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SALIX FRAGILIS

Crack Willow

The remedy, generally called by its full Latin name to differentiate it from the other willows, was proved by eleven members of the original Guild meditation circle on 22 October 1993. Each participant took a single dose of the 30^th potency. The remedy was made from a tree growing on clay soil in Sussex. This tree overgrew a natural pond in an area uncontaminated by regular traffic.

The Background

Crack willow belongs to the family Salicaceae. One of the largest of the willows, native of Europe and northern Asia, Salix fragilis can grow up to 80 feet tall and have a bowl circumference of five feet though its usual growth takes it to no more than 50 to 65 feet in the British Isles. The tree owes its English name to its habit of vegetative propagation: the upward thrusting shoots are brittle and when disturbed by wind, storm or the weight of snow, the branches will audibly crack at a joint and lean towards the ground. If the ends of the branches touch the soil, shoots immediately begin to take root in the damp or wet ground. If a branch snaps clean off, it will start to sprout rootlets once it has come to rest on convenient earth. The result is a rapid proliferation of willow groves, usually along the banks of streams and rivers. This clonal reproduction is an adaptation that suits a tree that is otherwise relatively short lived; it is said to live for some 200 years though it is likely that some examples would exceed this by some margin. Its easy rooting from branches also leads to congregations of single-sex populations. Crack willow is fairly common though it is easy to mistake it for other willows of which there are at least a dozen. A distinguishing feature is its appearance: the ample canopy is supported by a bowl that leans over water and quite major lower branches that may have cracked and partially fallen over adjacent ground and from the tips of which new saplings are growing.

The tree is very hardy and can survive temperatures of minus 32°C. It inhabits very damp places as it requires an inordinate amount of water; it soaks up some 400 gallons each day which makes it almost twice as thirsty as an oak. Its favourite location is on marshland or lining the banks of streams and rivers and it far prefers acid clay soil and to grow in the open to get the maximum light. It likes its feet in water and its head in the sun.

The bark is roughly fissured, tough and greyish. The leaves are similar to those of other willows: narrow and lanceolate, sharp-pointed with serrulate edges. The upper surface of the leaves is a darker green than the underside which also has a soft down. Salix fragilis propagates easily with others of its family. The leaves and flowers (catkins) appear in April, the fruit matures between May and June. The flowers are dioecious with plants bearing either male or female flowers but not both and they cannot self-pollinate. They depend on bees and the abundance of wildlife that they attract to help them pollinate.

Like other willows, it has several uses: it has been used for making children’s toys, fencing, flooring, pallets and for charcoal. Though the wood is pinkish in colouring and tends to be soft, brittle and to split, it is nevertheless tough and hard-wearing. The thinnest branches, which are extremely flexible, are ideal for basket weaving. Even if they dry out before use, they can be soaked in water and then bent into shape to make traditional baskets.

Willow has been known as a herbal medicine for at least 2,000 years. The parts that are used for medicinal purposes are the inner bark of the branches and the leaves. The optimum time for collection is in the spring. The chemical constituents of interest are tannin and salicin. Tannic acid is found in many trees and the homoeopathic remedy of it was taken from an oak gall, from which the remedy Gallic Acid is made. Salicylic acid, used to make aspirin, is found in various plants, most particularly in Gaultheria (wintergreen) and Spiraea ulmaria (meadow sweet). Both are already homoeopathic remedies and should be compared with Salix. (Pussy Willow, Salix Nigra, and Red Willow, and Salix Purpurea are homoeopathic remedies as well.)

Patients suffering from diarrhoea and excessive secretions of mucous membranes or haemorrhage have derived benefit from plants rich in tannin. This chemical is associated with causing dryness and constipation along with weakness and abdominal pains; it is an astringent. Salicylic acid, on the other hand, is homoeopathic to rheumatic constitutions though it is also associated with a wide symptom picture including depression of vitality, syncope, acid dyspepsia and even delirium especially during fever. It is also to be considered in tinnitus and other conditions of the aural apparatus.

Willow as a herbal medicine is a tonic, an antiperiodic and an astringent. It is also an antipyretic, sedative, hypnotic and antirheumatic. It can be used in a number of forms: a powder, an infusion, a fluid extract, a syrup or as wine. Potter’s Encyclopaedia lists willow as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, febrifuge and tonic and states that it is ‘an ancient remedy which has been used in various forms for rheumatism and gout, fevers and aches and pains of all kinds’. The bark, if macerated in vinegar, may be used for the removal of corns and hardened skin. An infusion of the leaves is recommended for its calming, even slightly soporific effect especially in those who suffer from insomnia. Rheumatism is described as being relieved by a bath with willow leaves. According to Mrs M Grieve in her exhaustive A Modern Herbal, willow is useful as a vermifuge, during convalescence after acute disease and in chronic diseases of the bowel characterized by diarrhoea or dysentery. She recommends one drachm of the powdered root in one or two fluid ounces of the decoction.

Keynote effects

Salix is a remedy to recover grounding in those who are weighed down or cowed by circumstance or history. It helps patients to cope with what is happening in their lives rather than to give up or avoid it and move on without resolving difficult situations. It helps the patient to level up the differences between their exterior toughness and their interior weaknesses.

General symptoms

The main ‘themes’ of Salix Fragilis are a lack of fluid energy, stiffness, constriction, rigidity and weakness along with extraordinary sensitivity. The main areas of pathology include the heart, the blood, the bone marrow, the immune system, the spine and traumatized bone; the nervous system can be easily overburdened. The remedy influences sleep and dreams especially in insomniacs. It affects the circadian cycles of the body. Distribution of water in the body is unbalanced; the feet sweat but otherwise there is usually dryness of the skin with retention. The remedy has a positive effect on the bladder and kidneys; it is indicated in chronic or recurrent cystitis. Breathing is compromised due to the restriction felt in the chest; lung symptoms are consequent on heart pathology and may be the early sign that the heart’s tissues are threatened. (Every one of the provers suffered from stifled breathing during the meditation session.) Arthritic changes with pain in the affected parts. Rheumatism with or without inflammation. Deformities of extremities with arthritis or rheumatism. Kyphosis and lordosis. Ankylosing spondylitis. Acute trauma to bones especially useful in greenstick fracture. Breaks and fractures; Salix Fragilis both complements and rivals Symphytum as an instigator of bone mending. Also for acute trauma to the spine and coccyx when a ‘twist’ is part of the pattern of the accident (see Ayahuasca, the first remedy to consider for a twist in a part due to a trauma). After an accident has left the patient feeling weak, fragile and twisted with more or less pain in the bones. Osteoporosis. Salix Fragilis is one of the main remedies to consider for encouraging the lowering of raised cholesterol levels if the other indications are evident and as long as the exciting cause is a prolonged state of tension and anxiety which is so often the case. It is also a homoeopathic analgesic (particularly after traumatic injuries) and should be compared with Hazel. Miasmatically, Salix Fragilis is principally psoric and sycotic. It corresponds to the cancer diathesis only before any physical evidence of cancer is manifest; it is for those who are obviously carcinogenic in attitude and suffer conditions that might herald cancer. It is, however, recommended for those who are suffering from depletion in the bone marrow and spleen in leukaemia or from chemotherapy for other cancers; Salix is a remedy that will ‘cut through’ chemotherapy without disturbing what it is sent in to do. It is also another of the new remedies to consider in fertility treatment, in pregnancy and after birth. Affected by the moon and its phases.

Mental and emotional symptoms

Feelings of being stifled, crushed, burdened and buffeted are keynotes of Salix Fragilis. Like Nat-mur and, sometimes, Ignatia, it has difficulty in crying or in expressing innermost feelings. Emotions are stifled to the point where there is no awareness that they need to be brought out for resolution. A feeling of wanting to be held though unable to ask for it. A sense of there being ‘no one there for me’ even when there is (so this is not quite like Pulsatilla’s abandonment). There is a feeling that one cannot take another step in the dark; it is easier to stay put and not risk any more burdens. Feeling so burdened that any more and one would break. Yet they dread failure; they limit their ambition in order not to suffer disappointment; they tend to learn avoidance tactics. Lack of self-confidence though this may not be evident at first if they are good at dissembling.

A very powerful desire and need for peace and quiet; wants stillness and silence when living through a crisis. Yet Salix can be very like a cross between Silica and Phosphorus (particularly an introverted Phosphorus): in retreat on one hand but lively and able to switch on sparkle on the other. The patient usually feels blocked in some way and, as a result, stuck as if ‘in concrete’. Slow to respond; slow to volunteer information. Victim mentality; some will seek the company of other victims with whom they feel safe (which suggests the leprotic miasm very strongly). They feel pressured by their restrictive upbringing even long after they have left the parental home. They repeat patterns that perpetuate the victim-hood or the stuckness. Their spirits may be too crushed for them to be able to change through their own efforts. Nevertheless, they are often, like Silica, very strong and determined, even calculating, in their routines. They give up being creative in favour of their responsibilities.

There is one kind of Salix patient who may be very refined and gentle; may give off almost an ethereal quality. This may be evident particularly in either children or older people; older patients who are suffering from heart problems. Salix is a remedy for those who feel acutely; they suffer nervous breakdowns as a result of all the pressures. They are full of compassion for others and are very considerate of others’ feelings and needs. These people are full of fear: fear of change, of being destabilized, of facing the challenge of new departures, fear of being overcome by emotions, a fear of sexual intimacy that can amount to frigidity. Harboured beneath the surface is often deep hurt and bitter resentment. Salix can easily be mistaken for Nat-mur. Introversion.

Physical symptoms

Head

Tension headaches < being burdened and excessive sensory aggravation.

Eyes

Dry eyes.

Nose

Frequent nose colds with runny, clear mucus. Sneezing; sensitive to change of temperature.

Mouth

Bitter or bitter-sweet taste. Blueness around the margins of the mouth.

Throat

Constriction.

Chest and heart

Sense of restricted breathing. Anxiety felt in the region of the heart. Chest feels crushed; poor oxygenation of the blood; anaemia. Cardiac asthma: lung conditions are the result of heart problems. Angina; atherosclerosis; pericarditis. Patient tends to sit bent forward holding the chest (Carbo-veg and Kalmia are the opposite). Pains in the chest with heart pathology (complements and supports Lachesis and other animal poison remedies). Pain in the left chest with a sense of constriction in the throat: sensation of something pulled back and down with a twisted feeling inside the chest wall involving the lower ribs on the left side (cf. Rose Quartz).

Stomach

Thirsty for water.

Female

Infertility: difficulty in conceiving though tests may not show any reason why. Frigidity: the patient may be avoiding physical intimacy and making the excuse that it is sufficient for them to be following a spiritual path. Period problems: irregular periods, PMT; excessive bleeding; endometriosis; fibroids; ovarian pains.

Urinary organs

Though not part of the proving, Salix has been useful in healing the bladder and urethra in chronic recurrent cystitis (cf. Golden Beryl).

Neck and back

Back pain. Tension in the neck and shoulders (compare Oak); agonizing pain in one, other or both shoulders. Lordosis, kyphosis and scoliosis. Ankylosing spondylitis. Stiffness and rigidity of the spine. Pain in the sacrum and the left side of the back with numbness. A feeling as if the back might snap. Osteoporosis; brittle bone disease.

Extremities

Feet sweat. Broken bones; fractures; greenstick fractures.

Sleep

Insomnia. Disturbing dreams.

Considerations for the use of the remedy

• Nat-mur (and Winchelsea Sea Salt) is just as burdened by grief and resentful but Salix is less likely to be snappy; Nat-mur is not necessarily an avoider; it is also more robust and quite a bit less obviously sensitive to feelings which are nevertheless left unexpressed.

• Oak is a tougher proposition altogether despite all the spinal and shoulder tension; Oak keeps going without knowing when to stop and presents a picture anything but fragile. Salix also keeps going but is obviously very fragile and feels overwhelmed and burdened.

• Lachesis and other snake and spider poisons have similar pains and pathology in the heart and chest. Latrodectus and Naja have pains that extend to the left arm and down to the hand; Cenchris, Latrodectus and Naja have pains that extend into the back; Naja has pains that extend into the neck and shoulder; Latrodectus and Naja have pains that go into the left scapula. Kalmia has pains that go down left the arm and into the hand and fingers.

• Silverfish is as useful in conditions of the spine but the mental and emotional picture of this remedy is quite different. It is probably more often indicated for whiplash than Salix but this should not prevent its use when other indications match the patient’s state. These two remedies complement one another in post-traumatic injury.

• Ayahuasca is a remedy that also has the physiological twist held in the tissues after a traumatic incident. However, it is more useful in the acute or soon after (perhaps up to a month after) the event while Salix is more for the chronic consequences.

• Lycopodium may sometimes be confused with Salix as both have a rather tougher exterior than the person on the inside. Lycopodium tends to be more outwardly bluff or even aggressive and has its typical modalities and keynote symptoms to identify it.

Salix is complementary to Arnica. It is an excellent remedy in greenstick fracture and has been known to complete healing after Symphytum has done all it can. It is also a remedy to consider for chronic cystitis when the bladder is virtually in the habit of throwing acute episodes. For both these uses it has usually been prescribed in the 30^th potency. When Salix is used in heart pathology it combines well in potency with Cratœgus Ø; i.e. Cratœgus Ø + Salix Fragilis 3x (or 6x). If Ayahuasca and Salix are remedies to undo any twists in physical injury patterns, Hornbeam is the remedy to consider for ‘twists’ in the psyche resulting from emotional injury, especially when the effects of psychic attack from the abuser is still held within.

Esoteric therapeutics

The chakra that is most affected by threatened or actual pathology is the heart. This chakra is closed down emotionally. Salix is also for the base centre when the bones are affected. Fear of change makes it very hard to make transitions; the brow centre is held in stasis with the patient unable to move forward or back. It is also said that selfishness based on lack of confidence and the fear of risking change separates the brow and the crown in this remedy making it difficult for children to be conceived. The remedy may be able to shift consciousness so that the ego is able to bear with change and transformation to allow for an incoming soul to be born. Salix fosters a sense of timelessness that is intensely valuable for recuperation. The sense of having no time barriers is soothing to the troubled ego, often overwhelmed by pressure and responsibility. Salix is yin to the yang of Oak. For those who are excessively sensitive, overwhelmed and tense, the remedy affords a sense of surrender.

Chakras

Crown

Disturbing dreams suggest difficulty in making sense of everyday life on the level of the spirit.

Brow

Fear and anxiety tend to keep them fixed into routines and cause them to be unadventurous. The tough exterior and inadequate interior mean that the patient is not likely to be comfortable making anything but carefully considered decisions; the intellect dominates the intuition.

Throat

Tends to avoid overt self-expression.

Heart

The heart centre is closed down; any expression of grief is more likely to appear in physical pathology, either in the heart and lungs themselves, or in the disturbance of the generative organs, the water balances and in the kidneys or bladder.

Solar plexus

Little motivation to do much more than the routine things in life (therefore poor spleen energy) and lack of creative fire after years of suppressed emotion. Useful in those with high cholesterol who have had lives dominated by difficult emotions.

Sacral

The closed-down nature of the heart is reflected in or caused by the closing down of this centre. Lack of feeling in the generative sphere may be temporary or more permanent and the result of trauma or apparently not. Fear of intimate relations may be the indicating symptom especially if the first occasion either proves difficult or was traumatic.

Base

Salix is very much a base chakra remedy and one that helps to establish groundedness in those who find it hard to focus on anything permanent. There is always the tendency to move on before the present task is finished properly. This is an attempt to avoid starting anything new; starting something new requires preparation, planning for difficult eventualities and struggling with as yet unknown challenges, all of which Salix finds hard.

Case studies

1 ‘A woman who was tall and willowy came for treatment. She complained that she kept breaking bones in her body. She said that she was always dropping things and breaking things “including bits of myself”. She came to see me several times, sporting a bandage on one part or another. She was always trying to pack a lot into her life and there was this sense that she gave off that she felt life was fragile and that she needed to do as much as possible in the time available. She had originally come for treatment because she wanted to get some order into her life. She was tired from rushing around all the time. She was given Salix 1M, three doses. She came back five or six weeks later and it was noticeable that she was using different vocabulary: “I feel stronger and more together.” She went from strength to strength from then on. I had decided to give her just the Salix as I had just learnt about it and wanted to see what it would it do. It did a lot for her on every level.’ AC

2 ‘A woman of 38 came with thrush. She had a history of pelvic inflammatory disease. The thrush was characterized by a thick, green discharge which had a fishy odour. She was given Medorrhinum Americana, Thuja and Sycotic Compound but these made no appreciable difference. There was a block somewhere. The keynotes of her case were: sensitivity, unresolved issues and guilt around her parents’ death; she could not cope and felt she was not strong enough. She is very intuitive and possibly clairvoyant but I felt that her heart energy was blocked. She had Salix Fragilis 200.

‘During the next six months everything began to clear and I wonder if the Willow allowed the “block” to lift and let the other remedies, given before, to kick in. I did not prescribe anything during this period as I did not want to interfere with the general healing process. At the most recent follow-up, she has been symptom-free for three months.’ JO

3 ‘A 26-year-old woman came for treatment at five months pregnant. She was very weepy and sensitive. NBWS glandular fever at 18. Found she could not cope with anything more than the pregnancy and a very quiet routine. Any extra problems caused her to snap. Very worried there would be something wrong with the baby; could not push the idea out of her mind. No major physical symptoms but poor circulation. Crack Willow 30 b.d. for seven days. In two weeks she reported back that she felt very much better.’ JO

4 ‘A woman of 54 came with anxiety. Her marriage was at stalemate. She had met someone else but could not bring herself to tell her husband. He could be quite aggressive, bordering on being physically violent, but he had never actually struck her. She was prescribed Emerald 200 (single dose) every Sunday for one month and Oak 1M on the day she was going to tell him. She was then able to face her husband who was angry but not violent; he eventually confessed that he, too, wanted the marriage to finish. She was then given Crack Willow 6 one every night for seven weeks to give her the strength to see through all the changes. She subsequently finished with the other man too, saying, “I want to be my own person and stand on my own two feet for the first time in my life!”’ JO