upper part of the cheeks & nose.
  • A “Tell-Tale Face” * of uterine ailments.

4.GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT​

SEPIA FULL DRUG PICTURE
  • Sensation of painful emptiness, relaxation & bearing down in abdomen.
  • An all gone feeling in epigastric region of stomach which is > by eating.
  • Rolling in abdomen as if something alive were moving.
  • Nausea & vomiting at smell, sight or even thought of the food especially in morning before eating.
  • Everything tastes too salty.
  • CONSTIPATION– Large & hard stool; inactivity of rectum; no desire or urge for days; ball like sensation in rectum; patient cannot strain nor expel the stool.

5. URINARY SYSTEM​

SEPIA-URINARY SYSTEM
  • In children there is irritable bladder, involuntary escape of urine during first sleep.
  • CHRONIC CYSTITIS– Slow micturition with bearing down sensation while passing urine.
  • Urine deposits a reddish clay-colored sediment which adheres to the vessel as if it had been burnt; which are so offensive that they must be removed from the room.

6.FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM​

SEPIA-FEMALE SYMPTOMS

MENSES

  • All types of menstrual abnormalities like Delayed, Earlier, Scanty*, Copious*, Amenorrhoea*, Menorrhagia*& Metrorrhagia*.
  • There are range of irregularities with dark flow in morning.
  • Concomitants- bearing down sensation; pain comes from back to front; highly chilly woman with weeping nature; indifferent; apathetic with tell-tale face.

LEUCORRHOEA

  • Acrid*, yellowish or greenish leucorrhoea with much itching appears before menses causing soreness* of pudenda*.

PREGNANCY

  • Morning sickness.
  • Sight, smell or even thought of cooking food makes her feeling nauseating.
  • Tendency to abortion.

UTERUS & VAGINA

  • Prolapse of uterus & vagina.
  • Violent stitches* upwards in vagina; lancinating pain* from uterus to umbilicus.
  • Feeling of weakness and bearing down as if everything would protrude down through vulva.
  • Sensation of ball in inner parts.
  • She must sit close with crossing her limbs in order to prevent it.
  • Flushes of heat & perspiration.
  • Weak & exhausted sexual organs with complete absence of sexual desire.

7.BACK​

sepia-sciatica
  • Sciatic pain < from sitting, from getting up from seat; frequently after violent exertion.
  • Must get out of bed for relief.
  • Pain extending towards back from other parts.

8. RESPIRATORY SYSTEM​

sepia-respiratory-system
  • COUGH– Dry, hacking* especially in evening.
  • Tickling sensation in chest due to cough.
  • DYSPNOEA*– when walking or going upstairs with blood congestion in chest causing violent palpitation* of heart.
  • Chest complains > by dancing or pressing the thorax with hands.
  • Breath & sputum – Foetid*, offensive, even felt by the patient.

9. SKIN

sepia-skin
  • Herpes Circinatus* in isolated spots on upper part of the body.
  • Recurrent appearance of Ringworm*, boils*, ulcers*, liver spots* on chest & abdomen etc.
  • Skin of various parts are itching, especially external genitalia which is not relieved by scratching & causing burning.
  • Vesicular eruptions on mouth & chin.

MODALITIES​ OF SEPIA

AGGRAVATION-

  • From cold, dry east wind, humid weather; before thunder storm.
  • Rest, laundry work and sexual excess.
  • In afternoon & evening.

AMELIORATION-

  • Hot application & warmth of bed, cold bathing.
  • By exercise, after sleep.
  • Pressure & pulling limbs up.

RELATIONSHIP OF SEPIA WITH OTHER DRUGS OF HOMEOPATHY

COMPLEMENTARY TO– Natrum muriaticum, Phosphorus.

ANTIDOTES– Lachesis, Pulsatilla.

ANTIDOTED BY-China, Mercurius, Phosphorus

FREQUENTLY INDICATED AFTER– Silicea, Sulphur.

COMPARE-Lilium Tigrinum, Murex Purpurea, Silicea, Sulphur.

GUIDING KEY NOTES​

  • Specially acts on the portal system with venous congestion.
  • Weakness, yellow complexion, bearing-down sensation.
  • Specially seen in women.
  • One of the best uterine remedies.
  • Pain extend down to back.
  • Chills easily.
  • Tendency to abortion.
  • Hot flushes at menopause with weakness & perspiration.
  • Sensation of BALL in inner parts.
  • All pains extend from below to upwards.

REFERENCE TERMINOLOGIES​

  • ACRID–Acidic, sharp, irritating or pungent.
  • AMENORRHOEA– Absence of menstrual cycle in a woman of reproductive age.
  • APATHY-A state of indifference.
  • BOIL– Painful inflammation with pus formation under the skin due to infection of hair follicles.
  • COPIOUS-Profuse or extravagant.
  • DYSPNOEA-Difficult or labored breathing.
  • EMOTIONALLY VULNERABLE– It is a state of weakness and without protection that can be easily hurt emotionally or physically.
  • FOETID– Something which is extremely unpleasant.
  • HACKING COUGH-Short, dry & frequent cough.
  • HERPES CIRCINATE-A skin disease of chronic in nature characterized by itching, blister formation & papule which occurs in group.
  • HERPETIC ERUPTIONS-Infection of herpes virus causing rash of blisters (herpes rash), usually develops around mouth or genital region but can occur anywhere on the body.
  • HIRSUTE– A condition in women in which excessive growth of dark or coarse hair in a male like pattern due to excess of male hormones (androgens), mainly testosterone.
  • LANCINATING PAIN– Pain as if caused by sharp edge or point.
  • LIVER SPOTS/ AGE SPOTS/ SENILE FRECKLE-A small brown spots on the skin due to overactivity of pigment cells. Associated with aging & sun UV-rays exposure.
  • MENORRHAGIA– Heavy or prolonged vaginal bleeding while menses.
  • METRORRHAGIA-Uterine bleeding at irregular intervals or inter-menstrual bleeding due to underlying causes.
  • PALPITATION– A rapid, strong or irregular heartbeats due to illness, exertion or agitation which are noticeable.
  • PATHOGENESIS– The manner of development of disease.
  • PREDATOR– An animal that kills and eats other animals.
  • PROSTRATION– Extreme physical weakness or emotional exhaustion.
  • PUDENDA-woman’s external genitalia.
  • RING WORM-A highly contagious fungal skin infection, which are red & itchy.
  • SCANTY- Small or insufficient in amount or quantity.
  • SORENESS– pain in a person’s body part.
  • SPAWNING-Spawn is the release or deposition of egg and sperm into the water by marine animals.
  • STITCH– A local sharp and sudden pain especially in the side.
  • TELL-TALE FACE-Revealing information about something/ revealing of secrets or wrongdoing of others.
  • VEGETATIVE FUNCTIONS– Bodily functions or systems which are directly concerned with the maintenance of life.
  • They are metabolic, nutritive and endocrine functions including eating, sleeping, menstruation, bowel functions, bladder functions and sexual performance.
  • ULCERS– An open sore on an internal or external body surface, due to breaking of skin or mucous membrane which fails to heal.