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CARBO VEGETABLIS: THE JADED

RAKE
David Kempson + Follow
Classical
33 · 3 CommentsHomoeopath
Published Sep 10, 2019
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Carbo vegetablis is also known as “vegetable charcoal”. It is prepared by

igniting a pile of dry beech or birch wood which is then covered by a thick
layer of soil. This slows the burning process down, and increases the intensity
of the heat. The combustion process takes place with very little oxygen
present, and the wood is converted into volatile compounds.
:
 Charcoal is one of the very oldest of medicines, used from the most ancient of
times. Its primary use has been to deal with digestive complaints and
poisonings, although it has been touted as a cure for an incredible number of
conditions. This remarkably wide coverage has been upheld in the
Homoeopathic picture, where Carbo-veg rivals some of the most frequently
used Polycrests in the number of symptoms and conditions it is known to
treat. In fact it has been a considerable challenge to sift through the enormous
amount of information and decide where to focus my attention. 

Red Colobus monkeys of Africa eat charcoal as part of their normal diet in
order to counteract the high levels of cyanide in the leaves they feed on.

Charcoal has been long used as a smelting fuel, and this has resulted in
significant environmental damage as large swathes of forest in such places as
South America or the Congo are cleared and removed. Such deforestation in
these places, often called the ‘lungs’ of the earth, will likely affect the quality
of the planet’s air. This is of course one of the main themes of Carbo-veg – ‘air
hunger’ and a lack of oxygen. It is also reminiscent of the Syphlitic nature of
the remedy – Destruction and Death.

This is an interesting element of the picture itself, this place Charcoal

occupies in the human world. Illegal charcoal industries (Delusion he is a
criminal) are major causes of the death of forests and animal populations
(Death apparent) which will result in significant degradation of Earth’s ability
to produce oxygen (Never well since decreased oxygen in the blood). We
are destroying the ‘lungs of the world’ by overconsuming them (Difficult
respiration after overeating).

I propose that Carbo vegetablis is the remedy for POLLUTION and

DEPLETION leading to DESTRUCTION and DEATH. It is a remedy for the
current environmental crisis we find ourselves in. It represents on a micro-
scale what we are doing to our bodies AND on a macro-scale what we are
:
 doing to the planet.

Firstly, let’s examine the traditional picture of Carbo-veg, before going on to

discuss the core mental state which can be drawn out of the repertory.

As usual anything in Bold is a symptom or rubric taken from the Radar Opus
Repertory Program. If the symptom is in CAPITALS it is a strong characteristic
of the remedy repeatedly verified in clinic. SS after a remedy denotes a Single
Symptom, a symptom for which the remedy is the only one currently known. 

Traditional Picture of Carbo vegetablis

Carbo veg is a staple of the Homoeopathic First Aid Kit. It is used as a

hangover cure, treatment for all sorts of gastric and digestive problems, and
for any acute illness where there is COLDNESS, DESIRE TO BE FANNED, AIR
HUNGER, WEAKNESS and COLLAPSE. It is known as the ‘Corpse Reviver’
and can bring a patient back from the very brink of death, perhaps even just
moments beyond that. Any prolonged illness that drains the vitality of the
patient keeping them in a weary unmotivated state might call for Carbo veg.
Any acute illness from which a patient never recovers can cause a chronic
Carbo veg state. Ailments from Measles, Pertussis, Chicken Pox, Typhoid
Fever, Influenza may all call for this remedy, whatever those ailments are.

Some keynote symptoms for Carbo veg are:

CONSTRICTION OF THE HEAD, AS IF IN ARMOR. SENSATION OF A

SKULLCAP

CORYZA FOLLOWED BY COMPLAINTS OF THE VOICE

GREENISH DISCOLOURATION OF THE FACE

HIPPOCRATIC FACE (the change in the face produced by impending death)

DISTENSION OF THE STOMACH AFTER EATING > ERUCTATIONS        

:
 RUMBLING IN THE ABDOMEN > PASSING FLATUS

COLDNESS OF BREATH

DIFFICULT RESPIRATION AFTER OVEREATING (SS)

ICY COLD FEET. EXTREMITIES ARE BLUE

ICY COLDNESS OF SKIN OF THE WHOLE BODY

COLLAPSE AFTER DIARRHEA

WEAKNESS FROM SUNSTROKE, IN NURSING WOMEN.

Proposed Core Mental State

The end-state of Carbo-veg tends to be fairly well known – Confused, Dull,

Indifferent, Weak, Coldness both physically and emotionally. When
considering its deeper use it is often this final stage of apathetic weakness
which prescribers will look for. However, Carbo-veg has a very different
appearance when you look at the state leading up to the collapse.

The Carbo-veg child is highly emotional and easily made sick from those
emotions (Ailments from emotional excitement, children are made ill at
certain moments). They are Affectionate, prone to engaging in pranks and
tricks (Playing Antics) They are Afraid of the Dark, Curious and tend to Bite
their Nails. They can be Afraid of People, Timid, and very much Averse to
Change (a strong characteristic of the remedy). They wish to impress those
around them by putting on an act (AFFECTATION IN CHILDREN) often
hamming it up to delight their friends and family (Foolish behavior). Carbo
veg children love to adopt characters and mannerisms to entertain others, and
their family might enjoy (to a certain point) their little dramas and
performances, but will be surprised to see those same children suffering from
:
 Stage-fright (Timidity appearing in Public) because they don’t cope so well
when they are with people they don’t know (Anxiety in the Presence of
Strangers). They can be the family clown, but clam right up the moment they
meet someone they don’t know, becoming quiet and shy (Awkward from
Bashfulness). These children might seem like Phosphorous, Baryta carb or
Ambra grisea, but the alternating gregariousness and timidity might bring
them closer to the picture of Lycopodium. Both Carbo-veg and Lycopodium
will use flattery and seduction (Flattering, seducing behavior in children) to
get what they want. These characteristics might also confuse them with
Medorrhinum.

It does appear that the Carbo-veg patient may suffer from an inability to
control their emotions, their impulses. It is the only remedy found in the rubric:

*Involuntary Anger (SS)*

This could be characterized as Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), where

the person has episodes of impulsive outbursts of anger which they cannot
control. Such patients also tend to be impulsive (Impetuous) and hostile
(Abrupt - Harsh). Carbo-veg patients can be Offended Easily and
Quarrelsome. Involuntary actions are those done without conscious control
or will, like a yawn or a sneeze. Patients needing this remedy appear to be at
the mercy of their basic instincts and urges, unable to control their reactions
to circumstances. People with inadequate control of their aggressive impulses
can be at risk of impulsive suicide, and we find Carbo-veg in the single
symptom Impatience with Suicidal Disposition. It is also found in Anger
driving to suicide alongside Dulcamara and Spectrum.

It is clear that Carb veg suffers from a lack of self-discipline. They are not only
unable to control their emotions (Being beside oneself, Cheeful and foolish,
Frightened easily, Hysteria, Laughing immoderately, Sadness from the
slightest pain - SS, Weeping at sad thoughts or news - Involuntary
:
 Emotional Expression Disorder or IEED), but are slaves to many of the desires
of the body. Carbo-veg are true hedonists, sensualists who cannot control
their desires for pleasure. They are gluttons (Gourmand, Overeating
aggravates). They are also extremely prone to sexual excesses and may
completely lack any restraint when it comes to pursuing carnal pleasures
(Lewdness, Libertinism, Obscene, Nymphomania, MEN DISPOSED TO
EXCESSIVE MASTURBATION). You can imagine such a person needing
many sexual partners, many 'one-night stands', and having trouble devoting
themselves to one person (Irresolution as to who to marry). Carbo-veg
patients are 'party animals', constantly seeking out more ways to satisfy their
instinctive physical urges (Alcoholism, Amorous, Desires excitement,
Ailments from debauchery, Too generous for strangers, Lascivious,
Passionate, Vivacious). 

What practitioners will often see in clinic though is the broken down, jaded
wrecks resulting from this kind of lifestyle, and then it is a more recognizable
picture. Carbo-veg is frequently indicated AFTER A DEBAUCH, as often as
NUX-VOMICA. It will help those Complaints from Revelling, AILMENTS
AFTER SEXUAL EXCESSES, and in fact any Weakness after excess. Such
patients suffer from Excessive Hangovers.

So the underlying reason for this overindulgence and the suffering it brings,
can be seen in the small rubric:

*Delusion, as if loss of willpower* (chinin-s, nit-ac, pop)

Willpower is defined as:

1.  The ability to delay gratification in order to achieve long term goals (Ailments
from debauchery).

2. The ability to override any unwanted impulse (Anger involuntary)

:
 3. The ability to respond in a ‘cool’ thoughtful manner rather than in a highly
emotional or ‘hot’ way (Anger violent, Striking with Rage)

4. Conscious regulation of oneself (Ailments from prostration of mind)

5. A limited resource capable of being depleted (DEPLETION is one of the core

themes of this remedy)

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/willpower

The American Psychology Association’s website also mentions that in the

results of a survey done on Willpower and self-control showed some
interesting results. Higher self-control correlated to:

1. Higher grades in students (Dullness in school children SS)

2. Higher self-esteem (Want of confidence, Fear of failure)

3. Less binge eating and alcohol abuse (Ailments from Overeating, Obesity,
Alcoholism)

4. Better relationship skills (Aversion to the presence of strangers, Timidity to

talk in public, Indifference to joy and suffering of others)

5. Less criminal convictions (Delusion he is a criminal)

6. Better financial security (Talks of money, Anxiety about the future)  

 And even more importantly in terms of understanding the overall picture of

Carbo-veg, a lack of Willpower was considered to be the most significant
barrier to any kind of change. The remedy has a core mental component:

* AVERSION TO CHANGE*
:
 So we have a patient who cannot discipline themselves, who cannot resist
their impulses and their cravings, who will constantly overindulge and suffer
greatly for it. They cannot learn from that suffering, and remain unable to
enact any changes to their behavior. They constantly live in the moment,
flitting from desire to desire, unable to control themselves long enough to stop
their gluttony and pleasure-seeking. Even when it is clear that they are made
sick from it (Vigor decreased, Excessive Hangovers, Simplest food
aggravates SS) they will not, or cannot more likely, change how they
approach things. You may also see those patients whose body weight has
become a serious health risk, unable to curb their appetite due to feeling they
have no self-control or because they feel they are victims of ‘emotional eating’.

Change is difficult, if not impossible to create, if you cannot exert your Will,
and if you do not have the energy to make those changes (Ailments from
prostration of mind, Aversion to thinking). Carbo-veg can neither stop
themselves from acting on their impulses or muster the necessary mental
energy to prevent themselves from continuing to undermine their health and
wellbeing. This is a kind of INERTIA where the patient ‘goes with the flow’
rather than doing anything to help themselves (LACK OF REACTION, Rest as
well as Motion aggravates, Sensation as if blood stagnated). Leaving
things the way they are is easier (Aversion to being rocked - represents 'not
wanting to rock the boat').

POLLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Carbo-veg suffers from internal pollution. Drugs, Alcohol, Bad and Unhealthy
food, and Toxins. You will often see in the history of the patient a significant
decline in health following contact with a drug or poison. There are many
rubrics representing this sensitivity.

Ailments from, Abuse of, or Complaints following:

Analgesics. Antipyretics. Aspirin. Camphor. Coal gas. Hypnotics.

:
 Allopathic medicines. Menthol. Mercury. Mercury fumes. QUININE.
Narcotics. Chewing Tobacco. Arsenic. Intoxication. Antibiotics. Dialysis.
Influenza medication. Bad Brandy. Bad Eggs. Bad Wine. ALCOHOLIC
DRINKS. RICH FOOD. BUTTER. FAT. OIL. DECAYED VEGETABLES. Rancid
food. Rancid fat. Salt. Spoiled Meat. Spoiled Fish. Vaccinations(Murphy’s
Repertory).

This describes so well the Modern lifestyle, and the Allopathic abuse within it.
As Homoeopaths we will often hear a litany of such medications used daily, for
years on end. This level of pollution diminishes the vital energy of patients,
and it is my proposal that many more people need this remedy than are
currently receiving it. Carbo-veg is clearly a remedy for the MODERN WORLD
and the CRISIS OF POLLUTION AND DESTRUCTION OF BOTH OUR OWN
BODIES AND OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

CARBO VEG AND THE APATHY TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

We live in a society that consumes faster than the world can replenish.
Western cultures have enshrined Consumerism, and the negative outcomes of
such a philosophy is that more money is spent on indulgences and pleasure
than on education and nutrition and other more important matters (Ailments
from Indolence and Luxury). Such an approach to living results in Obesity
and in disorders related to excessive consumption (Overeating aggravates).
It also creates Pollution and Environment Destruction caused by Depletion of
resources. Our society is aware of the looming crisis, that we will pass a point
of no-return eventually but continues to rush towards it regardless
(Impatience with suicidal disposition). We watch the ‘lungs of the world’,
the Congo and the Amazon, burn with little passing interest even though the
very air of our planet itself will be affected (Indifferent to Joy and Suffering
:
 of others, Indifferent to everything) or the problem seems so enormous
that the ensuing fear and anxiety (Horrible things Sad stories affect
profoundly, Anxiety about the Future, Fear of hearing bad news) creates a
‘learned hopelessness’ or apathy because an individual can do little to prevent
it (Restless sleep, imagines he has to go through deep water - deep water
representing in Dreams a problem that is insurmountable). Environmentalists
can often experience trouble rousing the general population who would rather
believe everything is ok and that nothing will change (Delusion someone is
trying to wake him from a dream - SS). When politicians play down or
dismiss what is happening to our planet, it is often done to protect their own
interests (Avarice), is reduced to a cost analysis slanted towards what is best
for businesses (Delusion talks of money), is done with derision of ‘green’ or
‘hippy’ elements (Mocking, sarcasm), and constantly refer to keeping things
the way they have always been (Traditional prejudices).

THE JADED RAKE

The Rake is traditionally a ‘hellraiser’ addicted to moral misconduct, usually a

‘womanizer’. Such a person was known to waste away their fortune on
gambling, wine and prostitutes. The ‘jaded rake’ is one that has indulged to
the point where those things just don’t get the same rise out of them they
used to (Indifferent to the music which he loves). It’s clear that Carbo veg
would fit such a person, at any stage of their journey to ill health. In the
modern world, a person addicted to the ‘high life’, to parties, to drugs, to
booze, to easy sex with multiple partners. It can also describe an
unfortunately ‘typical’ gay lifestyle. While only a particular set of gay people
live this way, it has certainly been celebrated in gay subculture and in popular
culture for many decades. Interestingly, Carbo veg is one of 14 remedies listed
for AIDS, and AIDS certainly seems connected to both the Syphilitic Miasm
(discussed later), overindulgence in drugs and medication, repeated exposure
:
 to STDs (which are again maltreated with drugs), all of which leads to an
exhausted weakened eventually deathly state (Cachexia, Presentiment of
Death). Such a lifestyle became popular in general society in the 1990s and
many other patients might now display the consequences of living this way.

CARBO VEG: IN BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH

Homoeopaths know this remedy as ‘The Corpse Reviver’. When a patient

approaches death, when they are hovering between life and death,
Homoeopathic Charcoal can bring them back from the brink. Important as this
is, how often do we see patients like this in our normal practice? As with many
of our Materia Medica pictures, they tend to focus on the more extreme or
acute state rather than showing the ‘day-to-day’ qualities.

The state of Carbo-veg is to be on the precipice of death, to be so close that

life begins to look like death. In an acute situation, you will see COLLAPSE
and the appearance of DEATH, but in a chronic situation this will show itself
around a more common daily aspect of life – SLEEP.

Sleep and Death are not identical, but they do share many qualities. Sleep and
Death are like siblings. Death is often called the ‘perfect sleep’ or the ‘final
sleep’, and Sleep may be referred to as the ‘small death’. The coming of Death
and going to Sleep can look very similar to someone who has observed both,
and while we do not know for certain what lies beyond, it is often said that
Dreams are a glimpse into the other worlds that may exist past this point.

We use Carbo-veg to rouse someone from this near-death state, to bring

them back to life. The patient themselves will already be showing signs of
attempting to do this (CONFUSION OF MIND, COMPELLED TO AROUSE
HIMSELF - dd. NUX-V), of the struggle to stay in the world, to stay ‘alive’ and
conscious (Confusion of mind exertion ameliorates -SS).

There is a constant feeling that they will slip away (Delusion he would faint if
:
 he had postponed waking any longer - SS), that they will sink into a place
they cannot get out of (Delusion he was oppressed), that they are losing
their fight for life. They will often be stuck in-between full consciousness and
a dreamy sleepiness (Semi-consciousness). Back and forth, the effort to
‘wake up’ and live (Sleeplessness with inability to open the eyes - SS),
versus the feeling that something is pushing them back down (As of a Heavy
Weight). They are much worse on Waking or after a Siesta.

When engaged in the world, you will see a VERY ANXIOUS person, very
nervous. They may look similar to ARSENICUM or ACONITE with their Anxiety
at Night esp. before Midnight, Anxiety Driving them from Place to Place
or Out of their Bed, Anxiety about the Future or from the Pains. They Fear
Death, Accidents, being Alone, that Something will Happen, Misfortune,
Ordeals, and Suffocation. Carbo veg has a single symptom Clinging with
Restlessness. If one is only looking for the depleted apathetic near-dead
state, the remedy might be missed altogether for a more lively patient.

What is the purpose of Anxiety and Fear, from an evolutionary point of view?
To sound an alarm when we are in danger, or when we are anticipating danger
(Ailments from anticipation, Sudden Fear, Terror). At their most basic, they
are part of the effort to SURVIVE. While Arsenicum must control every little
thing, and Aconite must predict whatever might go wrong in advance, Carbo
veg has to REMAIN AWAKE. If they let themselves go, they will fade away, fall
into the pit of non-consciousness and then into non-existence (Fear before
Sleep). Anxiety and Fear keeps us stimulated, alert, engaged, CONSCIOUS
and so further away from dying. Rocking commonly induces sleep, from
babies in their mothers’ arms to the elderly in their rocking chairs. Death and
Sleep are too closely related for the Carbo-veg patient. Their struggle is to
stay awake, to stay alive (Aversion to being rocked – SS, Rocking
aggravates).

The fears of Carbo-veg, the problem for such people, are the things that
:
 should stir and maintain life, but will do the opposite. COLD AS DEATH is a
term that applies to this remedy very well, and you will see such patients
experience COLDNESS FROM BECOMING HEATED (SS). Heat is a sign of
life, but being heated instead brings on the chill we associate with death
(Affected parts look as if dead, Death apparent of frozen persons). Even
the breath, the most obvious sign of life, does not present with warmth (ICY
COLDNESS OF THE WHOLE BODY WITH COLD BREATH).

There is a spark within still, much like there is in the remains of a fire when
only charcoal remains (Burning internally accompanied by external
coldness - SS) and this will reignite, albeit temporarily, if fanned (Desire to
be fanned rapidly – SS) or given more air (Respiration difficult, wants
doors and windows open). Then he will come back to life (Delusion he is
awakening himself from a dream –SS)

Even those things that once would have excited them into life can now instead
disturb them. Despite presenting earlier in their history as Revellers, partying
with the best of them, now LAUGHING and SINGING AGGRAVATES. These
things again should enliven someone, but they can aggravate the tentative
hold they have on life (Weakness of the heart < Singing).  

Darkness as a Theme

From our early days as humans, Darkness has represented danger. The risk of
death from nocturnal predators created our most primitive fear of the dark
and of the death that it represented to our diurnal species. Darkness is a
powerful aggravating factor in the case of a Carbo-veg patient (Delusions in
the Dark – SS, Has horrible visions in the Dark, Fear of the Dark, Aversion
to Darkness, Head pain < Darkness).

As we have become more complex, our fears have evolved with us. Darkness
:
 became a symbol for Death, and our folklore and mythology grew up around
it. Interestingly in Greek mythology the personification of Death is Thanatos
who was the son of the Goddess of the Night, Nyx (darkness) and Hypnos the
God of Sleep. This is interesting because of Carbo-veg’s association of sleep
with death. I propose that Carbo-veg associates darkness with death as well.
Nyx was able to bring either sleep or death to mortals.

This confusion of sleep with death may be one of the reasons Carbo-veg is so
driven to experience the pleasures of the flesh. There is a turn of phrase, one
that has inspired a number of songs over the years, “I’ll sleep when I die”,
which might very well be the catchphrase of the rakish Carbo-veg at the
height of their hedonism and debauchery. The irony is that as their life force
ebbs away, partly from all the abuse they have heaped upon themselves,
sleeping indeed begins to feel like death.

As Shakespeare said:

"To die, to sleep;

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil”

Carbo-veg sees all sorts of things in the dark (Delusions sees phantoms in
the dark). much like ARNICA who sees ghosts and ghouls during the Witching
Hour. They feel that there is someone else in the room at night, a dark figure
or ghost who comes close to them or gets into the bed with them. They
hear footsteps and feel invisible hands passing over them. Darkness
brings with it the creatures of the underworld, representations of death.
Darkness so aggravates this patient that they even experience ANXIETY ON
CLOSING THE EYES. The night creates Terror and Fear of being Alone with
a Fear of Evil and a feeling they may be Possessed.
:
 The Syphilitic Nature of Carbo veg

Carb vegetablis has usually been placed in the Psoric miasm (see Roberts
‘Theory of Psoric or deficiency’), and in the new classification the Typhoid
miasm. However if one looks over the rubrics containing the remedy, and the
pathologies for which it is well indicated, I would propose Carbo-veg as being
a predominately SYPHILITIC   medicine.

Anemia syphilitic; Complaints of bones syphilitic ; Cachexia from

syphilis; Affection of cartilages syphilitic; Syphilis accompanied by hair
falling out; Syphilis third stage

Suicidal from despair; by hanging; by shooting

Anger violent; Striking with rage

Night aggravation

Hippocratic Face. Cachexia

Black or Burning Ulcers

Morose. Despair

Delusion he is a criminal. Kleptomania.

Insanity in drunkards. Alcoholism

Dullness. Confusion of mind (breakdown of intellect).

The Syphilitic miasm is characterized by destruction of the body and mind

with the inevitability of death looming. Carbo veg Desires Death, has the
Agony before Death, and both Fears and rushes towards Self-
destruction. 
:
 Falak Sher Cheema 1mo
Translator, Editor, Content Writer [English, Urdu, Punjabi]

When you say, "people never recovered from certain ailment", does it include a patient
too, who has got sort of ulcer and blockages in intestinal tract after typhoid fever some
seven eight years ago?
Patient's food doesn't travel even without certain herbal (Eastern medicine) remedies.

Like · Reply

Dr.Anita Bajaj 2y
Independent Medical Practice Professional

Beautiful, indepth  study and evolution of carbo veg not just individual but correlation
with environment ,superb 

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