My son has been prescribed tarentula hisp. constitutionally and doing well. He currently has Kocasacki virus (?spelling) and is miserable, acutely. Unfortunately, I've run out of 12c tar. hisp., but have tar. cub. on hand. The hisp. won't be available for 4-5 days, by which his illness should be over naturally. My question is, can I substitute cub. for hisp. just this one time? Will it help his illness, or should I just ride it out? Thanks.-K

Personally I wouldn't think so. Get in touch with your homeopath and ask. Better to wait. I would also tell your homeopath of the new symptoms that have come up as your child may need a different remedy than the usual one.

Unfortunately have to agree with Rochelle - the remedies are very different even though the names are similar....

Thanks. My son's fever broke and his appetite is returning to normal. So, I never did use a remedy. Can anyone supply me with the general characteristics for which tar. hisp. is used? I've researched all of the m.m.'s online I can find. Thanks again. -K

Try Tarantula! I can't believe its not there somewhere. Tar. H. is the usual one so is what is meant by tarantula. Tar.C. may be difficult to find

[This message has been edited by Rochelle (edited 10 July 1999).]

Here's an exerpt from Murphy's MM for you - the only stuff left out are the case studies that go along with it:

FOLKLORE - The name Tarentula covers a number of poisonous spiders, but in homeopathy, unless distinguished, it refers to Tarentula hispanica, Lycosa tarentula. Nunez is our chief authority. He instigated the proving and collected much outside information bearing on the action of the poison.
"Tarantella" is a dance named from the city of Tarentum. "Tarantism" is a dancing mania, set up in persons bitten by the Tarentula or in those who imagine themselves bitten. The cure is music and dancing. These symptoms give a keynote indication to this remedy.
Constitutions - Tarentula hispanica is suited to nervous, hysterical patients subject to chorea disorders to persons of foxy, mischievous and destructive tendency to chorea disorders when whole body or right arm and left leg are involved. Planets: Mars, Moon.
MEDICAL - Tarent. affects the nerves which are highly strung, producing remarkable nervous symptoms, hysteria, chorea, many times reflex from generative sphere. Heart, spine, respiration and right side are also prominently affected.
Nervous phenomena, hysteria with chlorosis, Chorea, dysmenorrhea, spinal irritability. Bladder tenesmus. Constriction sensation. Extreme restlessness, must keep in constant motion even though walking aggravates. Hysterical epilepsy. Intense sexual excitement. Formication.
Symptoms of Tarent. appear suddenly with violence. The patient is restless, fidgety, hurried in constant motion, though walking worse. Rolls on ground from side to side or strikes vehemently with his feet or rolls the head and rubs it to relieve her distress.
Quivering, jerking, trembling, twitchings. Joint pains. Headache with pain in uterus, throat with eye pains, face pain with stomach pain, pain in the ear with hiccough. Music causes excitement. Pains from sexual excitement. Tickling, burning, scorching and numbness are prominent sensations.
Tarent. has violent pains, neuralgias, as if thousands of needles were pricking. Deep septic conditions, abscess, evacuates pus rapidly. Noma. Emaciation worse face. Can run better than walk. Irregular movements. Numbness with prickling. Emaciation, as if the flesh fairly fell off the bones. Cancer, fibrous tumors.
Causations - Ill effects of unrequited love, bad news, scolding, punishment, falls, sepsis.
Modalities - Better in open air, music, bright colors. Better from pressure, rubbing affected parts. Better from relaxation, sweating, smoking. Better from riding in a carriage in the sun. Motion improves headache, aggravates uterine pains and pains in coccyx. Warm water improves.
Rest aggravates. Worse periodically, yearly, at the same hour. Worse touch, cold, damp. Worse night, evening. Worse after menses. Sex aggravates. Worse motion, contact, noises, seeing others in trouble. Worse washing the head, hands in cold water.
MIND - Sudden alteration of moods. Destructive impulses. Aversion to colors, black, red, yellow, green. Dances up and down. Sensitive to music. Fits of nervous laughter then screaming. Suddenly changing moods, fancies or strength. Lacks control. Erratic. Impulsive. Moral depravity. Crafty, cunning. Selfish.
Destructive, destroys whatever she can lay hands on, tears her clothes etc. Foxy, cunning. Hateful. Adroit. Throws things away. When there are no observers, there is no hysteria, when attention is directed to her, she begins to twitch. Feigns fainting insensibility. Desire to strike herself or others.
Laughs, mocks, runs, dances, makes gesters and jokes. Cries and sings until hoarse or exhausted. Kleptomania. Angry with despair. Give to Tarent. to palliate the death pains and agony. Melancholy. Discontented. Mental symptoms better evening after eating. Averse to company, but wants someone present. Ungrateful.
CLINICAL - Angina pectoris. Bites, spider. Callosities. Chorea. Coccyx, pain. Cornea, opacity. Cystitis. Depression. Diabetes. Diphtheria. Dysmenorrhea. Fibroids. Headaches. Hiccough. Hysteria. Insanity. Intermittents. Kleptomania. Levitation. Locomotor ataxia. Mania. Meniere's disease. Migraine. Nosebleeds. Onanism. Ovaries, enlarged. Parkinson's disease. Physometra. Proctalgia. Pruritus pudendi. Quinsy. Septic diseases. Sexual mania. Spinal irritation. Spinal sclerosis. Tumors. Uterus, cancer, neuralgia. Vertebrae, tumors.
Abdomen - Burning in hypogastrium with great weight interferes walking.
Back - Painfully sensitive spine touch excites pains in chest, heart etc. Coccygodynia better standing worse slightest movement touch. Tumors around vertebral column.
Ears - Snapping, cracking in ears, (right) with pain and hiccough. Noises, ringing as of bells worse on waking in the morning.
Eyes - Itching of the eyes with thick tears. Stitching in eyes as sand or thorn. Photophobia. One pupil dilated other contracted. The eyes are wide open spasmodically and staring. Sees ghosts, faces, flashes.
Face - Fiery red, bloated. Expression of terror. Wrinkled.
Female - Dry, hot raw, itching vulva and vagina, worse scratching. Menses early. Profuse menstruation with frequent erotic spasms. Pruritus vulvae after menses. Dysmenorrhea with very sensitive ovaries. Ovaries, sensitive to pressure. Profuse menses with erotic spasms. Violent nymphomania, worse sex. Sensation of motion in uterus like a fetus or burning. Expulsion of gas from uterus. Cancer of cervix. Leucorrhea of clear acrid, sticky lumps.
Food - Craving for sand or raw food. Aversion to meat, bread. Thirst for cold water.
Head - Intense pain, as if thousands of needles were pricking into brain Heavy pain in temples extending to face and neck with nausea and impatience. Violent crushing headaches as accompaniment. Wants hair, brushed, pulled or head rubbed. Meningitis. As if cold water were poured on head and body.
Heart - Palpitations, precordial anguish, sensation as if heart twisted and turned around. Twists around, takes sudden jumps. Trembling and thumping of heart as from bad news or fright. Diseases of heart worse by wetting hands in cold water. Chorea with arm symptoms. Pulse, hard infrequent, irregular.
Kidneys - Urine foul with sandy sediment. Incontinence on laughing, coughing etc. Diabetes Mellitus. Polyuria.
Limbs - Cold moist feet and hands. Restless arms, keeps hands busy, picks fingers. Legs restless, impulse to walk. Chorea movements. Can run better than walk. Yawning with uneasiness of legs, must move them constantly. Festination.
Limbs - Numbness of legs. Multiple sclerosis with trembling. Twitching and jerking. Extraordinary contractions and movements. Weak legs, cannot plant them firmly, do not obey will. Kneeling difficult. Soles itching.
Lungs - Attacks of suffocation with crying, screaming and restlessness, must have fresh air, worse coughing. Cough, gagging, when expectorating, fatiguing, worse after sex, noise, better smoking.
Male - Extreme sexual excitement. Lasciviousness almost to insanity, worse sex. Prostatic ailments after masturbation. Seminal emission hot, bloody. Sensitive genitals. Indolent tumors of testicles.
Mouth - And teeth dry. Tongue drawn backward preventing speech.
Nose - Nosebleed better throbbing carotids and fullness in head.
Rectum - Stools, oily, black offensive, excited by washing head. Severe constipation, not relieved by purgatives or enema. Constipation with involuntary passing of urine on coughing or any effort.
Sensations - As if thousands of needles were pricking into brain. As if occiput were struck with a hammer. As of a hair in eye. As if lower teeth were going to fall out. As if heart turned and twisted round. As of needles sticking into muscle of neck when touched. As of insects creeping and crawling.
Skin - Purplish. Ecchymosed spots. Cold spots or as of a cold matter flowing or dropping on part. Carbuncle. Deep abscesses. Helps evacuation of pus. Dry eczema (after the failure of Ars. and Sulph.) itching, as of insects creeping and crawling.
Sleep - Sleepless before midnight from excitement. Dreams sad with weeping.
Stomach - Gastric disturbances are accompanied by sympathetic pains in head, face, teeth etc. Bitter belchings, hysterical. Vomits all food eaten.
Temperature - Alternate chill and heat. General heat with cold feet. Septic fever. Sweat profuse, excoriating.
Vertigo - Vertigo, night, when descending stairs. Vertigo, worse carrying burden on head, then spasms.

COMPARE - (1) Agar., Ars., Cupr., Mag. phos. (2) Kali-br. - Irritation of periphery of nerves better exercising and rubbing. (3) Chorea, Myg., Cimic., Agar., Stram. (4) Desire to jump, Stram., Croc., Nat-m., Sticta., Asar., Agar., Hyos., Cic. (5) Bores head in pillow, Bell. (Tarent. is more rubbing). (6) Croc. (7) As if occiput struck with a hammer, Naja. (8) Deep-in headache, Bacil. (9) Extreme joy, Coff. (10) Unfortunate love, Ph-ac. (11) Meniere's disease, ague, Chin-s. (12) Sees faces, Sulph.
RELATIONS - Tarent.'s action is similar to Ars. in many symptoms, therefore when Ars. seems indicated but fails, it is better to give Tarent. Antidote to: Lach. Antidotes: Puls., Mag-c., Mosch., Cupr., Chel., Gels., Bov., Carb-v.
SOURCES - Boericke. Clarke. Phatak.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!-K

Tarentula Cubensis from Boericke says:-

A toxaemic medicine , septic conditions. Adapted to the most severe type of inflammation and pain early and persistent prostration. Various forms of malignant suppuration. Purplish hue and burning, stinging pains. It is the remedy for pain of death, sooths the last struggles. Pruritis especially about genitals. Restless feet. Intermittant septic chills. Bubonic plague. As a curative and preventative remedy especially during the period of invasion.

Head - dizziness after heat and hot perspiration. Dull ache on top of head. Shooting pain through the left eye across frontal region.

Gastric - Stomach feels hard, sore. Loss of appetite, except breakfast.

Back - Itches across kidney region

Extremities- Hands tremble, turgid with blood
Urinary - Retention, cannot hold urine on coughing

Skin - Red spots and pimples. Feels puffed all over. Carbuncles, burning, stinging pains, purplish hue. Gangreme, abscesses, where pain and inflammation predominate.

Sleep - Drowiness. Sleep restless. Sleep prevented by harsh cough.

Relationship - Compare Ars. Pyrog. Crotal. Echin. Anthrac. Bell. Apis.

Better for smoking. Worse night.

Thanks to you as well, Rochelle. Its easy to see the significant differences between the two, and that T.H. fits my son's symptoms well. His remedy should be delivered tomorrow and is sorely needed. If I needed to strengthen a 12c solid, how could I do that? What is the volume of water used? -K