Cannabis indica

Prepared from the flowering tops of the female Cannabis sativa indica plant, rich in psychoactive resin (mainly Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Used traditionally in spiritual, recreational, and medicinal contexts.

First proved by Dr. A.C. Clifton; clinical experiences extensively documented by Hering, Allen, and Hale; effects also corroborated through observed intoxication cases.

Cannabis indica embodies the exalted, scattered, and disembodied mind. It traverses ecstasy and fear, creating a dreamlike separation from reality. The keynotes are intense mental stimulation, distortion of time and space, and profound disconnection from the physical. It is a remedy of perception unmoored—where thoughts race, the heart thunders, and the body becomes foreign. Particularly suited to those with creative, nervous, or spiritual tendencies, who become overwhelmed by the very powers of their inner world.

• Mind – intense alterations in perception, time distortion, anxiety, mystical or detached states
• Nervous system – particularly brain, spinal cord, and sensory nerves
• Bladder and urinary tract – incontinence, urgency
• Eyes and vision – dilation, photophobia
• Sleep and dreams – vivid, colourful, ecstatic or anxious dreams
• Muscles – spasms, clumsiness, heaviness
• Sexual organs – heightened or distorted sensations
• Heart and circulation – palpitations, erratic pulse

The mental landscape of Cannabis indica is expansive, fragmented, and surreal. A key feature is the distortion of time and space—minutes feel like hours, distances become immeasurable, and the self feels disconnected from the body. [Clarke] and [Hering] describe this dissociation as alternating between ecstasy and terror. The patient may feel as though floating, becoming lighter than air, or conversely feel the body is immense and heavy. Thoughts crowd the mind in overwhelming torrents, making speech disjointed or impossible. This hyperactivity of mind is often pleasurable at first, then becomes oppressive, generating confusion, fear of insanity, or sudden anxiety. Memory is lost in the moment—it slips away mid-sentence or thought. The patient may suddenly laugh, then become terrified without reason. There is a mystical or spiritual quality to thoughts—visions, divine messages, or cosmic significance are frequently perceived. They may feel detached from reality or believe they exist in a dream. Delusions of duality—believing the soul and body are separate—are strikingly characteristic. A remedy for introspective ecstasy, depersonalisation, and sudden terror.

Profound drowsiness yet difficulty falling asleep due to racing thoughts. Vivid, psychedelic, or mystical dreams. Sleep unrefreshing, punctuated by strange sensations or sudden jerks. Sleep-walking or talking possible.

Intensely vivid, coloured, and symbolic dreams. May involve flying, divine insight, sexual encounters, or being lost in unfamiliar places. Dreams often persist into waking state, blurring reality. Nightmares may involve drowning, falling, or suffocation.

Excessive nervous sensitivity to internal and external stimuli. Symptoms often sudden, exaggerated, or delusional. Sensation of body enlargement or detachment. Symptoms may mimic intoxication or mysticism. Worse from speaking, noise, music, emotions. Better from solitude, lying still, and quiet breathing.

Intermittent chills followed by waves of heat. Sensation of internal boiling. Flushed face with cold extremities. Heat rises from chest or spine. No thirst during fever.

Intermittent chills followed by waves of heat. Sensation of internal boiling. Flushed face with cold extremities. Heat rises from chest or spine. No thirst during fever.

Heaviness and fullness of the head, especially the vertex, often described as if the skull is being lifted from within. Pressing or constricting pain, as if a band encircled the forehead. Sensation of enlargement of the head or that it is detached. Vertigo is common, especially when walking or after rising. [Hering] notes a wave-like motion within the brain with every heartbeat. The head may feel alternately hot and cold, and symptoms worsen with mental effort or external stimulation.

Intensely red, glassy, and dilated pupils. Photophobia with a sense of unreality in visual perception. Vision appears magnified, colours are more vivid, and distance may seem distorted. Halos around lights. The eyes may ache or feel sore. Sudden loss of sight or temporary dimness during mental excitement. [Allen] describes illusions such as lights dancing or objects appearing closer or farther than they are.

Heightened auditory sensitivity. Sounds are perceived with great intensity or may seem far away or muffled. Ringing, buzzing, or oscillating tones heard within the ears. Music can provoke ecstasy or deep anxiety. Illusions of hearing conversations or distant melodies.

Nosebleeds from mental excitement. Increased smell sensitivity—odours may seem intense or provoke nausea. Sneezing from smoke or cold air. Nasal dryness or catarrhal symptoms with little discharge.

Pale, anxious, or flushed during excitement. Expression may alternate between blank and wildly animated. Twitching of facial muscles. Lips feel dry or sticky. Trembling of lower jaw during emotional arousal.

Mouth dry and sticky, with insatiable thirst—especially for cold drinks. The tongue feels thick, heavy, or enlarged. Speech is difficult—words are forgotten or confused. Metallic or bitter taste. [Boericke] notes stammering and a tendency to forget what one is saying mid-sentence.

Toothache with a sensation of elongation. Cold air aggravates. Teeth may feel loose or sensitive to pressure. Clenching during sleep or intense emotion.

Toothache with a sensation of elongation. Cold air aggravates. Teeth may feel loose or sensitive to pressure. Clenching during sleep or intense emotion.

Constriction or oppression over the chest. Palpitations with flushing or during anxiety attacks. Sensation of pressure over sternum or heart. Lungs feel full or heavy. Breathing may feel difficult—more from perception than actual obstruction.

Violent palpitations with anxiety. Erratic heartbeat. Feeling as if the heart has stopped, followed by a sudden rush of blood. [Clarke] records sudden faintness with cardiac sensations, often following mental excitement or fright.

Irregular or shallow breathing, especially during mental disorientation. Sighing, gasping, or holding of breath. Fear of suffocation during panic. Desire for open air. Chest may feel too tight to expand.

Voracious hunger even after eating—‘the munchies’. Great thirst, especially for cold water. Nausea from anxiety, motion, or odours. Burning in the epigastrium. Food feels as though it lingers or expands in the stomach. Belching may momentarily relieve heaviness.

Distension and gurgling. Sensation of heaviness or weight in lower abdomen. Cramps from suppressed emotions or stimulation. Gaseous colic with offensive flatulence.

Constipation with dry, hard stools. Urging without success. Haemorrhoids with burning pain. Rectal spasms may occur during urination or sexual arousal. Sense of swelling or enlargement in the rectum.

Constipation with dry, hard stools. Urging without success. Haemorrhoids with burning pain. Rectal spasms may occur during urination or sexual arousal. Sense of swelling or enlargement in the rectum.

Craves sweets, spices, and unusual combinations. Increased appetite post-excitation. Great thirst for cold drinks. Aversion to alcohol. May feel bloated after eating.

Excessive sexual desire or fantasies, particularly during mental excitation. Erections frequent and persistent, even painful. Emissions without dreams or with vivid imagery. Sensation of heaviness or aching in genitals. Prostate irritation possible with frequent urination.

Marked sexual excitement. Menses may be profuse or suppressed from excitement. Leucorrhoea acrid or profuse during mental arousal. May experience genital hypersensitivity, pain, or tingling. Anxiety around menstruation or during intercourse.

Sensation of heat or crawling along spine. Pain or tension between scapulae. Weakness in lumbar region. Sensation of weight or pulling in sacrum, particularly during mental exertion.

Tingling, numbness, or crawling sensations. Trembling of hands during speech or exertion. Legs feel heavy or disconnected. Feet may feel huge or immaterial. Difficulty walking in a straight line. Loss of coordination or awkwardness. Jerking or twitching during sleep or excitement.

Pruritus without eruption. Sensation of formication, as if insects crawl over skin. Flushing of face and hands. Burning sensations in isolated patches. Sensitivity to heat or touch.

• Agaricus – Twitching, incoordination, but more spasmodic and cold-sensitive
• Lachesis – Loquacious and excitable, but more outwardly aggressive and left-sided
• Nux moschata – Dreamy, spacey, with dryness and forgetfulness, but more hysterical
• Stramonium – Delirious, fearful, and nightmarish, but with violence and fear of darkness
• Opium – Narcosis, ecstasy, and suspended perception, but more in passive stupor

• Complementary: Phosphorus, Pulsatilla
• Antidotes: Nux vomica, Camphora
• Follows well: Belladonna, Hyoscyamus
• Precedes well: Sulphur
• Inimical: None noted

• Excellent for anxiety with palpitations, especially after cannabis use
• Useful in urinary incontinence or hesitancy with emotional overlay
• Consider in insomnia with racing mind and vivid dreams
• Applicable to panic attacks with disorientation or depersonalisation
• Can assist in neuralgia, spasms, or weakness in limbs from nervous origin

Mind

• Delusions, body is expanding
• Thoughts vanish while speaking
• Ecstasy, alternating with anxiety
• Time seems long

Head

• Fullness, vertex
• Pulsation in brain
• Vertigo on movement

Urinary

• Involuntary urination when thinking of it
• Retention of urine from nervousness
• Burning before and after micturition

Extremities

• Trembling, hands
• Incoordination
• Numbness, crawling sensations

Generalities

• Worse from music, excitement, company
• Better from lying on back, solitude
• Sensation of floating or detachment

• T.F. Allen – Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica: Complete proving data, mental and urinary symptoms
• C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica: Focused on time distortion, detachment, and urinary phenomena
• John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Provided depth on mental state, dream states, and perception
• William Boericke – Pocket Manual: Gave clinical keynote tips and mental/emotional core
• E.M. Hale – New Remedies: Supported analysis of cannabis intoxication and therapeutic analogies