Allium cepa is one of the polychrest remedies used as anti-inflammatory medicine and is effective in treating many catarrhal affections. It is a great catarrhal remedy mostly involving the eyes, nose, and larynx.
It is a vegetable kingdom introduced by Dr. Constantine Hering. The common name of Alium cepa is Onion known everywhere in the world, and we Indians commonly called it ‘piyaz’. It belongs to the family Liliaceae.
The word ‘Onion’ is derived from the Latin word ‘Onio’. It is found all over the world and is very common in India. It is a small vegetable plant with a rounded bulb of many concentric coats.
The medicine is obtained by the preparation of the mother tincture from fresh red bulbs.
Allium Cepa Constitution/Personality
Allium cepa is an acute drug, best suited to tired and debilitated patients. There is aching throughout the body with a strong desire for raw onion.
Specially adapted to phlegmatic patients having a slow temperament and do not get angry easily. They are the person who tends to take colds in damp cold weather.
Allium cepa is suited for anxious and melancholic patients. They fear a lot that their pain may become intolerable.
Guiding symptoms of Allium cepa
Allium cepa is such good medicine for colds and coryza. There is unbearable sneezing and catarrh is characteristic of this medicine, particularly when going in a warm room.
Other characteristics symptoms of Alium cepa is that the coryza is profuse and watery. There is an acrid discharge from the nose that can corrode the nose and upper lips, and profuse, bland lachrymation from the eyes.
Allium cepa is also indicated to treat neuralgic type pain. There is neuralgic pain like a long thread in the face, head, neck, and chest. It is also indicated in traumatic chronic neuritis.
Allium cepa acts on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract and produces acute catarrhal inflammation with copious discharge.
Allium cepa also acts on the stomach and intestine and produces colic. Hence, highly indicated to treat abdominal colic and many gastrointestinal disorders.
Medicine Uses
This article will cover from head to toe all the complaints body. And wherever the symptoms are matched, this medicine can be used-
Mind symptoms
Allium is indicated to the patients having a confusion of the mind or absent-mindedness. There is indefinable anxiety and apprehension from abdominal pain.
The patient is melancholic and anxious about his pain.
Head symptoms
Allium cepa is a great remedy for catarrhal dull headaches with coryza. The headache of Allium cepa is mostly in the forehead, extending to temples, downwards to eyes, and into the face.
The patient feels an electric shock through his head with much confusion, dullness, and heaviness of the head. There is a sensation as if wrapped up in warm water during the headache.
One of the peculiar, characteristics symptoms seen in the female patients of Allium cepa is that their headache get ceases during menses and returns when flow disappears.
Eyes symptoms
Allium cepa is effective in treating many eyes related issues mostly due to catarrhal affections. The patient’s complaint that their eyes are burning, biting sensation and smarting as from smoke, must rub them.
Allium cepa is the best-suited remedy for acute coryza, eyes get inflamed with much burning and irritation in them. The lachrymation is generally profuse, watery, bland, and doesn’t excoriate the lids of the eyes.
Allium cepa is also indicated if the patient is sensitive to light. There is a dazzling vision in the distance and dimness nearby. It is used to treat hay fever in patients with redness, itchiness, and puffiness in the eyes.
Ears symptoms
Allium cepa is the remedy that cures a common cold that spread easily to the ears and produces a lot of pain. It is often indicated in earache in children as well as in adults after exposure to cold.
There is pain behind the ears deep within the head from backward and inward to the ears, a painful sensation from the throat to the ear is entirely new and peculiar to the patient.
It is also used in tinnitus when there is ringing and humming sound heard by the patients within the ear, especially while lying down.
Nose symptoms
Allium is indicated to treat hay fever and coryza. In both conditions, there is violent and frequent sneezing with profuse, watery acrid discharge from the nose that corrodes the area between the upper lip and below the nose.
It is also indicated to treat nasal polyps due to infection and allergies. The patient complains of the stuffiness of the nose and postnasal drip.
It is indicated for the excoriating discharge from the nose, patients also complain of itching inside the nose and burning and smarting pain of the nasal wings. The senses are acute, sensitive to the odor of the flowers.
Mouth symptoms
Allium cepa is indicated when the patient feels burning and dryness in the mouth without thirst and the tongue is coated with slimy mucus. Patients often complain of scalded feeling in the mouth with offensive breath.
It is used to treat toothache that causes disturbance in sleep along with swelling of the cheeks and inflammation of the gums. The toothache is generally ameliorated by cold water.
There is a nauseated, burning, and sweet taste in the mouth after waking and on empty stomach.
Face symptoms
Allium cepa is indicated to treat facial neuralgia especially used when there is a pain like a thread in the right upper jaw, downward from medium line to the sides, deep within the bone.
The facial expression of the patient is of anxiety and despair with pain in the abdomen. There is heat in the face every time after eating onions.
Cheeks get swollen due to toothache and the upper lip becomes red and sensitive due to acrid nasal discharge. It is also an effective remedy for treating facial erysipelas.
Throat symptoms
Allium cepa is useful when there is constrictive, drawing pain in the throat as from sore lump feels mostly on swallowing and elevating the tongue.
There is dryness of the soft palate and rawness of the throat with ticking in the region of the epiglottis and hacking cough as in catarrhal affection.
It is used often when cold from the nose gets settled in the throat. There is hoarseness of the voice and a sensation as if his larynx is split or torn.
Chest symptom
Allium cepa is a highly indicated medicine for colds and coughs. Cough compels the patient to grasp his larynx while coughing, it seems as if it would tear the larynx.
It is used when there is stitching pain in the chest on deep inspiration, with burning pain on various parts, especially in the region of cartilages of the ribs.
There is pain below the sternum as if a cough is lodged between it. The patient is inclined to expectorate by constant hacking the cough. The tickling in the larynx aggravates the cough.
Heart symptoms
Allium cepa can be indicated in conditions like tachycardia in abnormally rapid heart rate due to fear and anxiety about his pain and health.
It is used when the patients’ pulse gets accelerated, full, and becomes hard due to excitement. It is seen that this remedy acts on circulation and is also indicated in conditions like hypertension.
Stomach symptoms.
Allium cepa is considered a very effective remedy for treating gastric-related issues. It is indicated when a patient complains of constricting pain in the stomach, especially in the pyloric region while sitting, and gets better by walking.
Food seems disgusting to the patient, and appetite disappears as soon as he starts to eat. The patient also complains of eructation and annoying hiccoughs in the morning that get ameliorated by nausea.
Thirst is excessive with a stomach ache, onion excites the thirst with heat and coryza. There is long and heavy eructation immediately after eating onions.
Abdomen and Rectum symptoms
Allium is used when there is pressive and constrictive pain in the hepatic region, which extends through the whole abdomen. It is an effective remedy for abdominal colic.
The pain in the bowel is most severe while sitting on moving about there is the passage of the flatus which relieves the patient. Pain in the abdomen becomes worse every time after eating, there is rumbling in the bowel with much accumulation of flatus. Also indicated in flatulence colic.
There is ineffectual urging to pass stool also with emission of flatus. There is stitching and biting pain in the rectum and anus, and the feeling of cracks inside the anus during stool. There is a sensation as if a cool worm is creeping in the anus, it is also indicated in protruding hemorrhoids.
Urinary symptoms
Allium cepa is indicated to resolve many urinary troubles where there is a very uncomfortable feeling of fullness in the bladder with urgency to urinate.
It is indicated when there is excessive and frequent urging to urinate with burning in the urethra. The patient is obliged to pass even a small amount of urine that gets ceased after a few days but return and remain for a long time.
It is used to treat albuminuria and polyuria; the urine is frothy and red with reddish-yellow sandy sediment in it. Micturition is difficult from the spasmodic closure of the bladder.
Male symptoms
Allium cepa is used to treat male sexual-related problems when patients complain of painful morning erection after waking without any sexual desire.
There is sticking and pressive pain in the spermatic cord that extends into the testes and makes the patients irritable with increased virility or sexual power.
Female symptoms
Allium cepa has a wonderful action on the genitals of the female and helps to cure many female sexual-related issues like uterine colic, dysmenorrhea, and irregular menses.
It is indicated when there is violent pain in the uterine region that brings on menses with many contractions of the uterine muscles. There is itching and burning of the vulva during menses patient is obliged to scratch her genitals.
It is also used in oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea in hormonal disorder cases like PCOD to bring one the menses and resolve the condition.
Hand and Leg symptoms
Allium cepa is used in the condition when there is soreness and a tight feeling in the limbs, especially in the arms. This drug has been used for neuralgias following amputations or injuries of nerves, characterized by thread-like shooting pain.
There is the feeling of weakness in the arm with numbness sensation and trembling of fingers while writing. The hands appear dry and red as if he had been in the cold.
It is used to treat neuralgic and paralytic pain of the knees causes difficulty while walking. There is a weakness of the hip joint mostly felt on rising from a seat and on walking.
There is painful twitching in the inner side of the heels and burning pressure on the spot externally on the sole. It is highly indicated medicine for rheumatic pain in the joints, troubles much as after taking cold with much prostration.
Back symptoms
Allium cepa is indicated when there is intense pain in the nape of the neck and burning pressure and stitches in the lumbar region. There is pain on both sides of the spines as he used to have if he had no stools for several days.
Back shivered after taking cold and during fever, chills crawl run down the back mostly at night with frequent urination followed by heat and thirst.
Skin symptoms
Allium cepa is acting as an anti-inflammatory remedy used to reduce the inflammatory conditions over the skin mostly due to allergies. It can be used to improve skin lesions, scars, and keloids.
It is indicated to treat the catarrhal affection on the skin like redness, nettle rash with much pricking pain as from pin and scarlatina. There is a red streak running up in the very painful arm.
Allium cepa is also used in urticaria of thighs and ulcers of the foot due to tight fighting shoes.
Fever symptoms
Allium cepa is a good remedy for fever after exposure to cold weather. The coldness alternates with during catarrh and the patient sweats easily and copiously especially in the axilla and in palms.
There is internal coldness with subsequent heat and great thirst during fever. Feverish especially in the evening with heat in the face and his mouth and tongue become dry and feel burnt without thirst. The patient drinks a very small quantity of water and there is restlessness in all the limbs so that he can’t hold them still.
Pulse full and accelerated with palpitation and rumbling in the abdomen. There are warm spots on the cheeks of the patients during fever. All these symptoms are characteristics of Allium cepa
Modalities
Modalities are the factors that, increase or decrease the complaints in a patient.
They are categorized as aggravating factors and amelioration factors.
Aggravating factors make the condition of the illness worst, while the amelioration factor makes the condition of the disease better.
It can be time, any part of the day, season, position, or any applications, etc.
Aggravated By
Almost all the complaints of Allium cepa become worse after exposure to damp, cold, wet weather. Complaints get aggravated predominantly in the evening and a warm room.
Amelioration By
Almost all the conditions of Allium cepa get ameliorated in the cold room and open air.
Relationship with Other Medicine
Complementary Medicines
This remedy completes the process of cure that is started by the first medicine given.
The remedies complementary to Allium cepa are – Phos; Puls; Sars; Thuja.
Similar Medicines
These medicines have many similarities in action but are different in origin, which means the source from which the medicine is prepared is different.
Remedies that are similar to Allium cepa are Euphrasia but coryza and lachrymation are opposite.
Incompatible to
These are the remedies that are having different nature and should not be used together.
Allium cepa is incompatible to: – Allium sativa; Aloe; Scilla.
Antidoted by
The bad effects of Allium cepa are antidoted by Arnica in toothache; Chamomilla in abdominal pain; Nux vomica in coryza; and Thuja with offensive breath and diarrhea.
Follows well
Allium cepa follows well before Calcarea and Silicea in polypus.
Allium cepa Dosage & Potencies
The dosage and potency of the medicine depend on the individual case.
Allium cepa 30 Uses
Lower potency is given when very few symptoms of the patient match with Allium cepa and help the doctor only to diagnose the disease condition.
This potency requires frequent repetition, 3-4 times a day, till the expected result is seen.
Allium cepa 200 Uses
This is considered as higher potency; they are given when the majority of mental symptoms and physical symptoms of Allium cepa are matched with the disease individuals.
Higher potencies are advisable to be not repeated very often; they act for a long duration of days, so the second dose is repeated every 7-days or every 15-days once.
Allium cepa 1M Uses
This is very high potency. One should give it only after careful case analysis, where all medicinal symptoms of Allium cepa and that given by the patient match perfectly.
One should not repeat 1 M potency. It is given 30 days once and waiting for symptoms to disappear.
Allium cepa Q (Mother Tincture) Uses
The mother tincture of Allium cepa is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, it is indicated to treat acute coryza with profuse and acrid nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, headache, watery eyes, and disturbance of sleep.
It also helps in reducing restlessness, impatience, and anxiety in the patient due to pain in the abdomen and ear with a shooting sensation in the eustachian tube.
Take 10 drops of mother tincture of Allium cepa in half a cup of water three times a day till the improvement occurs.
Allium cepa 3X/6X Uses
This lower potency of Allium cepa works well to treat the conditions like cold and cough, violent and frequent sneezing, abdominal colic, respiratory disorders including hoarseness of voice, and in neuralgic pain in the extremities
Take 2-3 drops of dilution directly on the tongue thrice a day for 3 months.
Clinical Indication of Allium cepa
- Catarrhal affections
- Cold and cough
- Coryza
- Hoarseness of voice
- laryngitis
- Dull headache
- Facial neuralgia
- Earache
- Nasal polyp
- Conjunctivitis
- Sneezing
- Oppression in chest
- Dysmenorrhea
- Painful erection
- Hay fever
- Influenzas
- Diarrhea
- Pneumonia
- Yellow fever
Allium cepa Side Effects
Homeopathic medicines are prepared by potentization where the dynamic curative power of the medication is aroused, so homeopathic medicines produce negligible side effects.
If any side effects of Allium cepa are seen, then it can be antidoted by Chamomilla and Nux vomica.
Remember that homeopathic remedies should be prescribed based on individual symptoms and characteristics. It’s crucial to consult with a qualified homeopath for proper evaluation and personalized treatment. Homeopathy focuses on treating the whole person, so a detailed case study is necessary to select the most appropriate remedy.
Homeopathic medicines should be taken only when prescribed by a homeopathic physician. Self-medication may aggravate the original conditions.