Homeopathy for Anxiety: Aconite vs. Ignatia

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When I initially wrote this article, we were in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic here in the United States. Stress and fear were high, and anxiety was through the roof.

While the virus hit the most vulnerable very hard, the rest of the country was feeling psychologically traumatized, including children. I saw it on social media and I heard it from clients. I can sit back now and say this unintended trauma caused more harm than the virus itself.

I have had great success in implementing homeopathic medicines into my own life as well as recommending them to my clients. So I want to share information with you specifically about homeopathy for anxiety in hopes that it will benefit you or someone you love.

What is Homeopathy?

If you're not familiar with homeopathy, it is a form of medicine designed to stimulate the body's own natural healing responses. This occurs when a person with an illness or condition is given a highly diluted substance that, when given in its gross form, causes similar symptoms to the illness or condition that the person has. This is known as the principle of "like heals/cures like." You can learn more about this principle here.

This form of medicine is not new. It has been around for over 200 years, well before mainstream medicine came on the scene. Here's more on the subject.

Homeopathy for Anxiety

Before I dive into the specific remedies I have found extremely useful for anxiety, we need to know exactly what anxiety is.

Symptoms of Anxiety

Let's take a look at the symptoms of anxiety as stated by the Mayo Clinic:

Feeling nervous, restless or tense
Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
Having an increased heart rate
Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
Sweating
Trembling
Feeling weak or tired
Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
Having trouble sleeping
Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
Having difficulty controlling worry
Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety

Aconite vs. Ignatia

While there are many different homeopathic medicines that can be useful for anxiety, there are just two that I want to mention here. I have found that both of these medicines have been beneficial in dealing with the anxiety children and adults now live with after the pandemic.

Aconitum napellus (Aconite)

First let's look at homeopathic Aconitum Napellus, or Aconite for short.

This remedy is made from the Monkshood plant. If you do any study on this plant you will see that the roots, seeds, and leaves are all poisonous. As a matter of fact, they are potent heart and nerve poisons.

Now consider the symptoms of anxiety I listed above. You will see that most of the symptoms pertain to the heart and nervous system.

When this toxic plant is homeopathically prepared by making it into a tincture and then diluting it hundreds and thousands of times, it becomes a powerful and healing medicine. This highly diluted medicine can then safely be ingested and, in many instances, will heal or cure the symptoms that it would produce if consumed in its gross form.

In homeopathic materia medicas, books that list the substances used in homeopathy along with detailed indications for their application, you will find the following descriptions of Aconite:

A state of fear, anxiety; anguish of mind and body. Fears death but believes that he will soon die; predicts the day. Fears the future, a crowd, crossing the street. Thinks his thoughts come from the stomach.

William Boericke, MD

Often used as the first line of defense after a sudden and shocking incident has occurred, such as an unanticipated accident, psychological shock or dramatic temperature shift that is follwed by an illness. It is invaluable for any shock to the system. Bad news can also cause an Aconitum state.

Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na)

These descriptions help guide your use of the appropriate homeopathically prepared medication.

For example when Covid testing was all the rage, many people tested positive and didn't even exhibit any symptoms of Covid. But because of that "positive test", many began manifesting symptoms of fear, worry, and even panic or shock. In situations like this, people can even begin to feel sick to their stomach. This bad news has just created a medical pathology we label as anxiety. Aconite could be a great medicine to give in this particular circumstance because this person's symptoms are very similar to the description of Aconite.

sudden, shock, fear, bad news, stomach

Let's look at another example. What if someone has already been diagnosed with Covid (or any other illness for that matter), has mild symptoms of the illness and is well enough to recover at home, but they continuously think they are getting worse and are certain they will die? This is a perfect example of when you could administer Aconite to the person.

fear of death and thinks they will die

Remember, the principle of homeopathy is "like heals/cures like". You choose and use a homeopathic medicine that is most similar to the effects that substance would cause in it's toxic, or gross, form.

In either instance above, giving the medicine once or twice will likely be all that's needed to bring the person back to a calm and rational state.

Ignatia amara (Ignatia)

Now let's look at homeopathic Ignatia Amara, or Ignatia for short.

This remedy is made from the St. Ignatius bean. Like the Monkshood mentioned above, this seed is also poisonous. If consumed, a person could experience symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety, increased muscle tension, or difficulty in breathing amongst others.

Again, this seed can be homeopathically prepared to make it into an inherently safe and non-toxic form of medicine.

Here are what my two homeopathic materia medicas have to say about Ignatia:

It is one of the chief remedies for hysteria. Alert, nervous, apprehensive, rigid, trembling patients who suffer acutely in mind or body, at the same time made worse by drinking coffee. Effects of grief and worry. Sighing and sobbing. After shocks, grief, disappointment.

William Boericke, MD

Acute emotional stress. The person suited for Ignatia is easily offended and very sensitive to being reprimanded, potentially becoming physically ill as a result. Anxiety, worry, fear and a sense of being overwhelmed. Insomnia, especially around busy and worrisome thoughts.

Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom(Na)

One thing that sticks out to me in regards to Ignatia that I don't necessarily see with Aconite is insomnia. Otherwise, this medicine is very similar to the descriptions given for Aconite.

So how do we choose? Let's look at a couple of examples for Ignatia.

If someone has low lying worry, fear, or stress for many weeks and this increases so much that it affects their sleep, this would be an instance that would call for Ignatia.

worry, fear, insomnia due to worrisome thoughts

Here's another example. Let's use social media for this example.

Have you ever been so mad or offended by a post on social media that you start trembling or shaking? Or maybe you've seen someone comment on a social media post and they seem like they are completely hysterical and it just continues to spiral into more hysterics with each comment. Both of these scenarios would call for the administration of Ignatia.

hysterical, easily offended, trembling

And wouldn't you know, the latter example is not made up. I've seen this numerous times on social media and can tell you exactly who would benefit from Ignatia.

Potency and Dosing

Homeopaths study for years to learn how to dose a client and use the correct potencies. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we can't use them as the lay public. What I present here is acceptable for both children and adults alike.

The 30c potencies are widely available in health food stores because they are great potencies to use for even those who have no training in homeopathy. If you choose to grab these medicines, I'd recommend getting both of them in 30c potencies. But if you can find them, it never hurts to have them in a 200c potency either.

Dosing will depend on the circumstance. Aconite is for sudden onset. So if symptoms of anxiety, fear, worry, etc. come on suddenly, then aconite can be given at the time of occurrence and then only as needed after that. Ignatia can also be used in acute situations, but if there's a low level anxiety that's been there for quite some time, consider using the 200c twice daily for a month or two.

Again, there are hundreds of homeopathic medicines that can be used for anxiety. Ignatia and Aconite are just two. So if either one doesn't help with the symptoms, it could be that the person needs a different medicine. In this instance, please reach out to me to set up a consult so we can help them use a more appropriate medicine for their case.

Please share this important information with friends and family members who struggle with mental health issues so that they too can benefit from what homeopathy has to offer.

Hi! I'm Dr. Kristi!

I’m a wife, mom, and alternative health care practitioner. I like to live a little differently and go against the grain.

I consult with people of all ages who are looking to ditch the drugs for alternative methods of healing. But I’m most passionate about teaching parents how to care for their kids illnesses at home using homeopathy and other alternative health care practices such as nutrition, natural remedies, minimalist ideas, and more. I’m completely obsessed with ice cream, waterfalls, and all things travel related.

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