A Note from the Compiler: This article is a synthesized and reorganized transcript of live lectures and YouTube videos by the renowned homeopath, Dr. Hussain Kaisrani. It is presented in his signature lecture style to preserve the authenticity and clinical wisdom of his teachings. The focus is on the Pulsatilla constitution in children, a common picture in homeopathic practice, with added insights for neurodivergent profiles.
About the Speaker: Dr. Hussain Kaisrani is a leading homeopathic physician with a vast clinical practice. He is the director of The Homeopathic Healing Centre in Lahore, Pakistan, and is widely respected for his profound, practical, and insightful explanations of homeopathic remedies. You can find more of his work, including articles and case studies, on his official website: www.kaisrani.com. Follow him on social media for regular updates and learning.
The Pulsatilla Child: A Masterclass in Understanding Sensitivity and Need with Dr. Hussain Kaisrani
Introduction: The Common Picture of Pulsatilla
“Today the homeopathic medicine that we are going to discuss is Pulsatilla. It’s a very, very common remedy in homeopathic practice and especially dealing with children and ladies issues.”
So, what is a Pulsatilla child? How will you understand a Pulsatilla child in the home, school, market and clinic?
Pulsatilla individual are mild, yielding, soft-spoken, sweet little girl who would like to play with the dolls, mama’s darling. They’ll help mama in their home. When they come to the clinic they are shy and timid, clinging to the mother, they are holding the hand of the mother. There is a rubric in the homeopathic repertory: clinging, grasp at others; clinging, holding the hand of the mother, child always.
This ‘clinging’ doesn’t always mean the child has to physically cling. It means that the child wants mother all the time.
Beyond the Basics: Key Clinical Rubrics and Characteristics
There are some rubrics in Pulsatilla which are not explored yet. So, I’ll tell you three important characteristics of a Pulsatilla child when you ask them a question.
- Aversion to Answer: They don’t want to answer.
- Answering in Monosyllables: They will answer in one word. They will not really form a sentence. It’s not like the refusing-to-answer of Nux Vomica. It’s an aversion due to that timidity, that shyness.
- Answering by Nodding: For example, you ask the child, “Do you have a cold?” and the child just nods. But I will give you a very, very big word of caution here. A lot of children nod, and every child is not Pulsatilla. I always say, form a totality. If you see a child nodding, don’t end up giving Pulsatilla directly.
One more thing which is the most common in the Pulsatilla child is, roh ke answer karte hain (وہ رو کے جواب دیتے ہیں).
In a case of asthma the child would answer every question while weeping. So, weeping, answering questions when is also a single Pulsatilla rubric. It is a very, very important characteristic of Pulsatilla. As parents say, “theek se bolo na, roh ke kyun bol rahe ho?” (صحیح سے بولو نا، رو کے کیوں بول رہے ہو؟)
One more important entry point is, parents come and tell that, you know, the child is a weeping baby, har baat pe rone baith jata hai (ہر بات پر رونے بیٹھ جاتا ہے). The child really cries a lot and she has a tendency to vomit, ro ro ke (رو رو کر). بچہ رو رو کر الٹی کر دیتا ہے.
You must have seen a lot of patients, but you may not know this rubric. So, there is a tendency: weeping, children in; vomiting with easy. And it is a single Pulsatilla. I have given it to so many patients of mine, and they have really responded beautifully. There is no GI infection, but it’s a habit. aadat hai, bohot rohne betth jayegi, kuch bhi hua and then she ends up with vomiting.
So, that weeping tendency is there in Pulsatilla: weeping, children in; weeping, telling their sickness when; weeping, disturbed at work when; weeping, interruption from. These are single rubrics of Pulsatilla.
The Core Theme: A Sponge for Affection
There is a very important rubric of Pulsatilla which is “affection absorbs.”
Absorbs is like a sponge. Our teachers used to tell us, like a sponge, no matter how much water you give it, it absorbs. In the same way, the Pulsatilla in the rubric affection absorbed. They really want a lot of affection.
This is seen in the rubrics carried, desire to be; caressed, desire to be. How will you see these patients in the clinic? The mother says, “I am constantly caressing the child.” During the OPD, you will see the child comes to the mother, hugs the mother, and kisses the mother. You ask the mother, “Does she often do that?” She says, “Yes, she really likes hugging and kissing, and then she tells us, ‘Please mama, hug me, kiss me.'”
They are very delicate darlings. They will ask, “kadvi medicine toh nahi hain, injection toh nahi denge, badi dawaai toh nahi hain, mujhe choti choti chahiye hain, main nahi khaa pati hoon” (کڑوی دوا تو نہیں ہے، انجیکشن تو نہیں دیں گے، بڑی دوائی تو نہیں ہے، مجھے چھوٹی چھوٹی چاہیے ہیں، میں نہیں کھا پاتی ہوں).
So, they want to be carried slowly. Even adults will say, “I cannot take such big pills, please give me mild medicine.” Another version could be, “Take your time, doctor, I am not in a hurry. It may take a year, I may continue the medicine, but aggravation nahi hona chahiye, aaraam se thik hona chahiye” (ایگریویشن نہیں ہونا چاہیے، آرام سے ٹھیک ہونا چاہیے).
Manipulation, Deceit, and the Need for Pity
Pulsatilla children are very, very sweet, but there is a lot of deceitfulness and manipulation in Pulsatilla. They are very, very manipulative. If you try to see behind or talk to the family members, you will understand the manipulativeness.
They are also there in bargaining. But everyone’s bargaining is different. Why do they bargain? Pyaar pe bargaining karta hai (پیار پر بارگیننگ کرتا ہے). They will say, “I’m like your sister, don’t charge this much.” So, they will bargain with love at the forefront.
Pulsatilla likes to be pitied. Unko taras accha lagta hai (اُنکو ترس اچھا لگتا ہے). There is a rubric, complaining, children, pitiful. So, they complain in such a way that you feel pity. Like for example, with Arsenic or Chamomilla, when children complain, you get irritated. But when Pulsatilla complains, you feel pity, aapko taras aata hai us bachche pe (آپ کو ترس آتا ہے اُس بچے پر).
This can lead to feigning sick. Why do they feign sick? Because they want that love and caress when they are sick. I’m recently treating a lady with a big parotid gland swelling. I asked her, “How do you feel?” She told me very honestly, “I have started feeling okay with it because of the lot of love and attention I’m getting from my husband.” This is feigning sick because they want that affection from the people around. Affection absorbs.
Pulsatilla in Neurodivergent Children (ASD, ADHD, ODD)
(Integrating insights from the specified video and general clinical concepts)
In neurodivergent children, the Pulsatilla picture often shines through the core challenges. A child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) might not be verbally clingy, but their need for routine and sameness can be a manifestation of needing a safe, predictable, and “soft” environment—a Pulsatilla trait. They might have extreme meltdowns (which can look like ODD – Oppositional Defiant Disorder) not out of pure anger, but from a place of feeling overwhelmed, forsaken, and unable to cope with change or harsh stimuli. The weeping and ro ro ke ulti kar dena (رو رو کر الٹی کر دینا) can be a common presentation during these sensory or emotional overloads.
For a child with ADHD, the Pulsatilla type is not the classic, hyper-aggressive image. Instead, it’s the child who is easily distracted, yields to others in play, and is emotionally sensitive. They might start a task but get weeping, interrupted when. They crave affection and reassurance because their own inner world feels chaotic. Their “demand for love” is high because they need external emotional regulation. The anxiety about business in the morning can translate into severe anxiety about homework, school, and the day’s tasks, leading to avoidance and tears.
The key is to see the softness, the yieldiness, and the deep-seated need for emotional security and affection beneath the diagnostic labels.
Fears, Anxieties, and Social Dynamics
Pulsatilla has a lot of morning anxiety: anxiety, business about in the morning. What is ‘business’? It can be work, profession, or your household duties. Or in children, it can be your studies. So, the child gets tense: “I have not done the homework, what will happen?” There are rubrics like: morning, grief when business thinking of; morning, discouraged; morning, care, worry full of domestic affairs about.
I have seen in a lot of children, fear of men, in women and fear of women, in men. For example, a Pulsatilla girl child is not comfortable with male members in the house and wants her mother only. Why? Because males are perceived as harsher. But it depends on who is the milder one in the house. So, there is aversion to the opposite sex.
Their fears are also characteristic: fear of dark, fear of being alone. They always want to be in company. Fear of being forsaken. In children, mama papa chale to nahin jaayenge (ماما پاپا چلے تو نہیں جائیں گے). These children have a fear of going to school. When the parents are going, they are usually crying. There is a rubric: fear, separation of parents from. Unko separation ka bahut dar hota hai (اُنکو علیحدگی کا بہت ڈر ہوتا ہے).
The Flip Side: Flattery, Effeminacy, and Delusions
There is a rubric: flattering, seducing behavior in children. I had a child who used to praise me so much. “Doctor, you’re looking very pretty today. Doctor, this white suit suits you a lot.” What is this? This is flattering, seducing behavior. You may have seen this if you go picking up your child from school. Some children hug and kiss the teacher excessively. “Teacher, you look very pretty! Teacher, eat from my lunch.” Why do they do this? Because they also want to be flattered. Flattered, desire to be.
I got a question right now. Some one from the audience asked, How will be a Pulsatilla male?
A male having effeminate characters. So, they would talk or move in a girly way. I remember a 20-year-old staff member in my office. The way he walked, talked was so girly. He was very soft spoken and used to start weeping if there was something he was not able to handle. His ability to set table, present tea and refreshments was simply superb.
There is one more important rubric: delusion, head heavy, his own head seemed. You will find this all homeopathic repertories and this one has only few remedies. There are 6526 rubrics of Pulsatilla in George Vithoulkas Repertory of Vithoulkas Compass. I would be discussing and sharing understanding of some top important rubrics of Pulsatilla at the end.
A central delusion of Pulsatilla is that they are neglected, they are left out, they do not belong to anybody. I have few cases of migraine where the lady had this feeling of being alone, and while telling her complaints, she was crying. “There is nobody who can really understand what I am going through. I feel so lonely, and I miss my mother.” So, they miss the person who is always there to caress them. This is also clinging, mother to, even mentally. If I’m an adult and I’m sick, I feel my mother should be here. I really miss her when I’m not well. I call my mother and talk to her. Are you understanding?
Physical Generals and Fever
Pulsatilla is well-known for its physical generals: amelioration from open air, amelioration from slow motion, aggravation from heat.
In fever, how does the child react? There is a lot of anxiety for fever. There are important rubrics: anxiety, fever, prodrome of. So, when the child or an adult starts getting symptoms, a little body ache, you may not have fever, but you get into that anxiety of fever. They are very anxious during fever. They like to be carried and caressed. There is weeping, fever during; whimpering. Whimpering is سرگوشی۔ ریں ریں کرنا۔ منمنانا،تھن تھنانا. They are not actually weeping, but that kind of دھیرے دھیرے کر رہے ہیں.
I had a case where a child was getting fever again and again. I asked the mother, “Is there anything we are missing?” She said, “Whenever she’s about to fall sick, one night before, she’s sleepless.” On searching the repertory, I found sleeplessness, prodrome of. That child, homeopathic remedy China was given on that symptom, and it worked. But anxiety, fever, prodrome of is Pulsatilla.
Conclusion: Forming the Totality
Study Pulsatilla from various books and in the repertory search window, go to Pulsatilla and see all the rubrics. There are many, but there are some we easily see in practice.
Like I told you: answering by weeping, or by nodding, or the mother says the child ends up with vomiting. That is very, very important. That clingingness, that want of affection, complaining pitifully.
The basic general theme of Pulsatilla that we are discussing here is mildness. So, they will have love for animals, love for pets. They would like to be in their home and very attached to their mother. They are very dependent people. Even an adult, if they’re sick, they will always fall back. They would like to talk to their mothers.
So, imagine mild, yielding, soft, with a deep, absorbing need for love and affection, and you have the heart of the Pulsatilla individual.
Integrating the Rubrics: A Deeper Clinical Picture of Pulsatilla
So, we have been discussing the Pulsatilla child. You now understand the core: mild, yielding, weeping, clinging, with an intense need for affection. But homeopathy is a detailed science. We don’t just stop at “weeping” or “mild.” We must go deeper into the repertory to see the full, three-dimensional picture.
Look at this list of rubrics. This isn’t just a random list; this is the story of a Pulsatilla person’s life. Let me explain how these work in practice.
The Emotional Core: A Sponge for Affection and a Victim of Forsakenness
You see the high-grade rubrics: MIND - CONSOLATION - amel. and MIND - WEEPING, tearful mood. This is the foundation. Everything improves with consolation. And the weeping? It’s not just simple crying. Look at the sub-rubrics:
MIND - WEEPING - answering a question at: This is what I told you about! The child starts crying when you simply ask their name.Ro ke answer karte hain. It’s a keynote.MIND - WEEPING - telling of her sickness when: When they narrate their complaints, the tears flow. They are not just telling you; they are making you feel their suffering, they are seeking your pity.MIND - WEEPING - causeless: The parents say, “Har baat pe rone baith jata hai” – they sit down to cry over everything. It seems causeless to us, but for them, the world is a deeply emotional and often overwhelming place.
Now, where does this weeping come from? From the deep-seated fear and delusion of being forsaken.
MIND - DELUSIONS - deserted, forsakenMIND - FORSAKEN feelingMIND - FORSAKEN feeling - beloved by his parents... feeling of not beingMIND - FORSAKEN feeling - sensation of isolation
This is the central delusion! They can be surrounded by family, but they feel utterly alone. They might say, “No one loves me,” “I have no real friends,” “I don’t belong to anybody.” This is the engine that drives their need for constant reassurance.
The Needy, Manipulative, and “Dishonest” Side
Pulsatilla is not just a simple, sweet flower. There is complexity.
MIND - AFFECTIONATE: Yes, they are. They hug, they kiss, they cling.MIND - YIELDING disposition: They submit. They areservile, as I mentioned.
But look at these:
MIND - DECEPTION - causes grief and mortificationMIND - DISHONESTMIND - HYPOCRISY
This is the manipulative side I was talking about. They might feign sickness. They might tell little lies to gain sympathy or to avoid a harsh situation. It’s not malice; it’s a strategy to secure the love and attention they feel they are missing. This is also seen in MIND - COQUETTISH – that flirtatious, charming behavior to attract attention.
Anxieties and Fears: The World is a Harsh Place
Their sensitivity makes them prone to immense anxiety.
MIND - ANXIETY - night: Lying in the dark, their fears amplify.MIND - ANXIETY - house, in: They feel trapped and anxious indoors.MIND - FEAR - evening - twilight: The dim light can be very unsettling.MIND - FEAR - insanity, of: They are so emotionally labile (MIND - MOOD - changeable) that they sometimes fear they are losing their minds.MIND - AVERSION, to - men: This is common in the Pulsatilla girl who finds males too harsh and seeks the softness of her mother.
The Physical Generals: The Story of Heat and Air
The mental state is mirrored perfectly in the physical body.
GENERALITIES - WARM - agg.: This is fundamental. They cannot tolerate heat. They feel suffocated.MIND - ANXIETY - air, as if in hot: The anxiety itself feels like being in hot, stifling air.MIND - ANXIETY - clothing, must loosen, and open window: A beautiful, specific rubric. They feel an overwhelming need for open air and loose clothing. They will beg to open the window in a car or a room.MIND - CONFUSION of mind - warm room, in: Their thinking becomes muddled in the heat.MIND - SADNESS - warm room: The heat makes them profoundly sad and depressed.
Conversely, look at the ameliorations:
MIND - ANXIETY - walking - air, in open - amel.MIND - CONFUSION of mind - walking - air, in open - amel.MIND - SADNESS - air, in open - amel.MIND - WEEPING - air, in open - amel.
The open air is their salvation. It is as if the fresh, cool breeze lifts the weight of their emotional and physical suffering. This is why you will see the EXTREMITIES - UNCOVER, inclination to - Feet. They stick their feet out from the blankets at night.
The Contradictory and Alternating States
This is a crucial point. Pulsatilla is a remedy of changeability.
GENERALITIES - CONTRADICTORY and alternating states
They desire company, but can have MIND - AVERSION - men. They are affectionate, but can be MIND - INDIFFERENCE, apathy. They weep easily, but can also be MIND - EXCITEMENT, excitable in a pleasant way. Their symptoms, desires, and moods are never fixed. This is a key differentiator from more rigid remedies like Natrum muriaticum.
Connecting to Physical Symptoms
Even the physical symptoms tie back to the constitution.
BLADDER - URINATION - involuntary - cough, during: This is a common physical weakness, often seen in these soft, yielding children.SLEEP - POSITION - arms - over headandSLEEP - POSITION - back, on: The classic, open, trusting sleep position of Pulsatilla. They are surrendering completely, even in sleep.GENERALITIES - FOOD and DRINKS - fat - aversionandpork - aversion: These are classic dietary aversions for Pulsatilla, often linked to a sensitive, sluggish digestive system.
So, you see, when you have this list, you are not just looking at symptoms. You are reading the biography of a Pulsatilla patient. The weeping, the forsaken feeling, the amelioration from consolation and open air, the aggravation from heat and warm rooms—it all paints one consistent, vivid picture.
Always remember to form the totality. Don’t just take one rubric. See this beautiful, complex, and deeply sensitive pattern come to life in your clinic. That is when you will be confident to prescribe Pulsatilla, and you will see beautiful, lasting results.
