Filix mas
Remedy of tapeworm and intestinal parasites. Gnawing, boring abdominal pains. Worm colic. Bloated abdomen with offensive flatus. Constipation alternating with diarrhea. Visual disturbances — blindness from fern poisoning.
Source
Prepared from the rhizome of Dryopteris filix-mas (Polypodiaceae).
Available Potencies
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Keynote Symptoms
Tapeworm remedy — the traditional anthelmintic. Gnawing, boring pains in abdomen from worms. Abdominal bloating. Ravenous appetite or complete loss of appetite. Worm colic. Visual disturbances — optic neuritis, blindness (from crude-dose poisoning). Constipation with ineffectual urging. Diarrhea with worm segments.
Mind & Emotional Symptoms
Dull, heavy. Apathetic.
General Symptoms
Intestinal parasites. Worse from eating, morning, touch. Better from rest.
Physical Symptoms
Abdomen
Gnawing, boring pains — worm colic. Bloated, distended. Tenderness. Rumbling.
Rectum
Constipation with ineffectual urging. Diarrhea with worm segments. Itching anus. Tapeworm passed.
Eyes
Visual disturbance — dimness, amblyopia, optic neuritis. In crude-dose poisoning: blindness.
Stomach
Ravenous hunger or total loss of appetite. Nausea. Hiccough. Offensive breath.
Modalities
Better From
Rest, lying down
Worse From
Eating, morning, touch, sweets
Constitutional Type
Not constitutional. Specific anthelmintic — used for tapeworm.
Clinical Indications
Tapeworm, intestinal parasites, worm colic, optic neuritis (from vermifuge poisoning)
Comparative Materia Medica
Cina has worms but with more irritability and nose-picking (roundworms). Santoninum is specific for roundworms. Teucrium has pinworms. Granatum has tapeworm with nausea.
Safety Information
Not well established.
Male fern extract (aspidium) is a powerful but toxic anthelmintic. Can cause optic atrophy, blindness, liver damage, convulsions, death. Banned in many countries as a crude drug. Use ONLY potentised forms.
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