Ambra grisea

Ambergris is a waxy, aromatic substance excreted by the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), found floating in tropical oceans or washed ashore. It is a complex mixture of lipids, steroids, and other marine compounds.

Proved by Hahnemann and published in Materia Medica Pura, with further clinical experiences expanded by Allen, Hering, Clarke, and Kent.

Ambra grisea is the remedy for delicate, nervous, and overly sensitive individuals, particularly the aged, prematurely senile, or fragile children. The emotional sphere dominates, with deep-seated embarrassment, social inhibition, and mental fatigue from the slightest effort. The nervous system is overstimulated by music, company, or emotional exchange, producing coughs, trembling, and confusion. Physically weak, mentally paralysed, Ambra is a portrait of refined collapse—where even conversation becomes unbearable. It is a remedy of the invisible burden of social anxiety and overstimulation.

• Mind and nervous system – shyness, embarrassment, anxiety, mental fatigue
• Larynx and chest – dry spasmodic cough, sensitive trachea
• Elderly, thin, and weakly constitutions
• Female sexual organs – especially in aged or prematurely exhausted women
• Circulation – coldness, anaemia
• Bladder and rectum – weak sphincters, involuntary discharge
• Sleep – insomnia from nervous excitation

Ambra’s mind picture is dominated by timidity, embarrassment, and social inhibition. There is a profound dread of appearing in public or speaking aloud, even in front of familiar people. The patient blushes easily, trembles, and becomes flustered under observation. [Hahnemann] recorded acute nervous sensitivity, including fear of others’ presence, aversion to company, and anticipation anxiety. Thoughts vanish when trying to speak; sentences trail off due to anxiety. Delusions of inadequacy or being unfit for life. Great mental exhaustion from conversation or study. [Kent] described patients who are easily overstimulated by emotions, music, or company—often becoming tremulous and confused afterward. Especially useful for the aged, prematurely senile, or overly delicate children.

Insomnia from worry, excitement, or music. Falls asleep late due to racing thoughts. Startled by dreams or external stimuli. Wakes feeling unrefreshed. Restless, tossing, and anxious dreams. Worse from emotional exhaustion.

Vivid dreams of public embarrassment, failure, or shame. Dreams may involve sexual images or fear of being naked in public. Themes of social rejection or humiliation are common.

Marked weakness, especially in thin, aged, or overly sensitive persons. Nervous system easily overstimulated. Worse from excitement, talking, music, strangers, or thinking of symptoms. Tendency to blush, tremble, or stammer under observation. Suitable for delicate, refined constitutions, with heightened sensitivity and emotional fragility.

Chilliness predominates, especially in the evening. Shivers run down back. Flushes of heat alternate with cold spells. Cold hands and feet with general chill. Internal heat may not be outwardly expressed.

Chill with trembling. Heat localised to face or chest. Sweat clammy, mostly on chest and extremities. Sweating does not relieve anxiety or tension. Sweats easily from minor exertion or emotional stress.

Vertigo on rising or walking, often accompanied by trembling and weakness. Head feels full, especially in the morning. Heaviness in the occiput with pressure behind eyes. Sensitive scalp, especially to touch or combing hair. Headache from mental effort or emotional strain. [Clarke] noted peculiar stitching pains across temples, worse from thinking or speaking. Scalp may itch or feel numb.

Vision blurred or dim during nervous excitement. Flickering before the eyes. Pressure behind eyes. Lids twitch or tremble. Photophobia with tension headaches. Lachrymation with yawning or mental fatigue. Sensation of dryness in the inner canthus.

Noises or humming in ears during menses or nervous strain. Cold air aggravates ear symptoms. Oversensitive to noise—may induce trembling or palpitations. Otalgia in elderly patients.

Itching and tingling inside nose. Coryza worse in morning or from exposure. Frequent sneezing without relief. Offensive crusts or thick mucus. Nosebleeds during weakness or after strain. [Allen] noted alternate stoppage of nostrils.

Pale, sunken, anxious. Easily flushed with embarrassment or during cough. Trembling of lips when attempting to speak. Twitching of facial muscles during nervous states. Dryness or chapping of lips in nervous individuals.

Dry mouth and tongue, especially on waking. Bitter taste in the morning. Accumulation of thick saliva. Speech difficult due to trembling or forgetfulness. Painful blisters or ulcers from nervous tension.

Toothache worse from cold air, better from warmth. Teeth feel too long or loose. Drawing pain in molars, worse from chewing or mental excitement. Gums may recede or bleed.

Throat feels raw or constricted, especially during emotional upset. Constant need to clear throat. Mucus difficult to raise. Larynx ticklish, and voice hoarse in morning. Reading aloud aggravates. Spasmodic sensation in the throat after embarrassment or mental strain.

Dry, spasmodic cough, worse when trying to speak, or from presence of others. Often ends in retching or gagging. Cough is worse in aged or thin, nervous persons. Weakness and coldness of chest. Palpitations after mental strain or social exposure. [Clarke] described constriction and cold spots over the sternum.

Palpitations from slightest emotion, talking, or music. Sensation of heart fluttering, with trembling. Pulse rapid, irregular, especially during cough or excitement. Oppression in chest after nervous shock. Often used in palpitation of delicate, nervous women.

Oppressed breathing during conversation or emotional events. Frequent sighing. Asthmatic sensation in crowded rooms. Needs fresh air yet is worse from cold air. Breathless after exertion, especially speaking or walking up stairs.

Hunger without appetite. Sensation of emptiness not relieved by food. Nausea from nervousness or music. Stomach sensitive to pressure. Belching relieves abdominal discomfort. Heaviness after eating, particularly after emotions or speaking.

Flatulence with rumbling and gurgling. Pressive pain in lower abdomen, especially during menses. Abdomen distended with cramping. Left-sided soreness noted. [Hering] described flatus trapped under diaphragm with oppression.

Constipation from nervousness or embarrassment, particularly in public places. Urge to defecate vanishes when trying. Stool hard, knotty, and unsatisfactory. Involuntary stools when passing gas or during sleep. Itching in anus.

Frequent urging, especially in presence of others. Difficulty initiating urination in public or strange places. Involuntary urination from coughing, sneezing, or laughing. Urine pale and profuse. Burning or pressing in urethra, worse after micturition.

Aversion to milk. Desire for salty or spicy food. Eating brings transient relief. Appetite diminished after emotional upset. Flatulence from simple foods. Worse from coffee or after eating in company.

Sexual desire diminished or absent. Erections weak or fleeting. Emissions with no pleasure or during dreams. Sexual activity may lead to trembling or faintness. In older men, symptoms of nervous exhaustion post-coitus.

Menses too early, too profuse, or too short. Flow often dark and clotted. Nervous excitement or tremors before, during, or after menses. Leucorrhoea thin, irritating, and excoriating. Genital organs feel weak or numb. [Boericke] mentioned Ambra in senile and prematurely aged women with nervous weakness and anxiety.

Pain and stiffness in small of back, worse after sitting long. Coldness or creeping sensations along spine. Weakness in lumbar region, particularly in old age or from sexual excess. Cervical region sensitive to cold.

Trembling of hands, especially when writing or performing in public. Cramps in calves and soles at night. Feet icy cold yet sweat profusely. Fingers tingle or go numb. Lassitude of limbs. Awkwardness and dropping things when anxious.

Dry, sensitive, especially in aged or delicate individuals. Itching worse from warmth and at night. Skin eruptions slow to heal. Moles and warts may develop with nervous decline. [Allen] noted skin prone to ulceration after minor trauma.

• Silicea – Also shy and sensitive, but more chilly and obstinate; stronger focus on suppuration
• Baryta carbonica – Bashful, timid, but with arrested development; more glandular and stunted growth
• Gelsemium – Anticipatory weakness and trembling, but more drowsy and dull
• Ignatia – Sensitive, emotional, and trembling, but with more contradictions and grief elements
• Lycopodium – Also shy, but more haughty and digestive issues are more prominent

• Complementary: Baryta carb., Lycopodium
• Antidotes: Camphora, Nux vomica
• Follows well: Gelsemium, Pulsatilla
• Precedes well: Silicea, Sepia
• Inimical: None recorded

• Consider in nervous cough of elderly or sensitive individuals
• Useful in anticipatory anxiety, especially in delicate or timid patients
• Effective in urinary incontinence from nervous strain
• Valuable in mental exhaustion, especially from public performance or overstimulation
• Treats insomnia in nervous, aged, or thin people

Mind

• Embarrassment, blushes easily
• Fear of people, aversion to company
• Anxiety from music or conversation
• Thoughts vanish while talking

Chest

• Cough, spasmodic, from talking
• Palpitation from emotion
• Hoarseness in the morning

Urinary

• Involuntary urination, while coughing
• Difficulty urinating in presence of others
• Frequent urging with little output

Sleep

• Insomnia from nervous excitement
• Dreams anxious, embarrassing
• Sleep disturbed by thoughts

Generalities

• Weakness in thin, old persons
• Worse from strangers, music
• Better lying on right side

Samuel Hahnemann – Materia Medica Pura: Core mental symptoms, sensitivity to people, and nervous exhaustion

T.F. Allen – Encyclopaedia: Elaborated modalities, urinary and skin symptoms

John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Detailed cough, emotional states, and miasmatic considerations

William Boericke – Pocket Manual: Provided clinical tips on elderly, cough, and anticipatory weakness

James Tyler Kent – Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica: Described essence of social anxiety and hypersensitivity