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Pulsatilla is a delicate, perennial plant that has been used since the 18th century for ulcers, cataracts, and depression. In homeopathic use, it is an important plant remedy used to treat a wide variety of conditions. More commonly used as a female remedy, it suits people with an adaptable, indecisive, peaceful temperament.
It is commonly known by the name windflower, pasque flower, and anemone pratensis. It belongs to the family Ranunculaceae. It commonly grows in Central and Northern Europe and some parts of South of England. Use of pasque flower has been made since ages mainly for eye complaints. In ancient times, ‘Dioscorides’ remarked it as a remedy for a headache and ophthalmia (eye inflammation). After its proving by Dr. Hahnemann in the year 1805, it has been employed to treat many ailments in homeopathy. It is a polychrest medicine, and in homeopathy, it is primarily used for treating diseases related to female organs, eyes, nose, ears, GIT, and sleep issues. 
Preparation
Homeopathic medicine is prepared from the fresh windflower plant when in flower. This plant is collected and made it into a pulp which is then soaked in alcohol. It is then strained and diluted. Following this, it undergoes the process of succussion for making potencies for homeopathic use.
The ‘Pulsatilla’ Constitution
It is suited to women of a kind, affectionate, imaginative, extremely excitable, gentle, bashful personality with a yielding disposition. Sadness and weeping spells frequently appear among them. They are indecisive, slow, plethoric, nervous, have a changeable disposition. They are easily led and easily persuaded, easily moved to laughter or tears.
Scope as a Homeopathic Medicine
1. For Female Disorders
This remedy has a marked action on the ovaries and uterus and effectively helps treat many female disorders.
It is a top grade remedy for menstrual irregularities and is indicated in cases where the periods do not arrive in a proper cycle. They may appear late or early with no fixed pattern, and there may be inter-menstrual bleeding. As a remedy, it helps regulate menses and is considered to be a prime remedy for treating menstrual irregularities in girls during puberty. It also helps women who are anemic and suffering from menstrual problems.
In cases of amenorrhea, where the menses are late or suppressed, it helps establish the menstrual flow. The key indication to use this medicine here is a feeling that the menses would appear, but they fail to do so. Along with suppressed periods, pain in the uterus, nausea, and vomiting may be present. Difficult or painful urination and periods that are short and where the flow is scanty (oligomenorrhea) are other indications.
2. Natural PCOS Treatment
In cases of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, it works to moderate the hormonal levels and help the body dissolve the cysts to correct menstrual irregularities.
3. Leucorrhoea (Vaginal Discharges)
Leucorrhoea or abnormal vaginal discharge is also treated well with this remedy. Its use is best indicated in cases where the vaginal discharge is creamy, thin, thick mucus or milky colored. The discharge may be acrid and cause itching and burning in the vagina. There may be associated back pain, weakness, and exhaustion.
4. PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome)
It is frequently used in cases of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) TO manage symptoms like irritability, sadness, low mood, weeping spells, and mood swings.
5. Painful Periods (Dysmenorrhoea)
This remedy is used to treat the pain associated with periods in women. Symptoms like cramping, cutting, or spasms in the uterus, nausea, and vomiting can be treated with this medicine. The menstrual flow in such cases is usually black and coagulated. The woman may experience excessive restlessness, toss around in bed and have a pale face. Chilliness along with uterine colic, a sense of heaviness in the abdomen, thigh pain, and backache are other indicative symptoms. Some women may also have diarrhea and strain while passing stools.
6. Ailments During Pregnancy
It is indicated for ailments like morning sickness and varicose veins that some women experience during pregnancy. It may also be used in cases of abortion from fright, puerperal mania (a rare mood disorder), and uterine infection causing fever post childbirth.
7. Mental Complaints
It has proved to be an effective remedy for treating complaints related to the mind. It is frequently used to treat cases of depression in people who are very sensitive and emotional. A person in need of this remedy would typically be sad, have frequent spells of crying, be excessively irritable, and need constant consolation. When prescribed correctly it can also help a person overcome long-standing or silent grief. It is also a remedy used to treat mood swings where a person switches their mood from sadness to happiness and from laughter to weeping at the blink of an eye. It is also prominently indicated for claustrophobia (fear of closed, small, narrow spaces) and fright.
8. Gastrointestinal Problems
It is a well-indicated for treating many gastrointestinal ailments like indigestion caused by consumption of fatty, greasy food, milk, and cream. The main indication for using this remedy for digestive ailments is gas in the abdomen, pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and heartburn. It is also used to treat milk allergies and lactose intolerance.
9. Complaints of the Eye
It is highly effective for treating a number of eye complaints. It works well in cases of conjunctivitis where there is thick, yellow, profuse discharge from the eyes. Itching and burning in the eyes and sticking together of eyelids while sleeping are some associated symptoms. It also works well to treat styes on the upper eyelid, and keratoconus.
10. Complaints of the Ear
It is considered to be an excellent remedy for ear infections, and conditions like otitis externa, and otitis media. It is indicated in cases where there is a discharge of thick, yellow, yellowish – green, bland pus from the ears (which may be blood-stained in some cases). A deep itching in the ears, a sensation of the ears being locked and pain in the ears are other symptoms. It helps manage the different types of earaches, ranging from shooting, stitching, tearing or pulsating type. It is also an excellent remedy for tinnitus (noises in the ear) and associated noises like tinkling, ringing, roaring, sounds of wind, rushing water or humming nature.
11. Nasal Complaints
It has a marked action on the mucous membranes of the nose. It is well suited to treat cold, nasal catarrh, coryza. Thick yellow or yellowish greenish nasal discharge, nasal obstruction especially in the evening, sneezing and itching/tickling and soreness in the nostrils are some other symptoms that indicate the need for this remedy in cases of sinusitis. Its use is considered in treating frontal and maxillary sinusitis with symptoms like a thick discharge from the nose and a headache. It is also a well-indicated for loss of smell (anosmia).
12. Sleep Issues
Various sleep issues can be taken care of with this medicine. It offers help in cases of sleeplessness where a person has trouble falling asleep. The person may have many ideas and thoughts going through the head at bedtime that prevent sleep. It helps calm the mind and promotes sleep. It can also help with daytime drowsiness as a result of restless sleep.
13. Cough
It is majorly used in cases where a cough is loose with yellow or yellowish green expectoration. It also indicated in cases of short, dry, hacking cough with scraping, itching, scratching in the throat.
14. Urinary Complaints
It is used extensively to treat urinary incontinence that occurs while coughing, laughing, and sneezing, and for conditions like cystitis and urethral stricture.
15. Varicose Veins
It is widely used for the treatment of varicose veins where the veins appear bluish and are painful. The person needing this remedy may experience heaviness, cramping, and a tensed, drawing sensation in the legs.
16. For Males
In males, it is indicated for the treatment of orchitis, varicocele, hydrocele, and prostatitis. It helps to reduce symptoms like pain, soreness, swelling, and burning sensation in the testicles. It helps treat orchitis that follows a mumps infection. It also helps treat gonorrhea where there may be a thick, yellow or yellowish – green discharge from the urethra. In cases of prostatitis, it helps to treat the frequent, ineffectual urging to urinate, pain in bladder and pressure in the perineum.
Dosage
Use of this medicine is recommended in potencies varying from 30 C to 1M depending upon the case. Low potencies can be repeated frequently while in case of high potencies frequent repetition is avoided.
Relationship with Other Remedies
The complementary medicines are Silicea, Lycopodium and Kali Sulph.
Asafoetida, Chamomilla, Ignatia and Nux Vomica are antidotes.
An Account of the Remedy in Its Own Words
Homeopathy acknowledges certain groupings of body-mind symptom patterns that a person has and which correspond with the sensitivity of a particular medicine. It takes into account information about the person’s body type, temperament, disposition, and behavioral tendencies to determine the appropriate medicine. Remedies, as homeopaths realize, step forth as personalities. These become creatures of temperaments, have likes and dislikes, cravings and aversions and sensitiveness to human interaction. The medicines speak out their terror, real or imaginary – their strange obsessions, etc. Here is an account of the medicine (an important homeopathic medicine) describing its medicinal virtues and the characteristics of the patient. Of course, the words are of this writer.
Commonly called the windflower, I was ignored for millions of years in the pastures of Europe before my master Samuel Hahnemann brought out the best in me. I call him my master because it was only he who first realized my immense medicinal power.
If ever there was a medicine that would cater to the most sensitive lady around, I would be the one. I am most often a remedy for women who are submissive and clinging in nature and also whom their surroundings and people they happen to be with at that time very easily influence. There is nothing positive or assertive about her, and the last person who sees, or advises her, is the one whose opinion she accepts. Her moods are a big problem for her. She can be on the verge of ecstatic frenzy one moment and well in the doldrums the second moment. With lots of decision-making problems, she lives up to my plant name windflower, as it is changeable like the wind.
She can weep very easily. Laughter and tears are both very near the surface with my patient and are apt to succeed each other. She is very tenderhearted, and her feelings are very easily hurt, she is inclined to be fretful and too full of care. If she has no trouble of her own, she is ready to condole and weep with any of her friends who may be afflicted. But she craves and needs sympathy in her troubles from someone, even when she knows that the recital of her real or fancied wrongs and the receipt of the sympathy that she longs for, will make her cry. When she is blue, she will tell you that she feels as if a good cry would make her feel better. It will. She longs for fresh air. Closed and tight places suffocate her.
I am best suited for her gynecological disorders. She is very irritable and days and weeks before and after her periods arrive, at times there are hardly any days in a month when she is back to her normal self. And those acne, headaches and agonizing pains in her abdomen, legs and back during her period days are more than she can tolerate, like in PMS (premenstrual syndrome).
Key Indications
Amenorrhea, leucorrhoea, menses irregularities, ovarian inflammation, ovarian cyst, PCOS, Acne, catarrh, colds, conjunctivitis, cough, diarrhoea, painful periods, earache, otitis media, ear disorders, eye disorders, fears, feet painful, heel pain, freckles, heartburn, hydrocele, moles, mumps, pregnancy complaints, prostatitis, sinusitis, smell loss, styes, urinary incontinence, uterine prolapse, vaginitis, varicose veins.
