Hypericum Perforatum: Homeopathic medicine – Its Use, Indications And Dosage

It is a natural homeopathic remedy derived from the plant St John’s Wort. It belongs to family Hypericaceae. The whole fresh plant undergoes potentization (a process of preparing homeopathic medicines by arousing medicinal properties of a crude substance) to provide us with the benefits of homeopathic medicine Hypericum Perforatum. It is the top-most medicine in homeopathy that comes in handy for injuries to nerves, head and spine.

Drug Action

The most specific action of this remedy is seen on the nerves. It can effectively deal with medical ailments involving nerves like nerve injury, inflammation or pain in the nerves. Besides nerve injury,  it also heals punctured wounds (caused by sharp, pointed objects), and lacerated wounds (wounds caused by blunt object in which the skin or tissue is torn or cut resulting in an irregular wound). Besides, it works notably well on the back, spine, neck, mind, head, skin and teeth.

Clinical Indications

Injuries, wounds, coccyx injury, spine injury, neuritis, neuralgia, surgery effects, stings, bites, sciatica, corns, bunions, headache, depression, scars, toothache

Scope As A Homeopathic Remedy

1. For Managing Injuries (Nerve Injury, Punctured Wounds, Lacerated Wounds, Injury To Spine, Tail Bone Injury, Whiplash Injury)

The most prominent injury for which Hypericum is indicated is nerve injury attended with intense, violent excruciating pain. It can be used as first-aid for treating nerve injury mainly on fingers, toes and nail matrices. It also offers help for nerve injury to dental nerves, for example after a dental operation. It is also beneficial for injury to sciatic nerve (a nerve that begins in lower back and runs down the hip, back of thigh down into the leg and feet) accompanied by sharp cutting pain. It can also effectively help to manage cases of cuts on skin inflicted from glass objects and also to relieve pain in surgical cuts. Hypericum is indicated for managing punctured wounds (injury caused by sharp, pointed objects like needles, splinters, pins, nails) with marked tenderness.

Role of Hypericum in managing lacerated wounds is also noteworthy. Lacerated wounds are the ones in which the skin or tissue is torn or cut open resulting in an irregular wound caused by a blunt object. Here it works best to heal such wounds attended with excessive weakness from blood loss and very violent, shooting and sharp pain. It is also a very important medicine to manage injury to spine attended with pain, sensitivity and injury to tail bone.

Another main indication for its use is whiplash injuries (an injury to neck caused by rapid back and forth movement of neck mainly seen in car accidents). It also helps to relieve pain after injections, spinal tap (also called lumbar puncture in which a needle is inserted between two lumbar bones in lower back to take sample of cerebrospinal fluid). Besides, it provides substantial relief post-surgery.

Key indicating features

Nerve injury accompanied by intense, violent excruciating pain

Nerve injury in fingers, toes and nail matrices

Punctured wounds caused by sharp, pointed objects with intense tenderness

Lacerated wounds with violent, shooting and sharp pains and excessive weakness from blood loss

Injury to spine attended with intense pain and sensitivity

Tail bone injury and whiplash injury

2. Nerve Complaints (Neuritis, Nerve Injury)

Hypericum is a prime medicine for managing neuritis (nerve inflammation) when there is numbness, tingling and burning pain in the affected area. It covers nerve inflammation after an injury. It is a superb medicine to deal with nerve injury attended with intense pain and sensitive nerves. It gives substantial relief in cases of injury to fingers and toes that are rich in nerves, dental nerves and sciatic nerve.

Key Indicating Features

Neuritis (nerve inflammation) with numbness, tingling and burning pain

Nerve inflammation after an injury

Nerve injury attended with intense pain and sensitive nerves

3. Neck And Back (Tailbone Injury, Lower Back Pain And Neck Pain)

This medicine acts wonderfully well on neck and the back to treat numerous concerns. It gives good results in cases of coccyx (tail bone) pain arising from a fall. In cases needing it the pain from tail bone extends up the spine and also goes down the legs. The sufferer is unable to walk or stoop post-injury. Hypericum is suitable to treat pain in lower back.  There is aching, stitching or sharp pain with lame feeling. This medicine is used to manage cases of pinched nerve in the spine with very sharp pain and problem in walking and stooping. This medicine is also well indicated for the management of cases of injury to spine. In such cases the spine is painful, tender and sensitive. Ladies who complain of back pain after delivery may find this medicine quite useful. Apart from the above, Hypericum is effective in managing neck pain where cervical vertebra (seven bones stacked one above the other in the back of the neck) become very sensitive to touch. Its use is considered when after a fall, a person feels intense pain in the spine even from a little movement of neck or arms, along with sensitive cervical vertebra and headache. Lastly it’s a magnificent medicine for managing whiplash injuries.

Key Indicating Features

Pain in tail bone

Lower backache

Injury to spine

Neck pain

Intense pain in spine after a fall

4. Mind (Complaints From Head Injury, Fright And Shock, Depression And Memory Weakness)

It works exceptionally well on the mind too. Primarily its use is considered for managing mind complaints arising from head injury (mainly dullness of mind), fright, and emotional shock. It is also given for cases of depression that sets in after injuries, wounds or after an emotional shock. Other than this, it is also known to be of great value in cases of weakening memory, brain fag (unhappy, tense, facial expressions with repetitive gestures) and forgetfulness. People needing it become forgetful while speaking, forget what they are about to say. They make mistakes in speaking and in writing as well.

Key Indicating Features

Complaints arising from head injury (mainly dullness of mind), fright, and emotional shock

Depressed feeling occurring after injuries, wounds and after an emotional shock

Memory weakness, brain fag and forgetfulness

5. Skin (Insect Bites, Stings, Animal Bites, Scars, Corns, Bunions)

This medicine acts well to manage insect bites and stings. It gives supportive help along with conventional treatment in cases of animal bites, like rat bite, dog bite, etc. Next well- known effect of this medicine is to treat painful scars in body tissues. Another indication to use it is Herpes Zoster (a viral infection caused by reactivation of varicella zoster virus characterised by appearance of skin rash with very painful blisters). Hypericum is also useful to treat pimples when these appear on the forehead, back and hips. It can effectively deal with excruciating pain on the corns (thick, hard, skin mainly on feet due to repeated friction and pressure) and bunions (bony bump forming at the base of joint of big toe). Last feature to use it is open sores or wounds covered with dry, hard, yellow, crusts.

Key Indicating Features

Insect bites and stings

Painful scars in body tissues that are rich in scars

Corns and bunions with excruciating pain

Open sores or wounds covered with dry, hard, yellow, crusts

6. Head (Head Injury, Headache)

It is of great service to manage cases of head injury and head pain that follows it. Mainly it helps when headache occurs after a fall on the back of the head (occiput). It is attended with a specific sensation of being lifted up high in the air and the anxiety of falling from this height. Next, this medicine can help when dull/pulsating pain occurs on the top of the head (vertex) as well. It is accompanied by burning sensation on the vertex. A peculiar sensation of head being touched by icy cold hands may be felt. In some cases needing it, the headache extends to the cheeks too.

Key Indicating Features

Head injury along with headache

Headache after a fall on back of head (occiput)

7. Teeth (Injured Dental Nerves, Toothache)

For teeth, this medicine is mostly prescribed for cases of injury to dental nerves or nerve pain after a dental procedure like root canal. It is also given for managing toothache. It gives good results when there is pain in the teeth that are decayed. Pain is severe and occurs usually at night. It is relieved by lying quietly on the painful side.

Key Indicating Features

Injury to dental nerves or nerve pain after a dental procedure

Pain in decayed teeth at night

Modalities

Worsening factors: These include injuries, bites, stings, cuts, surgery, touch, pressure and exertion

Relieving factors: Complaints get better from rubbing, and lying down quietly

Dosage

It can be used in 30C and even higher potencies. In general, low potencies can be repeated often but frequent repetition of high potencies should be avoided.

Relationship With Other Remedies

Antidoted by: Arsenic Album, Chamomilla and Sulphur

It can be compared with other remedies including Aconite, Arnica, Calendula, Ledum Pal, Chamomilla and Staphisagria.