Ricinis communis: Proving and comments
by Richard Pitt
Commentary on the proving:
The proving involved 8 people, 6 females and 2 males. It was a single blind proving. All the provers were given the remedy in a 30c potency and told to take it 3 times a day for up to 7 days or until any change was noticed, when it was to be stopped. The provers were followed by the proving coordinator and all the provers and coordinators met 4 weeks after beginning the proving. The proving was commenced in the summer of 2006.
The substance:
Ricinis communis is a plant from the Euphorbiaceae botanical family. Its common name is castor oil, though the remedy is made from the bean. Ricin, the poisonous element found in the bean is no longer active when it becomes an oil, as cold pressing the bean eliminates the ricin, a protein. Castor oil has been used to rub on joints as well as taken internally as a purgative. The plant is a native to Egypt and India and it has been used herbally to increase the flow of milk in women. Its other major effect is on the gastro intestinal tract, causing great purging and diarrhea. It has been commented on how it is similar to many of the best cholera remedies, especially by Hale and Salzar (Murphy, Homeopathic Remedy Guide, 2nd Edition, 2000). The poisoning effects have been well documented and include death from taking as few as 3 seeds. “After 20 seeds gastroenteritis and death preceded by general convulsions and collapse occurred.” (Murphy)
Notes on the proving:
One of the most commonly seen uses of the oil is to produce violent diarrhea, hence it’s homeopathic use in dysentery and cholera. In this vein, it shares similar symptoms with some other remedies from the same botanical family, especially Jatropha curcus, Jatropha urens and Croton tiglium. Other “cholera” remedies such as Veratrum album and Podophyllum can also be compared. In the proving, there was diarrhea produced, and one prover had a sudden outbreak of diarrhea, forcing her to run to her home. The interesting thing here is that she had not even taken the remedy yet. She was going to take it when she got home. There was no other reason for her to get the diarrhea and the severity of the symptoms took her totally by surprise.
In the proving one of the strongest mental symptoms produced was one of depression. One prover, #5 felt a deep depression descend on her after she opened the vial but before she took the remedy. This continued for over two weeks. There was also noticeable irritability and anger, and in people’s dreams some destructive and violent themes. Prover #1, who was the one who produced the violent diarrhea before taking the proving, had unusual dreams where destruction was a theme, and a man in the dream was so dangerous he had to be tied up. When the coordinator called her to verify these dreams (two months later), she then dreamt that night that she was the devil with horns coming from her head. This was interesting given that another remedy in the same botanical family, Mancinella, has delusions that he sees a devil, or will be taken by the devil. She had not had that dream before. There were also some spaced out, lightheaded feelings, like vertigo, which is also similar to the mental symptoms of Mancinella. Also, there was some confusion of time, and the prover (#6) had this strange dream of looking down at her feet and noticing her toenails were painted with silver mercury, which was very ornate. (This is only mentioned as this prover has a tendency to reflect something on all the remedies she has proven and this happened in the first few days of the proving. Although not replicated by anybody else it still justifies mentioning here).
Physically, as mentioned, the diarrhea was a strong symptom, and there were general sensations of cramping, numbness, stiffness and achy, shooting pains. This was experienced in the back and extremities. The teeth seemed to be another major area affected.
The relationship between Ricinus communis and other remedies of the same botanical family has been discussed lately and described in the book An Insight into Plants, Vol 1, by Rajan Sankaran. While the clinical relationship between remedies of the same botanical family is a matter of some debate, it seems worthwhile to look at these ideas and to see if the proving of Ricinus confirmed any of these ideas or not. Sankaran postulates that a common theme found in the Euphorbiaceae family is that of being tied and untied, or bound and unbound. Other feelings are that of being hidebound and of constriction, tension, tightness and gripping. These common themes were revealed mainly in the remedies Croton tiglium, Mancinella, Euphorbium resinifera and Hura brasiliensis. Croton tiglium perhaps expresses these symptoms the strongest and is the remedy Sankaran began with.
In the proving of Ricinus communis, there were physical symptoms of stiffness, cramping, numbness, as well as the intense diarrhea, which as mentioned, is similar to Jatropha and Croton tiglium. However, on the mental level, prover #1 had this interesting dream, which involved falling in love with a dangerous man, in which he had to be tied up. The theme of danger is also postulated as an association with being tied up in the remedy Mancinella. The same prover had two other dreams just before this in which the theme of destruction arose, relating to the general feeling of danger. Therefore, some tentative connections can be made here, perhaps confirming the observation by Sankaran and others in relationship to remedies of the Euphorbiaceae family.
The concept of danger and destruction should be mentioned in relationship to Ricin, the toxic component of the castor bean has been used as a deadly poison and potential terrorist weapon (see commentary at the end). Obviously, the theme of destruction is relevant here and studying the toxicology of ricin leaves us to consider that danger and destruction could be a key theme in understanding the psychological pattern of people needing this remedy. Studying the toxicology of substances being proved has always been a valuable source of information in getting details of the more morbid effects of any substance. In fact, some of our best-known remedies only had toxicological data and were not proven with higher potencies.
In conclusion, this proving only revealed a few characteristic symptoms. It should be proven again in different potencies and with a larger number of provers. However, as with many other provings where only a few characteristic symptoms are revealed, it gives a foundation to develop further knowledge of this plant and it’s relationship to other remedies.
PROVING OVERVIEW
The main areas of affinity were the Mind, Dreams, Mouth and Teeth, Stomach, Rectum, Back, and Extremities. There were many pains that were achy, sharp, shooting. Common for a few provers was a sensation of numbness, cramps, or stiffness experienced in different parts of the body.
The following categories were created for the mind section and dreams:
Spaced out and lightheaded
Anxiety
Easy going and buoyant
Depressed, hopeless, sad, inertia, sluggishness
Anger, expressive
Mental fatigue, stupor
Levitating, head taken off from body
Confusion of time (dreams)
Anxiety and frustration (dreams)
Destruction, danger, violence, not safe (dreams)
Proving symptoms
MIND
Spaced out
Feel very spaced out (not hungry so this is not usual)
#6, 01:05:20
Realized that I feel light headed and spaced out throughout the day
#6, 02:14:00
Anxiety
I am more worried ; anxious than usual
#3, 01:12:30
Anxiety and frustration. Making paper leis or wreaths and burning them with a friend. Lots of obstructions to everything I am trying to do in the dream.
#5, 03:XX:XX
Easy going, buoyant
Easy going, feel like I am going with the flow
#5, 06:XX:XX
General feeling during the past few weeks is that of a cork in water, lots going around but nothing can really swamp and sink you, buoyant feeling, just riding with things, not having the normal intensity to make something happen.
#4, 10:XX:XX
Sense of well-being, very cheerful, carefree
#2, 01-03:XX:XX
Depression
My mood kept getting worst the whole day
#1, 01:XX:XX
Mood kept worsening for the first week
#1, 01:07:XX:XX
That evening, overwhelming depression fell upon me. Intense inertia, very difficult to move or do anything. Only want to go and hide in bed. The idea of brushing my teeth before bed seems overwhelming. The inertia and exhaustion feel more mental than physical.
#5, 01:XX:XX (after she opened the vial but didn’t take the remedy)
Small tasks seem hopeless, impossible esp. if any thinking is involved
#5, 03:15:30
Feel depressed – no specific reason. The news (world news) is more horrific than usual (Israel – Lebanon) and weighs on me. Sadness.
#5, 07:XX:XX
Depressed (world situation)
#5, 09:XX:XX
Depressed/inertia
#5, 11-12:XX:XX
As I woke up I had lingering sadness, depression, sluggishness and a foggy head.
#7, 05:XX:XX
Dreamed my husband was terribly depressed. I was somewhere in Orange County at a relatives house. He was supposed to meet me there but never showed up. I was extremely worried, fearful and concerned. I didn’t show it to anyone. I made the decision to go back home. As I was putting on my shoes I started to cry very hard. The despair was overwhelming. As I woke up I had lingering sadness, depression, sluggishness and a foggy head.
#7, 05,XX:XX
Anger
Unusually angry but also unusually expressive of my anger (rather than sitting on it) and not in a bad way. Anger resolved quickly w/o lingering effects.
#5, 15:XX:XX
I am starting to get agitated with people… and letting them know it. This is out of my character that is letting them know what I am thinking of them.
#7, 03:XX:XX
I have been agitated with people. They are not measuring up to my expectation.
#7, 04:XX:XX
I became Mattingly defensive with him. I felt myself losing control with defensive anger. I was aware I was losing my temper, feeling my blood pressure rise, realizing I was out of control but not having the control to stop myself. I felt this when my son was born.
#7, 05:XX:XX
Got very angry, like a tiger
#1 XX:XX:XX, (at the closing meeting).
Bursts and expressions of anger when things seemed out of control and then calm after.
#8 XX:XX:XX
Mental fatigue, stupor
Mental fatigue, unable to think straight, light headed. Feel that it is pointless to be at work, can’t get anything done.
#5, 03:16:00
Felt stuporous, felt out of it. Droopy eye and dreamy.
#5, 03:19:00
Levitating, head taking off from the body
Running errands, get back into my car and pull onto the road. As I am accelerating, I feel like the car is taking off, levitating, like a plane leaving the ground, or as if my head is taking off from my body. I don’t understand what is happening. Frightened, disoriented and disconcerted. Are we having an earthquake? I pull off to the side of the road, and feeling passes in about 30 sec and does not return.
#5, 03:17:20
DREAMS
Mercury, silver toenails, silver ornate on shoes. Looked down at my feet and noticed toe nails were painted with silver "mercury". Had borrowed some shoes from someone and slipped them on. They were heeled shoes and specifically noticed extremely ornate silver on the sides of the shoes from the front around the edges toward the side/back. Felt like some kind of wings or something.
#6, 03:XX: XX
Anxiety and frustration. Making paper leis or wreaths and burning them with a friend. Lots of obstructions to everything I am trying to do in the dream.
#5, 03:XX:XX
Confusion of time
It seemed to be summer time, but when I entered the grocery store, New Year’s cards were being sold. Then later, I notice a house decorated extravagantly like a gingerbread house. Feeling confused why Christmas decorations are being displayed in July.
#3, 00:XX:XX
Dreams of being downtown.. meeting a woman with two daughters who are bursting with excitement. Once they finish their responsibility of laying out cakes for the morning after the Oscars, they can go sightseeing downtown. (The Oscars? Did I miss the Oscars?... aren’t they in the spring?) Once again, there is a confusion of dates/holidays/seasons in my dreams.. I am painfully aware that there is something amiss.
#3, 03:XX:XX
Raw meat, sorting. Dream of sorting raw meat, looking for impurities. Sort of pawing through to find something
#2, 00:XX: XX
Destruction, danger, violence, not safe
Dream: I was in my home with my family. We saw planes and pieces of planes falling from the sky. I saw emblems and numbers on the pieces of the planes. We panicked. We didn’t know whether to run outside or stay indoors. Planes were falling on top of homes, trees, and street; there was nowhere safe.
#7, 08:XX: XX
I was at a restaurant, sitting across a man that was my boyfriend in the dream. I was breaking up with him. I chose a public setting to breakup with him because I thought he might get violent with me. The man did become angry with me and would not accept the break up…. My boyfriend followed me into the restaurant but did not care we were in a public place…. A customer stood up and tried to help me by holding out a butter knife to defend me with. I took the butter knife from him and told him “Don’t hurt your self.” I imagine my boyfriend using the same knife against the man. I grabbed a fork from a near by table. My boyfriend caught up with me and we both fought for the fork in my hand. I woke up from the dream with both of my hands clasping together, pushing against each other, just like in the dream.
#7, 09:XX:XX
A lot of dreams of corpses, war, flames.
#8, XX:XX:XX
Dreamt scenes of destruction. I took a baby in my arms and put it next to me. Feelings of profound love for him.
#1, 07:XX:XX
A very complex dream where I was in some amazing construction. Amazing futuristic building. Things were not very good and there was some sort of destruction going on there too. Some uncomfortable scene about someone being sued. Kids with lice.
#1, 08:XX:XX
Dream with two men. One of them is dangerous, but I end up falling in love with him. (he was so dangerous he had to be tied up).
#1, 11:XX:XX
Depression
Dreamed my husband was terribly depressed. I was somewhere in Orange County at a relatives house. He was supposed to meet me there but never showed up. I was extremely worried, fearful and concerned. I didn’t show it to anyone. I made the decision to go back home. As I was putting on my shoes I started to cry very hard. The despair was overwhelming. As I woke up I had lingering sadness, depression, sluggishness and a foggy head.
#7, 05:XX:XX
VERTIGO
Felt light, a little light headed
#2, 00:03:00
Feeling light-headed.
#5, 02:20:00
Got very dizzy and light-headed, returned intermittently all day.
#5, 03:11;30
Light headed in afternoon
#5, 09:XX:XX
Felt spaced out and light headed
#6, 02:XX:XX
EYES
dryness and redness
Were dry and red, especially right eye
#7, 03:15:00
Eyes red and dry – old Sx
#5, 01-08:XX:XX
MOUTH and TEETH
10 PM- Bottom, right molar feels achy, like a cavity. It feels good to put pressure on my gum near the ach. I had a root canal work on that molar back in 1999, a week after my first miscarriage.
#7, 07:XX:XX
Last night, my bottom gums on the right-side became swollen and painful. It was so swollen I couldn’t close my mouth all the way. I was so sleepy, I told myself to ignore it and sleep through it.
#7, 08:XX:XX
Cold Symptoms with tooth sensitivity, had to schedule a surgery two weeks after the remedy
#4, (told at the meeting four weeks after taking the remedy)
Mouth sores, sensitive gums, tooth sensitivity
#5 (told at the meeting)
Afternoon and evening: Teeth on left side, upper and lower, very sensitive to sweet.
#5, 04:XX:XX
Teeth in general extra sensitive last few days, esp. left.
#5, 06:XX:XX
STOMACH
Nausea
Slight nausea developed but disappeared quickly
#3, 00:19:45
Slight nausea again
#3, 01:06:45
Bouts of nausea that would pass in minutes
#3, 03:06:00
Bouts of nausea come and go
#3, 04:XX:XX
Nausea driving in car.
#3, 06:XX:XX
RECTUM
Diarrhea
Sudden urge for stool., very loose.. three movements.
#3, 03:06:15
The loose stools continue, about three bms a day
#3, 04:XX:XX
Loose stools continue
#3, 07:XX:XX
Loose stools back.
#3, 08:15:30
In the evening I went for a walk, and I basically had to run back home because I was having an extremely bad episode of the runs (diarrhea). I do not think I had something like that even in India!
#1, 01:20:00 (had been given the remedy but not taken it yet).
Constipation is much better the whole time, better than usual, less hemorrhoids
#1, 07:XX:XX
BACK
Cervical area
Aching on the neck, right side, later at the base of the neck and down spine (similar to old sx of meningitis)
#6, 01:15:30
Dorsal
Opened my purse and got a back spasm in mid-thorax region
#6, 01:08:30
Lumbar-sacral
lower back pain set in, which is rare, and usually a foreboding of a cold.
#4, 04-05:XX:XX
Mild but lingering summer cold showed up about 2 weeks after remedy with more lower back pain.
#4, 14:XX:XX
Stiffness
Heaviness, lead feeling. Neck is very stiff, and tight, extending to the back of the head > pressure
#3, 00:21:45
Within ½ hour noticeable stiffness, confirming that yesterdays stiffness was related to the remedy.
#3, 01:06:45
EXTREMITIES
Cramps
Woke up in middle of night with bad cramp in left calf. This happened to be years ago when I was a teenager (dancing a lot). – old Sx
#6, 15:XX:XX
At night – cramps in my hands - a new symptom.
#8
Numbness
Right pointer finger went numb, and the lower third segment started becoming black and blue. There was no injury to the finger.
#3, 15:XX:XX
Numbness left side of arm, elbow to little finger . The elbow felt frozen. By noon there was still some numbness in little finger. Finally by around 3 it was gone. I have had numbness in hands but not so severe or for so long. More intense.
#2, 15:05:00
5:30am numbness left hand and bit of arm. Lasted until mid-morning.
#2, 19:05:30
Pain
Woke 4 am pain left hip shooting down leg, quite severe, I needed to get up and in time it did leave. I have had leg symptoms before, but this was much more severe than other times and much more of a shooting pain . From hip moving down.
#2, 06:04:00
Woke 3 am pains down left side from hip to foot . Woke with it shooting splinter like , breaking and starting . Worse than before . I had to get up . It wasn’t stiff but after I walked and moved around it was better. It took about an hour to subside.
#2, 14:03:00
20 minutes after taking first dosage of the day, I felt a stinging sensation in the center of my right quads, the size of a pin for 4 to 5 seconds.
#7, 01:07:45
Stiffness
Woke very very stiff this morning… reminding me of my days of rheumatoid arthritis 15 years prior
#3, 06:06:00
SLEEP
Waking up in the middle of the night
3am – woke up in the middle of the night with bad cramp in left calf (old Sx but last happened years ago)
#6, XX:XX:XX
At 3am - Woke up in the middle of the night for no reason. Felt very tired, and couldn't understand why I woke up.
#6, 22:XX:XX
Sleeplessness
11-1 am… thoughts persistent. Wide awake till 4am.
#3, 13:XX:XX
GENERAL
Morning
Wake groggy,..
#3, 01:06:15
Woke again groggy. New Sx (I am a very energetic morning person who pops out of bed ready to start the day)
#3, 02:06:15
Awoke groggy and stiff
#3, 03:XX:XX
Stiffness
Woke very very stiff this morning… reminding me of my days of rheumatoid arthritis 15 years prior
#3, 06:06:00
Early morning stiffness. Which improves as the day goes on.
#3, 09:XX:XX
Fatigue, extreme tiredness
In the evening I got very tired
#1, 00:19:00
Mainly really I’ve been feeling very tired. Felt like I could not really catch up on my sleep.
#1, 03-05:XX:XX
Very tired and irritable.
#1, 08:XX:XX
Still very tired
#1, 09-11:XX:XX
Exhausted. Can’t think about anything but going to bed. Feeling light-headed.
#5, 02:19:00
A lot of tiredness, sleepiness
#6, (recorded at the meeting)
Periodicity
Sx appeared every other day
#8, XX:XX:XX
FOOTNOTE
Sx which provers described at the meeting on Aug 10 that were worded or stressed differently from their notes. All summaries of sensations are additional to statements from the diaries. I have included them in the appropriate categories with the name of the prover + “at the meeting”.
#6 tired achy feeling
Lightheaded – definitely
Spaced out, loses things, scattered
A lot of tiredness, sleepiness
#5 teeth and gum complaints most likely due to the fact that she stopped taking her daily supplement for oral support to be “clean” for the proving. Each time she stopped taking this supplement before her gums and teeth would aggravate.
#4 lower back aches could be attributed to his new job and a lot pf physical effort involved (construction) that was not there before.
Tooth sensitivity, led to dental surgery
#8 calmer than usual
High energy, outbursts of anger (? Common for him?)
Sx appeared every other day (not consistent with other provers)
Cramps in his hands – new.
Pain in the sacrum, lower back (new or old?)
#1 got very angry, like a tiger
#4 lightheadedness too, lack of intensity
Commentary:
During the time of the proving, a number of people were arrested in the UK for apparently planning to take liquid bombs onto a number of planes with the intent to commit terrorist attacks. This led to a virtual standstill at British airports for days and then to very rigid limitations in carrying liquids of any sorts on most international airlines, both in Europe and the United States. In spite of the fact that the evidence implicating the terrorists seemed shallow, the restrictions on the carrying of liquids has continued until now, the spring of 2007. Given the fact that Ricin can be used, and has been used as a terrorist weapon, the “synchronicity” of these events seems worth mentioning.