Homeopathically there are over 200 remedies that crave chocolate. I’m only going to talk about a few that strongly crave chocolate.
Phosphorus has a very strong craving for chocolate and is one remedy to think of for excessive chocolate consumption- one case I have seen the patient was eating a king sized block of chocolate a day – this reduced along with an improvement in many other things after a dose of Phosphorus. Phosphorus is a social remedy, they love people and are very open and empathetic, but with this can burn out. Chocolate may help pick them back up again with energy and mood, especially if they have been drawing too much negative energy from those around them.
Carcinosin is one of our miasmatic remedies, often used for inherited tendencies to disease and can be indicated when there is a strong family history of cancer. Carcinosin can also be an anxious remedy, needing things the same and everything to be perfect. They may have trouble falling asleep because of this anxiety. The serotonergic effect of chocolate may help calm this anxiety and make it more manageable.
Kola is from the same plant family as chocolate and coffee and as you may guess from its name, the seeds are used to flavour Cola drinks. The homeopathic remedy then often has cravings for chocolate, and either cravings for or an aversion to coffee. Kola is often described as a women’s remedy and about the essence of motherhood and nurturing. Whether a lack of nurturing as a child or an overwhelming need to nurture their own child.
Sepia is one of our primary hormonal remedies, so it is not a surprise to see a craving for chocolate when that is a common pre-menstrual craving. As well as chocolate cravings there may be an indifference or annoyance with family, or even a feeling that you want them to GO AWAY. Prolapse, urinary incontinence, and menstrual symptoms like headaches or period pain can be seen in this remedy.
Staphisagria can be a remedy when there is a history of abuse. Often used for sweet and mild people who suppress their feelings – this may be where their chocolate cravings come in, to help them suppress all those negative feelings. Staphisagria may also explode with anger – often throwing things in their anger – when they cannot suppress things any longer.
Ginkgo is not a common remedy but it comes up strongly for chocolate craving. I expect this is due to the cardioprotective and cognitive and neural blood flow benefits of eating or drinking chocolate as we briefly touched on yesterday. Ginkgo herbally is used to increase blood flow and for cognition, and homeopathically the picture shows a weakness in memory, vertigo and chest pain.
Lycopodium craves anything sweet, including chocolate and has a real lack of control. As a remedy it has a big gut focus, with bloating, rumbling, farting and burping. They can have a huge appetite, or get full quickly. Heartburn with sour burps is also part of the picture. Mentally and emotionally Lycopodium can feel inferior, and have poor self esteem. Despite this they can be very domineering of family, even children can be angry, bossy and rude to parents, and yet with teachers behave perfectly well.
Calcarea Carbonicum love all carbohydrates, pasta, bread, potatoes, sweets and chocolate. They may also love cheesy foods, especially if it comes with carbs in the form of pizza, macaroni and cheese or lasagna. Calc Carb people are capable, hardworking and reliable but may find it hard to relax until their jobs are done.
Natrum Muriaticum is very sensitive, and can be deeply hurt by life, although they are not demonstrative, instead keeping their feelings to themselves and if they do need to cry it will be at home, by themselves. Because of this they may appear closed or hard, and can often appear overly serious, and responsible. Control and having things be perfect is important to them. They may even find it difficult to urinate in front of others. Physically Natrum Muriaticum is most well known for headaches, from migraines to headaches from grief, they can be worse light, sun, reading, noise or related to menstrual periods. Their craving for chocolate may be related to those feelings that they bottle up inside, or perhaps the magnesium helps to relax the muscles and reduce the headaches.
Thuja craves sweets and chocolate, and probably emotionally eats to make themselves feel better. They typically have low self-esteem, feel worthless and unattractive. They can be depressed and are desperate to fit in, but feel like people wouldn’t like them if they really knew them. Physically Thuja is best known for warts, they can have them on the hands and fingers, on the soles of the feet, or even genital warts.
Look out for my post tomorrow on the Homeopathic remedy Chocolate, and if you missed it check out yesterdays post on Chocolate as a substance.