This is saffron, a brightly coloured spice with a distinct flavour and deep yellow colour. It’s also recognised for its medicinal effects particularly for depression and anxiety. In homeopathy Crocus Sativa is known for women and menstrual or perimenopausal complaints. So let’s have a look at the remedy picture.
There can be sadness, but this alternates with happiness, laughing and joking. Crocus Sativa people may give you whiplash with their rapidly changing moods, from violent aggressiveness to remorse. They can be dancing, jumping and affectionate, then in a rage and even striking out or biting others.
There may also be a feeling of dependence on a partner, with a push-pull between wanting to be attractive and loved, with feeling dominated and being irritable to counter the dominance. This dependence can also lead to a feeling that they’re not good at work, or “unfit for business”.
Crocus has the inclination to sing- this may even be involuntary, unable to resist joining in when hearing music played.
Crocus has a number of symptoms in the eyes- a feeling like they are in smoke, as if cold air was rushing through the eye, or like they had been weeping. They feel like they need to wipe their eyes as if there was water in them, the pupils can be enlarged and the lids heavy.
They can also have nose bleeds, but this is a dark and stringy clotted nose bleed, instead of pouring there can be strings of dark blood hanging from the nose.
We see the same dark strongly blood in the menstrual period, or from a threatened miscarriage. It is known for very heavy bleeding with dark and clotty blood, which is worse for moving. It could also be indicated for post partum haemorrhage with the same dark and clotty blood.
Crocus can also be a remedy for false pregnancy, when the abdomen is swollen and there is a “sensation of something living and moving in the abdomen”.
Other hormone related symptoms include headaches worse during the period or in perimenopause. The joints are also affected with cracking in the hips and knees, pain in the ankles and shoulders, weakness in knees and legs and numbness in the hands during sleep.
Crocus tends towards constipation, and there can be pain and cramping in the abdomen, with a heavy sensation.
In general crocus is worse for lying down, for heat – whether a warm room or hot weather, in the morning and for fasting. This makes skipping breakfast really bad! Crocus feel better in the open air.
I haven’t used this remedy often, but it’s definitely one on my list to talk more about when I do my menopause course!