Ceanothus americanus
Remedy code: 3-644.666.05
A young woman, 27 years old, suffers a lot from digestive issues. She holds her head slightly tilted back as if looking through reading glasses and speaks with a restrained, drawling tone, enunciating in the front of her mouth. Her nose is red, and her chin and the area beside her nose are chapped. She experienced severe constipation with pain, which improved a year before after the remedy Cinnamon. Now, for the past month, she’s experiencing either insufficient "activity" or suddenly too much. She avoids naming the complaint directly, saying, "The bowels are overactive now." Lately, it has become painful; she’s been going to the toilet all day with a heavy feeling, a fullness in her stomach. She experiences real diarrhea, watery thin. Last week, she could have cried from the pain—it was so intense. Since then she wake's up early, at 5. She was completely dizzy as if all the fluid was drained from her. Otherwise, she has no complaints. In the past few months, everything in her life has turned
Remedy code: 360 degrees: she was unexpectedly laid off, which she immediately accepted as the atmosphere at work was already unpleasant. Last month, an old flame reappeared in her life, "Maybe I should try again," but he’s unsure, she can’t get a read on him, and she doesn’t know what to think. "Maybe I’d be better off alone." She frequently replays her experiences: "What should I do now," regarding the relationship and work. Currently, she’s taking a short course she wants to pass, since she’s worked up until now without any certifications.
Many indications point to the Rosaceae family: painful diarrhea is here related to a relationship issue, creating restlessness and causing bowel complaints (the heavy stomach feeling suggests it’s more than just the colon), and the red nose. The doubt about "what" to do points to Stage
Remedy code: 3, diarrhea: Potentilla tormentilla. After a month, she reports: her digestion seemed better in the first week, and she had no more complaints. She mentions this only when asked for; again, it seems as if she’s speaking about someone else, describing it distantly as though observing from afar. From the second week onward, her sleep worsened, with late bedtimes, frequent worries, and still early awakenings, and now she’s very tired. She thinks this is due to her continued worrying about everything—work, the relationship, and her father (which she now adds): he’s a difficult person with nothing to do (like her now), and he expects more attention from her since she’s unemployed; he’s quicker to anger. Her parents have been separated for a while; the atmosphere is poor, her father is often angry, and he neglects himself. This past month, she suddenly developed a bald spot on her head, occipitally. As for her boyfriend, she still hasn’t figured out what she wants; she’s observing things to see how she feels. Should she try, is it serious, or not?
Analysis
Tormentilla works on part of the problem; she continues to have trouble sleeping, worrying, and doubting. Her bowels are no longer painful but are still not quite right, so we’ll look further.
Iron series4: Much of her experience, and her orientation in life, is focused on work, and practical activities, as seen in Series 4. Her relationship (a partner, wondering if things work out between them, as known in the Rosaceae) is central, rather than friendships as in Series
Remedy code: 3 or family matters as in Series 2. Digestive issues are common in the Fabaceae family, which appears to extend to the Fabidae.
Phase 6: Relationship as a theme (as seen in Stage 16, analogous to Phase 6 and known in the Rosales), being claimed by her father (Phase 6), fatigue, seeing her father as "written off" and possibly identifying with him. Job loss also comes into play.
This combination leads us to the Rosales family, 644.60. We don’t see the spontaneous, enthusiastic reactions of the Rosaceae but instead a very thoughtful, detached emotional life, avoiding direct answers. She had a job but without qualifications. Strong focus, without differentiation on Phase 6, leads us to the Rhamnacea as plant family.
Stage 5: The doubt about "how" to act is recognizable—the not doing, a problem with the start, followed doing, a stage 5 sign- is also present in her bowel function. Difficulty connecting with her feelings, detachment from herself, and her symptoms: Ceanothus, casuastry.
Prescription: Ceanothus americanus MK.
Follow-up
In the past few weeks, she had only one problem with her bowels—constipation. Her digestion is no longer sensitive. Sleep is now good. She had a strange dream: she was with her father on a bus, and each time, the bus wouldn’t continue, then would start again (Stage 5 theme); she eventually had to walk part of the way herself (the dream indicates the importance of her father in the current issue, as a vehicle in a dream often represents the body). Her worrying has ceased. She realizes that she doesn’t miss the relationship and feels calm—she has closed that chapter. She is still unemployed but maintains a good daily routine. Now she
notices she’s very forgetful, more than usual. Things go well in the following years. Clarke’s Materia Medica describes a “don’t care feeling” and the theme of “unfit for work.”