The cobra is one of the most extremely poisonous snakes and its bites are fatal, and claim about 10 per cent of the humans it bites. The snake is able to shoot its venom directly into the victim's eyes from a distance further than six feet or two meters and the poison may result in temporary or even lasting loss of vision, provided the venom is not washed away immediately.
There was a time when the traditional physicians in India had been using the poison of naja to treat conditions like nervous anxiety and blood diseases.
It may be mentioned here that the cobra is a very familiar venomous snake all over India. Especially in Hinduism, the cobra has been the subject of lots of folklore and spiritual ideas - for instance, the blazing hood of the cobra, the reptile's swaying movements before a snake charmer and his flute as well as the exceedingly fatal bite, have helped the cobra to earn the status of the 'King of Snakes'.
In addition, the king cobra has the longest body among all the venomous snakes and this has only helped it to maintain its reputation. Somehow an atmosphere of nobility and royalty has been associated with the cobra and this exceeds the lowly standing generally accorded to the reptiles in the snake family.
Precisely speaking, the cobra inspires a mixed feeling of terror and panic among people who actually come across these limbless reptiles. However, the fact is that cobras are generally somewhat timid snakes that would hiss and slide away quietly than bite a person who might cross their path.
Medications that are derived from snakes have some features common among them. In fact, all snakes, as well as people who are said to belong to the snake type, have an aversion to the extremes of temperature and are also extremely susceptible to the weather and seasonal changes. The naja, especially is extremely afraid of rains.
The symptoms of the snake type of people who need the homeopathic remedy naja reappears at expected intervals. The sufferers condition improves and they feel better when they are in motion and the fluids in their body flow freely and become worsen following any inactivity, including during sleep. The symptoms of the patients burst out when the menstrual periods are stopped using pills, by pregnancy or menopause.
Like snakes shed their skin, people who are said to be belonging to the 'snake type' usually endure flaking skin. Such individuals are also susceptible to malevolent infected abrasions and have an inclination to bruises and hemorrhages. Frequently, the skin of such people happens to get discoloured, become bluish or reddish-purple owing to contagions.
An aversion of constraint signifies that snakes can only be held safely around their neck. Individuals who need the homeopathic remedies prepared from snake venoms usually cannot tolerate tight fitting clothes, especially around their neck. They also frequently have an inclination to have tender throats and it is generally easier for them to eat something than drink any liquid.
It may be noted that snakes do not posses any eyelid and are still able to hypnotize and allure their unsuspecting prey. Similarly, the eyes of the patients who require remedies prepared from snake venom also have captivating features. In addition, such individuals are also susceptible to very bad eye contagions.
The venom possessed by the cobra is known to be neuro-toxic. In other words, this means that the cobra venom is extremely poisonous to the nervous system. The place where a cobra sinks its teeth becomes swollen, red and some tissues in the affected area are damaged and become contagious. However, the venom or the bite of a cobra is not as poisonous or acute as those of the vipers or the sea snakes.
When an individual is bitten by a cobra, the first visible symptoms happen to be sagging of the eyelids and the victim experiences dizziness and debility, which are followed by generalized muscle immobility or paralysis, breathing problems, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting and formation of froth in the region of the mouth.
In addition, the blood is also disorganized as a result of which coagulation of blood does not occur, which, in turn, results in hemorrhages - not only from the spot of the snake bite, but often from all orifices. However, the symptoms of cobra bite are definitely less dramatic compared to those caused by the viper and sea snake bites. In some cases, the victims of cobra bite die owing to the paralysis of the muscles of the respiratory system and heart failure.
In case the person bitten by a cobra or any other snake does not die within two hours of being attacked by the venomous snake, in all probability, he or she would recover from the venom. Snake bite patients ought to be treated with anti-venom that would have to be precise to the snake species involved. In fact, it is possible to build up resistance to snake bites.
For instance, people who handle venomous snakes usually administer tiny injections containing the snake venom to them with a view to protect them against any inadvertent snake bites. Although it may seem to be incredible to many, in the olden days, snake charmers allowed snakes they handled to bite them with a view to gain immunity - an extremely risky affair indeed.
When naja or the cobra bites a human, it usually results in a bulbar paralysis. However, the naja does not cause any bleeding or hemorrhage, but results in edema (extreme build-up of serous fluid in the intercellular spaces of tissue).
Therefore, the victims of naja usually do not have very prominent mark of external injury - only a small graze or puncture is the only indication of the site where the reptile's fangs have caused devastation.
Soon after the reptile sinks its teeth, the tissue just below the affected region turns deep purple, while a substantial amount of fluid resembling viscid blood accumulates in the region of the wound. As an initial symptom, the victim experiences an intense burning pain at the site where the snake has sunk its teeth.
When naja bites a man, there is usually an interval between the initial symptoms and occurrence of the other symptoms. Typically, it takes about an hour's time for the other symptoms to follow after the initial symptom. However, once the other symptoms of the naja bite emerges, they progress at a very fast pace.
The victims experience a feeling of intoxication and it is followed by loss of strength of the limbs. Gradually, the patient loses speech, finds it difficult to swallow anything and also does not have any control over the movement of his/ her lips. The patients begin to discharge large amounts of saliva and the respiration slowly, but surely becomes slower and slower and eventually they stop breathing. Even after being bitten by the naja, the patient remains conscious all the time.
It may be noted that the homeopathic medicine naja, prepared from the venom of cobra, is not like other snake remedies crotalus and lachesis. Naja, the homeopathic remedy made from cobra venom, works in the region of the heart and the problems of the valves. Victims of naja venom experience a noticeable rush of blood upwards; striking dyspnea (breathing trouble) and lack of ability to lie on their left side.
The patient also experiences hypertrophy (excessive enlargement of any organ) and lesions in the valves. It seems that the organs of such patients are drawn together.
People who are bitten by naja or cobra are extremely vulnerable to cold. They have symptoms such as pain in forehead as well as the temples. They also suffer from ailments that are basically contingent on the motor cells. They also lose all control of the sphincters (loops of muscles circling the apertures of hollow organs).
Fresh venom.
In homeopathy, the venom of cobra is used to cure a number of health disorders and associated symptoms. Since the homeopathic medicine prepared from cobra venom naja is an extremely potent remedy and is kept in reserve only to treat grave health conditions, it is never appropriate to use it according to one's self prescription. Instead, naja should always be used according to the recommendation of a professional homeopath.
The homeopathic remedy naja works primarily on the nerves, heart, lungs and the left ovary. This homeopathic medicine is especially prescribed to treat vascular problems of the heart accompanied by anginal type of pain that usually spreads to the left shoulder blade and the left hand. Interestingly enough, women patients experiencing such heart pain may often also experience pain in their left ovary, which spread out to the region of the heart.
Homeopaths also prescribe naja to treat asthma that is followed by hay fever. In addition, in homeopathy, naja is indicated in heart affections, such as persistent hypertrophy (abnormal enlargement of an organ) and abrasions of the valves. Patients who need naja often experience heart palpitations owing to physical exertion, talking and/ or walking.
They have a sensation as if their chest is oppressed and something heavy is placed on the heart. The heart pain usually deteriorates when the patients ride in carriages in open air.
It has also been observed that people who require naja, the homeopathic remedy prepared from the venom of cobra, usually feel an elementary variance between their human (i.e. higher self) and the animal (i.e. lower instinct) nature, between enduring harm and harming others as well as between their responsibilities and neglect. These people have contradictory feelings.
While they have a feeling of a moral obligation to take care of and protect others who need them, simultaneously, these type of people also feel that they have been wronged, hassled or maltreated by people who have a duty towards them. As a result of such conflicting feelings, they continue to wonder about difficulties and problems that are actually more anticipated than they are real.
Ethics and religion form the theme in the lives of most of the people who need naja. Although such people may often feel that they should act with vengeance and take revenge against those who have wronged them, actually their sense of responsibility and accountability usually stops them from acting in such a manner.
At the same time, whenever they succumb to their lower nature or the animal instinct, they are likely to feel very culpable and look ahead to God punishing them.
Naja, the homeopathic remedy prepared from cobra venom, is a very effective medicine for curing migraine. When migraine attacks people, they experience pain in the left temple and left orbit spreading out to the back part of the head or skull (occiput) that is accompanied by vomiting and nausea. The pain has a tendency to spread out from the left part to the right.
The homeopathic medicine naja is also useful in treating dry cough, especially exasperating dry cough that is contingent on cardiac troubles. People suffering from such dry cough produce muggy mucus and saliva and experience spells of suffocation after sleeping. They usually have deep and sound sleep and have a snoring breathing during sleep.
In addition, the homeopathic remedy prepared from cobra venom naja, is also very effective for treating paralyzing disease, for instance polio. Earlier, this medicine was used by traditional physicians to treat diphtheria outbreaks and they are said to have been successful in their efforts. The results of using cobra venom medicine were excellent.
The venomous snake cobra, whose poison forms the basis of the homeopathic remedy naja, is found in different regions of Africa and Australasia.
