Senega

A North American perennial of the Polygalaceae; the root is rich in saponins (historically “senegin”), long used by Indigenous peoples and early eclectic physicians as an expectorant and stimulant to mucous surfaces. Crude-drug effects include increased bronchial secretion, tingling/burning in throat, nausea, and with excess oppression of chest and cough; these lines forecast the homeopathic sphere: tenacious bronchial catarrh, laryngitis of speakers/singers, emphysematous cough of the aged, and hydrothorax with rattling yet hard-to-raise mucus [Hughes], [Clarke], [Hering], [Allen], [Boericke]. Tincture from the dried root.

As a stimulating expectorant in 18th–19th century practice for chronic bronchitis and “winter cough,” occasionally as a sialagogue and emetic in large doses; also used to promote absorption in lingering serous effusions (post-pleuritic) in old-school therapeutics—threads echoed in the remedy’s clinical affinities [Hughes], [Clarke].

Primary data derive from early provers collated by Hering and Allen with substantial clinical confirmations in catarrhal and pleuro-pulmonic states. Constant features: dry tickling then racking cough with much rattling, expectoration scant and tough until long effort loosens it, pressing/burning behind sternum, laryngeal hyperaesthesia with hoarseness/aphonia, must expand chest as if it were too narrow, stitching intercostal pains, dyspnoea on ascending, and a striking usefulness in old people with emphysema or post-influenza residue [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Nash]. [Proving] [Clinical]

• Larynx and voice: Hoarseness to aphonia in speakers/singers; tickling in larynx excites cough; voice fails on reading aloud; rawness and burning relieved after free expectoration. Cross-ref. Throat, Respiration, Sleep. [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Trachea/bronchi (primary): Tough, sticking mucus with much rattling but difficult to raise; patient must hawk often; after effort, relief and freer breathing. Cross-ref. Chest, Cough, Modalities. [Allen], [Boericke], [Nash]
• Lungs/alveoli (aged/emphysematous): Dyspnoea on slight exertion, ascending or talking; sense of chest too narrow, must expand; post-pleuritic adhesions and hydrothorax noted. Cross-ref. Respiration, Generalities. [Clarke], [Hughes]
• Pleura/thoracic walls: Stitching intercostal pains, soreness of chest walls from coughing; pressure and warmth soothe. Cross-ref. Chest, Back. [Hering], [Clarke]
• Eyes (mucous surfaces): Smarting, burning, lachrymation; ciliary irritation and aching on eye-movement in catarrhal states. Cross-ref. Eyes, Head. [Allen], [Hering]
• Naso-pharynx: Dryness then gluey secretion posteriorly; constant urge to clear throat; post-nasal catarrh in cold weather. Cross-ref. Nose, Throat. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Serous cavities/absorption: Traditional note for promoting resolution of lingering effusions (pleural). Cross-ref. Chest, Generalities. [Hughes], [Clarke]

• After expectorating—breathing and voice freer once the tough mucus is brought up. [Allen], [Boericke]
• Warm drinks and warm, moist air; inhaled steam eases laryngeal tickle and chest burning. [Clarke]
• Slow, deliberate expansion of the chest; sitting upright with shoulders back. [Hering], [Clarke]
• Pressure and warmth to the sternum/intercostals during soreness. [Hering]
• Rest from talking; silence in readers/singers. [Boericke]
• Gentle walking in mild weather once expectoration has begun (later stage). [Clinical]
• After sleep if coughing-bouts have yielded mucus in the night. [Allen]

• Cold air, cold winds, or passing from warm to cold rooms—tickling and cough at once. [Boericke], [Clarke]
• Ascending, walking fast, talking, reading aloud, laughing—breath fails, cough rouses. [Hering], [Allen]
• Evening and night on lying, before expectoration loosens—rattling yet little comes. [Clarke]
• Dry rooms, heated stoves/furnaces without humidity—secretion thickens. [Clarke]
• Stooping (mucus gravitates and irritates), then on rising the cough racks. [Hering]
• Sudden exertion or lifting, with stitching pains in intercostals. [Allen]
• Change of weather to cold/damp, especially in the elderly. [Nash]

• Tough bronchial mucus with rattling but difficult expectoration
  • Antimonium tart. — Great oppression and cyanosis, child drowsy, almost no power to raise; Seneg. still can raise after effort and feels compelled to expand chest. [Hering], [Boericke]
  • Ipecacuanha — Paroxysmal cough with nausea and gagging, little rattling; Seneg. less nausea, more tenacity. [Clarke]
  • Kali bichromicum — Stringy, ropy plugs; sinus ulceration; more localized, plug-like expectoration than Seneg.’s general tenacity. [Clarke], [Allen]
  • Stannum — Exhausting cough, voice weakness, soreness in chest; sputum easier once it starts; Seneg. has greater tenacity and cold-air sensitivity. [Hering], [Nash]
  • Phosphorus — Burning in chest, weakness, thirst for cold; less “must expand chest” feeling; expectoration often freer once inflammation sets. [Clarke]
  • Sanguinaria — Burning, right-sided pains, hot flush, periodic headaches; sputum not specially tenacious. [Farrington]
• Aphonia/voice fatigue of speakers and singers
  • Arum triphyllum — Raw, excoriated mouth/nose; incessant picking; voice harsh; less tough chest mucus. [Hering]
  • Causticum — Vocal cord paresis, morning hoarseness, better damp weather; Seneg. is mucus-driven aphonia. [Boericke]
  • Phosphorus — Hoarseness with burning and weakness; likes cold drinks which often worse Seneg. throats. [Clarke]
• Emphysema/old people’s cough; hydrothorax residues
  • Lobelia inflata — Marked air hunger, faintness, nausea; less mucus tenacity. [Hering]
  • Arsenicum — Great restlessness, burning, night asthma, anxiety disproportionate; Seneg. is more mechanical, mucus-led. [Nash]
  • Apis — Serous effusions with stinging and oedema; less cough-tenacity picture. [Clarke]

• Complementary: Stannum—when exhaustion and voice weakness persist after Seneg. has loosened mucus. [Hering], [Nash]
• Complementary: Phosphorus—where burning weakness remains in post-influenza chests after mucus phase. [Clarke]
• Follows well: Ipec. or Acon. at the very onset; Seneg. when tenacity becomes the main obstacle. [Boericke]
• Precedes well: Kali-bi. in cases that resolve into stringy plugs in sinuses/bronchi. [Clarke]
• Compare (absorption/pleural): Bryonia (sharp pleuritic stitches, dry serous states), Sulphur for chronic catarrhal constitutions. [Farrington], [Clarke]
• Antidotes/Avoid: Cold air, dusty speaking rooms; recommend humidified warmth and voice rest while dosing. [Clarke], [Boericke]

A mucus-obstacle remedy for the larynx–trachea–bronchial tree, in which rattling is loud but little comes until long efforts pry loose a tough, viscid mass; then a wash of relief travels from sternum to voice. The patient lives by mechanics: keep out of cold air, sit upright, expand slowly, sip warmth, and be silent until the morning clearance is done. The leading sensations—chest too narrow, burning rawness behind the sternum, tickle on first lying down—anchor the picture. It is a favourite of teachers, preachers, and singers, whose aphonia is mucus-led; and of elderly emphysematous patients who fear stairs not from panic but because the airway is glued. When comparing, ask: does effort eventually succeed, and is relief proportional to the quantity raised? If yes, Seneg. stands before Ant-t., where power fails; before Ipec., where nausea rules; before Kali-bi., where stringiness localises; and alongside Stann. when voice fatigue remains. In pleural histories, its traditional aid to absorption tips the balance when the chest is heavy yet mucous. The remedy’s practice is mundane but golden: humidity, warmth, posture, economy of voice, and steady doses until the airways are free [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes], [Nash].

• Post-influenza or winter bronchitis with tough, scant expectoration and loud rattling: Seneg. 6C–30C every 3–4 hours, reduce as expectoration frees; insist on steam/humidified air, warm drinks, voice rest. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Aphonia of speakers/singers from laryngeal catarrh: Seneg. 6x–6C t.i.d. for a few days; silence, moist warmth, and avoid cold draughts; follow with Stann. if exhaustion persists. [Hering], [Nash]
• Emphysema of the aged with “chest too narrow,” dyspnoea on ascending, and tenacious phlegm: Seneg. 6C–30C once or twice daily; pair with breathing drills (slow expansion) and humidified environment. [Clarke], [Hughes]
• Pleuritic/pleuro-pulmonic residues (hydrothorax tendencies) with catarrh: Seneg. as an absorptive adjunct when the mucus-signature matches; compare Bry./Apis if serous signs dominate. [Hughes], [Clarke]

Throat / Larynx / Voice

• THROAT — TICKLING — larynx — talking — aggravates. — Speech promptly excites cough.
• LARYNX — RAWNESS — burning — behind sternum — cough with. — Central chest–larynx axis.
• VOICE — APHONIA — readers; speakers; singers — catarrhal. — Mucus-led voice loss.

Cough / Respiration / Chest

• COUGH — RATTling — expectoration — difficult — though mucus seems abundant. — Loud rales, scant yield.
• COUGH — LYING DOWN — first on — aggravates; NIGHT — aggravates. — Bedtime bouts before clearance.
• COUGH — COLD AIR — inspiration — aggravates; DRAUGHT — from. — Thermal hair-trigger.
• EXPECTORATION — TOUGH — viscid — hard to raise — better when loosened. — Relief proportional to quantity.
• CHEST — NARROW; sensation — must expand — shoulders thrown back. — “Too tight” chest.
• CHEST — PAIN — stitching — intercostal — coughing — during. — Costal catch of paroxysms.
• RESPIRATION — ASCENDING — aggravates — stairs; on. — Effort dyspnoea, elderly.

Nose / Post-nasal

• NOSE — CATARRH — posterior — thick, tenacious — hawking — necessity for. — Gluey drip fuels cough.
• NOSE — AIR — cold — aggravates — coryza and cough. — Weather link.

Eyes

• EYES — SMARTING — burning — cold wind — aggravates. — Exposed mucosae irritable.
• PAIN — EYES — motion — of eyes — aggravates. — Ciliary ache in catarrhal states.

Generalities / Modalities

• GENERALITIES — COLD AIR — aggravates; WARMTH — moist — ameliorates. — Humidity and heat soothe.
• GENERALITIES — TALKING — aggravates — reading aloud — aggravates. — Voice-use costs breath.
• GENERALITIES — PRESSURE — chest — ameliorates. — Hand or binder comforts soreness.

Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): laryngeal tickle; tough mucus; must expand chest; modalities.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): cough/expectorant picture; intercostal stitches; aphonia; sleep and morning relief.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): emphysema of the aged; hydrothorax residues; voice-worker indications; thermal and voice-use modalities.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1901): rattling with difficult expectoration; cold-air <; warm drinks >; speakers/singers.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870s): saponin expectorant action; absorption of effusions; clinical rationale.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1907): contrasts with Ant-t., Ipec., Stann.; elderly bronchitis notes.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (late 19th c.): comparisons—Sanguinaria, Bryonia, Phosphorus in chest states.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915): modality grid—cold air <, exertion <; after expectoration >.
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1905): catarrhal remedy comparisons and mechanical breathing habits.
Tyler, M. L. — Homoeopathic Drug Pictures (1942): practical portraits—teachers and singers; humidified warmth.
Dunham, C. — Lectures on Materia Medica (1870s): pleuro-pulmonic convalescence; economy of effort.
Phatak, S. R. — Concise Materia Medica (1977): keynotes—tenacious expectoration; chest too narrow; cold air <; warm drinks >.