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Like most homeopathic remedies, thuja has a deep and fascinating history. It is among the homeopathic remedies made from a tree used medicinally by Native Americans.
The Native Americans referred to thuja as arbor vitae, and the term arborvitaes comes from the Latin term that translates as “tree of life.” As a result, the Natives used thuja for everything that helped preserve life, including menstrual problems, fevers, coughs, headaches, and muscle and joint pain.
As a homeopathic remedy, thuja is also useful for memory loss, obesity, bladder and prostate problems, skin conditions, breast cancer, uterine tumors, and respiratory issues. It may also help when an illness results from a vaccination.
This article will detail everything you need to know about homeopathic thuja, including its interesting history, along with its various health benefits and uses.
Facts and History of Homeopathic Thuja
There are five species of thuja. Two are native to North America, while three others are indigenous to eastern Asia.
Thuja belongs to the genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae plant family. This large tree will grow between 30 and 60 feet. It has horizontal branches and green needles that resemble scales.
The fragrant perennial tree has small flowers. The female flowers are yellow-green in color, while the male blossoms have a deep brown hue.
The thuja plant goes by many names. Other names for the thuja tree include yellow cedar, false white cedar, northern white cedar, white cedar, and swamp cedar.
There is a deep and interesting history associated with thuja. For instance, ancient Egyptians were thought to use various species of it to embalm the dead.
People indigenous to South and North America also made baskets, canoes, and perfumes from thuja. These natives would also simmer the twigs to make broth when other foods were unavailable during times of famine.
Europeans settlers later incorporated thuja into their herbal lore, and it became a popular ornamental tree in beautiful European gardens.
In the 19th century, herbalists had also used thuja for various health conditions, including rheumatism, bronchitis, and uterine cancer. At one time, the herbal remedy was also used to treat the adverse effects of taking the smallpox vaccination.
Homeopathic thuja is made with the fresh leaves and twigs from a young, one-year-old Thuja occidentalis tree. The leaves and twigs are then finely chopped and macerated in alcohol before being filtered, diluted, and finally succussed.
When homeopathy founder Dr. Samuel Hahnemann had proven thuja, it was later featured in his book Materia Medica Pura (1821-1834).
Homeopathic Thuja Treats Cancer and Uterine Tumors
The person that requires thuja will often tend to get tumors, which include breast cancer and uterine fibroids.
In the case of breast cancer, we consider a study from 2010 published in the International Journal of Oncology. In this research, homeopathic thuja was found to be among the remedies that would disrupt cellular division of human breast cancer cell lines in lab tests. The other remedies tested in the study included carcinosin, phytolacca, and conium.
The lead study author was Dr. Moshe Frenkel, who said, “We were quite impressed to find that homeopathic remedies have similar effects to chemotherapy on breast cancer cells but without affecting normal cells, a very exciting finding.”
It was also a very important study that shows homeopathy is greater than the placebo effect. Homeopathy is often accused of having the “placebo effect.” This effect is considered a fake treatment with inactive ingredients that may improve a person’s health, simply when they believe in the treatment.
What does this mean for the study? Basically, since the experiments were performed in a petri dish, the likelihood of the placebo effect was slim, since the cancer cells were not expecting to die from the homeopathic remedies, such as thuja. At the same time, the healthy breast cells didn’t know they would become stronger and even more resistant to the growth of cancer.
This study was a win for homeopathy. With that said, more research should definitely take place on this subject to help confirm results.
Homeopathic thuja is also a common remedy used for uterine polyps and fibroids. Although both are noncancerous growths that form on the uterus, some uterine polyps may eventually become cancer.
Homeopathic Profile, Other Uses, and Benefits of Thuja
In homeopathy, the remedy profile is significant for determining whether homeopathic thuja is the best fit for you. The person that responds best to thuja is often serious, sensitive, and gets upset very easily. They also feel unlovable.
The person will come across as nice to the world, but if they get a negative response from anyone, they tend to neglect their appearance and become depressed and secretive. They also have delusions about their body, which is quite obvious to others. The individual may also have paranoid or fanatical ideas, while feeling that others are attempting to manipulate them.
From a physical perspective, the person may also have sleep problems, rapid weight loss, exhaustion, and localized pain. The person’s symptoms may date back to a gonorrhea attack or could be due to health changes after a vaccination.
What are other health benefits of thuja? For instance, a study published in the Journal of Integrative Medicine in 2013 found that thuja 30 improves benzo(a)pyrene-induced toxicity, stress, and DNA damage in perfused lung cells of mice in vitro while not harming normal lung cells.
Let’s look at some of the key health benefits of homeopathic thuja, including how the remedy benefits bladder problems, prostate conditions, headaches, skin conditions, obesity, memory loss, catarrh and sinusitis, menstrual problems, and as part of a vaccination detox.
1. Bladder and Prostate Problems
Thuja is often considered for both prostate and bladder problems. The person has a swollen and inflamed urethra, which leads to a split and weak urine stream. Although there is a frequently strong urge to urinate, there is also trickling incontinence.
Urethral infection is also common in men, while there is often a discharge that may affect the prostate gland. The prostate will be enlarged and hardened.
On the other hand, women may suffer from a vaginal infection with profuse discharge. Inflammation may also spread throughout the pelvic region. There may also be a history of non-specific urethritis, gonorrhea, or genital warts.
2. Headaches
Thuja is considered for headaches when there is also piercing neuralgic pain due to stress, overexcitement, or exhaustion. The headache may also be associated with infected sinuses, inflamed gums, or tooth decay.
Tilting the head backward will improve the headache, but sexual addiction or tea consumption makes it worse.
3. Skin Problems
Thuja is often considered a key remedy for all types of warts, specifically large “cauliflower” warts and warts that weep, sting, or are on stalks. The warts will be oozing and cracked, and they may also smell like old cheese or fish.
Homeopathic thuja is considered an all-purpose remedy for warts on the face, hands, feet, knees, and genitals. It is also used for venereal warts, plantar warts, vaccine-induced warts, anogenital warts, butcher’s warts, and a common wart-like condition called molluscum contagiosum.
Thuja is also considered for acne, itchy skin, scaly skin patches, brown “age spots,” and deformed, ridged, or weak nails.
4. Memory Loss
Thuja is the preferred memory loss remedy for those with a weak and foggy memory, and can’t find the right words to say. At the same time, they have dull and vanishing thoughts, slow speech, and can’t concentrate.
The person also experiences self-hatred and feels irritable, hurried, and fixated on a particular idea. The body also feels fragile, as if the mind and body are separated.
5. Obesity
Thuja is a common homeopathic remedy for obese individuals that have flabby and soft tissues. The person is also prone to a chronic fishy mucus discharge, allergies, moles, warts, sweet or musty perspiration, and a pale and oily face.
Symptoms may improve with warmth or during discharge.
6. Menstrual Problems
Thuja is a helpful menstrual remedy used particularly when menstrual periods are scant or too early. The remedy is also needed for ovarian cysts or when extreme pain is felt over the woman’s left ovary.
Symptoms improve from lying on the affected side or on the back, but worsen during menstruation or after gonorrhea.
7. Sinusitis and Catarrh
Thuja may also benefit people with chronic respiratory issues or sinus problems. It may be considered for asthma and sinusitis with nasal polyps consisting of thick, green, and bloody mucus-filled pus.
It is also a good remedy for foul-smelling catarrh that is often green or yellow.
8. Vaccination Detoxification
Thuja is considered when illness results from a vaccination, or the person is generally unwell since the use of the vaccine.
Conditions that may result from the vaccine may include warts, coughs, ear infections with discharge, atrophy of the arm, tongue ulcers, brain damage, neuralgia, conjunctivitis, asthma, migraine headaches, diarrhea, insomnia, restlessness, and loss of speech.
Final Thoughts on Homeopathic Thuja
Where do you find homeopathic thuja? You can find this homeopathic remedy in liquid or pellet form online or in the supplement section of the health food store. You will also be able to get thuja from your homeopath when they feel the remedy best fits your mental, emotional, and physical symptoms.
As mentioned, homeopathic thuja is good for breast cancer, uterine tumors, bladder problems, prostate concerns, menstrual problems, catarrh, sinusitis, headaches, skin problems, memory loss, obesity, and for detoxifying from vaccines.
Your homeopath will also be able to suggest the most appropriate dosage and potency of thuja specifically for you. At follow-up appointments, your homeopath can also tell you whether you should change your dosage, potency, or even the remedy. That is why it is a good idea to consult with a homeopath rather than trying to treat symptoms on your own.
Sources:
Lockie, A., Encyclopedia of Homeopathy: The Definitive Home Reference Guide to Homeopathic Remedies and Treatments for Common Ailments (New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2000), 64, 202, 212, 242.
Hershoff, A., N.D., Homeopathic Remedies: A Quick and Easy Guide to Common Disorders and Their Homeopathic Treatments (New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 1999), 91, 146, 217, 237, 235, 277-279, 286-287.
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Mukherjee, A., et al., “Homeopathic Thuja 30C ameliorates benzo(a)pyrene-induced DNA damage, stress and viability of perfused lung cells of mice in vitro,” Journal of Integrative Medicine, November 2013; 11(6): 397-404, doi: 10.3736/jintegrmed2013054.
Frenkel, M., et al., “Cytotoxic effects of ultra-diluted remedies on breast cancer cells,” International Journal of Oncology, February 2010; 36(2): 395-403. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20043074.
“Cancer Research: Homeopathic Remedies Effective and Non-toxic Against Breast Cancer Cells,” Homeopathy Plus; http://homeopathyplus.com/breast-cancer-homeopathic-remedies-effective-and-non-toxic/, last accessed August 22, 2017.