In homeopathy we classify symptoms several ways—by their diagnostic value, by their “scope” in the patient’s picture, and by their form or origin. A good working scheme is:

1. By value in remedy selection
• Characteristic (Peculiar) Symptoms – rare, strange or very individualizing traits (e.g. “must eat chalk to calm nausea”).
• Common (General) Symptoms – non-specific signs shared by many diseases and remedies (e.g. headache, fever).
• Concomitants – symptoms that reliably accompany a chief complaint without being part of it (e.g. headache with back pain).

2. By sphere or scope
• Mental Symptoms – fears, anxieties, obsessions, mood states and thought-patterns.
• General/Physical-General Symptoms – overall modalities (heat/chill), thirst, sweat, sleep, appetite, energy levels.
• Local (Particular) Symptoms – complaints tied to one organ or region (e.g. sharp right-sided chest pain).

3. By source or objectivity
• Subjective Symptoms – sensations known only to the patient (“burning,” “stinging,” internal discomfort).
• Objective Signs – observable or measurable findings (redness, swelling, lab values).

4. By analytical “element” (the fourfold analysis)
• Location (Where?): exact spot and any radiation.
• Sensation (What?): quality—burning, tearing, aching.
• Modalities (When/What Makes Better or Worse?): time of day, movements, temperature, pressure.
• Concomitants (With What?): associated symptoms or feelings.

5. By chronology and dynamics
• Aetiological (Causal) Symptoms – triggers or initial causes (trauma, grief, diet).
• Periodic/Paroxysmal – rhythms and periodicities (every full moon, every spring).
• Pathological/Structural – lab, imaging or biopsy findings that reveal structural change.

Bringing these classifications together lets you sift an “ocean of symptoms” into the few keynote traits that form the true Totality—and so select the one remedy that most precisely matches your patient.