Tanacetum
Made from tansy — the bitter buttons of the old herbals, its thujone the same chemistry as the wormwood, and the classical remedy of the suppressed menses and the chorea.
The whole picture, in one breath
Think of a cycle suppressed by cold and a body that cannot keep still: the menses suppressed by cold and wet, the choreiform restlessness of the books, the spasmodic pains, and the bitter buttons of the old herbals — the thujone chemistry once more. The suppressed-cycle remedy: that is Tanacetum.
The substance, in plain words
Tansy is the bitter-buttoned herb of the old herbals, its golden buttons once used to flavour the puddings and repel the insects — and carrying thujone, the same genuinely neuroactive monoterpene as the wormwood of this library. The proving gave the herb the suppressed-cycle portrait.
The traditional picture Classical sources
The inner state
- Restlessness and irritability. The books' portrait of the suppressed, restless state — cross, fidgeting, worse at night.
- Anxiety and fear. Worry over the suppressed cycle, worse in the quiet hours.
- Despondency. Gloomy in the chronic, recurrent states.
The body
- Menses suppressed by cold. The keynote: the cycle suppressed by cold and wet — the books' great use of the bitter buttons.
- Choreiform restlessness. The books add it to the chorea chapter — the restless, moving, twitching frame.
- Spasmodic pains. The spasmodic, griping pains of the same state.
- Worse cold damp. Cold and wet suppress and aggravate.
- Better for warmth and the flow. Warmth and the established flow ease the tansy state.
Modalities (worse and better factors)
| Worse from ⬇ | Better from ⬇ |
|---|---|
| cold and cold damp; night; exertion. | warmth; the flow established; rest. |
Where it acts (organ affinities)
Female cycle and organs, nervous system (chorea chapter), general vitality.
Where the classical picture comes from
The bitter buttons' proving gave the suppressed-cycle portrait; Tanacetum became the classical remedy of the cold-suppressed menses and the choreiform restlessness — the pudding-flavouring herb of the old kitchens serving the cycle it was said to move.
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.
Tansy's thujone is genuinely the wormwood chemistry — the same neuroactive monoterpene, documented in the plant's toxicology and the reason tansy is no longer eaten as it once was. The suppressed cycles it portrayed are now gynaecology's work-up; the chorea is neurology's. The herb's chemistry is real, its kitchen career wisely ended.
Look-alikes (how the classical authors told it apart)
| Remedy | Looks similar because… | Tells it apart because… |
|---|---|---|
| Senecio aureus | Suppressed and delayed menses | Senecio's is delayed by cold and emotion; Tanacetum's by the cold with the chorea chapter. |
| Pulsatilla nigricans | Gentle, changeable female | Pulsatilla is tearful and mild; Tanacetum is bitter, suppressed and restless. |
| Caulophyllum thalictroides | Irregular cycle | Caulophyllum's is the irregular labour and small joints; Tanacetum's the cold-suppressed with the chorea. |
| Zincum metallicum | Twitching and fidgeting | Zinc twitches with the suppressed discharges; Tanacetum with the cold-suppressed cycle. |