Piscidia

Jamaica dogwood, a Caribbean tree once used to stun fish, traditionally used in homoeopathy for sleeplessness from worry and for nerve pains.

Piscidia erythrina is Jamaica dogwood, a small tree of the pea family from the Caribbean, Florida and Central America. Its pounded leaves and bark were thrown into streams to stun fish, which gave it its Latin name, meaning fish-killer. It has strong sedative properties; homoeopathy uses it only in specially prepared form, made from the root bark.

An early prover fell into a sudden, deep sleep of twelve hours after taking the tincture for toothache. Homoeopaths traditionally associate it with sleeplessness from worry, anxiety or nervous excitement, with neuralgic pains and toothache, with spasmodic coughs, and with crampy, irregular periods.

• Sleeplessness
• Worry and nervous excitement
• Nerve pains
• Spasmodic cough