Larrea tridentata

Larrea tridentata Proving Summary

For more details please see the complete Monograph. The complete proving is also Published in The Desert World: A Homeopath Exploration.

Choosing the Remedy

This plant has been used for millennia as the Native American “drugstore” of the desert. It has many well described medicinal properties. It is one of the hardiest of plants and most typifies North American Deserts. In addition, it is the oldest living thing, displaying great hardiness and tenacity in survival.

The proving symptoms from this plant were unusually strong and clear. Perhaps this is because it is a plant that has been utilized for millennia in the treatment of a great variety of medical conditions and is the single most utilized medicinal plant in the Sonoran Desert. Usages have included the treatment of colds, chest infections with lung congestion, coughs (antitussive), intestinal problems, stomach cramps associated with delayed menstruation, tuberculosis, cancer, dissolving kidney stones, fungicide, nausea, wounds (leaves were chewed and placed on the wound), poisoning by poisonous animals (snake, spider or scorpion), swollen limbs due to poor circulation, dandruff, body odor, distemper and post nasal drip. Of all these uses, its properties in helping with stiff limbs and arthritis of the elderly is perhaps most well known.. Symptoms of most of these conditions were found throughout the proving.

General Themes

Water/Drinking/Thirst
Dryness
Swelling/Discharge
Lack of Boundaries/Codependency
Quitting and Getting On With My Life
Trees/Wood
Young Children/Infancy/Womb
Horses
Houses/Building Homes/Packing
Old/Ancient/People from the Past
Drugs/Drug Sensation
Feet
Blood
Famous People

Zygophylaceae Themes

Larrea tridentata is a member of the Zygophylaceae plant family. Little is known homeopathically about this family of plants (see CD). Many of these plants are well adapted to dry climates. Of note, is the strong tendency toward arthritis and catarrhal discharges in this family. Of special interest is the feeling in Guaiacum of being oppressed and not allowed to grow coupled with the feeling of everything appearing narrow-symptoms found in the Larrea proving. Peganum harmala is well described in the literature as being effective in the treatment of alcoholism-there were a number of symptoms in this proving suggesting that this may also be true of this remedy. Drugs and drug like sensations were also a theme noted throughout the proving. One prover described a cure of the following drug like sensation:

In the last few days I have the time and patience and can do anything in life; mentally I am where I knew where I need to be but did not know how to get there; feel profound and deep blockages permanently gone; I feel integrated; For years and years I felt like I was behind my body looking out through my eyes; gap of 6 inches between me and the world; physically present in my body for the first time; feel much more grounded; This was debilitating; I could not begin to tell where I was coming from; one week ago it felt like I just woke up(9)

The Larrea tridentata plant flower essence has been successfully used for alcohol cravings and for drug detoxification.

Peganum harmala is also associated with the feeling of being drained by others, while the issue of codependency came up strongly during this proving. Several of the remedies in this family are well known for the treatment of hives-a chronic case of hives being cured during the Larrea proving.

Kreosotum is related to Larrea tridentata in terms of its chemical constituents but not botanically (see natural history). There is a fairly strong overlap in physical symptoms between the provings of Kreosotum and Larrea tridentata.

Desert Themes

Larrea tridentata is perhaps the desert remedy that is most strongly affiliated with the desert. It can survive in desert conditions where no other plant or animal can. Desert themes include Codpendency, Water Themes, Dryness, Swelling, Old and Ancient, and Drugs/Drug Sensation.
The remedy exhibits many characteristics of other desert remedies. One of the most prominent was the profound chilliness. One prover described it as follows:

I had feelings of being extremely cold to the core of my body; nothing I could do to get warm; worse afternoon I would feel it(3): even in 100 degree heat I would still feel cold and take me a long time in the 100 degree heat to feel normal body temp again; normally I tend to run cold; cold to the core; nothing I could do to get warm; even drinking hot was not helping(18).

Other Themes

One of the most central themes throughout the proving had to do with water. This plant is the most drought resistant plant in North America and can survive up to two years without any water. It is the only plant to survive in the deepest parts of the Sonoran Desert. Many of the provers had symptoms of dryness, especially dry mucous membranes. There also were problems with excess salivation and tremendous thirst with no amelioration from drinking. The thirst was best described as follows:

I wasn’t thirsty but felt like needed more water; Did not feel thirsty even though deep in my mouth felt dry; further back past my teeth felt dry; had this feeling that I should keep drinking water even though I wasn’t thirsty; intellectual desire to drink but not really thirsty(18)

Larrea tridentata has been associated with birth and death. In Oodham mythology, the plant is the first plant to grow after the creation of the world. The tea has been used as a contraceptive. It also has been used to facilitate the aftermath of labor and help with menstrual cramps. Women would lie on a bed of heated branches to help with these problems. Aromatic sprigs are often placed atop corpses before burial. Fragments have been found during excavations of prehistoric burials, associated with both childbirth and death. Larrea tridentata is also thought to be the oldest living thing.

Themes of birth and death were found throughout the proving. One dream describes the combination of these ideas:

I was with this tiny misshapen figure of an old man; very other worldly like an entity; he was small with a very large head and had the appearance of being made of wax-but was not stiff but soft, translucent, bluish; he almost seemed in the fetal stage when the head is large and the limbs and spine are in early development with stubby limbs; he had a beard made up of the same stuff and color of the rest of him; he was talking in this wise soothing voice and I felt very calm and serene(15).

It was interesting to note the strong theme of home, houses, building and packing in the proving. The theme of needing to take care of my space comes up particularly strongly. This is in distinction to the extremely slow rate of growth of the plant. Growth in this plant is generally related to water. The plant remains dormant for long periods of time and then following summer or winter rains goes through growth spurts. The plant also inhibits the growth of other plants of the same species be releasing substances from its root system that inhibit their growth. Many animals do use this plant and its environs as a home. There are a number of insect species that are found only on this plant.

Themes of trees and wood were noted throughout the proving. Typical tree themes were also noted (eg. Ancientness, coldness, hardness and stiffness, forsakenness, isolation and aloneness, empty sensations).

Central Motion and Core Sensation

Coupled with the theme of water was the sensation of swelling. This was often described as a fullness sensation. Many of the provers exhibited symptoms of internal swelling, especially of the upper respiratory tract. There was a feeling of tension and release. There was a general tendency for pressure to ameliorate. One prover had the following dream:

Inside a green root of a tree, held tight; Constricted but comfortable; almost womb like; something on cellular level-rearranging or growing organs in the root/womb/abdomen(2).

The opposite pole of this theme was found in the extensive discharges, particularly of the respiratory tract. There was often a combination of nasal obstruction coupled with a nose that would “run non-stop”. The mucous was typically sticky and very hard to cough up. A recurring theme in the dreams was a lack of blood. The plant is covered in a complex waxy resinous substance that prevents the loss or leakage of any fluid from the plant. Another form that discharges took was a yeast infection. One prover described this as “the yeast infection from hell” (Kreosotum).

This remedy was strongly associated with the importance of setting boundaries and ending situations in which one feels energetically drained (permeability vs non-permeability). The majority of the provers described this feeling. The feeling was that they would no longer take it anymore and would stand up and be themselves where they could not before. They describes themselves as no longer codependent. The remedy seemed to particularly effect those provers who had codependency traits. The flower essence is one that has been successfully used by those who are impressionable and absorbent, taking on far more than their conscious mind can assimilate.

The removal of codependency traits was more than just a conscious realization. Many of the provers made actual changes in their lives. Three of the eighteen provers left their jobs during this proving, others ending relationships or other long term projects. This change was associated with feelings of a new start and a new life, a rebirth The plant flower essence is described as an important psychic and physical cleanser which helps to release what is held in, creating a feeling of brightness and a sense of having been freed and connected to one’s inner source. One prover who also had a cure of her chronic hives described this process as follows:

Feeling centered; this month for the first time I have felt centered; no longer let everything seep into my inner core; no matter what I could not filter it out in the past; all this relief from that; feeling centered and present; there was a connection between the hives and the decreased sensitivity; it feels as though my skin is supposed to be the barrier between the inner me and the outside world but in the past I could not stop the deeper hurts that penetrated me to the core; I feel as if I now have this filter that doesn’t allow other people’s pain to enter me so much anymore; I listen to other people’s pain at work and while I am moved and can honor their journey, their pain doesn’t become my pain anymore; this is a real hope for me(15).

Again, in another provers dream:

I was thrown from a bicycle; went head long into a bush; my feeling was that it would be soft; however there was a concrete wall on the other side of the bush; crushed my head; saw myself prostrate on the ground and felt I could not be revived; however, I was revived and
admonished to finish what I was supposed to do while I was here in this life(17).

Miasm

Its usage for codependency, coupled with its usage in the treatment of cancer and diabetes recall the remedy Carcinosin and may place the remedy into the Cancer Miasm. The feeling is an intense desperate struggle. It may be that the plant is so focused on survival that there is little energy left over for concern about others (codependency).

General Characteristics

It was interesting to note that the proving symptoms were much stronger in women provers then in men. The plant has been used historically by woman for abortions and in calming the after pains of labor. Codependency is traditionally a much stronger tendency in women than in men.
There was a strong tendency towards sidedness with this remedy. Provers described symptoms only on one side of their body (both left and right). In addition there was a tendency for symptoms to move specifically from left to right.

Physical Characteristics

The strongest physical focus of this proving was on the respiratory tract and musculoskeletal system. Undoubtedly, this will prove a useful remedy for bronchitis, bronchiolitis, laryngitis, upper respiratory infections, asthma, pneumonia, allergic rhinitis and sinus infections. Coughs tended to be dry and tickling.

Larrea tridentata will also most likely prove useful for the treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. The pains typically were intense and most often associated with an aching quality. Some were described as being deep, in the bones. One keynote associated with all of these conditions is the pronounced swelling sensation that accompanies many of these complaints.

Another focus was on the gastrointestinal tract. This took two prominent forms during the proving. One was severe gallbladder like pains that occurred around 2AM and were quite sharp. The other was explosive simultaneous vomiting and diarrhea that lasted for several days.

Vision was also selectively effected with this remedy. Provers described blurring and a film like covering over their eyes. They had difficulty with haziness in the sky which made them feel claustrophobic. Tunnel vision was also described.

The remedy is significantly associated with itching. We had one prover who had a cure of her chronic hives. This hives had been associated with the feeling of betrayal at its onset, five years prior to the proving. She states:

Cure of chronic severe hives that I have had for three years; Hives were so intense; you have to scratch; scratch to bleeding; welts all over my body; itch so intensely that cannot sleep majorly interferes with my life; worst at 2AM; start in evening and fade by morning; completely gone during the day; hives were triggered by a deep sense of betrayal; deepest kind of betrayal that you can imagine; you feel like it will destroy you; the hives was the only outlet; could not deal with the emotions; I could not believe that someone could do this to me; very intimate relationships; the hurt was so deep that I could not even function; hives were worse on legs and arms(15).

Mental and Emotional Characteristics

Strong grief was a symptom in several provers. The flower essence has also been utilized in the treatment of grief, especially when it is coupled with the feeling of being cut off and completely alone. Their typical response is to close themselves off and experience bitterness similar to the remedy Natrum muriaticum. The grief in this proving was associated with feelings of weakness and emptiness in the chest. Peganum harmala is also noted to be useful in the treatment of grief. One prover described it as follows:

I have had a cloud of depression my entire life; this has been gone since the proving; my mind feels clear, light and easily handling anything that comes my way; my mind is quicker and more easily flows with the rhythm of life; this depression was pervasive, like a fog; it would roll in, remain for a while and then roll out briefly; I felt like an emotionally and psychologically healthy person trapped in the body of someone who was mentally ill; I am not willing for it to remain a blanket over my life(9)

Comparison of Provings

An independent proving was also made of this medicine in the same year by Dr. Messer et. Al, at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. These provings are compared in Appendix C.