Blatta

Prepared from the adult insect (whole, carefully cleansed and dried), first by trituration with saccharum lactis to the 3rd trituration and thereafter by centesimal or LM potencies, in accordance with general directions for animal substances [Clarke], [Hughes]. Historically introduced and confirmed clinically for bronchial asthma with copious, rattling mucus and for old, recurrent bronchitis, particularly in stout persons and in damp seasons or dwellings [Clarke], [Boericke]. While a formal Hahnemannian proving is not recorded in the classical corpus, the remedy’s picture has been consolidated by repeated clinical experience and repertorial usage (see Proving Information, Affinities, and Symptomatology) [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger], [Phatak]. Limited toxicologic relevance arises from environmental exposure: cockroach detritus is a known indoor allergen associated with bronchial hyper-reactivity; this aligns with the remedy’s sphere though is not the basis of the homeopathic pathogenesis [Toxicology], [Hughes].

No primary proving by Hahnemann/Hering/Allen recorded. The symptom-picture rests on repeated clinical confirmations in asthma/bronchitis from the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (India and Europe), with subsequent repertorial embedding [Clinical], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger], [Phatak]. Occasional later school provings have added little beyond respiratory emphases; classical clinicians remain the chief authorities here.

Blatta. belongs unmistakably to the humid, obstructive end of the asthmatic spectrum. Its patient is often stout or of advancing years, dwelling in damp, musty quarters or exposed to rainy seasons, in whom every wet change falls upon the chest. The air-passages fill with coarse, rattling mucus; the paroxysm comes after midnight, worse lying, the sufferer forced to sit up, lean forwards, and fight for air until a thick, tenacious plug yields—at which point a palpable relaxation spreads through the system. This relief-when-expectorating is the remedy’s central signature and must be echoed across the case (Headache easing as chest clears; Mind settling once air moves). The environment is not incidental: mould, must, basements, old carpets, fog and drizzle are maintaining causes; clinical success improves when these are addressed alongside the remedy [Clarke], [Phatak]. In contrast to the fiery anguish of Ars., Blatta. is more mechanical—a plumbing problem of swollen, catarrhal tubes, with stout habitus and heavy secretions; in contrast to Ant-t., where rales are loud but power to expectorate is lost, Blatta. retains the power to expel and is better for it [Hering], [Kent], [Boger]. Where Ipec. drowns in nausea with little relief, Blatta. retches only at the peak, then quiets as the airway clears. The essence, then, is catarrhal asthma of damp aggravation with coarse rales, better open air, sitting up, and after expectoration, in stout or old bronchitic constitutions, living close to water, cellar, or fog. Proper case management (dry lodging, fresh air, warmth to chest, removal of must) solidifies the remedy’s action and reduces relapse across seasons [Clarke], [Boericke], [Phatak].

• Bronchi and bronchioles — spasmodic obstruction with rattling, tenacious mucus that is hard to raise; “suffocative” fits especially in damp weather [Boericke], [Clarke]. See Respiration, Cough, Chest.
• Lungs (lower lobes) — repeated catarrhal congestion in old asthmatics; attacks after every chill/rainy spell [Clarke], [Phatak]. See Fever/Chill/Heat/Sweat.
• Mucous membranes — profuse, sticky secretion; relief when expectoration becomes free [Boger], echoing modalities (Better after expectoration).
• Right heart–pulmonary circuit (strain of repeated dyspnoea) — palpitation and fatigue after paroxysm; cyanosis in severe attacks [Clinical], [Boger]. See Heart, Generalities.
• Obesity/body habitus — “Acts best in stout, corpulent persons” is a classical keynote for the asthmatic state [Boericke], guiding case selection (Generalities).
• Damp dwellings / musty basements / mouldy cellars — environmental trigger and maintaining cause; remedy often required in such settings [Clarke], [Phatak]. See Generalities, Respiration.
• Old bronchitics — “frequent attacks of bronchitis in old asthmatics,” recurring in cold-rainy seasons [Boericke]. See Chest, Respiration.
• Reflex stomach–lung axis — cough with nausea or retching from mucus burden; gagging at the height of wheeze [Boger], [Phatak]. See Stomach, Cough.

The mental state is typically secondary to respiratory distress: anxious restlessness with fear of suffocation crescendos as the chest tightens, especially at night, with a compelling need to find air and sit propped [Clarke], [Boger]. Irritability rises during the struggle to expectorate, and there is a dread of the next wet spell that will “bring it back,” an anticipatory fear characteristic of chronic asthmatics [Clinical]. During paroxysms the patient grows silent, inward, counting breaths; between attacks he may be practical and tolerant, if somewhat despondent about the recurring pattern (every damp change) [Clinical]. Children cling to the window or parent, wide-eyed with air-hunger; elders look watchful, guarding each movement lest wheeze return. Unlike Ars., which is anxious, chilly, and restless yet worse even in open air, Blatta. usually craves fresh air and calms when mucus moves [Kent], [Boericke]. Unlike Ipec., which is overwhelmed with nausea and cannot expectorate, Blatta. improves as expectoration becomes freer [Hering], [Boger]. Case: An obese, cellar-dwelling patient who woke nightly at 2 a.m. to sit and cough thick gelatinous phlegm improved strikingly on Blatta. 3x during a wet fortnight [Clinical]. (Cross-ref. Better after expectoration; Worse damp.)

Sleep is broken after midnight by attacks; the patient must sit up, lean forwards, and cough till phlegm loosens; may nap sitting in a chair to avoid lying (Worse lying) [Boger], [Clarke]. Anxiety about suffocation delays re-sleeping; when the weather is dry and the room well aired, sleep deepens and attacks cease. Children start up with wheeze, clutching at the throat; elders doze fitfully, exhausted. Unlike Sambucus (child sits up, face pale, sweatless, dry spasm), Blatta. features rattling mucus and relief as it comes away [Hering], [Clarke].

Dreams of choking or being under water, of cellars, rain, floods; relieved upon waking to the window and air (echoing modalities) [Clinical]. Not a leading guide, but consistent with the “humid” asthma theme.

A damp-weather, mould-dwelling asthma with rattling, tenacious mucus—worse at night, worse lying, better in open air and after expectoration—in stout or older subjects is the essence of Blatta. [Boericke], [Clarke], [Phatak]. The clinical cycle is classic: coryza in wet changes → chest “fills” with coarse rales → paroxysm at night → relief when phlegm shifts. Environmental management (dry lodging, avoid musty cellars) materially reduces recurrence, and the remedy acts best when these maintaining causes are addressed [Clarke]. Micro-comparisons: Ant-t. shares rattling but lacks relief from expectoration; Ipec. centres on nausea with ineffectual cough; Nat-s. is a “hydrogenoid” damp-asthma type with greenish expectoration and head injuries in history; Grindelia has inability to exhale or expectorate once asleep and must be roused to breathe [Boger], [Kent], [Phatak].

With acute catarrh: chilliness in damp changes, then mild evening heat with oppression; sweat breaks with freer breathing [Clarke]. Fever is not a keynote; the weather modality is.

Chill from damp exposure, with shiver running over chest and back; heat flushes in face during the coughing effort; sweat cold and clammy in the climax of dyspnoea, then warm during resolution [Boericke], [Boger]. Patterns are tightly yoked to the respiratory paroxysm.

Head feels full, congested, throbs during the cough paroxysm, with heat of face and cold extremities; vertigo on rising to sit in the night air [Clarke], [Clinical]. Sinus pressure across the forehead often precedes the chest symptoms in damp weather, then “drops” to the bronchi with rattling [Boger]. Headache is relieved as expectoration grows free (echoing the Better-after-expectoration modality). Odours (must, tobacco) bring on catarrh with frontal ache and wheeze [Clinical]. Comparison: Kali-bi. has stringy nasal mucus with sinus plugs and slow chest involvement; Blatta. moves quickly to the lower airways with coarse rales [Clarke], [Boger].

Watery during coryza that anticipates the chest attack; smarting in tobacco smoke or in damp cellars [Clarke]. Puffiness around lids after sleepless nights of cough; conjunctival injection in severe bouts. Lachrymation diminishes as the air passages clear. Not a primary sphere; symptoms reflect the catarrhal state [Boger].

Fullness with roaring during acute dyspnoea; transient deafness as if pressure rises with coughing [Clinical]. Ear symptoms ebb as chest eases. Not a defining keynote.

Coryza in damp weather that “goes to the chest” is a classic sequence for this remedy; discharge at first thin, then thicker, coincident with rales below [Clarke], [Phatak]. Musty odours provoke sneezing and wheeze (cross-link to Worse musty/mouldy rooms). Nasal stuffiness at night compels mouth-breathing, worsening dryness of throat and cough [Boger].

Flushed in the effort of coughing, then dusky or cyanosed about lips in severe bronchospasm; sweat on upper lip [Boger], [Clinical]. The expression is anxious, eyes searching for air; relief shows as relaxation once phlegm moves (cf. Modalities).

Mouth dry from open-mouth breathing; tenacious strings of mucus in fauces provoke gagging and retching at the height of cough [Boger], [Clarke]. Taste flat in morning after a night of paroxysms. Desire for warm drinks (Better) to loosen throat.

Teeth and gums unremarkable; clenching with effort noted during violent paroxysms; not characteristic.

Tickling/irritation in suprasternal fossa sets off spasmodic cough; glairy mucus adheres, hard to detach, provoking retching until it moves [Boger], [Clarke]. Warm fluids and steam ease the fauces (Better), while cold raw air aggravates (Worse). Distinguish Ipec. (constant nausea with little relief from expectoration).

Rattling in chest with suffocative oppression, worse lying, worse in damp/rainy weather; must sit up and lean forwards to get breath [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger]. The mucus is thick, tenacious, moved with difficulty until a freer expectoration brings striking relief (keynote) [Boger]. Old bronchitics relapse each wet change; paroxysms can be violent, with cyanosis of lips/fingertips and cold sweat [Boericke]. Coarse rales audible; sometimes right-base more marked (clinically observed). Differs from Ant-t. which has great rattling with little expectoration and cyanosis, the patient drowsy and cold; Blatta. improves when expectoration becomes free and is more alert to air-hunger [Hering], [Kent]. Differs from Ars. (anguish, burning, thirst for sips, worse after midnight not relieved by open air); Blatta. craves air and window [Kent], [Clarke].

Palpitations and precordial anxiety during paroxysm with secondary right-heart strain from obstructed bronchi; pulse small and quick, sometimes irregular until air entry improves [Boger]. Cyanosis recedes with expectoration and sitting up (cross-link to modalities). No primary valvular picture.

Asthma of the humid variety: worse damp, rainy weather; worse lying; worse at night; better in open air and after expectoration [Boericke], [Clarke], [Phatak]. Breathing is noisy, wheezing, with coarse tracheo-bronchial rales; patient takes short, shallow breaths between spasms, then a deep, relieving breath once mucus shifts. Exertion during the attack brings panting and distress; gentle movement later helps to mobilise secretions [Boger].

Nausea from mucus burden and the violence of coughing; retching at the peak of the fit; appetite poor during wet spells [Boger], [Phatak]. Relief when the chest is cleared and warmth returns to extremities. Unlike Ipec., nausea is secondary to chest irritation rather than the dominant keynote [Hering].

Muscular ache of abdominal wall from coughing; transient distension with gulped air; quick passage of flatus after paroxysm (patient relaxes) [Clinical]. Not a primary organ target.

Urgency during the fit (straining seems to “bring it up” in some), with relief in chest afterwards—an observed reflex in a subset of cases [Clinical]. No specific haemorrhoidal note.

Scanty during the attack; later, increase in diuresis as dyspnoea abates (general relaxation) [Clinical]. No defining urinary pathology.

Desire for warm drinks to loosen phlegm; aversion to cold drinks during an attack (seem to tighten chest) [Clinical]. Over-eating at night brings oppression (Worse); stimulants and tobacco aggravate [Clarke].

Sexual sphere not characteristic; exertion-related dyspnoea may limit activity during damp seasons [Clinical].

In some, premenstrual damp-weather sensitivity increases catarrh; otherwise unremarkable [Clinical].

Ache between scapulae and in dorsal region from constant bracing and coughing; warmth eases [Clinical]. Tightness across shoulders parallels chest constriction; unwinds as breathing frees.

Cold hands/feet during paroxysm; bluish nails in severe episodes; tremor after exertion to raise phlegm [Boger]. Warmth returns with relief of chest.

Clammy sweat in effort; cold sweat on forehead and chest during worst dyspnoea [Boericke]. Lividity in severe bronchospasm fades as air exchange improves.

• Damp/rainy-weather asthma
  Nat-s. — “hydrogenoid,” greenish mucus, periodicity; head injury history common; Blatta. more coarse-rattling with relief after expectoration [Clarke], [Phatak].
  Dulc. — damp chill brings coryza/rheum; less the deep bronchial rattle of Blatta. [Clarke].
• Rattling, obstructive bronchitis/asthma
  Ant-t. — great rattling with scant expectoration, drowsy, cyanotic; Blatta. improves as expectoration grows free [Hering], [Kent].
  Ipec. — constant nausea, clean tongue, little relief from cough; Blatta. nausea is secondary to mucus load [Hering].
  Grindelia — can’t exhale/expectorate when falling asleep; must be roused; Blatta. wants to sit up and cough out thick mucus [Clarke], [Boger].
  Kali-bi. — tough, stringy mucus; sinus-chest axis; Blatta. less stringy, more coarse-rattling [Clarke].
• Night asthma; must sit up
  Ars. — anguish, burning, restlessness; worse open air; Blatta. craves air, gets relief after expectoration [Kent].
  Sambucus (children) — dry spasm with sudden suffocation, sweatless; Blatta. has copious rales and mucus [Hering].
• Urban/allergen triggers
  Nux-v. — irritative cough from smoke/odours with spasm; Blatta. wetter, heavy rales [Boericke].
  Brom. — coastal damp, laryngeal spasm; Blatta. is bronchial with coarse rales [Clarke].

• Complementary: Nat-s. — allied damp-aggravated respiratory constitutions; sequence in rainy seasons [Clarke], [Phatak].
• Complementary: Kali-bi. — for stringy residue when sinus–bronchial axis prominent [Clarke].
• Follows well: Acon. — after acute chill/cold-dry exposure initiates catarrh, then Blatta. as it settles on chest [Kent].
• Follows well: Ipec. — when nausea predominates early but picture shifts to rattling with relief from expectoration [Hering].
• Follows well: Ars. — when anxiety and burning oppression are subdued, but humid rattle persists in the corpulent patient [Kent], [Boericke].
• Precedes well: Ant-t. — if rattling becomes extreme with failing power to raise mucus (cyanosis), consider Ant-t. [Hering].
• Related (same sphere): Grindelia, Ammon-c., Ammon-carb., Carb-v., Lob., Spong. — all in bronchitic/asthmatic field with differing modalities [Boger], [Boericke].
• Antidotes/tends to antidote: Tobacco irritation states; coffee may aggravate cough spasm (general observation) [Clarke], [Clinical].

• Indication shortcut: “Old bronchitic, stout, lives or works in damp/musty places; nights of rattling asthma, better after expectoration.” Think Blatta. first [Boericke], [Clarke], [Phatak].
• Potency & dose (classical tendencies): For acute paroxysms with heavy mucus, many authorities favoured low to medium preparations (Q–3x–6x) repeated during the wet spell; for constitutional use and to prevent relapses, 6C–30C or occasional 200C in robust responders, spacing as improvement secures [Boericke], [Phatak], [Morrison].
• Between attacks: Address maintaining causes (mould, leaks, cellars, carpets); simple steam inhalation and warm drinks can potentiate the remedy by easing detachment of plugs [Clarke], [Clinical].
• Case pearls
  • Nightly, damp-weather asthma with relief only when a lump of phlegm comes up → Blatta. 3x t.d.s. during rainy week [Boericke], [Clinical].
  • Elderly “old bronchitic” relapsing after every chill; must sit up, cyanotic until mucus frees → Blatta. 6x q4h two days, then b.i.d. [Boger], [Clinical].
  • Corpulent cellar-keeper with autumn fog asthma, window-better, lying-worse → Blatta. 30C single, supportive drying of lodging [Clarke], [Clinical].

Respiration

• Respiration; ASTHMA; damp weather; in — wet changes precipitate attacks; choose in humid climates. [Clarke], [Phatak]
• Respiration; DIFFICULT; lying; when — must sit up and lean forwards. [Clarke]
• Respiration; RATTLING; bronchial — coarse rales with mucus burden. [Boger]
• Respiration; BETTER; expectoration, after — key relief marker. [Boger]
• Respiration; NIGHT; after midnight — paroxysms disturb sleep. [Boger]
• Respiration; OPEN AIR; desire for, amel. — craves window/air. [Clarke]

Cough

• Cough; PAROXYSMAL; suffocative — violent fits with air-hunger. [Boericke]
• Cough; MUCUS; tenacious, difficult to raise — plugs loosen late. [Boger]
• Cough; RETCHING; with — gagging at the height of fit. [Boger]
• Cough; WORSE; damp, rainy weather — seasonal pattern. [Clarke], [Phatak]
• Cough; BETTER; warm drinks — loosens phlegm. [Clinical]
• Cough; TOBACCO SMOKE; agg. — irritative trigger. [Clarke]

Chest

• Chest; OPPRESSION; suffocative — weight on chest in damp. [Boericke]
• Chest; MUCUS; rattling — coarse sounds. [Boger]
• Chest; CYANOSIS; during attack — lips/nails dusky till relief. [Boger]
• Chest; HEAVINESS; lying; worse — must sit up. [Clarke]
• Chest; BETTER; sitting up — positional amelioration. [Clarke]
• Chest; BASES; catarrh of — lower lobe involvement. [Clinical]

Nose/Head

• Nose; CORYZA; damp weather; in — “goes to the chest.” [Clarke]
• Nose; ODOURS; musty rooms; agg. — triggers wheeze/sneeze. [Clarke]
• Head; CONGESTION; cough during; with — throbbing effort-headache. [Clinical]
• Head; BETTER; after expectoration — ache lifts as chest frees. [Clinical]
• Head; ODOURS; tobacco; agg. — irritant overlap. [Clarke]
• Nose; MOUTH-BREATHING; night — nasal block in paroxysm. [Boger]

Generalities

• Generalities; DAMP; weather; agg. — cornerstone modality. [Boericke], [Phatak]
• Generalities; OBESITY; in — acts best in stout persons. [Boericke]
• Generalities; MUSTY places; cellars; agg. — maintaining cause. [Clarke]
• Generalities; COLD air; raw; chest; agg. — ushers catarrh. [Clarke]
• Generalities; EXERTION; during attack; agg. — panting distress. [Boger]
• Generalities; OPEN AIR; amel. — seeks window/door. [Clarke]

Sleep

• Sleep; BROKEN; after midnight — wakes to sit up. [Boger]
• Sleep; LYING; cannot; must sit — orthopnoea. [Clarke]
• Sleep; ASTHMA; nocturnal — humid pattern. [Boger]
• Sleep; CHAIR; sleeps in — avoids lying. [Clinical]
• Sleep; DREAMS; choking, water — thematic echo. [Clinical]
• Sleep; BETTER; dry weather, well-ventilated room. [Clarke]

Fever / Chill / Sweat

• Chill; DAMP; exposure from — onset marker. [Clarke]
• Heat; FACE; during cough — flushing effort. [Clinical]
• Sweat; COLD; during dyspnoea — climax phase. [Boericke]
• Sweat; RELIEF; after — resolution. [Clinical]
• Fever; CATARRHAL; with oppression — mild febrile state. [Clarke]
• Generalities; WEATHER; changes; wet; agg. — relapse trigger. [Phatak]

Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): clinical picture, preparation notes, modalities (damp, mould), comparisons.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1901/1927): keynotes—obese old asthmatics, damp aggravation, better after expectoration.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915/1931): respiratory keynotes, modalities, rales vs. expectoration, differentials (Ant-t., Ipec., Grind.).
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics / Pharmacography (1870s): general guidance on animal-substance preparation; toxicologic reasoning.
Hering, C. — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879–91): comparisons (Ant-t., Ipec., Samb.), clinical confirmations in asthma.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): repertorial references and comparative notes (respiratory sphere).
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1905): comparative analysis—Ars., Ant-t., Ipec., Nat-s., Grindelia in asthma.
Phatak, S. R. — Materia Medica of Homoeopathic Medicines (1977): concise keynotes—damp aggravation, mouldy rooms, old bronchitics, better after expectoration.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1898): therapeutic contrasts in bronchitic/asthmatic states (comparative utility).
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1901): asthma/bronchitis groupings and remedy relations (comparative).
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (1887): organ-sphere comparisons in bronchial disease.
Morrison, R. — Desktop Guide to Keynotes and Confirmatory Symptoms (1993): modern clinical pointers and dosing tendencies in obstructive airways disease.
Vithoulkas, G. — The Science of Homeopathy / Levels of Health (1980/2010): potency and repetition strategy in chronic/reactive respiratory states.