The Homeopathic Lion’s Milk: Lac Leoninum

The Original Big Five

I just returned from a month in Kenya… my first journey to Africa, though I wish I had accepted an invitation to go with a group of homeopaths twenty years ago or so. I am a huge animal lover; my very favorite is elephants. The term “Big Five” originally referred to these five large African mammals who were known to be potentially dangerous, when encountered by humans.: lions, elephants, leopard, rhinoceros, and cape buffalo. It was considered a feat by trophy hunters (perish the thought) to slaughter them, stuff them, and hang them proudly on the walls of their dens (ironic name) or living/game rooms. Now, fortunately, these amazing animals are largely protected in game parks and reserves in Africa. Poaching, however, threatens to decimate them, as well as climate change.

I cannot communicate sufficiently how remarkable it was to see these amazing animals in the wild, often from very close distances. A friend and I were fortunate enough to spend nearly three weeks in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, Lake Naivasha, Nakuru National Park, Samburu National Game Reserve, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Amboseli National Park, and Tsavo West National Park. During the last two days before returning, we did another three-hour game drive at the Nairobi National Safari Park as well as visiting the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage (the highlight of the entire trip for me) and the Giraffe Center. In the 150-square mile Amboseli, (southern Kenya), due to the worst drought in 70 years, their precious water holes were dried up, resulting in many carcasses of zebra and wildebeest readily visible from our safari vehicle. Cheetahs were elusive, despite our visit to many game parks, and we saw only one leopard, lounged in a tree with its impala prey.

During the last decade, nearly 10,000 African rhinos have been lost to poach. It was estimated, three years ago, that 350,000 elephants remained in Africa. Ten to fifteen thousand are killed each year by poachers. Since 2008, 11,000 rhinos have been poached, slaughtered for ivory, meat, and body parts. Ivory, thankfully, is now illegal on the world market, yet poaching is still rampant. In South Africa, for example, 451 rhinos were killed in South Africa alone, the first time in six years that the country recorded an increase. Between slaughter by humans and global warming, it is largely up to organizations such as the Sheldrick Foundation in Kenya, Save The Rhino International, and other similar groups to save these remarkable creatures from extinction. It was truly remarkable for me to finally be so close to these magnificent, remarkable beings. Do not wait, however, to go.

Homeopathic remedies are prepared from animal substances, as well as mineral and plant. I thought it would be fascinating to share a bit about the use of these “big five” as remedies. One of my favorite remedies is, Lac leoninum (lion’s milk). There are also remedies made from elephant’s milk (Lac loxodonta Africana). The big five remedies have the following characteristics:

• strong issues of survival
• competition
• struggles between victim and aggressor
• predator vs. prey
• sexuality
• camouflage
• conflict/a split
• contradiction
• a feeling of being dirty, disgusting
• attractiveness
• liveliness

Humans needing remedies made from mammals demonstrate the following characteristics:

• highly evolved, intelligent
• a strong maternal instinct and family connection
• nourish their young with milk
• sexuality
• competition
• highly adaptable
• able to communicate among their own species
• strong issues of sexuality

Of the “big five,” my clinical experience is with Lac leoninum (lion’s milk). It is important to mention that, whenever a homeopathic medicine is prepared from a mammal, it is done so humanely, generally from a tiny amount of blood or milk.

Lion’s Milk

I first learned about this remedy from the wonderful book of a colleague, Nancy Herrick, Provings of Eight New Animal Remedies (1998). I had a wonderful case of a 13-year-old young man with quite the temper. His mother brought him to me for help with oppositional-defConnort disorder. He had quite a swagger and pushed his weight around at every opportunity. This young man’s mother was beside herself because he was so difficult to be around. Extremely selfish with a ravenous appetite, he would finish his own food, then reach for whatever else was on the table, oblivious to the desires of other family members. He pushed others out of his way, was territorial and invasive, and his temper was frightening.

I prescribed Lac leoninum 1M for this young man, Daniel, and his temper diminished considerably. Daniel became bearable to family members, though his nature continued to be pushy and selfish. During the first appointment, his mom shared that the first sound out of his mouth after birth was a loud roar. (I promise I am not making this up!) At one of his follow-up appointments, his mom quoted him, “I am nursing my wounds… I am at the top of the food chain.” Sounds uncanny, but it is true. He was simply expressing his inner nature. I treated him for a year or two.

I am currently treating a second young man, Connor, fifteen years old with Lac leoninum. As an infant, he would wake five to ten times a night. His mom had to pin him down to nurse because he was always fighting with her, grabbing her nose or face. “A rule breaker from the very beginning.” Connor’s parents would put him to bed, and he’d be up two minutes later. Strong-willed, defiant, he refused to eat. Even as a toddler, he bit and scratched other kids. If someone took his toy at school, he’d bite, scratch, push, and pull their hair. The teachers accused the parents of letting Connor watch violent TV, but it was not the case. “Your son’s hands are always on others.” Connor almost got kicked out of school many times. Connor was incredibly intelligent, but lazy. If he didn’t want to do chores, he simply wouldn’t. Nor his homework. Connor failed every class, despite counselors and tutoring.

The youngster’s room was a complete disaster. “He leaves a trail. Very disorganized. We have to remind him, step by step. Every day. We are so tired of being mad at him. Now he is in high school and has to smell good, so he can’t walk around in dirty clothes. Connor changes his outfits three times a day. He wants a wardrobe stage. He was a dress-up kid with costumes till he turned 9. He’s a big boy: 6’3” and nearly 210 pounds.

“When Connor was little, if I didn’t play with him, he’d come over and bite my big toe. He has always been the class clown. He likes to be the center of attention. But, if he makes a mistake, he shuts down and gives up. We’d buy him a brand-new toy and, ten minutes later, he broke it. At age three, I gave him a cordless drill. He took our vacuum cleaner apart in five minutes… Connor is like a locomotive. It’s hard to get him moving but, once he is, it’s hard to stop him. He would break his crayons at school, cut his clothes all the time until third grade.

“Connor is very good at listening and gathering intelligence. He eavesdrops on our adult conversations. But he won’t complete a chore. He is a debater. Constantly makes up clever puns. Connor talked early and has a great sense of humor. He is quite the storyteller, and his timing is comedic. Connor is a debater. When it comes to disciplining him, he is not bothered by threats or spankings. He always has a game plan, but it is very self-serving. His pediatrician described Connor as ‘high-spirited.’”

From Connor’s father: “Connor is not motivated. He quits when things are hard. Overdramatizes every little injury. Just wants to do what he wants. Connor decided he wouldn’t play soccer and just sat on the field. He has a hard time falling in line and has been defiant Connor since day one. He avoids responsibility and will try to prove his lies. He does not want to lose face. Connor is constantly covering up. He is willing to die on the hill because he is so obstinate.”

I asked whether Connor could be cruel. “Definitely. He taught his little brother to pull the tails off of lizards. He’s got an aggressive streak, but he is tender when he wants to be. He can get highly explosive, punches his bed when he is mad, and has broken door handles off multiple times. When he gets mad, he goes ‘grrrr’ and shakes them till they break.”

Further information from Connor’s mom, which clearly confirmed the prescription of Lac leoninum: “Chores are a fight, battle. He doesn’t want to do what he doesn’t want to do. Then it turns more aggressive, ugly. He might push his brother out of the way. I call it manhandling. He’ll grab my face, tries to hug me, trap me, throws a fit, breaks things. I found a picture that he ripped into a million pieces. We have a very large dog. If she barks, Connor will come running out, grab her aggressively, and try to force her onto her bed…. Connor definitely likes meat. He is never satisfied with vegetables. The minute there is meat, he pounces on it. Connor is always asking for more meat. If we take him to a restaurant, he orders a big hamburger. Connor wants to win every situation, battle to the death.” I prescribed a single dose of Lac leoninum 1M for Connor.

After the Remedy

Six Weeks: From his mom: “Connor’s grades are the best they’ve ever been. Last quarter he got an F, 2 Ds, and some A’s, B’s one C. This time, before finals, he got 2 As and 2 Bs. He’s doing a lot more of the work autonomously. He’s a bit more affectionate and his behavior is a little better. Connor is still a touchy guy, but he’s been a lot more gentle since the remedy. When I asked him to talk about his feelings towards his grandpa, who is dying, he got snarly and hissy.”

Twelve Weeks: “We applied for a school scholarship. He buckled down and got some of the better grades ever. He got the scholarship. More As and Bs this quarter. The principal and vice principal unanimously wanted to support him. He has skin in the game. We’ve been giving him Lac leoninum 1M every week. He comes home from school fairly happy. He likes his down time… extra sleep. Connor is in a growth spurt. He tells me, ‘I need more food!’ He continued the Lac leoninum up to once a week.”

Sixteen Weeks: “He’s reverting back to some of his old behaviors. When he walks past you, he nicks you. Back to being aggressive and the beast mode. He hugs me, grabs my face, pushes my body away, moves my arms. He wants what he wants. When he gets it, he can be mean, physical. He was doing really well. He’s manhandling again. Pushes you out of the way.” I prescribed a dose of Lac Leoninum 10M and sent another dose to have on hand.

Eighteen Weeks: Mom: “Connor rarely goes out of his way for anyone, but he is doing much better again. His little brother was having trouble putting on his belt. Connor stood on his brother’s bed to help him. It was very tender and loving. Over the weekend he pulled out his little brother’s loose tooth for him. He decided all by himself to write a paper. We still have little blips here and there, but he is getting a bit more mature… He is back to coming up to me and telling me he loves me. Initiating hugs. That is the Connor that I used to love. He is even playing video games with his little brother. There’s a little bit of a sassy mouth, but it has gotten better. Much less manhandling. Now he giggles and banters. If I tickle him. Before he would get angry and move you out of the way. Or avoid you. He hasn’t been in beast mode since we gave him the new dose. His principal says he’s doing pretty well.”

Connor should continue to improve over time. I find this to be a fascinating case and remedy. It is remarkable to me how often his mom, who has a totally different nature, uses lion-like words to describe her son. I like to call this phenomenon “Speaking from Source,” where the patient or family member uses the very words from the natural substance, in this case the lion. I look forward to continuing to follow Connor over time and expect him to continue to mature in a more balanced, more human, so to speak, way.

Let me end by saying that, if you have any desire to experience the remarkable wild animals in Africa, do not wait. Go! With climate change, poaching, and pandemics, who knows how much longer such an opportunity will be possible!

Some Fabulous Opportunities to Experience Kenya From Afar

My favorite lodging was the Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge in Tsavo West National Park. The remarkable photo that you see here is from our balcony. The lodge supplies its own watering hole, which attracts many families of elephants, zebras, and Cape Buffalo, as well as hyenas and other animals. During our stay they were installing a webcam, which I find thrilling. You, too, can access it at https://webcams.aeroclubea.com/TsavoChyulu/tsavo_chyulu_Tsavo_KilaguniN.html.

The highlight of my entire trip was the visit to the Elephant Orphanage run by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org. I adopted two of the most precious baby elephants, Nyambeni and Mzinga. One was rescued from a well/ditch and the other abandoned. Both were airlifted by helicopter (no small feat), and both are now thriving and just adorable. One can adopt them for as little as $50/year.

You may have heard of the remarkable interspecies animal communicator and tracker, Anna Breytenbach. I originally saw her on YouTube, having been able to miraculously communicate with the ferocious black leopard, Diabolo. Since that time, I have watched a couple of amazing videos and webinar during the pandemic: “The Incredible Story of How Diabolo Became Spirit” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvwHHMEDdT0) is the original video and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apN1UhDn4WE is a YouTube interview with her by Andrew Newman, author of the children’s book, How Diablo Became Spirit.