Alnus rubra
Made from the red alder bark — the Pacific tree of the Eclectic dispensaries, a genuine astringent of the old pharmacy, and the classical remedy of the chronic skin and the swollen glands.
The whole picture, in one breath
Think of a skin and glands that never settle: the chronic eczema and eruptions of the books, the swollen lymphatics, the female complaints of the Eclectic chapter, and the red-barked alder of the Pacific forests. The red-alder remedy: that is Alnus rubra.
The substance, in plain words
The red alder is the fast-growing tree of the Pacific coast, its red bark a genuine astringent of the Eclectic dispensaries — its tannins really contract and dry, used for the chronic skin and the glands. The proving gave the alder the chronic-skin portrait.
The traditional picture Classical sources
The inner state
- Anxiety about appearance. Worry over the skin, the glands, the chronicity, worse at night.
- Irritability. Cross from the chronic discomfort.
- Despondency. Gloomy in the long, recurrent states.
The body
- Chronic eczema and eruptions. The keynote: the chronic, weeping, recurrent skin of the books' Eclectic chapter.
- Swollen lymphatics. The swollen glands and lymphatics of the same chapter.
- Female complaints. The books add the female complaints of the same shelf.
- Worse cold damp and night. Wet weather and night thicken the skin and the glands.
- Better for the bark's course and dry weather. The astringent course and the dry season ease the alder state.
Modalities (worse and better factors)
| Worse from ⬇ | Better from ⬇ |
|---|---|
| cold damp weather; night; rich food. | the bark's course; dry weather; rest. |
Where it acts (organ affinities)
Skin (chronic eczema), glands and lymphatics, female organs, general vitality.
Where the classical picture comes from
The Eclectic bark's proving gave the chronic-skin portrait; Alnus rubra became the classical remedy of the skin and glands that never settle — the red alder of the Pacific serving the chronicity its tannins dried.
The substance in real medicine Pharmacology
What this section is: the pharmacology and toxicology of the source substance. It is not clinical evidence that a homeopathic preparation of it treats any condition. What controlled trials do and do not show is set out on the Evidence page.
The red alder's bark is genuinely astringent — its tannins the real chemistry of the Eclectic skin chapter, drying and contracting as tannins do. The chronic eczema it portrayed is now dermatology's, with real, effective treatments; the bark's chemistry is honest, its portrait's territory modern.
Look-alikes (how the classical authors told it apart)
| Remedy | Looks similar because… | Tells it apart because… |
|---|---|---|
| Arctium lappa | Chronic skin and glands | Arctium is the blood-purifying burdock; Alnus rubra the astringent red alder of the same chapter. |
| Galium aparine | Swollen lymphatics | Galium is the clinging lymphatic; Alnus rubra the astringent Pacific tree. |
| Cistus canadensis | Always-cold glands | Cistus is the always-cold one; Alnus rubra the weeping, chronic one. |
| Psorinum | Offensive chronic skin | Psorinum is filthy, freezing and despairing; Alnus rubra the weeping, astringent chapter. |