Ignatia amara

Ignatia amara is prepared from the seeds of Strychnos ignatii, a plant native to the Philippines and parts of Southeast Asia. The seeds are extremely bitter and contain the alkaloids strychnine and brucine. In homeopathy, the seeds are pulverised and prepared through trituration and dilution.

In traditional medicine, the seeds were once used in small doses as a stimulant and remedy for nervous conditions, though the high strychnine content makes them dangerous. It was used similarly to Nux vomica, its botanical cousin. In modern pharmacology, the plant is regarded as toxic and is not used therapeutically outside of homeopathy.

Proved by Samuel Hahnemann in the early 1800s. The proving was detailed in Materia Medica Pura, and the remedy was described extensively by Kent, Allen, and Clarke.

Ignatia acts prominently on the nervous system, particularly the cerebrospinal axis and emotional centres. It is renowned for its profound effect on the mind, especially in situations involving grief, disappointment, emotional repression, and inner conflict. The remedy has marked action on the throat, causing globus hystericus (sensation of a lump), and the digestive tract, producing spasmodic symptoms such as hiccups, cramps, and erratic peristalsis. It also acts on the respiratory system, with spasmodic coughs and sighing respiration, and the female reproductive organs, especially where menses are altered by emotional shock. The whole system is marked by inconsistency, contradiction, and hypersensitivity, particularly to emotions, odours, and touch.

• Lying on the painful side
• Warmth (though some symptoms are relieved by cold)
• Change of position
• Distraction or busying the mind
• Eating, briefly
• Profuse urination (for headaches)
• Deep breathing or sighing

• Grief, emotional disappointment, suppressed emotions [Kent]
• Coffee and stimulants
• Tobacco smoke
• Strong odours
• Noise and light
• Touch (high sensitivity)
• Stooping or bending forward
• After eating
• Morning and open air

• Natrum muriaticum – Also suited to grief, but Nat-m. is more reserved, closed, and bitter. Ignatia weeps easily, though silently, and is more changeable.
• Pulsatilla – Changeable moods, but is more yielding and seeks comfort; Ignatia is more internalised, proud, and independent.
• Phosphoric acid – Grief with collapse, apathy, and fatigue; Ignatia is full of conflict and spasmodic expressions.
• Nux vomica – Also from Loganiaceae, but more irritable and aggressive. Ignatia is sensitive and inward.
• Aurum metallicum – Grief with suicidal thoughts, but deeper and more melancholic; Ignatia is more acute and hysterical.

• Complementary: Natrum mur., Sepia, Pulsatilla
• Antidotes: Camphora, Coffea, Chamomilla
• Inimical: Nux vomica (may antidote Ignatia)
• Follows Well: Aconite, Belladonna
• Precedes Well: Natrum mur.

Ignatia captures the drama of suppressed sorrow—a theatrical inner world behind a stoic or polite mask. The patient suffers acutely, internally, often without external signs. It suits high-strung, sensitive individuals, especially women, artists, intellectuals, or those in emotional crisis. It’s a remedy of contradiction—laughing through tears, hunger with aversion, relief from pressure but intolerance to touch. Its action is fast, expressive, and dynamic.

Indispensable in acute grief or disappointment—loss of a loved one, break-up, death, or failure. Use in acute emotional states and early stages of psychosomatic disorders. Typically given in low or medium potencies (30C–200C) for emotional crises. In chronic cases, alternate with Natrum mur. as layers unfold.

Mind

• Ailments from grief
• Contradictory states, mental
• Sighing, frequent
• Weeping, silent
• Hysteria, emotional

Throat

• Lump, sensation of
• Swallowing, solids easier than liquids
• Spasms, hysterical

Generalities

• Pain, better lying on painful side
• Modalities contradictory
• Hypersensitive to odours, noise
• Sudden onset and change of symptoms

Sleep & Dreams

• Sleeplessness, from grief
• Dreams, vivid, emotional
• Waking, frequent sighing

Extremities

• Twitching, emotional
• Jerking in sleep
• Cramps, calves, night

Samuel Hahnemann – Materia Medica Pura: Original proving with emphasis on emotional, contradictory, and psychosomatic symptoms.
James Kent – Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica: Deep insight into mental-emotional state, especially grief and hysteria.
William Boericke – Pocket Manual: Clinical applications, modalities, and globus hystericus.
John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Description of hysterical manifestations and alternating mental states.
Hering – Guiding Symptoms: Confirmed spasmodic and contradictory expressions in acute grief and emotional trauma.
F. Allen – Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica: Expanded proving data, especially for digestive and respiratory system.