Chicory
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1997 Sep / Oct VOL 5 NO 5.
Dr Rupa A Shah
If we but sufficiently develop the quality of losing ourselves in the love and care of those around us, enjoying the glorious adventure of gaining knowledge and helping others, our personal grief and sufferings rapidly come to an end. It is the great ultimate aim: the losing of our own interests in the service of humanity [C W 134]
I find Chicory as one of the common remedies required by many of my patients, particularly women. Women in India are largely a suppressed kind. They are dominated by their male counterparts and unfortunately, also by their own kind. A typical example in my practice is, of a woman of around 50 years, who has recently become a mother-in-law. When she was young, she was not well treated by her own mother, as girls were considered inferior to boys. Later, when she got married, she was badly treated by her mother in law and probably other inlaws. She had no choice but to go on living, as there were no other alternatives possible. She had to work and work, emotionally tortured, and with a responsibility to raise children, loving them, nurturing all.
This entire going on for many years left her depleted emotionally. She has not received enough love and nurturing in return. This leaves her with a badly wounded and somewhat closed Heart Chakra. She is full of resentment. Just when her first son attains marriageable age, it is time for her to rest a bit and enjoy. When the son gets married and brings home a young wife, she thinks now it is her time to get back all that she had given her family, but this does not happen. Perhaps, because the D-I-L is independent, earning her own money, of this generation, bold, educated. This very presentation of the new generation to fight back any ill treatment threatens the patient. Then start all the psychosomatic complaints. Typical Chicory state. An egoistically self-centered woman.
The Chicory person feels abandoned, forsaken. The symptoms are more pronounced when alone. Company ameliorates. The person craves for sympathy and company. Many of them feign sickness in order to get care and attention from others. This is also indicated in cases of hysteria. Person torments everyone with her complaints, including the doctor.
They become egocentric, dominating, dictatorial, rigid, and obstinate. They become very insecure, greedy for money, objects and power. She fights for her share of money. Possessiveness carried to the extreme becomes insanity. Insanity to possess things because one feels deeply insecure and an emptiness within in an emotional sense, getting filled by possessing things and feeling within an emotional sense, getting filled by possessing things and feeling secure that way. Their heart is hardened, full of hatred for those who do not agree with them. They are often the ones who are grieving over the loss of a dear one. They suffer from love pangs. Their heart is wounded, filled with sadness. They are sentimental and tearful.
Deep down within themselves, they feel rejected and insecure. They cannot 'let go' easily. They brood over the past. They always feel they are right. It is like a no-win situation. Others around get exhausted, drained emotionally and physically, trying to please Chicory types. It is very difficult for them to escape the grip of such persons.
I have found this remedy also often indicated in two types of children. One type is that who's both parents are working. These children are at the mercy of someone other than their parents. They resent the fact very strongly. They clearly feel unloved, rejected. They get less time to spend with their parents. They miss all the warm hugs that leave them with very less nurturing. The other type is the single child who is spoilt by excessive attention from every person of the family. Their perception of creation is that whatever they demand, they can get. So they become demanding and obstinate. They think that the world revolves around them. Then there are those who are not loved by their parents, because the latter are alcoholics or mentally ill or are actually Chicory types. Or their parents are not known or loved or one or both of them are dead. Basically these children are not cared for or loved by anyone. Not having received any love, these children, when they grow up, do not know how to love others. It is a vicious cycle. However, if they find anyone very loving in their life, they do recover, But not all. Some of them are very difficult to handle, many of them have poor self-esteem, poor self-image. These people do not like their own self, do not love themselves. Then it is difficult for anyone to make them happy as they are close to receiving love.
All this has to do with the Heart Chakra. Too many repeated hurts and emotional trauma injures the heart chakra, the only way it can cope is by closing or shutting down itself partially. Then it is like a two-way traffic that gets affected. The person is not able to even receive love in life. Deep down they do not trust anyone's love, having not received love at important stages of life.
This remedy is often indicated in the 'servant class'. Those people go through a lot of difficulties in life, not having much money, not happy emotionally as the rich exploit them, humiliate them and they have to bear all this silently.
All practitioners will surely come across these types of patients and could be exhausted by them, their complaints are unending, they are demanding, and they drain you out.
Essentially, it is a remedy of love. It is the remedy to teach people about the Divine source of love within, available at all times, never ending. To teach people about loving the self and loving others equally. To give selflessly, unconditionally. To find a deep sense of security within. To let go of the past.
There are three stages of Chicory. The first one is that of not receiving enough love. The second stage is of giving love conditionally. However in the third stage, the heart is hardened, one is devoid of most emotions, at times displaying even opposite emotions it hesituatikon. This stage is very difficult, as it is the extreme stage. It can result in insanity. Insanity to possess things, mania, madness, kleptomania, hypochondriac humor. Delusions of various types like the person thinking he is away from home, that he is always alone, that he is not appreciated, etc.
Many healers also need Chicory. They have to learn to heal others unconditionally through love.
'TO HEAL IS TO LOVE.'
