This document provides information about the homeopathic remedy Lycopodium, including its botanical origins, preparation process, key symptoms, and areas of the body it affects. Lycopodium is described as being indicated for deep-seated, chronic conditions and is especially useful for intellectually keen but physically weak individuals. Its symptoms include abdominal bloating, urinary issues, cough, and anxiety about public speaking. Comparisons are made between Lycopodium and other remedies like Natrum mur.

1. Meenal pandey
Fourth year
Nehru homoeopathic medical college, New Delhi

2. Synonyms: muscus terrestris repens ,pes urinus,
club moss, wolf’s claw.
Lycopodiaceae family. (clarke in his dictionary of
practical materia medica)
Spores are soaked in alcohol for a
week or more before it is filtered
to obtain the mother tincture.
A low creeping perennial, found in all parts of the world,
but is most frequent in northern countries.
Earlier used as a drying powder by the nurses & as coating for pills.
Prover: Hahnemann.
Authority: The chronic diseases, their peculiar nature & their homoeopathic cure Vol II

3. “The spores from which the attenuations are made have been called ‘ vegetable
sulphur’(…on account of their use for producing stage-lightning at theatres)&
lycopodium ranks with sulphur & calcarea in the central trio around which all the rest of
the materia medica can be grouped.”
(Clarke in his dictionary of practical materia medica)

4. Persons intellectually
keen but physically weak
Especially in extremes of life, children & old
people.
Complexion pale, dirty;
unhealthy; sallow with deep
furrows, look older than he is.
Carbonitrogenoid constitution, the
non-eliminative lithemic.
Brow is frequently wrinkled, as a
result of chronic anxiety…
Adapted to ailments progressing
gradually, functional power
weakens, failure of digestive
powers, when the liver function is
seriously disturbed. Atony.
Malnutrition. Pre-senility.
(Allens keynotes & boericke’s manual of hom. Materia medica)

5. “…the terrors of anticipation as they affect lyc.
Lyc. Has to meet his shareholders or his
constituents with an important speech,&
knows that he will flounder, and hesitate, and
forget his points, is obsessed with the idea
that he will make a mess of it. The dreaded
moment arrives: he gets on to his legs, warms
to his work, sails along in blissful self-forgetfulness,
to sit down feeling that he has
made the speech of his life. It was all joy and
fluency; he not only remembered all his
points, but made new ones as he went along.
But he will have the
same terror next
time, unless he gets
his stimulus, because
he is lycopodium.”
M.l.tyler in her
Homoeopathic drug
pictures.
Mental generals

6. Dominating,
exacting; cannot
endure
contradiction;
seeks disputes; is
beside himself.
Avaricious, greedy, miserly, malicious,
pusillanimous.
“Many years ago, one was asked to prescribe for a small boy…the trouble was recent:
tormenting ‘frequency.’ One stood & watched him play cricket on the sands with the
other little boys,& every few minutes he had to rush away for relief…A few lycopodium
symptoms emerged, with this one,…that he ‘woke up ugly’ as the Americans express it,
‘crying &cross’. Lyc. quickly cured;& …hammered home a point…that it is (mentally)
‘ugly on waking’.” (M.L.Tyler in her homoeopathic drug pictures)

7. Preference for someone in the next room is a
good metaphor for his emotional life as a whole,
needs the support of other people, but also
needs his space. Will feel lonely in a house by
himself, but oppressed when sharing his life too
intimately with another .
Because he seeks to be accepted-tendency to weep
when warmly welcomed or appreciated or gifted-very
much aware of how much their happiness depends on
their loved ones. on wedding anniversaries, when asked to
make a speech, genuinely cry with gratitude for the love of
their wife & children.
(Bailey in his homoeopathic psychology)

8. Lyco mental generals compared with Nat mur
( from homeopathic psychology by Philip M. Bailey)
lycopodium keynote: impotence
A vast majority of lycopodium people have a sense of impotency inside, even though they
may appear to be confident powerful individuals. They lack faith in their own abilities.
In the home of a lycopodium child one
parent undermines the child’s
confidence & criticizes more than he
praises. This produces performance
anxiety in the child which only serves
to weaken his performance, which then
intensifies the growing sense of failure
inside
A very similar dynamic is seen in many natrum children but they become perfectionists
(unlike lyco) & believe in their abilities. Since they tend to get positive reinforcement from
their natrum parents when they excel. The natrum child senses that he is not good enough
despite his excellent performance, since his parents’ love is so conditional. The lycopodium
child ,on the other hand, feels a failure because his performance is not good enough

9. The people pleaser…the lyco child learns
early on to curry favor in order to be liked
by his peers. He will copy the phrases and
mannerisms that appear to please, give
into all sorts of demands& generally try to
be nice. Natrum children are upset when
their special friends reject them. Lyco is
upset if anybody doesn’t like him; even a
complete stranger.
Is a great opportunist, far more liable than
natrum to put personal gain before morality
He develops an easy-going nature (kent: mildness) because he is afraid of confrontation.
In extreme cases this can lead to lyco becoming a groveling sycophant. He will go out of
his way to please his friends. He usually has a good number of acquaintances ,rather than a
few close friends like natrum.
Is generally a diplomatic person. Even when he dislikes a person, he is good at disguising
it, with a mixture of nonchalance and flattery.

10. Bravado: lyco attempts to cover up anxiety by acting confidently. A strong element
is inflation. on the physical level this inflation is seen in the gaseous distension of the
abdomen & in distended veins & hemorrhoids. These are examples of physical inflation
secondary to weakness of digestion, or of vessel walls . On the psychological level bravado
is very similar, a case of inflation with nothing very substantial, secondary to a sense of
weakness.
“Natrum mur. is also a remedy which presents an outer image in compensation for an inner
weakness, but the natrum mur. inner state is one of emotional & sentimental vulnerability
rather than the sense of inadequacy felt by lycopodium.”
George vithoulkas in his essence of materia medica.
Detachment: many lyco men would rather play with boys(or girls)
than spend time being intimate (as oppose to sexual) with their
partner, since they feel uncomfortable with true intimacy. True
intimacy requires a certain amount of responsibility,& lyco is not
fond of responsibility, at least not when it involves emotional
commitment. Emotionally, lycos are ‘lightweights’ who enjoy the
closeness of a partner without great passion or intimacy. The lyco
man is warmer than the average natrum man, that is he shows his
affection more & is quiet fond of cuddles & kisses. But his love is a
gentle fondness rather than a passion. He rarely feels great depths of
emotion.

11. The opportunist: lyco is both emotionally detached & flexible. One expression of
opportunism is womanizer. Romeos who flit from one woman to another, getting out
when the going gets rough. Many lyco men are virtual gigolos, relying on their charm
with women to avoid a life of emotional & professional commitment.
The average lyco, like the average natrum is a bit of a battler. He would like to just
have an easy life, but he knows he will have to fight for it & is sensible enough to
know it’s worth the effort, & he has a sound enough brain & a way with people that will
help him get through.
Intellectual: lycos make very good scientists. A visit to any department of pure
scince or engineering will reveal a student body composed primarily of lycos. Most
have rather thin, bony physiques,& a tendency to wrinkle the brow, out of worry or
intellectual concentration. They will have hobbies that require little physical
effort, like model making or rebuilding engines. Socially they tend to be
conformists rather than individualistic, due to the desire to fit in ,& hence be
popular.
Can gradually acquire the skills & the self-confidence that is needed to exercise authority
over large number of people. Makes a pleasant boss, who is reasonable & understanding, &
enjoys a certain amount of friendliness with his staff. Natrum bosses are also often like this.
It is the vulnerability within these two which makes them humane & approachable when in
positions of authority.

12. Deep seated, progressive, chronic diseases.
Pains: aching-pressure, drawing; chiefly right-sided,<4 to 8 p.m.
Canine hunger; the more he eats, the more he craves; head aches if he does not
eat. Waking at night feeling hungry.
Aversion to bread, etc. Desire for sweet things.
Baby cries all day, sleeps all night. Dreams of accidents.
Affects right side, or pain goes from right to left, throat, chest, abdomen, liver, ovaries.
Dryness of mouth & tongue, without thirst.
Blisters on tongue.
In general aggravated by heat, but ameliorated by warm foods &drinks.
Intolerant of cold drinks.
viscid & offensive perspiration, esp. of feet &
axilla.
A trimiasmatic remedy.
Predominantly aggravated by heat (Gibson
miller)
(Allens keynotes & boericke’s manual of hom. Materia medica)

13. Catarrh: dry nose stopped at night, must breathe through the
mouth ; snuffles, child starts from sleep rubbing its nose; of root
of nose & frontal sinuses; crusts &elastic plugs.
Diphtheria: fauces brownish-red, deposit spreads from right
tonsil to left<after sleep & from cold drinks. Better , warm
drinks.
Neglected pneumonia with great dyspnea,flaying of alae
nasi & presence of mucus rales. Base of right lung
involved esp.
Cough deep, hollow, even raising mucus in large
quantities affords little relief. Expectoration gray,
thick, bloody, purulent, salty.
Respiratory system:
(Allens keynotes & boericke’s manual of hom. Materia medica)

14. constant sensation of
satiety; good appetite, but a
few mouthfuls fill up to the
throat& he feels bloated.
Excessive accumulation of
flatulence; fermentation
in abdomen ,with loud
grumbling ,croaking ,esp.
lower abdomen, fullness
not Everything tastes sour; relieved by belching.
eructation, heartburn,
waterbrash, sour vomiting.
Constipation: since puberty; since last confinement;
when away from home; of infants; with ineffectual
urging, rectum contracts &protrudes during stool,
developing piles.
Discharge of blood from genitals during stool.
Hernia: right-sided, esp. in children.
Diarrhea from eating oysters.
Gastro intestinal system:
Incomplete, burning eructations rise only upto
the pharynx, where they burn for hours.
(Allens keynotes & boericke’s manual of hom. Materia medica)

15. Urinary system:
Pain in back before micturating; ceases after flow; slow in coming, must strain. Retention.
Polyuria at night. Heavy red sediment. Child cries before micturating.
renal colic, right side.
Male reproductive system:
Impotence: of young men, from onanism or sexual excess; penis small, cold, relaxed;
old men, with strong desire but imperfect erections; falls asleep during an embrace;
premature emission.
Fear of being impotent, when not; just another facet of the general fear of failure.
Female reproductive system:
Dryness of vagina; burning in, during &after coition; physometra. Fetus appears to be
turning somersaults. Menses too late, last too long, too profuse. Leucorrhea acrid, with
burning in vagina.
Extremities:
one foot hot, the other cold. Sciatica, worse right side. Cannot lie on the painful side.
(Allens keynotes & boericke’s manual of hom. Materia medica)

16. General modalities:
Worse
Pressure of clothes. Warmth.
Awaking. Wind. Eating; to
satiety, oysters. Indigestion.
4 to 8 p.m.
Better
Warm drinks, food etc.
Cold application. Motion.
Eructations. Urinating.
(CM Boger in his
synoptic key of
the materia
medica)
“unless undoubtedly indicated the treatment of a chronic disease should not be
commenced with lycopodium, it is better to give first another antipsoric remedy.”
Hering in his guiding symptoms.
Complementary: iodine
Bad effects: of onion, bread; wine, spirituous liquors; tobacco smoking &chewing.
Should rarely be repeated after improvement begins.
The end