Aesculus glabra

Aesculus glabra A 54-year-old man, resolute, with an open gaze; he stays well within his own limits and gives a remarkably firm handshake. He sits leaning back quietly, talking thoughtfully, searching the ceiling when faced with a question of whether he needs to remember things, looking straight ahead and inward when thinking. He has been suffering from a persistent cough for six months; sometimes it seems to originate from the chest, sometimes from the throat. It is worse in cold air, when walking up the stairs; it is all day long. Sometimes it is a clearing of the throat, sometimes a hard, hollow sound accompanied by coughing. Once he started coughing, it just kept going. For years, he often had a rattle in his throat. He explains the coughing himself as ‘because we live in sensitive times’. His left upper leg is numb laterally for five years; the second toe on the left tingles. The right hip sometimes locks up when standing up. He works with vegetables and fruit and so often comes into contact with pesticides. The work is demanding; he also trains people within the company. Furthermore, he is a coach and provides youth training. He takes everything seriously; he gives too much of himself. His wife sometimes says, ‘Take it easy’. A lot is asked of him, and he is a born listener. In the past, due to the busyness, he had to stay home for a few weeks at a time. He meditates to ‘switch off the brain’; he is working on his spiritual development. His parents were also involved in this; it became apparent a few years ago that he has an aptitude for it, and he has ‘a task’ to do. He has always been a teacher; he enjoys teaching, and they recognize his qualities. He has the calmness and the knowledge for it. Years ago, his thyroid stopped working; that time he slept a lot, and since then he takes supplements. His sleep is good; he has lucid dreams. He is sensitive to atmosphere; he can clearly feel people's energy. The tongue is light in color, and the sides are almost colorless. ‘I forget a lot of things, so I can’t waste extra energy on it.’ He often has a tired lower back.AnalysisCoughing for half a year; that is not a problem of resistance. We look at the big picture and look for themes.
Series 55, Malvidae: sensitive to atmosphere, to energy, mucous membrane problem, throat area.
Silver series: teacher, large nerve pathways.
Phase 5: driven, enthusiastic, active, social.
Phase 4: responsible, taking on a task.
Hippocastaceae: taking on a lot of work, naturally, can detach from the task so that they do not become absorbed in it or succumb to it.
Q-search, search term cough, within Series 55 and Phase 5, yields Aesculus glabra. This case argues for placement at Stage 9.
Prescription Aesculus glabra C200.follow upWithin a few days, the cough is much less; in his own opinion, the cough is still only ‘in his head’ for the first two weeks, and he still has a little mucus in the morning. After two weeks the cough is gone. The numb spot on the leg is almost gone, and the tingling in the toe is gone. The right hip is still sensitive. He tells of a recurring dream: he is walking on a mountain, and in a small village, he looks over a low wall at a beautiful valley, a lovely view, a very pleasant dream. He gives a lot and often receives little in return in his coaching work, which is frustrating. He wants more (Phase 5). He now mentions that his work is varied: teaching, involving a lot of mental work, and physical work with a lot of lifting. Every time a new group is nerve-wracking, he initially feels a mental block preventing him from doing it (an indication of Stage 9: demanding too much of himself; ‘walking on eggshells’ also fits Stage 9, as does analyzing himself and wanting to handle things ‘smartly’). ‘You have to be able to keep doing the things you enjoy, the things that are your passion.’