12

CLAY

The remedy was proved by the meditation circles in June 1993. Each participant was given the 30^th potency to take immediately before the meditation.

This remedy is not, strictly speaking, ‘clay’. The sample of earth from which it was made contained other constituents besides clay; it is a remedy made from clay soil. It was taken from an area of ancient woodland in East Sussex which is known as Clayhill. The place was inhabited by the Romans who set up brick kilns for the firing of clay bricks that they used for building local villas. The soil is rich in clay and is chiefly composed of hydrated silicates of aluminium. However, there are traces of limestone and sandstone as well. This does suggest that the resulting remedy has affinities for other polychrests such as Alumina, Silica and Calc-carb. The remedy was made up at two pharmacies: Helios and Galen’s. Though the auras of the two remedies are apparently slightly different it is unlikely to make a difference in prescribing.

The Background

Clay soil is very hard to work with as it is so heavy and becomes waterlogged very quickly. It does not drain as well as more friable soils. Clay soil is much colder than sandy or chalky soils and is much less well aerated. It tends to be more acidic than alkaline. It is good for growing roses and potatoes.

Clay itself has traditionally been used to encourage the draining of toxicity from the body because of its ability, when dry, to absorb water. It is a body deodorant, an antiseptic and is often used to cleanse the skin (in poultices and mudbaths). It has also been used to treat internal conditions from allergies to arthritis, tonsillitis to varicose veins. When fine clay is diluted in water and swallowed, it draws toxicity from the walls of the bowel as it progresses through the digestive tract. It is, in its homoeopathic form, one of the new polychrests. It is gaining a reputation for working quickly on the physical level but more slowly on the mental, emotional and spiritual planes.

Keynote effects

Clay tends to work relatively quickly on the physical level to restore to normal blocked eliminative processes. Once this is begun then mental and emotional symptoms are more likely to follow suit. If mental and emotional symptoms appear to be eased without any physical reaction then observe the patient well as this may indicate that either a support remedy is necessary (such as Oak, a bowel nosode or Med-am) or that the physical body is unprepared to deal with a healing crisis and more preparatory work needs to be accomplished.

General symptoms

This is a water balance regulator. Water retention and oedema. Some parts of the body dry out while others become waterlogged. Heaviness in parts from water retention. Swelling in lower extremities with bursting feelings. Obesity but not due to overeating; from thyroid deficiency: hypoactive thyroid. Poor elimination: constipation and poor kidney function. Dryness of the skin and no general sweating. Dryness of the orifices with cracking of thin skin. Generally ‘stuck’ on all levels. Congestion builds up and leads to catarrh and pus formation. Sinuses and ears become blocked with thick and crusty mucus. Eliminative in conditions of thick discharges that will not shift or that fail to respond to other indicated remedies. Sense of constriction and restriction. Useful in glue ear, tonsillitis and other ENT problems. Allergies: multiple, hay fever, breast milk especially indicated where there is poor elimination. Antiseptic qualities: for wounds that do not heal; cleansing and promotes healing of skin. Also cleansing of internal organs where there is sluggish function or blockage: liver, gall bladder, bowel, kidney, lungs, throat, sinuses. Arthritis. Osteoporosis. Atherosclerosis. Diabetes. Also to be considered in cancer, MS, ME. Useful in treating conditions of the menopause especially where there is clotting. Very low vitality; little energy. Enervated and heavy; ‘can’t be bothered’ feeling. Tends to borrow energy from others or make a show of being energetic but there is little result. Feels unearthed. Vaccine damage: energy sinks and catarrh develops to clog up the works. Partial paralysis from the waist down; pins and needles in extremities. Poor circulation with either chilliness or heat. Symptoms move from one side to the other. Radiation miasm is strong as clay attracts radioactivity. Sensations of burning or smarting.

Mental and emotional symptoms

Depression: unexplained or due to exhaustion (like Baryta-carb but without the timidity). Despair in older patients (rare in youth). Grumbling and complaining with loss of humour (like Calc-sulph). Unable to cry as there is so much emotion locked away and unexpressed. Life seems one long grind yet there is little evidence of productive work. Lazy, indolent. Indecisive and irresolute. Loveless and brooding. Not enough energy to feel the emotions but once the energy returns then they are expressed. (Often comes back to speak of fears which have daunted them in the past but which they have dealt with by shutting down and clamming up.) Finds it hard or impossible to change. Cannot get out of the rut on their own initiative. Tendency to lie and to cheat, at first simply to make life easier. Creates a tissue of lies and begins to believe in them; their own fiction becomes fact. Deceit and tendency to steal. Sadistic behaviour in children. Useful in children of mothers who suffer post-natal depression; poorly bonded. Feels slow and stupid and is disinclined to use intelligence. Mental retardation. May prove to be of use in cerebral palsy; Down’s syndrome. Becomes obsessive about little things. When goaded becomes irritable and distressed which can lead to head rolling, arm flailing and nervous exhaustion. For those who become stuck in a situation and find no way out so view their lives indolently but with frustration: stuck in an uncongenial career; stuck in an oppressive relationship; stuck in circumstances where there is stalemate or an impasse. For those who have become stuck in an obsession: religious particularly but also gambling or some other addictive behaviour (but excluding alcohol or drugs which require other remedies first). Makes mistakes in writing and speaking; dyslexia. Poor memory which adds to the frustration. Misinterprets what he hears or instructions. Gruesome thoughts. Can be malicious and even delinquent.

Physical symptoms

Head

Dull headaches with heavy eyes and heaviness in the occiput. Hair tends to fall out especially from the front and vertex. Cradle cap of infants and long continued into older children; thick scales (can have a mother-of-pearl look to the flakes). Vertigo: tendency to fall backward; light-headed with a sense of weight. As if suddenly fazed with a fleeting sense of displacement.

Eyes

Dry; difficult to open on waking. Sleep collects in the lower lids. Crusty discharge with pus. Sometimes needed for clearing up conjunctivitis especially after Puls or Calc-sulph. Bloodshot < for rubbing eyes. Eyelashes fall out. Recurrent blepharitis.

Ears

Otitis media: is useful to clear up after the indicated remedies have done all that they can. Follows well after Puls, Calc-sulph and Gaertner. Also when other remedies fail. Purulent pus exudes from the ear. Indicated in those patients who have repeated ear infections that affect alternate ears.

Nose and sinuses

Thick catarrh that is difficult to shift. Catarrh can be dried up and crusty or it can be thick and sticky (like Kali-bich but not so yellow). Continual blowing tends to inflame and thicken the mucous membranes lining the nose and maxillary sinuses. Ethmoid sinus is blocked though it does not inhibit nasal breathing; it causes tightness at the root of the nose and distorts the sense of smell. Catarrh in the nose smells foul. If the mucus is dry then it can seem as if there is dried white of egg adherent to the lining of the ethmoid and maxillary sinuses. Acne: pustular spots on the fleshy part of the nose.

Mouth and throat

Claggy mouth with stale taste. Teeth feel as if they need brushing often; furry. Tooth decay during childhood or when on allopathic drugs. Throat feels ‘gungy’ with thick saliva and mucus. Continually tries to hawk up catarrh but it only comes up a little way and then falls back down. Children can swallow a lot of this mucus and then feel nauseated and have tummy aches.

Thyroid

Hypothyroidism. Goitre with exophthalmia. Seldom required on its own but works well alongside other well-known thyroid remedies. Especially effective and much needed in cases where there is radiation trouble; combines well with Rad-iod and may be needed if Emerald is indicated but cannot effect any change. Sense of constriction around the throat.

Chest and respiration

Asthma especially of sycotic origin. Useful in suppressed asthma especially where the patient is overweight and damaged by steroid treatment. Is very useful in the acute which it can deal with quickly but it then brings up the emotions which will then instigate other attacks in which a variety of remedies might be needed. It is quite reasonable to consider, in such cases, giving regular intercurrent doses. Lungs are congested with thick and sometimes purulent catarrh. Difficult to raise all the sputum. Sometimes the right lung and other times the left lung is affected in the attacks – no significant pattern except the lack of a fixed focus. Can help patients to give up smoking but it is sometimes likely to bring up phlegm as well as emotional issues; no smooth process is likely! A useful combination remedy is Lobelia Ø + Lung 30 + Clay 6.

Digestion

Constipation; lack of any urging or strains but nothing passed. Sense of not having finished. Bowels feel toxic. (After a barium enema a useful combination remedy to give is Clay+ Rad-brom+ Baryta-carb 30.) Mucous membranes of the sigmoid flexure are thickened and pappy. Bloating and offensive flatus. Water retention in the abdomen. Piles; bleeding but relatively painless. Sense of weight and heaviness in the rectum. ++ tea which tends to give them a temporary lift but < the constipation.

Female

Menopause: symptoms < from fibroids or endometriosis. Uterus is heavy and pappy. Flow of blood is either negligible or clotted. Water retention < at the period or at ovulation. << from the Pill (complements Folliculinum). Postnatal depression: looks like Sepia but not > exertion. Periods can be either absent altogether or delayed and irregular. Vaginal discharge: thick and creamy with an unpleasant stale smell. Sexual desire diminished or absent. Possibly has a history of abuse within the family.

Male

Poor development of genital organs or relaxation and shrinkage (see Lumbricus). Too feeble to achieve an erection or to have any sexual desires. Businessmen who become too engrossed in their work to notice that they are neglecting the physical aspect of marriage; after a time, if they do notice, they then become defensive and tend to withdraw from any physical contact. Poor stream while urinating. Congested prostate gland. May prove to be of use in prostate cancer.

Skin

Eczema; psoriasis; allergies; dermatitis. Very dry; fissured. Nails tend to pit in psoriasis. Sloughing skin tends to be white and flaky but can also be other descriptions as well. Clay is seldom the first remedy to think of in eczema but it is very useful either where other indicated remedies have failed or as an intercurrent. Can be thought of as a cold Sulphur. Warts: dry and crusty; indolent.

Neck and back

Stiffness and clicking in the cervical spine. Kyphosis and spondylosis. Injury to the coccyx; history of injury where the long-term effect has rendered the patient sluggish and torpid. Especially indicated if there is congestion of the sinuses as well.

Extremities

Swelling of the legs and/or ankles. Excessive water retention. Clay works well here with Rainbow and Sycamore Seed. Limbs go numb especially during sleep; wakes with dead limbs. Pins and needles. Fingers swell at night and ankles swell in the day. Arthritis especially of the feet, ankles and knees.

Considerations for the use of the remedy

• Alumina is generally more physically sensitive, fearful and more easily panicked though in many ways is very similar to Clay which, when Alum fails, should be considered when all other indications are there.

• Clay is more sluggish and rather less motivated than Calc-carb can be; has similar skin to the Calcs but harsher.

• Clay is usually chillier than Calc-sulph and is generally more likely to have more sluggish functions; it rivals Calc-sulph for feeling hard done by.

• Carcinosin is more likely to fit the ‘doormat’ description though Clay certainly complements this remedy.

• Clay is less inclined to hide than Baryta-carb; less shy. There may be intellect in Clay but there is no will to use it, while in Baryta the mind is dulled from exhaustion, fearful birth pattern or miasmatic inheritance.

• Clay is more likely to be waterlogged than Morgan, but otherwise hard to differentiate.

• Clay complements Medorrhinum Americana in sycosis but is far less active and more torpid; the temper of Med-am is far more volatile while that of Clay is on a slow fuse.

• Clay is a remedy of complete stagnation on the physical, mental and emotional planes while Moldavite is a remedy of lack of fulfilment but spiritual yearning; both feel unloved and unlovable; both may tell untruths; both are depressive but Moldavite is a far quicker energy as one would expect from the difference between remedies derived from clay and glass.

• Clay complements Oak very well but the latter has a more healthy attitude and far stronger work ethic.

• Clay rivals Thuja in the manufacture of pus and catarrh though Thuja remains supreme in the genito-urinary sphere; Clay is also dryer and without the sweat symptoms of Thuja and the personality symptoms clearly differentiate them.

Clay is a psoric remedy which works on the base chakra but it is also a strongly sycotic remedy with a psoric bias. It is often followed well by psoric remedies or cancer remedies such as Thuja or Carcinosin. Remedies that can be mistaken for Clay include: Baryta-carb, Thuja, Calc-carb, Carc, Alum, Calc-sulph, Brom, Rad-brom, Plutonium. Clay works superbly well with Oak and Thuja as well as with the nosodes. Has an affinity for Nat-mur. The main antidote is Arsen-alb. Should not be repeated until a few weeks after any physical symptoms have gone.

Esoteric therapeutics

It is hard to find any aspirant energy in a Clay patient; there is so little motivation that upwardly moving, creative energy is usually absent unless the patient is one who needs the remedy on the level of drainage. So, in those who are utterly stuck and devoid of any awareness of how they have become marooned on their life’s journey, relatively high potencies are useful. In those who have ‘stuckness’ in one of the chakras, especially in the lowest three, low potency drainage with Clay is invaluable. The most difficult aspect for the patient is that the water and earth elements are in conflict and this damps down any fire and denies the body air. One way of encouraging a rebalance of the elements in such cases is to prescribe Rainbow in support or Yellow, the colour remedy, which is characterized by low self-esteem, confusion and ungroundedness; it also encourages the drainage of potential pathology from the system in those who have a past history of being excessively adrenally driven and who are still in a state of unquiet mind.

Chakras

Crown

This centre is virtually all but shut down and very little spiritual reception is possible. However, the patient may be either closely or even obsessively wedded to a religious belief quite possibly not for the spirituality but for the structure that it affords. Unable to reflect on his own condition except negatively. Sleep is a relief but it is that of one who wishes not to participate. Any dreams that might be remembered are fitful and often vague but threatening.

Brow

Sluggish reactions to the environment and to events occurring in it. Torpid and wanting to hibernate. Flight and fight responses are reduced to a minimum as there is little available adrenalin. Anything that would normally spark adrenal rush is an annoyance and causes irritability. Unable and unwilling to make decisions; finds it very hard to think of consequences even those that result from inaction. Pituitary insufficiency; sluggish hormonal chemistry. Body clock is out of sync. Profound depression of spirits. Uses deceit and lying to avoid issues; self-deception to avoid the painful truth.

Throat

Unable to express emotions or creativity. Throat and thyroid symptoms reflect the stuck nature of the patient’s life. No expressions of giving and receiving.

Heart

The lower heart chakra is more active and disturbed than the upper which is shut down: brooding on misfortune or feeling hard done by. Asthmatic symptoms from feelings of frustration and suppression. Very little evident sense of humour.

Solar plexus

A complete absence of the fire element. Frustration from lack of any drive or will power. Any challenge becomes an immense hurdle. Conflicts may arise but are left unresolved (liver toxicity). Everything is too much effort in one lacking motivation (very sluggish spleen energy). Very little joy; the sweetness of life is absent (diabetes). Sluggish liver and gall bladder. Manufacture of catarrh and pus which causes congestion and blockage. Constipation: one of the most obstinate constipation remedies.

Sacral

Sluggish kidney function; poor drainage of toxicity through the urinary system. Problems of fertility in both sexes. Gynaecological problems which are characterized by sluggish flow, clotting and thickening or complete absence of function. The body feels waterlogged in the lower extremities and the pelvic organs but dried out on the skin. Fibroids, warts, veruccae, polyps and slow-growing tumours.

Base

Feelings of inadequacy. Stasis in any or every functional aspect of the body so that there is no forward movement. No adrenal drive; no self-motivation. Not prepared to learn from experience; content to let the world go on by. Skin eruptions characterized by dryness and cracking and potential infection of surface tissues: eczema (rarely as a first remedy), psoriasis, impetigo, etc.

Case studies

1 ‘Female of 36. Shrunken bladder; urethra blocked; kidneys not functioning properly. Using Desmospray for enuresis (since 1990). History of X-rays, barium meals and operation for cancer of the cervix. Main problem was water retention: “I can’t manage without the Desmospray.” She had the combination remedy for damage to the kidney system from excessive radiation (after radioactive dye tests): Pyrogen+ Rad-brom+ Baryta-carb+ X-ray 30x (o.n. five days); then Carcinosin; Thuja and Post-pit 6x. All brought about considerable improvement generally but she still suffers from water retention. Clay 12x o.n. (which she continues to take as it stops the water retention while she returns for constitutional prescriptions from time to time).’ JO (Prometheus No. 6 June 1997)

2 ‘Female of 37. NBWS birth of baby 8 weeks ago. Induced; epidural but baby is fine. Coccyx is tender; severe back pain below site of epidural. Can’t concentrate properly. Mucous congestion in upper respiratory tract. (Baby also has mucous congestion.) Hypericum 1M and Thuja 200 >> the coccyx and mental state. Still has pain in site of epidural and mucous congestion. Clay 12x t.d.s. with Oak 100 to be given in one week. (All sx >>)’ JO (ibid.)

3 ‘Female aged 65 years. This lady has been well known to me for many years but refuses to come to see me for a proper consultation. She says: “I would have to talk about myself and that would be far too upsetting.” The majority of treatment has therefore been based on acute prescribing with more constitutional remedies given where possible. She was suddenly widowed 20 years ago, an event she has never come to terms with. She is often very deceiving to the extent that she tells so many lies that she has to tell more fabrications to cover up those already told. She has a tendency to “play games” with her two grownup sons by constantly trying to set one against the other. She regularly attracts “trouble”: there are always problems with the house, car, bills, standing orders, etc., each event becoming a major drama in her life and never her fault, always someone else’s. There is a total inability to accept any responsibility for herself and her life. With each drama she enthusiastically tells the superficial details, enough to whet the appetite, but will not talk about any detail as that would cause too much upset. She never cries. At the slightest hint of upset she will turn her back, walk away or change the subject. She is frequently angry, irritable, very condescending and arrogant with anyone she comes into contact with, particularly if they are from a working-class or ethnic background. Over the last 14 years she has moved house six times because the neighbours “fall out” with her and make her life unbearable. She is very religious and attends the Catholic church, preferring the traditional Latin masses, and will travel great distances all over the country to attend such services. Three years ago she became more committed to the church and took her vows as a third order nun ... Physically she has a number of “female” problems which she won’t even discuss with a doctor. “You shouldn’t talk about that sort of thing!” Regular bronchitis over the last few years and one bout of mild pneumonia. She has told one of her sons that she has lung cancer but not the other son. The doctor has told her she has no serious pathology. She also suffers neck stiffness and regular backache. On the occasion relating to this remedy ... she had suffered a bad bout of flu which had lasted a few weeks. She was left with severe congestion of the sinuses, sounded extremely blocked and couldn’t clear any catarrh from the nose. She had a cough with catarrh that was difficult to expectorate. Along with this she had chronic constipation; she had not passed a stool for nearly a week. Clay 200 split dose. She phoned three days later in an irate state complaining that I hadn’t warned her of the bad side effects of homoeopathy! The tablets had made her cry non-stop for three days. I asked about the catarrh, chest and constipation: “Oh! That’s pouring out, everything’s moving fine!” She cried on and off for a further few days and declared she would never take homoeopathy again (she still hasn’t one year later). Since the prescription she has been much calmer and less irritable, she is more willing to discuss things and she is less deceitful. She has been to counselling and will now discuss her husband and his death. She has regularly been to a cranial osteopath for neck and back problems and made steady progress. Recently she spoke to a spiritual healer known to her church and had a couple of sessions with him. Her general health has gradually improved and this has been the first year for many years that she has not had a chest infection or prolonged colds. Her life generally is much calmer and the dramas in her life, although still present, are considerably less frequent and of a lesser magnitude.’ SP (Prometheus No. 8 June 1998).

4 ‘Female of 26. She came to see me for constitutional treatment in the last month of her pregnancy. She was coping well as a single mum-to-be, “keeping strong” in spite of quite a few doubts and fears in the background. She wasn’t in touch with her family and her mother hadn’t spoken to her since she told her was pregnant. She had a history of bulimia, irritable bowel syndrome and amenorrhoea but was presenting with constipation, tiredness and a fungal condition under her fingernails. She did very well on Sepia and went on to give birth to a healthy baby boy. She came back to see me about her nails which cleared up on Thuja and Silica but she was feeling a bit overwhelmed by her situation. She was living in a bedsit with her boyfriend and a lively, demanding baby. It felt too crowded and things were getting on top of her. She said that she felt stuck. She wanted things in her life to move but nothing was happening; she was looking for a job and waiting to be offered a bigger flat. She had a lot of suppressed anger towards her mother who was still ignoring her. In view of this situation, her suppressed emotions and her history of constipation, I wondered if Clay would help to cleanse her base chakra and move things along a bit. She was given Clay 30x: one daily for seven days. When she came back she said she felt much better. “I felt much lighter as soon as I had taken the remedy.” She also got her period that day after the first dose, the first since having the baby, and that helped too. She still had the same problems but she said they weren’t bothering her; she was taking them in her stride. She was feeling good, had lots of energy and was doing a lot of organizing. She looked great and we didn’t feel that she needed a remedy this time. She did not return for six months.’ KL

5 ‘A woman in her early 40s came with ME. She always felt tired, susceptible to viruses and constipated. On some days she was unable to lift herself from her bed. She had no appetite or thirst. She looked an unhealthy, pasty colour with dark rings under her eyes. She was married though had no children and an impotent husband. “Just as well really as I am always exhausted.” She had a lot of digestive symptoms that the doctor had told her was irritable bowel syndrome: flatus, bloating, heaviness, craving for sweet things from time to time. She thought she had candida and a few “gynae” problems. Over two years she had Sepia, Pulsatilla, Lycopodium, Tuberculinum, Sulphur, Carcinosin and Phosphorus on indications. Though she said that she felt that all the prescriptions had helped; that she felt more alive than she had done; that she did have more energy and that she almost never needed a day in bed, the digestive symptoms had a distressing habit of coming back regularly. She was given Clay 200. From the second of the three doses she reported that she felt different. The constipation gradually disappeared. She had far more consistent energy. Her pallor changed and a rosiness came in her cheeks. Her eyes were brighter and she said that she now had “loads of clients” (she was a reflexologist) and was managing to treat them all whereas before she could only contemplate seeing three or four in a month.’ CG

Practitioner’s comment

I find that Clay is useful for those who are waterlogged with grief; they’re so stuck in it. I often see it in Lycopodium patients and it supports them well. It also goes with the bowel nosodes brilliantly. RP