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]

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]

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].

• 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]

Anxiety is centred in the precordia; fear of the next rush of palpitation or of suffocation on lying flat keeps the patient vigilant [Clarke]. Mental work aggravates when the heart is unstable; slight emotion—news, a sudden call—starts the pulse racing, with a sinking sensation that compels the sufferer to sit up and be fanned, explicitly echoing worse exertion/emotion and better upright/cool air. The temper is irritable during spells; afterwards there is a tearful lassitude. Unlike Acon., the fear is less panicky and more mechanical, linked to heart mechanics: “If I move or lie down, it comes on.” Compare Spigelia (fear with sharp, neuralgic heart pains) and Cactus (iron-band constriction); Saroth. is an arrhythmic/orthopnoeic fretfulness that quiets as urine flows and the pulse steadies [Boericke], [Hughes]. [Clinical]

Cannot sleep lying down; first sleep brings a start with palpitation and air hunger; must sit propped or even sleep in a chair [Clarke]. Dreams of suffocation or drowning are common; when a free urine sets in towards early morning, a short refreshing doze may occur. Noise or a sudden call from sleep starts the pulse; avoidance of late stimulants (coffee, tobacco) is crucial—explicit cross-links to Modalities. [Boericke], [Hughes]. [Clinical]

Of water rising, of running and being breathless, of hearts stopping; these parallel the nightly orthopnoea and settle as rhythm and urine improve. [Clinical]

Saroth. is a cardio-renal remedy: paroxysmal palpitation/irregular pulse, orthopnoea, oedema, with relief as urine flows, and decisive aggravation from exertion, emotion, lying flat, and stimulants [Clarke], [Hughes], [Boericke]. The mechanics of improvement (posture ↑, urine ↑ → breath/pulse ↓) signal its selection. For pregnancy/uterine atony the same vaso-motor tone appears as after-pains or oozing, improved by rest and binding. Differentially: Digitalis slows and sustains but with icy surface and profound prostration; Cactus constricts; Crataegus nourishes myocardium chronically; Apocynum is the king of dropsies (especially renal) where urine remains scant despite effort; Sparteinum overlaps the rhythm sphere but lacks Saroth.’s broader urine–breath signature. [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes]

No specific pyrexia; flushes of heat during vascular waves; cold sweat on forehead with faintness and irregular pulse; temperature generally normal once circulation steadies. [Clarke]. [Clinical]

Chilliness after slight exertion when the pulse flags; flushes on minor excitement; clammy sweat with sinking at the stomach. These mirror cardiac instability rather than a febrile curve. [Allen], [Clarke]. [Clinical]

Vertigo on rising, with darkness before the eyes when the pulse flutters; head feels empty or swimming. Congestive fullness accompanies vaso-motor flushes; temples throb with effort and subside with rest or when diuresis begins—another heart–kidney cross-link [Clarke]. Headache after coffee or tobacco is common in Saroth. subjects; unlike Glonoin, throbbing here is not explosive nor heat-driven but circulation-weakness driven. [Allen], [Hughes]. [Clinical]

Dimness with palpitations; lids heavy in the dropsical state; periorbital puffiness in cardiac cases. No characteristic ocular lesion; symptoms track the heart. [Clarke]. [Clinical]

Ringing or humming during vascular excitement; sudden “shut-in” hearing at the climax of a palpitation wave that clears as pulse regularises. [Clinical]

No specific coryza; epistaxis is uncommon, but a transient nasal fulness is felt with flushes; better as the heart quiets. [Clinical]

Alternating flushing and pallor; pinched look in cardiac asthma; lips slightly cyanotic during dyspnoea, then colour improves after urination—an observable bedside cycle that underlines the diuretic amelioration. [Clarke], [Hughes]. [Clinical]

Nauseous, metallic, or bitter taste during attacks; salivation with nausea; thirst for small cool sips. Tongue often moist, white at base after a bad night. These are reflex gastric signs of cardio-vagal disturbance more than primary gastric disease. [Allen]. [Clinical]

No decisive dental sphere; jaws clench at the effort of breathing in orthopnoea. [Clinical]

A choking, collar-like tightness is reported when pulse is irregular; globus on lying at night; swallowing not truly painful. Warm rooms worse; cool air at the window better, again explicitly echoing Modalities. [Clarke]. [Clinical]

A sense of weight and oppression behind sternum; breath short, especially on lying; must sit up. Cough is not a keynote; the picture is cardiac asthma rather than bronchitic. Each irregular run of beats is felt as a flush or sinking; the patient clutches the chest until the wave passes, often followed by a desire to pass urine. [Clarke], [Boericke]. [Clinical]

The centre: irregularity, intermittency, paroxysmal tachycardia, palpitation from least exertion or emotion, with precordial anxiety and sometimes faintness [Clarke], [Hughes]. Pulse may be rapid yet weak, then slower and steadier after a spell; systolic sounds accented; apex-beat heaves in thin-chested subjects. Orthopnoea compels posture; diuresis alleviates both pulse-disorder and breathlessness—a hallmark Saroth. sequence. Differentiate Digitalis (slow, weak pulse, icy surface, profound prostration, bluish look; stool and urine scant without the quick diuretic relief of Saroth.), Cactus (iron-band constriction), Crataegus (myocardial nutrition, less immediate rhythm-change), Spigelia (stitching, neuralgic heart pains), Convallaria (valvular dyspnoea with weak pulse). [Boericke], [Clarke], [Hughes]

Short, anxious breathing on the least effort; cannot lie; sits at the window for cool air; breath comes easier after passing water—explicit cross-link to Urinary. No asthmatic wheeze as a keynote; the dyspnoea is circulatory. [Clarke], [Hughes]. [Clinical]

Nausea, retching, and occasional vomiting accompany palpitations or tobacco/coffee aggravations; the epigastrium feels oppressed, as if the heart pressed upon it. Eating heavily worse; small feedings sit better. Relief follows when the pulse steadies and urine becomes free, threading gastric to cardiac to renal, the Saroth. axis [Allen], [Clarke]. [Clinical]

Sense of hepatic weight or right hypochondrial dragging in cardiac dropsy; portal fulness with ankle oedema. Flatus aggravates the sense of oppression but is secondary. As diuresis increases, abdominal fulness lessens. [Clarke], [Hughes]. [Clinical]

Constipation alternating with loose, pale stools in congestive states; haemorrhoids are occasional and reflect passive venous stasis more than an independent field. [Clinical]

Keynote diuresis with relief of dyspnoea and palpitation; urine is at first scant, high-coloured, later copious, pale, with the patient remarking that breathing “comes easier as the water comes” [Hughes], [Clarke]. Urging may be frequent at night in cardiac cases (nocturnal orthopnoea drives them upright and to the vessel). Albumin is not a keynote of Saroth. per se (contrast Apocynum, Digitalis); the relief-mechanism is quantitative flow. [Clinical]

Worse from coffee, tobacco, and alcohol; after a meal; better for small, frequent feedings and cool water in sips. Salt restriction and evening fluid discipline often help oedema in Saroth. cases—adjunctive counsel classical authors recommend alongside prescribing. [Hughes], [Clarke]. [Clinical]

Palpitation in smokers provoked by tobacco, with nausea and faintness—tobacco < being a clear bedside modality for Saroth.-type hearts (compare Tabac., Nux-v.). Sexual sphere otherwise quiet. [Hughes], [Clarke]. [Clinical]

Palpitation during pregnancy, after-pains with faintness, and uterine haemorrhage of atonic type are repeatedly cited; bleeding worse on exertion, better with rest and abdominal binding, reappears if she rises prematurely [Clarke], [Boericke]. In post-partum debility with a weak, irregular pulse, scant urine and ankle swelling, Saroth. is chosen when urination relieves the chest. Differentiate Sabina (bright, clotty, expulsive sacrum→pubes pains) and Secale (dark, thin, painless oozing with coldness). [Comparative]

Between-scapula aching with orthopnoea; lumbar weight from dropsical states; better as the circulation steadies. [Clinical]

Ankle and pedal oedema, legs heavy and pitting in the evening; hands tremble during palpitations; feet cold during faintness, then warm after urine flows. Cramps at night in the calves when the heart is weak. [Clarke], [Hughes]. [Clinical]

Pale, pasty in cardiac dropsy; oedematous ankles; no primary eruption. Cyanotic tinge in nail-beds during attacks; colour returns with diuresis. [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]

• 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.