That “Not Quite Right” Feeling: What to Do at the Earliest Signs Your Body Needs Support
That “Not Quite Right” Feeling: What to Do at the
The Two Faces of Lycopodium
Have you ever met someone who seems like two completely different people depending on where they are and who they’re with?
At work, they may be commanding, decisive, even a little overbearing. They know how to take charge, speak with authority, and people tend to listen. But at home, or with people they admire or feel intimidated by, something shifts.
They become hesitant, anxious, almost timid. They worry about being judged, about not measuring up, about being found out as somehow inadequate.
Kate Howard RSHom
Homeopath and CHE Community Manager
If this sounds familiar, you may be looking at a classic Lycopodium picture.
Lycopodium is one of the most fascinating remedies in homeopathy because it shows us how the same person can genuinely express two very different faces, both arising from the same inner struggle.
From Giant Tree to Creeping Moss
Lycopodium is made from club moss, a humble plant that creeps quietly along the forest floor. But its history tells a very different story.
Millions of years ago, Lycopodium’s ancestors were vast trees, towering over prehistoric forests.
Over time, those giants diminished into the small, ground-hugging moss we know today.
This transformation perfectly captures the inner world of the Lycopodium person. Deep inside, there is a memory of being big, capable, powerful, important. Alongside this is an equally strong sense of being small, vulnerable, and easily overwhelmed.
Living with these two opposing truths creates an almost unbearable tension between who they feel they should be and who they fear they actually are.
The Dictatorial Lycopodium: Playing the Giant Tree
When Lycopodium individuals feel safe, particularly with people they consider beneath them or roughly equal to them, they can appear strikingly confident and authoritative. This is the well-known “dictatorial” side of Lycopodium.
What This Looks Like
They take charge readily and may be controlling at home, domineering with children or partners, or highly directive with colleagues. They project certainty and confidence, even when those feelings are shaky underneath.
This isn’t usually driven by cruelty or a desire to dominate for its own sake. Control makes them feel secure. Being the authority figure protects them from the fear of judgment and failure.
The Intellectual Power Play
Many Lycopodium people are intellectually sharp, and they often use this as a shield. They may feel compelled to correct others, demonstrate their knowledge, or ensure they are seen as the most competent person in the room.
This behaviour isn’t really about sharing insight. It’s about staying safe within the hierarchy. If they are the smartest or most knowledgeable, they don’t have to fear being exposed.
The Performance Beneath the Surface
Holding this persona together is exhausting. It’s a performance designed to cover profound self-doubt. They are constantly proving themselves, constantly striving, constantly trying to convince others, and themselves, that they are worthy of respect.
This is why the old homeopathic phrase fits so well: “Cowards to superiors, tyrants to inferiors.” It may sound severe, but it captures the internal dynamic with painful accuracy.
The Withering Lycopodium: Showing the Ground Moss
Place the same person in a different context, and they may seem like someone else entirely.
When faced with perceived authority, admiration, or the possibility of being evaluated, the confident façade collapses. This is the “withering” side of Lycopodium.
What It Looks Like
They become hesitant, anxious, unsure. Words come out awkwardly. Decisions feel impossible. There is a sense of shrinking, as though they are becoming smaller in the presence of others.
Anticipatory anxiety is a defining feature. Before presentations, meetings, exams, or social situations where they want to impress, they may feel almost paralysed with fear. They rehearse endlessly and imagine every possible way things could go wrong.
Interestingly, once the event actually begins, they often manage reasonably well. It is the anticipation, the fear of judgment, that is far worse than the reality.
Stage Fright and the Fear of Exposure
Many Lycopodium people experience intense stage fright, even when they are highly capable. Being in the spotlight feels dangerous. What if others see through the image? What if they are revealed as inadequate?
This is impostor syndrome in its most pronounced form: feeling like a fraud despite clear competence.
The Physical Sense of Withering
Over time, especially with age, Lycopodium individuals may develop a dry, depleted appearance. Skin can look sallow or prematurely wrinkled, hair thin or greying early. There is often a sense that life has taken more out of them than it should have.
Energy wanes. Where once sheer willpower carried them through, the body begins to protest.
The Digestive Story: King of Gas
If there is one physical symptom strongly associated with Lycopodium, it is digestive disturbance;particularly bloating and gas.
Lycopodium is famously known as the “king of gas,” and the title is well-earned.
What Happens
After eating even a small amount, the abdomen becomes bloated and tense, sometimes painfully so. They may feel uncomfortably full after just a few mouthfuls. Passing gas or opening the bowels brings temporary relief, but the cycle often repeats.
Symptoms typically worsen in the late afternoon and evening. By the time they get home, waistbands feel unbearable and comfort becomes essential.
The Sweet Tooth
Cravings for sweets are common, particularly during the late afternoon energy slump. Sugary foods may provide a quick boost, but they often aggravate bloating as fermentation increases in a sluggish digestive system.
Warm drinks are frequently preferred and can bring some temporary digestive comfort.
Right-Sidedness: A Key Confirmation
A useful clinical pointer for Lycopodium is right-sidedness. Symptoms often begin on the right side or move from right to left.
This may include right-sided headaches, sore throats starting on the right, joint pains worse on the right, or bloating more pronounced on the right side of the abdomen.
These seemingly small details are often the clues that help confirm the remedy.
The 4–8 PM Slump
Lycopodium individuals frequently feel their worst between 4:00 and 8:00 PM.
Energy drops, irritability rises, digestion deteriorates. They may snap at loved ones, not out of malice, but because their reserves are completely depleted.
Curiously, many experience a second wind later in the evening and struggle to wind down, despite earlier exhaustion.
The Core Struggle: Unstable Self-Esteem
Both faces of Lycopodium, the dictatorial and the withering, arise from the same source: deeply unstable self-esteem.
The dictatorial side is the moss desperately trying to become the giant tree again. It inflates itself to avoid feeling small.
The withering side is the moss exposed, fragile, and fearful when the façade cannot be maintained.
Neither face is the “real” person. Both are coping strategies developed to survive with a persistent feeling of not being enough.
How Does Someone Arrive Here?
Many Lycopodium individuals were children who felt they had to earn love or approval through achievement. Perhaps praise was conditional. Perhaps comparisons with siblings were common. Perhaps sensitivity met a world that felt overwhelming.
Over time, they learned that being themselves wasn’t sufficient. They had to perform, excel, and prove their worth again and again.
When Lycopodium Is the Right Remedy
When Lycopodium is truly indicated, change tends to be gradual but meaningful.
Digestive symptoms often improve first. Bloating reduces, meals feel manageable again, and physical comfort returns.
Emotionally, the extremes begin to soften. The need to dominate eases. Anticipatory anxiety becomes more tolerable. A middle ground emerges between grandiosity and collapse.
Confidence becomes quieter and more stable. There is less need to prove anything. Vulnerability feels survivable rather than catastrophic.
Energy levels often even out, sleep improves, and life feels less like a constant uphill battle.
Recognising a Lycopodium Picture
You might consider Lycopodium when you see:
- Two contrasting faces: confident with some, timid with others
- Strong anticipatory anxiety before challenges
- Marked bloating and gas after eating
- Right-sided or right-to-left symptoms
- A consistent slump between 4:00 and 8:00 PM
- A strong need to appear intellectually competent
- A deep fear of failure or being exposed as inadequate
When many of these elements come together, Lycopodium deserves consideration.
A Final Thought
Understanding Lycopodium invites compassion. The controlling person may be deeply afraid of vulnerability. The hesitant one may be carrying an enormous burden of self-doubt.
Homeopathy doesn’t aim to strip these people of their personality. Instead, it offers the possibility of stabilising what lies beneath, so they no longer have to swing between extremes.
When the remedy works, people don’t become someone else. They become more settled, more authentic, and more at ease with who they already are.
That is the deeper gift of remedies like Lycopodium: seeing the struggle beneath the behaviour and addressing suffering at its root, rather than merely managing what appears on the surface.
Disclaimer
The content shared here is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered a replacement for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified and licensed healthcare provider. The views and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the presenter and do not necessarily represent those of CHE or any affiliated organizations.
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