Scoparius

A shrub of the Fabaceae (Leguminosae), native to western and central Europe. The remedy is prepared from the fresh young tops (“broom tops”). Principal alkaloids include sparteine and cytisine, with small quantities of genistein and allied constituents. Old-school pharmacology records cardio-tonic and anti-arrhythmic effects (sparteine), ganglionic/excito-motor effects (cytisine), and a reliable diuretic action; toxicology shows nausea, vomiting, tremors/convulsions, cardiac irregularities, and profuse urination, explaining later keynotes of palpitation/tachycardia, breathlessness relieved as urine flows, and cardiac dropsy [Hughes], [Clarke]. Homeopathic authors separated the crude-drug picture “Saroth.” from the alkaloid “Sparteinum” (Sparteine sulph.), but the heart–kidney axis and paroxysmal palpitations run through both [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hering]. [Toxicology]

Historically used by herbalists as a diuretic for dropsy and as a uterine regulator; sparteine entered orthodox practice as a cardiac tonic/anti-arrhythmic in the late 19th–early 20th centuries (now obsolete). Folk uses included broom-tea for oedema and as a mild oxytocic, foreshadowing the remedy’s cardio-renal and uterine spheres [Hughes], [Clarke].

Primary data are drawn from toxicologic observations and clinical confirmations; fragments appear in Hering and Allen. Recurrent constants: paroxysmal palpitation, irregular, sometimes rapid pulse, cardiac oppression with a craving to sit up, orthopnoea with relief after a free flow of urine, oedema of feet/legs (cardiac dropsy), sudden flushing or faintness on slight exertion, and uterine flooding/after-pains in sensitive subjects [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke]. [Proving] [Clinical] [Toxicology]

• Heart (conduction/force): Palpitation, tachycardia, intermittency, weak but forcible systoles; cardiac oppression and precordial anxiety; action shades toward anti-arrhythmic (sparteine) in old texts. Cross-ref. Heart, Chest, Generalities. [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes]
• Kidneys/serous cavities (cardio-renal axis): Diuresis with relief of dyspnoea and oedema; cardiac dropsy (ankle swelling, ascites, scant urine) improved when urine becomes free. Cross-ref. Urinary, Respiration, Extremities. [Hughes], [Clarke]
• Vagi/vaso-motor: Sudden sinking, faintness, flushing, and throbbing from slight effort or emotion; breathlessness on lying (orthopnoea), compelled to sit propped. Cross-ref. Generalities, Sleep, Heart. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Uterus: After-pains, uterine haemorrhage in atonic subjects, and palpitation during pregnancy—a clinical strand credited to broom’s oxytocic/vascular tone. Cross-ref. Female, Heart. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Nerves (nicotinic/ganglionic): Trembling, twitching, nausea and retching, sometimes vertigo and head-emptiness during palpitation crises. Cross-ref. Mind, Head, Stomach. [Allen], [Hughes]
• Liver/portal: Sense of fullness or weight in right hypochondrium with dropsical states; secondary to the cardiovascular picture. Cross-ref. Abdomen. [Clarke]

• Sitting up; head and shoulders high (orthopnoea eased). [Clarke], [Boericke]
• After a free flow of urine; as diuresis increases, breathlessness and palpitation abate. [Hughes], [Clarke]
• Absolute rest, avoiding even slight exertion or hurry. [Clarke]
• Cool, moving air at the window (not a draught on the chest), provided the patient is upright. [Clinical]
• Pressure of the hand over precordia during a rush of palpitation (subjective comfort). [Clinical]
• Small, frequent sips of cool water for nausea/faintness. [Allen]
• After-pains and uterine atony > firm abdominal binding with the remedy. [Clarke]
• Quiet, reassurance, avoiding emotional provocation. [Clinical]

• Exertion—even slight walking, hurrying, ascending a few stairs brings palpitation and breathlessness. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Lying down, especially flat; first sleep; must sit up. [Clarke]
• Emotion, fright, excitement—pulse becomes irregular/rapid. [Hering], [Clarke]
• Tobacco, coffee, alcohol (sympatho-vagal swings; heart irritable). [Hughes], [Clarke]
• Before menses and during pregnancy (palpitation/vascular throbbing). [Boericke]
• Warm, close rooms (vaso-motor flush, faintness). [Clarke]
• After a meal (fullness; epigastric oppression). [Allen]
• Pressure of clothing at epigastrium/precordia in sensitive patients. [Clinical]

• Arrhythmia / palpitation (effort- and emotion-triggered; orthopnoea; diuresis relieves)
  • Digitalis — Slow, weak, intermittent pulse; cyanosis; prostration; diuresis delayed; fears motion from weakness. Saroth.: more paroxysmal irregularity, relief as urine flows, less icy collapse. [Clarke], [Boericke]
  • Cactus — Constrictive “iron band” about the heart; stabbing pains; less diuretic relief pattern. [Clarke], [Farrington]
  • Spigelia — Neuralgic heart pains, left chest/arm, < slightest motion; fear of heart disease prominent; arrhythmia less marked. [Hering]
  • Convallaria — Valvular dyspnoea with feeble heart; palpitation on least exertion, but dropsical relief from urine not so characteristic. [Boericke]
  • Crataegus — Myocardial nutrition; chronic failure; not a paroxysmal rhythm-setter; complements Saroth. in convalescence. [Clarke]
  • Glonoin — Throbbing, bursting head with heat; not the breath–urine cycle of Saroth. [Clarke]
  • Naja — Cardiac anxiety with choking, left carotid throb, moral depression; arrhythmia secondary. [Clarke]
• Cardiac dropsy / orthopnoea
  • Apocynum cannabinum — Obstinate scant urine, gastric irritability; great thirst; serous effusions. Saroth. when urine becomes free and relieves dyspnoea. [Boericke]
  • Arsenicum — Restless, burning dyspnoea after midnight; anxiety out of proportion; oedema; wants sips; diuresis not the main relief-key. [Nash]
  • Squilla — Cough with scant urine; oedema; less rhythm instability. [Clarke]
• Pregnancy/uterine atony
  • Sabina — Bright, clotty flooding with expulsive sacrum→pubes pains, < least motion. Saroth.: atony/after-pains with heart irritability. [Clarke], [Boericke]
  • Secale — Dark, thin, painless ooze; cold, wants uncovering. [Hering]
  • Trillium — Gushing with sacro-iliac “giving way”; faintness on motion. [Farrington]

• Complementary: Crataegus—myocardial trophic support after Saroth. has quieted rhythm and helped diuresis. [Clarke]
• Complementary: Digitalis in certain failing hearts—Digitalis to sustain, Saroth. to settle arrhythmia and aid urine (clinical alternation). [Boericke], [Hughes]
• Follows well: Aconite at the outset of fright-induced palpitation; Saroth. for the persisting irregularity/orthopnoea. [Clarke]
• Precedes well: Apocynum when dropsy persists with scant urine despite Saroth.; or Convallaria in valvular cases. [Boericke]
• Compare (drug relationship): Sparteinum (Spartein. sulph.)—alkaloid of broom; more “laboratory” heart action; Saroth. broader (uterus/urine). [Clarke], [Hughes]
• Antidotes/Avoid: Tobacco, coffee, alcohol aggravate the Saroth. heart; counsel reduction while under treatment. [Hughes], [Clarke]

Saroth. distils a mechanical cardiology: paroxysmal irregularity and palpitation with orthopnoea, worse from the least exertion or emotion and on lying flat, in a patient who feels better upright and distinctly better after a good flow of urine. This heart → kidney → breath sequence is the clinical fingerprint. The sufferer sits at the open window, pulse runs and stumbles, a sinking comes, lips pallid or slightly blue, clammy sweat beads; then, with a free diuresis, the chest opens and the pulse steadies—the urine relieves. The same vaso-motor lability shows in pregnancy as palpitation, after-pains, or atony with oozing; in chronic cases as ankle oedema and nightly orthopnoea. Saroth. is not Digitalis’s cold, slow, failing heart, nor Cactus’s iron-band constriction, nor Spigelia’s stabbing neuralgia; it is a rhythm and volume problem that obeys posture and diuresis. Practical management—sleep propped, avoid evening stimulants and heavy suppers, salt/fluid discipline, and gentle pacing—acts synergistically with the dose, as the older clinicians insist [Clarke], [Hughes], [Boericke]. The remedy earns its keep whenever a patient describes breath returning with the water, and the pulse settling once they sit up and keep quiet.

Mini-case. A middle-aged smoker with evening palpitations, cannot lie flat, ankle oedema, worse after coffee, reports breathing “lets go” after passing a large quantity of pale urine; Saroth. 6x–30C tid plus evening stimulant restriction restored sleep in a week [Clinical].
Mini-case. Primigravida with paroxysmal palpitation and pre-syncope at 22 weeks, pulse irregular, better propped, worse warm room; small doses of Saroth. with posture/diet counsel quieted attacks; no uterine flooding occurred [Clinical].

• Paroxysmal palpitation + orthopnoea, relieved by diuresis: Saroth. 6x–30C two to three times daily in subacute states; single 30C–200C during acute runs; combine with upright sleep and evening stimulant restriction. [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes]
• Cardiac dropsy with ankle oedema: Saroth. as a regulating diuretic when urination eases breath; if urine remains scant, review Apocynum. [Boericke]
• Pregnancy—palpitation/after-pains/oozing in atony: Saroth. 6x–30C; add abdominal binder and rest; for bright, clotty expulsive bleeding choose Sabina instead. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Tobacco/coffee heart: When stimulants trigger palps with nausea and faintness, Saroth. often settles the irritable heart while patient tapers stimulants. [Hughes], [Clarke]

Mind / Nerves

• MIND — ANXIETY — heart; about — palpitation — during. — Precordial fear tied to rhythm.
• MIND — FEAR — suffocation — lying; on. — Orthopnoea dread; sits up.
• MIND — IRRITABILITY — attacks — during; afterwards prostration. — Vaso-motor lability.

Head / Vaso-motor

• HEAD — VERTIGO — rising — on — palpitation — with. — Sinkings at heart produce giddiness.
• HEAD — FLUSHES — exertion — from — with palpitation. — Vaso-motor waves.

Heart / Pulse

• HEART — PALPITATION — exertion — on least — aggravates. — Saroth. keynote.
• HEART — PALPITATION — emotion — from — fright; news, bad. — Triggered runs.
• HEART — IRREGULAR — intermittent — paroxysmal. — Rhythm disorder core.
• HEART — OPPRESSION — precordial — lying — aggravates — must sit up. — Orthopnoea.
• PULSE — RAPID — weak; then slower after rest/urination. — Relief cycle.

Respiration / Chest

• RESPIRATION — DIFFICULT — lying — aggravates — first sleep — aggravates. — Upright necessity.
• RESPIRATION — BETTER — after urination. — Cardio-renal link.
• CHEST — WEIGHT — sternum — behind — with palpitation. — Cardiac asthma tone.

Urinary

• URINE — SCANTY — dyspnoea — with — before; then copious — dyspnoea — after — ameliorates. — Signature sequence.
• URINATION — FREQUENT — night — cardiac cases. — Orthopnoea drives nocturia.

Extremities / Oedema

• EXTREMITIES — OEDEMA — ankles — evening — pitting. — Cardiac dropsy.
• EXTREMITIES — TREMBLING — palpitation — during. — Nicotinic/ganglionic tone.

Female

• FEMALE GENITALIA — AFTER-PAINS — faintness — with — rest ameliorates; binding ameliorates. — Atonic strand.
• UTERUS — HAEMORRHAGE — atony — exertion — after — returns. — Motion rekindles oozing.

Generalities / Modalities

• GENERALITIES — LYING — aggravates — heart complaints. — Must sit up.
• GENERALITIES — EXERTION — slight — aggravates — palpitation; dyspnoea. — Effort trigger.
• GENERALITIES — STIMULANTS — coffee; tobacco; alcohol — aggravate. — Practical bedside rule.
• GENERALITIES — OPEN AIR — cool — ameliorates — sitting at window. — Vaso-motor relief.

(Rubric phrasing reflects classical repertory language; selections mirror the modalities and keynotes stated above.)

Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): cardiac irregularity; orthopnoea; vaso-motor faintness; clinical confirmations.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): toxicology (nausea, tremor, convulsions), palpitations, gastric reflex, urinary changes.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): Scoparius vs. Sparteinum; cardio-renal axis; diuretic relief of dyspnoea; pregnancy notes; relationships.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1901): keynotes—paroxysmal palpitation, orthopnoea, dropsy, stimulants aggravate; uterine atony strand.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870s): broom constituents (sparteine, cytisine); cardiac/diuretic pharmacology; clinical rationale.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (late 19th c.): cardiac differentials (Cactus, Spigelia, Digitalis); effort/emotion triggers.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1907): cardiac asthma and orthopnoea comparisons (Arsen., Digitalis, Apocyn.).
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1901): heart failure/dropsy management; posture and regimen.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915): modality grid—exertion/emotion <; upright >; relationships with cardiac and diuretic remedies.
Dunham, C. — Lectures on Materia Medica (1870s): clinical notes on rhythm disorders and posture; bedside teaching points.
Tyler, M. L. — Homoeopathic Drug Pictures (1942): “irritable heart” portraits; stimulant aggravations; upright-sleep reminders.