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Dulcamara

 
 

 

 
 

DULCAMARA

 

Botanical Name:- BITTER SWEET

Common Name:- Mortal, Woody Nightshade, Felon Wort,Fever Twig, Violet bloom, Scarletberry.

Medicinal parts used: bark of root and twigs.

Description:- Bitter sweet is a woody vine, with a shrubby stem several feet in length, having an ashy green bark. Leaves acute, and generally smooth, lower one cordate, upper ones hastate.   The flowrs are purple, and the fruit a scarlet, juicy and bitter berry, which, however, should not be eaten or used.

  Bitter sweet is common to both Europe and America, growing in moist banks, around dwellings and in low damp grounds, about bedges and thickets, and flowering in June and July. The berries ripen in auatumn, and hang upon the vines for several months. After the foliage has fallen the twigs should be gathered. Boiling waer and diluted alcohol extract their virtues.

Properties and uses:- Formerly this botanical was widely used in a variety of conditons but now is employed chiefly for relief of skin irritation. Dr. Kent has described in his lectures on "Materia Medica" that Dulcamara has been used a long itme by our mothers, in the form of oitments as salve for ulcers. Well, it is astronishing how soothing it is when applied externally to smarting wounds.whether in solution or salve or any other way . But it is a better medicine, of course, when indicated by symptoms of the constitutional state; if used internally  i.e. Homeopathically.

In Homeopathy , Dulcamara is used in our daily practice in the following type of ailments:-

Skin Affections(Hives/warts etc.)-Respiratory-RheumaticAffections-Cystitis.

Action:-- Hot days and cold nights towards the close of summer are especially favorable to the action of Dulcamara, and is one of the remedies that correspond in their symptoms to the conditions found as effects of damp weather, colds after exposure to wet, especially diarrhoa.  Dr. Kent says that it is a markedly an autumnal remedy. The Dulcamara patients go though the summer very comfortably; their catarrhal conditons to a great extent pass away; the warm days and warm nights, because of the even temperature, seem to agree with them, but as soon as the cold nights come on and the cold rains come, all their difficulties return; there is an increase of rheumatism and of the catarrhal discharges.

 

It has a specific relation also to the skin,  glands,  and digestive organs,mucous membranes secreting more profusely while the skin is inactive. The rheumatic troubles induced by damp cold are aggravated by every cold change and somewhat relieved by moving about. Results from sitting on cold, damp ground. Icy coldness. One-sided spasms with speechlessness. Paralysis of single parts. Congestive headache, with neuralgia and dry nose. Patients living or working in damp, cold basements (Natrum Sulph) Eruptions on hands, arms or face around the menstrual period.

 

CONSTITUTIONAL TAINT:-  Psoric. Sycotic. Scrofulous.

Typical Subjects:- Persons of phlegmatic, torpid, scrofulous constitution.Persons who are subject to catarrhal, rheumatic and skin affections caused or aggravated by cold, damp weather, or from changes from hot to cold weather, esp. if suddent. Children whoae apt to suffer from earache. Sickly patients with pallid, sickly yellow face, threatened with acute phthisis.

Notes and features: 1. Coldness .   Coldness in occiput; in lumbar region; in bowels; in sacrum. Icy coldness of paralysed parts.

Catarrh. Of various parts; of stomach, intestines, nose, eyes, ears. Even the skin develops inflammatory conditions, associated with eruptions.Catarrh is often characterized by excessive secretion of mucus, caused by exposure to damp, cold weather. Coryza from cold, damp, rainy weather with sneezing, and then follows much thick, yellow discharge.  (Here it is confused with Pulsatilla, which if administered wrongly is apt to have very bad effect).

Paralysis. Rheumatic paralysis.  Paralysis, of the bladder. This gives rise to involuntary discharge of the urine. Paralysed part (say, arms) feels icy cold. "Paralysis of vocal cords (aphonia) from sleeping over damp cellar." Paralysis of single parts, esp, after taking cold.

Stiffness. Stiffness at the nap neck. Stiffness of neck from a cold. Lameness of small of back, from a cold.

Mind:- Inclination to quarrel,/scold without anger..Mentally a little confursed. Cannot  find the right word for anything. Delirium, during the pains at night and during the heat. Internal restlessness. Great impatience.

 

HEAD:- "Catarrhal and rheumatic headaches in cold damp weather." The headache is of catarrhal kind tht comes on from every cold, damp spell, or from getting overheated from getting into a cold draft after being overheated, or getting overheated with too much clothing and then throwing the coat off, will also belong to the Dulcamaara state. Occipital pain ascending from nape of neck. Headache relieved by conversation. Rejects things asked for. Back part of head chilly.. Ringworm of scalp.Scaldhead, thick brown crusts, bleeding when scratched. Buzzing in head. Herpes Circinatus. Dr. Kent says that Dulcamara will nearly always cure the ringworms that Children, sometimes get in the scalp.

 

Eyes:- Inflamed, after taking cold. Every time he takes cold it settles in eyes. Thick, yellow discharge; granular lids. Hay-fever; profuse, watery discharge, worse in open air.Twitching, in cold air. Amaurosis

 

Nose:- Dry coryza. Complete stoppage of nose.Stuff up when there is a cold rain.. Thick, yellow mucus, bloody crusts. Profuse coryza. Wants nose kept warm, least cold air stops the nose. The Dulcamara coryza is worse going out in the open air and better from motion.  The Nux vomica coryza is better ini the open air. The Nux vomica patient ordinarly wants warmth and warm air and a warm room, but with the coryza he is the very opposite; he wants motion in the open air, he looks for cool air, for it relieves the distressing sensation. Coryza of the new born.Alleum cepa is made worse in a warm room, like Nux Vomica, is better in cold, open air. Commenses to sneeze  as soon as he gets into a warm room.

 

 Dr. Kent says, "here is a state that you will often find in the fall of the year, somewhere about August 20th. They sometimes call it hay fever.  Every year as the nights beocme cold, and there is cold, damp weather and fall rains, he has a stuffing up of the nose with constant sneezing and wants the nose kept warm. I have known these cases at times to sit in a warm room with clothes, wrung out of hot water, over the face and nose to releive the distress, the catarrhal state of the eyes and the stuffing up of the nose. Heat releives the stuffing up of the the nose. These patients can sometimes breathe with these hot clothes over the nose, but if they go out into the night air, or a cold plac, and especially if there is a damp, fall rain they suffer much."

 

In nutshell, Dulcamara "s nose and eyes symptoms are < in the open air and > a closed room.". The Dulcamaara patient is so sensitive to newly mown grass and dryng weeds tht he is obliged to absent himelf from the country where they are found. For hay fever we have especially to look up such remedies as have complaints worse n the fall of the year. There are other conditions that come on in the spring, sometimes cured by Naja and Lachesis or some conditons coming in June-"Rose cold"cured by different medicines.

 

Ears:- Earache, buzzing, stitches, and swelling of parotids. Middle-ear catarrh. (Merc.dulc;Kali Mur.) The Dulcamara child is very susceptible to earache

 

Face: Pale, with circumscribed redness of cheeks. Tettery eruption on face.  Milk crust. Twitchings in lips when in cold air. Mouth drawn awry.Dr. Blackie calls this remedy as "a red faced Calcarea Carb."

 

Mouth:- Much mucus in fauces. Inflamed throat after taking cold.Another useful point is that if you have a girl who gets a sore throat with every period, it can only be only be one or two remedies-either lac caninum or Dulcamara. Similarily if there is a case of Urticaria with sorethroat, then one should think immediately of two remedies, the first being Apis, the second being Dulcamara. Salivation. Dry tongue, with much thirst and increased secretion of saliva. Swelled tongue impeding speech and breathing. When becoming cold there is difficult speech on account of paralysis of tongue (and jaws.) Facial neuralgia; worse,slightest exposure to cold.

 

Stomach:- Vomiting of white, tenacious mucus.Aversion to food. Burning thirst for cold drinks.  Heartburn. Nausea accompanies the desire for stool. Chilliness during vomiting.

 

Abdomen:- Colic from cold. Acts prominently on umbilical region. Cutting pain about navel. Swelling of inguinal glands(Merc..)

 

Stool:- Dr. Kent says that it is a wonderful medicine for diarrhoea, at the close of summer, hot days and cold nights with changeable stool, diarrhoea of infants. Every year women bring their babies from mountains, at the end of the season, and then, we get some Dulcamara cases. One needs to be in the mountains at the close of the summer season to know what the condition is. If you go into the mountains at such a time, either in the North or West, you will notice that the sun's rays beat down duiring the day with great force, but along towards sunset, if you walk out a draft of cold air comes down that will chill you to the bone. This will make the baby sick; it is too warm to take the child out in the middle of the day and so he is taken out in his carriage in the evening; he has been overheated in house during the day, and then this draft in the evening .  Dulcamara is suitable for conditions that would arise from just such a state.As regards stools they are green, watery, slimy, bloody,mucus; especially in summer, when the weather suddenly becomes cold;from damp, cold weather;and suppressed eruptions.

 

.Urine:-  Must urinate when getting chilled. The patient says: "Doctor, if I get chilled , I must hurry to urinatae; If I get into a cold place, I have to go to stool, or to urinate."So we see that the symptoms come on when the patient is cold and re better when he is warm. Any catarrhal trouble of the bladder is better in the summer and worse in the winter. Even it cures a form of acute Bright's disease which commenses in the above mentioned conditons.Strangury, painful micturition. Urine has thick,mucus; purulent sediment. Retention of urine  from wading with bare feet in cold water

 

Female:- Suppression of menses from cold or dampness. Before appearance of menses, a rash appears on skin;or sexual excitement. Dysmenorrhoa, with blotches all over; mammę engorged and sore, delicate, sensitive to cold. Another grand feature is  sore throat with every period, Herpes on mammae. Suppressed secretion of milk after taking cold in child. bed.

 

Respiratory:- Cough worse cold, wet weather, with free expectoration, tickling in larynx. Cough, hoarse, spasmodic. Whooping-cough, with excessive secretion of mucus. Winter coughs, dry, teasing. Asthma with dyspnoa. Loose, rattling cough; worse wet weather. Cough after physical exertion.The patient complains of intense oppression of chest, from accumulation of mucus, after taking cold. Must cough a long time to expel phlegm.The cough is worse lying and in a warm room and better in the open air.

 

Back:- Rheumtic lameness and stiffness in the back from taking cold better by motion. Stiff neck from every exposure to cold. .Pain in small of back;  as after long stooping.  Stiffness and lameness across neck and shoulders, after getting cold and wet.

 

Extremities:- Paralysis; paralyzed limbs, feet icy cold. Warts on hands. Perspiration on palms of hands. Pain in shin-bones. Rheumatism alternates with diarrhoa. Rheumatic symptoms after acute skin eruptions

 

Skin:-Adenitis, Pruritis, always worse in cold, wet weather. Herpes zoster, pemphigus. Swelling and indurated glands from cold. Vesicular eruptions. Sensitive bleeding ulcers. Little boils. Red spots,urticaria, brought on by exposure, or sour stomach. Humid eruptions on face, genitals, hands, etc.Warts, large, smooth, on face and palmar surface of hands. Anasarca. Thick, brown-yellow crusts, bleeding when scratched.

 

Fever:- Pulse: Small, hard and tense, especially at night. Chill: Mostly toward evening, spreading from back, not relieved by external warmth. During the pains. With violent thirst. Heat: General, dry, burning, over entire body., And burning in back. with flightiness, without thirst. Sweat: Offensive, over entire body at night and in early morning, during day, more on back, axillae and palms of hands. Suppressed and entirely wanting.

 

Modalities:-

Aggravting influences:- Most symptoms worse evening and night. The patient is susceptible to cold, damp (foggy, rainy) weather, which causes various kinds of ailments. Worse from being chilled, esp,. suddenly chilled, after being overheated. Such conditions naturally give rise to suppression of sweat. And, Dulc, is wonderfully suited to combat the effect of such suppression. In point of fact , a Dulcamara, patient is affected by suppressed discharges and suppressed eruptions, often due to the effect of cold. Supression of milk from cold. Suppression of menses from cold. It should be noted that suppressino of discharges and eruptions is  the mother of such ailments as Rheumatism, sore-throat, dropical swelling, headache, paralysis, asthma, etc., all being due to a cold.

 

Ameliorating factors:- Warmth ameliorataes most symptoms. Also > by moving about.

 

Comparisons:- Effects of exposure to wet, and emelioration by motion: Rhus-tox. Rheumatic paralysis: Rhus-t, Caust.  Hastry speech and actions: Bell, Hep, Lach. Sulph. Paralysis of Lungs: Solania.

 

Drug Relationship:- Incompatible: Bell;, lach.  Complementary:- Bar-c. Follows well after: Bry., Calc-c., Lyco., Rhus-t., Sep., Verat-alb.

 

Potency: 30, 200.

 

SUMMARY OF INDICATIONS:-

 

Skin Affections(Hives/warts etc.)-Respiratory-RheumaticAffections-Cystitis.

 

 
 

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