SECALE CORNUTUM

Ergot, a dreadful poison, has been used since ancient times in labour, despite the fact that its slightest overdose can prove extremely dangerous. The general health of the woman can be seriously affected and she may suffer from some sort of serious internal problem throughout her life. There is no known cure for such complications so far. Ergot has a constricting effect on the arteries and other tissues of the body, resulting in serious life-long illnesses. A woman overdosed with Ergot suffers from continuous dark coloured vaginal bleed. The body becomes thin and wasted. The skin becomes dark and contracted. The limbs can become paralysed. The patient cannot tolerate heat. He/she likes to be in the open air and cold. As in Arsenic, the patient feels very restless and a burning inside. The difference is that the Secale patient feels hot inside though the body feels cold to touch. The hands and feet may become ice cold, yet, the patient feels hot and under fire, putting the feet out of the bed.  Whereas, in Arsenic, the patient feels severe burning inside, and the body may not be cold. He feels better in the heat and likes to keep himself covered and still feels cold, although his body may be warm on the outside. He feels better with hot fomentation i.e. external heat seems to suppress his feeling of heat inside. Concersely a Secale patient feels comfortable with cold applications. Even if it is very cold outside, he feels hot. Sometimes, it may be very difficult to distinguish Arsenic from Secale due to similarities of symptoms. They are also complimentary. In other words, they can compliment each other, if used one after the other. On proving, it was discovered that Secale works better on patients of
thin and lean build. Obese people are rarely Secale patients. This is why the remedy is described to be ideal for the patients who are thin, lean and rather emaciated. Their skin is dry, shrivelled and very unhealthy. As already mentioned, every Secale patient does not have to be so. It can also be effective in obese people. Additionally, Secale patients exhibit violet coloured spots or red spots with bluish hue. It is the bluish tinge or the cyanosis, which is important. These spots are   indicative of diminished blood supply to that part of the body, such as the legs, calves, hands and wrists, especially over the superficial bones. In Secale, there is a tendency towards the formation of chronic sores and ulcers, which can turn into gangrene, on further deterioration. For example, a simple cut on the finger may not heal.  Instead, the wound becomes infected and the process of infection may gradually spread upwards. It smells terrible. The affected part can become rotten leading to the need for amputation through the joint, or the infection can spread beyond the joint, turning the rest of the limb gangrenous as well. In homoeopathy, by God’s grace, there is treatment available for gangrene. I myself have treated many such patients successfully. By God’s grace, none of them needed amputation, whereas, the doctors had definitely made the diagnosis of gangrene and advised surgery for them. The first sign of recovery is change in the colour of the affected part, which starts becoming pinkish instead of a dark colour. Secale and Arsenic are both very useful in the treatment of gangrene. Addition of Arnica further adds to their beneficial effect.

In Secale, a feeling of burning sensation everywhere, affecting the nose, the throat, as well as the upper respiratory passages.  In Secale, the bleeding, whether from the uterus, the nose or from any wound or cut, is of dark colour. This means that the bleeding is of venous origin. In the treatment of patients rapidly advancing towards death, whose blood has become thick, dark and cyanotic, Secale must be remembered and put to use.

Secale in homoeopathic form is very useful in the treatment of internal diseases of women such as ulceration of the uterus, causing continuous dark vaginal bleeding interrupted with short periods of dark coloured and offensive smelling discharge. The discharge contains dark blood clots that putrefy. Secale is very important and a very effective treatment for this condition as well as against the risk of formation of gangrene inside the uterus. General symptoms of Secale being present, it will cure the abortive tendency of the patient also.  When treated with Secale for a month or two, the uterus recovers completely and becomes capable of carrying the foetus to full term.

At the time of childbirth, if the uterus is contracting to push the baby down, but the mouth of the uterus (cervix) becomes tightly contracted, the child cannot be born. In this condition, Secale must be used without delay, otherwise immediate surgery would be required to save the life of the patient. If left untreated with Secale and without immediate surgery, the patient would die in agony.  Secale can also cure the pain and the excessive dark coloured bleeding from the uterus after delivery. Sometimes, the breasts shrink in size during pregnancy and an insufficient amount of milk is produced.  Secale will restore the normal amount of lactation, which is enough to feed the baby.

Another symptom of Secale is that the urine is rather black, resembling the urine of Terebinthina. In Terebinthina, the black colour is due to the excess of protein in the urine, resulting from damage to the kidneys. Terebinthina is very effective in this situation.  In Secale, the black colour is not due to an excess of albumin in the urine; instead, it is due to the mixture of blood from the dark coloured vaginal bleed.
In Secale, a patient of pneumonia can develop gangrene in the lungs (necrotizing type of pneumonia), which must be treated with Secale.  Timely use of Secale works profoundly and offers immediate beneficial effect. Wherever there is a tendency of sores and ulcers to become necrosed and gangrenous, be it in the stomach, lungs or anywhere else on the mucous membranes, Secale must be an essential part of the treatment in all these conditions.

In Secale, cramps and tightness are common, and may be localized to the soles of the feet, calves or a part of the upper extremities. If other symptoms of Secale are also present, then Secale will provide immediate relief of the symptoms. It is also very useful in the treatment of neuralgias (the lightning type of pain along the course of the nerves). These pains are very troublesome. These pains get better on covering the affected part of the body.

Insanity is also common in Secale. The patient becomes delirious and violent. Being out of his mind, he exerts his utmost even if he is physically weak. It becomes really difficult to control him in this situation.

In Secale, the stools are black and smell stinky. The patient is unaware of his diarrhoea. The body becomes extremely cold and weak, yet he feels hot inside and does not like to be covered.  Secale is also useful in the treatment of Asiatic cholera. As in Camphor, the body becomes extremely cold, although the patient feels warm and uncomfortable inside. In Camphor, the body is cold but the patient does not feel cold inside.
In Secale, the patient may have paralysis of the legs or any one particular part of the body. The paralysis may also affect one side of the body with no special predilection. It may affect the right or left side. Without wasting time on the diagnosis of the paralysis, if the general symptoms of Secale are present, it should be used without delay. In Secale, whatever part of the body is affected, it feels numb with a burning sensation. The cramps and tightness always become worse at night. The patient feels better in the open air. The symptoms become worse in heat, with hot fomentation and before the onset of periods. Camphor and Opium annul the effects of Secale.