Naja the royal cobra
A remedy fit for the great queen of Egypt, writes Marysia Kratimenos
C
leopatra. The name
conjures up images of
untold wealth, exotic
mystery and beauty. Elizabeth
Taylor and her deep love-hate
relationship with Richard
Burton set against the
excesses of Hollywood.
Passion, intrigue and power,
mixed with deceit and
corruption. But who was the
real Cleopatra? What is the
truth behind the last pharaoh
of Egypt?
Cleopatra has gained
immortality, not least of all
by the method of her death
from the venom of a cobra,
the sacred sign of Egyptian
royalty. The snake traditionally
symbolises wisdom and
healing, a connection with
other worlds and the power
over sexuality and death.
Cleopatra was the incarnation
of the female royal cobra, as
her life so clearly shows.
The golden age of Egypt
was long dead at her birth in
69 BC. The marvels of the
pyramids and Karnak temples
remained as shadowy
reminders of the glorious
past. The Egyptian dynasties
had been replaced by
Macedonian Greeks.
Cleopatra VII was the
third child of Ptomely
Auletes, having two older
sisters, Cleopatra VI and
24 Health & Homeopathy Summer 2003
Berenice IV and three
younger siblings, Arsinoe IV
and the princes Ptolemy XIII
and Ptolemy XIV. Cleopatra
VI did not survive infancy,
and her father later executed
Berenice for treason.
Ptolemy Auletes was a
weak man, who lacked the
fire and wisdom of his
lineage. Over the preceding
two centuries Egypt had lost
vast amounts of land to the
rising Roman Empire, which
was poised to take over as
the ancient superpower.
Greek tradition had diluted
the Egyptian culture and
tradition, and the country
was set to fall into Roman
hands. Ptolemy Auletes felt
this was inevitable and
created a pact with the
Romans, paying them tribute.
On his death, he left his
remaining children in the care
of Pompey, the Roman leader,
and willed Egypt to
Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII.
In accordance with Egyptian
law Cleopatra was expected
to have a consort to reign,
and so the 18 year-old was
married to her 12 year-old
brother. Incestuous marriages
were common practice in
Ancient Egypt.
However, Cleopatra was
determined to reign alone and
although she went through
with the political marriage,
she soon began to omit
Ptolemy’s name from official
documents. Unlike her father,
she had immense strength of
character, and was motivated
by duty to her country. She
devoted her energy to
bringing back the glory of
Egypt. Of all the snake
remedies, Naja has the
strongest sense of duty. Rajan
Sankaran, the celebrated
Indian homeopath, describes
the Naja character as having
“ a certain quality of nobility
about them, of morality, of
responsibility”; qualities
Cleopatra had in abundance.
The linguist
Cleopatra was very well
educated and highly
intelligent, the match of any
man intellectually. She spoke
nine languages but not Latin,
perhaps showing her
contempt for the Romans.
Unlike her predecessors she
immersed herself in the ways
of Ancient Egypt, learning
their language and their
heritage. She celebrated their
religion, and was a devotee of
the cult of Isis, the goddess of
healing. The snake remedies
are excellent linguists, and
extremely quick witted and
intelligent.
She had no intention of

being a vassal of the Roman
Empire. She wanted to
restore Egypt to a great
empire. Many did not share
her ambitions and backed the
malleable youth, Ptolemy
XIII. A power struggle
ensued, with Cleopatra being
forced into exile. She rallied
Arab troops, determined to
regain her birthright.
In the meantime her
guardian, Pompey had been
murdered and Julius Caesar
was the rising star in the
Roman Empire. He arrived in
Alexandria in 48 BC with
vast numbers of legionaries,
to restore peace in the East.
Cleopatra realised that Julius
Caesar could help her reclaim
the throne. She showed great
courage by having herself
Photo: BFI Stills
smuggled in a carpet, through
enemy lines, to the palace in
Alexandria where he was
staying. By the next day they
were lovers, and her reign
was assured.
Roman propaganda depicts
Cleopatra as a harlot, but
there is no evidence to support
this slur on her morality. If
anything she was a serial
monogamist. The cobra
bonds with her mate and they
remain together. Cleopatra
certainly used her charm and
sexuality to further her
ambitions, as any self-
respecting snake remedy would!
Her brother was incensed
by her actions, and provoked
riots, which led to the
burning of part of the great
library of Alexandria. Caesar
and Cleopatra maintained
control of the lighthouse of
Pharos, and thus the all-
important harbour. Ptolemy
XIII died trying to escape.
Arsinoe, her younger
sister, had herself proclaimed
queen by the Macedonian
mob, a betrayal that led to
her being paraded through
the streets of Rome as a
slave, before her execution in
front of Cleopatra. Unlike
many snakes, the cobra is not
naturally aggressive, and will
raise its hood as a warning
before striking. She only
attacks when provoked to the
extreme.
The romantic snake
Caesar and Cleopatra were
well matched. Both great
intellectuals and radical
thinkers. Their love was
genuine, although originally
motivated by mutual political
ambitions. Naja is very
romantic in nature.
They spent two months
cruising down the Nile, as
Cleopatra showed off the
wonders of her kingdom.
Despite being married off
again, this time to her
youngest brother, Ptolemy
XIV, Cleopatra bore Julius a
son, Caesarion (Ptolemy
Caesar) and it is believed that
they married during their trip
on the Nile. Ptolemy XIV
later died and Cleopatra was
blamed. There is little
evidence to support this claim
of fratricide, but her
reputation was tarnished
again by the implication.
Naja has deep feelings of
resentment and impulses to
harm those who have
inflicted the suffering.
Jealousy and suspicion
When Julius returned to
Rome, Cleopatra joined him
and soon became an object of
hatred. The deeply
conservative Romans were ➤
Summer 2003 Health & Homeopathy 25
 offended by her extravagant
ways and her bigamous
marriage to Caesar. She
proclaimed herself the New
Isis, according to Egyptian
culture, and had gold statues
of herself and Caesar erected
in the temple of Venus.
Caesarian was openly
proclaimed as Caesar’s only
son and heir.
Jealousy is a theme of all
the snake remedies; they can
be very jealous and suspicious
people or evoke that emotion
in others as Cleopatra
undoubtedly did. There were
vast differences at that time
between Egyptian and
Roman culture. Women had
far more rights in Egypt as
compared to the typical
Roman matron. They were
free to chose husbands and
own property. As a queen
and the incarnation of a god,
Cleopatra was used to
supreme power, fabulous
wealth and luxury. In her
own country, she was Isis,
Venus, Aphrodite, every
feminine goddess; a concept
that was incomprehensible to
the Roman populace. Her
behaviour and bearing must
have infuriated them.
Julius Caesar was
assassinated by senators in 44
BC, and Rome descended
into chaos. Cleopatra only
just managed to escape to
Alexandria with her life; such
was the hatred of the Roman
people.
On her return, she found
her country in equal chaos.
The “bread basket of the
Mediterranean” was
threatened with famine due
to failure of the Nile floods.
As pharaoh-goddess,
Cleopatra was directly
responsible for the fertility of
her nation. It was her duty to
intervene between the gods
and the people. Only when
she performed the correct
religious rituals, would
26 Health & Homeopathy Summer 2003
prosperity be restored. The
energy of the snake as
intermediary between the
heavens and earth is
demonstrated by this action.
The Naja venom
Rome declared a triumvirate
with Mark Anthony, Lepidus
and Octavian (later the
Emperor Augustus Caesar)
sharing power. Julius Caesar
was deified in 42 BC but his
will left no provision for
Cleopatra and his heir.
Cleopatra was initially
occupied with averting
famine, but soon realised she
was alone again and
unprotected against the might
of Rome. Octavian reigned in
the Western Empire and
Mark Antony the East. Being
a snake, her choice was clear,
as was her approach! She was
in need of the strongest ally,
preferably one she could
manipulate using her sensual
charm.
Her seduction of Mark
Anthony is legendary – the
ornate ship bearing her
dressed as Aphrodite, goddess
of love. It was an
ostentatious and possibly
vulgar act, but clearly
demonstrated her
understanding of the
uncouth, womanising and
heavy drinking Mark
Anthony, a devotee of
Dionysis / Bacchus. Subtlety
would have been wasted on
him. Cleopatra needed him,
and he needed her wealth.
Her behaviour shows her
deep comprehension of
human nature, which she
exploited with characteristic
flair. Together they had three
children. Mark Anthony
married her following his
divorce, and legitimised all
the children.
Octavian declared war on
Anthony and Cleopatra,
which culminated in the
famous battle at Actium, off
the Greek coast. Anthony
was unable to engage in a
land battle, which he
favoured and realising the
supremacy of the Roman
fleet, fled to Alexandria, with
Cleopatra.
Mark Anthony chose to
remain at their landing point,
which is still known as
Cleopatra’s beach. Both knew
that defeat was inevitable, as
Octavian was close behind.
Anthony lapsed into a deep
depression and committed
suicide, dying in Cleopatra’s
arms.
Cleopatra’s priority was
her children. She had them
sent away, hoping to ensure
their safety. Unfortunately,
her trust was betrayed and
Caesarion was murdered.
Octavian spared her children
by Mark Anthony, bringing
them up in his own family.
Cleopatra was taken
prisoner when Octavian
stormed the city, and fearing
the same fate as her sister
Arsinoe, also took her own
life. The choice of the cobra
ensured a rapid death, as the
venom paralyses the nervous
system, leading to paralysis of
the muscles of respiration.
Cleopatra died as she lived,
as a royal female cobra, the
uraeus, the symbol of Egypt.
Her servants chose to die
with her, showing their faith
and admiration of her.
Although sworn enemies,
Octavian held her in high
regard. When he took the
name Augustus and was to be
honored by having a calendar
month named after him, he
chose the eighth month, the
month of Cleopatra’s death,
rather than his birth month.
Egypt fell into the hands
of Rome, and Alexandria fell
into the sea, burying its secrets.
The legend of Cleopatra lives
on. Naja has truly attained
immortality and her name
will never be obliterated.
Naja – remedy profile
Cobra venom is used
homeopathically to treat a
variety of complaints. As it is
a profoundly powerful
remedy and reserved for
serious health complaints, it
is not suitable for self-
prescribing and should be left
to the professional
homeopath to use judiciously.
Paralysis
Cobra venom is neuro-toxic,
in other words poisonous to
the nervous system. The bite
mark becomes red, swollen
and there is some tissue
damage and infection, though
not as severe as with the
vipers or sea snakes. The
earliest symptom is drooping
of the eyelids, giddiness and
weakness, followed by
generalised muscle paralysis,
difficulty in swallowing and
breathing, vomiting and
foaming round the mouth.
There is some damage to the
blood clotting mechanism,
leading to a bleeding
tendency, but this is less
dramatic than with the viper
family. Death results from
paralysis of the muscles of
respiration and heart failure.
If death has not occurred
within two hours, it is likely
that the person will recover.
Treatment is with anti-venom,
which must be specific to the
snake species. Resistance can
build up to snake bites; those
handling snakes often give
themselves tiny injections of
the venom to protect
themselves against accidental
bites. In ancient times snake
charmers allowed themselves
to be bitten to gain immunity
– a risky business!
In view of the paralysing
effects of the venom, one
enterprising doctor started
using tiny injections of cobra
venom for polio, with
excellent results. It is unlikely
he realised he was applying
the homeopathic principle of
like cures like! The discovery
of the polio vaccine put paid
to this fascinating method of
treatment. Homeopaths are
still using the venom, but in
potentised doses.
Common characteristics
The snake remedies share
certain common
characteristics. They all
dislike extremes of
temperature, and are very
sensitive to changes in
weather and the seasons.
Naja can be terrified of rain.
Their symptoms recur at
regular intervals. They feel
better from movement and
free flow of bodily fluids, and
are worse following inactivity
(including sleep). Symptoms
flare up when the menstrual
periods are stopped, either
with the pill, pregnancy or
the menopause.
Snakes shed their skin,
and “snake people” often
suffer with flaking skin. They
are prone to nasty septic
lesions, and have a tendency
to bruising and bleeding. The
skin often becomes
discoloured, bluish or
reddish-purple with infections.
A dislike of constriction,
means snakes can only be
safely held around the neck.
Those requiring snake
remedies are often intolerant
of tight clothing, particularly
around the neck. There is
often a tendency to sore
throats, and it is easier to eat
rather than drink.
Snakes do not have
eyelids, and hypnotise their
prey, and so the eyes of the
patients have a mesmeric
quality. They are prone to
nasty eye infections.
The gentle snake
Naja is one of the gentle
snakes and can be easily
confused with Pulsatilla.
There are marked mood
swings, especially pre-
menstrually. They are
romantic in nature, very
devoted to the family and
duty. When provoked, and
they are very sensitive
emotionally, they flare up
after issuing warnings and
then “go for the jugular”.
Their rebukes are sarcastic
and biting. They are prone to
go off in a sulk in mild cases,
but can become suicidally
depressed. Naja can be used
for the treatment of many
psychological conditions
including depression, manic
depression and severe mood
swings.
On a physical level, the
main focus is on the heart.
Naja is used for many serious
heart diseases, including valve
problems and heart failure,
obviously alongside orthodox
medical treatments. There is
often a hacking cough
associated with the heart
problem. It is very useful for Marysia
paralysing diseases, such as Kratimenos MB
polio. In the past it was used BS FRCS (Ed)
in diphtheria epidemics, with MFHom is an
wonderful results. associate specialist
Naja is one of the lesser- at the Royal
known remedies, and used in London
the appropriate cases has a Homoeopathic
profound curative effect. Hospital.
Summer 2003 Health & Homeopathy 27