Cistus canadensis
Made from the rock rose — the little flower of the northern rocks, its European cousins genuinely studied for their antiviral chemistry, and the classical remedy of the chronically cold glandular patient.
The whole picture, in one breath
Think of a patient who is always cold: chronic swelling of the glands, the cold feeling that never leaves, the chronic nasal and throat catarrhs of the books' scrofulous chapter, and the little flower that grows on the bare rock. The always-cold remedy: that is Cistus.
The substance, in plain words
The rock rose is the little flower of the northern rocks and barrens, blooming on ground nothing else will take — and its Cistus cousins of the Mediterranean are genuinely studied: their resinous polyphenols are researched for antiviral and anti-inflammatory action, a real corner of pharmacognosy. The proving gave the flower the cold-glandular portrait.
The traditional picture Classical sources
The inner state
- Anxiety about health. Worry over the chronic glands, the cold, the recurrent catarrhs, worse at night.
- Irritability. Cross from the chronic discomfort.
- Despondency. Gloomy in the long, recurrent states.
The body
- Chronically swollen glands. The keynote: the chronically swollen glands of the books' scrofulous chapter — tonsils, cervical and beyond.
- The cold that never leaves. The books' celebrated keynote: a constant cold feeling, chilliness that no wrapping cures.
- Chronic nasal and throat catarrhs. The recurrent, dragging catarrhs of the same chapter.
- Worse cold damp. Wet weather deepens the cold and the glands.
- Better for warmth and dry weather. Warmth and the dry season ease the always-cold state.
Modalities (worse and better factors)
| Worse from ⬇ | Better from ⬇ |
|---|---|
| cold damp weather; cold air; night; exertion. | warmth; dry weather; rest. |
Where it acts (organ affinities)
Glands and lymphatics, nose and throat, general vitality and heat regulation.
Where the classical picture comes from
The rock flower's proving gave the always-cold glandular portrait; Cistus became the classical remedy of the chronically cold, glandular patient — the flower of the bare rock serving the constitution that could not warm itself.
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 Cistus family's resinous polyphenols are genuinely researched: Mediterranean cistus preparations are studied for antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects, a real if modest corner of modern pharmacognosy. The always-cold constitution it portrayed is now endocrinology's and the immunology clinic's — thyroid, infection and immunity all examined — but the flower's chemistry is real.
Look-alikes (how the classical authors told it apart)
| Remedy | Looks similar because… | Tells it apart because… |
|---|---|---|
| Psorinum | Freezing and chronically ill | Psorinum is filthy, despairing and winter-worse; Cistus is the always-cold glandular one. |
| Calcarea carbonica | Chilly, glandular | Calc-carb is the sour-sweating, egg-craving child; Cistus the always-cold adult of the glands. |
| Silicea | Glands and chilliness | Silicea ripens and expels with the sweat-footed chill; Cistus is the chronically swollen and cold. |
| Baryta carbonica | Swollen glands | Baryta is the backward child's swollen tonsils; Cistus the always-cold chronic glands. |