Elaps corallinus
Made from the coral snake's venom — the small American serpent whose neurotoxic bite is a genuine emergency, and the classical remedy of the cold, black-bleeding venom state.
The whole picture, in one breath
Think of a venom state gone cold: bleeding of black blood, coldness and blueness of the parts, cold sweats, disorders of the right side, ear trouble with bleeding and offensive otorrhoea, and the books' great cold serpent remedy. The cold black-bleeding venom: that is Elaps.
The substance, in plain words
The coral snake is the small, brightly-ringed serpent of the Americas, its venom a genuine neurotoxin — a real, dangerous bite treated by real antivenom. The proving gave the remedy its portrait of the cold, black-bleeding state, complementing the other venom remedies with a chill the others lack.
The traditional picture Classical sources
The inner state
- Anxiety and fear. Fear of death, of the bleeding, worse at night.
- Irritability. Cross, worse from contradiction and noise.
- Despondency. Gloomy in the chronic, oozing states.
The body
- Black blood and coldness. The keynote: bleeding of black blood — from nose, mouth, anywhere — with coldness and blueness of the parts.
- Cold sweats. The venom's cold shading — unlike the hot serpent remedies.
- Right-sidedness. The books record a right-sided tendency in the Elaps complaints.
- Ear trouble with bleeding. Offensive otorrhoea with bleeding — the ear the books make Elaps' own.
- Worse cold damp and night. Wet weather and night deepen the bleeding and the coldness.
- Better for rest and warmth. Rest and warmth steady the cold, oozing state.
Modalities (worse and better factors)
| Worse from ⬇ | Better from ⬇ |
|---|---|
| cold damp weather; night; exertion; the sight of blood | rest; warmth; quiet. |
Where it acts (organ affinities)
Blood (black bleeding), circulation and cold, ears, right side.
Where the classical picture comes from
The coral snakebite's cold, bleeding, neurotoxic picture gave the proving its frame; Elaps became the classical cold serpent remedy — the black blood and the bleeding ear distinguishing it from its hotter cousins Lachesis and Crotalus.
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.
Coral snake envenomation is a genuine medical emergency — neurotoxic, treatable with real antivenom, documented in the toxicology of the Americas. The venom family's research legacy is equally real: snake toxins mapped receptors, clotting and pain pathways. The small serpent's bite is feared today for exactly the chemistry the proving recorded.
Look-alikes (how the classical authors told it apart)
| Remedy | Looks similar because… | Tells it apart because… |
|---|---|---|
| Crotalus horridus | Venom remedies, dark bleeding | Crotalus is drowsy, jaundiced and purple; Elaps cold, black-bleeding and right-sided. |
| Lachesis muta | Serpent remedies | Lachesis is hot, talkative and throat-intolerant; Elaps cold and bleeding black. |
| Secale cornutum | Cold, dark bleeding | Secale is cold, dry and uncovered; Elaps cold and oozing black. |
| Bothrops lanceolatus | Venom bleeding, speech | Bothrops bleeds dark with broken speech; Elaps with the cold and the ear. |