Pinus canadensis, Hemlock spruce, Canada Pitch and Canada Balsam.
Natural order: Coniferae
Mode of preparation: We prepare a homeopathic tincture from the fresh bark and young buds.

The essential features
This remedy has not been proven in such a way as to bring out the mental-emotional symptomatology clearly. But we still have a unique picture of the remedy according to which we can prescribe it. Abies-canadensies is indicated in cases where you have probably failed with such remedies as Nux-v, Sepia, Chelidonium and Lyc. The problems of these patients are focused mainly in the digestive system with the first target being the mucous membranes of the stomach. We see an increase of gastric juices that have as a result a tremendous gnawing hunger. The person has the feeling that he cannot stand it, that it is eating up his stomach and that he has to eat something immediately to relieve this gnawing pain. There is an empty feeling in the stomach that cannot be satisfied with any amount of food. As a result he may be eating much more than he can digest and eventually feels that he has overloaded the stomach.
These patients can feel light-headed, with a sensation of swimming in the head. They describe it as a tipsy feeling in the head.

Together with the above symptomatology Abies-canadensies is easily prone to feel tired, a feeling of debility that makes him feel that he wants to lie down, wants to rest all the time.
Another keynote is that he wants to lie down with the legs drawn up. It is as if there were an effort on the part of the organism to prevent a feeling of dragging down of the intestines, a feeling of debility which goes through the internal organs. In the women we see prolapse or displacement of the uterus (Sep.) and they describe it as if the uterus were soft. The liver is eventually affected. It works sluggishly, and the patient feels as though the liver were small and hard. Sometimes there is a pain in right hypochondrium extending to the right scapula (Chel.) and many times constipation with a burning feeling in rectum. There is distension of the stomach with eructations, or rumbling in the abdomen with distension. The distension has an effect on the heart and respiration, where we see strong palpitations after eating and labored breathing.

This torpidity of the liver and the general debility point to a wrong assimilation of food which is further aggravated by the peculiar type of food that he craves, coarse food like radishes, pickles, turnips, artichokes, highly seasoned food, meat; we may on the other hand see an aversion to such food and a definite aversion to acid food (Nux-v.).

With this symptomatology, the patient becomes irritable, ill humored, he is cross, peevish, feels on edge, and becomes snappish. Mentally he will give you a picture similar to Nux-vom., without being as impatient, irritable, nor short tempered, but more peevish and less active. Actually the Abies-canadensies patient has neither stamina nor drive; there is a deep sluggishness that will not go away by eating stimulating food, unlike Nux-vom.

In Abies canadensies we do not see the heartburns, so prominent with Nux-vom., that are largely associated with active people. This remedy is much quieter, sometimes giving the impression that he does not care about things, and what is prominent is the fact that he is tired in body and mind. He feels mentally exhausted, confused and looks as if he is dazed. It is a remedy that can be indicated in brain fag due to a wrong assimilation, to a sluggish liver with all its ill-effects and repercussions. It is a remedy that has a concrete physical symptomatology that can be applied to diseases like duodenal ulcers, gastritis, liver and gall bladder affections, hypoglycemia, etc.

It is a chilly remedy in general but what is peculiar is a cold feeling in the blood stream as if the blood was iced water. Where he mostly feels the cold is between the shoulder blades as though there were a wet cloth stuck in this area. This symptom can guide you to prescribe this remedy in acute respiratory problems, or influenza. In influenza you will often prescribe Gelsemium instead of Abies canadensies because both have the exhaustion, the paralytic weakness, but the deep coldness and especially the sensation of the wet cloth on back that belongs to this remedy.
So in this remedy we see that, in spite of the fact that we do not have a big or a complete picture, the remedy is full of peculiar symptoms that can guide us to its correct prescription.

Generalities
Abies-canadensies is a cold remedy with a feeling of coldness in the blood vessels.
Fainting feeling originating from the epigastrium.
Very faint as if the top of the head were congested: drunken feeling.
Due to the tipsy feeling in the head it might be indicated for the after effects of intoxication. It is aggravated by the coarse, indigestible food that the patient craves. Aggravated by tea. Pressure ameliorates the pains.
Weakness, enervation, debility.
Twitching of the muscles.
Constant inclination to lie down and rest.
It is a right sided remedy.

Head
Tipsy feeling; swimming of the head; light-headed.

Stomach
You can prescribe it with quite a degree of certainty when the patient focuses his symptomatology upon an increased hunger in general. A gnawing, ravenous, canine, excessive appetite, an empty, weak feeling and faintness felt in the epigastrium.
Great appetite with rumbling in stomach and bowels after eating.
Tendency to eat far beyond the capacity for digestion.
Has an aversion to acids; meat; pickles.
Has a craving for coarse food, meat, pickles, radishes, turnips, artichokes, and indigestible food which all can aggravate his condition. In addition he has the tendency to eat far beyond the capacity of his digestion. The effect is flatulence and distention of stomach and abdomen, which causes palpitation and laboured respiration.

Abdomen
Distention and rumbling in abdomen after eating.
Liver and region of liver feel hard especially when moving.
Sensation that his right lung and liver are small and hard. Complaints from spleen.

Rectum
Constipation with a burning pain in rectum.

Genitalia – female
Displacement of uterus.
Pressure ameliorates pain in uterus.
A feeling as if the uterus were weak and soft.
Sore feeling at the fundus of the uterus, relieved by pressing.

Chest
Palpitations especially after eating, due to flatulence. Sensation that his right lung and liver are small and hard.

Back
Pain in the dorsal region under the right scapula.
Coldness in the dorsal region between the scapulae as if there were a wet cloth stuck there, coldness extending down back.

Extremities
Cold hands.
Lies with knees drawn up.
Hand is shriveled as if shrunken.

Fever
Has perspiration at night; clammy and sticky.
Cold shiverings as if blood were ice water.
Chills run down the back.
Night sweats.

Sleep
Sleeps with limbs drawn up.
Sleepiness.
Yawning.

Clinical
Gastrointestinal:
Indigestion. Troubles from indigestion. Gastritis, duodenal ulcer.
Genitalia:
Prolapse of uterus. Uterine displacement.

Relationships
Compare Abies nigra, Chelidonium, Lyc., Nux vomica.

Dosage: From the lowest to 200.