MATERIA MEDICA VIVA

George Vithoulkas

Volume 9
Cimicifuga Racemosa to
Conium Maculatum

International Academy of Classical Homeopathy

Alonissos - Greece
 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data
Materia Medica Viva
Vithoulkas George
Homeopathic Materia Medica
Complete set of volumes
ISBN 960-86163-0-1

Materia Medica Viva, Volume 9

ISBN 960-86163-7-9

Materia Medica Viva,

Complete set of volumes 1, 2 &3 ISBN 0-9522744-50
Volume 1 ISBN 0-9522744-69, Volume 2 ISBN 0-9522744-77, Volume 3 ISBN0-9522744-85

© Copyright 1997 George Vithoulkas

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-
copying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval sys-
tem, without permission in writing from the author.

The research for the Materia Medica has been subsidised by:
the Marion Meyenburg Foundation, Hamburg, and
the Samuel Hahnemann Foundation, Athens.

Publisher
International Academy of Classical Homeopathy, Alonissos, Greece
Dedicated to the only person I know
who has really sacrificed her life for
Homeopathy: my wife Zissula.
 CONTENTS

C1MICIFUGA RACEMOSA 1867

CINA 1895

CISTUS CANADENSIS 1915

CLEMATIS ERECTA 1927

COCCULUS INDICUS 1945

COFFEA CRUDA 1973

COLCHICUM 1987

COLOCYNTHIS . 2009

CONIUM MACULATUM.... 2031

 CIMIC1FUGA RACEMOSA
Actaea Racemosa.
also Actaea monogynia. C. Serpentaria. Macrotys Racemosa.
Black Snake root.
N.O. Ranunculaceae, the buttercup family.
Tincture of the root. Trituration of the resinoid, Macrotyn.

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

The Cimicifuga individual is one suffering with chronic headaches

and rheumatic complaints. This remedy will be especially indicated
when rheumatic complains are concentrated on the cervical region,
with a stiffness that brings about intolerable headaches, or a state of
dullness as if the brain were inside a cloud.

All complains are affected by draughts, by cold weather, or by

changes in the weather. Every change will bring on severe
head pain that usually starts with a stiffness in the cervical region.
Women who are suffering around the time of their menses with
unbearable headaches, and as might be expected looking miserable,
are likely to be Cimicifuga.

There is usually a hysterical element in these patients and a constant

over-excitement in beginning stages, that prompts them to speak fast,
changing subjects but usually with the same tone in the voice, so
though they may speak loudly and excitedly, they sound mono-
tonous, and the person listening finds it difficult to follow. If you ask
them one question, they will give you so much information that you
feel you do not need it all, but they speak so fast, and the ideas seem
to come one after the other so that you have no chance to interrupt
them. 'Restlessness; loquacious, incessant talking, jumping from
one subject to the other, without any order'.

1867
Cimicifuga Racemosa

In this excited state they feel general uneasiness and restless-

ness in whole organism, such that it makes it difficult to fix
attention on any subject of business or study. Many times you will
have the impression that they do not listen to you, they only listen to
their inner thoughts and ideas that have to be expressed. They cannot
suppress them, cannot control them and therefore speak them loudly.

Sometimes, in their speed, they will say things that they should not
have said, and later will regret them. It is an inner excitation of the
whole organism, of the mind and body, that must be on the move
constantly otherwise they feel that they will go crazy.

In the provings we see symptoms like:

'Restless and impatient, can read only a few minutes, must get
up and walk about, but soon tires'.
'Nervous from anxiety or over-exertion'.
'Nervous, fidgety, excitable and jerky'.

The 'nervous restlessness' is often coupled with a 'nervous

shivering' without a real sensation of coldness. It is
interesting to see in such patients that while they present a picture of
extreme vitality, tremendous energy, especially while speaking, they
also complain of great and easy exhaustion. It is as if the organism
has been driven by a free floating energy that cannot be harnessed,
cannot be controlled and the patient is obliged to go along with it,
to talk, to move, to be agitated: 'Desire to constantly move about,
but feels very weak and tired'.

There is often a free floating anxiety as well, an anxiety about their

health condition, they feel things are not going well with them, that
they will get very sick soon. Fear of impending disease and fear of
insanity is quite marked. This anxiety comes more when the
organism is under stress: while they have to fulfil an undertaken
project that is beyond their capacity; when travelling far; when
women are pregnant.

1868
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

Pregnant women may have a presentiment that the pregnancy will

turn out badly. In one case, for instance, the labour pains suddenly
stopped exactly as the patient had obsessively feared and predicted.
Cimicifuga succeeded in resolving this dangerous situation within
minutes.

In Cimicufuga, fear often predominates, especially fear of death

which can reduce a patient to anxious weeping. When falling
asleep, starts up suddenly for fear he will fall, or to avoid
danger'Great nervousness, constantly picking at the chair
while he talked; felt always as though something might
happen; is on the verge of insanity'.

The fear can take many and varied forms: fear of rats and of
thunderstorms, a patient's fear that she may fall in the street, but
more characteristic is a desperate fear of never recovering
from her disease; she will keep asking for the doctor, and
frequently repeats the question, "Are you sure that I will get healthy
again?".

The Cimicifuga woman wants to control: to control her state, to

control those she loves, and to control her husband, but at the same
time she feels very dependent on him. She eventually becomes very
attached to him, but only if she feels that she is controlling the
situation. It is interesting to see how their insecurities are expressed
through their desire to totally control those who they love. The
woman will respond easily to the sexuality of the husband, is easily
excited, but she feels best when she controls him.

You have to imagine a woman who is hysterical, suffering with

headaches and rheumatic complains, especially around the time of the
menses, or in climacteric; who, while her mind is swirling and dull, is
driven to talk incessantly; who has an underlying anxiety that she will
end up in a chronic condition, and needs reassurance from the
husband that he loves her, and from the doctor that things will go well.

1869
Cimicifuga Racemosa

The homeopath pays attention to all these little things that make a
case so unique and different from others, but always has to be
careful to make sure that such states are pathological, that they
exceed the natural and really limit the patient.

Depression

Cimicifuga patients become restless and anxious in the first stages of

mental pathology, but later on they may go into depression, where
they feel gloomy and cloudy, heavy and suicidal, with strong and
frequent sighing. 'Miserable, dejected feeling; mind feels dull and
heavy'.

These two stages are quite different. But the 'black cloud feeling
around head' is a very characteristic symptom of Cimicifuga during
all stages. 'Sensation as if a heavy black cloud had settled all over
her and enveloped her head, so that all was darkness and
confusion, while at the same time it weighed like lead upon her
heart'. 'Feels grieved and troubled, with sighing'. 'This depressed
state can alternate with a feeling of tremulous joy, with mirth-
fulness, playfulness, and clear intellect', and here is an illustration
of the changeability of the remedy, and also of the possibility of
curing manic depression.

'Melancholy; at times very irritable; relieved when menstruation

sets in'. 'Cannot fall asleep because of agonising depressive
thoughts'. 'Severe depression, weeps with exhaustion'. An inter-
esting symptom in melancholic states is: 'Sau/ wires encaging him'.

'Mental depression, even with suicidal mood; after checked

neuralgia'. Kent describes the melancholic states as an 'overwhel-
ming sadness and gloominess, she is bowed down with sorrow.
Sits and mopes in great sadness'. He describes Cimicifuga women
who just sit there and say nothing; but 'when questioned perhaps

1870
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

she will break into tears or express in various ways the over-
wh elming sadn ess

This state looks like Pulsatilla but the two remedies cannot be
confused; Puis, is warm and likes open air and draughts, Cimicifuga
is cold and hates draughts of air.

Manic States and Psychopathic Symptoms

Suspicion is quite strong in this remedy. Suspicious of every-

body; suspicion that borders on paranoia. Fears those in the house
will kill him. Feels forsaken by everybody, all the world is against her.

In their chronic states they will give reasons why they cannot trust
anybody: in the acute mental conditions they will not even take the
remedy because there is something wrong about it; she suspects that
the husband has poisoned her; constant suspicion towards her
friends, aversion to those she loved best before; sometimes she looks
under her bed.

Symptoms resembling delirium tremens are found in acute condi-

tions: nausea, retching, dilated pupils, heavy outward-pressing
headache, tremor of the limbs, incessant talking and changing
from one subject to the other, without any order, though patients
were perfectly sensible when spoken to; great wakefulness, imagin-
ing strange objects on the bed, and in the room, as rats, sheep, etc.;
'She u/as often startled by the illusion of a mouse running from
under her chair'. 4Imagines strange objects on the bed, and in
the room, as rats, sheep, etc. ...exclaims that she sees rats, mice,
and insects on bed, floor, and ceiling'.

Sometimes they rouse themselves from their state of incoherent

talkativeness, and inquire regarding persons present: "Who is
this? Who is that? What does he want here?"; with a quick full pulse,

1671
Cimicifuga Racemosa

and a peculiar wild look about the eyes.

Mania that follows the disappearance of neuralgia;

there is an alternation of manic or depressive states on one hand,
and rheumatic pains on the other.

Puerperal mania; for example: she does not know what is the
matter with her head, it feels so strange; she talks incoherently,
screams, clutches her breast as though in pain, tries to injure herself.

Delirium; with excessive restlessness, twitching of tendons,

starting up suddenly; with wild imagining of rats etc., and 'crazy' or
'wild' and strange feeling in and about head; frightened, trembling,
cannot remain in one place.

Hysterical states, depressions, or even acute psychosis, occur

during climacterium.

Apprehensive and sleepless; during pregnancy.

Indescribable fear of impending evil. Dreams of disaster
and would wake up in great apprehension. Gloomy foreboding.
Fears riding in a closed vehicle, of being obliged to jump out.
Illusions of hearing: she hears knocking and rumbling in the house,
believes that someone is running about.

Mental Symptoms

Great forgetfulness, with inability to concentrate her ideas, which

makes her very angry. Weakness of memory, forgetfulness. Forgets
what she has just done.

She cannot find the right word, the word she wants to say.
Mental dullness: semi-intoxicated feeling, with swimming feeling of
head.

1872
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

General feeling of intoxication. When walking, has to

proceed with great caution for fear of falling.
Mind dull and heavy; cannot collect her thoughts long enough to
write a few lines.
Disposed to get angry easily. Irritable; least thing that goes wrong
makes her angry. Angry because of inability to concentrate.

Faintness in the epigastrium on meeting anyone he

knows, like that produced by a sudden fright.

General Symptoms

This remedy has a strong affinity to the female organism, and

more specifically, to the female generative organs and functions. Not
only has it been used successfully in many cases in threatened
abortion, dysmenorrhoea, neuralgic pains of ovaries
and uterus, and many other complaints, but symptoms on all
levels of the organism and in all regions of the body can have their
origin or repercussion in a malfunction of the female genitalia.
'Reflex pains' from uterine affection may shoot up, down,
or from side to side everywhere: in the abdomen, up the sides of the
thorax or up the neck, to the head, across the hips and down the
thighs, etc., or they become fixed as a stitching or darting pain
under the left mamma.

Moreover, a lot of complaints will tend to come on at the time of the

menses. 'Worse during menstruation' is a very important
modality of the remedy. The same is true during the cessation of the
menses in climacterium, so Cimicifuga is a curative agent in a
host of complaints occasioned by the 'change of life'. Small wonder,
then, that the remedy has homeopathic similarity to many comp-
laints of pregnancy and of labour.

1873
Cimicifuga Racemosa

Causation

1) Suppression or ceasing of the menses or other flows, generally

from the uterus (as the lochia), will often cause a lot of complaints
on different levels: manic and hysterical states as well as depression
and deep melancholy; chorea, tremors, etc., as well as severe
headaches, etc.

Discharges may be suppressed from getting exposed to cold, and

then severe disease states may come on, as chorea, depressive or
manic states, etc. 'Catarrh which precedes rheumatic attacks' (Hale)
may be an indication of Cimicifuga.

Soreness, stiffness and contraction may affect the muscles.

Some special localities, besides the uterus are: the eye muscles;
the nape of the neck and the region of the cervical and
dorsal spine.

2) Emotional stresses of any kind may cause pathological states,

such as suppression of the menses, headaches, etc. This may apply
to anxiety, fright, excitement, disappointed love, mental worry and
sorrow, also worry from business failures, etc.
Intellectual over-strain is also a causative factor, especially for the
headaches. 'Headache of students' (Hering).
Since Cimicifuga patients are very sensitive to cold air, especially to
cold damp draughts, they will easily catch a cold, and this has many
pathological effects upon their organisms.

Cold air and draught will also easily cause 'stiff neck',
lumbago, and other ailments of the neck, back and limbs. It should
be noted here, though, that headaches are usually relieved in the
open air.

Its main action, as said above, is on the female sexual and generative
system and on the nerves and muscles. The symptoms tend to

1874
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

alternate or to change a lot, also to wander around. As Kent says,

'So markedly do her troubles alternate with each other that
alternation is the nature of her case... You will find when one set
of symptoms becomes extremely severe others have temporarily
subsided, and so they change about like Pulsatilla... A woman
will come to you with one group of symptoms today and may
come back to you with an entirely different group in a couple of
days'.

'Agitation and pain are the signs of its influence everywhere'

(Hughes). The agitation shows in a lot of involuntary, 'nervous'
motions. There is a restlessness and uneasiness that affects both the
mental/emotional and physical level.

Nervous shuddering, through upper and back part of the body;

without actual feeling of coldness.
Tremors all over; so weak and trembling as not able to walk or
study. Jerking, general or in single parts; especially in left
side of body. Another locality of the jerking and twitching is 'in
the parts lain on'.

A proving symptom says: 'After going to bed, jerking commenced

on the side on which he was lying, obliging him to change
position; it began by a perceptible twitching in left foot'.

Kent gives this example: 'One of these nervous, rheumatic,

hysterical subjects may not have chorea constantly, but as soon
as she retires at night the whole of the side lain on will
commence to jerk and prevent her from going to sleep. If she
turns on the back the muscles of the back and shoulders will jerk
and prevent sleep. She turns over on the other side, but after a
little while the muscles pressed on commence to jerk. All this
time she has become so restless and nervous that she is driven
to distraction'.

1875
Cimicifuga Racemosa

Chorea and choreiform motions may indicate Cimicifuga. Such states

can come on from any derangement of the menstrual functions and
are usually worse during the menstrual periods. This is also true in
suppression of the menses, when the chorea-like state manifests
instead of the menses, at the time when they should appear. Any other
disturbance in the uterine region can also cause chorea.

Other causes can include: emotional excitement; undue exposure to

cold; rheumatic irritation of motor nerves (anterior column of spinal
cord). Symptoms are: abnormal movements, uncontrolled by the
will, in all those parts of the body supplied by motor nerves, both in
voluntary and involuntary muscles. Twitching, jerking, twisting
actions, which may be attended by pains like in neuralgia or
rheumatism, also by depression of spirits, insomnia, and often
mental derangement. The movements abate or are absent during
sleep (Hale).

This also applies also to irregular motions of the heart. Hale praises
it for a pathological state he calls 'chorea of the heart', characterised
by tumultuous, irregular, unexpected and strange motions of the
heart, aggravated by emotions, subsiding during sleep.

Hale is of the opinion that Cimicifuga probably would not act in real
epileptic convulsions, but only in states that resemble chorea.
However, there are some cures of epileptiform and epileptic
convulsions with Cimicifuga. Clarke relates an 'inveterate case'
where the aura was a 'waving sensation in the brain'. Hysterical and
epileptiform spasms that occurred at the time of the menstrual
period have more than once been cured with Cimicifuga.

The pain is felt intensely. Cimicifuga persons are often delicate and
sensitive, very nervous and chilly, and pain can be absolutely
intolerable to them. Oversensitivity to pain is a great feature of
the remedy (Chamomilla), but with different consequences. Phobic
and even psychotic states are triggered by the fear of the intense

1876
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

pains of labour. The pain can be so intense that the patient feels she
will go crazy, and sometimes, as in violent headaches, she will
declare this aloud.

Motion usually aggravates the pain, but the peculiar restlessness of

Cimicifuga will often urge the patient to walk about all the same.
There are different sorts of Cimicifuga pain. We often find a dull,
sore aching which may be felt in every muscle of the body.
'General bruised feeling, as if sore'. 'Soreness of whole body, as
after hard labour'. 'Excessive muscular soreness'.

Stiff neck is a frequent indication of the remedy, also lumbago.

There is severe aching in limbs, joints, back, nape of neck, as in
certain infectious diseases (influenza, scarlet fever, etc.). This soreness
is often coupled with a general feeling of weakness and sickness, or
intoxication. More than once this has been described as a feeling as
if one had been 'out on a spree' the previous night, or else similar to
a state after over-exertion or watching all night with the sick.

Pain sharp, stitching, that shoots like lightning from one bodily region
to the other, from one side of the abdomen to the other, or up the
sides, or down the thighs, or ceases here and returns there. 'Pain in
right ovarian region, shooting down the right thigh'. Another
valuable observation concerning the 'irregular' wandering of pain:
'Pain in one shoulder and then pain in the opposite knee... Pain
on opposite sides of the body; one shoulder and opposite knee,
one knee and opposite ankle, even one side of the neck and the
shoulder on the other side'.

The myalgic-rheumatic pains are found in many places, but typical

localities are the nape of neck; the back; the occiput; the eye
muscles; the thighs and upper arms; the thorax (pleurodynia,
intercostal neuralgia); the abdomen, especially the ovario-uterine
region. 'Reflex pains' from ovarian or uterine irritation may charac-
teristically appear below the left mamma.

1877
Cimicifuga Racemosa

From all these pain symptoms, it is easily understandable that

Cimicifuga has frequently and successfully been used in the great
variety of diseased states commonly subsumed under the heading of
'rheumatism'.

Some indications: in inflammatory muscular rheumatism, rheuma-

toid arthritis, especially when in connection with uterine disturbance,
pain worse at night and in wet or windy weather.

Modalities

Aggravated during menses (also before and after); emotions;

cold and damp air, draught, wind; alcohol (for instance,
even small amounts of wine); motion, over-exertion; at night.

Ameliorated by warm wraps; headaches and mental symptoms

are, however, usually better in the open air; eating.

External pressure will relieve a lot of pain, but aggravate or cause

others, especially in the region of the spine (cervical and upper dorsal).
Moreover, twitching and trembling will prefer the side lain on.

Vertigo

Vertigo with fullness and dull aching in vertex; also attended by

impaired vision and dullness.
The vertigo can be very severe, to such an extent that sitting up is impossible;
this often accompanies violent pains in head, back, and limbs.
Vertigo as if everything turned around, coming on at night in bed; relieved in the
open air.
Dizziness and faintness in the morning, with pain above the eyes, nausea, and
vomiting; fainting fits with pains and affections of the uterus.
The 'faint sensation' is usually felt in the epigastrium, a keynote of
the remedy. It can come on from hormonal causes, or else from emotion.

1878
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

Head
Dull pain particularly in the occiput, and extending to the vertex
or through the head to the eyes. In many instances the pains in the head
extend to the eyeballs, or the reverse, pain from the eyeballs shooting to the
vertex or along the base of brain to the occiput and nape of neck. Another
direction is, from the occiput shooting down the nape of neck and the spine.
Dull pain pressing upwards the vertex. Headaches from over-exertion
of the mind, from over study; from worry, as in business problems.
Sometimes headaches are attended by an urge to throw the head backward
which somewhat relieves the pain. Retraction of the head and nape of
neck is a well-confirmed symptom which has also led to its use in cases of
cerebrospinal meningitis.
A sharp or burning pain, beginning in temples or forehead, which extends over
the whole brain, with a sense of fullness and heat, and produces a distinct
sensation of soreness in the occipital region which is much increased
by motion.
Moreover, an outward-pressing pain is typical, '...as if there were not
room enough in the cerebrum'. This feeling as if the brain were too large
for the cranium can assume the form of a sensation as if the top of the
head would fly off, which is most felt when ascending stairs. The descriptions
of similar sensations are manifold: as if the cranium were opening and shutting
(Cannabis indica), every time head or eyes are moved; or as if the whole head
were torn apart, a pressure that seems to need a hole in the skull to be relieved;
or as if the head were a pressure cooker and a valve were needed to let the
pressure off; a sensation as if a wedge were driven into the head from above,
pressing it apart to both sides.
Other strange sensations: a feeling as if the vertex had opened and let in cold air
to the brain. This 'cold air' feeling can also come on from inspiration through the
nose, producing a sensation 'as if the base of brain were laid bare' and the cold
air touched it directly. On the other hand a feeling of heat on the head, directly
behind the vertex, is mentioned by Farrington as a guiding symptom in
'hysterical states'.
A 'waving sensation' in the brain; a 'wild', 'crazy' or 'strange' feeling in the head;
etc., may attend mental disturbances or announce the onset of a spasmodic
attack.

1879
Cimicifuga Racemosa

A well-confirmed indication is 'intense throbbing pain, as if a ball were

driven from neck to vertex with every throb of the heart'. Other
authors describe it as a bolt or nail instead of a ball.
Dull sensation throughout the head as if he had been out on a spree.
Severe pain in the forehead sitting behind or over the orbits,
often one-sided (usually left, but also right), fixed or shooting to the vertex
and occiput.
Excruciating pain in forehead, eyeballs and temples, with cold forehead, on
waking at night.
Sense of compression in the temples.
Tearing pain in the vertex, on a small spot, size of a coin.
The headaches are very often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and faint or
sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach.
In women, they will regularly show a relation to the female genitalia and their
function, for instance becoming much worse during the menses, occurring at
climacterium, etc.

Eyes

Severe dull and aching pain in one or both eyeballs is a keynote.

'Few drugs cause such intense and persistent pain in the eyeballs. The pains
are chiefly aching, extending to different portions of the head' (Hale), as to
the vertex or along base of the brain to the occiput. But Cimicifuga has
also a sort of fixed pain in the centre of the eyeballs, and a pain that is felt behind
them, 'between the eyeball and the orbital portion of the frontal
bone'. Cimicifuga is also one of the remedies in eye pains that are violently
darting or shooting, with a feeling as if 'a shot were in the eye', or 'as if
needles were run into eyeball through cornea', worse on closing the eyes.
Excruciating pain in ciliary neuralgia is an indication.
The eye pain is very violent and often perceived as absolutely unbearable, making
the patient crazy, giving him or her a feeling as if the eyes were torn out of their
sockets, etc. They are always worse from slightest motion of head and eyes,
usually also from light, while pressure can aggravate or ameliorate the pain.
A sensation of enlargement of the eyes; they feel as if they would be pressed out
of the head.

As it is to the muscles of the eyes that the remedy has its greatest affinity, there

1880
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

is often hardly any redness in and around the eyes with headaches or eye pain.
However, the reverse has also been elicited in the provings, namely: 'During the
headache the eyes were so congested as to attract the attention of everyone,
although there was no disagreeable feeling in them'.
Pain and impaired vision from prolonged exertion of the eyes, with photophobia.
In many pathological states the pupils are dilated, with black specks before
the eyes. Mezger's provings produced a scintillating scotoma, which persisted for
about a quarter of an hour, then remitting for about the same period of time, and
returning again. Double vision, asthenopia, and other disturbances of vision are
also reported, frequently attended with headaches, vertigo, nausea, faint feeling
in epigastrium, etc.
Photophobia, particularly unable to tolerate artificial light; with shooting pains in
eyeballs, sensitivity to slightest noise, involuntary twitching of eyelids.
Hale relates that Cimicifuga is reported to have cured catarrhal conjunctivitis.

Ears

Tinnitus, singing or buzzing noises. Sometimes violent buzzing of long standing

with impairment of hearing.
Sensitive to least noise in different pathological conditions: mental depression,
nervousness, eye pain, spasmodic labour pains.

Nose

There is one remarkable symptom which I quote in full from the proving: 'At
first, dry, stuffed condition of the nostrils, which was soon followed by an
open, moist condition, with great sensitiveness to cold air, as if the base of
the brain were laid bare, and every inhalation brought the cold air in contact
with it; this is exactly similar to that produced by a sudden change of
weather in the winter, from cold and dry to damp thawing, as by a south
wind which melts the snow'.

Other descriptions of a similar sensation: 'Breathing hurts in the nose, then up

to the forehead and across to the temples, in the eyebrows'. 'If it is cool in the
room or outside and I take a breath, the cold hurts in the root of my nose'.

1881
Cimicifuga Racemosa

Face

The face may be deathly pale and cold, especially at the forehead, or there is
alternation of paleness and hot flushes, especially in climacterium.
A wild and fearful expression in delirious or psychotic states.
Prosopalgia, affecting the malar bone; the pain goes off at night but reappears
the next day.
Soreness to pressure at the spot where the trigeminal nerve leaves the brain.

Mouth

Swollen tongue, with offensive breath, dry pharynx, dysphagia, and roughness
and hoarseness of voice. Swelling of root of tongue.
Rheumatic toothache, preceded by catarrhal conditions.
Peculiar uneasiness in teeth; wants to pick or chew at them.
Vesicles at inside of lower lip, or an ulcer in this area (proving symptoms from
Mezger).
Spitting of thick saliva, which seems to stick to mouth and throat and to be
detached with difficulty. Unpleasant taste, and accumulation of thick mucus on
the teeth. Hawking up of a viscid, coppery-tasting mucus.
Mouth and tongue feel warm and dry.
Tremor of the tongue.
Aphasia; cannot speak one syllable though she makes the effort.

Throat

Sore throat, especially on swallowing, with dysphagia, hoarseness, and a

constant feeling of unpleasant fullness in pharynx; sometimes with full feeling in
vertex and stiff neck.
Peculiar tingling at back of throat which extends to shoulder and upper chest,
and down the arms to the finger tips.
Sensation as if throat were partly filled, all the way up to the
sternum.
Increased secretion of thick viscid mucus in fauces.

1882
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

Respiratory and Chest

'Nervous coughing' at every attempt to speak; or 'reflex cough' from
affections of the female genital system. Cough in pregnancy. Dry, short, incessant
night cough.
The cough is usually excited by a tickling in the throat. The tickling extends
from the upper part of the trachea to the hypogastrium and is constantly present,
though now more intense, now less.
Pleurodynia; intercostal rheumatism: both painful states usually
one-sided, especially left.
Lancinating pains along the cartilage of the false ribs left side, increased by taking
a long inspiration; with cold perspiration. Or: immediately after going to bed, for
half an hour piercing pain in left side, very severe, so much so as almost to prevent
breathing for a short time. But also: violent pain in right side of chest, cannot move
without shrieking aloud; was urged to press the hand against this side.
A catching pain in the left side, just where the heart is, which comes on when she
bends her body forward, sometimes when sitting still at dinner and after dinner.
Sharp, cutting or lancinating pains from one side of thorax to the
other.
Obstinate pains below the left breast in women, often extending to
shoulder and arm of same side; frequently changing to other localities, as back,
neck, head. These pains are said to arise from uterine or ovarian irritation. But
also: 'A sore, aching pain in left side, below the nipple, relieved by a long
inspiration, in a man' (Hale).
Myalgia of diaphragm. Madden (quoted in Tyler) describes it: 'It was as if
a person were pressing with his fist firmly on the sternum and forcing it
inwards towards the spine. Walking would precipitate an attack. There was
no actual dyspnoea but a great desire to inspire deeply in order
to relieve the feeling of compression. When severe it would spread up the
oesophagus and pharynx, causing a peculiar tingling at the back of the
throat which extended to the shoulder and upper chest, and down the arms
to the finger tips. A few moments of perfect quiet would remove the pain.
It would never come on when at rest, except on two occasions, during
strong mental emotion. It was always worse after food ...'
A feeling as if the upper thorax were pressed in a vice, together with the arm and
the head.

1883
Cimicifuga Racemosa

Heart

Pain in region of heart, followed by slight palpitation; the pain gradually becomes
constant and is accompanied by frequent paroxysms of palpitation.
Uneasiness and pressive sensation in heart region, ameliorated by walking about
in the open air; worse in the evening in bed, prevents falling asleep. Persistent
pressure in heart region, with oppression and lancinating pain in the heart.
Stitching pain as from needles in the heart region, accompanied by
slight twitching or pulsation in the external muscles of that
region. Or: stitching in heart at night, with violent vertigo as if everything turned
around.
Catching pain about the heart in women, preventing respiration, with palpitation
and faintness.
Pains as in angina pectoris, from region of heart all over chest and
to left shoulder, extending down left arm; with palpitation, uncon-
sciousness, dyspnoea, cold sweat on hands and numbness of body; left arm
numb and as if bound to the side.
Paroxysms of intense heart pain and anxiety in a woman at the
change of life; the heart's action seems suspended by spasms, cannot speak
or move, feels as if suffocating; sits erect with an expression of the greatest
anxiety on her face.
Feeling as if the heart had stopped beating.
Tumultuous, irregular, unexpected and strange motions of the heart, aggravated
by emotions, subsiding during sleep.
Pulse irregular, hard and full or weak and tremulous; every 3rd or 4th
beat is dropped.

Stomach

Desire for salty, piquant, sour things; for coffee.

Ailments from eating fresh bread, cabbage, spinach; from drinking alcohol.
Coffee or tea often ameliorate the headaches, sometimes also backaches.
A keynote of Cimicifuga is a faint, sinking, or empty feeling in the
stomach region. Sometimes it is intermittent, but in many cases the faint
sensation is almost constant. It may be accompanied by a sense of tremor in the
stomach. Nausea and vomiting may attend it, and it is a concomitant in
headaches, vertigo, etc. Or: 'Faint feeling in epigastrium, extending over

1884
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

whole head and chest, followed immediately by throbbing sensation over

whole body'. Or: 'Faintness at epigastrium on meeting anyone he knows,
like that produced by a sudden fright'.
The faint sensation can alternate with a sensation of fullness and
repletion.
Nausea, vomiting, eructation, much gastric irritation, especially
in women. In the provings of Hill and Douglas, these symptoms only appeared
in the female provers, while hardly any influence upon the stomach was
observed in the male ones.
Cimicifuga is a great remedy in nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, also
with tremors all over and perspiration, especially if the characteristic faint feeling
at stomach is present; also vomiting of tea drinkers, alcohol abusers, etc. Nausea
in connection with headaches.
The nausea will not only be felt in the pit of stomach, but nauseous feelings
extend all over the abdomen. Nausea may even be felt in the palate, and can be
accompanied by stitches in heart.
Nausea, dizziness and fainting when stomach is empty, relieved by eating.
Appetite is not satisfied by eating, only diminished, but still remains
after a meal (Keller). Loud gnarling in stomach after a meal (Keller).
Empty eructation during sick headache; headaches and vertigo may be amelior-
ated by the eructation (Keller).
Violent, spasmodic, pains in the stomach region immediately after eating,
continuing for several hours, better by warm applications.
A spot between the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae very sensitive to touch.
Slight pressure on this spot caused retching and gagging. 'Vomiting of a green
substance; groans, raves; presses both hands to her head for relief' (Hering).

Abdomen

Periodic colicky pains, with inclination to bend forward, better after stool.
Sharp pains shooting across the hypogastrium, uterus, from one
side to the other, especially in women. Such pains can also shoot upward,
along the sides, or downward, along the thighs, etc.
Neuralgic pains in the abdomen, resembling those of a peritonitis; especially after
miscarriage or confinement.

1885
Cimicifuga Racemosa

A marked symptom of Mezger's provings: severe pains in the region of

the gall bladder, radiating through to the back, to the middle of the
margin of the right scapula, or into the right side of the thorax. They
come on especially after eating and while walking, also from eating fresh bread
and cabbage; worse from 8 to 10 pm, lying on right side, pressure of the hand
or the belt, jarring, like when riding the tramway; better by motion in open air,
bending backward, dry warmth.
Soreness of abdominal muscles.
Much flatulence; frequent evening pains from trapped flatus; increased discharge
of flatus.

Rectum and Stool

Alternate constipation and diarrhoea. Morning diarrhoea of children.

Frequent thin, dark, offensive stools.
'Pencil stool', shining, sometimes ineffectual urging. Bright yellow stools;
the next day a very strong diuresis adds to this symptom. Incomplete evacu-
ations, stool sticks to the anus like clay, alternating with hard stools attended by
haemorrhoidal bleedings (all from Mezger).

Urinary Organs

'Nervous urination', irritable bladder. Sensation as if the bladder were not

completely emptied; something seems to remain in the bladder. Or, violent
urging with emission of urine on thinking of urination or when hearing water
running.
Increased amount of clear urine voided, which makes patient
feel very weak. Or: extremely strong diuresis, profuse urine, clear like water,
is emitted in short intervals; with bright yellow stools. Such symptoms may be
attended with general nervous depression, sinking feeling at stomach; preceding
or following nervous attacks of various kinds.
On the other hand: increased excretion of solids in the urine; copious
deposit of uric acid crystals (yellow sand); also of casts.
Offensive urine. Slightly turbid urine, highly coloured, smelling more intense,
sometimes with brick sand sediment.

1886
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

Male Genitalia
Aching and sore pain in testicles and spermatic cord.
Has been used in spermatorrhoea and its consequences, as Hale relates; cured
a case of 'hypochondriasis of spermatorrhoea' (Hughes).

Female Genitalia

The action of Cimicifuga upon the female generative organs and their functions
is wide and strong.
Cramping pains or contractions felt in uterus.
Uterine neuralgia, with great tenderness and bearing down, pains
shooting up and across lower part of abdomen, from side to side.
Congestion of uterus; with hypertrophy of cervix uteri and sensitivity of all female
organs; with general nervous symptoms that resemble what was once accurately
called 'hysteria'.
Prolapsus uteri with bearing-down pains, especially when occurring in
nervous, melancholy subjects, or as a consequence of abortions. Hale says that
two keynotes are often present in those states: melancholy, and sinking
feeling at stomach.
Ovarian neuralgia, with sharp pains darting from one ovary to the
other, or if the pains are reflected or change their location to other portions of
the body, as the leg of the same side, region under left mamma, or extend
up the whole side to shoulder; often attended with abnormally depressed states
of mind. Burning and stinging in the ovarian region, left or right,
resembling the accustomed inter-menstrual pain at the time of ovulation.
A sensation of weight and bearing down in the uterine region, with a feeling of
heaviness and torpor in the lower extremities.
Menses irregular, delayed, or suppressed, with choreic, hysterical or
mental affections at the time the menses should or do appear. Irregularity
in time as well as in amount of the bleeding: profuse or scanty, in both
cases with dark coagulated blood.
Extremely severe bearing-down, forcing pains during menses;
also wandering pains in the back and through the hips, as well as
down the thighs, and aching in limbs; obliging her to lie down. With the pains
nervous, weepy, cramps and spasms, tenderness of the hypogastric region, etc.

1887
Cimicifuga Racemosa

In these dysmenorrhoea cases the menses are often preceded by the peculiar
headache of Cimicifuga, and between the periods there is much
debility and exhaustion, sometimes also nervous erethism, neuralgic pains,
etc. The exhaustion can be so great that the woman is hardly able to open her
eyes.
The pains do not subside when the menses come on, but increase with the flow.
'Violent griping pains in hypogastric region, causing her to double up; these
pains commence before the flow, and as the flow increases the pain
increases, until the flow has reached its maximum point; only then do the
pains subside'. Kent: 'In this remedy the sufferings are during the menstrual
flow as a rule'.
Suppressed or retarded, delayed menses from cold, from febrile states, or from
emotions.
Reddish and dark yellow flow the last eight days before the
menses. Yellow-green, thin, offensive, runs down the thighs.
A lot of symptoms during pregnancy, including nausea and vomiting,
severe bleedings, troublesome labour-like pains, sharp pains across abdomen,
insomnia, even severe phobic, neurotic, and psychotic states.
Overwhelming fear that pregnancy won't turn out well.
A remedy in habitual miscarriage, especially in the early months of
pregnancy.
Cimicifuga can ease and shorten the labour pains and will therefore be
indicated in cases where rigidity of the os cervix is present, where there
are spasmodic, painful, and intensely powerful, but intermitting
labour pains, sometimes ceasing for many hours, with fainting fits, cramps,
and aggravation from slightest noise. It can also be indicated in uterine atony
during labour. Nervous 'shivers' during first stage of labour.
It may relieve violent after pains, with oversensitivity, nausea, and vomiting; the
after pains are most felt in the groins.
In suppression of lochia from a cold or mental emotions, with manic or
depressive states. In inflammatory pains, especially if left sided;
extending upward or wandering to other localities.
Also in mammary pains, as burning in the mammae, or else prickling
sensation in them, with cold chills.
Also in many complaints of climacterium: hot flushes; nervousness; chilly

1888
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

feelings; obesity; bearing-down pains, or shooting across abdomen; even severe

mental pathology.

Neck and Back

Feelings of stiffness and contraction of the muscles of back and

neck, with severe rheumatic pains, are prominent in this area. Special
localities of such pain are the nape of the neck and the lumbar region.
Cimicifuga may be indicated in torticollis; in stiff neck from cold air, with
such sensitivity that even the hands cannot be moved without violent
pain. The large muscles of the neck are very stiff and rigid.
Cramping in the muscles of the neck on moving the head. From the distress on
moving the head, the whole neck can become lame, so as to make turning of
head almost impossible.
Dull pain in the occiput, with shooting pains down the back, the head is thrown
backward; sometimes it is a sort of creeping chill that seems to enforce the jerking
backward of the head.
In the morning, on bending the head forward, a severe drawing-tensive
pain at the points of the spinal processes of the three upper
dorsal vertebrae, continuing for several hours.
Pain, soreness, and tenderness along the whole spinal column, with soreness and
tenderness of all the muscles of the back. Chilliness down back, from 11 to
12 am, with pain under left scapula.
In spinal irritation where the cervical and upper dorsal vertebrae are particularly
sensitive to touch and pressure. Pressure between 4th and 5th cervical vertebrae
may excite gagging and retching.
Severe back pains during menses, extending through the hips
and down the thighs, with heavy pressing down.
Weight and pain in the lumbar and sacral regions, sometimes
extending all around body, somewhat below the crest of ilium.
Dull heavy aching in the small of back, relieved by rest, increased by motion.
Sensation as if the small of the back were 'too short' (Keller).
Pulsating pains in lumbar region.
The lumbar pains make Cimicifuga 'one of the most useful remedies in
lumbago', as Hale says. It has also been frequently and successfully used in
sciatica, as the pain often extend down the lower limbs.

1889
Cimicifuga Racemosa

Extremities
Twitching of fingers and toes. Trembling in the limbs, scarcely able to walk.
Irregular motion of limbs, especially left; with unsteady legs.
Aching in limbs as in influenza, or excessive muscular soreness in all
limbs, or neuralgic pains.
One proving produced, every time the remedy was taken, an uneasy feeling,
amounting to 'almost an ache', through all the extremities.
Restless, drawing sensation in all extremities.
Cold sweat on hands and feet.
Numbness of limbs.
Dull pain in right arm, deep in the muscles, from the shoulder to the wrist.
Excruciating pain in the arms, worse as evening approaches.
Constant irregular, choreic motions of the left arm, the arm cannot be moved by
willpower, nor can it be kept still.
Left arm numb, feels as if bound to the side.
Trembling of the fingers while writing.
Violent piercing shooting pain in the right index finger.
Pressure around hips, or spasms in the hips, with miscarriage or delivery.
Great stiffness, pain, and lameness in the muscles of the thighs, suffering is
intolerable.
Stitching and pressive pains along the sciatic nerve, from middle of thigh to foot.
Knee pains on descending stairs.
Sense of aching and shortening in tendo Achilles, and stiffness in that
region, especially on walking.
Soreness of heels as if bruised.
Dull burning-aching pain in second joint of right great toe,
sometimes extending up the limb.
Cramps of calves.

Sleep

Insomnia, especially combined with melancholy, nervous restless-

ness; after nursing the sick, during pregnancy, in climacterium.
Jerking of the side lain on after going to bed, must constantly change
position, prevents sleep. Or: twitching on falling asleep, with sensation of falling.
Restless sleep, especially in the latter part of the night. Tends to wake at 3am.

1890
 Cimicifuga Racemosa

Disposition to fold arms over head during sleep.

Dreams of being in trouble, which make the sleep restless. Dreams of
unbelievable disaster.
A drowsy, sleepy state all day, with much yawning and stretching and general
feeling of intoxication.

Fever, Chill, and Perspiration

Cimicifuga persons are usually very sensitive to cold and get chilly very easily.
But more characteristic are 'nervous' chills or shivering, especially over
upper and back part of the body, without a real sensation of coldness.
'General internal nervous chilly feeling all over'. Shivering during menses, during
first stage of labour, during miscarriage.
Sensations of heat, throbbing, and fullness in the head, with the headaches. Hot
flushes and chills during climacterium; face gets alternately pale and flushed.
Profuse night sweats, often cold, especially after 3am, sometimes lasting
all day, with weak, irregular pulse and pain under left mamma; mostly in women
but also in men, in persons whose nervous system has been weakened by long
illness, trouble or care.

Skin

Surface of body sensitive; hyperalgesia of skin, noticed on stroking it.

Eruptions of white pustules on face and neck; sometimes large, red and papular.

CLINICAL

Angina pectoris. Appetite, disordered. Back pains. Breast, affections of. Cerebro-
spinal meningitis. Menopause. Chest, pains in. Chorea. Delirium tremens.
Diaphragm, rheumatism of. Dyspepsia. Epilepsy. Faintness. Headache. Heart,
affections of. Hyperpyrexia. Hypochondriasis. Hysteria. Insomnia. Lumbago.
Melancholia. Meningitis. Menstruation, disorders of. Miscarriage, tendency to.
Myalgia. Neuralgia. Ovaries, affections of. Perichondritis. Pleurodynia. Preg-
nancy, disorders of. Puerperal mania. Rheumatic gout. Rheumatism. Sciatica.

1891
Cimicifuga Racemosa

Side, pain in. Sinking sensation. Spinal irritation. Stiff neck. Tinnitus aurium.
Tremors. Uterus, affections of. Vomiting in pregnancy.

RELATIONS

It is allied to Actaea Spicata and other Ranunculaceae.

Aconitum antidotes the insomnia.
Baptisia relieves the headache and nausea of this drug.
Aconitum. fear of death and restlessness;
Bryonia and Pulsatilla in rheumatism;
Caulophyllum in uterine affections, also Sepia, Natrum muriaticum, Lilium
Tigrinum, Ignatia, Gelsemium (uterine headache);
Lycopodium (pains move from side to side);
Arsenicum (fears to be alone);
Calcarea carbonica (visions of rats and mice).

Notes:

1892
Cimicifuga Racemosa

1893
Cimicifuga Racemosa

1894
 CINA
The unexpanded flower-heads ('seeds') of Artemisia Maritima.
Semen Cinae. Flores Cinae. Artemesia contra.
Wormseed.
N.O. Compositae.
Tincture.

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

Since ancient times, Cina has been well known as a worm remedy,
especially in children affected by roundworm. Even its old name,
'Wormseed', suggests this. But since homeopathy does not rely on
old indications alone, even if they are well-confirmed, but on the
similarity of symptoms, we will not prescribe it simply on the basis
of a diagnosis of worms.

We look for the symptoms from provings and cured cases, and
compare them to the picture the patient presents. Although the
symptom picture of Cina shows that the old indication for 'worms'
has very good reason, it is hardly exact enough, because Cina is not
helpful in all cases of roundworm in children, nor are all the cases
where Cina acts 'worm' cases.

The Mental State

The mental state and behaviour of the patient is similar to the

condition of a patient with worms. They cannot find peace, regard-
less of the situation outside, all the time something is eating inside
them as worms do. When a child acts like this and you give Cina, it
is possible that many worms are discharged.

1895
 CINA
The unexpanded flower-heads ('seeds') of Artemisia Maritima.
Semen Cinae. Flores Cinae. Artemesia contra.
Wormseed.
N.O. Compositae.
Tincture.

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

Since ancient times, Cina has been well known as a worm remedy,
especially in children affected by roundworm. Even its old name,
'Wormseed', suggests this. But since homeopathy does not rely on
old indications alone, even if they are well-confirmed, but on the
similarity of symptoms, we will not prescribe it simply on the basis
of a diagnosis of worms.

We look for the symptoms from provings and cured cases, and
compare them to the picture the patient presents. Although the
symptom picture of Cina shows that the old indication for 'worms'
has very good reason, it is hardly exact enough, because Cina is not
helpful in all cases of roundworm in children, nor are all the cases
where Cina acts 'worm' cases.

The Mental State

The mental state and behaviour of the patient is similar to the

condition of a patient with worms. They cannot find peace, regard-
less of the situation outside, all the time something is eating inside
them as worms do. When a child acts like this and you give Cina, it
is possible that many worms are discharged.

1895
Cina

In a way, Cina children look like Calcarea phosphorica, with their

dissatisfaction as a leading mental feature. But the dissatisfac-
tion is even stronger than in Calc. phos; it amounts to a degree that
we know from Chamomilla. The patient, whether a child or an
adult, becomes very capricious. He does not know what he
wants, does not like to be touched, does not like to be approached.

You go to a Cina child who wants something and cries for it, and
you ask, 'Do you want this?'. If you give it to him, he whimpers and
cries again and pushes the object away. This is the kind of capri-
ciousness of the Cina child: 'Give me this, then give me that, then
the other', but nothing satisfies them. They desire many things but
reject everything offered.

The underlying feature is a great uneasiness inside, but the

patient does not know what to do about it, does not
know at all what he wants. It simply seems as if everything is
wrong inside. This unease manifests in many behavioural symp-
toms, but also on the physical plane.

The Physical State

There is much itching, especially at the nose, with constant

digging and boring in the nose. You often see patients who
have bored or picked the nose until blood comes. Children rub their
noses against the pillow or their fingers against their noses. The
rectum also itches.

We also see grinding of teeth during sleep, which is a

symptom that points to irritation of the meninges, and an aggression
in general. There is much disturbance during sleep, with weeping,
shouting, and screaming, often without waking. But all this is also
present during the day; much aggression with striking others,
screaming, and then weeping again.

1896
 Cina

All these features may also be called a result of irritation: an

irritation of the nervous system, of the meninges.
Eventually this irritation may lead to convulsions. If we have
convulsions combined with pinworm, the first remedy to think of is
Cina, though Teucrium is another possibility.

Three important keynotes: firstly, the appetite is great, and for many
different things. At the moment of finishing eating, the appetite
returns, and they immediately want more. Voracious hunger
immediately after a meal, or even after vomiting. When
the child sees someone eating, it may grasp the food violently and
devour it. Notwithstanding this canine hunger, the child may be
emaciated to an extreme degree. No weight is put on, despite eating
more than adequately.

The second keynote of Cina is a certain sleep position, namely the

knee-chest position or knee-elbow position, that is so well
known from Medorrhinum patients. This symptom is also found in
Kali carbonicum, and in relief of stomach pain in Conium.

Finally a paleness of face, especially around the mouth,

often with a bluish tinge, and blue rings around the eyes, even
during the fever heat is characteristic; or else an alternation
between glowing redness and a pale and cold face. There may also
be an 'unequal redness' with one cheek red, the other pale, but this
points much more strongly to Chamomilla.

Irritability, Moaning, and Lamenting

Irritability, with constant weeping, complaining, moaning,

etc., also with kicking and striking, is common. A desire to be carried
all the time is seen in Cina as well as in Chamomilla, but Cina has
also states where children do not want to be touched. In
theses states Cina children don't even want anyone to come near

1897
Cina

them, they start crying or stiffen up even when someone

only looks at them. This is more marked if strangers are present
and looking at them.

The Cina child can be exceedingly angry; cries and strikes

at all around him; he is not pleased with anything, and very
obstinate. In acute Cina states, an otherwise good-natured child
will suddenly become extremely cross, fretful, irritable, petulant, and
displeased with everything. 'Awakes with pitiful weeping, moan-
ing and sobbing, and with restless motions'.

Mental and Emotional Symptoms

There are many symptoms of delirium, especially crying or

shrieking out loud, and talking incoherently. There are hallu-
cinations of sight, smell and taste. Patients sees yellow or violet;
things taste and smell differently to them; their senses of taste and
touch are exaggerated or perverted.

'Incessant restlessness'. The restlessness is even present

during sleep: the patient frequently turns around in sleep because of
uneasiness, or tosses about with piteous howling and crying, or starts
and cries out loud.

Children wake up in the evening or before midnight

with fear or fright, jump up, see imaginary sights, scream,
tremble, and talk about it with much anxiety. They are so terror-
stricken that with cries of alarm they huddle into their mother's arms.
The frightening dream visions won't stop after waking, often the
child will take the frightening dream visions for reality after waking
(compare Stramonium).

Touchiness is a word that aptly describes the Cina pathology, on

the mental and emotional levels as well as on the physical. They are

1898
 Cina

disturbed by virtually everything, extremely sensitive to all disturb-

ances, and any vexation may bring on convulsions, cough, diarrhoea,
or other symptoms. Their body is extremely sensitive to touch as well.
'Children very weepy and complaining; child cries piteously if
one wants to take hold of it or lead it. Cannot be quieted by any
persuasions; remains proof against caresses'.

Alternately the child cannot lie awake for five minutes without crying
and must be rocked, carried, or dandled upon the knee
constantly, day and night. Kent puts it like this: 'While this little
patient is aggravated by being handled, yet he wants to be
carried and kept busy'.

'Great earnestness and touchiness; may be offended by the

slightest joke'. Extremely sensitive to all disturbances; will react with
abdominal complaints, convulsions, jerking and twitching to any
kind of disturbance. 'They cannot be punished because they go
into convulsions... From slight disturbances of the mind, he
cannot digest, he has diarrhoea... If frightened, whipped or
scolded, the brain is disturbed and the stomach disordered',
(Kent).

Caprice

'Scorns everything offered, even the things he usually liked

best'. 'Desires many and various things'. This symptom, well-
confirmed as a peculiarity of the Cina appetite, is also very revealing
of the mental Cina state, and Hahnemann even placed it among the
mental symptoms, in this way expressing his understanding of the
symptom.

Cina may be indicated in restless children who cry a great deal and
constantly want to be carried, especially if they have an unusually
early and strong aversion to strangers; restless, even during sleep,
with grinding of teeth, even if only a few teeth are already present.

1899
Cina

Or else: weeping infants who cry all night if they are not constantly
carried around; with diarrhoea. Riding in a car also makes them feel
better and they stop crying. (But also: indifference; neither pleasant
nor disagreeable things could make the least impression upon him.)

Choreic Movements and Convulsions

Choreatic affections, commencing with a shriek and continuing all

through the night; especially of the face and hands; frequently
unilateral, preferring the left side. Constant jactitation of arms and
lower limbs.

'A paroxysm of spasmodic stretching out of the body, at 4 pm,

then trembling over body, with blue lips and weepful complain-
ing about aching of chest, throat, and all limbs'. Such spasms will
be excited by anger or coughing, or precede the cough; they may be
so strong as to throw the child backwards, down from the mother's
lap.

Even epileptiform and eclamptic spasms can occur, but conscious-

ness is seldom lost during the attacks. In convulsions, violent shocks
may pass through the body, palpable especially in the lower chest
and upper abdomen; downward stamping motion of the feet; jerking
of the head backward and upward. 'Shocks as from pain: the
patient will jump suddenly as though he felt pain' (Guernsey).

Pathology

Cina has been used for many symptoms that may accompany a
worm affection (especially by Ascarides): in digestive problems, such
as diarrhoea; and most especially in nervous affections where the
brain or spinal cord are involved: spasms, convulsions or
other involuntary movements, also strabismus.

1900
 Cina

Another pathology where Cina may be indicated is a certain kind of

whooping-cough (pertussis) with two very characteristic symptoms
that form real keynotes of the remedy: a stiffening of the body
before the cough, sometimes with wild looking about and loss
of consciousness; and a noise like a gurgling down from
throat to abdomen after the cough, with crying, anxiety,
catching of breath and great paleness. Both symptoms will also be
important guides to the remedy where no cough is present.

Hahnemann was the first to hint to the curative power of Cina in

'certain intermittent fevers, combined with vomiting
and canine hunger'. We can add convulsive states and different
abdominal complaints (vomiting, diarrhoea), usually with the char-
acteristic voracious hunger which in some cases may alternate with
total loss of appetite. Vomiting or fever with intercurrent
hunger and almost clean tongue has been successfully used
as a Cina indication.

Generalities

As above, Cina will often be indicated in whooping-cough; comp-

laints with voracious hunger, even directly after vomiting, but all the
same great emaciation, sometimes with thick, protruding belly. Cina
has also cured enuresis nocturna which was worse every full moon
(Boger). The patients tend to lie on their bellies or to assume the
knee-chest or knee-elbow position.

Many Cina conditions may be referred to intestinal irritation, from

ascarides or otherwise. The brain and spinal cord are often
affected.

Characteristic is a painful soreness of the whole body to

touch, mirroring the emotional 'touchiness' that is so marked in
Cina. The pains are usually as if bruised, or like the effects of a

1901
Cina

blow. An interesting symptom is: 'Dull stitches here and there at

the body, now in the limbs, arms, legs, toes, now in the side or
back, now in the nasal bones, but especially at the hip (posterior
crest of ilium); sometimes like a cramp, sometimes like a
pressure, or like blows or jerks, sometimes like an itching; on
pressure the part hurts as if sore and bruised'.

Symptoms that accompany yawning and always come on when one

yawns. 'On yawning, trembling of the body, with sens-
ation of shivering'. The yawning cannot be suppressed and will
increase or renew pains. Symptom combinations that point strongly
to Cina are: 'Children that constantly yawn and rub their nose
because of itching' (Borland).

Alternatively, there may be abdominal complaints with rolling of the

head, or rubbing it against the pillow. The rolling motion will
sometimes cause an amelioration of symptoms like headaches. Or;
the head is leaned to one side all the time, with great drowsiness.
Other nervous symptoms: grinding of teeth at night; involun-
tary chewing and swallowing motions, also during sleep.

Sour body smell of children. Hyperacidity of the stomach,

children that spit up sour milk and eructate sour wind. Cina children
will look very pale and sick, and their bodies may be very much
weakened, but notwithstanding the weakness, they have the charac-
teristic traits of restlessness and excitability, anger, constant crying,
irritability, obstinacy etc.

'Cold sweat, especially on face and forehead' (from

Bonninghausen) is a frequent concomitant symptom.

Whereas Chamomilla tends to cause and cure affections of the ear,

Cina prefers the eyes, causing an altered vision with a tendency to
see yellow (the blue sky will be perceived as green, etc.) or violet.
Inward strabismus is also a Cina symptom.

1902
 Cina

Some additional spasmodic symptoms of Cina:

Convulsions of the extensor muscles; the child suddenly
becomes stiff; and there is a clucking noise as though water
were poured out of a bottle from throat down to abdomen.
General rigor of whole body.
Spasms of children, with throwing the arms from side to side.
The convulsive attacks tend to come on at night.
The spasmodic stretching and stiffening can be excited by coughing,
by being vexed and angered, or even being looked at.

Many symptoms come on at night and also during sleep.

'Symptoms from eye strain' is another important modality.
Reading or looking fixedly at an object, as in sewing, increases or
causes eye and head pains or else dimness of vision. Kent directs
attention to an aggravation from heat, especially in the sun, and in
summer.

Ameliorated by lying on the belly, wiping or rubbing eyes,

a 'passive motion' like being rocked or riding in a car, sometimes
also by rolling the head to and fro.

Vertigo

Vertigo with flickering before eyes and nausea.

'On rising from bed, it becomes black before the eyes, with dizziness in the
head and fainting; totters to and fro; immediately relieved on lying down'.

Head

Headaches that alternate with pain in abdomen; as soon as the headache

disappears a pressive pain in abdomen develops, and when this ceases, the
headache returns.
Headache aggravated by reading and reflecting, relieved by stooping.
Headaches caused or aggravated from using eyes; headache of
seamstresses (Ruta).

1903
Cina

Before and during the headaches the scalp is extremely sensitive to

touch and pressure. Children cannot have their hair combed, brushed, or
cut; women must have their hair down during the headaches.
'On the middle of the vertex, intermitting pressure as from a
heavy weight, as though the brain were pressed down; external
pressure increases or renews the pain'. Or: a pressive pain, from above
downward, externally at the forehead, as if a weight were gradually sinking
down.
Dull headache with affection of the eyes, in the morning.
'Stupefying internal headache on walking in the open air, especially in the
forepart of the head, later also in occiput'. Or: 'Confusing, drawing pain
from left frontal eminence to root of nose'. 'Drawing pain in right temple in
a vertical direction, on coughing it feels as if it would burst'.
A dull slow stitch, extending from below the upper orbital margin deep into the
brain.
A characteristic symptom is an empty, hollow feeling in the head with
nausea and inclination to vomit.
Children lean their heads sideways all the time, or they turn their heads to and
fro which seems to ameliorate their pains.
Cina may be indicated in irritation of the meninges, particularly if abdominal
complaints coexist or alternate with brain symptoms; the abdomen is swollen and
hot. It has even been used in hydrocephalus and encephalitis. Kent gives these
symptoms: 'Rolling of the head; frequent headaches; sensitiveness to jar;
cannot be touched or tapped along the spinal cord without headache;
always worse in the sun; the head is hot and the feet are cold in the sun'.
Heat mostly in the head during fever, but with yellowish colour of face and blue
rings around eyes. Very hot head, with extreme sensitivity to touch. Cold sweat
on forehead.

Eyes

Dilated pupils with many complaints.

Fatigue of eyes; eye strain causes pains in head and eyes and
affects the vision. Wiping or rubbing the eyes ameliorates, at least
for some time. 'While reading a book, dimness before eyes, has to rub the
eyes vigorously with the fingers to be able to continue reading'. 'In the

1904
 Cina

evening, when he wants to look sharply at something or to read by artificial

light, everything appears as though through a gauze; wiping the eyes
relieves for a short time'. 'Dull pain in eyes while reading and exerting
mind'.
According to Kent and Boericke, Cina is not so much indicated in young people
with symptoms from eyestrain, but more at the age when presbyopia sets in, and
looking at fine print or work requires much effort.
Chronic weakness of sight, with photophobia and pressure in the eyes as from
sand.
Cina is indicated in strabismus, especially if helminthiasis is present.
Concomitant symptoms: pale, sickly appearance, blue rings around
eyes, frequently complains about abdominal pain in umbilical region, frequent
urging to urinate, peculiar milky appearance of urine, frequent boring in
nose, constant discharge of thin mucus from nose, constant inclination to hawk
with audible rattling of mucus in the air passages, frequent pappy stools.
Altered vision of colours. This has been observed in an extreme degree in
provings of Santoninum, the active principle of Cina; but it also appeared in
persons who took Cina 'against worms'. Yellow vision is most marked; white
things appear strikingly yellow, the blue sky looks green. Violet vision is also
frequent. The disturbances of vision may increase to an inability to distinguish
colours, and even to optical hallucinations in bright colours.
The eyelids may also feel tired and weak, hardly able to open the eyes all
morning.
A pulsation of the superciliary muscle, a kind of spasm.
Frequent tickling itching or crawling in the canthi and lids,
obliging to rub them.

Ears
Cramp-like twitching in external ear, like earache.
Beneath the mastoid process, dull sticking like a pinching pressure; when pressed
upon pain as from a blow or as if beaten.
Tendency to bore into the ears.

1905
Cina

Nose
The main symptom is an inclination to constantly bore into the nose,
so much so that finally the nose bleeds. This behaviour, usually seen
in children, is often excited by an intolerable itching in the nose. Picking
or rubbing the nose, child rubs it against everything, against the pillow, the
shoulders of the nurse, etc. With this, great restlessness, much crying, very cross
and 'ugly' behaviour, sometimes enuresis nocturna.
Violent sneezing, so strong that an outward pressure in temples came
on which lasted for some time, or with sticking in the temples.
'A burning aching in left nostril as if a scurf had been scraped off; worse on
external pressure'.

Face

The Cina aspect is very characteristic. Pale and cold face, sometimes even
during the fever heat, with bluish-white tinge around the mouth and
nose and blue rings around the eyes; very sickly look. This may
alternate with glowing redness and burning heat of the cheeks.
Or, as Nash points out, red face with great pallor around mouth and
nose. 'Bloated, livid face' (Hahnemann). There may also be an earthy or
yellowish hue. Rapid change of these aspects.
Facial neuralgia with a pain as if both malar bones were seized with pincers and
compressed; external pressure increases the pain.
Twitching of muscles of face and about eyes, especially with disordered stomach
and bowels. Twitching of muscles of face and hands, sometimes unilateral (left).
Spasm often start with a twitching in one side of the face (Boger; compare
Cuprum).

Mouth

Grinding of teeth at night, during sleep, with constant tumbling and

tossing about. Frequent involuntary motions, chewing and swallowing, especially
during sleep. Swallowing as though something came up in the throat.
Clean tongue with most complaints (fever, vomiting).
Breath foul or sour.

1906
 Cina

Throat
Swallowing is very difficult or even impossible, particularly of fluids.
'Inability to swallow, fluids roll about in the mouth for a long time"
(Hahnemann).
The keynote in this area is an audible gurgling noise in the throat,
down the oesophagus and to the abdomen. It will come on after a
coughing attack, or else from a chorea attack that extends to tongue,
oesophagus and larynx, or simply when swallowing liquids. Hering describes it
as a noise 'similar to that caused by water when poured from a bottle'. This
gurgling is always a strong hint for Cina (compare Hydrocyanicum acidum).

Respiration, Cough, and Pulse

Cina has cured aphonia from catching cold when Aconitum, Phosphorus and
Spongia had failed. Attempting to talk causes a peculiar hoarse, soundless
cough, with pain in the larynx.
In the morning after rising, mucus in larynx obliging to hawk frequently, but the
mucus soon collects again.
Very short breath, with interruptions so that some inspirations are
omitted; with fever recurring every day at the same hour. Or: inspiration
broken in two. Loud rattling, panting, or wheezing on inspiration, with acceler-
ated, short respiration.
Capillary bronchitis of children, they scream when approached (compare
Arnica), swallow after coughing, scream and talk in sleep; mucous rales in the
bronchi, frequent rubbing of nose; dilated pupils; gnashing of teeth.
Suffocative attacks, especially because of difficult expectoration.
Oppression of breath, with a sensation as if sternum lay too
close to the lungs; or with a cramp-like contraction in left half of chest.
The cough symptoms are very peculiar: 'Before coughing the child
suddenly raises herself, stares around her; the whole body has a rigid
appearance; she is unconscious, just as though she would have an
epileptic spasm, and then follows the cough'. 'After coughing the child
whimpers "Au! Auf", a noise like a gurgling down is heard; she is anxious,
catches her breath and becomes very pale in the face; in attacks lasting two
minutes'.

1907
Cina

Another well-confirmed symptom is a hoarse hacking cough in the

morning after rising, excited, in relatively long intervals, by a sensation
as of a little feather, or dust in the throat on inspiration.
Bonninghausen gives a good description of the Cina whooping cough: 'Violent
periodically recurrent attacks of whooping cough, excited by a
sensation as of dust in the throat, or by much adherent mucus in the throat
with difficult expectoration of whitish, mucous. Worse in the morning
and evening, by drinking; by deep inspiration; by walking in the open air;
by pressure upon the larynx; by reading and writing; when lying
on the right side; by cold air; by yawning'.
Spasmodic dry cough of long standing, accompanied by gagging and
vomiting, recurring periodically every spring and autumn.
Cough so violent that it forces tears into the eyes.
Child is afraid to speak or move for fear of bringing on a
paroxysm of coughing (compare Bryonia).
Paroxysms of spasmodic cough at night, ending in 'spasms', i.e. sudden rigidity
of the body, or the body of the child is thrown backward so violently as to force
it off the nurse's lap.

Stomach

Great hunger is the most important symptom in this area. Great hunger
soon after a meal, or in the middle of the night; with a gnawing, empty
sensation in stomach; even immediately after vomiting. 'When the
child has taken all it can hold yet cries for the bottle, or empties its stomach
by spitting up and vomiting the food and then reaches out whining and
crying for more...' (Kent).
The voracious hunger can reach an extreme degree, children cannot stand seeing
that someone else eats and violently grasp the food, devouring it instantly; but all
the same much emaciation. This may alternate with a total loss of appetite.
Intercurrent canine hunger is an important symptom in different patho-
logical states, especially in intermittent fevers, and it often quickly alternates
with vomiting. The hunger will usually come on during the apyrexia:
immediately after fever heat, before the chill or after the sweat stage.
As to the foods taken, there is a marked caprice.
Two characteristic mental symptoms apply to the appetite as well: 'Craves

1908
 Cina

many and different things'. 'Refuses everything offered'. Often

there is an aversion to 'ordinary foods' but a craving for sweets or else an
insatiable desire for bread. Breast-fed babies are averse to mother's milk
(although the milk is good). Such aversions may be due to an alteration of the
sense of taste, which manifests in symptoms like 'bitter taste of bread' or, very
typical, in this keynote: 'Shudders on drinking wine, as if it were
vinegar or the strongest whisky'.
The thirst is usually strong, especially during the fever heat, but drinking causes
complaints. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea immediately after
drinking is a characteristic symptom. The above-mentioned audible gurgling
from throat down to abdomen can be heard when drinking.
Nausea with empty, hollow feeling in head; also during pregnancy.
Much and violent vomiting; the tongue is usually not coated, but clean; the
pupils are usually dilated. Vomiting of only mucus; of bile; of things eaten.
Digestive disturbances with vomiting, diarrhoea, and all the same massive
hunger; especially when helminthiasis is present, but also without it.
Constant pressure in stomach at night which causes restlessness; in pregnancy.
A pinching or cramp-like pressure transversely across epigastrium, in the region
of the pit of stomach, after a meal.
Pain in pit of stomach which impedes respiration. The pain may also be
described as 'below the sternum' and tends to extend downward, to the navel.

Abdomen

The abdomen is often hard and distended, protruded, also hot, even when the
rest of the body is emaciated.
Much abdominal pain, especially around the umbilicus. 'Painful
twisting about the navel, also pain when pressing upon navel'. Or: 'Boring
pain above umbilicus, ceasing from pressure'. This latter symptom might be
a reason for the preference to lie on the belly at night. Cutting pinching
pains in abdomen, especially with helminthiasis; not relieved before the
prover went to stool. Colicky pains in bowel with flashes of heat and constant
motion of the cutaneous surface of abdomen.
A disagreeable warm feeling in abdomen, finally changing to a pinching pain.
Feeling of emptiness in abdomen, with discharge of flatus.

1909
Cina

Rectum and Stool

Intense itching at anus, obliging to scratch.
Much diarrhoea: watery; mushy; bilious; white, involuntary evacu-
ations; of white mucus in little pieces like popcorn; immediately
after drinking; during the menses or in pregnancy.
Discharge of worms, especially Ascarides.
Intestinal catarrh, incessant crying when not carried about, belly is much
protruded during crying.

Urinary Organs

Frequent urging to urinate, with passage of much urine, all day.

Involuntary urination, enuresis nocturna; worse every full moon;
often with ravenous hunger.
The urine is usually turbid, either when first voided or after some standing,
often white and milky, sometimes with a strong odour.

Female Genitalia

Uterine haemorrhage, particularly before the age of menstruation.

Labour-like pains in the abdomen, frequently recurring, as though the menses
would appear.
Menses too early, too profuse, especially in women who suffer with much
itching of the nose and nocturnal restlessness even during sleep.
Complaints during pregnancy: diarrhoea, worse after drinking; grinding of teeth
with restlessness and tossing about; nausea and vomiting with hollow feeling in
head; constant pressure in stomach at night; dimness of vision, better rubbing the
eyes.

Neck and Back

Drawing tearing pain down the whole spine.

Tearing jerking pain in middle of spine.
Pain as from fatigue in loins and spine, as though one had stood for a
long time; especially on bending forward or sideways.
Bruised pain in small of back, which is not increased by motion.

1910
 Cina

Extremities
Twitching, jerking, and distortions of the limbs; the arms are thrown
from one side to the other, the legs make stamping motions downward etc.
Coldness of hands and feet, sometimes not ameliorated by heat of the stove; or
warm hands with pale cold face.
Boring cramp-like pain in left upper arm, motion does not relieve. Cramp-like
drawing pains in arms and hands.
Wrist feels as if sprained.
Intermittent, spasmodic contraction of the hand.
Weakness of hand, cannot hold anything with it.
Single small jerking stitches, now in the right hand, now in the left.
Spasmodic twitching in fingers; sudden inward jerking of fingers of right hand.
Rigidity of lower limbs; children stretch their legs out spasmodically, or the left
leg is in constant spasmodic motion, until it remains in abducted position, lying
motionless.
Paralytic pain in left thigh, near the knee.
Sudden loss of use of lower limbs (paraplegia), accompanied with unnatural
hunger.

Sleep

The Cina sleep is usually very restless, with constant tossing about,
screaming, crying, talking, lamenting, starting, grinding of teeth,
etc. 'Cannot fall asleep; when falling asleep, starts, screams, turns over,
kicks off bedclothes'. Children who never sleep for long at a time; who won't
sleep unless being rocked; who cry out sharply in sleep like Apis; who cry and
scream all night through.
Pavor nocturnus in children; wake up trembling and frightened,
scream, will not be pacified; sees phantoms; the dreamy visions are
prolonged into the waking state, believes them to be real.
The Cina child often prefers to lie on the belly and only falls asleep in this
position. Kent says: 'If it is turned on the side it wakes up again. While in the
mother's arms it will go to sleep with the abdomen resting on the mother's
shoulder, but when she puts it on the side in bed it wakens'. Another position
is getting on all fours during sleep (Medorrhinum).
Sleep while erect with the head leaned backward or to the right.

1911
Cina

Child hangs its head to one side all the time, with drowsiness.
Spasmodic yawning, which cannot be suppressed; yawning will cause pains to
reappear or increase.

Fever, Chill, and Perspiration

The regulation of warmth is often disturbed in Cina patients. There is either pale
cold face even during the fever heat, with warm hands, or much
burning heat over the whole face, with glowing redness of the
cheeks; these states can alternate very rapidly.
Heat mostly in the head during the fever, with yellow colour of face and blue
rings around the eyes.
Frequently the chill is marked and not relieved near a hot stove. Shivering
creeping over the trunk; shivering creeping from upper part of body to the head,
as if the hair stood on end; no amelioration from external warmth.
Febrile shivering over the whole body, with hot cheeks.
Frequent attacks of very high fever, the heat is mostly felt in the head.
Intermittent fevers with vomiting and canine hunger, even immedi-
ately after vomiting; clean tongue, dilated pupils, etc.
Cold sweat, especially on forehead, nose and hands.
Fever returning every day at the same hour; with very short breath, with vomiting
of ingesta, etc.

Skin

Whole body surface extremely sensitive to touch.

Much itching, obliging to scratch, rub, pick or bore, which is
constantly done; rubs face, ears, nose, perineum, anus, etc.
Eruption of red itching pimples in the evening, soon disappearing again.

CLINICAL

Abdomen, distended. Anaemia. Anus, irritation of. Asthenopia. Asthma.

Bronchitis. Borborygmi. Chorea. Colic. Convulsions. Cough. Dentition.
Diarrhoea. Enuresis. Eyes, affections of. Hydrocephaloid. Intermittent fever.

1912
 Cina

Leucorrhoea. Neuralgia. Pertussis. Remittent fever. Scarlatina. Sight, affections

of. Spasms. Strabismus. Twitching. Urine, milky. Worms.

RELATIONS

Antidoted by: Camphor, Capsicum, China, Mercurius.

Antidote to: Capsicum, China, Mercurius.
Follows well: Drosera, Antimonium tartaricum
Compare: Antimonium crudum, Antimonium tartaricum, Hepar sulphuris,
Thuja; aversion to touch.
Helleborus, Cuprum; gurgling when swallowing liquids.
Belladonna, Causticum, Hyoscamus, Ignatia, Lachesis, Phosphorus;
difficulty swallowing liquids.
Manganum, Mephitis, Nux vomica, Platinum: cough worse by reading or
writing
Digitalis; white stools.
Arsenicum, Calcarea carbonica, Iodium, Silicea, Staphisagria; ravenous
hunger.

Arsenicum, Lachesis; aversion to caress.

Notes:

1913
Cina

1914
 C I S T U S CANADENSIS
Helianthemum canadense.
Rock rose. Ice plant. Frost-weed.
N.O. Cistaceae.
Tincture of whole plant.

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

This is a remedy that will remind you of the tubercular miasm: a thin,
wretched individual, with weak constitution, weak defenses, catch-
ing colds very frequently, at the least provocation, with the slightest
exposure to cold air; 'I seem to have a cold constantly', is a typical
expression. The mucous membranes are inflamed easily and they
will either have much discharge, with the nose running, the throat
discharging a thick viscous mucus, or on the other hand we see an
extreme dryness of throat that has to swallow saliva all the time in
order to wet it.

This is one of the main remedies we think of when somebody tells

us that they are suffering from the cold or from easily catching a cold.
Feeling the coldness of the environment to the bones, feeling
of coldness on different parts of the body, on the tongue, the larynx,
or the trachea, saliva is cold, coldness of the stomach, coldness of
the abdomen, coldness of the lungs.

Such a tubercular individual will develop glandular swellings easily

and frequently. He is almost constantly in an excitable state and his
nervous system cannot stand any further stimulation. Any type of
anger, irritability, grief or annoyance will bring on
physical complaints. If they are stimulated with an agitation,
the feeling will go to depression and soon will develop a cold, a
stitching in the throat or a cough. If stimulated positively they will

1915
Cistus Canadensis

become extremely cheerful and happy. These changes show the

precarious nature of the state. It shows an individual that if left
without the medicine will go to malignancy, this will either be
Hodgkin's disease, a tumour, or Reynaud's syndrome.

Desire for acid food and acid fruits even during diarr-
hoea is characteristic, also we have a strong desire for
cheese.

Cistus is a restless, weak and anxious individual that many times will
get feelings that will go into paralysis. They perceive that the
weakness of the nervous system is such that it can lead them to
paralysis. Anxiety brings on a state of formication, showing again the
effect on the peripheral nerves. The extremities are at the same time
painful in cold weather.

For example: an individual has been cold all his life, with painful
fingers in the least cold weather, and eventually ends up with
Reynaud's syndrome, or even with gangrene. A gangrene case
which has such a history may require this remedy.

If the student remembers the above description of the remedy it will

be sufficient to make a correct prescription. But more details will
follow. A guiding symptom is: 'Sore throat from inhaling
least cold air'. Margaret Tyler has observed that Cistus is indica-
ted in 'never-ending colds' with continuous coryza and cough which
is aggravated in the winter months. Hale recommends it in catarrhal
affections of larynx, trachea and bronchi.

The sensitivity to cold does not only apply to the mucous mem-
branes of the respiratory system, but also to the skin, as the following
proving symptom will show: 'Tips of fingers very sensitive to cold,
and they were aching much more acutely when the fingers
became cold'. 'The tongue becomes cool, then the breath
through the mouth, later also through the nose, afterwards a

1916
 Cistus Canadensis

marked sensation of coolness at the larynx, at the thyroid

cartilage and in the trachea; much saliva in the mouth which is
cool as well... 'And this coolness will continue 'all day, especially
in the throat'.

In the head: 'In a very warm room, skin grows moist; with this,
the forehead is not only externally cold, but also inside
there is a sensation of coolness'.

In the digestive system, we find: 'Before and after eating, cold

feeling, also in the stomach, with cool eructation'.
'Cold feeling in whole abdomen'.

Moreover: 'Chilliness'. 'Cold feet'. It is remarkable that the patient

even trembles during the fever heat: 'Severe chill, and afterwards
heat with trembling...'.

To mention only one hay fever case from S. Reis (Archiv fur
Homoopathik, 1996, 3): The patient had her attacks mostly in the
morning and in the evening. (Cistus has 'Frequent and violent
sneezing, mostly evening and morning'.) They began with
an itching in the nose, followed by an attack of sneezing; the inner
canthi of the eyes were itching as well.

Towards the end of the attack, she got a feeling as though she
were inhaling cold air, a cold sensation in the region
of the larynx, with provocation to cough, followed by dry cough
for ten minutes. This guiding symptom made Reis think of Cistus.
Besides the hay fever symptoms, it also removed a skin eruption at
the inside of the thighs, looking like a sun allergy, which itched in the
evening.

Another strange sensation is a 'feeling of softness in the

throat'. With the help of this symptom, Clarke succeeded in curing
a case of chronic sore throat that had been treated with local

1917
Cistus Canadensis

swabbing for years. There was an accumulation of thick, yellow

phlegm that had to be removed mechanically. The patient comp-
lained about a 'spongy feeling in the throat', and that led Clarke to
Cistus. Kent mentions that with Cistus 'all the mucous membranes
throw out a thick, yellowish, offensive mucus and hence
it is suitable in old and troublesome catarrh'.

There is yet another keynote of Cistus which has often been decisive
for the selection of the remedy, namely an extraordinary desire
for cheese. There are a few remedies which have this symptom;
among others, Chelidonium, Nitricum acidum and Phosphorus
share this desire. But the combination of 'catching colds easily,
cold aggravation, cold sensations, cheese desire' will
usually indicate Cistus, as Margaret Tyler saw in many cases.

For instance, she succeeded in curing a colleague who 'ate cheese

with every meal', from a chronic coryza with violent and uncon-
trollable paroxysms of sneezing. Some time later he developed
rheumatic pains in the right shoulder that remained constant for
several weeks and could not be relieved by anything. Cistus
removed them in one hour! A proving symptom is: 'Pain in the
anterior part of the right shoulder'.

Even in pre-homeopathic times, Cistus was well known as a remedy

in swelling, inflammation, induration and suppuration
of glands and lymph nodes. It is especially indicated when the
parotids and cervical lymph nodes are affected and a great sensitivity
to cold is present. Hering describes severe cases of tuberculous
changes, scrofulosis, also coupled with haemoptysis, which were
greatly ameliorated by Cistus.

The remedy should be thought of in parotitis, mumps, mono-

nucleosis, and even in malignant lymphoma (Hodgkin's disease).
There are also case reports about mastitis and cancer of the lips
where Cistus acted favourably, and Lippe mentions that it produced

1918
 Cistus Canadensis

an indurated tumour in the left mamma.

'Every mental agitation increases the suffering very

much'. For instance, excitement leads to stitching pains in the
throat which, again, provoke a cough. The emotion that has the
worst consequences seems to be vexation, which may produce a
terrible sensation as if paralysed over the whole body.

'Physical symptoms after vexation' is, according to Hering, an

important general feature of the remedy.
'After supper, until bedtime, cheerfulness'.
A general modality: 'In the morning, everything aggravated'.

Head

Forehead externally cool, with internal sensation of coolness.

Headache in sinciput after being kept waiting for dinner; ceasing after
eating.
Headache from fasting, if hunger is not appeased at once.
Pain in side of head, with stitches in eye.
Headache like a pressure in the root of the nose.
Stitches from temples into ears.
Headaches that grow worse towards evening and last all night (compare
Pulsatilla).
Head falling forward on stooping.
Perspiration of scalp and forehead during headache.

Eyes

Stitches in eye, with a sensation as if something turned around in it; with pain in
the side of the head. Stitching pain in left eye
Itching of the inner canthi. Fissures at the corners of the eyes.
Chronic ophthalmia.

1919
Cistus Canadensis

Ears
Inner swelling of the ears.
Swelling of the parotids, with much redness and severe chill,
followed by fever heat with trembling.
Itching in the ear not ameliorated by scratching.
Herpetic eruptions around and in the ears, extending into external meatus.
Otorrhoea: watery moisture and foetid pus. Discharges form ear after suppressed
eruption.

Nose
Frequent and violent sneezing, evening and morning; also without
coryza or any other apparent cause; sometimes preceded by itching of nose.
Cool feeling or burning in nose. Chronic coryza with thick, yellow,
offensive mucus and burning or coldness in nose on inhaling air.
Cistus may even act as a prophylactic: 'All other children in her class had a
tremendous head cold, but she had absolutely nothing' (Margaret Tyler).
Painful tip or left side of nose, also with inflammation and swelling.
Rawness, burning, smarting pain in posterior nares.
Lupus in nose.
Left sided coryza and dryness in the nose, especially left side.

Face
Flushes of heat in face.
Thick swelling, beginning at the ear, half way up the cheek.
Vesicular erysipelas in the face. Lupus.
Sharp shooting, intolerable itching, and thick crusts in face, with burning on right
zygoma.
Cracked and bleeding lips. Bleeding ulcer at lower lip, even if malignant.
Cancer of lower lip.
One sided tension of skin as if muscles were drawn to one side.
Burning, drawing, tearing pains in face in evening.
Cancer of lower jaw.

1920
 Cistus Canadensis

Mouth
Gums scorbutic, swollen, separated from the teeth, easily bleeding,
of a putrid smell.
Dryness, especially of the tongue and the roof of the mouth. Dry spot in the
mouth, dryness spreading to the throat. Cool saliva in mouth.
Sore tongue, surface seems to be raw.
'Impure breath'.

Throat

Sore throat from inhaling cold air (but not in a warm room); cold air
will bring on or aggravate all sorts of throat complaints.
Cool sensation in the throat, continuing all day.
Spongy sensation of 'softness' in throat.
Besides theses three keynotes, there is especially one striking feature: a constant
sensation of dryness in the throat which may be accompanied by a
feeling of heat there. For example: general dryness in throat, worse
after sleep, with a sensation as if it were torn apart; has to get up and drink
some water; eating also ameliorates. Or: 'Must constantly swallow
saliva to relieve the intolerable dryness, especially at night'. Or else:
pharynx inflamed and dry, but without sensation of dryness.
Pain in throat ameliorated after swallowing
Dry throat from noon until after midnight, better in the forenoon.
Sensation of rawness or soreness in the throat, also with a feeling of
sand in it; sometimes tingling or itching in the throat.
Tearing pain in throat on coughing.
Purulent tonsillitis.
Inner throat looks glassy, stripes of tough mucus are to be seen. Hawking of thick
tough mucus like rubber, often yellow coloured; hawking ameliorates the state of
the patient.

Respiration

Itching scraping at the larynx. Cool feeling and pain in trachea.

Dryness in larynx in spot and on waking.
Raw sensation in the upper part of the chest, extending upward into the throat.
After lying down in the evening and at night in bed, attacks of wheezing

1921
Cistus Canadensis

respiration, so loud that the others awoke; with a sensation as if there were
not enough space in the windpipe.
'In the evening, a quarter of an hour after lying down, crawling as of ants
through the whole body with anxious, difficult breathing. Had to
get up and open the window to get some fresh air, which ameliorated. As
soon as he lies down again, however, the same sensations recur'.
Cough: from stitches in throat, on every mental excitement; with
painful tearing in throat; with expectoration of bitter mucus, also of blood; attacks
of dry cough, following after a paroxysm of sneezing; with swelling of
cervical lymph nodes.
Chronic catarrh of respiratory passages, especially in the region
of trachea and bronchi.
'Always feels much relieved after expectoration'.
Cough from walking in cold air. Cough from agitation.
Pressure on chest.
Coldness in chest on respiration.

Stomach

Desire for cheese, also for other 'strong-tasting' things, especially sour foods
(herring, etc.). Desire for acid fruits and pungent things.
Usually, however, eating rather ameliorates, e.g. the headaches or the dryness
of the throat.
Frequent nausea, also with diarrhoea.
Cold sensation in stomach, before and after eating, with cool
eructation.
Stomach pain immediately after eating.

Abdomen

Cold sensation in the whole abdomen.

Much flatulence, with distension of the abdomen and pains; mostly in the
evening, at night, and in the morning. 'In the morning, on waking, bruised
feeling beneath the hypochondria, with much flatulence'. The flatulence
disturbs sleep.

1922
 Cistus Canadensis

Rectum and Stool

Tendency to diarrhoea, also chronic diarrhoea; even chronic dysentery.
Diarrhoea: after eating fruit; after drinking coffee; from wet weather; in
patients with swollen glands.
Diarrhoea after vegetables.
Fhatak says that there is diarrhoea with goitre: 'Very thin stool, at night until
daybreak, squirting out, of a greyish yellow colour; afterwards still three
stools until noon'.

Male Genitalia

Frequent itching at scrotum.

Chest

Mastitis, usually left-sided, with suppuration, with a great feeling of fullness in

chest; mammae extremely sensitive to cold air.
'Having been taken much as a tea for the sequel of scarlet fever, Cistus
produced an induration in the (left) mamma, which was presumed to be
cancer and was operated upon successfully' (Lippe).
Painful pimples which bleed easily.

Neck and Back

Cervical glands and lymph nodes swollen, inflamed, indurated

or suppurating. Hering quotes a case where the head was drawn sideways
by many scrofulous glandular swellings and ulcers in the region of neck and nape
of neck. After Cistus, all the tumours opened, evacuated and finally healed, and
the head could be moved freely again.
Burning and bruised pain in the coccyx, preventing sitting and aggravated by
touch. Pain in coccyx during menses.
Eruptions on back are burning, painful to touch. Herpes Zoster, vesicles on back.
Pimples come out in dorsal region. Spots on scapulae.

1923
Cistus Canadensis

Extremities
Bruised pain in all limbs, as from fatigue.
Drawing and tearing pain in all joints, mostly in the knees and finger joints.
In the evening, pain in the knees, in the right hand and left shoulder.
Rheumatic shoulder pains. Pain in anterior portion of right shoulder. In
the evening violent pain in left shoulder and in chest, with a feeling as though he
should belch to relieve the pain.
Hard and callous patches with deep cracks in the palms of
workmen.
Cracked skin from wetting hands. Cracks in hand in winter.
Cracking and bleeding of finger tips.
Ends of fingers very sensitive to cold, pain more acute when
fingers become cold.
Eruptions on tips of finger.
Herpes of fingers.
Hot swollen hand.
Pains in knees and in right thigh, while walking and sitting.
Piercing pain in right great toe, in the evening.
Cold feet.

Sleep

Very restless nights, on account of flatulence or annoying dryness of throat.

Anxious dreams.

Fever, Chill, and Perspiration

Tendency to chilliness, with cold feet.

Chill at night in warm room.
But also: fever heat with thirst, drinks much.
Flushes of heat in face.
Sweats easily, especially at night.
The more he sweats the colder he becomes.
Severe chill, followed by fever heat with trembling; with this, quickly
developing swelling of the parotids and cervical glands, with deep
redness.

1924
 Cistus Canadensis

Skin
Itching over whole body, without eruption.
Vesicular eruptions. They may resemble Zoster or they may look like
herpes. 'Tetters on hands, itching, oozing after scratching, with heat and
swelling'. Vesicular erysipelas in face. Bleeding pimples.
Formication in evening after lying down.
Eruption at inside of thighs, pustules that itch in the evening, scratching
aggravates.
Furuncles, commencing as small vesicles filled with pus.

CLINICAL

Bone affections. Cancer. Diarrhoea. Erysipelas. Follicular pharyngitis. Glandular

swelling. Hip-joint disease. Hospital gangrene. Lupus. Panaritum. Parotitis.
Scorbutus. Scrofula. Sore throat. Ulcers. Zona.

RELATIONS

Antidoted by: Rhus toxicodendron, Camphor, Sepia.

Compatible: Magnesium, Belladonna, Carbo vegetablis, Phosphorus.
Incompatible: Coffee.
Compare: Argentum nitricum, Lachesis, Carbo vegetablis; cold breath.
Sulphur, morning diarrhoea.

Notes:

1925
Cistus Canadensis

1926
 CLEMATIS ERECTA
Flammula Jovis.
Upright Virgin's Bower, Traveller's Joy.
N.O. Ranunculaceae.
Tincture of leaves and stems.

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

Clematis is a closed up individual, who keeps everything inside

without confessing to anybody, he has no real friend to confide in,
while at the same time his great fear is that he will be
accused of some wrongdoing. This fear goes so deep into his
subconscious mind that many of his dreams have this theme, that
somebody will point him out as a wrongdoer and he will be arrested,
that some one will accuse him of something that is not true.

This is something that hounds him all the time, but it is not obvious,
not clear in his conscious mind, it is like background music. We have
to understand the kind of anxiety that goes on inside such a patient:
a mild anxiety from some guilt, that never leaves him, but it is not
strong enough to come to the conscious mind as something
concrete. If it comes, then it produces a state of moral contrition and
the whole organism goes into a state of violent outbreaks of
exhausting weeping, with trembling all over the body.

Clematis is an individual who will be easily aroused sexually, will

have many different affairs, and for this reason will easily catch
venereal diseases, especially gonorrhoea; will masturbate if he
cannot find an outlet; will have extra-marital sexual affairs but he
himself, in his conscious mind will not feel that he is doing anything
wrong, he will not feel consciously guilty. He seems to have no
feelings of morality, but on a subconscious level it is a different story.

1927
Clematis Erecta

There is a constant worry that others will point to him as if he has

committed some wrong, some sin, some injustice or even criminal
acts. This is the essence of psychopathology of the Clematis case.

This remedy involves the sexual instinct, it involves the genitalia and
it involves his fear of being accused, fear of being incriminated
and arrested for some crime he has not committed. Another striking
mental symptom of this remedy is a fear of being alone coupled
with an aversion to any company. A peculiar tension prevails
on the emotional level due to the reasons we explained.

The patients have strong fears, fears of approaching misfortune, of

sudden demise, of death, of being accused and arrested.
The inner inquietude is such that they actually seem to wish that the
event that they fear would be better if it happened, so
they could be released from the inner pressure. They seem to feel
that if their fear is realised, the tension would finally be over, and
'peace of mind' will ensue.

They are afraid to be alone, but any person will annoy them tremen-
dously, even their most loved ones. This peculiar state of tension is
described very well by one prover: 'An irritability, anger, fretful-
ness and aversion to everybody; tried to escape from any
company, even from that usually liked most, and yet fear to be
alone; fear to be taken by surprise by death, and yet longing for
the repose of death

The first sign of such a condition of tension is often a discontented

mood, a bad humour, that comes on suddenly and apparently
without any reason. 'Morose without cause, and bad humour'
(Hahnemann). This sort of mood comes on more and more often,
and gradually intensifies. The feelings of tension may lead to great
sadness and depression, and these feelings will again be manifested
in violent outbreaks of loud and exhausting weeping,
with trembling all over the body. These eruptions usually will

1928
 Clematis Erecta

not cease before the patient has spent all his energy and then falls
into a long sleep of exhaustion.

Eventually a self-destructive feeling of moral contrition may

overpower the patient. Such a feeling of contrition is far away from
reality, it is his delusion of being guilty of a much greater crime than
any real one. In this mental state he may have other delusions, such
as the ground moving under his feet, that he is falling down, that his
bed is moving.

Clematis has a tremendous longing for peace and shelter, for

loved persons and familiar surroundings, in short: for home. Two
descriptions of such moods from the Austrian provings:

'Anxiety, tearful mood, and intense homesickness and longing

for the family, finally an outbreak of tears with much trembling
all over body and weeping for hours on end till the whole body
was exhausted and compelled to rest at midnight'.

'In the evening, a feeling of loss of moral strength overpowered

the prover, making him cry for more than half an hour;
afterwards he fell asleep for three hours'. Because of these kinds
of mental state, Clematis has been prescribed in 'homesickness, or
contrition of spirit'.

However, there are also deeper states of depression with this

remedy, without the outlet of weeping spells. In these states, the
patient is absorbed in sad thoughts, he does not want to talk any
more, does not want to go out, and at last a deep apathy comes on,
where nothing is able to move him. 'Indifferent, silent, almost
thoughtless', is a symptom in the Chronic Diseases, and, 'He looked
staringly before him', (much like Pulsatilla).

Another description: 'Infinitely out of humour; no inclination to

speak; easily lost in thought without knowing what he was

1929
Clematis Erecta

thinking'. In this state even suicidal thoughts may occur, but there
is no strong impulse to jump as exists in Aurum.

Clematis may also be similar to manic states with increased

physical energy; they may lead to trance-like conditions
where nothing seems to be perceived or felt any more, especially
nothing that concerns the identity of the patient. After these
conditions, again prostration will follow, with utter exhaustion of
body and mind.

For instance: 'Involuntary running about the streets with great

lightness and unusual rapidity, without being able to find a place
to rest in the room or in the open air. This condition lasted two
hours, and during this time the prover ran upstairs three or four
floors instead of two on several visits; then he fell into a mental
state which he was not perfectly able to explain clearly: there
seemed to be no feelings, no sensation of any part of the
body, no willpower and no ability to think. Afterwards,
prostration and soon painful fatigue of all parts of the body
came on...'

The intellectual abilities are often markedly impaired in Clematis

patients. In particular, the memory becomes ever weaker.
'During the day a peculiar weakness of memory; it increased so
much that it was almost impossible to write down the symptoms'
(proving report). The capacity to think may also be impaired, with
'relaxation of the intellect' and 'disinclination to think'.

These symptoms may take a 'wave-like' course as well: first increased

tension of the mental powers, then utter relaxation. 'A peculiar
increased excitability of the powers of thinking, which only lasted
for half an hour and then was replaced by a morose mood with
indisposition to do any mental work'. 'The increased power of
thinking and inclination for mental work was followed by
displeasure and relaxation of both body and mind'.

1930
 Clematis Erecta

Keynotes

Anxiety from sad thoughts; on starting from sleep.

Cheerfulness followed by prostration, irritability.
Cheerful during perspiration; in morning on waking.
Visions of fire, dreams of fire.
Delusion as if parts of body are too large.
Fear of pain.
Aversion to going out.
Irritability when walking.
Laziness ameliorated, in the evening; taciturn, evening ameliorates.
Desires to be read to.
Restlessness at night after midnight to 4 am, during heat.
Sadness, after eating ameliorated; after supper ameliorated.

Generalities

The urinogenital system is the one that is affected primarily by this

remedy. Inflammation and induration of testes is very strong feature,
together with problems in urination and swelling and hardness of the
spermatic cords and scrotum. In women we see inflammation and
tumours in ovaries and mammae.

Aggravation in the night is a keynote for Clematis. The testes, for

instance as the parts that are affected primarily, have an inflam-
mation which is extremely painful, but only during the
night. This is a very peculiar keynote of this remedy.

Another strong feature of this remedy is intermittent urination

(like Conium). Such a symptom is caused either by an enlarged
prostate or by a stricture of the urethra; 'He is unable to
evacuate all urine at once; it frequently stops while running;
after a time (if he makes a conscious exertion) or if he pushes
under the scrotum another portion comes, and so stops

1931
Clematis Erecta

several times until it is almost evacuated; then the rest

dribbles out involuntarily, in single drops'. 'Evacuation of
urine very slowly and in a very thin stream'. Frequently,
the patient feels a violent burning in the meatus of the urethra when
the last drops are discharged.

Stricture as a sequel to badly treated gonorrhoea is also seen:

'Constant urging to urinate but unable to evacuate the
whole bladder. If he tries to urinate, it takes some time and
exertion is necessary until the urine flows, which happens in a
thin and short-lasting stream. Soon afterwards renewed
urging'.
Sexual desire is easily excited; pain in urethra during coition.
Pain in bladder or the neck of the bladder at the beginning of
urination.
Sudden urging to urinate, must hasten to urinate or it will escape.

Moreover, Clematis has a tendency to develop painful swellings,

inflammation and also induration of glands and lymph-
atic nodes, especially in the genital region.
'In inflammation of the testicles and painful induration of
the testicles, after maltreated gonorrhoea'.
Both testicles swollen, hard, with most violent pain on touch and,
mostly at night; 'choking' and squeezing pain, suddenly beginning,
with coldness of limbs and fainting; scrotum distended, often
hot and red.

In women the ovaries and mammae are affected. 'Tumours in

mammae with simultaneous affection of the whole mamma,
especially when the pains are worse by East wind, cold weather
and at night'.

Affections of the inguinal lymphatic nodes are also frequent.

They become swollen (sometimes only on one side, usually the
right); the swelling is sensitive to touch and also to motion, like

1932
 Clematis Erecta

walking. But glands in other parts of the body may be affected as

well: 'Very intense swelling of the thyroid gland'. 'The submax-
illary glands are swollen, with hard nodules, throbbing and
tensive'.

Finally, Clematis has a special affinity to the skin. It has caused and
cured again and again itching, and moist eruptions. The
modalities are particularly remarkable in these conditions: an
aggravation in the warmth of the bed; an aggravation during a
waxing moon but an amelioration during a waning moon; and
especially a strong relation to water. Washing or putting the affected
part in cold water will markedly aggravate, or more seldom
ameliorate, but water rarely will leave the skin affection unchanged.

Some other skin symptoms: 'Fine stinging pain over and over in
the hands as soon as they are moistened with water and
washed'; 'Herpetic eruptions: psoriasis, with yellowish, corro-
ding ichor; chronic, red and moist, with intolerable
itching in the warmth of the bed and after washing;
itching, moist eruption, with corroding ichor, and redness, heat,
and swelling of the skin'; 'Bathing ameliorates itching of the
skin' a symptom repeatedly confirmed by Keller.

Some strange symptoms:

Shocks like electricity while lying down.
'A roaring, tremulous sensation through the whole body, after
lying down, especially on the (right) side of the body on which
he was lying'. 'Twitching of muscles in almost all fleshy parts of
the body'. 'More weary on awaking than on going to sleep; also
extraordinary lassitude so that he was hardly willing to leave his
bed'.
Most symptoms are aggravated at night; which is especially true
in all pains of the bones and glands.
Aggravation from wet applications.
Weakness from tobacco.

1933
Clematis Erecta

Head
Dullness and cloudiness in head, localised in the region of the forehead, with
tendency to vertigo.
Violent headaches, for instance: pressive-tensive pain in forepart of brain, worse
when walking than when sitting, with heaviness of head.
Pressive-tensive pain in whole right side of head, as if it were in the
bones of the skull. Boring pain in the left temple. Hammering and shocks in the
head. A shooting and raging headache, from inside out, with a
sensation as though the skull would burst.
Itching in head, warm room aggravates.
Heat in head during urging to stool, and after siesta.
Feeling as if head were lying in an uncomfortable position.
Pain in occiput, perspiration ameliorates.
Shocks in occiput extending to forehead.
The scalp is often the seat of skin eruptions. Small itching crusts on the
hairy scalp; moist vesicular eruption on occiput and nape of neck,
with crawling, stinging, itching, worse when getting warm in bed; often drying up
in bran-like scales.

Eyes

Stapf writes about a 'kind of severe ophthalmia' in which we should 'expect

much' of Clematis. 'Chronic conjunctivitis with photophobia'.
Photophobia walking in open air.
The eyes are sensitive to light, but also to draughts of air in Clematis. 'Smarting
in eyes, worse when closing them; afterwards, when he opens them
again, they are very sensitive to light'. And 'Smarting in the eyes,
almost as if raw, with injection and tears; on closing them, the smarting
became more violent and the eyes became so sensitive to air that he
feared to open them; also got black before the eyes'.
Complaints from bright sunlight.
Burning pains and inflammation of inner canthus; where is also felt a
'stitching pain as from a sharp body'.
Pressive pain on the centre of the eyeball.
Violent lachrymation. Lachrymation during urination.
Burning in the eyes as if fire were streaming from them, with sensation

1934
 Clematis Erecta

of dryness; the eyes are red and shining, he is compelled to close the lids.
Inflammation of the margins of the lids with smarting pain; conjunc-
tivitis, especially with tinea of the scalp, the eyebrows or the eyelashes, with
morning agglutination of the lids. Crusts in inner canthi.
Complaints of eyes are aggravated by cold.
Tired expression in the eyes.

Ears

Burning pain in both concha, with sensation of heat and real warmth, which was
perceptible to the touch.
Ringing in ears, as from bells.
Noises, ringing in morning.

Face

Sickly pallor of face.

Momentary attacks, frequently repeated, of heat in face, with red cheeks and a
feeling in the eyes as if a veil were before them.
Prosopalgia, often extending from the teeth, with drawing and twitching pains,
extending to the eye and ear; the eye becomes very sensitive to light; often the
pain is better when cold water is kept in the mouth.
Eruptions on face; at forehead, over eyebrows, at root of nose, tip of nose,
chin; first a fine stinging pain, then the eruption appears which later takes on a
pustular appearance; painful to the touch.
Vesicular eruptions, especially at the lips.
A strange symptom: 'A burning-cutting stitch through the left side of
the lower lip, as if it were being cut to pieces'.
The submaxillary glands are swelling, forming hard tubercles,
throbbing, tight, as if they were inflamed; they are painful on touch.
Cancer of lower lip. Itching vesicles in lower lip.
Pain in face, lying on the affected side aggravates. Smoking ameliorates pain.
Pain in jaw aggravated by heat, warmth of bed.

1935
Clematis Erecta

Mouth
Clematis has fairly often been used in toothaches, and also for pains in the
face or head that extend from the teeth or that have a focus in a tooth.
The modalities are particularly striking: 'Toothache, tolerable during the day,
but as soon as he lies down in bed and assumes a horizontal position
it increases to an unbearable degree, and is not relieved by any
position'. Touch also aggravates the pains whereas cold water in the
mouth relieves them, at least temporarily. 'Sucking' at the tooth with the
tongue also ameliorates.
Teeth feel too long, with free flow of saliva from the mouth.
Gums of left lower molars pain, as if sore, worst while eating.
Tongue dry in morning, on waking.
Offensive breath, distinctly perceptible to other people.
Cracked mouth, tongue is fissured on sides and painful with hard margins.
Vesicular eruptions becoming ulcers in mouth.
Constant motion of tongue.
Sore pains in the gums while eating.
Pain in teeth, ameliorated from air drawn in.
Sensation of elongation in decayed teeth.
Swelling in the corner of the mouth.

Respiration, Chest, and Heart

Dryness and burning along the whole trachea, worse after motion and in the
open air, drinking water does not ameliorate.
A peculiar dyspnoea, coming in paroxysms, after slight exertion, e.g.
ascending a little hill, walking on uneven ground for half an hour. Has to stand
still; 'it seemed to him that he could not get his breath if he took
some more steps', with a feeling of heat in the chest as if he should spit
blood.
Very violent cough, with irregular breathing, now accelerated, now slowed down;
cough rough and barking, with burning on the inner surface of the sternum and
stitches in both lungs.
Oppression of chest, as from intense emotion.
Constant pressive pain in the whole thoracic cavity. Obtuse stitches in the chest,

1936
 Clematis Erecta

somewhat aggravated on breathing.

Sharp stitches in region of heart, from within outward.
Dryness in trachea in a closed room.
Expectoration bloody in afternoon, 1 pm.
Sensation of fullness in mammae.
Heat in chest, aggravated after eating.
Cancer of left mamma.

Stomach

'Long-lasting satiety'. Can eat, and with relish; yet feels that it is too much and
'he does not yet require food'.
Aversion to beer.
After eating, tired and sleepy, has to lie down, with violent beating of
the arteries; nausea, especially when smoking a cigarette after a meal, with
weakness in the lower limbs, so that one is compelled to lie down. The nap
after a meal is unusually heavy and deep; immediately falls asleep
again after having been roused from sleep.
Disagreeable sensation of coldness in the stomach.
Pressure on stomach, after eating.

Abdomen

Bruised pain in the hepatic region when touched or when stooping.

Lancinating pain from middle of abdomen upward to chest
during urination, which is worse on inspiring.
Most abdominal symptoms, however, centre in the hypogastrium and
particularly in the inguinal regions.
Pressure outward as though a hernia would occur in the abdominal
ring. Both inguinal regions become swollen and tight, especially the
right one.
The inguinal glands are specially affected: swollen, indurated,
sensitive; painless or painful, pain worse on walking and at night in bed;
sensitive tensive pain, a 'prickling' pain as from needles or a jerking pain in
the lymphatic nodes.
Pustular eruptions in loins.

1937
Clematis Erecta

Pain in hypogastrium on stooping, from pressure.

Pain in abdomen extending to penis.
Cramping, griping pain in the region of umbilicus, aggravated during menses and
before stool and even flatus.
Dragging bearing-down pain in abdomen, with urging to urinate.

Rectum and Stool

Constipation for several days; hard stool, discharged only with great exertion.
Or else: frequent stools, becoming thinner and thinner, without abdominal pain.
Itching and burning in rectum, ameliorated after stool.
Flatus during menses.

Urinary Organs

The intermittent urination and the tendency to urethral stricture have

been discussed extensively in the 'Generalities'. Urination slow, in a thin
and weak stream.
In addition, there are many inflammatory and painful conditions of the urinary
tract. Burning in urethra on urinating is frequently present, or. 'When
beginning to urinate, it burns (bites) the worst; while urinating it
sticks in the urethra (from within outward); and after urinating it still
continues to burn and bite; when not urinating there is a tearing forward
in the penis'. Or else: 'During urination, painful drawing in the
spermatic cord, extending into the abdomen', even a lancinating pain
extending to the chest.
The pain may also extend to the lower part of the back. Ardor urinae and
tenesmus, with pain in the lumbar region; the forcing induces involuntary
lachrymation. Or: heavy, aching pain in lower part of back; contin-
ual desire to pass water, first with inability to perform the act; then urine
comes away in drops, finally the stream becomes full and continuous.
Frequent urination but only of a small quantity each time. Burning pain in the
meatus of the urethra from the last drops of urine. Nearly always pains remain
after urination: a prickling burning in urethra; tingling, itching and stinging in
meatus. Or else: violent urging to urinate; is afraid to put on clothes; the urine
only comes in drops, however; with pain in perineum; with burning and

1938
 Clematis Erecta

simultaneous feeling of coldness in urethra (a keynote).

Purulent matter in the urine.
Urethra painful to touch; may feel like a thick whipcord.
Contractive-cutting, drawing pain in region of kidneys, when
walking.
Pain in ureters extending to urethra and into seminal cords.
Drawing pain and tension in prostate gland.
Itching in urethral meatus after urging to urination.
Burning pain in the urethra after ejaculation.
Burning pain in urethra during urination after warm bath.

Male Genitalia

Swelling, inflammation, induration and pain in the testicles, is

one of the confirmed indications of Clematis.
The testicles are often painfully sensitive; they may hang down heavily,
especially after walking, or else they are drawn up. The pains in the testes
extend upward and downward, especially into the spermatic cord, the
inguinal region and the thighs.
'Pain drawing upward in the testicles and in the spermatic cord'.
'Sensitiveness of the right spermatic cord, with drawing up of the right
testicle'. 'Increased sensitiveness, amounting to a most unpleasant pain in
the testicles and spermatic cord, in the morning in bed'. 'Increased aching
in testicles and spermatic cord', relieved by a violent outbreak of sweat.
The right testicle is painful to touch, as if bruised, with drawing and tension in
the inguinal region, left thigh, and scrotum, in which there is a pinching pain
when touched and on walking.
Sensation of weight in left testicle with a sensation of tension and pain, and
swelling in the right spermatic cord.
The scrotum may also be much swollen: 'Swelling of the right half of the
scrotum, which is thickened and hangs low down, together with the
testicle'.
'Inflammatory swelling and hardness of testes. Testicle painfully sensi-
tive, especially on touch and motion; red and swollen; drawing pain
extending to the spermatic cord; pinching pain as if bruised on touch; with

1939
Clematis Erecta

drawing and tension in the inguinal region, thigh and scrotum; violent fever,
pains in limbs, headache, vomiting'
Clematis tends to an 'excited sexual drive' with 'involuntary erections by day',
but in this context there is a strange symptom that is characteristic: Aversion
to sexual pleasure, all day, even during the erections, as though he
had satisfied his sexual drive excessively' or 'as if even the thought of
sex were disgusting to him'.
Burning pain in urethra, in the region of the prostate gland, during seminal
discharge.
Cancer of scrotum, hard, scirrhus.
Enlarged testes while walking.
Urticaria on genitalia.
Inflammation of testes, warmth of bed aggravates.
Pain in spermatic cord aggravated by warmth of bed, walking.
Involuntary ejaculation and increased sexual desire when talking to women.
Burning pain in glans penis during ejaculation and pain in penis
during coition.

Female Genitalia

The mammae and ovaries are most affected, but also the uterus.
Full, heavy, sensitive breasts, also indurated nodules in them.
Mammary tumours, even malignant; lancinating pains from within
outward; pains worse in cold dry wind, from cold in general and at night;
much perspiration but cannot bear uncovering.
'Glandular induration above nipple, painful when touched'.
Oophoritis and painful tumours of the ovaries.
Corrosive leucorrhoea and lancinating pains; uterine tumours.
Menses earlier and more profuse than otherwise.
Pains shooting upward, especially during micturition and on
inspiring.

Neck and Back

Moist eruption in the nape of the neck, extending to the occiput.

Contractive-cutting pain in the kidney region, especially when walking.
Heat in lumbar region externally.

1940
 Clematis Erecta

Pain in back with desire to urinate.

Pain in dorsal region inferior angle of scapulae, while breathing.
Perspiration in lumbar region.
Weakness on motion of arms.
Pain in lumbar region on unsuccessful urging to urinate or during difficult
urination.
Burning pain in lumbar region extending to side and the right shoulder.

Extremities

Heaviness, weariness and bruised feeling in all the limbs,

especially in the morning after waking, gradually ceasing from motion in the
open air.
Weariness of all the limbs, the knees are unsteady and easily give way; after
walking in the open air.
Unusual feeling of power and energy, involuntary running about
in the streets with increased rapidity and lightness; afterwards great
prostration and fatigue of body and mind.
Swelling of axillary glands.
Rheumatic pains in hands, especially in metacarpal bones and fingers.
Arthritic nodes on finger joints.
Weakness in lower limbs after smoking tobacco; has to lie down.
Scaly tetters on thighs or legs.
Hard, painful swelling in knee, also as a sequel to gonorrhoea.
Rheumatic pains in ankles.
Violent itching upon the toes, evenings, when lying down, compelling to scratch;
sweating between the toes.
Vesicular eruptions in upper limb, cold water aggravates.
Urticaria in lower limbs after scratching.
Dry eruption on leg.
Heat in hand and foot, after midnight, 3 am.
Heaviness in limbs, aggravated on ascending stairs.
Itching in joints.
Impaired motion of forearm.
Motion of upper arm as if playing the violin.

1941
Clematis Erecta

Rheumatic pain in joints because of suppressed gonorrhea.

Wandering pain in toes.
Pain in foot or heel, afternoon.
Circumscribed perspiration in knee.
Perspiration of foot, in evening in bed.
Walking in open air ameliorates.
Weakness in leg, while walking.
Weakness of extremities in night during toothache, after eating, from smoking.

Sleep

Constant sleepiness with disinclination to work, even in the

early morning; wants to rise but falls asleep again because he is so weary.
Unable to fall asleep in the evening for along time, which is very unusual.
Or even: unable to fall asleep all night though he is so tired that
his eyelids drop all the time; because of an internal dry heat.
Uneasy sleep at night, with dreaming, tossing about, turning the covers
around; unrefreshed in the morning.
Dream of accusation, being accused wrongfully of crime; of being arrested; of
danger from fire.
Insomnia with sensation as if bed were in motion.

Fever and Chill

Shivering over whole body even though the air is warm, when uncovering
even slightly.
Feeling of dry heat, preventing sleep all night.
Much perspiration at night.
When perspiring cannot bear uncovering because of a disagreeable
sensation of coldness.
Feverish diseases where chill is immediately followed by sweat, without
intervening sensation of fever heat.
Chill in morning, if uncovered.
Fever in afternoon 3 to 4 pm.
Profuse perspiration after midnight, 3 am, and sudden perspiration in afternoon.

1942
 Clematis Erecta

Skin
Numerous moist and itching skin eruptions, with a tendency to
desquamation (for the modalities see 'Essential Features').
Pustular eruptions, resembling itch, sometimes covering the whole body.
Dermatitis with burning pains, redness and eruption of blisters which finally burst,
with suppuration and ulceration.
Miliary eruptions, itching violently, spreading more and more.
Herpetic eruptions on nape of neck and occiput, thighs and legs, hands, face, etc.
'Prickling, as from needles, compelling to scratch, on numerous spots
of the skin'.
Vesicular eruptions as from heat of sun.
Painfully stinging, stitching margins of the ulcers when touched.

CLINICAL

Cancer. Eyes, affections of. Face, pimples on. Gonorrhoea. Headache.

Rheumatism. Testicles, inflammation of. Toothache. Urethra, constriction of.

RELATIONS

Antidoted by: Bryonia (toothache, urinary symptoms), Camphor.

Antidote to: Mercurius.
Compatible: Silicea
Compare: Arsenicum; Clematis skin redder from washing.
Pulsatilla; Orchitis, testicle hard as stone.
Belladonna, Bryonia, Calcarea carbonica, Cantharis, Conium, Causticum,
Dulcamara, Sarsaparilla; syphilitic ulcers.
Graphites, Mercurius; iritis, sensitive to cold.
Petroleum; impetigo on neck and occiput.
Antimonium, Hepar, Phosphorus, Sepia, Spigelia, Sulphur; aversion to
being washed.
Notes:

1943
Clematis Erecta

1944
 COCCULUS INDICUS
Cocculus, a tropical climbing plant.
N.O. Menispermaceae.
Tincture from the powdered seeds.

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

Persons who need Cocculus have organisms that have 'slowed
down' in many respects. Perception is slow, thinking is slow, sensa-
tion is slow, the patient has problems to accommodate to external
impressions. Everything is too much for Cocculus. The brain is slow
to work.

But a strong keynote for Cocculus is the transference of an external

stimulus (such as pricking the skin) in such a slow manner that it is
really surprising. On pricking the leg with a pin, it is some seconds
before you hear the sound that declares that the person has felt the
pain.

The head feels stupid and confused, as if intoxicated. If the

patient reads a sentence only once he won't understand; he needs
more time, he has to read it several times to take the contents in. If
he is asked a question he reflects a long time before answering. He
feels something like a dizziness and stuffiness in his head, he is not
able to describe what he experiences very well; a kind of heaviness,
dullness and slowness in mind. 'Confusion and stupefaction of the
head. There is an emptiness in my head, empty of
thoughts, just like being stupid'. A hollow feeling in the
head accompanied with numbness felt in the temples is reported.

The eyes are unable to adjust quickly enough to a

moving object, they are unable to accommodate. This is the
reason why Cocculus has been called a remedy in seasickness,

1945
.Cocculus Indicus

in car-sickness and so on. The patient sits in a car and cannot stand
to look out of the window because the view he sees is in motion, he
has to close his eyes. 'On riding in a car, intense nausea
and vomiting'. The same thing is true in the 'rolling' or rocking
motion of a boat.

It seems as if the whole nervous system has come to a standstill, it

transmits the impressions only in slow motion, and so vertigo,
nausea or confusion of the head will come on. Cocculus people are
unable to travel. They say, 'I cannot travel anymore by car, espe-
cially when I am sitting next to the driver and do not drive myself,
because of the visual impressions that I pass with the car. I cannot
absorb and accommodate them'.

The seasickness of Tabacum will be much stronger, the Tabacum

patient immediately becomes white, develops a tremendous nausea
and vomits. Cocculus will not vomit, there will only be this strong
nausea pre-eminent. And in Cocculus it is not only this kind of
motion that excites nausea and vertigo; the same thing may happen
when getting up in the morning. 'When rising in bed, whirling
vertigo and nausea will ensue'.

All kinds of motion, especially motion of the eyes, will have such
consequences. 'Wants plenty of time to turn the head cautiously
to see things'. (Kent). There may be a whirling vertigo where the
patient might fall backwards, or simply a giddiness 'as if drunk'.

All this slowness is a sure sign that in this remedy we will find a
general tendency to paralysis, heaviness and sluggishness of the
whole body. Painless paralysis is the most characteristic
state.

The sense of time is also disturbed. 'Time passes too rapidly'

is a guiding symptom of Cocculus. 'He cannot realise it has been
a whole night. A week has gone by, and it seems but a moment,

1946
 .Cocculus Indicus

he is so dazed' (Kent). The symptom in Hahnemann's proving

reads: 'Time passes too quickly, and several hours seemed to
him no longer than one hour'.

Cocculus may be a remedy in apathetic states where people lie

down with closed eyes, without loss of consciousness; you can talk
to them and ask questions, and they will answer correctly, but not
before meditating for some time. Cocculus people need time to
answer. They have to wait until they have succeeded in under-
standing the question, they need time to let it 'sink in'.

In this context we find an inability to cope with surprises.

'He dreads everything which suddenly takes him by surprise', as
Hahnemann puts it in the proving. Cocculus people may be slow
and vacillating in their actions, unable to finish any task. Even their
speech is slow. 'On speaking she experiences a kind of contrac-
tion of the mouth, and is obliged to speak slowly'.

Loss of Sleep

The slowness is usually the result of exhaustion. The nervous system

becomes weak and tired because it has been overtaxed. There is a
great sensitivity in Cocculus. It is loss of sleep that will bring about
all the worst symptomatology of Cocculus that will remain
as a chronic condition. Especially loss of sleep that comes
from nursing sick relatives. 'Slightest loss of sleep tells on
him and makes him lose strength; he misses each hour of sleep'.
In nursing, there is not only the lack of sleep that produces stress,
there is also the anxiety and worry about the sickness.

A Cocculus state may develop in a woman who has been nursing a

parent for weeks and months. And should he or she die, she may
suffer from grief which will further drain her strength away. She will
not be able to cry, to express her sorrow. In her sleep, though, she

1947
.Cocculus Indicus

might dream about death. There are ill effects of grief: a

sensitive mood; every kind of emotional disturbance upsets them,
but especially grief, care and sorrow. Also: ill effects of anger or
mental excitement.

Cocculus people will keep the anger inside themselves and will
suppress it until a certain time, when they cannot any more tolerate
any suppression, and will explode in anger with the least cause. A
woman will hit her children and then feel remorse and guilt, and will
blame herself with thoughts of this kind: 'I am not a good mother, I
have not succeeded in my life, I have not attained anything so far, I
have only difficulties in my life', then will feel anxious that she has
lost valuable time and will close herself in a room, depressed and
apathetic, and brood.

Loss of sleep can also be a cause without the additional stress of

nursing and grief. An interesting polarity here is that sleep will
aggravate all symptoms! 'All symptoms and ailments, espe-
cially of the head, increased by drinking, eating, sleeping and
talking'. If she wakes up in the night, unpleasant things will come to
her mind and keep her from falling back to sleep.

The Cocculus sleep itself can be disturbed by many and varied

complaints. There are bodily reasons like a constrictive pain in the
stomach, or flatulent colic about midnight, but also mental reasons,
the most prominent of them being restlessness and excessive
anxiety.

The restlessness may be connected with abdominal pains and

turning from side to side, or it is an uneasiness felt in whole body,
with stitching and biting here and there. It may also be a restlessness
from 'thoughts of the business of the day' that prevent sleep and
make the patient wide awake at about 1 am. The anxiety feels
like an awful dream and is felt at each attempt to fall asleep.

1948
 .Cocculus Indicus

Anxiety About Others

The anxiety of Cocculus is, in the first place, an anxiety about

others and, more especially, about the health of others. This
anxiety will often be present when these patients nurse their relatives
and loved ones, and it is one of the factors that make Cocculus ill.

But there is also an anxiety about their own health. The

proving says, 'Anxiety concerning the incurability of a slight
complaint, in the morning', but also, and more important, 'Little
concerned as to his own health, he is very anxious
about others' sickness'. This symptom may be connected with
an inability to cry, to express the grief and compassion that is felt.

This anxiety about others may look like this: a friend of a Cocculus
patient is in the hospital, and Cocculus will stay with him all night,
without sleeping a single moment. His anxiety that the friend could die
is such that he is unable to relax, even for a minute. He seems to feel
no fatigue because he is so totally absorbed by his anxiety about
others and their health. In some respects, this resembles Phosphorus,
but in Cocculus the anxiety is restricted to those he loves.

Weakness Amounting to Paralysis

As said before, the nervous system is weakened and slowed down

by Cocculus. This process may go on until there is real paralysis in
mind and body. Often it is first felt in the region of the head and
neck; the head falls down.

'Weakness of the muscles of the neck with heaviness

of the head. The muscles seemed to be unable to hold the
head; he had to lean it against this or that support to prevent
the neck muscles from aching; leaning backward ameliorated
best'. Also: 'She is so weak that she has to sit down during a

1949
.Cocculus Indicus

simple task that she used to do while standing'. 'Much tremor,

especially of head; unable to raise it and to hold it'.

The Cocculus paralysis is a painless kind of paralysis, it may be

accompanied by general stiffness. The process runs very slowly and
insidiously, and finally may become general. Then the condition
may arrive at a point which looks like multiple sclerosis; it is a
degeneration of the nervous system, developing and aggravating
over years, and often vertigo and a dizzy feeling in head will be
present with this paralytic state. If such a condition develops after a
long period of insomnia, this is a strong pointer to Cocculus.

Profound Sadness

There is a tendency to profound sadness in Cocculus, which may

be triggered by mortification, grief or loss of sleep. 'He is absorbed
in the saddest thoughts, and affronts are sitting deep in his
heart'. 'Always sad thoughts, as though he had suffered insults'.

Then the patient tends to sit, introverted and reserved, he retires

from reality and his thoughts always dwell on one sad and melan-
cholic subject. 'Thoughts directed to one unpleasant object; she
is absorbed in herself, and notices nothing around her. She sits
in deep thought'.

Hahnemann writes that spasms and cramps in women may also

trigger such a kind of profound sadness. It may be connected with
pangs of conscience as if one had committed a wicked deed, and
with a desire to escape. In melancholy states there is a great
dissatisfaction with himself; the patient does not do anything, does
not want anything. 'He has no desire and takes pleasure in
nothing'. 'No desire to work'.

1950
 .Cocculus Indicus

Anxiety and Fright

The anxiety of Cocculus is intense but often not very definite or

clear. A fear of 'unknown dangers' is listed in the materia medica.
The sudden excessive anxiety may be connected with pangs of
conscience, with a feeling as of having committed a great crime or
having done some evil. A description from Hahnemann:

'Wanted to sleep because he felt a strong inclination to do so,

but on closing the eyes he immediately had to rise again
because the sensation he felt in that moment in his brain had
been so excessively dreadful, similar to the most frightening
dreams he ever had'. Small wonder, then, that there is insomnia
from excessive anxiety.

The fear of surprises which is so strong in Cocculus is connected with

a tendency to be easily frightened or startled. A slight noise will cause
a great fright, and a thrill will be felt in all the limbs. 'Frequent
waking from sleep, as from fright'.

Restlessness

A kind of 'busy restlessness' is prominent in Cocculus, and it is

particularly a 'restlessness with the pains'. 'Colic about midnight,
he awakes and flatulence is continuously produced for hours;
has to turn from one side to the other and back to
relieve the p a i n s I n other cases the patients have to walk the
floor, or occupy themselves with some similar activity. Restlessness
is especially strong in dysmenorrhoea.

The restlessness is often one reason for the loss of sleep in Cocculus.
'Many thoughts of the business of the day prevented sleep for
an hour, and wide awake about 1 o'clock, without being able to
fall asleep again'.

1951
.Cocculus Indicus

'Very sensitive mood; everything offends him'. Cocculus is very

much affected and offended by slight obliquity and untruths of
others, and easily angered, taking everything in bad part. Or else
they are offended at the slightest circumstance, often to weeping,
with contraction of the pupils; after weeping, there is loss of
appetite.

On the other hand, there is a strange kind of alternation in the

moods of a Cocculus patient. 'Everything makes him angry and
peevish; after a few hours he became lively and jocose'. This can
even amount to a manic state: 'Irresistible inclination to sing'. This
manic kind of mood will often exist in drunkards, sometimes
alternating with the profound sadness described above, or with
irritability; and in fact, Cocculus is a remedy in ailments from
alcohol.

Weakness of memory. 'Distracted (loss of memory); he easily

forgets of what he has just thought'. A difficulty to find the right
words. 'Often failed to use right expression for thoughts, could
scarcely recollect anything of the past; mumbled, so that it was
great trouble for him to pronounce his words'. A slowness and
clumsiness of comprehending and thinking.

Some Keynotes

Ailments after sleepless nights.

Vertigo accompanied with vomiting and diarrhoea worse after
eating or drinking.
Sensation of hollowness or of emptiness in the head and
abdomen.
Car or sea sickness.
Painless paralysis with exaggerated reflexes.
Aversion to cheese.
'Empty and hollow in the abdomen, as though there were no

1952
 .Cocculus Indicus

viscera'. 'Audible rumbling in the left side of the chest as though

it were empty, most felt when walking'.
Anxiety during sleep, after menses.
Confusion of mind after drinking.
Confusion of mind after eating.
Fainting, hysterical (Kent).
Introspection.
Delusions as if there were no head (Herbert Roberts).
Delusions as if living things were on the walls, floor and chair.
Delusion something will roll on him.
Dullness after sexual excesses.
Fear of ghosts on waking.
Fear of sudden noise.
Insanity from amenorrhoea.
Lamenting during menses.
Rocking aggravates.
Taciturn morning on waking.

Generalities

Cocculus is a remedy with very marked general modalities. There is

an aggravation from emotional and mental influences,
especially grief, excitement, mental exertion. Moreover, everything
which is surprising to the patient will aggravate his condition because
he isn't able to 'take it in' fast enough. This especially applies to
noise and jar. It may cause starting and trembling all over the
body and many other 'nervous' symptoms.

It also applies to motion of any kind, but mostly motion of the

head in respect to the eyes or else 'passive' motion in a
car or a train, causing vertigo and nausea. Moreover, there is an
aggravation from sleeping, talking, eating and drinking. It
is most marked in the head symptoms, but may also be felt in any
other area.

1953
.Cocculus Indicus

Air is also an 'external influence' which has negative effects on the

patient's state, cold air as well as warm air. 'Cannot support
cold and warm air'. The symptoms are excessively increased from
cold air, especially the headache. Open air is experienced as 'too
cold' even when it is warm. 7 am really dazed when I go outside
during the lunch hour; it seems as if I can't tolerate the open
air'.

There is much aggravation from coffee, alcohol, tobacco and other

drugs. 'Marked intolerance of wine; feels exalted and excited
after a single glass'. (But also much thirst for cold drinks, especially
beer; Hahnemann.)

Bonninghausen observed another interesting general modality that

should be taken into consideration: 'Sleep at night undisturbed,
feels much better at night than by day'.

A striking peculiarity of Cocculus is a muscular relaxation with a

feeling of heaviness which may amount to paralysis and fainting.
With this sluggishness (which also affects the mind) an excessive
sensitivity to external impressions may coincide, however. Some-
times the patient's nervous system is simply not able to absorb and
integrate the sensual impressions fast enough, and just this lack of
ability to accommodate is the reason for the oversensitivity and
uneasiness.

'His knees sink down from weakness; he totters while

walking and threatens to fall to one side'. There are attacks of
paralytic weakness, with pain in the back. Some examples of
related symptoms:
Painful stiffness in the joints;
Great weakness, so that it was difficult to stand firmly;
Hemiplegia, more on the left side;
Faintness on moving the body, with spasmodic distortion of the
muscles of the face.

1954
 .Cocculus Indicus

The sensory nerves may also be affected by relaxation and weak-

ening. In this case, we have numbness and paraesthesia in different
parts of the body. Sometimes there is an alternation from one side
of the body to the other.

The susceptibility to external impressions has led to the recom-

mendation of Cocculus in anorexia nervosa. Another kind of
'nervous' symptom is tremor and spasm. Cocculus has much
trembling, especially from excitement, exertion and
pain; twitching of isolated groups of muscles; spasms through the
whole body, coming like electric shocks; sudden spasms from
nonappearance or sudden checking of menses; convulsions
after loss of sleep.

An interesting peculiarity in this context is a tendency 'backward'. It

may be expressed in a sensation or in an objective behaviour. 'The
horse went tottering, as if intoxicated. It sat down on its
buttocks and seemed to fall backwards' (Gross). 7 am easily
frightened. When my husband drives me in his car, I sometimes
feel as if a we were going backward' (quoted by Keller).

Cocculus has intentional tremor; especially tremor of the hands

exactly at the moment where one wants to do something with them,
to move them, to grasp something etc. This is also an important
symptom in multiple sclerosis and in epileptiform conditions.

There are some pathological indications that are quite often met by
Cocculus when the symptoms agree; besides the well known sea-
and car-sickness, it is especially Morbus Meniere, vestibular vertigo.

1955
.Cocculus Indicus

Vertigo

Vertigo or giddiness as if intoxicated, with faint-like feeling or real fainting,

and with nausea to the point of vomiting, on riding in a car or
boat and on every motion, especially of the eyes, especially when
looking at objects while riding; this is the most important vertigo symptom of
Cocculus.
The vertigo is often felt in the forehead, as in this proving symptom: 'Vertigo, as
from intoxication, with dullness in the forehead, as if there were a
board across the head'. Some patients, however will feel it in the occiput,
with a sensation as if the occiput opened and closed like a valve.
'Whirling vertigo, on rising up in bed, with inclination to vomit, which
compelled him to lie down again'.
Even severe vertigo when lifting the head, as Carroll Dunham says, with
nausea and faintness. Or: 'In the open air, weakness and vertigo to falling down'.
Totters when walking and seems to fall sideways.
In one case where the vertigo came on in paroxysms, there were a lot of
characteristic concomitants: 'Attacks of vertigo every fortnight, continuing for
days. Vertigo while sitting, on rising up in bed or chair, while standing, most
frequently after a meal, with a feeling as if intoxicated or stupid, with
nausea, pressure and throbbing in temples; now the feet go numb, now
the hands; difficult speech during paroxysm, difficult thinking and reading
afterwards'.
Vertigo with palpitation of the heart from any quick motion or excitement.
Cocculus has often been successfully used in vestibular vertigo, with tinnitus,
nystagmus, nausea and vomiting.

Head

Headache, with nausea and inclination to vomit, 'as if he had taken

an emetic'. Sick headache from riding in a vehicle. A pain in the
intestines as if bruised may be a concomitant.
Two important modalities and an interesting eye symptom are found in a case
of headache described in Hughes' Pharmacodynamics: 'Headaches came on
shortly after the catamenia had appeared, and have ever since
regularly occurred at that period. Violent headache, described as a

1956
 .Cocculus Indicus

dull pain affecting whole head; patient has a difficulty in describing it

minutely; is unable to lie for a moment on back of head, is forced
to lie on side; unable to bear least light; any noise excites nausea and
vomiting. During the headache she feels as if suffering from seasickness,
and, on sitting up, the objects around seem to move up and down.
...Principal indication...a marked tendency to nausea, resembling sea-
sickness, as if the stomach heaved up and down... She told me that
travelling in a carriage made her feel ill, and that sickness has often been
brought on by looking at a vessel pitching up'.
Aggravation from lying on the back mostly applies to occipital pains
as Turner describes them: 'Pain began in occiput and nape and now extends
to both shoulders'.
Another kind of occipital pain was described by Farrington. He mentions an
intense pain in lower part of occiput and nape of neck where the guiding
symptom was a sensation as if the occiput opened and closed
alternately.
This strange sensation is not the only one. We have already mentioned the
sensation of emptiness and hollowness in the head. Two interesting
symptoms were observed during a proving of Berridge and clinically confirmed:
'Feeling as if the brain were rolled up or compressed into a smaller bulk'.
'Feeling as if the nerves in head were drawn up tightly'.
There are also frontal headaches which take in the eyes, as in these two proving
symptoms: 'Headache, as if something forcibly closed the eyes'. 'Headache,
as if the eyes were torn out'.
Frequently headaches have the character of tightness or pressure from
without inward. As for example: 'The head is painful, as if bound up.
'Pressive headache, as if the brain were pressed together'. 'Headache in
temples as if head were seized in a vice'.
Another kind of headache is more throbbing, as if apoplexy should come.
'Throbbing in vertex worse by motion of eyes and touch of fingers, with
congestion to head'. Violent headache extending from vertex to left side of
forehead and nose, with a feeling of oppression and tottering.
All the head symptoms are worse from eating and drinking, from
talking, from sleeping, from any noise and jar, from cold air,
from mental exertion. 'Headache, increased after eating and drinking

1957
.Cocculus Indicus

and accompanied by a sensation of 'emptiness and hollowness' in head'.

But exposure to the sun may also bring on a headache.
Very often the head feels heavy, and especially so because of a marked
weakness of the cervical muscles which compels the patient to lean on the head.
Usually this relieves only temporarily, so the head has to be moved and leaned
on again, which is another expression of the restlessness of Cocculus. There may
also be a convulsive trembling of the head.
'Sensation on left side of occiput as if hair were rising up'.

Eyes

As above, the eyes have great difficulty in adjusting to moving objects; even
looking at a boat on the water may bring on vertigo, headache
and nausea.
There is a dimness of vision, sometimes also an illusion as if objects were
moving up and down.
Or: there seems to be a black form before the eyes which follows their movement,
without any other disturbance of vision (everything is seen clearly).
Or: flies and dark spots seem to float before the eyes.
The eyelids are heavy and painful and can hardly be opened. 'Pressive and
contused pain in eyes at night, with difficulty in opening lids'.
Sometimes one upper lid is swollen in the morning, especially the right one. In
other cases, instead of swelling and heaviness, a momentary jerking, trembling
and quivering of the lids is seen.
The pupils tend to be contracted, especially when mental symptoms are present.
'Vexed about the least trifle to weeping, with contracted pupils'.
'Vacillating, unable to finish anything, with contracted pupils'.
In an 18-year-old girl who suddenly fell unconscious to the ground with glowing
red face, the following symptom was seen: 'Eyes closed, balls constantly
rolling, pupils much dilated'.
Nystagmus is an important Cocculus symptom.

1958
 .Cocculus Indicus

Ears
Very acute hearing; cannot tolerate any noise, which is felt in all limbs and
makes the patient start and tremble.
Vestibular syndrome, with hardness of hearing and tinnitus. Sound in the
ears, as the rushing of water, or else like wind blowing, with difficult hearing.
Buzzing or ringing in the ears. Or: 'Sensation as if there were something before
the ears, alternating, as though they were closed and deaf'.

Nose

The sense of smell is also acute, and there is one very characteristic symptom:
cannot tolerate the smell of food. The proving says: 'Extreme
aversion to food, even the smell of food causes it, although with
hunger'.
'She is discharging bloody mucus when blowing her nose'. Nosebleed in the
morning on waking, the day before the menses.

Face

The face may look earthy or leaden, with a very painful expression. But more
often it is bloated, hot and red, with an intoxicated aspect, as if stupid
and dazed. 'Redness of the cheeks, with heat in the face, without thirst, in a
very cold room'.
In spasmodic and convulsive states, there are often distortions of the facial
muscles. Half-sided facial paralysis; left-sided hemiplegia; apoplexy. There is also
a case report about tic-like 'half-sided spasmodic motions of the face muscles'
with red and bloated face, 'looking like frozen', without any painful sensation and
even without any disturbance of the accustomed activities.
Cocculus has cured prosopalgia where the pains radiated very far, even as
far as the finger tips. Trigeminus neuralgia, with a violent jerk in the nerve
and objective coldness in the distorted face.
Quivering of lower jaw and chattering teeth when trying to speak.
Swollen, hard glands under lower jaw, which are painful when stroked. Swelling
of parotid glands. Pustule below right angle of mouth, with tensive pain when
touched.

1959
.Cocculus Indicus

Mouth
The sense of taste is altered, and this leads to loss of appetite and aversion to
eating. Most frequently there is a metallic taste, sometimes like copper, with
toss of appetite. It may be perceived on the root of the tongue. There is also
bitter, sour or putrid taste, or something like an insipid taste, 'as if the food
lacked salt', or again, 'as if all food had been salted and peppered too
much'.
When nausea comes on, which is often the case from getting cold or taking cold,
a frequent accumulation of saliva occurs. But often mouth and tongue will be
dry, with or without thirst. 'Dryness in mouth, at night, without thirst'. Or else:
'Feeling of dryness in mouth, with foamy saliva and violent thirst'. A white
or whitish-yellow coating on the tongue may occur. 'Tongue coated white, dry
at the edges, bitter taste, unquenchable thirst'.
The speech is often greatly impaired. This is in part a mental problem (for
example a difficulty to find the right word, or an extreme slowness of compre-
hension and phrasing what one wants to say), but in part also a problem of the
organs of articulation and their nerves. 'Mumbling speech, it requires great
effort to articulate the words clearly'. 'Difficulty in speaking, as from
paralysis of the tongue'. Problems to coordinate the motions of the
tongue. In the proving we find: 'She gets a kind of constriction in the mouth
from speaking and has to speak more slowly'. The mental and
articulation problems often come at the same time.
In the teeth there is an interesting symptom: 'Hollow tooth pains only when
chewing food, even soft food; not when biting with empty mouth'.
Generally the patients tend to feel better when they press their teeth together.
A strange sensation is a 'chilly feeling' in the teeth with a 'shrill fine drawing at
the borders of teeth', which came on in a case of prosopalgia that was cured by
Cocculus.

Throat

Spasms or paresis of oesophagus and pharynx. 'The oesophagus

does not permit swallowing'.
Dryness and roughness in pharynx and oesophagus, most felt when swallow-
ing, but without thirst.
Burning in oesophagus, extending into fauces, with taste of sulphur in mouth.

1960
 .Cocculus Indicus

Constricting feeling on throat while coughing.

Pain in throat on putting out the tongue.
Burning like fire in pharynx, and at the same time a shuddering around the head

Respiration, Cough and Chest

The respiration is often impeded by a sensation of constriction or contraction. It

may be felt in the throat, in the region of the throat pit or high up in the pharynx.
'Sensation in the pit of the throat, as if something arrested the breathing; it
constricts the throat'.
Or: 'A kind of choking contraction in the fauces, which impedes
breathing and provokes cough'. It may occur in the chest: 'Tensive
constriction in the right side of the chest, which impedes the breathing'.
Or: 'Oppression of the chest, especially about the upper part of the sternum,
which impedes the breathing'.
Or it may arise in the epigastrium: 'Griping in the upper abdomen,
taking away the breath'.
Constrictive sensations will also cause an irritation to cough
which may sometimes be continuous: 'A suffocative sensation, taking away
the breath and constricting the trachea, which almost constantly provokes
coughing'.
Or: 'Irritation to cough high up in larynx'. There may also be a very fatiguing,
racking cough from oppression of chest, particularly at night. This oppression
may be caused by cough in the first instance, and later it again becomes the
reason for more coughing.
A very characteristic sensation is an emptiness in the left side of the chest. In the
proving it is expressed like this: 'Audible rumbling, in left side of chest
as it were, as if from emptiness, especially noticeable when walking'.
A patient said, "I have a feeling in the left half of the chest as if there were
something missing, as if it were hollow".
Sighing after convulsions.
Coldness and chilliness in mammae.
Cramps in chest during menses. Perspiration on chest in the morning.

1961
.Cocculus Indicus

Heart and Pulse

There is a tendency to palpitation of the heart. 'A tremulous motion of
the heart or a slight throbbing, from quick motion or mental
excitement'. This will often be coupled with vertigo and a fainting
feeling, 'has to hold on to something'.

Stomach

It is one of the main remedies for sea sickness when there is intense
nausea and vomiting. Also the nausea comes riding in a car, swinging, or
any 'rolling' or rocking motion.
There is usually a loss of appetite with aversion to all f o o d and
drink. A particular aversion is to sour things of all kinds but also to
cheese.
Eating and drinking will also aggravate all affections and symptoms. This is
especially true for cold things, for coffee, tobacco, alcohol and so on. For
example the patient may be very nervous after one glass of wine, or may get
nausea and vomiting after the smell of a cigar.
Sometimes there is a hungry feeling in the pit of the stomach which may
continue the whole day, but which is hardly relieved by eating. It has
been described in the proving as a 'sensation in stomach as if one had been
a long time without food till hunger was gone'. But the aversion and disgust
for food, which is so intense that it can be compared with Colchicum, may
continue notwithstanding the hungry feeling.
Anorexia nervosa, caused by grief, mental excitement, etc. Bulimia. In a
'classical' case of 'amenorrhoea with insanity' the patient suffered with fixed
ideas concerning eating: didn't want to eat anything, or nothing but bread
and water; then again eating with a ravenous and greedy appetite.
The desires for certain kinds of food and drink are rare but one has been
confirmed: thirst for cold drinks, especially beer (which may or may not agree).
Desire for mustard and aversion cheese.
Nausea and inclination to vomit are, of course, very frequent symptoms
in Cocculus patients. They are often coupled with a whirling vertigo,
s o m e t i m e s with headache. 'Inclination to vomit, associated with
headache, and pain in the intestines as if bruised'. Nausea may even

1962
 .Cocculus Indicus

accompany complaints like sciatica.

Well known are certain causes and modalities: nausea caused by riding in
a car or boat; by motion, especially of the eyes, by rising in bed, lifting
the head etc. 'In the morning she is scarcely able to rise in bed on account
of sickness and inclination to vomit'. 'Becomes sick by looking at the
pitching of a vessel'.
Some more peculiarities of the nausea:
It will come on from smelling food, but also when looking at it, when
thinking of it, even when s o m e o n e else talks about eating. As Kent
says, 'You go to the bedside and you ask the nurse, "What have you been
feeding the patient?" and the patient gags'.
Nausea will also be excited by becoming cold or chilled, and in this case
it is accompanied by frequent accumulation of saliva in the mouth. Eating and
drinking will also cause nausea, even speaking may make the patient sick. 'When
she eats, she becomes nauseous to the point of vomiting'.
There is a strange kind of locality with the nauseous feeling. 'Nausea, in the
afternoon after every drink, it seems to be mostly in the mouth'. Hering
describes that in seasickness he felt a nausea like an 'internal tensive sensation
that extended from the stomach to the base of the head'. Nausea felt in
mouth and head is characteristic. Sometimes it is attended by a feeling as if
the stomach heaved up and down.
Often there is no actual vomiting but only a very intense and ineffective
retching. The nausea rises to a tremendous height but does not lead to
evacuation of the food. But there may also be actual vomiting of mucus and
bile, or mucus and water, etc. It will usually need much exertion but hardly bring
relief.
Many eructation, which smell putrid or taste bitter. Attempts to belch, with
incomplete eructation that develop into a hiccup.
A characteristic sensation in the stomach is a feeling as though a worm
were moving in it. Griping, cramping, pinching, constrictive pains in the
region of the stomach with the peculiarity of taking away the breath.
'Pain beneath the stomach immediately after eating'. 'Constrictive pain in
the stomach, preventing sleep'.
'Contracting sensation in stomach with pressure, especially after cold food
or drink'.

1963
.Cocculus Indicus

'Twisting in the stomach with indescribable aching, with intense nausea and
anxious perspiration, but without vomiting'.
Besides the hungry and 'hollow' feeling, there is also a sensation of fullness.
'Painful sensation of fullness in stomach impeding respiration'. It may be
followed by the feeling of emptiness.
The stomach pains often compel restless movements of the patient which may
ease the pain, but only momentarily.
Nausea during constipation.
Nausea from noise.
Seasickness, better closing eyes.
Stomach trembling on lying down.

Abdomen .

'In the abdomen she has a sensation of hollowness and

emptiness as if there were no viscera at all'.
On the other hand, great distension of the abdomen is frequently
observed. This is especially the case in connection with the menses
(dysmenorrhoea), and more so when the menses are too early.
The bellyache will aggravate with every jar and motion, especially on every step.
It is described 'as if the inner parts were suffering from the sharp

tA ft sJtbftB e s t v ^ T O T p storest^oe^ ecxdn o%iet ot

'as if there were an internal ulcer'. It may also be simply pressive, like a heavy
stone in the umbilical region.
Another pain is a cutting-contracting pain on every motion and every
breath, accompanied by a contraction in rectum.
Cocculus has violent flatulent colic, often about midnight. The
characteristic feature is the restlessness that ensues: was obliged to cons-
tantly turn from one side to the other in order to obtain relief.
The relief is always only momentarily. 'Flatulent troubles soon after supper;
flatus distending now this and now that part of intestines and is discharged
with difficulty'.
'Liver area more painful after anger'.
Cocculus has often successfully been described in inguinal hernia and
disposition to hernia with weakness of abdominal muscles. This

1964
 .Cocculus Indicus

indication has its source in Hahnemann's proving, in the following symptoms:

'Paralytic pain in the right abdominal ring, as if something would force
itself through; a pain, as from hernia, only while sitting, ceases on rising'.

Rectum and Stool

Contractive pain in the anus, preventing sitting, in the afternoon.

Contraction of the rectum, with painful and early menses. Or else: after stool,
violent tenesmus, even to fainting. Prolapsus recti after stool.
This group of symptoms may also occur in a slightly different fashion, e.g. like
this: 'Awakes at night from strong pressure in rectum. The pressive pain may
become so violent as to induce fainting'.
Diarrhoeic stools are often brightly coloured or pale and tend to occur
only during day. 'Frequent whitish-yellow and thinly fluid stools'. 'Chronic
diarrhoea'. 'Diarrhoea better sitting'.
The diarrhoea may also be accompanied by abdominal pains 'as of sharp stones
rubbing together'.
Constipation: 'Hard stool every other day, expelled with great difficulty'.
Haemorrhoids before and after menses.

Urinary Organs

A very frequent urging to urinate, sometimes every 15 minutes, with very

little discharge, is the most marked symptom in this region.

Male Genitalia

Increased sensitivity of genitalia, with tendency to arousal and desire for sex.
Fain in both testicles, of a drawing character or as if bruised, especially when
touched.
Itching externally at scrotum, or itching in the scrotum.
Nocturnal ejaculation.

1965
.Cocculus Indicus

Female Genitalia

Cocculus is an important remedy in dysmenorrhoea with cramping

abdominal pains.
The time of menstruation is a problematic time in many Cocculus cases, as
well as the time where it ceases (in climaxis or pregnancy). The female cycle is
frequently very irregular. Either the bleeding tends to be suppressed or is
absent for a longer time, with scanty discharge or leucorrhoea instead of the
menses, or it comes too early and profusely, often in gushes. Two
symptoms of the proving that illustrate the early menses with violent colic:
'Menstruation seven days too early, with distension of the
abdomen, and cutting-contracting pain in the abdomen on every
motion and every breath; together with contraction of the rectum'.
'Menstruation eight days too early, with distension of the abdomen, and
pain in the upper region of abdomen, not only on every motion (every step
was painful), but also while sitting, as if the inner parts were suffering
from the sharp pressure of a stone; the parts are painful to external
touch, as if there were an internal ulcer'.
Extreme exhaustion from the menstrual bleeding, to a degree that the patient
can neither stand nor speak. This weakness can also occur in retarded
and scanty menses.
Dysmenorrhoea can also be triggered by extreme mortification during
the menstrual period: violent abdominal spasms, with howling, crying and
moaning.
There are many symptoms that c o m e on with the menses. Distension
of the abdomen, constipation, nausea and vomiting, headache, insomnia,
vertigo, dullness of head, spasms of chest, trembling of whole body, a fainting
feeling, paralytic weakness of lower limbs.
The blood will often be dark, even black, or mixed with black clots.
Leucorrhoea in place of the menses or between periods, sometimes
looking like the washings of meat. It tends to gush out on bending or squatting
down.
A bloody discharge during pregnancy has been cured by Cocculus. It
was painless but continuous. Very frequent urging to urinate in
pregnant women is another indication.
'Shivering over mammae'.

1966
 .Cocculus Indicus

Neck and Back

Symptoms of weakness and paralysis are dominant in this region.
Weakness of the cervical muscles, with heaviness of the head
which cannot be supported by the neck.
Stiff pain in the cervical muscles on moving neck, also on yawning. Painful
cracking in cervical vertebrae on moving head.
Similar symptoms are also found in other parts of the back, especially in the
lumbar region. 'Paralytic pain in the small of the back, with spasmodic
drawing across the hips, which prevents walking, with anxious fearful
mood'. Or else: 'Attacks of paralytic weakness, with pain in the
back'. 'On standing, pain in the back, as if one had exerted oneself too
much, like from over-lifting'. The weakness can amount to trembling.
Another syndrome is called 'spinal irritation' in the old texts. There is an
increased sensitive of the spine, either in single vertebrae or along its whole
length. 'Sensitiveness of vertebrae to touch, but cannot locate pain'.
Pressure in the scapulae and nape of the neck.
Frequent stitches between scapulae and in small of back.
Coldness of the back as from ice.

Extremities

A peculiar symptom in this system is a painful and paralytic stiffness of

the joints. They are straightened out and cannot be bent without
pain, or even without help. Kent describes this state: 'Persons who have been
suffering from anxiety, prostrated,, will lie on the back, straighten out their
limbs, and get only up with great difficulty. The doctor...bends the limbs and
the patient screams, but she is relieved after the bending, and then she can
get up and move about. You cannot find that anywhere else. It is completely
without inflammation. It is a sort of paralytic stiffness...' In the proving we
find: 'Limbs are painful when moved, as if broken or crushed'. The
paralytic rigidity may be accompanied by a cracking and creaking in the joints.
'Immobility of the limbs with drawing pains, seemingly in the bones'.
'Painful lameness in the arms and legs; she could scarcely rise from her seat,
with loss of appetite'.
There is a tendency to trembling of all limbs. 'Trembling in all the limbs,

1967
.Cocculus Indicus

always with chilliness, which does not disappear even in a warm room,
especially in the evening'.
Numbness is a strong symptom in Cocculus. And most characteristic is a
'migratory numbness' as Kent puts it. Numbness now of the feet, now of
the hands, alternately, in transitory attacks. Cold and numb hands and feet.
Awkwardness and incoordination are frequent symptoms in Cocculus.
Ataxic gait, awkward and lame hands, drops things, etc. Moreover, there are also
violent spasmodic symptoms: 'Violent spasms of arms and legs, which were
continually shaken and pushed away from the body, with jerks through
body like electric shocks'.
Cocculus acted curatively in a case of acute articular rheumatism, pain springing
from joint to joint, with redness, swelling and stiffness; slightest touch or motion
causing intense pain.
The arms are frequently asleep, with a crawling sensation and often with
a paralytic feeling. This is especially found in the forearms and, even more
so, in the hands. 'The forearm is asleep, with sensation as if the hand were
swollen, with constrictive pain in the muscles; the fingers are cool, with an
internal sensation of icy coldness'.
In the hands, this symptom exhibits a characteristic, namely an alternation
between both hands. 'Now one hand, now the other, seems
insensible and asleep'. An alternation like that will also be found in other
'manual sensations', as for instance: now one hand, now the other, is alternately
hot and cold. Cold sweat now on one, now on the other hand.
The lame feeling will often amount to very disturbing problems in using the
hands. There will often be tremor, either an incessant one or intentional
tremor. 'The hand trembles while eating, and the more the higher
it is raised'. Sometimes there is a complete inability to grasp and
hold anything, or small objects that are grasped drop to the floor.
Patients are unable to do things that afford coordination, e.g. writing, playing
piano, etc.
'Convulsions of arms, with clenching of thumbs'. 'Painful paralytic jerks
through the fingers'.
Some pains in the arms that are found in Cocculus: some stitches in the
shoulder and muscles of the upper arm, during rest; especially in the right upper
arm. Excessive drawing pain in bones of shoulder and arm, on raising

1968
 .Cocculus Indicus

arm after eating; on touch the parts are painful, as if bruised or beaten. And a
strange sensation observed by Hering is a feeling '...as of very fine, delicate
wires or fibres pulling and continually in motion, down both arms from
elbow to hand'.
Weakness and numbness in the lower limbs: 'His knees sink down from
weakness; he totters while walking and threatens to fall to one
side'. Great weakness, so that it was difficult to stand firmly.
Paralysis of feet, with pithy feeling in soles and toes of both feet; can't raise
feet but shuffles; feet become stiff and awkward from sitting for a while.
Falling asleep of both feet while sitting, or else of one (left) foot, with
sticking in it as from many pins.
Pain as if lame and beaten in thighs.
Cracking of the knees on motion.
Hot swelling of feet, continuously itching. Cold sweat of the feet.

Sleep

As well known, loss of sleep is an important cause for Cocculus complaints

of all sorts. 'Least loss of sleep makes him lose strength, he misses
every hour of sleep'. Loss of sleep may, paradoxically, lead to insomnia; is
so tired that he cannot fall asleep. 'Constant yawning and stretching,
after lying down in bed'. On the other hand, not only loss of sleep will have ill
effects, but also sleeping itself! It aggravates a lot of complaints, particularly
those of the head. For the sleep is often unrefreshing and 'heavy'; has to
yawn incessantly in the morning, or is unable to open his eyes. There is an
'unconquerable sleepiness and stupefaction, like a coma'.
Insomnia during the first days of the menses; the week before
the menses.

Two interesting keynotes that are well confirmed:

'Can only sleep on her stomach with her hand under her head'.
Dreams of dying and of death. Anxious and frightful dreams that
are very vivid. Dreams of wrongdoing.

1969
.Cocculus Indicus

Fever, Chill and Perspiration

Flushes of heat have been caused and cured by Cocculus. For instance:
flushes of heat 'pre-climactic' (in a 44 year old woman), ascending from waist to
head, and disturbing sleep. Triggered, for example, by sudden thoughts and
ideas. With this, irregular menses. 'Flushes of heat, very fast and
intense'. Flushes of heat, with burning heat of cheeks and very cold
feet. Glowing red cheeks, with chill over whole body.
A striking characteristic in this system is a very frequent and quick
alternation of chill and heat. Or else: continuous chilliness with hot skin.
Chill is often felt internally and attended with a shivering through the whole body.
Sometimes it is not even ameliorated by external warmth, for instance in a warm
room, and is accompanied by trembling of the limbs.
There is much perspiration over the whole body on the slightest
exertion, which frequently does not relieve but exhausts the patient. Often, the
sweat accompanies pains, nausea and anxiety. It may be profuse,
standing out in drops on face and body, and often cold, although
there may also be an alternation between warm and cold sweat in the face or on
the hands.
General morning sweat, more on chest and on affected part.
Cold sweat on feet. Sweat of body from evening till morning, attended with cold
sweat on face.
Insidious nervous fevers. Cocculus has been used in typhoid and other diseases
where the brain and central nervous system were most affected while there were
little symptoms in abdomen etc. 'Nervous fevers produced by frequent fits of
anger, or accompanied by great disposition to anger'.
Intolerance of air during fever, of both cold and warm.

Skin

A violent itching that irritates much and provokes scratching is prominent in this
area. This itching is felt either when undressing in the evening (with a
feeling 'as after much perspiration') or under a feather duvet.

1970
 .Cocculus Indicus

CLINICAL
Anger, effects of. Bones, affections of. Cerebro-spinal meningitis. Chorea. Colic.
Convulsions. Debility. Faintness. Fear, effects of. Haemorrhoids. Headache.
Hernia. Intermittent fever. Knee, weakness of; cracking in. Memory, weak.
Menstrual headache. Menstruation, painful. Mental excitement, effects of.
Overstrain, physical or mental. Palpitation. Paralysis. Parotitis. Phthiriasis.
Rheumatism. Riding in vehicle, effects of. Seasickness. Sleep, affections from loss
of. Somnolence. Spasms. Spinal irritation. Tympany. Vertigo. Vomiting.

RELATIONS

Antidoted by: Camphor, Chamomilla, Cuprum, Ignatia, Nux vomica,

Staphisagria.
Antidote to: Alcohol, Tobacco, Chamomilla, Cuprum, Ignatia, Nux vomica,
and the fevers of Thuja.
Incompatible with: Causticum, Coffee.
Follows well: Aconitum (endocarditis and fearfulness), Chamomilla, Ignatia,
Nux vomica,
Compare: Aconitum, Actea recemosa, Antimonium crudum; gastralgia.
Agaricus, Ipecacuanha, Iodium, Lachesis, Mercurius, Moschus, Nux
moschata; somnolence.
Antimonium tartaricum, Arsenicum, Belladonna, Calcarea carbonica,
Carbo vegetabilis; parotitis.
Chamomilla, Coffea cruda, Ignatia, Oleander, Petroleum, Pulsatilla;
headache

Notes:

1971
.Cocculus Indicus

1972
 COFFEA CRUDA
The coffee plant.
N.O. Rubiaciae.
Tincture of the raw berries.

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

Like Cocculus, Coffea is a remedy indicated in ill effects from
loss of sleep. But there is a very important difference: while the
Cocc. organism is slowed down, Coffea is accelerated. The
nervous system is working very fast, sensual impressions travel very
fast, and so do thoughts, feelings, actions; 'Quick to act'.

Therefore Coffea is a remedy for oversensitive people, too

sensitive to external impressions, who get excessively
excited. The least trifle leads to an enormous excitement, and
strong fears arise. This excitement may be triggered by negative or
positive emotions, even by joy, it is the extent of it that matters and
forms the decision for prescribing. So Coffea is a remedy in
'dangerous consequences of a sudden great joy'. There
are bad effects from unexpected and excessive joy; in such states the
patient may burst into tears.

There is a great fear of death. This is especially the case in

painful conditions because Coffea patients feel pains extremely
and unusually violently. These vehement and unrestrained states of
anxiety, pain and restlessness may, for instance, look like this:
'Weeping, whining, desperate fear of death; believes that death
is near'. 'Vehement anxiety and constant lamenting'. 'Extremely
excited, constant tossing about, violent movements of extrem-
ities, constant passionate exclamations concerning her violent
pains, her imminent death etc'. 'Anguish of heart, and pangs of
conscience'. And in the proving we find: 'Great anxiety, so that

1973
Coffea Cruda

she does not know what she shall do with herself; she trembles,
and cannot hold the pen still'. 'Anxiety and restlessness'.

In Coffea patients, all senses are under high tension, they

are over-seeing, over-hearing, over-smelling, over-tasting, over-
feeling. Sense of touch is increased, as is the nervous activity of all
organs. The mind works extremely fast; many ideas are constantly
passing through, one after the other, and so the Coffea patient will
often stay awake the whole night from overactivity and over-
excitement of the mind.

The proving gives: 'Tremendous vivacity of mind and body

until midnight'. 'Sleeplessness on account of excessive
mental and physical excitement'. 'After the dose of coffee,
taken in the evening, extremely excited and quick; all move-
ments are exerted with unusual facility'.

It is especially the sense of hearing that is extremely oversensitive.

Many symptoms are aggravated by noises, as in Theridion or
Asarum. Pains of all kinds in all regions of the body, even pains of
the limbs, increase from banging on a door, the ringing of a doorbell
or other disturbing sounds. And Kent says that purely imaginary
noises are heard; 'Such patients are so sensitive that they hear
sounds which those in a state of health cannot hear'. But there
is not the kind of fear from noise that we find in Borax.

Additionally, there is an oversensitivity of the sense of

balance, for 'passive motions'; downward motion especially feels
very disagreeable. But again, this is not the 'fear of downward
motion' known from Borax but a painful anxiety accompa-
nying the downward motion.

An impressive example of the increased sensitivity to pain is given

by Kent in his Lectures: 'Coffea has a painful sensitiveness of the
skin beyond comprehension. I remember one particular case. A

1974
 Coffea Cruda

woman had her lower limb out of bed and it was as red as fire
down one side. I walked toward it to put my hand on it. But she
said, "Oh, don't touch it, I can't bear to have it touched; I can't
touch it myself." I asked how long this had been coming on. She
said, "Oh, it all came on within one hour." Such a symptom is
common in coffee drinkers. Aggravation from anyone walking
across the floor. The woman I referred to scowled when I was
walking toward the bed'. 'Excessively violent pains with
weeping mood'.

Two examples from clinical cases:

'In the most violent cases of toothache, where patients are
besides themselves, crying and trembling and not knowing what
to do with anxiety, unable even to describe the pain' (Hering).

'She ran from one room into the other, with tears in her eyes,
although she concedes that the pain is not so excessive in
reality, but it affects her so badly. With this, great haste, whereas
she was a calm person in health' (Bonninghausen).

Fantasy is strongly excited by Coffea, as is seen in the following

symptom from the proving: 'Lively fancies; full of plans for the
future; contrary to his custom he is in a sentimental ecstasy
about the beauties of nature when he reads descriptions of
them'. The intellect is excited with rush of ideas, making plans,
inclination to spontaneous actions, extreme agitation and
restlessness. 'He is beset by a thousand thoughts, and
recollects the most remote events', Kent says: 'Recalls poetry
that was recited in childhood'.

In addition, the emotions are excited very much, which is manifested

in peevishness and anger, in sadness, but also in quickly changing
moods. 'Peevish, full of care, lachrymose mood'. 'She has only
peevish and sad thoughts; she cries aloud and can be quieted
by nothing'. 'Angry, could have thrown anything away from him.

1975
Coffea Cruda

Easy laughing and crying; begins to laugh in the middle of

weeping, then continues to cry. Now joyfully excited, now in a
gloomy mood'.

So one sees the following picture: overexcited, overactive, sleepless

and at the same time hearing, smelling, and seeing very acutely, and
then the headaches start. There is headache from mental
exertion, and not only from this but from general overactivity of
the mind and erethism of the brain. Also, often one-sided sick
headaches with a pain as if a nail were driven into the brain, but
there are other pain qualities as well, to be seen under 'Head'.

Because of the enormous oversensitivity and agitation, the Coffea

picture resemble Nux vomica, but Coffea lacks the characteristic
aggression. Nux is aggressive, many times almost hard, malicious,
mean, which Coffea is not. Coffea has a wakeful, vivid and even
joyful excitement which can reach a very high level, causing
symptoms simply from its intensity.

Tyler says in her Remedy Pictures: 'It is the sleeplessness of a

wakeful and vivid mind, caused by joy, excitement or mental
tension and activity...one of our patients was severely ill and
was so much affected and weak that the doctor ordered to give
her a cup of coffee. She got it, and then / had to look after her
half the night, because every time I looked into her room I met
her fully awake, lively and gay. She didn't seem to mind, she
simply couldn't sleep. Finally I gave her a dose of Coffea 200
and in a few minutes the patient fell soundly asleep'.

On the other hand, the lack of hardness may be a real problem in

Coffea people. You should think of Coffea in very sensitive and
excited people who lack the willpower to take decisions. They tend
to accept a lot of mortification, and have a certain insecurity in them.

1976
 Coffea Cruda

To summarise the essential features of Coffea:

Worse from loss of sleep,
Insomnia coupled with headaches, and
Over-excitement that brings tears - these three essentials
make a case of Coffea.

Other general symptoms:

Ailments from emotional excitement, disappointment in love,
excessive joy, pleasant surprise.
Anger alternating with cheerfulness.
Thoughts of death without fear; but fear of death from strong pain.
Despair with the pains, especially pains in the stomach.
Ecstasy during heat.
Fear of impending danger on going to sleep.
Fear of falling on going to sleep.
Fear from pleasant surprise.
Irritability after ejaculation and nocturnal emissions.
Active memory and desire for mental exertion, evening to midnight.
Shrieking during fever; sighing during heat.
Theorising, night.
Weeping while walking in open air.
Ailments from pleasant surprises.
Anger alternating with sadness.
Excitement during chill from joy, during perspiration.
Insomnia from excessive joy.
Headache from music.
Ailments from excessive joy, laughing, love disappointment, being
scorned, violence
Anxiety from flatus, during menses.

Generalities

Coffea is suitable as a remedy especially in young, lean, irritable

individuals who are disposed to convulsions and tremor of the limbs,
in wine drinkers; in people who lead a sedentary life,

1977
Coffea Cruda

particularly if the intellect is exerted, in literary people, etc.

effects of an unexpected and excessive joy.

Coffea is often annoyed by anguish and anxiety of conscience wi

a lot of apprehension, and they talk a great deal, in an agitate
manner.

The Coffea patient is very sensitive to alcohol, particularly wine,

small amount of wine intensifies the nervousness, produces insor
nia, flushed face, feverishness, great excitement.

Increase of all secretions and excretions. Stool, urin

menstrual blood etc. are discharged profusely and quickly, mo
mucous secretions from all mucous membranes.

Restless children with a disposition to convulsion

Coffea may be indicated in convulsions of teething children wi
grinding of teeth and cold limbs. It has also been used in 'crying ar
restless children, when the child has been disturbed by the nun
and now wants to fall asleep again but is not able to sleep'.

Head

The characteristic headache of Coffea is described in the proving thus: 'Om

sided headache, as if a nail were driven into the parietal bone
This sick headache is much affected by open air, usually aggr<
vated, but sometimes also relieved. For instance: headache as though tl
whole brain were torn or crushed, which arises in the open air and soc
ceases in the room.
Or else: the headache is renewed and aggravated after eating; it disappeai
in the open air, but returns in the room for a short time.
Another characteristic modality is 'headache from mental exertion',
'headache as if crushed'
In these headaches, the general symptoms of Coffea should be present: ove
sensitivity to noises; pains that are experienced as unbearable and making ft

1978
 Coffea Cruda

patient tearful; patient is beside himself, howling, crying, tossing about, is very
anxious, fears the open air, is chilly.
'Headache like a general tension of the brain'.
Headaches with a feeling as if the head were too small.
'Sensation as if the head were about to burst... great prostration and
tiredness which, however, does not allow to sleep but leads, on account of
anxious restlessness and oppression, to a kind of 'agitated lassitude' that is
extraordinarily annoying'.
Violent rush of blood to the head, with red and hot face, especially
when talking.
An unusual symptom is a feeling as if noises were in the head.
'Crackling in the brain, near the ear, synchronous with the pulse'.

Eyes

Vision is oversensitive, more acute than otherwise; able to read fine print.
Shining eyes, in conditions of excitement, fever or ebullition of blood;
sometimes dilated pupils.
Burning in eyes, with throbbing headache in temples.

Ears

Intense sensitivity to noise in all conditions of pains, no matter in

which part of the body.
Noises are felt painfully in the ears; every step, each loud word.
Music seems too loud and has a shrill sound; unable to listen to more than the
faintest sounds of an instrument.
Hears remote sounds, distant clocks etc., which keep him awake. Acoustic
hallucinations.
Noises in the ears, which seem to be 'in the brain', in nervous people; crackling,
cracking, buzzing as a swarm of bees. But also: 'Hardness of hearing, with
humming in ear, sleeplessness and excitement of fancy'.

1979
Coffea Cruda

Nose
Sense of smell oversensitive.
Epistaxis: in the morning on rising and in the evening, several successive days,
with heaviness of the head and ill humour; also during straining at stool.

Face
Red, hot face with shining eyes, in many diseased conditions.
'Heat in the face, with red cheeks, after eating'.
Trigeminus neuralgia with excessive pains, irritability, sensitivity, tearful mood
and moaning from pain.
'Dry heat in face', or else hot head and sweat of face with internal chill and
shivering.

Mouth

Oversensitive sense of taste. 'Food has a good but too strong

taste, cannot eat very much for that reason; tobacco tastes normal but too
intense, cannot smoke much for that reason'. 'Bitter things taste bitterer
than otherwise'.
A taste in the mouth as from sweet almonds.
Coffea is frequently indicated in throbbing toothaches with extreme
restlessness, weeping, trembling, anxiety and general excite-
ment.
Toothaches are renewed or aggravated at night or after eating, but another
modality is much more characteristic: toothaches only relieved by cold
water, returning as soon as the water has become warm in the mouth. This
symptom points strongly to Coffea.

Throat

Sore throat with great painfulness of the affected parts and swollen
uvula.
Supporative tonsillitis ('quinsy'): with coryza and irritation to cough, worse
in the open air; with insomnia, heat, and sensitive, tearful mood;
especially if the pain extends from the sides of the palate to the oesophagus,

1980
 Coffea Cruda

continuing steadily, worse when swallowing; when there is a swelling over the
uvula and the uvula is elongated; patient thinks that there is mucus
sticking at the uvula which he wants to swallow, with heat and dryness in
the fauces.
Throat as if inflamed, with swelling of the velum, which is felt like an accum-
ulation of tough mucus.

Respiration, Chest and Heart

Great roughness and hoarseness in the larynx, in the morning on waking. The
larynx seems to be covered with dry mucus and seems to contract
spasmodically, with a sudden dry hacking cough.
Coffea has proved useful in spasmus glottidis of an infant. The little girl 'gasped
for breath several times a day, then more frequently, finally three or four
times every hour, uttering a peculiar sound like wheezing; she became blue
in the face and threatened to suffocate. Later, mucous vomiting and
continuous cool sweats added to this condition. During a bath she became
blue over and over and got her choking attacks'.
Palpitation of the heart. Violent, irregular palpitation, with trembling of the
limbs, especially after emotions, particularly joyful emotions, with
insomnia, rush of ideas, tremendous excitement.

Stomach

Great hunger before a meal; greedy and hasty eating. The opposite
action, however, is also noted: diminished appetite.
The thirst may also be increased. Thirst at night; frequently awakes to drink'.
We also find little or absent thirst in the pathogenesis of the remedy, however.
Nausea as a concomitant of headaches, often accompanied by a feeling of
emptiness in stomach but usually without vomiting.
Or else: continuous inclination to vomit, felt in the upper part of the throat.
Cramps in the stomach with excessive irritability and sensitivity,
so strong that patient feels he cannot stand the pain.

1981
Coffea Cruda

Abdomen
Coffea may have severe pain in the abdomen, with sensitivity driving
to desperation, restlessness, disposition to convulsions, scream-
ing with pain, chilliness etc. An extreme example from the proving is:
'Tremendous spasmodic pain in abdomen and chest, and a behaviour like
in labour, with lamentations that her intestines were all being cut; with
convulsions, the body is drawn crooked, the feet are drawn to the head,
with fearful crying and grinding of teeth; she became cold and stiff, uttered
sounds of pain, the breath seemed to stop'.
Often the bellyaches are pressive, 'as if abdomen would burst'. Cannot suffer
pressure of clothes on abdomen, has to loosen them.
In the hypogastrium, pressure towards the abdominal ring, as if a hernia would
protrude.

Rectum, Stool and Urinary Organs

Diarrhoea is frequently caused by excitement, cares, overwork, surprise (even

joyful) etc. It is accompanied by the general symptoms of Coffea (weeping mood,
oversensitivity, etc.).
Diarrhoea of infants and of teething children.
Due to nervous excitement the defecation is fast.
Frequent and profuse urination; increased renal activity.

Male Genitalia

Increased sexual excitement, with erections but frequently no emission of semen;

instead of ejaculation, 'much dry heat of body' (Hahnemann). Scrotum remains
relaxed in spite of sexual excitement.

Female Genitalia

In women, sexual desire and sexual excitement is also increased. 'Excessive

excitement of the female parts, with voluptuous itching, much discharge of
mucus and frequent metrorrhagia'.
Excessive sensitivity about vulva, with itching and much desire to rub or
scratch the parts; but they are too sensitive to do so.

1982
 Coffea Cruda

Profuse menses, frequent metrorrhagia, profuse discharge of mucus from the

vagina. Coffea may be indicated in dysmenorrhoea with very severe
cramps in abdomen. It should also be thought of in metrorrhagia with
similar symptoms.
Fear of death in difficult labour. Jager reports a case: 'Much fever, shining
red face, blood is discharged in big clots with the most violent pains in the
region of the groins; every movement aggravates. Weeping, whining,
desperate fear of death; believes that death is near'. Frequently repeated
doses of Coffea C3 brought about rest and sleep, the pains ceased, the bleeding
diminished, and finally the patient felt well again.
Haemorrhage or inflammations of the uterus induced by strong emotions,
especially sudden excessive joy.
Coffea is curative in excessive labour pains and after pains. For
instance: 'In ineffectual labour pains when the pains are excessively
violent, driving to despair' (Hering); no pressure on os uteri, only much pain
in the small of the back instead. 'Extremely excited, tosses constantly
about, violent motions of extremities, constant passionate exclam-
ations about her violent pains and imminent death, etc.
Deep red face, as if bloated, shining eyes, frequent but weak pulse'.
Anguish during menses.
Lochial discharge too profuse, with exalted nervous sensibility.

Neck, Back and Extremities

Laming pain in small of back, while sitting and standing.

Trembling, twitching and spasmodic throwing of limbs in states of
agitation.
The hands tremble if he tries to hold something still. 'Great anxiety, so
that she does not know what she shall do with herself; she trembles, and
cannot hold the pen still'.
Neuralgic pains in lower limbs, sciatica or crural neuralgia, pain often worse
from sudden noises. Rending and shooting sciatica pains, worse from
walking, better from pressure, with nocturnal restlessness and insomnia.

1983
Coffea Cruda

Sleep
Of course, insomnia on account of excessive mental and physical
excitement is the most important symptom in this section. Insomnia as a
consequence of drinking coffee, from over-excitement, from pleasurable excite-
ment; insomnia remaining after a severe disease; insomnia before midnight or
after midnight, on account of violent pains, anxiety, restlessness, rush of ideas,
etc. Awakes from the slightest noise.
Disturbances of sleep in children, with excessive irritability and sensi-
tivity and with continuous weeping and lamenting.
Restless sleep with frequent waking, very long and vivid dreams.
Also: 'Inclination to lie down and close the eyes, but without being able or
even wanting to fall asleep'.

Fever, Chill and Perspiration

The face is often red and hot, the eyes are shining. But the limbs may be
cold, and an internal chill may be present.
Attacks of chill, increased by exercise or motion.
Shivering through whole body (with warm skin), more perceptible on movement
of the body.
Great sensitivity to cold.
Chills running down back, afterwards the face becomes quickly red and
hot; the hands are cold in the beginning and then start to become hot on their
inner surface, while the outer surface remains cold.
'Repeatedly chill and shivering in the back, while the body is as warm as
usual'. Sensations of coldness and chill in the 'back part of the body'.
Internal shivering with heat in the head and perspiration of face.
Or else: inward chill with external heat of whole body, especially after
retiring.
Dry heat, or perspiration over and over.
'During the febrile heat she talked irrationally, with open eyes, wishing this
or that thing brought to her'.
Feverish excitement, also with tendency to weep, lament, and
whine, and with extreme sensitivity to pain; in all kinds of infectious
diseases, as measles, scarlatina, etc.

1984
 Coffea Cruda

Skin
Sensitive skin. A very annoying itching at any part of the body with
a great urge to rub and scratch the part, but this cannot be done because
the skin is too sensitive to touch.
Erythema with extreme soreness to touch.

CLINICAL

Apoplexy. Asthma. Aural neuralgia. Colic. Convulsions. Diarrhoea. Excitement.

Headache. Heart, hyperaesthesia of. Hernia. Hyperaesthesia. Hysteria. Insom-
nia. Intermittents. Joy, ill-effects of. Labour pains. Metrorrhagia. Neuralgia. Over-
sensitivity. Sciatica. Shock. Toothache.

RELATIONS

Antidoted by: Aconitum, Chamomilla, Ignatia, Nux vomica, Mercurius,

Pulsatilla, Sulphur and strongly by Tabacum.
Antidote to: Belladonna, Chamomilla, Cicuta, Colocynthis, Lycopodium,
Nux vomica, Strychninum, Valeriana.
Incompatible with: Cantharis, Causticum, Cocculus, Ignatia.
Followed well by: Aurum, Belladonna, Opium, Nux vomica, Lycopodium.
Compare: Bryonia, Chamomilla; toothache better from cold
Aconitum; predicts hour of death.

Notes:

1985
Coffea Cruda

1986
 jCOLCHICUM
Colchicum Autumnale.
The Meadow Saffron.
N.O. Lilaceae.
Tincture of the springtime bulb.

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

Colchicum patients are very sensitive and irritable people because

they have difficulty in absorbing and processing outside stimuli like
light, food, questions, and contacts. Every external impression or
stimulation will upset them, they get totally beside themselves
because they are unable to process it and digest it. They seem to
'boil' and keep inside all the toxins that then create deposits or
fermentation and swellings of the joints, or bloat of the abdomen.

They cannot stand a verbal attack, or much more, rudeness, and

they do not even like to be interrupted when talking. Their mind is
always in a state of semi-confusion, but when they are interrupted
they become dull and stupid and their mind stops working.

In this irritable mood it is easy to understand that they fly into a

temper from the 'misbehaviour of a child' or the 'misdeeds of
others'. 'He is morose, ill-humoured and not satisfied
with anything'. The nerves are overexcited, overstrung, any stress
is intolerable, and will prove too much.

They do not tolerate pain at all, and will be easily discouraged; they
will call the homeopath again and again, complaining bitterly about
this or that symptom, and then you will realise that the problem is
not the symptoms presented, but the inner state of the patient.

1987
Colchicum

There is great excitement from the slightest irritation of the nerves,

which is worse from coming in to contact with any electric appliances,
computers, telephones etc. They will complain that they have severe
reactions from touching a mobile telephone, or from coming close to
a computer. Many times the homeopath will dismiss this as pure
imagination, but should not do so with the Colchicum patient.

The intellect is also weak as if paralysed, it cannot process input,

cannot digest information. Colchicum is unable to remember,
unable to concentrate, loses the thread of his thinking; the capacity
to create cohesive reasoning and thinking is impaired. It takes very
much exertion to keep to a train of thought; the patient sits there in
apathy without answering, as if he has not heard the question. In
short there is a difficulty in the absorption of the impulse.

Weakness of memory; he forgets what has just thought, what

he wanted to write, forgets the words that are in his mouth, and
only with much effort and exertion is able to remember
his own thoughts and to continue speaking. In writing he omits
letters, syllables or words.

'Vision is heightened, but intellectual faculties dulled;

cannot understand what he reads, not even a very short
sentence'. 'Inability to fix a thought. But if there is a bright light
he will go wild from anger'

Mental exertion will aggravate complaints of all kinds, as it

exhausts him. 'Every work exhausts him, especially reading and
writing'. The same is true with exertion and motion of the
body. Not only states of weakness are aggravated by motion but
also conditions of pain in the extremities, or gastric complaints. It is
a general modality.

For instance: 'He was obliged to bend himself up and lie quite
still the whole day, without the slightest movement, because

1988
 Colchicum

otherwise the vomiting, which was already violent enough,

increased still more; every motion excites and renews the
vomiting'. Kent compares this modality to Bryonia: 'Such an
aggravation from motion that he dreads to move'.

'External impressions, for example, bright light, strong

odours, contacts, the misdeeds of others, make him
quite beside himself.

But they are most sensitive to odours, especially to odours of

food and cooking. The smell of food, the smell of pork, of fish
or eggs cannot be tolerated and will bring nausea or vomiting.
'Sense of smell morbidly increased, to the extent that an
indifferent smell like that of meat broth will affect him
with nausea'. 'Almost fainted from the odour of a fresh
egg or fish'.

In cases where this kind of extreme sensitivity to odours is present,

we have to think of Colchicum. In a famous case, Nash found this
the decisive symptom in a woman who suffered with extreme
exhausting diarrhoea threatening her life. She had an enormous
number of stools per day, which were evacuated into the bed. He
gave her Colchicum after he had learned that smells of food made
her extremely nauseous. All doors between her room and the
kitchen had to be kept closed all the time. This symptom is a cry for
Colchicum in any disease, also in rheumatism etc.

Kent very graphically describes this essential feature of Colchicum:

'He is so sensitive to odours that he smells things which others
do not smell... He cannot take milk, cannot take raw eggs,
cannot take soup, because he gags at the mere thought of them.
He has gone on for days, and his family are afraid that he is
going to starve to death. The aggravation from odours is so
strong that it seems to take possession of him... Do not say
'food' in the presence of a Colchicum patient, but give him

1989
Colchicum

Colchicum first, and pretty soon he will want something to eat'.

The proving symptoms quoted above demonstrate that Colchicum
is sensitive to other stimuli as well. Besides vision, the sense of touch
is very much affected. 'By touching the affected part, the comp-
laints excited by Colchicum seem to be greatly aggravated in
many cases'.

The sensitivity to pain is also markedly increased: 'His

sufferings seem intolerable to him'. And, very character-
istic: the pain seems to be quite intolerable in the evening; he wants
to rave against himself, if he only had the strength. Actually
the intolerance to pain is such that sometimes it can lead to a state
of acute psychosis.

From Weakness to Paralysis

A prominent feature of Colchicum is extreme excitability with

physical and mental weakness. A characteristic symptom from the
proving: 'Such a depression of mind and such a lassi-
tude, painfulness, and sensitiveness of the whole body
that he can hardly move without whimpering'.

It may refer to the extremities: 'She feels so intense a weakness in

the muscles of her extremities that she thinks they will fall off'.
Or the digestive system may be paralysed, with tremendous diarr-
hoea and utter inability to take any nutritive substances in. The
whole system is at the verge of collapse: 'Rapid sinking of strength,
after ten hours he is hardly able to speak or to walk'.

The Colchicum patient needs rest more than anything else. A 'great
desire for rest' is noted in the provings, also 'mental disinclination to
work', although there is 'continuous physical excitability'.

1990
 Colchicum

Generalities
Colchicum will be indicated:
• in dysentery and the like where the patient will have numerous
stools or evacuations of mucus every day with extreme exhaus-
tion, extreme thirst and total aversion to food, even the smell of
which will be repulsive.
• when there is a tremendous flatulent distension of the abdomen,
the worst in our materia medica. Distention on abdomen without
any bowel motion, without any flatus without stool as if the colon
has been paralysed.
• in rheumatic and arthritic complains that are wandering and
metastatic.

All complaints are triggered or strongly increased by damp and

cold weather. Colchicum has cured a lot of rheumatic complaints
that developed during, or immediately after, exposure to damp and
cold weather. The same is true with gastric complaints of all kinds,
especially diarrhoea and dysentery.

They usually occur in the wet days of autumn, or else with paralysis
which comes on after the body has become wet. 'Paralysis after
sudden suppression of sweat, particularly foot sweat, by getting
wet'. Kent adds, however, that extreme heat of sun in summer may
also aggravate the Colchicum gout, as the secretion of urine is
diminished.

Colchicum is worse from touch, motion and exertion but

the great characteristic is his oversensitivity to odours, espe-
cially odours of eggs and fish. Moreover, night is a time of
general aggravation, especially of the pain of Colchicum. 'All kinds
of pain are worse from the onset of the night till dawn'.

From byegone times, Colchicum has been known as a remedy

'against' rheumatism, gout and similar complaints, and conventional
medicine still uses Colchicine in acute attacks of gout.

1991
Colchicum

Characteristic features of Colchicum are the states of paralytic

weakness that accompany the pains; the symptoms in the
digestive tract that occur with or before the pains; and the
tendency of the pains to 'wander'. One joint after the other
is affected, often without redness and sometimes even without
swelling.

Hering accentuates a tendency from left to right, which is

supported by a proving symptom: 'Pressive drawing pain in whole
left big toe, afterwards same in the right one...' The small joints
are affected comparatively often, e.g. wrists and ankles, finger and
toe joints. If, in addition, aggravation from motion and touch is
present Colchicum is probably indicated.

A classic description by Gerstel: 'Before the tearing pains begin, or

simultaneously with them, a paralytic sensation of the
affected parts sets in, often with general lassitude and
weakness... The muscles of the upper and lower limbs feel
weary and weak, a sensation which is most marked on
motion.

'Only with difficulty are the patients able to hold a thing, even
if it is very light; they have problems to lift their feet in order to
go upstairs, or they stumble over a threshold; their gait is
uncertain, and they tend to stumble. When sitting, they have
difficulties to stand up; in the morning, they have problems to
get up from bed.

'This state goes along with loss of appetite, thirst and restless
sleep because of the uneasiness in the limbs. Later on, the
extremity complaints become more marked; the joints become
sensitive to pressure, now this joint, now the other, they
swell but don't become red... A peculiarity is that gastric
complaints sometimes precede the rheumatism and nearly
always accompany it'.

1992
 Colchicum

Another feature of the Colchicum rheumatism is a tendency to

metastasis; wandering rheumatism that finally affects the heart or
the abdomen.

Another diseased condition in which Colchicum is frequently

indicated is frequent painful urging and tenesmus for stool
with diarrhoeic or dysenteric discharges, often consist-
ing only of jelly-like mucus, with streaks of blood without any
faeces. The quantity of the stools discharged is often small, in relation
to the enormous complaints that accompany the evacuations. There
may be violent pain, violent cramps of the sphincter, cutting pain in
the abdomen, doubling the patient up.

Often the secretion of urine is diminished at the same time, so

oedematous swellings and ascites will come on. An interesting
description of a cholera case: 'The vomiting is renewed
from every movement, and as soon as the patient rises,
vertigo, palpitation with stitches at the heart and fainting fits
come on'. 'Great distension of the abdomen, as if she
had eaten too much, although she had not taken the slightest
food; after taking a moderate amount of very light food this
sensation became much more troublesome'.

A classic indication from Bonninghausen is a bloated abdomen in

cows after eating wet clover.

Some other general symptoms:

'Diminished sensitivity in single organs', as e.g. loss of sensation in
the tongue or the finger tips.
Tingling and crawling in single toes, in the ball of the right foot, in
fingers, ears and single spots of the skin of the face, a sensation
as if a part of the body had been frozen and now tingled
from a change in the weather.

1993
Colchicum

There is a lot of pain in 'single' or 'small places', not only on the

surface of the body but also deep inside. They have been described
as 'tearing tensive' pains or 'stinging drawing jerks' or 'stinging
jerking drawing pains', etc. Frequently they are felt in the muscles,
but also in the ligaments of the joints and even on the periosteum.
'Stinging drawing jerks through the periosteum, which arc
invariably connected with a paralytic sensation and
with a transient but real paralysis
Sudden tearing jerks through a whole side of the body, like electric
shocks.

A keynote: in a Colchicum poisoning, the following symptom

occurred: 'The right pupil moderately dilated, the left
extremely contracted'. The patient's left pupil was contracted
so as to be almost imperceptible, while the right one was dilated to
the full extent.

The guiding symptoms for Colchicum are as follows:

Paralytic weakness with the pains;
Gastrointestinal symptoms as a concomitant and migratory
tendency of the pains;
and the modalities: worse from motion and touch; often
excited by damp and cold weather.

Head

Colchicum has mainly pressive occipital pain, excited or aggravated

motion, mental exertion and night watching. 'Pressure deep in cerebellum, noi
violent but very annoying, arising from the least literary occupation'
Pressive heaviness in occiput, particularly on motion or 'when stooping slightly'
Sharp and very painful drawing rending in the left side of the head; usually
beginning in the left eyeball and penetrating to the occiput.
Headaches in the evening, continuing all night or ceasing after a meal (supper)
Fine tearing in scalp, usually restricted to small spots, especially at the occiput
Strange sensations in the frontal region: constrictive feeling above the eye:

1994
 Colchicum

(ciliary region), with great desire for rest and disinclination to exertion, especially
reading and writing. 'Creeping sensation in head, beneath the
forehead'.

Eyes

A strange keynote: left pupil extremely contracted, right one dilated.

Pupils much dilated and only slightly sensitive to light. Or else: pupil of natural
size, excessively sensitive to light, contracting very rapidly but not by much.
Opacity of cornea or lens. A Colchicum poisoning caused the following
symptoms: dimness of cornea, increased volume of bulbus, deposit of a purulent
fluid at the base of the anterior chamber, complete capsulo-lenticular cataract,
with increased size of the lens.
Fains of the eyes: drawing digging pain deep in the orbits. Violent short, sharp,
tearing pain in and around right eye. Tearing pain penetrating into the head, as
far as the occiput.
Smarting in the right eye, particularly in outer canthus, with some lachrymation
and a sensation as if the canthus were glued up.
Internal stye at a meibomian gland, lower lid, with swelling of the lid and great
irritation of the nerves. Burning and redness of the lid margins, as in blepharo-
conjunctivitis

Ears
Earache: pressive stitches in the ears, as with fine needles.
'When he takes a few steps in the room, the ears feel like stopped up, with
roaring in them
Otorrhoea with tearing pains in the ears, after measles.
Tingling in the concha, as though they had been frozen formerly.

Nose
The striking symptom in this region is the great sensitivity to odours,
particularly to odours of food and of cooking, which is one of the
essential features of the remedy and has been discussed above. Fainting, nausea
and 'beside himself as soon as he smells pork, broth, eggs, fish, etc.
Tingling in the nose, also with sneezing.

1995
Colchicum

Nosebleed, especially in the evening.

Nostrils dry and blackish.
'Sore pain' in septum nasi, aggravated on touching the spot and on
moving the nose.

Face

Marked pallor about nose and mouth, with circumscribed redness of the cheeks.
Oedematous swelling of the face, with tenderness to touch and motion and
sensitivity to dampness.
Jerking drawing pain in facial muscles, and deep in the bones.
Very disagreeable sensation in facial bones as if they were being torn
apart; with single tearing jerks.
Tingling sensations on the skin of the face, as if it had been previously frozen.
Cramp-like pain at the right maxillary joint.
Tearing tensive pains on left half of face, extending into the ear and into the
head.

Mouth

The salivary glands are affected by Colchicum, and there is constant watery
salivation which accompanies digestive complaints (nausea, sensation of
fullness). Watery salivation with dryness of the throat. Bitter and insipid
taste; everything tastes like 'old linen', even food that has a strong taste.
The teeth are sensitive and painful, especially on biting them
together and generally from motion; toothache worse at night. There may be
a paralytic sensation and a cramp-like pain in the articulation of the jaws with
these toothaches.
Tearing pains in jaws and gums, with feeling as if the teeth were elongated.
Grinding of the teeth.
Tongue heavy, stiff, as if paralysed, even numb; talking is very
difficult, only possible with effort.
Tongue coated whitish, yellow or with a brownish mucus, especially in the
morning; thick brown sordes at lips, tongue, and teeth.
Sensation of warmth and dryness in mouth, with increase in thirst. Cracked lips.
Drawing pain in teeth, like that occurring when a cold drink is taken immediately
after a warm drink.

1996
 Colchicum

Throat

A biting, tingling or scraping in fauces and throat, as in coryza, provoking

coughing and hawking. Hence thin mucus is detached which must be spat
frequently.
Accumulation of greenish mucus in throat which is sometimes ejected involun-
tarily through the mouth on sneezing.
Inflammation of the whole pharynx; , purulent tonsillitis ('quinsy').
Constriction of oesophagus.
A scraping sensation of dryness in the throat, in spite of accumulation of watery
saliva in the mouth.

Respiration and Chest

Hoarseness in the morning, with roughness in throat; or hollow bass voice.

Catarrh of air passages.
Difficult breathing and oppression of chest. Colchicum is indicated in
certain asthmatic complaints, with dyspnoea, oppression and
'frequent tensive feeling on chest', also with violent palpitation of the
heart and sensations of pressure upon chest, which are changing place; now they
are felt high up, in the region of the shoulder, now low down in chest.
Asthmatic complaints with dropsical states, for instance hydro-
thorax where a kind of asthma is present, with oedematous swelling of
lower limbs (or of hands and feet) and with incessant urging for
urination but only small quantities are painfully discharged.
Respiration: difficult and accelerated, with distinctly audible wheezing and
moaning; unequal and intermittent.
Nocturnal dyspnoea with palpitation of the heart, particularly 11 pm to 3 am.
A strange symptom: 'Obtuse stitches deep in left chest on forceful expiration
but not on inspiration; but soon afterwards only on inspiration'.
Short, dry cough, provoked by a tickling in larynx. Nocturnal cough, with
involuntary spurting of urine (Jahr).
Chronic cough at night, excited by scraping in chest, with much expectoration;
urging to sit up. May be accompanied by oedema of the extremities and chest.
Stinging and tearing pains in the region of the thorax, especially
in the chest muscles. For example: 'Obtuse tearing pain in right chest,
not far from the axilla, after which a sore feeling occurs, also on touch

1997
Colchicum

and motion'. 'In the morning in bed, and also later, several violent stitches
in chest on physical exertion'. 'Stitches in the chest muscles as soon as the
thorax is moved'. Rheumatism of pectoral muscles (Hering).
Obtuse stinging tearing pains very deep in the right chest; it is hard tell whether
these pains are in the chest or in the back; they seem to penetrate all through.
Sudden pains, violently cutting as from a sharp knife, in the right thorax, almost
taking away the breath and compelling the patient to complain about them.

Heart

Violent palpitation of the heart. Palpitation with dyspnoea, about

midnight. 'As soon as the patient rises up, there is vertigo, palpitation with
stitches at heart and deep faintness' (from a cholera case). Sybel reports (AHZj
that Colchicum cured several times in cases of severe dysenteric or choleraic
conditions, where the strength had been sinking rapidly and the pulse had
already become thread-like, sometimes even imperceptible. This is the source of
Hering's 'black letter' symptom: 'Pulse thread-like, imperceptible'.
Rheumatic fever which affects the heart; pericardial effusion,
affection of the endocardium. I quote a case of Kidd (from Ruckert, Clinical
Experiences, Vol. 5:895): 'Rheumatic fever in a 10-year-old boy. Propped up
in bed in a sitting position, gasping for breath, complaining about a violent
pain in sternum that extends as far as the left shoulder. Pulse accelerated,
weak, restless, fluttering. Respiration accelerated and short. Great anxiety,
restlessness, sleeplessness for the last 48 hours. Tongue coated yellow. No
appetite, much thirst. Dry and hot skin. Dull sound in the left upper
mammary region up to the margin of the cartilage of the third rib. Sounds
of heart murmuring, weak, indistinct; there is a whistling to be heard at the
heart. Pericardial effusion, endocardium is also affected. The boy has been
suffering from rheumatic pains several times. Colchicum was give first every
half hour, later in intervals of three hours; it soon relieved the condition and
cured in two weeks'.

Heart diseases in patients whose parents or grandparents have been suffering

from gout.

Stomach

Loss of appetite with intense thirst. This combination is the rule in the

1998
 Colchicum

provings and the clinical cases. There is indeed also a proving symptom
'Enormous appetite', but the characteristic state is expressed in this well-
confirmed symptom: 'He has appetite for this and that, but as soon
as he sees it, or, still more, smells it, he shudders from disgust
and is unable to eat anything'. There is extreme sensitivity to odours, bad
taste in the mouth, insipid taste of food etc., and all this makes him loathe eating,
produces nausea and even fainting. Often it is virtually impossible to take any
food in.
In provings and cases we hear again and again about much thirst, burning thirst,
even unquenchable thirst. To be sure, there may also be thirstlessness, and
Hering emphasises 'No thirst' with two bars in bold type. His source is an
interesting report by Kurtz (AHZ 26:89-92; Riickert, Clinical experiences 3:511),
which has supplied several 'black letter symptoms' for the Guiding Symptoms.
Kurtz writes about 'a lot of rheuma cases he has cured with Colchicum. Among
other conditions, he mentions 'feverish rheumatism' with nearly constant
chilliness and dry skin without sweat, and he adds, 'no thirst, or at least not
markedly increased thirst'. It is therefore questionable whether the highest degree
for the symptom 'no thirst' is really justified.
A remarkable symptom is a desire for effervescent drinks and especially for
champagne.
Excessive nausea from odour of food (and even from thinking of food)
is, of course, a guiding symptom of Colchicum. Nausea: amounting to
faintness; with deathly prostration; with great restlessness,
distraction of mind and sinking of bodily strength.
Nausea with accumulation of watery saliva in mouth; nausea and inclin-
ation to vomit from swallowing saliva.
Most intense nausea with violent vomiting that is still aggravated by
every movement; has to lie absolutely still, 'bent up and without the slightest
motion'. The nausea tends to arise in upright posture. 'As soon as she rises
up, there is a crawling in the stomach, as in vomiturition'.
Vomiting with watery diarrhoea; choleraic affections. Forcible
vomiting, first of food, then of mucus and bile, after violent retching. Or
in the words of a proving symptom: 'Violent gagging; after a long time of
retching, a great quantity of yellow mucus, tasting bitter like bile, is ejected,
leaving a bilious and bitter taste in the pharynx'.

1999
Colchicum

Much belching of tasteless air; with burning in stomach.

Pressure, cramps, heaviness etc. in the stomach; with much tenderness of
the stomach region to touch.
'Gastric note' (Kurtz) in rheumatic complaints: slightly coated tongue, pasty and
bitter taste, loss of appetite, pressive pain in stomach, empty eructation.
In the region of the stomach, two strong sensations appear: 'The stomach
seems to be icy cold all the time' and 'Violent burning in the
epigastrium'.

Abdomen

Much flatulent distension of the abdomen; tympanites. 'Just below

the right short ribs, a pain as from incarcerated flatus'. Or else 'Great
distension of the abdomen, as if she had eaten too much, although
she had not taken the slightest food; after taking a moderate amount of very
light food this sensation became much more troublesome'. Colchicum is well
known to the homeopathic veterinarian as a remedy in flatulent distension of
cows that have eaten too much wet clover.
There may be different kinds of pains in the belly: pinching, twingeing, cramping,
squeezing, sometimes really violent; also burning or icy coldness; often there is
marked soreness to touch. Colicky pains; Colchicum may be indicated by
Colica mucomembranacea. A special locality is the sigmoid colon
where tearing pains may be present which are aggravated by pressure and at
night. On the other hand, virtual painlessness may also exist, e.g. in dysentery:
'No actual pain in the belly, but only a rumbling noise with sensation as if
diarrhoea would begin every moment'.
'Ascites, also with a fold or crease above the pubic arc' (Jahr).

Rectum and Stool

Colchicum is an important remedy in diarrhoea, dysenteric and choler-

aic complaints etc. There are many well-confirmed symptoms in this region:
Excessively violent urging for stool; violent tenesmus.
Stools consisting only of transparent, gelatinous mucus. Usually the
evacuations will relive the abdominal pains, but sometimes after the discharge a
torturing pain will continue for hours in the anus and rectum. Bloody stools,

2000
 Colchicum

mixed with shreds ('scrapings from intestines'); stools that contain a lot of
small, white, shredded, membranous particles. Bleedings from the
bowels with deathly nausea after smelling odours from cooking. During
the evacuation of the stool, a violent and painful spasm of the
sphincter may occur; this spasm is sometimes also present without a stool.
'Spasms in the sphincter ani, with chilliness in the back, followed by
urging to stool without being able to sufficiently evacuate the bowels'.
Sometimes the rectum protrudes with the stool.
In most cases there is relatively scanty discharge in spite of the painful
urging and tenesmus, but exhausting diarrhoea with much dehydra-
tion and collapse has also been observed. 'Insufficient stool in the
evening, in spite of much urging'.
Moreover: rather liquid stools, smelling very offensive, mixed with small white
membranes or light bluish matter; extremely offensive diarrhoeic stools, consist-
ing of a pale orange-yellow, mucous fluid, with many big bright yellow flakes,
without any faeces; watery evacuations in great quantities and of yellow colour,
etc.
Some clinical experiences: 'Fall dysentery, with evacuations of mere white
mucus and violent tenesmus'. Dysentery: bloody stools with shreds of mucus,
evacuated with violent tenesmus or protrusion of rectum, with much
distension of the abdomen, colicky pains, burning and tenesmus
on urination. Dysentery where the pains are mostly in the rectum:
urging, pressing, forcing pains, with constant evacuations of small quantities.
'Constant, very painful and exhausting diarrhoea, consisting of
gelatinous lumps of mucus and watery, slimy fluid; with constant urging
to urinate and torturing kidney pains but no secretion of urine
whatsoever'.
Other symptoms in the region of the rectum and anus:
Urging to stool, relieved by frequent passage of flatus.
In the anus: fine stinging and tearing; crawling and violent twitching; burning;
itching, very slight or very intense; slight prickling.
'The stool, which is not hard but very scanty, is forced out with very
much effort'.

2001
Colchicum

Urinary Organs
The secretion of urine is generally diminished, the urine is dark;
the urinary passages are irritated and painful on urination; often there is
tenesmus of the bladder. Torturing pains in the region of the kidneys
are frequent. Violent, cramp-like pains in region of loins and urinary passages,
with constant urging to urinate and discharge of small quantities of fiery
red urine.
Burning sensation in urethra on urination, as though it were sore. Incessant
burning in urinary passages, with scanty urination.
Involuntary spurting out of urine with nocturnal cough.
Conditions of dropsy with diminished urination. In the books, the dark urine
which contains albumen and blood is much emphasised.
7n two cases, the postscarlatinal dropsy was combined with an urine that
was almost like ink, without any other bleedings. The urine contained
much albumen' (Clotar Miiller, in Riickert, Clinical Experiences 4:4).
Burning, tenesmus and spasm on urination is also frequent. For example
oedema 'where there is constant urging to urinate, like a spasm in the
bladder, and a small quantity of urine is discharged with much pain'.
Inflammatory affections of the kidneys. For instance: 'Violent pain in
right renal region; could not lie but on the back. Aggravation by pressure
and motion. Pulse a little bit fuller and more frequent. Tongue clean, thirst
moderate. Urine is turbid and leaves an orange-coloured ring in the vessel'
(Goullon, quoted from Riickert, Clinical Experiences, 5:503).
Stapf gives the following summary of the Colchicum action in this region: 'The
scanty discharge of dark urine, accompanied by painful sensa-
tions and tenesmus, seems to be the primary action'.
Jahr puts it like this: 'Constant urging with scanty discharge...scanty
evacuation of dark, red urine, with burning and twingeing in the
urethra'.

Male Genitalia

Oedema of scrotum.
Tearing in glans or (left) spermatic cord.

2002
 Colchicum

Female Genitalia
Colchicum has an influence on menstruation. It may occur earlier ('seven days
earlier than usual'), or it may suddenly cease. ('The menstrual bleeding, which
had just begun, disappears'.) The remedy has been used in sudden disappear-
ance of the menstrual bleeding, followed by hydrometra.
Colchicum is indicated in nausea of pregnancy with extreme sensi-
tivity to odours of food if the symptoms agree.

Neck and Back

Violent pains in renal region, especially with nephritis, dysentery,

diarrhoea, etc.; better when lying on back.
Rheumatic pains in neck and back, in shoulders and loins, in hips and small
of the back. Strange modalities concerning the time occurred in a case of
Williams: 'Rheumatism mostly in loins and left hip. Pains usually very violent
at 4 pm, lasting till 6 pm, afterwards relieved; returning again about 8 or 9
pm or else at 1 am, expanding as far as the left shoulder and chest, lasting
several hours'.
Tensive pain in muscles of neck, felt externally and when swallowing.
Bruised pain in small of back.
Painful spot, as large as a hand, in the middle of the sacrum, intolerably aching
from slightest touch.
Stinging-tensive pain between scapulae, worse during motion, has to walk
bent over for a while.

Extremities

Some descriptions of rheumatic complaints at the joints of the extremities:

'Rheumatism with fever, pains drawing tearing (stinging), usually wander-
ing, without redness, without swelling of parts (or only moderate, pale
swelling), worse in the evening and especially at night, aggravated by
touch and motion'. (Kurtz)
'Stinging tearing pains, increasing with the fever, at night intolerably
violent, relieved in the morning and then shifting to another part'.
(Hartmann)
'Affections of joints but without swelling and redness, with general

2003
Colchicum

painfulness of the body and excessive irritability with the pains', (ibid.)
In chronic cases, contractions of the limbs are possible. One patient complained
that his joints were so painful and that 'my heels are drawn up so much' that he
would never be able to walk again.
Some proving symptoms: 'A drawing pain, now stinging and now jerking,
especially in the morning, now in the muscles of the shoulder, now the hip,
on the right side of the body'. Nowhere and now there, short stitches in the
joints'.
Jahr supplies an interesting indication: 'Tearing pains in limbs during warm
weather, stinging pains during cold weather'. For Colchicum may also be
indicated in 'summer rheumatism' (Kent), with diminished micturition.
A paralytic pain in the arms, so violent that he cannot hold the
lightest thing firmly.
Rheumatic tearing pains in clavicle, shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, and
fingers; especially in the ligaments of the joints. E.g. 'Stinging tearing pains in
the ligaments of the joints of the little finger of the right hand'.
Spasms of fingers; spasmodic contraction of finger joints, or else gouty nodes.
Oedema of hands.
An unusual symptom: tingling sensation in finger nails.
Paralytic symptoms with much pain also in the lower limbs: 'Gait very
unsteady and vacillating; because of weakness but also because o/stinging
tearing jerking pains that appear suddenly and shoot through the
periostium; they are invariably connected with a sensation of lameness
and a real transient paralysis'.
'The painful paralysis of the muscles, especially in the knee joints, makes
his legs frequently give out, especially when he lifts them in order
to walk over an object, e.g., a threshold'.
An indication that has often been confirmed: paralysis after sudden suppression
of sweat, especially of the feet, in consequence of getting wet.
Rheumatic and gouty pains that may take in the whole lower extremities (for
example beginning in hip and shooting downward, to the leg and farther on), or
that concentrate in the region of the foot and especially in the big toe.
Tearing pains on the instep, on the dorsum of the foot, in the sole.
'Pressive tearing pain in whole left big toe, then same pain in right
one, afterwards in the middle toes of the left foot. The pain seems to have

2004
 Colchicum

its seat in the lower surface of the toes'.

Tingling in inner surface of big toe, second and third toe of the right foot, as
though they had fallen asleep.
Cramps in legs and soles.
Oedematous swelling of feet or legs.The left big toe is painful as though
the nail would grow into the flesh. If stubbing of toes is extremely
painful, this is a clear hint for Colchicum.

Sleep

Great sleepiness during day, 'irresistible tendency to sleep', falls asleep when
reading (provided that the pain is not too violent).
Frequently sleeps on back (in this position the pains may also be relieved)
because he is no more able to fall asleep lying on the side. For instance: 'Could
not fall asleep in bed for a long time because he couldn't lie on the left side,
on which he was accustomed to sleep. He had a feeling as though a fold of
the sheet pressed against him, but this was not the case; he found out that
the pain had its seat in the region of the spleen but was only perceptible on
external pressure'.
Restless sleep, disturbed by frightening dreams, restless limbs or diarrhoea.
In the morning, rising from bed is possible only with much difficulty, on account
of the paralytic weakness.

Fever, Chill and Perspiration

General coldness, especially coldness of the extremities; of hands and

feet.
Constant chilliness of whole body, even in a warm room. From a description of
a rheuma case by Kurtz: 'Almost constant chilliness, even when
sitting near the stove, only interrupted by fleeting flushes of heat; skin
dry and without sweat; no thirst, or at least not much increased thirst'.
Frequent shivering extending down back, also with sphincter spasms.
Dry heat of the skin, particularly at night. Or 'Rheumatic fever, exacerbating in
the afternoon; patient complains about constantly increasing dry heat
of whole body, with palpitation and thirst; suddenly sweat breaks out

2005
Colchicum

and disappears again as suddenly as it came'. (Hartmann)

Sweat is often absent, but sometimes 'copious sour sweat without relief is
present. Suppression of perspiration on account of getting wet may lead to
paralytic affections.

Skin

The skin is usually white and delicate, and it does not tend to become red;
swellings are usually rather pale. This is not only true in oedema and anasarca
but also in rheumatism and gout.
Tingling in single spots of the skin, especially in prominent parts (fingers, toes,
ears), when the weather changes; as though these parts had been frozen
formerly; sensitive to weather.
Stitching pain in the skin, with twitching through the whole body.

CLINICAL

Appendicitis. Asthma. Cataract. Cholera. Colic. Cough. Cramp. Debility.

Diabetes. Diarrhoea. Dropsy. Dysentery. Eye, affections of. Feet, painful. Gout.
Heart, affections of. Ileus. Intermittent fever. Intestinal catarrh. Lumbago.
Myalgia. Neck, stiff. Nephritis. Pericarditis. Proctalgia. Prostatitis. Rectum,
prolapse of. Rheumatism. Tongue, sensation lost. Typhlitis. Typhoid fever.

RELATIONS

Antidoted by: Belladonna, Camphora, Cocculus, Nux vomica, Pulsatilla,

Spigelia, honey and sugar. In poisoning, give Ammonium causticum in sugar
water.
It antidotes: Thuja.
Follows well: Lycopodium.
Followed well by: Carbo vegetabilis (in Ascites)
Compare: Bryonia; gout, rheumatism, worse by movement.
Pulsatilla; intolerance of eggs, nausea at food odours.
Sepia, Calcarea carbonica, Arsenicum, Ambra; icy coldness in stomach.
Nux vomica; irritability, but Colchicum dislikes all foods and debility is more
profound.

2006
 COLOCYNTHIS
Citrullus Colocynthis. Cucumis Colocynthis.
Bitter Apple, a species of cucumber.
N.O. Cucurbitaceae.
Tincture of fruit-pulp.

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

This a remedy that affects the abdomen, especially the colon. It

causes inflammation of the intestinal mucous membranes, which are
often connected with cramps and spasms, and it is a remedy in
spastic colitis (irritable colon). There are very severe pains in the
abdomen, which are better by pressure: when the patient draws
up his legs and bends double and when he presses hard
into the abdomen, for instance by bending over the edge of the
table or back of a chair, then the pain is a little relieved, otherwise it
is unbearable. In many cases nothing helps but pressure.

Colocynthis is also an important remedy in dysmenorrhoea with

severe cramp-like pains in the abdomen, if the modality 'better
bending double' is present. There may also be an amelioration by
warmth (which is, however, more characteristic of Magnesia
Phosphorica). Eating or drinking the least quantity usually aggra-
vates. Moreover, pains are often worse at rest, and motion, such as
wriggling around etc., will make them more tolerable; but often the
patient cannot find rest in any position.

These abdominal pains are often a result of anger. There is a lot of

anger inside the Colocynthis patient. You can feel it in a certain
situation in everyday life, namely when you ask these people a
question. They cannot stand that, they get angry when questioned.
The provings give: 'Disinclined to talk the whole day'.
'Morose mood; becomes offended at everything; does not like

2009
Colocynthis.

to answer'. 'Very vexed and irritable mood; taciturnity'. And,

very characteristic: 'Extreme fretfulness; is not satisfied with
anything; extremely impatient; angered because of every
word he is urged to answer, and very embarrassed by
it; annoyed by anything, even the most innocent things'.

This gives the idea of an angry person who conveys the impression,
"Oh, leave me alone!". In people who have gone through some bad
experiences and who do not express all the anger they feel inside,
then terrible spasmodic pain starts in the abdomen.

Hahnemann says in the Chronic Diseases that Colocynthis is particu-

larly useful in 'ailments from indignation and anger, or from
a gnawing internal feeling of mortification about an unworthy
treatment, either of themselves or of other persons with whom
they feel sympathy'. Some ailments enumerated by Hahnemann are
cramps of the bowel, spasmodic colic pains, bilious colic etc. 'Violent
colic, especially after vexation'.

Colocynthis may be compared with Staphisagria. But there is a

distinction: when ailments appear after the patient has kept anger
inside, it is more likely to be Colocynthis, if humiliation has been
kept inside, when the main idea is 'I have been humiliated', then it is
Staph. And the sensitivity to injustice, and intolerance of injustice is a
quality that the Colocynthis patient has in common with Causticum.
Caust. patients, however, do not keep their anger inside, but they
tend to be rebellious and fanatical.

Sometimes Causticum, Staphisagria and Colocynthis are indic-

ated in one case; these three remedies are indicated in a rotation,
that means that the symptoms change in such a way that you start
with one of these remedies, and the others follow in rotation. They
complement each other. Sometimes in very serious conditions,
where the organism is really undermined, then there is a peculiar
phenomenon when you give a series of remedies and then you start

2010
 Colocynthis.

the same cycle again on a higher potency and the case improves.
When I say serious cases, this is not to mean cases which are near
physical death, but for homeopathy serious cases are those where
we have the centre of pathology on the mental or psychological
level, cases where a 'death' on these levels is threatening, where the
centre of the pathology is on the higher levels of existence.

Spasms and Spasmodic Pain

'The main feature of Colocynthis is that it brings about crampy

pains in inner and outer parts, i.e. tonic spasms, with squeezing
pressive pains' (Hahnemann). This 'inclination of the muscles
of all parts of the body to become painfully cramped' is not only
seen in abdominal cramps. Colocynthis may be indicated in spasms
in different parts of the body. It can be useful in cases of lumbago,
and especially in sciatica. In theses cases, in addition to the severe
cramping pains, there are sensations of formication and numbness
simultaneously, or alternating with the pains.

Colicky pain in infants, for instance colic in the first three

months is indicative of Colocynthis. A 'rule of thumb': if the baby
bends double because of the severe pain and draws the legs
extremely violently to the abdomen, Colocynthis will probably be
indicated. If the baby has colicky pain and you turn it around so that
it lies on its abdomen and this ameliorates, and the baby falls asleep,
it is more likely to be Belladonna.

Another remedy for baby colic is Illicium (or Anisum stellatum, as

it is sometimes called). It is a herb that mothers used to give to babies
in older times, before the doubtful benefits of chemical drugs were
discovered.

2011
Colocynthis.

Ailments from Vexation and Anger

Colocynthis is indicated in colicky pain from anger that has been

kept inside, but also in many other complaints resulting from
vexation and especially anger kept inside. Whenever a
diseased state is preceded by vexation, Colocynthis should be
thought of. For example, Hahnemann mentions: 'Bruised pain in
shoulder joint after vexation'. And many cured cases in literature
give evidence that Colocynthis may be indicated in such states as
headaches, feverish infections after miscarriage, ischialgia, etc.
after vexation.

Kent describes how a Colocynthis state may develop: 'Colocynth

produces a state in the nervous system like that found in
individuals who have for years been labouring under annoyances
and vexations. A man whose business affairs have been going
wrong becomes irritable and nervous exhaustion follows'. These
days, we might take the example of a manager who has to do a very
important job, but is not given the proper resources and power. He
suffers silently, keeps his frustration inside, and finally he gets terrible
colicky pain.

Kent also gives a fine description of other kinds of 'complaints from

vexation', i.e. the ones connected with irritability: 'Ovarian
neuralgia... the woman will flex the limb of the painful side hard
against the abdomen and hold it there. The physician asks, "What
has happened to give you these pains?" Her answer is likely to
be, "My servant spilled some dirty water on a handsome rug, we
had some words over it, and this is the result."'

We can see something of the sensitivity to injustice in this behaviour,

which is mentioned by Hahnemann in his indication: 'Ailments...
from mortification about unworthy treatment... of persons
with whom they feel sympathy'.

2012
 Colocynthis.

Anxiety and Restlessness

The Colocynthis states of acute pain are usually accompanied by

great anxiety and restlessness. 'Complaining bitterly day
and night', 'Anxiety, restlessness irritability and tearfulness' are
among the characteristics of the remedy.

The severe stomach and abdominal cramps may cause oppression of

the chest and lead to states of anxiety, and only 'violent motion and
wriggling around' will relieve a little. 'No position brings rest or
relief; has to scream loud with pain'. Headaches are compelling him
to cry, scream and walk the room, it is impossible to rest and lie still.
Again and again, in the cases we find the words 'doesn't find rest
anywhere', or 'pains that do not permit any rest, neither by day
nor by night'.

The violent pains not only cause restlessness and anxiety on the
emotional and mental level, they also cause upheaval in the body.
Abdominal pains are often accompanied by vomiting and
diarrhoea, which is rather a consequence of the extreme pain than
a problem of digestive disturbance. And Kent emphasises that
'...nausea does not appear at first, but when the pain becomes
sufficiently intense nausea and vomiting begin'.

The face of the Colocynthis patient bears the marks of the violent pain;
the features are distorted. 'Pinching pain in the abdomen, as if the
bowels were pressed inward, with cutting extending toward the
pubic region, so severe below the navel that the muscles of the
face are distorted and the eyes drawn closed'.

Moreover, there is an aversion to mental exertion of any

kind, 'dislike to study'. And Colocynthis patients are especially
disinclined to open themselves up to other people. In the Austrian
provings, we find the following remark: 'Disinclined to mental
and physical work, even to see good friends; faint-hearted'.

2013
Colocynthis.

Or, as Kent puts it, 'His friends irritate him and he wants to
be alone'.

The patient cannot concentrate in order to work. There is no drive,

the mind feels dull and inactive because of a feeling of internal
exhaustion. This want of ability to concentrate, and of mental
energy, may also be expressed as 'Strange mood, not permitting
to keep to an idea'.

On the physical level, there are also states of weakness and

exhaustion. 'General lassitude, feeling as if bruised in the small
of the back. Sensation as if all his strength was failing'. 'Fainting
with coldness of the external parts'.

MODALITIES

Colocynthis is a remedy with marked general modalities. Relief

from hard pressure, especially from bending double, drawing
the legs up, etc. Hering expressed this very graphically: 'If the
patients press their fists against their belly, or they press
their abdomen against a bed post, a corner of the
table, or something similar, as if they were in a rage, or if they
lie down on their belly, putting pillows under it, etc., and in this
way they finally come to a rest'. Or, as Chronic Diseases puts it,
'The pain is only relieved by pressure upon the bowels
with the hands and bending himself inward'.

It is similar with other painful states, as in sciatica, trigeminus

neuralgia, headaches and so on. If hard pressure ameliorates
pains that would otherwise be unbearable, Colocynthis
should be thought of. However, it is possible that in painful states
that have been lasting for a longer time, the parts finally become
sore to the touch, so that even pressure is not tolerated any more.

2014
 Colocynthis.

Emotions, especially vexation, anger, and mortifica-

tion, will aggravate. They are apt to excite many different
complaints. Margaret Tyler writes about one of her patients who had
tremendous attacks of pain: 'Whenever she becomes excited, an
attack occurs'.

Eating and drinking, even of the slightest quantities, will aggravate

in most cases, for instance in dysmenorrhoea, in diarrhoea, in colic
etc. On the other hand, motion will often tend to relieve (which is,
however, not always the case), because the pains are frequently
coupled with a tremendous restlessness. External warmth will usually
ameliorate a little.

Aggravation of symptoms at 4 pm (Lycopodium). Colicky

pain and neuralgia tend to occur or increase at that time. For
instance, 'terrible, contractive, twisting pains in bowels, imme-
diately about umbilicus' occurred at 4 pm on six days, and a
cutting pain 'as from a chisel' in abdomen also began at that time.
In a cured case, sciatica recurred periodically at 4 pm.

Incidentally, the provings also show that several provers had

diarrhoeic stools at 4 pm, with relief of abdominal pain. This is
another confirmation for this time of day as a Colocynthis pointer.

Guernsey mentions (in his Keynotes) an aggravation by urination.

This modality is deduced from a proving symptom: 'Sensation of
violent pressure in the left temple, worse when urinating'. If
such an aggravation is observed in painful states, Colocynthis should
be thought of.

The remedy tends to prefer the left side of the body; neuralgic
states tend to appear left-sided.

2015
Colocynthis.

Vertigo
The violent abdominal pains are sometimes accompanied by a peculiar
sensation of giddiness and confusion. 'Dullness of head and giddiness,
at beginning of colic'. Vertigo also comes on when quickly turning
head, with a feeling as if he would fall, and a tottering sensation in knees.
Vertigo, giddiness, confusion and stupefaction are felt especially in the left side
of the head, particularly in the region of the temples and the forehead.

Head
Colocynthis patients often suffer from violent attacks of headache, which
usually recur periodically. There is frequently much restlessness and
anxiety with the pain. For example: a 24-year-old woman had attacks of a
severe pressing, tearing headache. She was unable to remain in a lying
position, had to sit up and bend herself double, she cried out and wept.
The attacks repeated every half or full hour.
Colocynthis often suits one-sided, migraine-like headaches where the
pain may radiate into the face. Attacks of hemicrania with nausea and
vomiting; sometimes followed by suffocative fits and congestion to head.
A tearing or tearing-digging headache which is felt in the whole brain, and is
especially aggravated on moving the eyelids. There may be a pressure
in the forehead 'as if it would be pressed outward'. Pressing in the forehead and
at the root of the nose, as though a violent catarrh were coming on.
Another modality, which occurs in pressive pains in the forehead, is an
aggravation from stooping and from lying on the back. Or else
'Sensitiveness of the head, as though it were compressed; especially in the
forehead and temples, with painfulness of the eyeballs; aggravated by
bending forwards, better in the open air'.
Boring, boring-stinging and boring-tearing pains, in the forehead, the temples,
the sides of the head.
'Pressing and dull throbbing in the left temple, growing gradually
acute and cutting'. And 'Sensation of violent pressure in the left
temple, continuing the whole afternoon, better while seated, worse when
standing and walking, but especially when urinating'.
Sudden sticking pain in the forehead, towards the nose. A violent stitching pain

2016
 Colocynthis.

in forehead and eyes, from out in, which lasted for 90 hours, day and night, with
only short remissions, was cured with Colocynthis.
Tensive-pressive pain over whole forehead, especially when evacuating a very
soft and easy stool.
Roots of hair painful. Burning pain in skin of forehead, above the eyebrows.
'Headache as from a draught, ceasing when walking in the open air"
(Bonninghausen).

Eyes

The headaches in the region of the forehead will often also affect the eyes. Pressive
pain in the eyeballs and orbitae, especially on stooping. Sometimes there is a
sensation on stooping as if the eye would fall out. Smarting or burning pressure in
the eyes. A strange symptom: 'In the evening, stinging drawing along the left
tibia, as far as the tarsal bones, simultaneously burning pressure in left eye'.
Sharp cutting and stinging pains, frequently extending from the eyeball into the
head or towards the nose; ciliary neuralgia, ameliorated by firm pressure.
'Stabs, as from knives, in the right eyeball, towards the root of the nose'.
Tearing pain in the right eye, beginning in the forehead as a sting, afterwards
extending to the temple.
Annoying twitching of the right upper eyelid, during the headaches.
Ophthalmia with burning cutting pains in the eyes, raging headaches, rush of
blood to head and profuse discharge of acrid humour from the eyes. Iritis,
iridocyclitis, choroiditis.

Ears and Nose

Constant roaring and throbbing in both ears. Buzzing and obstructed feeling in
the left ear, coming and going rhythmically.
Crawling or itching stitches in the right ear, or else cutting stinging in the concha;
all symptoms ceasing on putting the finger into the ear.
'Throbbing-burrowing pain in the nose, extending from the left side to the
root of the nose' (Materia Medica Pura).
Fluent coryza, especially in the open air. Obstruction of the nose, also with
impaired sense of smell and discharge of purulent mucus from the nose.

2017
Colocynthis.

Face
Colocynthis causes and cures prosopalgia, especially left-sided pains, and
therefore it is indicated in trigeminus neuralgia. The provings brought
about: 'Tearing and tension in left side of face, extending to the ear and into
the head'. 'Constriction and pressing in the left malar bone, extending
into the left eye'. And a 'Violent tearing, burning and stinging pain
in the left side of the face, extending behind the ear, through the temple
and into the left half of the head' was cured by the remedy, the patient
screamed with pain and didn't find rest anywhere; the slightest touch
aggravated the pain.
Another case of left-sided prosopalgia was accompanied by a throbbing in the
teeth that was felt now here and now there. The pains were very violent, tearing
and tensive, and with a feeling as if the left half of face were torn
from the right; from time to time they diminished, but they soon returned,
permitting no peace at day or night; pains were aggravated by touch and motion.
In some cases the pains were so violent that they caused nausea and vomiting.
Frequently there is also external sensitivity of the face, especially in
the infraorbital region.
If the patient has pains in other parts of the organism (especially in the
abdomen), this is seen in his face. Hahnemann describes colic pains so violent
'that the facial muscles were distorted and the eyes closed'.
The face is usually rather pale, with relaxed muscles and sunken eyes, but in
cases of fever and of neuralgia, there are also reports of a hot and dark red face.
Or else colic pains 'with pale, hot, collapsed face'.
Tearing pains in cheeks. Transient, frequently repeated stitches in the upper jaw.

Mouth

Toothache in connection with facial neuralgia; particularly a pain in lower

teeth as if a nerve were stretched and strained and then suddenly
relaxed again. Such pains may alternate with lumbago or sciatica.
Or else: 'Headache extends into teeth, where it is of a tearing, raging, jerking
nature'.
A persistent bitter taste in mouth, causing nausea, is striking. There is also a
metallic and astringent taste on the tip of the tongue.

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 Colocynthis.

Burning on the tip of the tongue, and a sensation as if it had been scalded with
a hot fluid; aggravated by eating sour food.
'Tongue feels rough, as if sand had been scattered upon it'.

Throat

Spasm in oesophagus, with empty eructation, palpitation of the heart and

constant tendency to retch and vomit.
Sensation of roughness and scraping in throat, or else a feeling of compression.
Constriction of larynx, compelling to swallow frequently.

Respiration, Chest, and Heart

Sensation of constriction in larynx, with oppression of chest and desire to

swallow; ameliorated in the open air.
Tickling irritation in larynx, inducing dry cough.
Frequent tickling cough at night. Hacking cough on smoking tobacco.
Also 'Cough with green expectoration and increase of the headache'.
Oppression of chest, in the evening or at night, especially before midnight;
with a feeling as if the chest were compressed.
Attacks of nightly dyspnoea, with slow, difficult breathing, which provokes
coughing.
In a case of lumbago, there were 'stitches in side with each breath, with
anxiety and oppression as if he was about to be smothered'. Similar
suffocative attacks were observed in the context of hemicrania. Heavy, difficult
breathing during the menses.
A feeling as if the heart were pushed upwards by the distended stomach.
'Feels the heart beat and the pulsation in blood vessel in the whole body
when lying still'.

Stomach

Canine hunger, with particular longing for bread and beer. Or diminished
appetite, although the food tastes natural. Or else disgust for food, with scraping
in throat; the loathing ceases after drinking a glass of water.
Violent thirst. Or else: 'Much appetite for drinking, without thirst; mouth

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Colocynthis.

always full of water, drink tastes very well, but after each drink an insipid
taste comes into the mouth'.
In most cases, especially when there are abdominal pains, vomiting, and
diarrhoea, eating and drinking will aggravate, even in very small
quantities. Colicky pain after drinking while overheated. 'After least food or
drink, immediately vomiting and diarrhoea' (Jahr, Symptom Codex). 'After
eating or drinking anything, pinching in the region of the epigastrium'.
Intolerance especially to potatoes. On the other hand, coffee may relieve
the abdominal ache by promoting the stool, and smoking tobacco may act
similarly.
Violent, empty eructation without odour, frequently repeated and sometimes
amounting almost to hiccup.
Nausea and vomiting, especially in cases where they are induced mainly
by the severity of the pain; vomiting and/or diarrhoea after anger
and indignation. Nausea, lasting until falling asleep and returning on
awaking.
The vomit is greenish, or consists of a yellowish, serous fluid which tastes bitter.
Frequently the patient will continue to retch and gag even after the whole
contents of the stomach has been evacuated.
Severe pains, of a tearing or cutting-digging quality, extending from
chest and abdomen, and from both sides to the stomach; excited by
vexation and indignation, ameliorated by firm pressure and bending double.
Burning pains in stomach, even during a meal.
Contractive, constrictive, compressive, sharp pinching, cramp-
ing, griping pains in stomach and epigastrium, often with
oppression of breath and extreme restlessness. In cases of these
pains there may also exist an excessive external sensitivity of the stomach region,
as in the following proving report: 'Sleepless from cramp-like pressure in the
pit of the stomach, and constriction of the stomach; this latter was so
sensitive that he could not endure the lightest covering'. Amelioration
from firm pressure, however, is much more marked and characteristic.
'Painful griping and movements in the epigastric region'. Cramps in stomach,
relieved by empty eructation.
Sensations of emptiness, weakness or fullness in stomach.
The stomach pains are sometimes accompanied by facial pains or toothaches.

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 Colocynthis.

Abdomen
In this region there are many symptoms that have been repeatedly caused and
cured by Colocynthis. The abdomen may be called the main area of action of
this remedy.
'Violent colic, especially after vexation' (Hahnemann). The pain
usually centres in the region of the umbilicus. It is pinching or griping,
but may also be a sharp cutting 'as from a chisel', or constricting, or a
cramp-like squeezing, or a violent stitching. Or else: 'Griping in the
intestines as if all the bowels would be forcibly gripped'. Characteristic pain
qualities are also a 'pinching pain in the abdomen, as if the bowels were
pressed inward' or even 'as if the intestines were squeezed between
stones, and would fall out'. And last but not least, bruised pains are
frequent. 'Constant bellyache through all intestines, consisting of bruised
pain and pressure'. 'The whole forenoon incessant violent pain in the region
of the navel; the pain is fixed on a place the size of a hand; a bruised pain,
not worse by pressure but by walking, and relieved by eructation of gas'.
'Great sensitiveness and bruised feeling in the abdomen'.
Abdominal pains of tremendous severity, 'so severe below the navel that the
muscles of the face are distorted and the eyes drawn closed'. But most of all
the modalities are characteristic of Colocynthis. It has been confirmed again and
again that firm pressure against the belly (with the hand or fist, the edge
of the table, the bed post etc.) and bending double will ameliorate. 'Pain
in abdomen which urges him to bend double and cower'. {Materia Medica
Pura.) Rest will rather aggravate while 'violent motion and rolling about'
may relieve the pains. Eating and drinking, however, will aggra-
vate even in small quantities.

The abdominal pains frequently have a radiating character. Either they begin in
the sides and extend to the centre, especially the navel, or they begin at the navel
and radiate in all directions, sometimes also to the back which feels as if broken.

Some characteristic descriptions of abdominal pain from the provings:

Sensation of increasing constriction of the intestines, in intervals of ten or twenty
minutes, disappearing from firm pressure with the hand.
Constrictive pain in the umbilical region, immediately after dinner.
Griping around the navel, increased by eating fruit.

2021
Colocynthis.

Violent colicky pains, emanating from the umbilicus, with frequent dis-
charge of flatulence, which afforded relief.
First griping (drawing hither and thither) in the umbilical region, gradually
subsiding, then returning, and rapidly changing into cutting, as if by a large
chisel thrust deep into the upper abdomen, thence passing in a curve back-
wards and downward into the pelvis, and then cutting its way upward again. The
cutting in the hypogastrium several times took the direction from behind forwards
and upwards, and was always relieved by a forcible discharge of
flatus. It was also relieved by straining and the consequent expulsion of a long
train of slippery bubbles of wind, with a small quantity of bland mucus;
it returned in the same fashion at intervals of from five to fifteen minutes. Finally
a very painful expulsive pressure ensued, and in a short time a quantity of
thin faeces passed involuntarily through the sphincter at a single
impulse; it was perfectly bland, causing not the slightest burning or smarting at
the anus, which was rather protected all about by the slippery mucus, of which
a great portion of the passage consisted; the pains in the abdomen all
disappeared with this passage.
Seized with terrible, contractive, twisting pains in bowels, imme-
diately about umbilicus, spreading afterwards over the whole upper part of
abdomen, leaving the lower portion perfectly free from pain; this lasted about an
hour, when there was a copious evacuation of the bowels, and an immediate
relief from pain, which was, however, only temporary, as the pains soon came
back again.
Violent griping pains in the abdomen, worst about three fingers' breadth
below the navel, obliging him to bend over; disappearing after a pappy
stool.
In another prover, the pains didn't cease after a stool, but even increased and
were 'accompanied by a chilly feeling over the whole body'.
There are several of such peculiar chilly feelings with the abdominal pains, for
instance: 'Abdominal pains with restlessness in whole body, and with this, a
cold shiver seems to blow through both cheeks; the chill ascends
from the abdomen and disappears immediately as the pain increases'.
Isolated deep stitches, as if from a needle, sometimes in the left,
sometimes in the right flank. This symptom appeared in a female prover
who felt that the pains seemed to come from the ovaries.

2022
 Colocynthis.

Pains from inguinal hernia. This indication has its source in a proving symptom:
'Pain in the groin, as if a hernia would protrude, and, on pressing upon
it, pain as if a hernia were going inward...'
A spasmodic pain in the region of the left ileum and groin and in the left side of
the (female) pelvis was repeatedly cured with Colocynthis.
During the pains, the abdomen is often much distended, even tympanitic.
Constant borborygmi, also a 'rumbling and croaking in the abdomen as from
frogs'. Incarcerated, retained flatus.

Some unusual symptoms: 'A violent cutting, like an electric shock, darted
through the whole abdomen to the anus, towards noon'. 'Pulsation deep in
the abdomen'. 'A pressure from both sides of the hypogastrium towards the
middle, as from flatus which won't come out, with irritation to seminal
emission'.

Rectum and Stool

Colocynthis patients suffer from frequent and violent urging for stool,
often with unsatisfactory evacuation.
They tend to have diarrhoea, and 'chronic diarrhoea' is one of Hahnemann's
indications. The patients may have a sensation as if anus and rectum were
weakened and relaxed by long continued diarrhoea.

In diarrhoea, Colocynthis may be indicated:

• if the stools are watery, and attended with pain in the sides of the
abdomen;
• if it only occurs in the morning;
• if the diarrhoea comes on as a consequence of severe pains or of
anger, vexation and indignation;
• if abdomen and thighs are approximated as much as possible
during the discharge of the stool;
• if fluid stools are discharged together with flatus immediately
after eating;
• if the least food or drink renews the diarrhoea.
Loose stools often bring transient relief of the colic pains, but this is not always
the case.

2023
Colocynthis.

Some observations concerning appearance and consistency of loose stools:

'Greenish-yellow, foamy diarrhoeic stools, of a sour and putrid smell, or a
musty smell' (Bonninghausen). 'First watery, slimy stools, then bilious, then
bloody'.
However, Colocynthis also has constipated and hard stools. A quotation from
the Austrian provings: 'Urging to stool without an evacuation, which
appeared an hour afterwards in single pieces of stony hardness'. And
the remedy cured a case of paralysis of rectum in a four year old boy; the hard
faeces were falling involuntarily out of the anus during play, while standing.
In one prover, the remedy caused a daily discharge of blood from the
anus, with violent stitches in small of back and anus, which had not disappeared
after a whole year.
Haemorrhoids which are painful when standing, when sitting and during stool.

Urinary Organs

Frequent urging to urinate, sometimes alternating with urging for stool, but
usually with scanty urination. Colocynthis has been used successfully in
acute catarrh of the bladder, e.g. with the following symptoms: 'Cutting pain
in umbilical region, extending to ovarian region, followed by an urging
to urinate with discharge of a small quantity of turbid, slimy urine, which
quickly deposits a mucous sediment; labour-like pains in course of
ureters, extending to upper part of thighs, followed by burning in urethra;
constant cutting pain at region of fundus of bladder, with
discharge of urine every fifteen minutes'.
In the provings, we also find a 'discharge of much urine, clear as water',
and this repeated in intervals of an hour.
Moreover, the remedy has acted curative in chyluria. 'Urine white and turbid
when discharged, when becoming cold it coagulates, forming a milky white
jelly like mass, which, when poured, glides out of the vessel like a liver'.

Finally, Colocynthis has an affinity to the kidneys. Stinging and burning pains
in the regions of the kidneys and loins. One of the proving symptoms is a profuse
night sweat 'of an urinous odour'. Morning sweat of legs on awaking,
especially in cases with kidney problems.

2024
 Colocynthis.

Male Genitalia
Sensation of a movement towards genitals, from both sides of the abdomen,
causing seminal emission. Paraphimosis.
The prepuce receded and seemed to be slightly constricted behind the glans
penis; the prover frequently drew it forward over the glans, but on awaking it had
receded behind the glans again.
Strong sexual desire, with erections.

Female Genitalia

The causative factor 'vexation, indignation, mortification' is also

important here. Colocynthis has been successfully used in suppression of
menstruation on account of vexation, with colic pains, much anxiety
and restlessness
Suppression of menses or lochia from indignation. Dysmenorrhoea worse eating
and drinking. Wants abdomen supported by pressure. Bearing-down cramps,
causing her to bend double. Boring, clutching pain in ovarian region;
must draw up double, with great restlessness.
Ovarian cyst, with pain better flexing thigh on pelvis. Ovarian tumours, cysts.
Round, small cystic tumours in ovaries or broad ligaments. Painful nodes in
mammae.
Because of the violent abdominal cramps that we discussed under 'Abdomen',
Colocynthis is an important remedy in dysmenorrhoea. Again, relief from
bending double and hard pressure is the characteristic feature of the
remedy.
An example: 'Menses every time preceded by cutting pains around umbili-
cus, extending towards flanks and internal genital organs, only sometimes
ceasing for half an hour, better from warmth of bed, with cold feet...
drawing the thighs towards the abdomen relieves the pains'.
Colocynthis should also be thought of in other painful states in the region of
uterus and ovaries; in neuralgia, in pains from a tumour, in inflammations, etc.,
if the abdominal symptoms and especially the modalities agree.
In the region of the ovaries, stitching pains are observed: 'Isolated deep
stitches, as if from a needle, sometimes in the left, sometimes in the
right flank, apparently connected with the ovaries'.

2025
Colocynthis.

In a very dangerous inflammation after miscarriage in the fourth month of

pregnancy, with high fever and delirium, which began after 'some casual
anger', a cure with Colocynthis is indicated for children in fevers after
indignation.

Neck and Back

Colocynthis may cure several kinds of neuralgia, especially lumbago and

sciatica.
Tensive and drawing pains at neck and scapulae. 'Violent tensive-
drawing pain in the left cervical muscles, worse on motion'. 'Sensation of
an obstacle in the muscles of the nape, on moving the neck', or a
'troublesome pressure in the left side of the nape, worse on turning head'.
In the region of the right scapula, an internal drawing pain may occur which feels
'as if the nerves and vessels were made tense'. Sore pain in left scapula,
during rest.
Great tenderness on pressure over posterior spinal processes of cervical
vertebrae; pressure on them brings on attack of facial neuralgia.
Feeling of a heavy load in the lumbo-dorsal region.
In the back, above the hips, pain with nausea and chilliness.
Tensive sticking in the right loin, only noticed on inspiration, most violent when
lying on the back.
Pressive aching in the region of the left sacroiliac articulation,
accompanied by crawling in the whole left foot, as though it were
asleep.
Pain in small of back as if bruised; as if one had absolved a forced
march.
'Stitching pains in small of back, so severe upon motion that he gets
upon arms and knees in order to obtain relief, pains unendurable
in any other position'.

Extremities

Neuralgic and rheumatic complaints with very violent drawing, tearing,

shooting pains, especially in the course of the nervus ischiadicus. Pains that
shoot downward from the shoulder or hip. There may also be disturbances of
sensibility and paraesthesia: feelings of formication, 'falling asleep', numbness.

2026
 Colocynthis.

Tendency of all muscles to contract spasmodically; also contractions

of tendons. 'Contraction of all limbs, making him look like a hedgehog'.
Stiffness in all joints.
Twitching of single parts of muscles.
Bruised pain in shoulder joint, after vexation.
Swelling and suppuration of axillary glands.
Tearing drawing in left arm, as far as the finger joints.
Hand can be opened only with difficulty, it is difficult to extend
the fingers; with cramping pain in the palm and stinging pains in the meta-
carpal bones. Constant feeling of stiffness in the hands.
In the thumb there are tensive or drawing pains that seem to be seated in the
tendons; the mobility is reduced.
Severe pains in the region of pelvis, hips, buttocks and thighs,
especially sciatica. A proving report of Miiller which conveys a picture of
these pains: 'Dull stitches in the region of the right hip, suddenly
appeared and just as suddenly disappeared, during a walk of some hours
...while sitting there was some relief, but instead of the stitches there was a
sensation as of a heavy weight in the lumbo-dorsal region, somewhat
relieved by lying upon the left side; the part affected seemed warmer
(though only subjectively), and it was sore to the touch. On rising and
walking about this latter sensation disappeared, while the stitches returned;
the pain disappeared at night in the warmth of the bed, but awoke me from
sleep about 4 am, when it had changed its character, insomuch that it was
now throbbing and almost boring... The origin of the trouble lay in the
sacral region, corresponding to the position of the plexus
ischiadicus, thence it extended through the incisura ischiadica
major towards the hip joint, down the posterior portion of the
thigh into the fossa poplitea'.
Hahnemann already mentioned the cure of a 'coxalgia where the hip joint
seemed to be fastened with iron clamps at the pelvis and sacrum,
with pains periodically shooting from the psoas muscle down
into the thigh'. The pains frequently urge the patient to moan and scream and
sometimes make any motion impossible.
Also in these states, the modality 'better bending double' can be confirmed. In a
case of Hirsch (in Riickert, Clinical Experiences, supplement. 1:915) the patient

2027
Colocynthis.

always lay 'on the affected hip, with the knee drawn up as far as
possible', and he screamed with pain on every attempt of the physician to
extend the limb.
Pain in a place the size of a coin, high up at the femur, causing the patient to
limp; the feeling is as if 'boring deep into the bone'.
The thigh aches on walking, as though the psoas muscle were too short.
Stinging tearing and drawing jerking pains, from hip down the
thigh to the bend of the knee, sometimes further down to the
ankles; attended or followed by sensations of numbness.
Feeling of coldness in knees which are, however, warm to the touch.
Strange sensations: 'Feeling as if asleep, longitudinally along the outer
side of the right calf, as though in the track of a nerve. This feeling increased
in extent, as if the nerve were swollen in its periphery, passed gradually into
a dull pressing-constrictive sensation and slowly disappeared'.
The feet increase in volume so that the shoes become too narrow at the instep.
Dull pressing, cramp-like pains in the dorsum of the foot; they seem to be seated
in the periostium of the tarsal bones.
The feet also tend to fall asleep, especially the left one; or first the left foot
becomes numb, and as soon as the sensibility begins to return there, the right
one starts to fall asleep.

Sleep

Sleeps on back, one hand under the occiput, the other arm above the head.
Insomnia and restlessness, on account of vexation and anger;
pains that banish sleep, sometimes attended with oppression of breathing and
anxiety.

Fever, Chill and Perspiration

Feeling of coldness in whole body, or else in single parts, as the knees

(which are, however, warm to the touch). Shivering through whole body, with
heat of face.
Strange sensations of coldness ascending from the abdomen, as a
concomitant of abdominal pains. For instance: 'Abdominal pains with restless-
ness in whole body, and with this, a cold shiver seems to blow through both
cheeks; the chill ascends from the abdomen and disappears immediately as

2028
 Colocynthis.

the pain increases'.

Quick flushes of heat over the whole body. Sensation of heat inside the body,
especially upper part of body, which is also externally warm to the touch.
Two important and peculiar perspiration symptoms: sweat in the morning, at
the lower legs, and profuse night sweat on head, hands, thighs and feet, with
a urinous odour.

Skin

Itching as after profuse perspiration; in the morning on waking, and after rising,
over the whole body, but especially at chest and abdomen.

CLINICAL

Cataract. Ciliary neuralgia. Colic. Coxalgia. Diabetes. Diarrhoea. Dysentery.

Dysmenorrhoea. Glaucoma. Headache. Hoarseness. Menstrual colic. Neuralgia.
Ovaries, affections of. Paraphimosis. Peritonitis. Rheumatism. Sciatica. Tooth-
ache, Tumours. Uterus, pain in. Vagina, pain in.

RELATIONS

Antidoted by: Camphor, Causticum, Chamomilla, Coffea, Staphisagria,

Opium. Large doses are counteracted with tepid milk, an infusion of galls,
Camphor and Opium.
It antidotes: Causticum, Magnesia carbonica
Compatible: Chamomilla, Staphisagria.
Complementary: Mercurius in dysentery with much tenesmus.
Compare: Bryonia, Elaterium, Cucurbita Pepo, Dioscorea; tearing pains in
body, better by motion.
Causticum; rheumatism, and follows Colocynthis in colic.
Cannabis: eyes feel hard, beer intoxicates easily.
Colchicum; stiffness in joints, esp. knees.
Digitalis; paraphimosis.
Staphisagria; anger, vexation, neuralgia; they follow each other well.

2029
Colocynthis.

Notes:

2030
 CONIUM MACULATUM
Poison Hemlock.
N.O. Umbelliferae.
Tincture of fresh plant in flower.

THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES

The idea of paralysis in Conium is not so much the one we know

from Socrates' death by the 'noggin of hemlock'; real paralysis
comes only as an end result, and this may take a very long time,
twenty years, thirty years, or more. Conium suffers with a gradually
progressing weakness and paresis, and gradual is the key word
here.

The idea is much more that of sclerosis, of becoming hard,

especially the glands, which become swollen and indurated.
A gradually progressing weakness with the formation of
indurations during the decline, is the picture of Conium
pathology.

Mental Paralysis and Induration

This process develops on all three levels. On the mental level, we

observe a gradual decline of the intellectual capacities.
The patient becomes more and more dull; he has more and more
difficulty in comprehension.

Thinking is slowed down, memory becomes weak, and the patient

becomes forgetful. His five senses lose their acuity, and his reserves
slowly ebb away. A frequent and characteristic symptom is an
inability to sustain mental effort over any length of time.

2031
Conium Maculatum

All these symptoms can also be found in other remedies; but the
characteristic here is the snail's pace of the progress. It happens so
gradually that the patient is not aware of the process himself. After
some years he may go back in his memory and say, 'What is
happening to me?' But it takes him years to see the declining
process. Nor is this decline observed by the people around him,
especially those who are in contact with him every day. The process
develops too slowly and undramatically.

Even when he finally feels that something serious and deeply

disturbing is going on, he will often say nothing to anybody, because
no one else seems to have noticed anything. Finally a kind of
stupefaction takes over, and now he feels that this state is definitely
leading him into a serious condition of degeneration, of imbecility
and premature senility.

Conium produces as it were areas of sclerosis, of callus in the brain.

It seems to be a remedy that is very set in its thinking, to the extent
that it becomes superstitious. Conium is the main remedy in
superstition or 'superstitious thoughts'. It is like an induration in a
certain area of the brain.

The patients tend to have compulsive thoughts and to execute

compulsive actions, but only in a separate arena of their mental
lives. The remainder of the brain is working beautifully, and they are
otherwise normal people, performing their tasks, holding their jobs,
and fulfilling all their social functions, but in this separate mental
arena they have some fixed ideas which they cannot get rid of.

Those superstitious obsessions may be more or less harmless in

themselves. They might think, 'If I don't touch the corner when I go
around it, something bad is going to happen to me'. Or, 'I mustn't
step on the cracks between the slabs of the pavement, and if I do, I
will suffer some misfortune'. These ideas may make life intolerable
for the people around them.

2032
 Conium Maculatum

I remember a case in which the wife related that her husband would
not take off his trousers to go to bed until everything was absolutely
quiet outside. If he could hear a car, he was unable to take off his
trousers. So he waited until he couldn't hear the car any more, and
then he started pulling off his trousers.

But soon the noise of another car came, and he couldn't continue
taking off his trousers: he had to wait for absolute quiet. This man
was a manager in a bank, he had a responsible position, and he
was normal in every other way, but he could not be talked out of
this obsession.

Of course, there was more to it that. He admitted that his memory

had begun to fail, and that his concentration was not the same as
it had been. He could not read as much as he used to, because he
was slower to comprehend. All of these functions came back after
the remedy, Conium 10M in a single dose, and the compulsive
action has disappeared.

Conium's fixed ideas often (but not always) centre around needing
absolute quiet, as in the case above, and problems with strangers.
This is especially true regarding toilets. They often cannot urinate or
pass stool if there are people near the bathroom. And they can get
terrible constipation because of that, especially when they are
travelling, because there are nearly always people around. It is
beautiful to see how such behaviour is taken away by the correct
remedy.

Emotional Paralysis and Induration

On the emotional level, we again witness this gradual paralysis with

induration. The emotions are gradually weakened and paralyzed
until it is impossible to bring them to the surface, to 'move' them.
The final state is a condition of complete indifference and apathy,

2033
Conium Maculatum

when they find no interest in anything. And when they have gone
so far, they are no more able to show emotion when it is needed or
appropriate to the surroundings.

If they get a present, they cannot be happy, and they are also unable
to cry when they would like to; their feelings may still be there but
they are petrified and indurated, they cannot be moved. Then they
become gloomy and unhappy; they do not want company and they
feel unable to communicate with anybody.

But this indifference doesn't develop quickly, and again it takes a

long time until the pathology has gone this far. Before that state of
indifference, there is a stage where patients are worried because they
feel that something is happening with their mental condition. They
are worried about their health, they wonder what is happening in
their mind, how all this will end. They become anxious, and in this
state they do not want to be alone. In Conium the aversion to
company is not a very strong feature.

How can we speak of induration presented on the emotional level?

It manifests as a kind of insensitivity. Conium people are not sweet
persons, they are hard, 'down to earth', materialistic and practical
people. As the doctor you will see that they are demanding. They
will be loyal to you as long as they feel you can help them and as
you are not hurting them. But if there is a stage where, in their
opinion, you are not helping them enough, they will immediately let
you know, demanding their 'rights'.

Conium people are materialists in a different fashion to Platina.

They don't have the extreme egotism and haughtiness of Platina,
they don't think that they are 'big'. Rather, Conium's attachment is
to the material world around him, his property, his habits, his family.

Conium says: 'This is mine. This table is mine. This is my house'.

Once any of this is taken away from him, there is a definite morbid,

2034
 Conium Maculatum

pathological reaction, and this is often accompanied by an indur-

ation on the physical level, a tumour which is usually malignant.

These symptoms after a 'material loss' can occur very suddenly,

even immediately, at quite another speed compared to the slow and
gradual paralysis of the remedy. If, for instance, the patient's house
burns down and many valuable things are lost, he can develop
symptoms very quickly, especially hard tumours, even cancer, and
in such a case Conium will often be indicated.

Suppression of Sexuality

The biggest material loss for Conium is the deprivation of

regular sexual activity. The moment they lose regular sex with
their partner, problems start. The body may function well as long as
there is a regular release on the sexual level, a release of the
hormones at regular intervals with a specific partner.

This is what they need to feel in balance, otherwise the balance is

lost. Therefore you will often see Conium indicated in women who
have lost or separated from their partner and do not have a new love
affair.

Female Conium patients depend on the regular sexual activity they

are used to, and if the husband dies, the woman does not easily start
a new affair. Because of this failure to release the hormones,
problems will arise, which can go from vertigo, which is usually the
first to appear, to trembling and weakness.

It can go as far as developing severe problems, even cancer, and

especially cancer of the breast or of the uterus. Cancer of
cervix uteri is also often seen. The idea is that a hard tumour
develops, mostly of the glands, but it can be anywhere.

2035
Conium Maculatum

Conium is the main remedy for the gland that is affected greatly by
sexual activity in man: the prostate. If a suppression of sexual urge
in a Conium man is present, the first gland that is affected is the
prostate, it can swell and even cause prostate cancer. Moreover,
Conium is an important remedy in indurated and malignant swell-
ing of the testes.

Also we may see hypochondria in unmarried men with very strict

principles of sexual morality: 'Hypochondriacal complaints, espe-
cially in unmarried people who are strictly abstinent in sexual
matters'

Here the comparison with Platina is again very interesting. Conium

people have a strong sexual urge, as do Platina, but the difference
is that Conium are not oversexed, they are more on the practical
side. They don't think of sex day and night, like Platina, rather they
look upon sex as something they just need from time to time to
release their hormones; they are people without illusions, matter of
fact in their approach to sex.

You have to understand the mentality: they feel that the good things
which we can enjoy in life are given to us, it is our right to enjoy
them. They do not tend to have bad feelings, feelings of guilt or
doubt, neither do they tend to hypersexual behaviour. We can say,
they know exactly what they want: sex and the release of orgasm is
what they need to keep their organism functioning, that is the idea,
and they take it as a fact or, as it were, their right.

But if this outlet stops suddenly, once this 'right' is taken away from
them, then there is a kind of dizziness, which they constantly comp-
lain about, they say that their head is never clear. They start
trembling, shaking all over and a feeling of paralytic weakness
eventually takes them over. The dizziness can become really severe,
and Meniere's Syndrome may develop. Things seem to be turning
around them.

2036
 Conium Maculatum

The worst situation is when they lie in bed and want to turn to the
other side; this movement aggravates them terribly. (This should be
differentiated from the similar symptom in Silicea, where the vertigo
in bed only arises from turning to the left.)

On sudden motion, for example on turning the head to look behind

them, everything seems to turn around them. They complain
about the head problem, it is nearly indescribable for them: they do
not say vertigo, instead they use words like a buzzing inside the
head, a noise, a dizziness, or similar terms.

In a recent case from Argentina (quoted in Klassische Homdopathie

5/93), a 57-year-old man got 'vertigo, worse when turning around
in bed, with a feeling as though the brain had gone to sleep'.
This came on after his wife had (in his words), 'condemned him to
celibacy'.

In other cases, patients start to tremble and feel as if paralyzed all

over; even mentally paralyzed, unable to perform any duties, with
problems in concentrating; unable to stand mental effort for any
length of time.

Conium are also fixed on their sexual patterns, not at all flexible.
They are not oversexed, and they do not tend to promiscuity or
extramarital relationships. On the contrary, when they make a
decision to keep with one partner, they will stay together until the
partner dies.

Typical symptoms will be: complaints of swollen glands, the head is

not clear and there are headaches, even very severe headaches, or
headaches together with vertigo. The patient starts trembling and
feels weak. With this picture you might prescribe Gelsemium,
Cocculus or Carbo vegetabilis. But once you have the information
about the loss of a partner and the abrupt end to sexual activity, then
there is only one remedy that will help and this is Conium.

2037
Conium Maculatum

Of course, such a history also happens to other people who do not

need a remedy, but where other organisms can manage this
interruption and can balance themselves, it will be Conium who,
almost invariably, will develop pathological symptoms.

Further Mental Symptoms

Some proving symptoms to show how the Conium pathology affects

the intellect:
'Dullness; difficulty in understanding what he is reading, with
confusion of the head'.
'Dullness, like stupefaction; difficulty in understanding what he
is reading'.
'Want of memory'.
'Forgetfulness and weakness in head'.
'Unable to correctly express oneself by talking, with
difficulty of recollecting things'.
'Inability to sustain any mental effort'.

There are often states of difficulty in concentration and absence of

mind, even insensibility and confusion, especially after
awaking from a midday nap.

There are many emotional symptoms where anxiety, gloomy

thoughts, fears and peevishness dominate. They correspond
to the state where the patient begins to feel his decline (see above),
but they can also appear in other situations.

For instance: 'Deeply absorbed in thought, he meditates

anxiously about present and future, searching for solitude'.
'Hysterical anxiety'. 'Ill humour and gloom'. 'Constant ill
humour and peevishness'. 'Peevish mood; does not know what
to do; time passes too slowly'.

2038
n
 Conium Maculatum

From a proving by Robinson: 'She feels peevish, vexed, and

easily put out about trifles'. Where these symptoms dominate
there may be a rather contradictory attitude toward human
company, as is manifested in this proving symptom: 'Shuns people
and their approach, and at the same time dread to be alone'.

In the context of the menses, there are also states of sensitivity,

tearfulness and restlessness. 'Before the menses, aching in all
limbs, with tearful mood, restlessness and anxious
worry about trifles'. Or: 'She is easily moved by trifles, moved
to tears'.

In the Chronic Diseases, we even find a veritable weeping fit which

later transforms into vertigo and weakness: 'Paroxysm: alone at
home, she feels an inclination to weep; after yielding to it,
the weeping changes to a loud sobbing; afterwards flicker-
ing before the eyes and indistinct vision, so that she had to hold
on to something when walking; afterwards weariness in all limbs
and a dull headache'.

A number of mental symptoms corresponds with the stage of

indifference, apathy, emotional paralysis and petrefaction: 'Very ill-
humoured, every afternoon, from 3 pm to 6 pm, as though a
great guilt weighed upon him, with paralysed feeling in all
the limbs, indifference, and taking no interest in anything'.
'Morose mood; everything about him makes an unpleasant
impression upon him'. 'Disinclination for work'. 'No pleasant
feelings whatsoever'.

Conium has successfully been used in depressive states, and it is

easy to see that the depressive element prevails in the remedy. There
is on record a cured case of a woman who fell into a 'very unhappy
mood' every 14 days. She had no desire to dress, to eat anything,
to talk or to see her children.

2039
Conium Maculatum

The periodic recurrence of this unhappy state may be a hint that

Conium could also be indicated in cyclic manic-depressive states.
And though the depressive symptoms preponderate, we still see
proving symptoms like this: 'He is averse to being near people,
and to the talk of those passing him; is inclined to seize hold of
and abuse them'.

A cured case, fragments of which are very often quoted in literature,

shows that Conium can be useful when there is an alternation of
marked manic and depressive stages:

'A 16-year-old boy... became mentally ill... It was peculiar that

he was alternately in a depressed mood for 10 days and
then again in an excited mood for 10 days. He is silent for
10 days, sad and worried, picks his fingers, lies in bed most of
the time, does not like to answer questions, with more frequent
urination during the night Confused feeling in head, often sits
as if he were in a dream. Eats and drinks but has a stool only
every third day; weak memory. Timid, cannot be persuaded to
any work. Sleep very restless. Then very excited for 10 days,
vehement, domineering, quarrelsome, tends to scold. Likes to
wear his best clothes, makes useless purchases and then cares
very little for them, wastes or ruins them; does not want to work,
prefers to play; picks quarrels, does not tolerate contradiction.
Continuously picks his nose which bleeds easily'.

Conditions of Weakness

As mentioned above, the Conium weakness increases very gradu-

ally, year after year, finally amounting to complete paralysis, and this
process may take many years. Conium is an important remedy in
chronic recreational drug users; not for the acute consequences of
high doses of cocaine, for instance, but for people who are more
careful with drugs.

2040
 Conium Maculatum

They take small doses of drugs, they enjoy them little by little for
many years, and very gradually they keep going into a state of loss
of power on all levels, mental, emotional, and physical, so slowly
that it is hard to perceive. After many years, the mind is totally
paralysed, they cannot think any more, imagination is exhausted, all
energy is lost. In chronic drug users who do not take large or strong
doses of narcotics, Conium will be indicated if there is such a gradual
loss of power.

I include alcohol as a recreational drug here; Conium is in any case

sensitive to alcohol and is easily affected by it. Hahnemann writes:
'The least quantify of spirituous drink intoxicates himHead-
aches are aggravated from alcohol, and the characteristic process of
weakening and decline may be sped up by alcohol. But we have to
know that underneath there is a predisposition; alcohol and drugs
may catalyze and intensify the process, but they are not the deepest
reason for the pathology.

On the physical plane, the weakness of Conium especially manifests

in the urinary and genital systems. In spite of the intensity of the
sexual desire, the sexual powers are weak, and there is often
impotence. Men tend to have ejaculatio praecox, and women may
also get orgasms without even touching their partner. To quote
Hahnemann's own delicate phrase: 'Emission even while
frolicking with a woman'.

I once treated a female patient who used to flirt with priests. She
liked to make them excited, and she would have a complete orgasm
while she was flirting with them, without ever touching them. This
symptom made me think of Conium. You may wonder why I call
this a state of weakness. But in fact this is how I understand it: the
sexual organs are weakened, almost paralyzed, and they are unable
to hold back the release of the orgasm. A little stimulation, then
orgasm happens, and that is it.

2041
Conium Maculatum

A keynote for Conium is interrupted urination. People in a

Conium state will be urinating and the urination suddenly stops, in
the middle of the flow. They wait a moment, and it starts again, stops
again and so on, three, four or five times, before the urinary tract is
empty. 'The discharge of urine suddenly stops during urination
and only continues after a while'.

Such a symptom may point to a weakness of the bladder in

expelling the urine, but sometimes also to a stenosis of the urethra
or to the swelling of the prostate. If the urethra is narrowed because
of an enlargement of the prostate gland, Conium may be indicated
as well. If the urethral stricture is caused by inflammation and
cicatrization, you should also think of Thuja and Medorrhinum
when other symptoms agree.

An interesting modality: complaints of the extremities which respond

to Conium are relieved by letting the affected limb hang
down. This modality is indeed a strange, rare, and peculiar
symptom that should call Conium to mind. As Kent puts it: 'Conium
differs from a great many medicines. It is common for pains and
aches to be relieved by putting the foot up on a chair; by putting
them up in bed. But the patient with rheumatism, with ulceration
and the other strange sufferings of the legs, will lie down and
permits his legs to hang over the bed up as far as the knee'.

An ulcer on the foot that is painful even when lying in bed, is

ameliorated by hanging the legs down from the knee. We may
comprehend this peculiar symptom by knowing the pathology of the
remedy, especially from the case of Socrates, who observed that its
actions started by paralyzing first the lower extremities. It is therefore
possible that Conium restricts the blood flow in the lower extremities,
causing problems thereafter.

2042
 Conium Maculatum

The Conium Vertigo

k Vertigo is one of the most prominent features of the remedy. It may

occur on rising from bed or from a seat, or on walking, on going
downstairs, when lying, etc. But the most characteristic modality is
vertigo on turning in bed. Also on moving the eyes or the
head, especially in sideways motion. In this kind of vertigo Conium
is the main remedy together with Belladonna, especially when the
vertigo occurs when turning around in bed. Clarke mentions a case
of lumbago with the symptom 'cannot turn over in bed without
1 being dizzy' that was cured with Conium.

i You may also compare Cocculus, because the Conium vertigo fre-
quently has to do with an accommodation weakness of the eyes, as
in Cocculus.

Nash reports a case where a patient seemed to have all the

symptoms of locomotor ataxia. The striking symptom was that he
could not, when walking, turn the head or the eyes the least bit
sideways without staggering or falling. When he went out with his
1 wife, he always walked in front of her or behind her, but never by
her side! This strange behaviour made Nash think of Conium.

Some more proving symptoms and cured symptoms relating to the

Conium vertigo:
Vertigo, in the morning, on rising from bed.
Very dizzy while walking.
Vertigo, like turning in a circle, on rising from his seat.
Vertigo, worse when lying down, as though the bed were turning in
a circle.
Vertigo on becoming erect after stooping, as if the head would burst.
Vertigo on looking around, as though the patient were to fall
sideways.
'On raising my eyes from the object upon which they had been
fixed to a more distant one the vision was confused, and a

2043
Conium Maculatum

feeling of giddiness suddenly came over me. So long as my

eyes were fixed on a given object the giddiness dis-
appeared... 'Another prover even staggered when walking, but as
soon as he closed his eyes, '...I could now walk straight and
steady, and, what was more, without any feeling of giddiness'.

Generalities
Glandular induration as a result of contusion. Conium
has acted very well even in mammary cancer which developed after
a blow against the breast, in cancer of the lip after long-time pressure
by a tobacco pipe, etc.

Lassitude and weakness, even amounting to fainting. A striking

symptom is a tremulous weakness after every stool that
ceases in the open air. 'Sudden relaxation (a kind of paralytic
weakness) while walking' has also been cured by Conium. But
usually the weakness will develop very slowly and deeply, as
discussed above. 'So weak that she has to lie down; sick and
weary in the morning in bed, with ill-humour, sleepiness and
pains in the stomach'.

The paralytic states of Conium usually begin below and proceed

upwards (as in Socrates' death); this direction of development may
also manifest in other Conium symptoms.
They are affected by cold and exertion.
Conium patients tend to have complaints from over-lifting.

They are particularly sensitive to complaints from walking in the

open air where exertion and cold may combine: 'Great liability to
catch a cold, even in a room, after a walk in the open air, during
which he had perspired'. 'Walking in the open air makes her
weary, and the air affects her'. Extreme exhaustion, sudden
relaxation, ill humour and other complaints appear after walking
in the open air.

2044
 Conium Maculatum

Warmth will usually ameliorate, particularly warmth of the sun.

'Chilly with trembling in all limbs, and therefore she has to
remain constantly in the warmth of the sun'. Bright light,
however, will often disturb the patient very much, and excessive
photophobia is a striking symptom of Conium.

Two strange symptoms that can be understood as keynotes:

Perspiration as soon as one closes the eyes. This
symptom permitted Lippe to cure a 80-year-old man who suffered
from hemiplegia.
'The clothes lie upon chest and shoulders like a load'.
Conium may be indicated in mononucleosis infectiosa, especially in
the glandular form (if the symptoms agree, of course). Other
remedies frequently indicated in this disease are Iodium and
Mercurius.

Head

'Violent headache with vertigo, from which she suffered for three or
four days; she was sad and silent, just sitting there the whole time'. Sick
headaches with vertigo and an inability to urinate. There are also headaches
with unsatisfactory and too small stools.
Constant sensation of confusion and stupefaction in the head. 'Constant
dullness of the forehead, in the region of the eyebrows and the root of the
nose'. Alcohol aggravates, even when mixed with water and drunk in very small
quantities. 'Even watered wine rises to his head'.
Great sensitivity of the brain, especially to jar. 'On shaking the head,
headache from the forehead to the occiput, as if something were loose in
there'. 'On every step a snapping in the vertex, without pain'. 'Forcing and
griping in the forehead, seemingly coming from the stomach, with much
sensitiveness of the brain; the brain is shaken even by a noise or
by talking'. There are also headaches from over-study.
Sensations of heaviness in the head, especially in the occiput, arising when
sitting bent forward and ceasing when raising the head.
Strange sensations: 'Numbness, with sensation of coldness, of one

2045
Conium Maculatum

side of the head'. Sensation in the right half of the brain as of a large
foreign body. Hot spots on top or back of head, worse from excitement or
overwork.
Often there are severe headaches from within outward. 'Headache, as if the
brain were too full and the skull would burst, in the morning, on
waking'.
Sticking pain in top of head and forehead, from within outward. Very severe
occipital pains on every heartbeat, 'as though the occiput were pierced
with a knife'. Throbbing headache, felt in the forehead.
On the other hand, there is also a sensation of 'giddy constriction of the
brain' or a headache 'as if externally contracted' above the osfrontale,
or else a headache 'like a compression from both temples, after every
meal'.
Drawing in the head, as soon as one goes out in the cold air; relieved on closing
the eyes. With this, there is a sensation of 'great weakness in the head and the
whole body'.
Tearing pains in occiput and back of neck, but also in the orbits, with constant
nausea, urging to lie down.
Headaches with blindness or disturbances of vision, also with a sensation as
if something like a fringe was falling over eyes.
Falling hair.

Eyes

The most important symptom is a weakness of the eye muscles, and

particularly of the accommodation of the eyes, sometimes amounting
to paralysis. The remedy may be indicated in presbyopia, as Hahnemann
already presumed in the Materia Medica Pura. 'Far-sightedness; could
distinctly see rather distant objects'.
'Affected with a weakness and dazzling of my eyes, together with a
giddiness and debility of my whole body, especially the muscles of
my arms and legs, so that when I attempted to walk I was apt to stagger
like a person who had drunk too much liquor'.
Double vision occasionally occurs, as well as squinting, etc. Conium affects
all the muscles in the region of the eyes, producing difficulties with every kind of

2046
 Conium Maculatum

motion of the eyes, on looking around or behind, turning the head, etc. 'Eyes
feel as if pulled outward from nose'. And: 'He could hardly raise the
eyelids, which seemed pressed down by a heavy weight'.
Weakness of vision may be cured with Conium, but also many other
disturbances of vision. For instance: Sees before his eyes dark spots and
coloured stripes, or clouds and bright spots, or else bows, sometimes
playing in all rainbow colours; red vision.
'Fiery zigzags, moving through each other before the sight, on closing the
eyes at night'.
Excessive photophobia, frequently without any signs of inflammation in the
eye. Dazzling of the eyes from light of day, even in the room. Photophobia may
be coupled with lid spasms. From a classic case: 7 frequently saw the most
excessive photophobia with spasm of the lids. After hard efforts to separate
the lids it finally succeeded, and a flood of hot tears spurted out, but cornea
as well as sclerotica proved free of any inflammatory process'.
Disturbances of vision that are caused by injury, as for instance: ophthalmia after
injury by a wood-chip, with dimness of cornea; dimness of the lens
(cataract) after a blow against the eye, etc.
Much and constant dilatation of the pupils.
Burning in the eyes, and especially of the inner surface of the
eyelids. Pressure in eyes, worse when reading.
A biting pain in the inner canthi as if something caustic had come in, with
lachrymation. Itching beneath the eyes, rubbing does not ameliorate but leads to
a burning biting pain.
Repeated manifestation of styes, especially if styes became indurated
A strange symptom from Bonninghausen: cold feeling in eyes when walking in
the open air.

Ears

In Meniere's disease it is the first remedy to be thought of.

Much accumulation of earwax, even obstruction of the external meatus,
with partial deafness. Conium may act curatively, especially when this
complaint is coupled with pain in the liver region.
Something comes before the ears on blowing the nose and they feel stopped.
Or else: painful sensitivity of hearing, noise startles him.

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Conium Maculatum

Noises in the ears: ringing, buzzing, humming, throbbing. Tinnitus.

Tearing and stinging pains in and around the ears.
Or else: drawing stinging pain, from within outward, in the ear.
Swelling and induration of the parotid gland, with painful tension of
the skin.

Nose

Tendency to bore or pick in the nose, which bleeds easily.

Epistaxis when sneezing.
Excessively acute sense of smell.
Burning at the nostrils.
Stitching and sore pain in the nasal septum, also on tip of nose.
Too frequent sneezing, or obstruction of nose, which may b e c o m e
chronic. 'Obstructed nose for years' (Hahnemann).
Discharge of pus from the nose, mingled with blood.
Before the menses, pain inside in root of nose, aggravated by blowing nose and
pressure.

Face

Eruptions in face, itching; pustular or vesicular; gnawing ulcers in face.

Blisters at the upper lip, at the margin of the red portion, painful.
Indurated tumours on cheeks and especially on lips, also as a
consequence of pressure or contusion (tobacco pipe). Malignant tumours of the
lips. Hardening and enlargement of the submandibular glands.
Tearing stinging face-ache, directly before the ear; or a drawing pain from the
jaw to the ear, or else painful tension near the ear. Facial pains that mostly occur
at night.

Mouth

Drawing toothache, extending through the temples, aggravated by eating cold

things, but not by cold drinking.
Drawing, jerking or gnawing toothache, with a sensation as if the teeth were
loose, especially on mastication.
Tongue swollen, stiff, and painful, with difficult speech and articulation. Paralysis
of the tongue.

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 Conium Maculatum

Saliva tasting sour, or bitter taste in mouth.

Throat
Bitter taste in throat.
Constant inclination to swallow, especially when walking in the wind.
Strange rising in the throat, with a sense of stuffing as if something were lodged
there. This may be a hysterical symptom (globus hystericus): 'Pressure from
pit of stomach upwards into oesophagus, as though a round body
were ascending'. Or else: 'Fullness in pit of throat, with fruitless efforts to
belch'.

Respiration, Chest and Cough

Irritation to cough in the larynx, especially in this form: dry spot in the
larynx, where there is a crawling, and almost constant irritation
to dry cough. There may also be itching, tingling or scraping in throat,
provoking dry cough.
Conium cured a 13-year-old boy who had a 'clapping noise' in the larynx with
the act of expiration. The noise was distinctly audible and was usually preceded
by marked spasmodic twitching of the right facial muscles.
Difficult inspiration, also with air hunger; with a sensation as if the chest couldn't
expand enough, or else with a feeling of constriction of the chest; especially in
the morning on waking and in the evening in bed.
Cough that occurs almost exclusively when first lying down,
immediately after assuming a lying position; has to sit up and cough
it out, afterwards he has rest.
Cough which is triggered by lying down and deep breathing;
especially in the evening and at night.
Loose cough, but nothing can be expectorated; has to swallow the
mucus which is detached by the cough. Conium is often indicated in obstinate
dry cough remaining after influenza or a cold.
Cough which is followed by vomiturition. 'Night cough continued without
any intermission until gagging and vomiting occurred'.
A sharp thrust directly through the chest, from the sternum to the
spine.
Stitching pains in the sternum and in the whole thorax are frequent with Conium.

2049
Conium Maculatum

'Violent stitches in side, as if a knife were plunged into it,

causing loud moaning'.
Or else: violent stitches in the right side of the chest about the nipple, on every
inspiration while walking, relieved by hard pressure with the hand.
Dry cough, excited by the slightest exposure to cold air, even by putting arms out
of bed (Hepar).

Heart

Palpitation of the heart after stool, with intermission of heart beats.

Violent palpitation: after drinking , when rising from bed.

Stomach

With many Conium complaints, there is loss of appetite. But Conium has marked
desires: for salt and salty food; for sour food; for coffee. Milk does not
agree. Bread tastes bad and 'does not go down'.
Empty eructations are frequent. They can start in the morning and continue
all day. Usually they are odourless and tasteless, but there is also 'putrid
eructation'.
Much nausea after every meal, with inclination to vomit and often enough
with real vomiting. Conium may be indicated in vomiting in pregnancy.
Violent spasmodic pains in the stomach, especially if coupled
with a tendency to constipation. From a cured case: 'Feeling as though
the stomach contracted, as though a heavy weight were pressing upon it;
she thinks she cannot tighten her clothes, and believes the stomach cramp
would never stop, it only remits sometimes but increases again, making her
sufferings intolerable'.
Contracting stomach pains, together with feeling of coldness in stomach
and back; sensation of soreness and rawness in stomach.
In excessive stomach pains, e.g. in the context of a perforating ulcer
or even cancer, Conium has been given with good results; the pains and the
general state of the patients were markedly ameliorated. In one case the pains
were gnawing and appeared mostly two or three hours after a meal and during
the night, in another case they had a burning and cramping character and
extended as far as the back and the shoulders. But the most remarkable modality

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 Conium Maculatum

was, 'pains relieved most in the knee-elbow position'.

Abdomen
Distension of abdomen, the belly is often hard and tense, with
flatulence. 'Hardness and severe bloating of abdomen, in the evening
after eating, the umbilicus protrudes which makes her sleep restless'.
Swelling of the mesenteric lymph nodes.
Rapid bloating of the belly especially after drinking milk. Cutting in the
abdomen precedes the discharge of flatus.
A strange concomitant symptom: 'Distension of abdomen, like flatulent colic,
in the evening, with coldness of one foot' (compare Lycopodium).
Stitching pains in the liver region, sometimes with intervals, or
painful tearing there. Swelling of liver with pressive pain and accumu-
lation of ear-wax, causing partial deafness.
Painful tension about the hypochondria, as from a constricting
band. Pressive-tensive pain in the left hypochondrium, extending to the left side
of the hypogastrium. Oppressive contraction of the hypogastrium.
Contractive pain in lower abdomen, like after-pains.
Pinching pains in the abdomen, as if diarrhoea would come on.
Spasmodic or bearing-down pains, like menstrual colic or labour pains.
Sore feeling in belly when walking on stone pavement.
Trembling of the whole abdomen.

Rectum and Stool

Conium has some very characteristic and unusual symptoms in this region. The
symptom 'Discharge of cold flatus' seems to be unique in the materia
medica. Clarke reports that in a case of severe diarrhoea where the stools
felt cold Conium was successfully given.
However, there is also the opposite sensation that is much more 'normal'.
'During stool, burning in the rectum' and 'Heat in lower portion of rectum' (but
not in the anus!).
Conium has been useful in constipation with ineffectual urging or
with unsatisfactory stools. Sometimes violent stomach cramps in combin-

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Conium Maculatum

ation with the constipation. Hard stools, only every other day. 'Constant
urging without any stool. Frequent unsuccessful urging'. Several stools
every day, but in very small quantities.
The remedy may also be indicated in diarrhoea, especially if watery or liquid
stools are mixed with hard particles and are discharged together with
noisy flatus. 'Frequent diarrhoea; stools like water, with many eructations,
and copious passage of urine'. Watery diarrhoea, intermingled with undigested
food.
The attacks of weakness after stool are very characteristic, too. After every
stool, tremulous weakness, that ceases in the open air. And: after stool,
palpitation of the heart, with intermission of heart beats.
Stools coated with blood.
Involuntary discharge of stool during sleep.
Stitches in the anus when not at stool.

Urinary Organs

The best-known symptom in this region has been quoted above:

'The discharge of urine suddenly stops during urination and only
continues after a while'.
Frequently there is also cutting in urethra during urination with it; also
burning during or after micturition.
The problems with urination may have their cause in a weakness of the bladder
but also in hypertrophy of the prostate gland.
Frequent urging to urinate and strangury; with burning in urethra and feeling of
heat during micturition.
Frequent urination at night. 'Has to get up at 2 o'clock to urinate,
several nights successively'.
Dribbling of urine in old men.
Turbid, whitish and viscous urine.
Urine is more easily discharged while standing, but in the beginning almost
nothing is discharged even when standing; later on, however, the urine flows
freely.

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 Conium Maculatum

Male Genitalia

The ill effects of sudden loss of a sexual partner in both sexes are
discussed extensively above.
Sexual weakness: impotence; erections absent, incomplete or of too
short duration. Depression and weariness after coition.
But sexual desire is indeed present. Intense sexual desire with lack of
sexual potency is characteristic. 'Vivid sexual desire, without erection'.
Frequent discharge of prostatic fluid, on every emotion, on straining
for stool, etc.; also with itching of prepuce.
Nocturnal ejaculations without erotic dreams. Spermatorrhoea; with intermittent
discharge of urine.
Swelling and induration of the testicles, especially after contusion;
cancer of testicles. Cancer of the prostate.
Cutting pain in the urethra at the moment of ejaculation.
Violent pain of testes. 'Pain as though a knife was cutting through the
middle of the scrotum, between the testes upward as far as the
root of the penis; with frequent short repetitions'. In his Dictionary, Clarke
reports a case of contusion of the testes with very similar pains; Conium C200
relieved in 5 minutes! There is also pressive, pinching and tearing pain in the
testicles.

Female Genitalia

In this region, Conium has particularly caused and cured indurations and
hard tumours with stinging, shooting pains. It has been frequently
used in mammary and uterine cancer, and in induration and enlargement
of the ovaries as well.
Some proving symptoms: 'Hardness of the right breast, with painfulness
to touch and nightly stitches with it'. 'Stitches, as with needles, in
the left mammary gland'. Conium proved especially useful, in hard tumours
after a blow or beating against the mamma.
Moreover, Conium is indicated in many complaints in connection with menstru-
ation. Some symptoms caused and cured by Conium that occurred before the
menses: aching in limbs, tearful mood, restlessness and anxious worry
about every trifle; anxious dreams; pains in mammae, especially on
every jar; dry heat in whole body, but without thirst; stinging pains in the

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Conium Maculatum

liver region, more at night while lying down and especially on inspiration;
flatulence; pain inside in the root of nose.
Dysmenorrhoea with violent uterine cramps. Some descriptions:
'Grinding pain is felt above pudendum; the abdomen becomes inflated, the
pain affects the chest and stitches are felt in left side'. Pressure down-
ward and drawing in the thigh or stitching pain in the vagina. Contractive
pain in the hypogastrium disappearing on walking in the open air. Concomitant
symptoms: great fear when alone, but dread of strangers or company; stitches
in mammae; headache; eruption all over body, consisting of small red nodules
that burn violently after scratching and disappear with the end of the menstrual
bleeding.
Moreover, Conium has effected a cessation or suppression of the menses, and
so it has acted curatively in amenorrhoea and complaints from
amenorrhoea, and in too scanty menses as well. If the 'premenstrual'
symptoms mentioned above occur every four weeks but the bleeding is totally
absent, there is a good chance that Conium is indicated. 'Menses stopped
by putting hands in cold water'.
In a recent case, this symptom permitted the cure of a patient whose menses
stopped after the first day. She had prepared beans in cold water before. Now
she suffered with pain and congestion in abdomen, back and mammae (which
was not the case otherwise). The cause made the therapist think of Conium, and
the remedy brought the menses back and made the pain disappear (Sharma,
Klassische Homdopathie 6/92).
Leucorrhoea which is preceded by much abdominal pain and a weak and
lame feeling in the small of the back; afterwards lassitude and exhaustion.
'Leucorrhoea of a white acrid mucus, which caused burning'.
'Thick, milky leucorrhoea, with contractive labour-like colic coming from
both sides'. A discharge of bloody mucus is also reported.
Conium may also be indicated in vomiting of pregnancy; in complete insomnia
and extreme exhaustion for days after childbirth, with excessive
photophobia; in oozing of milk from the breasts long after weaning of the
child, but also in dwindling of the mammae. 'The female milk glands shrivel
from Conium so that the most beautiful bosom looks like an empty fold of
the skin' (from Heraclides).
Severe itching deep in the vagina.

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 Conium Maculatum

Violent stitches at the female parts.

Vulva very sore to the touch.

Neck and Back

Conium is an important remedy in indurated swelling of cervical lymph
nodes.
'Crawling in the spine, as from falling asleep'. Permanent sensation of
numbness in the region of the shoulder blades.
Tensive pains in back, especially in the muscles below the scapulae, aggravated
by raising the arms.
Pains as if sprained in the left side of back, also in the neck.
Stitches in small of back, with a drawing pain through the lumbar vertebrae,
when standing.
Pain in small of back, especially drawing or dragging downward, in connection
with the menses, prolapsus of the uterus or something like that.
Bad effects from spinal injury. There is a case report about a young man
who had fallen from the second storey onto the stone pavement of the street.
More than a year later he still suffered from very annoying pain in the lumbar
region (on which he had fallen), especially when laughing, sneezing or taking a
quick breath. Conium brought about a great, rapid and permanent amelioration
of the pain.

Extremities

Weakness, powerlessness, prostration, lame feelings and paralysis of the

extremities are symptoms of Conium.
'Loss of power on awaking from siesta, arms and legs as if separated
from the body'. The limbs are stiff, heavy, almost useless, moving them provokes
a 'disagreeable feeling', can hardly walk.
Paralysis first of the lower, then of the upper extremities.
Trembling of all limbs.
Sensations of numbness and coldness, especially in fingers and toes,
sometimes spreading from there towards the body.
Bruised feeling in all the joints, especially during rest; much better or
disappearing during motion.
Shoulders feel sore, as if pressed on. The clothes seem to lie on them like a load.

2055
I
Conium Maculatum

Swelling and induration of the axillar lymph nodes, also when there are tumours
of the mammae.
Cramp-like pain in the muscles of the forearms, especially when leaning on arms.
Cracking in the wrist, especially in the evening.
Perspiration of the palms.
Yellow spots on fingers; yellow finger nails.
Gait is faltering, vacillating, staggering as if drunk, dragging his legs after him.
When he closes his eyes, he is able to walk straight and steady, but when they
are open he begins to stagger.
Pain going from hypogastric region down legs, in dysmenorrhoea.
Feeling of weakness, even to trembling, in the right thigh, while walking.
Or else: on walking in the open air, cramp-like pain in the anterior muscles of the
right thigh.
Tiredness and 'fatigue pain' in knees.
Cracking of the knees on becoming erect.
Cramps in calves; tensive, stiff pains in the calves.
'Painful reddish spots on the calves, later turning yellow or green like from
contusions, and preventing the mobility of the foot which is bent like from
shortening of the tendons'.
Coldness of one foot, with distension of abdomen.
Sensation as if the bone pierced the skin at the heel.
Numbness and insensibility of the feet; they tend to become cold, with liability
to catch a cold.

Sleep

Insomnia and late falling asleep, only after midnight.

Restless sleep, nightmares, anxious dreams and frightful dreams, interrupting the
sleep.
Dreams of dead people and corpses; of people who are alive in reality
but dead in the dream.
Or else: sleep too deep, like stupefied, unrefreshing; headache
aggravated after sleep. Especially after waking from siesta symptoms like
'insensibility', confusion, powerlessness etc. will occur.
Irresistible sleepiness during the day. 'He could not refrain from
sleep with all his will power; had to lie down and sleep'.

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 Conium Maculatum

Fever
Great internal and external heat, with great nervousness. Burning
heat through the whole body. Sensation of internal and external heat after sleep.
A fever symptom from the Chronic Diseases; 'Sensation of heat in whole body,
also increased warmth of skin which can be felt externally, with dry and
sticky lips, without thirst, even with aversion to drinks, and with an insipid
saliva in the mouth; noise and shining objects affect him, as well as
any motion; he wants to sit lonesome with closed eyes'.
Chilliness, shivering and coldness, especially early in the morning and in the
afternoon; at 5 am; from 3 to 5 pm.
'Chill with trembling in all limbs, so he always has to stay in the
warmth of the sun'.
The Conium perspiration has one striking and very important modality: 'Sweat
as soon as she closes the eyes, only in the beginning of the sleep; even
by day, when sleeping in sitting position'.

Skin

Itching of the skin, especially of the backs of the fingers. 'Itching stitches, as
from fleas, one directly after the other, here and there on the body, but
always single stitches, never two at the same time'.
Yellow discolouration of the skin, also of the finger nails and the whites of eyes.
Brown spots on the body.
Urticaria after violent bodily exercise.
Obstinate herpetic eruptions in different places, e.g. around the neck, behind the
ears, in the crook of the knee, on hands and forearms; usually moist and
burning, worse by warmth.

An example by Hartlaub: 'Sudden herpetic eruption on forearm, beginning

as a small spot and gradually spreading over arm; skin became porous, very
red and raw, with furrows and depressions. Sore, broken places formed
here and there in the skin, viscid lymph or blood oozing from them, lymph

2057
Conium Maculatum

drying and forming u/hite crusts under which the exudation still continues;
intense itching in affected parts, with irresistible desire to scratch, partic-
ularly in evening; surrounding lymphatics swollen and involved...'
Burning nodules on the skin during the menses, disappearing with
the end of the bleeding.
Petechia, especially in old people.
Tendency to necrotic ulcers.

CLINICAL

Asthma. Bladder, inflammation of. Breast, affections of. Bronchitis. Bruises.

Cancer. Cataract. Chorea. Cough. Cysts, sebaceous. Depression. Diphtheritic
paralysis. Dysmenia. Erisipelas. Eyes, affections of. Galactorrhoea. Herpes.
Hypochondriasis. Jaundice. Liver, enlarged. Melancholia. Menstruation, dis-
ordered. Numbness. Ovaries, affections of. Paralysis. Peritonitis. Phthisis.
Pregnancy, breasts painful in. Prostatitis. Ptoses. Scrofula. Spermatorrhoea.
Sterility. Stomach, affections of. Testicles, affections of. Trismus. Tumours.
Ulcers. Vertigo. Vision, disordered.

RELATIONS

Antidoted by: Coffea, Dulcamera, Nitricum acidum, Nitri spiritus dulcis

It antidotes: Mercurius, Nitricum acidum, Sulphur.
Compatible: Arnica, Arsenicum, Belladonna, Calcarea phosphorica,
Lycopodium, Nux vomica, Phosphorus, Pulsatilla, Rhus tox., Stramonium.
Incompatible: Psorinum

Notes:

2058
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