Proving was conducted by Uta Santos-Koenig in Vienna, March to Dec 1996. Fat of Boa constrictor was used for proving. There were ten provers of whom three were male and seven female. They took the remedy in a 12C potency once a day over two weeks or until very unpleasant symptoms appeared. There were no skin, back or heart symptoms and, perhaps most surprising, nor respiratory symptoms. The GI tract was the most affected from the cracked lips to the burning anus. Appetite was strongly affected

The Ophidia group of remedies are broadly classified into Elapidae(Elpas, Naja), Boidae (Anaconda, python and Boas) and Viperidae (Lachesis, Crotalus C, Crotalus H and many more). 

Crotalidae:
Injury is the main theme
Sit and wait for prey and would attack in dark.
Constantly anticipating unexpected and covert attack which make them very vigilant
Attack is sudden from a hidden position without warning. They will never confront face to face.

Mafia/Terrorism reflect the theme of Crotalidae. Face to face confrontation is never done by these people. They will plan and attack without any warning when the prey is vulnerable like attack of terrorist during diwali or Independence day

Remedies
Lachesis, Crotalus horridus, Bothrops

Elapidae:
Active hunters and attacks only one when provoked, cornered or intruded eg If you enter my privacy, will give back at you. They are alert only when someone intrudes
Warning in plain sight before attacking
Attack is produce definite injury and hence “Delusion, being injured”

Remedies:
Elaps, Naja

Boidea:
Least developed and belongs to a dolice primitive group of snakes.
They have a heavy musculature which helps them to attack or constrict the prey. They grasp their prey with their jaw and then coil, progressively tightening the grip and ultimately the death is by suffocation.
Boidea have strong maternal theme

Theme that generally come up with Boidea
Being overpowered and engulfed by mighty power
Feeling restrained and choked by its formidable strength

Words used:
Wrap
Coil
Encircle
Winding
Squeezing
Constrict
Strangle
Tighten
Choke
Out of breath
Closing in on you

Anaconda: Sluggish on land, fast on and underneath the surface of water. The prey is completely unaware of the attack by the Anaconda till grasp by the fierce takes place.

Boa are ambush hunter and when disturbed will threaten with loud hisses and prefers to flee

Python
Strong maternal care
Mostly in bushes or trees, they are docile
When disturbed they coil into a ball, tucking their head in central fold and remain still until feel safe.

Boa Constrictors 

• Boa are modestly sized as compared to python or anaconda. Size of mature boa can be 7-12 feet. The boa constrictor is a heavy-bodied snake, and large specimens can weigh up to 27 kg 

• Boa gentle, nocturnal, docile snake and its  beauty make it a popular pet. They belong to primitive group of snakes

• Boa’s have well developed senses in particular the forked tongue and Jacobson’s organs allow them to sense odors very accurately and in stereo. They have infrared sensors in pits between the nostril and eye, which give them an accurate picture of warm blooded creatures around them even in absolute darkness.

• Boas join in copulation for at least an hour and for as long as ten. Ovulation occurs two months after copulation and gestation is 108 days after that.

• Boa is viviparous, giving birth to live one, but the eggs hatch very close to the time of birth and can sometimes hatch during or after birth. 

• The dominant senses for boas are smell and a sense for temperature. Both are critical for locating food and partners for mating, especially at night.

• Boas are non venomous and kill by wrapping themselves around their prey and constricting until lung and circulatory function are fatally compromised. After catching its prey, usually ambushing it during the hours of darkness, they swallow it whole and spend several days quietly digesting it.

Keynotes symptoms

Mind

Self confident. Dictatorial. Wants to decide everything. Finding fault. Irritable and moody. Impatient and offensive to everyone. Rebellious and indignant with his wife.

Quick tempered. Explosive temper. Grumbling and moaning.

Laziness. Aversion to fulfilling her duties. No desire to tidy up. Craving peace and quiet. Averse to company, less desire to speak. Forgetful. Concentration difficult, from tiredness. Loses the thread when talking. Can’t pronounce words. Feeling that he has to keep his thoughts together. No desire for sex.

Sadness. Hopelessness. Weeping in the afternoon, > after weeping. Despair, feeling of failure. Suicidal thoughts, wanting to jump off somewhere, throw herself in front of a train.

Cheerful late at night.

Feeling that she is being followed, with trembling. Feeling that she is pursued in the dark with great fear. Fear that she is always being watched and pursued, by a man with a knife, < night.

Head

Dizzy with empty feeling. Dragging headache on right side. Pain at the back of the head. Pressing pain above the ears.

Ears

Pain in right ear, radiating to eye. Dragging pains. Dragging pain in right ear radiating to the throat. Pressing pain in left ear in the morning. Stabbing pain, < chewing.

Nose

Whitish discharge. Nose blocked. Unpleasant smelling discharge. Thick yellow discharge runs down throat, tastes of blood.

Face

Numbness on right side of face, as if it didn’t belong there. Dragging pain in right upper jaw, ear and teeth. Pain and itching in lower left jaw. Pale.

Teeth

Dragging pain on right side with headache. Dragging pains. Itching of teeth. Pain in back teeth.

Mouth

Dry. Mouth dry at night. Splits in corner of mouth on the right side. Feels as if lips are bloody.

Throat

Stabbing pain on left side.

Appetite

Appetite increased. Eating snacks rather than meals. Doesn’t want to eat at mealtimes but before because she has the feeling that she won’t get enough. No feeling of hunger. Craving for alcohol, for beer and for wine. Desire for black tea. Desire bread and mustard.

Stomach

Dragging ache. Cramping pains. Feeling of nausea before meals with a desperate need to eat.

Abdomen

Dragging pain in right groin. Bloating and cramping.

Stool and Anus

Diarrhoea. Watery diarrhoea. Sudden urge to stool. Gushing diarrhoea with burning of anus. Anus burns like fire, as if the stool were a hot coal. Urgency with soft stool that is hard to expel, cannot empty bowels. Flatulence. Hard light brown stool. Stool smells foul.

Male Sexual Organs

Long lasting extreme erection.

Female Sexual Organs

Irritation in vagina. Sexual desire diminished. Profuse yellow, odourless secretion.

Chest

Cramping pain in right pectoral with twitching. Dragging in breast at menses.

Upper Limbs

Perspiration in axillae, smells spicy. Hands cold.

Lower Limbs

Dragging pain in right groin radiates over thigh to shin.

Generalities

Very tired. Tiredness 6-8 p.m. Great coldness. Very sensitive to draughts. Restless. Trembling of whole body. Tired in the day, energetic in the evening.

Sleep

Restless. Easy to get up in the morning. Falling asleep early in the evening. Very little need for sleep.

Dreams

Dirt and dust. Woman dancing and showing off her beautiful body. Jealousy and envy. Being followed and chased. Threatening men. Suspicious people. Demanding people. Dream that anyone of African origin will be eliminated. Relatives. Her dead father. Making mistakes. Being late. Autumn leaves and colours. Changing her appearance. Food.

Fever

Fever with paleness and cold hands. Perspiration reduced.

Proving notes

The Boa constrictor is a constricting snake found throughout South America.It is a gentle,nocturnal snake.Its docility & beauty make it a popular pet & it is bred to produce morphs with even more remarkable skin patterns than are generally found in nature.It has been worshipped as an idol in South America.The Boidae family, which also includes the Python,is a primitive form of snake.Some species have tiny vestigial rear legs.They are non venomous & kill by wrapping themselves around their prey & constricting until lung & circulatory functions are fatally compromised.They have well developed senses in particular the forked tongue & Jacobson’s organs allow them to sense odours very accurately and in stereo.They have infra red sensors in pits between the nostril & eye,which give them an accurate picture of warm blooded creatures around them even in absolute darkness.The Boa tends to hunt at night where it has the advantage of its heat vision.It manages to maintain its body heat in the darkness & does not need to warm up in the sunshine as do most cold blooded animals.After catching its prey, usually ambushing it during the hours of darkness,they swallow it whole & spend several days quietly digesting it.Boas join in copulation for at least an hour & for as long as 10.(One male prover reported an erection of extreme intensity that lasted a very long time)The boa is viviparous but the eggs hatch very close to the time of birth & can sometimes hatch during or after birth.
The fat of the snake was proved by Uta Santos-König in Vienna during 1996.There were 10 provers of whom 3 were male and 7 female.They took the remedy in a 12c potency once a day over 2 weeks or until very unpleasant symptoms appeared.The GI tract was the most affected from the cracked lips to the burning anus. Appetite was strongly affected.

The primary emotional expression of the remedy seems to be a need for order and control of the immediate environment.The immediate reaction to a loss of control is one of anger, indignation and behaviour that others find offensive.

Uta Santos-König when looking into the Boa and particularly the Mayan mythology associated with it, was struck by the use of the word dissipation. It would seem that the Boa as a remedy is trying to hold together, to constrict, a world that is breaking up or spinning out of control, dissipating.

This need for control and order is to be found in all remedies of the Cancer Miasm and is perhaps most clearly expressed in Arsenicum. While the reaction in Arsenicum is one of anxiety, timidity and “fussing”; in Boa there is a more animal reaction of anger, irritability and fighting back.

The constricting snakes do not seem to have the sophistication in their anger or their malice that is to be found in the venomous snakes. They are not as manipulative and do not seem to be able to disguise their feelings with the attractive veneer of charm that we are used to in snake remedies. During the proving the parents of one prover felt that her beautiful big eyes became small and mean so that everyone was afraid to come close to her in case they were eaten. While another prover stated: “My dark side is coming out, I am horrible to everyone, impatient.”

The effort put into constricting and controlling the environment in itself restricts activity and behaviour and so becomes constricting. The patient feels restricted and suffocated by their environment and by their interaction with it.
The need to control the immediate environment is a strategy that takes a great deal of energy and attention and it will always tend to lead to exhaustion, a desire to hide away and despair.

Reference of proving notes: https://www.hominf.org/remedy/boa.htm

Dr Preety and Dr Prajakta have shared a beautiful case of Boa Constrictor