Ignatia Amara:
This remedy comes from
Strychnos ignatii, a large tree found mainly in the Philippine Islands. In the 17th century, Jesuits were very attracted to the plant, so they brought samples back to Europe. People call Ignatia Amara by the common name St. Ignatius bean in honour of the Jesuit leader, St. Ignatius of Loyola, who is the modern patron saint of spiritual retreats and exercises. Today, homeopaths take the seeds from this plant and grind them up into a fine powder. This then usually goes into capsules or is made into pills, although some people use it in tonics.
The main use for St. Ignatius bean is the treatment of emotional upset, especially depression, grief, anxiety, and stress. In fact, some individuals refer to it as “homeopathic Prozac®.” The symptoms often linked to these problems, such as poor digestion, headaches, crying and
insomnia, all are said to lessen when taking it. Here, the idea isn’t that the substance will totally erase symptoms, but rather that the person taking it simply will have a greater mental strength to cope with them. People who advocate using it also typically say it is a good remedy for other illnesses, as well, such as
asthma, gout, cholera and even epilepsy.