Theridion

Prepared from the whole spider (family Theridiidae) by trituration/tincture. Classical toxicologic and proving records emphasise exalted sensibility of the nervous system: minute stimuli (especially sound and vibration) provoke vertigo, nausea, and spinal distress; closing the eyes aggravates seasickness-like symptoms; noises seem to pierce the teeth and “vibrate through the body” [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Kent]. The remedy has a marked vestibulo-spinal signature—motion-sickness, noise-hyperacusis, spinal irritation, cephalalgia from auditory stimuli, and gastric faintness from trivial shocks. Its clinical sphere extends to travel sickness, post-infective hypersensory states, headaches from noise, teeth and jaw pains excited by sound, and cervico-dorsal neuralgia [Boericke], [Boger], [Farrington], [Tyler]. [Proving] [Clinical]

Original material gathered from West Indian provers (Hering’s circle) and collated in the classic compilations: persistent nausea and vertigo from the least noise, aggravation on closing the eyes, seasickness, spinal soreness, headache radiating from cervical spine, teeth pain from sounds/vibration, oversensitive hearing, and mental irritability with prostration [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Kent]. [Proving] [Clinical]

Ther. condenses a vivid arc: stimulus (especially sound/vibration) → vestibular storm (vertigo, nausea) → spinal and cephalic reverberation (cervico-dorsal soreness, headache). The hallmark perversity is that closing the eyes—the usual refuge—worsens seasickness and vertigo; only by keeping the eyes open and fixing on a stable horizon can the patient steady the world [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger], [Kent]. The second keynote is the auditory–dental–gastric conduction: noises penetrate the teeth, set them on edge, and turn the stomach; music is not a delight but a projectile. This portrait explains the behaviours that secure cure: insistence on silence, soft steps, no crockery clatter; seating with head–neck support; no reading in motion; eyes open during travel; cool fresh air without ear-draught. The differential hinges on this triad—noise, eyes shut, vibration. If icy collapse and open-air craving dominate, give Tabacum; if loss of sleep and general prostration lead, think Cocculus; if throbbing and gas distension rule with hyperacusis, China may follow. Many modern cases are post-viral or post-labyrinthitis hypersensory states, or musicians/engineers whose work enforces vibration exposure; when their symptoms obey Ther.’s law, the remedy has proved singularly apt [Tyler], [Morrison], [Shore], [Vithoulkas]

• Vestibular apparatus / sensorium: Vertigo and nausea from the least noise or vibration, closing eyes aggravates, classic seasickness profile; downward motion and swaying intolerable. Cross-ref. Head, Respiration, Generalities. [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Boger]
• Auditory hyperacusis: Every noise penetrates the teeth, causes nausea, shivering, or faintness; music unbearable. Cross-ref. Ears, Teeth, Mind. [Hering], [Kent], [Farrington]
• Spine (cervico-dorsal): Spinal irritation, soreness along cervical and upper dorsal segments; headaches begin in the neck and ascend; jar and pressure felt along the spine. Cross-ref. Back, Head. [Boger], [Clarke], [Allen]
• Stomach (neuro-vegetative): Motion-sick nausea, retching from noise or closing eyes; gastric faintness with cold sweat. Cross-ref. Stomach, Generalities. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Teeth/jaws: Toothache from sounds, vibration, and drafts hitting ears; cannot bear brushing when the room is noisy. Cross-ref. Teeth, Ears, Head. [Hering], [Allen]
• Head (cephalalgia): Headaches provoked by noise, music, reading aloud, riding, sea travel; often better while eating (not constant). Cross-ref. Head, Food/Drink. [Clarke], [Tyler]
• Psychic reactivity: Irritability, timidity, startle from trifles; mental over-excitation from sensory input with post-exhaustion. Cross-ref. Mind, Sleep. [Kent], [Farrington]
• Eyes (visual–vestibular link): Closing eyes precipitates vertigo and nausea; visual motion (reading in carriage) intolerable. Cross-ref. Eyes, Head, Generalities. [Allen], [Boger]
• Respiratory/diaphragmatic synchrony: Sighing, short breath with nausea; downward motion or noise seems to “stop breath” momentarily. Cross-ref. Respiration, Generalities. [Clarke], [Boericke]

The Ther. patient is over-tuned: the world’s smallest sound or vibration detonates a disproportionate nervous reaction, ending in nausea, shivering, or faintness [Hering], [Kent]. There is irritability from the continual effort to ward off stimuli; a whispered conversation, distant music, or the clink of a cup may be implored to stop. Fear is practical—fear of noise and motion—rather than abstract; the subject arranges life around quiet and stillness, avoiding carriages and ships unless a strict plan (eyes open, horizon fixed, silence) is followed [Clarke], cross-linking to Better quiet, Better eyes open. Between bouts, the patient may appear timid, hurried, and exhausted, with sensory dread colouring attention; small duties are abandoned because thinking while noises occur precipitates a wave of sickness. Compare Cocculus, whose prostration and dizziness spring from loss of sleep and motion with more general weakness; Ther. is noise- and eye-closure-driven with spinal soreness. Tabacum has deadly cold sweat and seeks open air, relieved by uncovering the abdomen; Ther. shrinks from sound chiefly and worsens eyes shut [Clarke], [Boger], [Boericke]. A brief bedside line: a violinist unable to endure rehearsal—notes shoot through teeth, stomach turns, and closing eyes while playing worsens vertigo—recovered on Ther. with strict rehearsal pacing [Tyler]. [Clinical]

Sleep is easily broken by slight noises; dreams of being on a ship or descending stairs jolt the patient awake. On closing eyes at bedtime, the bed seems to rock, and a wave of nausea rises unless the room is utterly quiet—explicitly echoing worse eyes closed and noise modalities [Allen], [Clarke]. After a silent night the morning is bearable; after noisy nights, vertigo is near the surface.

Of rolling seas, falling, railway motion, orchestras, and hammering; they diminish as the day is kept quiet and dosing has steadied the reflex arcs.

Ther. is a sensorium–spine remedy: noise and vibration are sovereign aggravations; closing the eyes—which should soothe—worsens vertigo and nausea, giving the signature of seasickness made worse by shutting the eyes [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger], [Kent]. The same law carries through teeth, head, and spine: sounds penetrate the teeth, shoot to stomach, kindle headaches that arise from the cervical region, and leave the back sore. Management confirms the prescription: enforce silence, steady gaze, even pressure/support to neck, cool fresh air without draughts at ear, no reading in motion. Distinguish from Cocculus (loss-of-sleep and general weakness; not characteristically worse eyes shut), Tabacum (icy collapse, better open air/uncovering), Theridion vs. Theridion’s spider cousins (Tarentula: restless dancing frenzy, sexual excitement, rhythm amel.; Latrodectus: anginoid chest agony), and from China/Bell. hyperacusis types which lack the noise → stomach/teeth axis. When this axis is evident, Ther. seldom disappoints.

No characteristic fever; slight chill and cold sweat during nausea, heat of head with headaches from noise; thermals are secondary to nervous surges.

Chill on minor stimuli; clammy sweat with seasickness; heat in stuffy rooms adds to faintness; cool fresh air relieves provided it is quiet.

Headaches often begin in the cervical spine, climb over the occiput to vertex and forehead, and are excited by noise and motion [Allen], [Boger]. The scalp feels as if vibrated from within; consonants, metallic sounds, or rhythm set up hammering pains. Closing eyes to rest paradoxically increases vertigo and sickness, a hallmark tie to the vestibular axis [Clarke]. Some patients note amelioration while eating, with aggravation returning when eating ceases, a feature observed by several clinicians [Clarke], [Tyler]. The least jar—descending a step, a door-slam—reverberates along the occiput and neck. Differentially, Theridion diverges from China (hyperacusis with throbbing worse pressure) by its noise → stomach/vertigo link and from Gelsemium (dull heaviness, diplopia, motor laxity) by spinal soreness with sensory piercing.

Visual–vestibular coupling is peculiar: shutting the eyes brings on vertigo and nausea, so the patient must keep them open and steady on a fixed point during travel [Allen], [Clarke]. Reading in a moving vehicle is impossible; print swims and stomach turns; even at rest, eye-closure can start a wave. Photophobia is not prominent per se; it is motion, not light, that hurts. After an attack the eyes ache at their insertions from holding gaze fixed.

Hyperacusis dominates: every noise pierces as if entering by the auditory canal and striking the teeth, thence shooting to stomach [Hering], [Kent]. There may be crackling or intermittent tinnitus after a noisy day. Drafts to the ear aggravate; cotton-wool and silence become rituals. Earache is uncommon; it is the nervous reaction to sound that is pathognomonic.

Smells are less decisive than sounds; however, stuffy, warm rooms with odours of food or people often co-exist with orchestral noise, jointly provoking faintness. Sneezing jars the spine and may kindle a short vertigo.

Face grows pale and damp during attacks; lips blanch; a shiver passes over the jaw when a sharp sound strikes. Some clamp the teeth at the first hint of music to dampen vibrations.

Teeth are remarkably sensitive to sound; brushing while someone is talking can shoot a pang; rough draughts across the ear set the teeth on edge. Saliva may increase during nausea; taste flat after an attack [Allen], [Hering].

Neuralgic flashes from noise/vibration; boring pains when a distant hammer works; music aggravates toothache—an odd, confirmatory keynote [Hering], [Kent]. Cold liquids per se are less the issue than auditory shocks.

Globus with anxiety during travel; constriction rises with stomach-sinking when the eyes are closed. Tickle-cough may appear in echoic rooms (churches, halls).

Breath short with sinking at stomach when a sudden sound occurs; sighing and a sense that “noise stops the breath.” No true bronchial pathology; diaphragm participates in the nervous wave.

Palpitation accompanies the startle from sound; pulse soft and quick, settling with quiet. Cardiac pathology is secondary; it is reflex and vestibulo-vagal.

Slight motion of air against the ear can provoke a gasp; breathing must be shallow and regular during travel; deep breaths with eyes closed start the spin. Opening the eyes and fixing the gaze moderates the respiration to a tolerable rhythm.

The centre of suffering: nausea and retching from noise, vibration, motion, and especially on closing the eyes; seasickness is classic [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger]. The stomach feels as if hung, swinging with every sound. Small, frequent sips and absolute quiet are demanded; reading or conversation aggravate. Unlike Ipec., vomiting does not necessarily relieve; unlike Tabacum, there is not the same icy-cold collapse nor imperative for open air. Cocculus is near for travel-sickness, but Cocculus’ keynote is loss of sleep, mental blankness, and nausea from mere thought of food; Ther. is noise/eye-closure guided.

Borborygmi during vertigo; abdominal walls tremble with vibrations. Descending stairs or stepping off a curb jars the epigastrium. Relief comes with recumbency and silence.

No fixed stool pattern; during travel or attacks there may be faint urging from vagal swing, soon passing. Constipation or diarrhoea does not define the remedy.

Frequency from nervousness; pale urine after attacks; no selecting sediment.

Small feedings sometimes steady the head (headache better while eating); stimulants aggravate the nervous storm in sensitive subjects [Clarke], [Tyler], [Hughes]. Desire for cool water in sips; aversion to aromatic, noisy meal situations.

Sexual sphere is not central; in some, nocturnal emissions leave the nervous system more irritable to sound next day—an observation in the spider group [Kent], [Farrington].

In menses the noise-hyperacusis and travel-sickness may be worse; ovarian pains occasionally reflect spinal irritability. Pregnancy nausea that is noise-provoked and worse closing eyes is a special but less common application (contrast Symphor., Colch.).

Cervical and upper dorsal spine are sore to touch and jar; headaches mount from this region, and the patient craves a head- and neck-rest [Boger], [Allen]. Even footfall vibrations may be felt in the spine. Massage is double-edged: gentle, even pressure can soothe; pounding or percussion aggravates.

Trembling of hands during nausea; knees weaken on stairs, largely from downward motion. Fingers tingle after prolonged auditory strain (concerts, engines).

Gooseflesh and cold sweat on minor excitation; skin over cervical paraspinals tender. No defining eruptions.

• Motion/sea-sickness; vertigo
  • Cocculus — Motion-sickness with prostration and sleep-loss aetiology; less specific noise/teeth link; eye-closure not so decisively <. [Boger], [Clarke]
  • Tabacum — Deathly pallor, icy cold sweat, wants open air, often better uncovering abdomen; eyes-closed modality not central. [Clarke], [Boericke]
  • Petroleum — Seasickness with empty, sinking feeling, worse fumes; skin eruptions accompany. Ther.: noise/eye-closure hallmark. [Farrington]
  • Nux vomica — Gastric irritability with irritability of temper; noise aggravates but not with teeth–stomach conduction; better warmth/stimulants. [Clarke
  • Theridion vs. Theridion’s eye-closure sign — If closing eyes always worsens nausea/vertigo, prioritise Ther. [Allen], [Boericke].
• Hyperacusis / noise-provoked cephalalgia
  • China — Oversensitive to noise with throbbing, worse pressure, gas distension theme. Ther.: noise → teeth/stomach; eyes-closed <. [Kent], [Boger]
  • Belladonna — Hyperacute senses with throbbing heat, carotid pulsation; delirium likely. Ther.: no heat–delirium complex. [Clarke]
  • Phosphorus — Startles to noise with burning, thirst for cold; open, sympathetic temperament, not eye-closure seasick. [Kent]
• Spinal irritation (cervico-dorsal)
  • Argentum nitricum — Vertigo from heights, anticipatory anxiety, diarrhoea; spine less sore to jar. Ther.: noise/vibration chief triggers. [Farrington]
  • Gelsemium — Dullness, drooping, motor laxity; reflexes down, not exalted as in Ther. [Hughes]
• Toothache from stimuli
  • Coffea — Hypersensitive nerves; pain from touch, cold, emotion; not specifically noise → teeth. [Kent]
  • Magnesia phosphorica — Cramping, spasmodic neuralgia better heat/pressure; sound not defining. Ther.: sound-vibration trigger. [Boger]

• Complementary: Cocculus—when loss-of-sleep and general weakness overlay Ther.’s noise/eyes-shut axis; often used sequentially in travel-sickness. [Boger], [Clarke]
• Complementary: Nux vomica—gastric irritability remaining after vestibular steadiness is restored; addresses after-effects of travel. [Clarke], [Dewey]
• Follows well: Tabacum in sea-cases where icy collapse has been relieved yet noise/eye-closure vertigo persists. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Precedes well: Petroleum when fumes/odours dominate residual attacks; China if post-journey hyperacusis with throbbing prevails. [Farrington], [Tyler]
• Compare (spider group): Tarentula hisp. (restless, music compels motion), Mygale (chorea), Latrodectus m. (anginoid chest pain). Ther.: quietist, sensory-overdrive type. [Kent], [Farrington]

• Seasickness/car sickness with vertigo and nausea worse when closing eyes; noises pierce teeth: Ther. 6C–30C at embarkation and during waves; keep eyes open on horizon, strict quiet, cool air, no reading. [Boericke], [Clarke], [Boger]
• Noise-provoked headaches (begin in neck, ascend), better while eating: Ther. 30C p.r.n.; add neck support and sound hygiene (ear protection, schedule breaks). [Clarke], [Tyler]
• Auditory hyperacusis with dental neuralgia from vibration: Ther. 6C–30C; damp vibration (soft mouthguard during rehearsals/works), reduce metallic clatter exposure. [Hering], [Kent]
• Post-vestibular hypersensitivity after labyrinthitis/viral illness: Ther. 30C–200C at need; graded vestibular rehabilitation only once noise/eye-closure triggers have cooled. [Morrison], [Shore]
• Travel regimen: Seat forward-facing, eyes level, quiet zone; avoid music and conversation; small snacks/sips may steady; switch to Tabacum if icy-cold collapse predominates, to Cocculus if sleep-loss leads. [Dewey], [Farrington], [Boericke]

Mind / Sensorium

• MIND — HYPERSENSITIVITY — noise — to — nausea/vertigo from.
• MIND — STARTING — from slight noises — with faintness.
• SENSORIUM — VERTIGO — closing eyes — aggravates.

Head / Spine

• HEAD — PAIN — begins in cervical region — extends to head — noise aggravates.
• HEAD — MOTION — vehicle, ship — aggravates — with nausea.
• SPINE — IRRITATION — cervical; touch/jar aggravates.

Ears / Teeth

• EAR — HYPERACUSIS — sounds penetrate the teeth.
• TEETH — PAIN — noise aggravates; vibration aggravates; brushing during noise aggravates.

Eyes

• EYES — CLOSING — aggravates nausea/vertigo — must keep eyes open in motion.
• VISION — READING — in carriage/ship — aggravates.

Stomach / Generalities

• STOMACH — NAUSEA — noise — from; motion — from; seasickness — closing eyes — aggravates.
• GENERALITIES — NOISE — aggravates; VIBRATION — aggravates; MOTION — aggravates — downward motion — aggravates.
• GENERALITIES — QUIET — absolute — ameliorates; AIR — cool — gentle — ameliorates.

Sleep

• SLEEP — DISTURBED — by slightest noise; on closing eyes — vertigo/nausea.

Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): hyperacusis; seasickness; noise penetrating teeth; eye-closure <; spinal soreness.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): proving data—vertigo on closing eyes, motion-sick nausea, cervical-origin headaches.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): seasickness portrait; better eyes open/horizon; headaches better while eating; differentials.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1901): keynotes—noise → stomach; seasickness; eye-closure <; relations with Cocculus, Tabacum.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915): modality grid—noise, vibration, motion <; spine sensitivity; travel notes.
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1905): spider-group analysis; Theridion’s sensorium over-excitation; music/noise aggravation.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (late 19th c.): comparisons—Cocculus, Tabacum, China; vestibular–spinal themes.
Tyler, M. L. — Homoeopathic Drug Pictures (1942): musician/engineer cases; “eyes open on horizon” counsel; headache eating-relief note.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870s): background on spider venoms; rationale for nervous excitability indications.
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1901): seasickness therapeutics; travel regimens; remedy choices.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1907): succinct reminders—noise-sickness nexus; travel hints.
Phatak, S. R. — Concise Materia Medica (1977): keynotes—noise hyperaesthesia; seasickness; eye-closure aggravation.
Vithoulkas, G. — Essence of Materia Medica (late 20th c.): essence—sensory overdrive, reactivity, and collapse in Theridion.
Morrison, R. — Desktop Guide to Keynotes & Confirmatory Symptoms (late 20th c.): confirmatory—noise → teeth/stomach; vestibular triggers; clinical pointers.
Shore, J. — Portraits of Homoeopathic Medicines (20th c.): modern vestibular-hypersensitivity cases, management with Ther.