Ambra grisea
Remedy for nervous, timid, prematurely old persons. Extreme embarrassment and shyness — cannot pass stool or urinate in the presence of others. Nervous cough. Sleeplessness from worry.
Source
Trituration and tincture of ambergris, a morbid secretion from the intestine of the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus).
Available Potencies
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Keynote Symptoms
Extreme bashfulness and embarrassment. Cannot do anything in the presence of others — cannot stool, urinate, or even converse. Premature old age. Nervous spasmodic cough. One-sided complaints. Numbness of skin. Music causes weeping. Sleeplessness from business worries.
Mind & Emotional Symptoms
Extreme shyness and embarrassment. Dwells on unpleasant past events. Dreads meeting people. Music causes weeping. Despair. Asks many questions but does not wait for answers. Jumps from subject to subject in conversation. Memory impaired. Time passes slowly.
General Symptoms
Premature aging with trembling and weakness. One-sided complaints. Numbness of body parts. Nervous disposition. Emaciation. Coldness of body parts. Thinness and nervous exhaustion. Worse from music, from presence of strangers, morning.
Physical Symptoms
Head
Vertigo in elderly persons. Rush of blood to head with music. Hair falls out. Tearing pain in forehead.
Stomach
Distension after eating. Eructations. Heartburn. Nausea after eating.
Rectum
Cannot pass stool in the presence of another person. Constipation. Frequent but ineffectual urging.
Urinary
Cannot urinate if anyone is near. Frequent urination at night.
Respiratory
Nervous, spasmodic cough — hollow, barking — worse from talking or reading aloud. Asthmatic complaints of elderly. Choking when falling asleep.
Female Genitalia
Menses too early, too profuse. Leucorrhea bluish-white. Metrorrhagia between periods.
Extremities
Numbness of arms, fingers. Cramps in hands and fingers. Coldness of extremities.
Sleep & Dreams
Sleeplessness from business worries. Wakes too early. Cannot sleep from anxious thoughts.
Modalities
Better From
Slow motion in open air. Lying on painful part. Cold drinks. After eating.
Worse From
Presence of others. Music. Warmth. Morning. Old age. Lying down.
Constitutional Type
Thin, nervous, prematurely old persons. Shy, bashful temperament. Often found in elderly with trembling and nervous exhaustion. Children who are timid and excitable. Slender build with premature graying.
Clinical Indications
Nervous cough. Shy bladder. Shy bowel. Insomnia in elderly. Premature aging. Asthma of elderly. Bashfulness. Social anxiety. Metrorrhagia.
Comparative Materia Medica
Compare Natrum muriaticum (embarrassment but more from past griefs), Staphysagria (shy, suppressed anger), Baryta carbonica (timid with mental slowness). Ambra grisea is uniquely characterized by inability to function in the presence of others.
Safety Information
Camphor. Coffea. Nux vomica. Pulsatilla. Staphysagria.
Ambergris is non-toxic in material doses. It has been used historically as a fixative in perfumery and as a flavoring. No significant toxicological concerns at any potency.
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