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NUX VOMICA
Common Names:
Poison Nut, Ratsbane
Medicinal Part:.
The seeds
Description:
This is a moderate-sized tree, with a
short and pretty thick trunk. The wood is white, hard,
and bitter. The leaves are opposite, oval and smooth on
both sides. Flowers small, greenish-white,
funnel-shaped, and have a disagreeable odor. The fruit
is a berry, round, and about the size of a large apple,
enclosing five whitish seeds.
It is an inhabitant of the Coromandel,
Ceylon, and other parts of the Est Indies. The active
principles of the seeds are strychnine and brucine.
Properties & uses: It is an energetic
poison, exerting its influence chiefly upon the cerebro-spinal
system. It is supposed to affect the spinal cord
principally. If a poisonous dose is given it will
produce spasms like tetanus or lock jaw. Its range of
service is quite extensive and valuable for many
indications; but as great caution is required in its
administration by the herbologists.
In homeopathy , it is the
greatest of polychrests, because the bulk of its
symptoms correspond in similarity with those of the
commonest and most frequent diseases. It is frequently
the first remedy indicated after much dosing,
establishing a sort of equilibrium of forces and
counteracting chronic effects.
Nux Vomica is pre-eminently the remedy
for many of the conditions incident to the modern life.
The typical Nux patient is rather thin, irritable,
careful, zealous persons with dark hair and bilious or
sanguine(red, or of the colour of blood . Having a warm
and hopeful nature, confident) temperament. Disposed to
be quarrelsome, spiteful, malacious,
nervous and melancholic. He does a good deal of mental
work; has mental strains and leads a sedentary life,
found in prolonged office work, over study, and close
application to business, with its cares and anxieties.
This indoor life and mental strain seeks stimulants
coffee, wine, possibly in excess; or, again, he hopes to
quiet his excitement by indulging in the sedative
effects of tobacco , if not really a victim, to the
stimulating food; wine and women play their part to
make him forget the close application of the day. Late
hours are a consequence; a thick head, dyspepsia, and
irritable temper are the next day inheritance. How he
takes some cathartic, liver pills, or mineral water ,
and soon gets into the habit of taking these things,
which still further complicate matters. Since these
frailties are ,more yielded to by men than women . Nux
Vomica is pre-eminently a male remedy. These conditions
produce an irritable, nervous system, hypersensitive
and over impressionable, which Nux will do much to
soothe and calm. Especially adapted to digestive
disturbances, portal congestion, and hypochondrical
states depending thereon. Convulsions with
consciousness; worse touch, moving. Zealous fiery
temperament. Nux patients are easily chilled, avoid
open air, etc. nux always seems to be out of tune;
inharmonious spasmodic action. So Nux is oversensitive
to the open air, to a draft of air; always chilly,
always taking cold and it settles in the nose and
extends to the chest.
Mind:
The mental state is varied, but they all
show over sensitiveness, irritable touchy, sensitive
conditions. They are never contented, never satisfied;
disturbed by their surroundings, and they become
irritable, so that they want to tear things, to scold.
Impulses are strongly marked at times. The women has
impulses to destroy her husband or to throw her child
into the fire; the impulse is intermingled with violent
temper, cannot be contradicted or opposed; if a
chair is in the way he kicks it over; if, while
undressing, a part of his clothing should catch on a
button he would pull it off because he is so mad at
it(Like Nit. Acid) . An uncontrollable state of
irritability; it is a weakness and is accompanied by
physical weakness; a lack of balance. For example, a
business man has been at his desk until he is tired out,
he receives many letters, he has a great many irons in
the fire; he is troubled with a thousand little thins,
his mind is constantly hurried from one thing to another
until he is tortured. It is not so much the heavy
affairs but the little things. He is compelled to
stimulate his memory to attend to all the details; he
goes home and thinks about it; he lies awake at night;
his mind is confused with the whirl of business and the
affairs of the day crowd upon him; finally brain-fag
comes on. When the details come to him he gets angry
and wants to get away, tears things up, scolds goes home
and takes it out of his family and children. Sleeps by
fits and starts; wakens at 3 A.M. and his business
affairs crowd on him so that he cannot sleep again until
late in the morning when he falls into a fatiguing sleep
and wakens up tired and exhausted. He wants to sleep
late in the morning.
Oversensitive;
to external impressions; noise, odors, light or music(Nux.m)
trifling ailments are unbearable (Cham.);
every harmless words offends(Ign). Persons who are very
particular, careful, but inclined to become easily
excited or angered; irascible and tenancious.
"
Nux is chiefly successful with persons of
an ardent character; of an irritable,. Impatient
temperament, disposed to anger, spite or deception"-
Hahnemann..
Head:-
The headaches often occur in conjunction
with gastric, hepatic, abdominal and haemorrhoidal
affections. Here also the modalities, more than the
character of the pain, decide the choice. The
aggravations are: from mental exertion, chagrin or
anger; in open air (Opposite Pulsatilla), on awaking in
the morning, after eating, from abuse of coffee or
spirits sour stomach, in the sunshine, on stooping, from
llight and noise, when moving or opening the eyes (Bryonia),
from coughing, high living or highly seasoned food , in
stormy weather, after drugging, from masturbation, from
constipation or harmorrhoids.
These headaches may or may not localize
in any particular part of the head.
The patient is just as apt to say in one
part of the head as another, and will often say, in no
particular part,
"it
feels badly and aches all over."
Headaches in the sunshine (Glon.Nat.carb.)Vertigo
with momentary loss of consciousness.
Eyes:
Neuralgia about the eyes. Photophobia;
much worse in the morning . Paresis of ocular
muscles; worse, tobacco and stimulants.
Ears:
Itching in ear through Eustachian tube.
Auditory canal dry and sensitive. Otalgia; worse in bed
. Hyper -aesthesia of auditory nerves; loud sounds are
painful, and anger.
Nose:
Catarrh: snuffles of infants(Am c , Samb.);Stuffy
colds, snuffles after exposure to dry, cold atmosphere.
coryza, dry (stuffed up) at night and outdoors
or alternates between nostrils; fluent by day; < warm
room, > in cold air; from sitting in cold places, on
stone steps. Acrid discharge but with stuffed up
feeling.
Mouth:
Small aphthous ulcers, with bloody
saliva. First half of tongue clean; posterior covered
with deep fur; white, yellow, cracked edges. Teeth ache
< cold things. Gums swollen white and bleeding.
Stomach:
Sour taste, and nausea in the morning,
"after
eating(Kali bich, Nux Moschata). Weight and pain
stomach; worse eating, some time after(an hour or two
afterward with hypochondriacal mood, pyrosis(heartburn),
tightness about waist; must loosen clothing (Lachesis,
Calcarea and Lycopodium), confused, cannnot use
mind two or three hours after a meal, epigastrium
bloated, with pressure as from a stone in the stomach."
This is a group of symptoms as given in
"Guiding
Symptoms".
There are so many symptoms given under the digestive
organs that it shows that Nux Vomica has really a
very wide range of action in gastric troubles. And
there are no really characteristic and peculiar symptoms
to mention, unless it be the peculiar aggravation of
stomach symptoms
"an
hour or two after eating.",
instead of immediately after, as is the case with Nux
moschata and Kali bichromicum. The pressure
as from a stone occurs also under Bryonia and
Pulsatilla. Loves fat and tolerates them
well(Pulsatilla opposite). Desire for stimulants.
Dyspepsia from drinking strong coffee. Difficult
belching of gas. Wants to vomit, but cannot.
More stress may be placed upon the cause
of the stomach, liver, and abdominal complains for which
Nux vomica is the remedy. For instance, coffee,
alcoholic drinks, debauchery, abuse of drugs, business
anxiety, sedentary habits, broken rest from long night
watching (Cocc.,Cup.met,Nit.ac) too high living etc. So
we find that Nux vomica is adapted to complaints arising
from these causes, which is abundantly verified in
practice.
Abdomen:
Bruised soreness of the abdominal
walls(Apis, Sulphur). Flatulent distention, with
spasmodic colic. Colic from uncovering. Liver engorged,
with stitches and soreness . Colic, with upward
pressure, causing short breath, and desire for stool.
Weakness of abdominal ring region, Strangulated
hernia(Op.). Umblical hernia of infants.
Stool:
Constipation with frequent ineffectual
urging, incomplete and unsatisfactory;
feeling as if part remained
Un- expelled. Constriction of rectum.
Irregular, peristaltic action; hence frequent
ineffectual desire, or passing but small quantities at
each attempt. Absence of all desire for defaecation
is a contra-indication; ;Alternate constipation and
diarrhoea-after abuse of purgatives.Urging to stool felt
throughout abdomen. Itching, blind harmorrhoids,
with ineffectual urging to stool; very painful; after
drastric drugs. Diarrhoea after a debauch; worse,
morning Frequent small evacuations . Scanty stool, with
much urging . Dysentery; stools relieve pains for a
time. Constant uneasiness in rectum.
Diarrhoea, with jaundice.(Dig.).
Urine:
Irritable bladder; from spasmodic
sphincter. Frequent calls; little and often. While
urinating, itching in urethra and pain in neck of
bladder.
Male:
Easily excited desire. Emissions from
high living. Frequent masturbation- makes person feels
better. Bad effects of sexual excesses. Constrictive
pains in testicles(Hama; Puls.). Orchitis.
Spermatorrhoea, with dreams, backache, burning in spi e,
weakness and irritbality.
Female:Menses
too soon; too long; flow copious; more strikingly
prolonged; flows and dribbles just enough to stain the
linen, starting up now and again with clots. One
menstrual flow is prolonged into another. This will be
accompanied with the mental state; excitable
oversensitive to medicines.
"Menses
too early, lasts too long; always irregular, blood black
(Cycl; Lach; Puls) with faint spells. Dysmenorrhoea
with pain in sacrum, and constant urging to stool.
Desire too strong. Metrorrhagia, with sensation as if
bowels wantaed to move.
Full of hysterical manifestations.
Europeans develop symptoms more often calling for Nux in
their hysterical manifestations, while Americans oftener
need Ignatia.(KENT).
Respiratory:
Asthma, with fullness in stomach,
morning or after eating. Shallow respiration. Oppressed
breathing. Tight dry, hacking cough; at times with
bloody expectoration. Cough brings on bursting headache
and bruised pain in epigastric region.
Back
The pains at the back are more
peculiar. The patient is apt to have the backache in
bed, and must sit up to turn over; as turning or
twisting the body aggravates (when standing :Sulphur)(worse
when sitting, Kobalt, Pulsatilla, Rhus toxicod., Zincum),
or sitting is especialy painful. The pain is mostly
located in the lumbar region, though it may be in the
dorsa, and is often in connection (like Aaesculus Hip)
with haemorrhoids. Aesculus is especially < from
walking or stooping. Backache, caused by masturbation (Kobalt,<sitting,
Staphysgaria, lying at night) finds one of its best
remedies in Nux vomica
Burning in spine <3-4a.m.. Bruised pain
below scapulae.
Extremities:
Arms and hands goes to sleep. Legs numb;
feel paralyzed; cramps in calves and soles. Partial
paralysis, from overexertion or getting soaked (Rhus)
Crackling in knee-joints during motion. Drags feet when
walking. Sensation of sudden loss of power of arms and
legs in the morning.
It has most violent convulsions with
opisthotonos; convulsions of all muscles of the body.,
with purple face and loss of breath from the movements;
conscious or semi-conscious during the whole spasm,
aware of the sufferings and contortions which are
horrible, worse from the slighter draft of air; tickling
of the feet, the merest touch of the throat causes
gagging.
Sleep:
Cannot sleep after 3 a.m. until towards
morning
;awakes feeling wretchedly.Drowsy after meals,
and in early evening. Dreams full of bustle and
hurry. Better after a short sleep, unless
aroused.
Skin:
Body burning hot, especially face; yet
cannot move or uncover without feeling chilly.Urticaria
with gastric derangements. Acne; skin red and blotchy.
Fever:
Cold stage predominates. Paroxysms
anticipate in the morning. Excessive rigor, with
blueness of finger-nails. Aching in limbs and back and
gastric symptoms. Chilly; must be covered in every
stage of fever. Perspiration sour; only one side of
body. Chills are not better from any amount of covers,
Ign. Chills are better from uncovering. In
intermittents, the chill and heat intermingle, the heat
is short and dry, and followed by hot sweat and intense
heat; worse in the morning, but the chill comes at any
time.
Modalities:
Aggravation:-
Morning: waking at 4 a.m.; mental
exertion; after eating or over-eating, touch
noise, anger , spices, narcotics, dry weather, in cold
air.
Amerlioration: In evening, while at rest;
lying down and in damp, wet weater(Caust.)
Relations:-
Complimentary : Sulphur in nearly all diseases.
Inimical to Zinc; must
not be used before or after.
Follows well : by BRY.
PULS,SULPH.
SUMMARY OF INDICATIONS:-
Diseases due to spicy foods, drinks and
lack of exercise. A good remedy to commence treatment
of ptinetns who have had an excess of allopathic
medication. This remedy is best administered before bed
time. One of the mot commonly used polychrests.
Antidotes:
Aconite napellus; Camphora; Chamomilla; Cocculus
indicus; Cofffea Cruda; Ignatia; Pulsatilla..
NOTE:
Nux vomica antidotes mot homeopathic and allopathic
remedies. It is especially indicated for the fastidious
worholic-alcoholic individual.
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