Tabacum is a remedy of profound autonomic disarray, oscillating between stimulation and collapse. Its essence lies in deathly nausea, vertigo, icy sweat, and a sinking, dying feeling. The sufferer is cold, pale, and terrified or oddly tranquil. Indicated where motion induces nausea so violent the patient must lie still, often uncovering the abdomen for relief. Its action is seen in pregnancy, cardiac collapse, motion sickness, and gastrointestinal crises. All symptoms are better in fresh air, worse in stuffy rooms.

Nux moschata expresses the collapse of inner cohesion—the self seems lost, dissociated, and enveloped in a fog. The body is dry, the mind is disoriented, and life is experienced at a remove. In this drifting state, extremes of hypersensitivity and cataleptic stupor coexist. It is a remedy of dreamers, those who float rather than fight, who are easily overwhelmed by sensation or emotion, and respond by detaching entirely.

Nux vomica is the archetype of the modern man or woman—driven, overstimulated, addicted to coffee, deadlines, and mental exertion. The mind is sharp but overloaded, the digestion overworked, the nervous system strained to breaking. It is the remedy of excess and reactivity, where the organism, once resilient, begins to buckle under self-imposed demands. The vital force is stuck, spasmodic, trying to expel but cannot—seen in the mind, bowels, bladder, and sleep. It is a civilised suffering, born from ambition.