Lycopersicum solanum

Prepared from the fresh ripe fruit of the tomato plant by tincturing or trituration, Lycopersicum entered the materia medica through toxicological observations and small provings that showed catarrhal, gastric, cutaneous, and rheumatic effects [Clarke], [Allen], [Hering]. The plant is a Solanaceous nightshade, rich in organic acids (citric, malic), carotenoids (notably lycopene), and small amounts of alkaloid-like bitter principles in green tissues; culinary exposure occasionally reveals idiosyncrasy—urticaria, erythema, pruritus, gastric upset—which classical authors collected as clinical pointers [Hughes], [Clarke]. Clarke details cases of contact dermatitis from handling vines or fruit, hay-fever–like coryza during tomato season, and gastric catarrh after eating the fruit; these, with proving fragments (cephalic congestion, spinal backache, right-shoulder neuralgia), form the core image [Clarke], [Allen], [Boericke]. Synonyms in older literature include Lycopersicon esculentum; remedy tradition uses “Lycopersicum” while modern botany places it in Solanum [Clarke], [Hughes].

Widely used as food; dietetic literature notes antioxidant value (lycopene) and occasional intolerance reactions. Historically recorded cases of dermatitis in field-workers and packers handling vines/fruit are relevant to the remedy’s cutaneous sphere [Hughes], [Clarke].

Fragmentary provings and numerous clinical confirmations: catarrhal coryza with incessant sneezing, acrid watery discharge, frontal/occipital headache, lumbosacral backache, rheumatic pains of right shoulder and wrist, gastric acidity with nausea, urticarial eruptions and pruritus after ingestion or handling [Allen], [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke]. [Proving]/[Clinical]

• Naso-pharyngeal mucosa—hay-fever pattern: paroxysmal sneezing, acrid, watery coryza, raw burning nares; often seasonal or odour-provoked (see Nose/Chest) [Clarke], [Boger].
• Head & sinuses—frontal–occipital headache, worse heat, stuffy rooms, and reading; better cool air and pressure (see Head) [Allen], [Clarke].
• Spine & sacro-iliac—lumbosacral aching as if sprained, worse sitting or stooping, better walking a little (see Back/Generalities) [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Right shoulder–upper limb—neuralgic/rheumatic pains of right deltoid/wrist, worse exertion or damp changes (see Extremities) [Clarke].
• Skin—urticaria, erythematous itching rashes, and contact dermatitis from tomato exposure; excoriation where discharge touches (see Skin) [Hughes], [Clarke].
• Stomach & intestines—acidity, nausea, flatulence, and looseness after tomatoes or rich, sour foods; idiosyncrasy (see Stomach/Abdomen/Rectum) [Allen], [Clarke].
• Female pelvic organs—dragging pelvic ache, right ovarian pains, leucorrhoea excoriating in sensitive constitutions (see Female) [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Chest & respiration—rawness behind sternum, tickling cough with fluent coryza; oppression from odours (see Chest/Respiration) [Boger], [Clarke].

• Open, cool air; doors and windows open—relieves head and nose (echoed under Head/Nose) [Clarke].
• Gentle continued motion, short walking—loosens lumbar and sacro-iliac pain (see Back/Generalities) [Boericke].
• Pressure and bandaging over frontal sinuses or lumbosacral region—steadies pain [Allen], [Clarke].
• Darkened room, rest of eyes—for reading-aggravated headaches [Allen].
• Warmth to the back—hot flannel eases sacro-iliac aching [Clarke].
• Sweating mildly after a short walk—catarrh seems freer [Boger].
• Abstinence from tomatoes and sour, rich foods—gastric quiets (see Stomach) [Clarke].
• Saline rinses/tepid drinks—reduce acridity of coryza (clinical concordance) [Clarke].

• Odours (perfumes, tobacco smoke, cooking)—sneeze and cough fits (see Nose/Chest) [Clarke], [Boger].
• Warm, close rooms and reading—head swims, eyes smart; coryza runs [Allen], [Clarke].
• Damp, changeable weather; before storms—rheumatic and spinal pains flare [Boger].
• Stooping, long sitting, rising from chair—lumbosacral catch (see Back) [Clarke].
• Tomatoes (ingestion or handling)—urticaria, pruritus, gastric upset (see Skin/Stomach) [Hughes], [Clarke].
• Early morning—sneezing paroxysms; evening—backache worse (circadian echo) [Clarke].
• Sudden exertion and lifting—right shoulder/wrist twinges (see Extremities) [Clarke].
• Dust, hay, and blooming fields—hay-fever pattern intensifies (see Nose) [Clarke], [Boericke].

• Aetiology—Food/contact idiosyncrasy
  • Urtica urens: urticaria from shellfish or contact nettle; lacks odour-provoked coryza; Lycpr. highlights tomato trigger [Clarke], [Hughes].
  • Nat-m.: aggravation from sun, thin watery coryza; more periodicity and grief themes; Lycpr. has odour and tomato links [Kent], [Clarke].
• Mind/Environment—Warm rooms/odours
  • Allium cepa: acrid nasal, bland lachrymation, worse warm rooms, better open air; lacks lumbosacral sprain-like back [Clarke], [Boericke].
  • Sabadilla: sneezing from odours/dust, strong parasitic fantasies; Lycpr. more spinal and cutaneous [Farrington].
• Keynotes—Back “as if sprained”
  • Rhus-t.: worse first motion, better continued; often worse cold damp outside; Lycpr. wants cool air and is odour-provoked [Boger], [Kent].
  • Aesculus: sacro-iliac pain with haemorrhoids and dryness; Lycpr. coupled with coryza and acridity, not portal congestion [Clarke].
• Organ affinity—Skin/urticaria
  • Dulcamara: hives from cold damp; also catarrh; Lycpr. has specific tomato causation and odour triggers [Clarke], [Boericke].
  • Histaminum (later): general urticaria reliever; lacks characteristic modalities of warmth/odours [Tyler].
• Modalities—Hay-fever pattern
  • Arsenicum: burning coryza, restlessness, anxiety, chilly; Lycpr. calmer, odour-provoked, with back sprain feeling [Hering].
  • Kali-bich.: ropy mucus, fixed spots of pain; Lycpr. thin acrid flow, paroxysmal sneezing [Boger].
• Gastric acidity/food aggravation
  • Nux-v.: dyspepsia from rich foods, irritable temperament; Lycpr. less irritable, more catarrhal and odour-sensitive [Kent].
  • Lycopodium: right-sided liver, 4–8 p.m. hunger/bloating; Lycpr. overlaps in name only; keep abbreviations distinct (Lyc. ≠ Lycpr.) [Kent], [Clarke].

• Complementary: Allium cepa—both acrid coryza better open air; Lycpr. adds back “sprain” and tomato idiosyncrasy [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Complementary: Dulcamara—damp-weather catarrh/hives; follows Lycpr. when cold exposure dominates [Clarke].
• Complementary: Rhus-t.—for residual sacro-iliac sprain-like pain once coryza abates [Boger].
• Follows well: Nux-v.—after dietary excess (rich/sour foods) when catarrh and backache persist [Kent].
• Follows well: Urtica urens—when urticaria from multiple foods narrows to tomato-specific flare [Clarke].
• Precedes well: Nat-m.—in recurrent hay fever when periodicity overtakes odour-provocation [Kent].
• Related: Sabad., Ars., Kali-bi., Aesc., Lycopodium (distinguish), Histaminum (later)—see differentials for boundaries.
• Antidotes (states): Fresh air, avoidance of tomatoes/odours; medicinally Nux-v. for gastric excess, Rhus-t. for overstrain back [Kent], [Clarke].
• Inimicals: None recorded specifically; avoid alternation without a fresh totality [Kent].

Core Themes / Remedy Essence (not bullet points)
Lycopersicum is the tomato-sensitive, air-hungry subject with a catarrhal nose, sprained lumbosacral back, and itching skin that reacts to tomatoes and odours. The constitutional feel is psoric–sycotic: reactive mucosae pour thin acrid secretions that excori­ate; skin weals or flushes; joints—especially the sacro-iliacs and right shoulder/wrist—ache with weather shifts or strain [Clarke], [Boger], [Boericke], [Hughes]. The patient suffers indoors: warm, close rooms and odours (perfume, tobacco, kitchen vapours) trigger sneezing paroxysms with raw burning nares and a bursting frontal–occipital headache; reading quickly overtaxes the eyes. Relief is elemental—open, cool air, a window thrown wide, a short walk that brings mild perspiration and clears both head and chest. This environmental polarity—worse warmth/odours, better cool air/motion—is the prescribing fulcrum, echoed across Mind (impatient oppression indoors), Head (pressure better air/pressure), Nose (odour-provoked acrid flow), Chest (raw tickle behind sternum), Back (sprain-like sacro-iliac eased by motion and warmth), and Skin (urticaria/dermatitis from tomato exposure) [Clarke], [Allen], [Boericke].

Within Solanaceae, it is neither the fiery congestion of Belladonna nor the cold-damp suppression of Dulcamara, but a catarrhal–mechanical picture: mucosa irritated by odours and a spine that complains of use and posture. In hay fever, Allium cepa competes when acridity and air-freshness dominate, yet Lycopersicum is chosen when odours are decisive and a lumbosacral sprain co-exists. In urticaria, Urtica urens is generalist; Lycopersicum singles out tomato causation or handling. Gastrically, Nux-v. and Lycopodium rival for rich-food dyspepsia; Lycopersicum lacks the Nux temper and Lycopodium’s hepatic clock, but adds the tomato idiosyncrasy with catarrh. Direction of cure is clear: the patient tolerates rooms without craving windows, sneezing paroxysms shorten, discharge loses acridity, the upper lip ceases to smart, the back rises without a catch, and tomato handling or ingestion no longer precipitates eruptions. Prescribing is strengthened by observing the triad: (1) odour-provoked acrid coryza, (2) lumbosacral “sprain”, (3) tomato-related skin or gastric upset—with modalities better cool air and gentle motion.

• Hay fever with odour-provoked paroxysms (perfumes, tobacco, kitchen vapours), acrid watery coryza, frontal pressure, better cool air—Lycpr. 6C–30C, hourly in acutes then taper [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Lumbosacral “sprain” in desk-workers: worse rising/stooping, better gentle walking and warmth to back; intercurrent in catarrhal constitutions—Lycpr. 6C b.i.d.–t.i.d. [Clarke].
• Urticaria/dermatitis after tomatoes or handling vines—remove exposure; Lycpr. 6C–12C, compare Urt-u., Dulc. [Hughes], [Clarke].
• Gastric acidity/looseness after tomatoes in hay-fever subjects—Lycpr. 12C–30C after avoidance and light diet; compare Nux-v. if drugging/stimulants present [Allen], [Clarke].

Mind

• Odours aggravate, especially tobacco/perfume—practical trigger for case selection [Clarke], [Boger].
• Aversion to warm rooms; seeks open windows—environmental keynote [Clarke].
• Irritability in warm, close air; better in cool air—mirrors catarrh [Clarke].
• Concentration difficult while coryza flows—functional dullness [Allen].
• Anxiety of suffocation in crowds—links to respiration [Clarke].
• Child fretful before sneezing paroxysm—mini-case cue [Clarke].

Head

• Headache, frontal–occipital, worse warm rooms, worse reading; better pressure and open air—signature [Allen], [Clarke].
• Sinus pressure with acrid coryza—coupling rubric [Clarke].
• Scalp sore to hat; band pressure relieves—modal nuance [Clarke].
• Sun/heat aggravates cephalalgia—summer cue [Clarke].
• Alternating headache and gastric acidity—food-link [Clarke].
• Headache with constant need of fresh air—confirmatory [Boericke].

Nose

• Coryza, acrid, watery; paroxysmal sneezing—core [Clarke], [Boger].
• Odours/dust/hay aggravate—provocation rubric [Clarke].
• Worse warm rooms; better open air—modal axis [Clarke].
• Excoriated upper lip from discharge—acrid proof [Clarke].
• Coryza with raw posterior palate—throat link [Clarke].
• Seasonal (tomato season/handling) aggravation—idiosyncrasy pointer [Hughes], [Clarke].

Back/Extremities

• Pain, lumbosacral, as if sprained; worse stooping/long sitting; better walking/warmth—cardinal [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Sacro-iliac looseness; belt supports—mechanical aid [Clarke].
• Right shoulder/wrist rheumatism from exertion—laterality note [Clarke].
• Weather changes aggravate back—barometric sign [Boger].
• Backache worse rising from seat—functional rubric [Clarke].
• Better gentle continued motion—Rhus-like nuance [Boger].

Skin

• Urticaria after tomatoes (ingestion/contact)—idiosyncrasy hallmark [Hughes], [Clarke].
• Dermatitis of hands from handling vines/fruit—occupational pointer [Clarke].
• Itching worse warmth; better cool air—modal match [Clarke].
• Excoriation from acrid discharges—systemic acridity [Clarke].
• Eczema flares around menses in tomato-sensitive women—clinical nuance [Clarke].
• Hives alternating with coryza—see-saw clue [Clarke].

Stomach/Abdomen/Rectum

• Acidity and nausea after tomatoes—food rubric [Allen], [Clarke].
• Flatulence and rumbling after sour/rich foods—diet link [Clarke].
• Looseness morning after tomato intake—timing [Clarke].
• Burning at anus from acrid stool—acrid theme [Clarke].
• Better abstaining from tomatoes—practical test [Clarke].
• Abdomen distended in warm rooms—environment overlay [Clarke].

Generalities

• Worse warm, close rooms; better open cool air—grand modality [Clarke].
• Worse odours, dust, hay—provokers [Boger], [Clarke].
• Better gentle exercise till slight perspiration—tonic sign [Boger].
• Worse damp, changeable weather; before storms—barometric [Boger].
• Idiosyncrasy to tomatoes—etiologic keynote [Hughes], [Clarke].
• Alternation of catarrh, skin, and back pains—system pattern [Clarke].

Allen, T. F. — Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–1879): fragmentary proving and clinical notes (coryza, headache, gastric, back).
Hering, C. — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879–1891): confirmations—sneezing paroxysms, acrid discharge, spinal aching.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): full remedy portrait; odour-provoked coryza; tomato idiosyncrasy; skin and back; relationships.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homeopathic Materia Medica (1901): keynotes—catarrh, back “sprain,” skin, modalities.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (late 19th c.): toxicology/idiosyncrasy data; dermatitis in handlers; gastric notes.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915): modalities—weather change, open air; hay-fever comparisons.
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica (1905): differential insights—All-c., Sabad., Rhus-t., Nux-v., Nat-m.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (1890): hay-fever differentials and odor-provocation; Sabadilla comparisons.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homeopathic Therapeutics (1899): clinical hints—catarrhal constitutions and backache.
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homeopathic Therapeutics (early 20th c.): hay fever and urticaria management; sequencing with complements.
Tyler, M. L. — Homeopathic Drug Pictures (20th c.): vignettes—air-hungry catarrh, tomato-sensitive skin, regimen.
Burdick, E. H. — Early American proving fragments and notes (19th c.): catarrhal and spinal symptoms collated in later compilations [cited by Allen/Clarke].