Abrotanum – Southernwood

The mother tincture is prepared from the fresh young shoots and leaves. The plant is native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and is cultivated in Germany: Artemisia abrotanum. N.O. Compositae.

The tincture of this plant, also known as Lady’s Love, contains volatile oil, bitter principles and abrotanin.

Abrotanum acts on the autonomic sphere, especially the endoderm, when – in spite of a good appetite – emaciation occurs, particularly in children. This emacia- tion proceeds upward from below, starting with the legs. Growth may be stunted, with weakness of the muscles and joints, an appearance as of old age, and possibly haemorrhoids, blood being passed with the stools.

There is a typical vicariation between rheumatic pains and diarrhoea. If the diar- rhoea is suppressed, rheumatic pains recur. There are also gouty tophi in the hands and feet, as well as pains and weakness in the neck and back, e.g. in Scheuermann’s disease. Abrotanum can also be of service in chronic (tuberculous) peritonitis, pleurisy with effusion, and other exudative processes.

These also include the after-effects of chest surgery for hydrothorax or empyema. In boys, hydrocoele is said to be an indication.

The face is characteristically wrinkled and pale, with dry skin, and the eyes are dull with blue rings around them, the so-called “halo” of the eyes, such as one finds after retoxic treatment of acute illnesses such as influenza. Greasy facial skin with

comedones and possibly facial naevi can be helped. In boys there is often epistaxis. Stomach pains are worse at night, with a sensation as if the stomach were floating in water. Diarrhoea alternates with constipation and there may be steatorrhoea. Vom- iting occurs, with large quantities of offensive fluid and flatulent distension of the

abdomen.

Difficult respiration and a dry, persistent cough with a raw sensation and sensitiv- ity to cold air, which causes a rough feeling in the air-passages, are characteristic of this remedy, as are pains in the ribs after pleurisy.

The patient is so weak he can scarcely hold up his head. Abrotanum is generally suitable in marasmus and in retoxic phases after the suppression of symptoms, in gout and rheumatism, in pleurisy with effusion, osteochondrosis and emaciation, especially when the acute symptoms have subsided. (Follows Bryonia, Benzoicum, Acidum and Aconitum.)

Summing up the symptoms, the following characteristic picture of the remedy emerges:

1. Emaciation proceeding upward from below. Marasmus in spite of eating well. Blue rings around the eyes. General problems arising in retoxic phases.
2. Pains in the stomach. Ravenous hunger at night. Steatorrhoea. Diarrhoea alternat- ing with constipation.
3. Pleurisy with or without effusion. Scrofula. Tuberculosis of the mesenteric or hilar glands. Persistent cough at night. Feeling of roughness in the air-passages from cold air.
4. Rheumatic polyarthritis. Osteochondrosis. Gouty tophi in hands and feet. Rheumatism vicariating with diarrhoea.
5. 5.   Greasy skin, purple discoloration (after suppressed skin eruptions). Itching chilblains. Comedones.
6. Hydrocoele in boys.

The German Monograph-Preparation Commission for the Homoeopathic Field of Therapy has, under the Preparation Monograph for Artemesia abrotanum, published the following indication(s) in the German Bundesanzeiger (German Federal Gazette) for abrotanum: excessive loss of weight and abnormal growth or develop- ment among children, also as a result of chronic inflammation; skin disorders; gout.