Cina maritima

Latin name: Cina maritima

Short name: Cina

Common name: Wormseed | Levant Wormseed | Artemisia cina | Semen contra | Santonica

Primary miasm: Psoric Secondary miasm(s): Sycotic

Kingdom: Plants

Family: Asteraceae (Compositae)

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Symptomatology
Remedy Information
Differentiation & Application

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Mind

Cina typifies the irritable, touchy, and restless child. A core keynote is crossness and capriciousness—the child cries, demands things, and throws them away when offered [Kent]. There is constant discontent, whining, and striking those around. Children cannot bear to be looked at, touched, or even comforted—this irritability intensifies during worm affections. Another classic symptom is boring the head into the pillow during sleep, due to abdominal irritation. Spasms or convulsions may follow emotional arousal or attempts to pacify. Night terrors, screaming, and abrupt waking are common. Cina is also indicated in children who grind their teeth, are overly sensitive to discipline, and become almost animalistic in their temper. Older individuals may display similar contrariness, lack of responsiveness, or hypochondriasis tied to abdominal symptoms.

Sleep

Sleep is restless, disturbed by jerking, moaning, and fright. Child cries out, grinds teeth, or bores head into pillow. Nightmares, especially of being pursued. Wakes with fright or crying. May sleep with eyes partially open.

Dreams

Frightening dreams with screaming. Dreams of falling or being attacked. Dreams may provoke convulsions on waking. Dreams of insects, animals, or food.

Generalities

Cina is especially adapted to children, particularly those with worm symptoms, twitching, and irritability. Restlessness and hypersensitivity dominate. Symptoms often appear periodically, especially at night. Affections of nervous system—tics, convulsions, spasms—are frequent. Cold limbs with hot face is key general. Cina mirrors the high-strung, hyper-irritable child, whose body and mind are in continual motion.

Fever

Irritative fever with flushed face and cold limbs. Fever follows worm infestation. High fever with convulsions or twitching. Sweat sour-smelling. Alternating heat and chill.

Chill Heat Sweat

Chill with trembling or restlessness. Heat with irritability, twitching. Sweat cold or sour, especially during sleep. May wake drenched.

Head

Headache with sudden heat, especially on vertex or forehead. Sensation as if head would burst. Pain worse from motion or sunlight. Involuntary jerking of head backward or sideways. Head sensitive to touch. Boring of head into pillow, particularly during sleep. Fontanelles may remain open longer in children with Cina indications. Worm complaints may provoke reflex cephalic symptoms.

Eyes

Characteristic blue rings under the eyes—dark, purplish circles indicative of worm irritation or nervous exhaustion [Clarke]. Eyes appear glassy, pupils dilated. Photophobia frequent. Frequent blinking or rubbing of eyes. Strabismus or spasmodic eye movement in nervous children. Eyes red or inflamed from rubbing. Objects may appear too bright or blurred during attacks.

Ears

Twitching or itching of ears. Noises in ears before spasms. Pulling at ears is common in Cina children. Hearing sensitive, may cover ears to block sound. Children may scream when spoken to.

Nose

A key site of action. Constant picking or rubbing of the nose, often until it bleeds—classic worm sign [Boericke, Hering]. Nose dry, or discharges yellowish mucus. Sneezing frequent. Irritated nasal passages during worm attacks. Coryza with restlessness.

Face

Face pale, often with sudden flushing. Heat in face with cold hands and feet. Twitching of facial muscles, especially about the mouth. Lips may appear bluish or dry. Grinding of teeth, clenched jaw during sleep. Face may look anxious or angry. Face contorted during crying fits. Face hot, with general restlessness or screaming.

Mouth

Grinding of teeth during sleep, especially with worm complaints. Tongue clean or slightly coated. Increased salivation. Breath may smell foul. Mouth open during sleep. Gums sore or bleeding. Child bites objects or fingers.

Teeth

Bruxism is a major symptom. Grinding of teeth, both day and night, often loud and audible. Pain in molars during worm episodes. Clenching during convulsions.

Throat

Dryness, with difficulty swallowing. Mucus in throat hard to clear. Scraping sensation. Throat sensitive to touch, and cough may originate from tickling in throat. Worm disturbances may provoke reflex throat irritation.

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Cina maritima is a flowering plant of the Asteraceae family, native to the Middle East and Central Asia. It yields a potent anthelmintic known as santonin, traditionally used to expel intestinal worms, especially in children. In homeopathy, it acts primarily on the nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, and mucous membranes, especially in children with worm complaints and behavioural disturbances.

Employed in herbal and traditional medicine as a powerful vermifuge. Santonin, derived from Cina, was once used pharmaceutically to treat ascaris and pinworms.

Proven by Hahnemann and extensively verified in children. Allen, Hering, and Clarke all contributed key clinical confirmations. The majority of provings and confirmations stem from paediatric contexts.

Nervous system – especially in children: twitching, jerking, spasms
Gastrointestinal tract – worms, ascaris, pinworms
Nose – irritation, itching, bleeding
Sleep – restless, disturbed by dreams and jerking
Mind – irritability, temper tantrums, contrariness
Eyes – blue rings under eyes in children
Face – pale or flushed, with grinding of teeth

Being carried (especially children)
Lying on abdomen
Passing stool or flatus
After vomiting
Cold air (sometimes)
Rocking or motion

Touch (child may scream if approached)
Night, especially before midnight
During sleep
Looking fixedly at objects (triggers convulsions)
Worm infestations
After eating sweets or milk
Heat (can aggravate both skin and mental state)
Pressure on abdomen

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Chamomilla – Also irritable and oversensitive, but with more heat, one cheek red
Antimonium crudum – Wormy children, loves pickles and overeating, sensitive to reprimand
Spigelia – Neuralgia with worm complaints, more cardiac and left-sided symptoms
Santoinum – More specific for worms with fewer mental symptoms
Calcarea carbonica – Flabby, sweaty children, less restless
Hyoscyamus – Spasmodic children with more sexual element, less worm-specific

Complementary: Santoninum, Calcarea, Silicea
Antidotes: Camphora, Nux vomica
Follows well: Aconite, Belladonna
Inimical: Ignatia (in some cases)

The essence of Cina is the discontented, over-sensitive, nervous child, often afflicted with worms or chronic digestive and behavioural disturbances. There is a pronounced disconnect between inner irritation and outer response: the child lashes out, but cannot be soothed. Cina reflects a disturbed balance between the enteric and cerebral systems, with mental unrest arising from intestinal irritation. It captures the archetype of a frazzled nervous system under toxic pressure—the child who writhes, screams, and suffers in mind and belly alike.

Chief remedy for worm infestations in children with restlessness and grinding teeth
Consider for night terrors, head-banging, or biting behaviours
Excellent in spasmodic coughs with abdominal irritation
Children who are worse from touch, even parental comfort
Useful in nervous tics, habitual nose-picking, and abdominal bloating

Mind

Capriciousness, desires things and then rejects them
Irritability, aversion to being touched
Restlessness, especially at night
Screaming during sleep

Abdomen

Pain, bloated, hard
Sensation of something alive
Worms, ascarides
Pain better lying on abdomen

Sleep

Bores head into pillow
Cries out in sleep
Jerking limbs during sleep
Teeth grinding

Extremities

Twitching, spasms
Jerking of limbs
Cold feet with hot face

Skin

Blue rings under eyes
Itching anus
Pale skin
Scratch nose until it bleeds

Samuel Hahnemann – Materia Medica Pura: Original proving symptoms
C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms: Twitching, worm symptoms, mental states
J.T. Kent – Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica: Capriciousness and nervous irritation
William Boericke – Pocket Manual: Summary of worm complaints and mental traits
John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Expanded clinical and sleep symptoms
Allen’s Encyclopaedia: Broad confirmation of generalities and organ affinities

Cina maritima

Mind

Sleep

Dreams

Generalities

Fever

Chill Heat Sweat

Head

Eyes

Ears

Nose

Face

Mouth

Teeth

Throat

Chest

Heart

Respiration

Stomach

Abdomen

Rectum

Urinary

Food

Male

Female

Back

Extremities

Skin

Stay tuned!

Mind

Sleep

Dreams

Generalities

Fever

Chill Heat Sweat

Head

Eyes

Ears

Nose

Face

Mouth

Teeth

Throat

Chest

Heart

Respiration

Stomach

Abdomen

Rectum

Urinary

Food

Male

Female

Back

Extremities

Skin

Stay tuned!

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