Vespa

Prepared from the venom or triturated body of the European hornet (order Hymenoptera, family Vespidae). Classical toxicology shows rapid capillary dilatation with serous infiltration, burning–stinging pains, oedema (especially of face, lids, and throat), urticaria/erysipelas-like inflammation, and, in severe exposures, renal irritation with haematuria or albuminuria [Hughes], [Clarke], [Allen]. The homeopathic picture mirrors these effects: acute cellulitic swellings that are hot, oedematous, exquisitely sensitive to touch, pruritic eruptions and wheals, oedema of uvula/glottis with suffocative spells, and urinary irritation with burning and blood. The right side of face and head is often emphasised, with puffing and erysipeloid redness [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger]. [Toxicology] [Proving] [Clinical]

The pathogenesis is chiefly toxicologic with small provings and plentiful clinical confirmations: oedematous erysipelas, urticaria with intolerable itching, oedema of uvula and glottis with choking fits, vesiculo-bullous eruptions that burn and sting, and urinary symptoms (albuminuria, haematuria, strangury) after stings [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hering], [Boger]. [Proving] [Toxicology] [Clinical]

Vesp. is the hornet’s signature in human tissues: sudden oedema, wheals, and shining erysipeloid heat with burning–stinging pains that abhor warmth and touch and cease under cold. The portrait expands where mucosae behave like skin: a pendulous, oedematous uvula, glottic narrowing, and throat burning that insists on cold sips; and where renal/vesical mucosa protests with burning urine, frequency, and even albumin/blood after toxic exposure. The right side of face and eye is a recurrent stage for the swelling. The modus operandi is the same from face to fauces to bladder: heat and friction worsen, cold and non-pressure cooling soothe; scratching spreads, gentle cooling contracts. The remedy stands at a three-way junction: with Apis in oedema (yet more throat/urinary and often thirst for cold), with Urtica in urticaria (yet more oedema and laryngeal stake), and with Cantharis in vesical burning (yet craving cold and lacking the constant unbearable urging). Clinically, do the simple things that prove the prescription: strip heat from the patient, air and cool the room, forbid rubbing and pressure, use cold sips and compresses, and choose linen over wool. When this regimen aligns with Vesp., improvement is often swift: the face deflates, the uvula rises, the itch relents without suppression, urine stops scalding, and the patient’s anxiety dissolves with the heat. [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger], [Hughes], [Phatak], [Tyler].

• Skin and cellular tissue (primary): Oedematous, erysipeloid swellings that are hot, burning, stinging, with urticaria and vesicles; touch and warmth aggravate, cold applications relieve. Cross-ref. Skin, Face, Generalities. [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Throat and larynx: Oedema of uvula, fauces, and glottis; suffocative paroxysms, inability to swallow warm drinks, constant need for cold sips; compares with Apis yet more burning and throat-centred. Cross-ref. Throat, Respiration. [Allen], [Clarke]
• Urinary tract (toxic–renal): Burning micturition, frequency, albuminuria or haematuria after stings; cystitis/urethritis patterns with heat-worse and cold-better. Cross-ref. Urinary, Generalities. [Hughes], [Allen], [Boericke]
• Face/eyes: Puffing of eyelids and cheeks, often right-sided, with conjunctival injection and lacrimation; soreness and heat. Cross-ref. Face, Eyes, Fever. [Clarke], [Boger]
• Female genital: Pruritus vulvae with heat and swelling; warmth of bed aggravates, cold ablutions relieve. Cross-ref. Female, Skin, Perspiration. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Glands and lymphatics: Tender nodes in face/neck/axillae during cellulitic attacks. Cross-ref. Face, Back, Generalities. [Hering], [Boger]
• Mouth/uvula: Uvula oedematous, pendulous, burning–stinging; speech and swallowing difficult. Cross-ref. Mouth, Throat. [Allen], [Clarke]
• Nerves/vascular reactivity: Hyper-reactive capillary bed with burning pain, restless aggravation, heat-intolerance; cold brings striking relief. Cross-ref. Generalities. [Hughes], [Boericke]

The Vesp. patient is heat-intolerant and irritable, fretted by the burning and itching that worsen as rooms grow warm [Clarke]. Restlessness is practical, not hysterical: the sufferer shifts to find cooler patches of sheet or seeks the window, yet touch and rubbing aggravate, so movements are cautious [Hering]. Anxiety mounts with throat swelling—a fear of choking that is rational and abates with cold sips and cool air, mirroring the modalities [Allen], [Clarke]. In children with urticaria or oedematous face, peevish crying alternates with relief when a cold cloth is applied; they refuse warm drinks which “sting the throat.” Compared with Apis, which is often thirstless and fidgety-restless, Vesp. exhibits a throat-centred fear and a ready desire for cold to the parts. Compared with Arsenicum, the anxiety lacks the existential terror and the burning is better from cold, not heat [Boericke], [Boger]. Mood lightens rapidly as oedema subsides under cool measures, showing the mental state to be a strict echo of the peripheral reactivity.

Sleep is broken by heat and itching, the patient constantly seeking cooler places in the bed; warmth of bed flushes the surface and rekindles stinging [Clarke]. If the throat is swollen the sufferer sleeps propped and wakes for cold sips; once the skin is cooled or the oedema subsides, sleep deepens.

Of suffocation, of burning, of insects; dreams diminish when cooling measures are instituted and the skin calms.

Vesp. is a heat-intolerant, oedematous-burning remedy: serous infiltration of skin and mucosa with burning–stinging pains, worse heat, touch, rubbing, better cold, cool air, cold sips [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger]. It stands close to Apis, yet speaks with a throat-oedema and urinary accent and a frequent right-facial bias; it is sharper in burning and more insistent for cold. It relates to Cantharis in the bladder (burning), but lacks the constant, intolerable urging; to Urtica urens in urticaria, but carries more oedema and throat; to Arsenicum in burning yet reverses the thermal modality (cold relieves). The management law is plain: cool the patient, avoid pressure and rubbing, give cold sips, eschew heat, and allow the vascular storm to abate in the same direction as the remedy.

Flushes of heat with burning skin and thirst for cold, especially after irritations or excitement; sweat aggravates itching if it remains warm under coverings; cool air allows gentle perspiration that relieves.

Chilliness if exposed after overheating; heat intolerable; sweat non-relieving when warm; relieves when cool and followed by gentle airing.

Headache is congestive with hot face and puffy lids, more right-sided, and worse in heated rooms [Clarke]. The scalp can smart as if scalded; scratching raises wheals and extends the erysipeloid edge. During facial erysipelas the head feels tight, the skin shining and tender, and cold compresses give momentary ease whilst warmth renews burning, directly echoing the general modalities [Hering]. If the uvula and fauces swell, pain shoots to ears and temples, and the patient dreads any warm rinse. Differentially, Belladonna has throbbing, dry heat and a brilliant eye without the wheals and oedema; Rhus-t. has vesicles and restlessness better for motion, whereas Vesp. is motion-indifferent but heat/touch-worse, cold-better [Clarke], [Boger].

Oedematous lids, more often the right, with smarting, lacrimation, and a heavy, burning margin are frequent [Clarke], [Boericke]. Conjunctivae are injected; light is borne, but warm rooms or vapours flush the lids, and cold bathing eases. When erysipelas involves cheek and peri-orbital tissues, the palpebral fissure narrows; gentle cooling reduces tension; rubbing inflames the part and provokes new wheals.

Fullness and burning of pinnae with facial flush; parotid and pre-auricular tissues may share the oedematous belt in right-sided attacks. Noise is not a keynote unless heat or excitement is also present.

Itching within the nostrils with red, swollen tip; sneezing in warm rooms; the alae may puff and redden. The urge to rub the nose aggravates wheals and soreness; a cool cloth calms the tickle.

A classic field: oedematous puffing of cheeks and eyelids (often right), shining erysipeloid redness, burning and stinging on the lightest touch, and rapid spread with heat or friction [Clarke], [Hering]. The skin may weep or show small vesicles on the reddened base. Patients crave cold and cannot bear any warm covering; once cooled, the features soften and the stinging abates.

Mucosa is hot; the uvula hangs oedematous and burning, touching the tongue and provoking gagging [Allen]. The tongue may feel scalded after warm drinks. Cold water in small sips relieves rawness; warm fluids sting. Salivation is not marked unless the throat is highly inflamed.

Teeth/jaws are secondarily sore from clenching against itching or throat pain; no guiding dental peculiarities beyond heat-flush provocation of gingival itching in some.

A central sphere: oedema of uvula and fauces with burning–stinging, tightness, choking on warm fluids, and a sense of glottic narrowing [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke]. Cold sips and cold compresses to neck relieve; warmth and exertion worsen. Compared with Apis (paler oedema, more thirstlessness), Vesp. feels hotter, more burning, and asks insistently for cold, with frequent right-sided facial association. Lachesis has dusky, purplish swelling worse after sleep and cannot bear collars; Vesp. is less congestive-dusky and more oedematous-burning with urticaria neighbours.

Oppression from glottic/uvular oedema; short, shallow breaths until cold air and sips ease. Intercostal tissues may smart on touch in erysipeloid spreads. There is no fixed bronchial exudation pattern; the obstruction is oedematous.

Palpitation follows heat and anxiety of choking; pulse soft, quick in flushes. Settles as the surface cools and oedema recedes.

Suffocative paroxysms from laryngeal/uvular swelling; voice thick; warm air uncomfortable; cool air craved. Fear focuses on “not getting air in”; relief when cold reaches the throat confirms the remedy choice [Allen], [Clarke].

Warm food and drinks sting the oesophagus and stomach in inflamed states; nausea is reactive to heat. Craving is for cold water in sips, which soothes and does not provoke cough. Appetite sinks during skin/urinary aggravations.

Cutaneous wheals about waist and lower trunk itch furiously in bed; scratching enlarges them. Heat of flannel next the skin is intolerable; linen and cool air are preferred.

Pruritus ani with heat-worse and cold-better parallels vulvar states; scratching excoriates. No specific haemorrhoidal signature beyond congestion in heated rooms.

Burning and frequency; scalding urine; reports of albumin or blood after stings support a renal irritant action [Hughes], [Allen]. Tenesmus may follow small, hot, scalding discharges; cold drinks and rest ease. Contrast Cantharis (intolerable vesical tenesmus, constant urging, cutting before/during/after, often worse cold) and Apis (oedematous kidneys with scanty urine, thirstlessness); Vesp. lies between, with burning, heat-worse yet cold-better, often accompanied by urticaria.

Aversion to warm drinks (they sting); desire for cold water in sips that soothe. Spices/alcohol heat the surface and are badly borne in active phases.

Scrotal oedema and itching in hot weather; cold ablutions give relief. Sexual excitement heats the skin and may rekindle pruritus.

Pruritus vulvae with oedema and burning, worse warmth of bed, better cold bathing and air; sometimes linked to uterine or bladder irritation [Clarke], [Boericke]. Menses may heighten skin reactivity; warm napkins are intolerable; cool pads soothe.

Hot pruritic plaques appear beneath tight, warm garments; removing woollens and applying cold settles both itch and burning. Cervical nodes may be tender in facial erysipelas.

Wheals and oedematous patches at points of pressure (stocking tops, garters) sting and burn; cold soothes; rubbing aggravates and enlarges rings. Hands puff in heat; rings feel tight.

Signature terrain: urticaria, oedematous erysipelas, vesiculo-bullous patches that burn, sting, and itch intolerably, worse warmth, worse touch/scratching, better cold, with a tendency to right-sided facial involvement [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger]. The surface may weep serum; linen sticks if the part is warmed and dries if the room is cooled. Suppressing sweat or an eruption often forces irritability inwards (throat/urinary), a practical cross-link.

• Oedematous, burning skin conditions
  • Apis — Oedema with stinging, thirstlessness, and marked right-sidedness; better cold. Vesp.: similar, but throat/uvular oedema and urinary burning/albuminuria stand out; burning often felt hotter, insists on cold sips. [Clarke], [Boericke]
  • Urtica urens — Urticaria after shell-fish, heat, exertion; less deep oedema of throat/face. Vesp.: throat oedema and vesicular–erysipeloid spread. [Boger], [Boericke]
  • Rhus toxicodendron — Vesicles, erysipelas with restlessness better motion, stiffness. Vesp.: motion not amel.; touch/heat sharply worse; cold craved. [Clarke], [Boger]
  • Belladonna — Bright, dry heat, throbbing, hyperaesthesia; oedema less and urticaria absent. Vesp.: oedematous, whealing, cold-better. [Clarke]
• Throat/laryngeal oedema
  • Lachesis — Dusky purple swelling, worse after sleep, cannot bear collars; left bias. Vesp.: less dusky, more burning–oedematous, right facial bias, cold sips imperative. [Allen], [Clarke]
  • Kali bichromicum — Ropy exudate, deep ulceration with punched-out edges. Vesp.: mucosal oedema predominates. [Clarke]
• Urinary burning / post-toxic renal irritation
  • Cantharis — Cutting pains before, during, after micturition; constant urging; haematuria. Vesp.: burning with heat-worse/cold-better, often amid urticaria; urging less desperate. [Allen], [Boger]
  • Apis — Renal oedema, scanty urine; thirstlessness. Vesp.: burning urine, albumin/blood after stings, desire for cold. [Hughes], [Clarke]
• Erysipelas / cellulitis
  • Tarentula cubensis — Bluish, indurated carbuncles with agonising burning; sepsis tendency. Vesp.: oedematous, shining, whealing surface, heat-worse, cold-better, right face. [Boger], [Clarke]
  • Arsenicum album — Burning better heat, restlessness, great anxiety. Vesp.: burning better cold, less mental anguish. [Boericke]

• Complementary: Apis—kindred serous oedema and urticaria; Vesp. when throat/urinary burning is more pronounced; Apis when thirstlessness and renal scantiness predominate. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Complementary: Urtica urens—alternates in urticaria; Urtica for dietary/fume triggers; Vesp. when throat oedema or right-face erysipelas is added. [Boger]
• Follows well: Acon. at the onset of vascular storm; Vesp. as oedema localises with burning–stinging. [Farrington], [Clarke]
• Precedes well: Cantharis if bladder tenesmus becomes predominant; Lachesis if dusky, purplish throat sepsis ensues. [Allen], [Boger]
• Related (Hymenoptera): Apis, Vespa maculata/Vespula—allergic, oedematous states; Vesp. crabro noted for throat and urinary tilt. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Antidotal tendencies (clinical): Cold applications, vinegar/alkaline lotions locally; homeopathically Apis/Urtica often antidote insect-sting complexes allied to Vesp. [Hughes], [Boericke]

• Right-sided facial erysipelas/urticaria, burning–stinging, touch/heat-worse, cold-better: Vesp. 6C–30C every 2–4 hours acutely; insist on cool air, cold compresses, no rubbing. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Oedematous uvula/glottis with choking, warm drinks sting, cold sips soothe: Vesp. 30C promptly; seat upright, give frequent cold sips; compare Apis, Lachesis. [Allen], [Clarke]
• Post-sting urinary irritation (burning urine, albumin/blood) with concurrent urticaria: Vesp. 6C–30C; generous cold water, rest, cool; compare Cantharis if urging is extreme. [Hughes], [Allen]
• Pruritus vulvae, warmth-worse, cold-better: Vesp. 6C–12C with cool ablutions and light, breathable garments; avoid occlusive heat. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Children with heat-rash/urticaria at night in warm rooms: Vesp. 6C at bedtime; cool bedroom, linen next to skin; discourage scratching. [Clarke]

Face / Eyes

• FACE — OEDEMA — cheeks — right — heat aggravates — cold applications ameliorate.
• EYES — LIDS — OEDEMA — burning — touch aggravates — cold bathing ameliorates.
• FACE — ERYSIPELAS — shining — burning — right side — warmth aggravates.

Throat / Mouth

• UVULA — OEDEMA — pendulous — burning — warm drinks aggravate — cold drinks ameliorate.
• THROAT — OEDEMA — glottis — suffocation — cold air ameliorates.
• MOUTH — HEAT — burning — like scalded — warm drinks aggravate.

Skin

• SKIN — URTICARIA — heat of bed aggravates — cold applications ameliorate.
• SKIN — ERUPTIONS — vesicular — burning — touch aggravates.
• SKIN — ITCHING — scratching aggravates — spreads; cool air ameliorates.

Urinary

• URINE — ALBUMIN — after stings/poisons — transient.
• URINE — BLOOD — with burning micturition — heat aggravates — cold drinks ameliorate.
• BLADDER — TENESMUS — burning — not constant — urticaria concomitant.

Generalities

• GENERALITIES — HEAT — aggravates; WARM ROOM — aggravates; COLD — applications — ameliorate.
• GENERALITIES — TOUCH — aggravates; PRESSURE — aggravates.
• GENERALITIES — INSECT STINGS — effects of — hornet/wasp.

Female

• GENITALIA — PRURITUS VULVAE — warmth of bed — aggravates — cold bathing — ameliorates.

Sleep

• SLEEP — DISTURBED — itching — heat of bed — from — seeks cool places in bed.

Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): oedematous erysipelas; urticaria; heat-worse, cold-better; throat swelling.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): toxicology of stings; uvular/glottic oedema; urinary irritation with albumin/blood.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): right-sided facial swelling; modalities; pruritus vulvae; differentials with Apis, Canth., Lach.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1901): keynotes—burning–stinging, cold-better; urticaria; throat oedema; urinary sphere.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915): modality grid—heat/touch-worse; cold-better; relationships (Apis, Urt-u., Canth.).
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870s): venom background; serous infiltration; renal irritant notes after stings.
Phatak, S. R. — Concise Materia Medica (1977): confirmatory keynotes—urticaria, oedema, burning better cold; urinary burning.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (late 19th c.): comparisons across Hymenoptera; throat vs skin emphases.
Tyler, M. L. — Homoeopathic Drug Pictures (1942): bedside portrait—cooling regimen, linen over wool, cold sips.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1907): terse pointers—oedema with burning; heat-worse; Apis differential.
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1901): urticaria and erysipelas therapeutics; regimen to match modalities.
Morrison, R. — Desktop Guide to Keynotes & Confirmatory Symptoms (late 20th c.): confirmatory notes—right facial oedema; urinary burning; cold-better pattern.
Shore, J. — Portraits of Homoeopathic Medicines (20th c.): modern skin/allergy cases fitted by Vesp.
Vithoulkas, G. — Essence of Materia Medica (late 20th c.): essence—heat-intolerant, burning-stinging, oedematous type.