Black Cohosh Flower:
Helping Akash Transform Possessive Behaviors

Dr. Laura Cutullo is a holistic veterinarian, homeopath and flower essence practitioner based in Milan, Italy. In her new book, Fiori Californiani per gli animali , Dr. Cutullo features case histories and practical examples using the FES Repertory of flower essences for treating animals.

One such case involves the use of Black Cohosh flower essence for a dog showing aggressive tendencies toward other dogs, and with people other than his caretaker. Dr. Cutullo was able to discern and begin to understand the reason of his behavior.

The following is the full narrative of this case as featured in Fiori Californiani per gli animali :

Akash was a very big dog with dark, undefined fur, perhaps a crossbreed between a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon and a Spanish Mastiff. He was a very handsome dog with sharp eyes, possessing the awesome size of a Mastiff and the bristly semi-long fur of the Griffon. When I first met Akash in my office, he was accompanied by his caretaker, a petite young lady dressed in black—a “gothic” type, with some tattoos and pierced ears. This young lady was very polite, self-confident and determined. She planned to leave soon to conduct some business affairs for several months. Therefore she needed to leave Akash with her sister.

The problem was that Akash’s nature was not that simple. When the young lady was with friends, Akash would accept only two or three of them, and was otherwise very aggressive and nasty with the others, frequently attacking them. With children, Akash’s behavior was similar. If his caretaker stopped to look at a shop window, Akash would assault anyone passing nearby. He had never bitten anyone, but he attacked them barking and baring his teeth. His behavior was intensely frightening for many.

The young lady was seriously worried; she told me, “I can handle him, even though he is restricting my social life a great deal, but I’m wondering how my sister can make it.” Luckily, we had some months ahead to do good work with the flower essences before her departure. I started the therapy by prescribing a flower blend for Akash’s jealousy, attachment and prevarication. This formula was given to him for about three weeks. Then, the young lady got in touch with me. She reported that, “The situation is a little bit better, but without substantial changes. He seems less angry and aggressive, but is increasingly attacking people, and this is making my life impossible. I hardly go out; when I am back from work, I take him for a walk, finding solitary spots where we can stay on our own, with no other people around. I can’t even see my friends anymore and this is the most depressing side. What can we do?”

I was worried but also a little bit disappointed; I hoped for a better outcome. I tried to think of a flower that could be of help, but most of all I tried to put myself in Akash’s skin to understand the reason for his behavior. That is how it came to my mind that perhaps Akash considered that his guardian, whom he loved so much, was for him only, in an exclusive relationship. Perhaps Akash’s behavior was not caused by jealousy, but rather he was very possessive. These feelings brought about aggressive behaviors toward others.

For this reason, I decided to use the Black Cohosh flower essence for the first time in my practice. Akash was given this flower for about three months in combination with Green Rose flower essence, to bring greater peace and calm to the heart.

Almost immediately, Akash seemed less nervous when taken for a walk. However, a few days later he showed again a great deal of aggressiveness. Nevertheless something was different. Akash was less confident in his old behaviors. It appeared that his deep-rooted conduct that had been learned and retained by habit was being re-considered.

Gradually, Akash’s attacks became less frequent. They were addressed only to identifiable people with very particular features. Finally, Akash became settled in his new identity. When the young lady left for her business trip, Akash peacefully lived with his new caretaker. During this time he never attacked anyone. It was as though he no longer needed to express his old possessive behavior.

About Dr. Laura Cutullo

Dr. Laura’s involvement in veterinary medicine began in 1991. After graduating in Veterinary Medicine at the State University of Milan, Italy, she began her studies in homeopathy attending a 4 year post-graduate course at the Classic Homeopathy School “Mario Garlasco” in Florence, Italy. During this same period of time, Laura developed a deep interest in Bach flower remedies which affected her future professional activity. She contributes to scientific as well as to more popular publications with a particular focus on holistic medicine and natural therapies, her major areas of interest. In 1997, Laura published the first Italian book of Bach Flower Remedies for pets, "Fiori di Bach per gli animali" (published by Xenia, Cod: ISBN 978-88-7273-240-3). In this book, for the first time, Flower Therapy was studied with special regard to its application to pets’ care, particularly dogs and cats. Together with Paul Pignattelli, MD, Laura has contributed to the book "Medicina veterinaria non convenzionale" (Unconventional veterinary medicine) (published in Italy by Edagricole) writing the chapter devoted to Flower Therapy. In 2011, Laura Cutullo published the book of holistic care for pets, "Cure naturali e alimentazione per gli animali di casa” (published by RIZA, Cod: ISBN 978-88-7071-160-8). Since 2002, Laura has been one of the contributors to the magazine "Salute Naturale" (Natural Health). Teacher of Veterinary Flower Therapy at the 3-year School of Flower Therapy (UF and Riza) in Milan, Laura has also taught post-graduate courses. Since 1991, Laura has been carrying out her holistic veterinary practice in Milan, with particular attention to pets’ care.

Visit her website and Facebook page:
www.naturaliter.it | facebook page

Read other articles about Dr. Cutullo and her work with animals:

Flower Essence Therapy: what it is, how and why to use it in veterinary medicine

Flower Essence Therapy for Animal Allergies & Leading Essences Used in the Holistic Veterinary Practice of Dr. Laura Cutullo