Belladonna. Anhängsel
x!y
‡ Folgendes hat
anthroposofische Einschlüsse ‡
Frei nach: Wilhelm Pelikan
Belladonna: = deadly nightshade, banewort
Highly typical of the family, a perennial growing in mountain forests,
where it mysteriously makes itself part of these places where nature is so
elemental, part as something dangerous, something demonic. The twilight border
zone, where the light of day meets the humid darkness of the forest, is the
area where the deadly nightshade likes to grow. It may be at the edge of the
forest, in a small clearing, or an area where all trees have been felled,
providing the soil contains dark humus, and there is sufficient shade. If the
sun comes through more strongly and there is not sufficient darkness to hold
the sun forces in balance, the plant will soon disappear.
Not only the habitat, the whole form of the plant expresses the battle
between forces of light and of darkness. One major organ, the strong root stock
which develops several heads as it grows older, is for ever hidden away in
darkness. From it, spring energetically calls forth the shoot with its large
petiolate foliage leaves, oval in shape with a pointed apex and margin entire,
taking them up into the upper region – until autumn, when the nether region
demands the return of their essential principle down to the root. The shoot
grows strongly and rapidly, one would expect to see it develop to more than
a man's height, or even into a tree. Yet how soon an end is put to this
vitality of growth. There, it has stopped – what has inhibited it? A flower
has stepped into its path, an unsurmountable obstacle. Having got going, the
powerful current of growth cannot stop at the height it has reached, which
is about a meter; it breaks apart into lateral rays, usually three, not unlike
the water of a fountain will
be deflected to go up at an angle when a fist has come down to stop it
gushing straight upwards. But from this point onwards the whole plant has
become something other. Something which has
announced itself so early and so clearly with that first flower, has now
taken hold of all further growth and development, lateral deflection having
brought no escape. The plant structure is one of three
rays forming a funnel opening out wide at the top, and this has become
one whole inflorescence, though we also see rich herbage. In the process of
developing to full power its abundant foliage, the plant was
literally assaulted by the flowering process.
The lateral shoots forming the funnel have thus become a strange mixture
of intermingling leaf and flower elements. The following trinity may be
observed, rhythmically repeating itself all the way up the branch: a small leaf
which, being a bract, intimately belongs to the flower, and from its axil the
bud rising on a stem; beside them on the other side, a large leaf, wanting to
appear as a bract subtending that flower, though in fact it is a bract
belonging to the flower below, one floor lower down; its stem has fused with
the shoot and been taken one floor up with it. The large leaf thus belongs more
to the shoot, and owes its size to the stronger etheric forces of the shoot;
the small leaf belongs more to the flower, and the astral forces of this have
obviously reduced its growth. The flower buds are all on the inside
of the funnel formed by the plant, and face upwards. This needs to be
emphasized, for the proper appreciation of what is to follow. As it opens up,
the flower makes a strong movement, seeking shade, rotating downward and
outward and creeping under the large leaf beside it – as under a parasol.
It flees the light and in doing so, falls
subject to gravity.
A deeply invaginated throat opens up, its colors revealing a struggle between
a weak, fading yellow and a gloomy brown-violet. The "earth bee",
the heavy bumble bee, gathers the nectar. Then the many-seeded
"cherry" swells, black-violet, like the eye of an animal, and as it
does so, leaves the shade of the parasol and rises up again into the lighter
twilight. The dark hues apparent even on the stem, in shades of black, violet
and brown, lending their tinge to branches and flowers, reach their final peak
in the shiny black berry. Thus the whole plant is sensitive to the interplay of
light and darkness. The leaves show it; they are real shade
leaves, finely structured, though structure changes when more light washes
around them. The seeds however need light to germinate, they only come up
reluctantly if in deep shade.
The characteristic nature of Bell. lies, however, not only in the
interaction of light and shade, but also in the interweaving of water and air.
The roots, the growing shoot, suck up water greedily from the moist humus of
the forest, and exhale it into the atmosphere. This intensive
"aerification" of the fluid element becomes apparent if we pick a
branch of the plant. Within a very short time it will hang down limply, for no
more fluid follows up, to make up for the losses due to
evaporation. Drying-out, withering forces from the astral element, the air, are
constantly striving to get hold of the plant, but all the time this is made
good, as water, the element of the etheric, pulses afresh through the plant. A
powerful life process generally counterbalances the effects of excessive
"astralization". We have seen this already in the way in which flower
and leaf processes blend; the flower succeeds in prematurely
irrupting into the plant form, but it must suffer the leaf element to continue
unchanged by its side, right
to the tip of the shoot. It is also evident in the vitality shown by the
petals of the calyx, for these survive long after the flower,
forming a wide green dish with the black violet berry at the center.
Vitalization and devitalization are thus constantly contending for supremacy.
The plant flowers in June and July, and the berry ripens during
the autumn.
Bell. is poisonous to man in all its parts. Birds, rabbits (in whom, in
a sense, the nervous and sensory processes are preponderant) feed on it with
impunity. The chemist will find in it the typical Solanaceae alkaloids
(l-hyoscyamine, atropine, l-scopolamine, apoatropine, belladonnine) and in
addition a substance called a-methyl-aesculetin; this shows blue
fluorescence and is closely related to the iridescent substance found in the Aesc-h. (aesculin). The ash contains silicic acid and magnesium in appreciable quantities and
also a trace of copper. The first two relate to the hidden longing for light in
this plant,
for both silicic acid and magnesium are connected with
light processes, serving them, and are "light elements".
Bell. is a polycrest. Its actions arise from the processes we have
described which make up its specific nature. The action is directed at the mode
of coordination of the members of man's being; it applies generally, and also
in specific organ spheres. As we have become aware of the special relation of the
deadly nightshade process to light and darkness, it will come as no surprise
that the eye holds a special place among those specific organ spheres.
The encounter between light and darkness, the world of night and that
of day, is not limited, however, to one organ, the eye, "created in the
light and for the light". As the transition from sleeping to waking
consciousness, it concerns also the human being as a whole. In
the 19th lecture in Spiritual Science and Medicine, 2 a description is
given of how certain plants resist the immediate forces of earth and then
reserve many of their form-giving forces for the development of
flower and fruit (and Bell. does this most noticeably).
R.S. then continues: "As the plant resists those
forces of earth it becomes exposed to forces from outside the earth when the
final stage of seed-formation, of fruiting, is reached; it then becomes a
plant which desires to look out upon the world in the same way as
higher beings, beings from a sphere above that of the plant kingdom, look out
upon the world. The desire to perceive is revealed. The plant is not
organized for perception, however; it remains a plant though it desires to
develop something of the nature found in the human eye. (Italics by W.
Pelikan.) Yet it is unable to develop an eye, because its body is that of a
plant, not of a human being or animal. And so it becomes a
banewort, a deadly nightshade (German Tollkirsche; toll = mad, Kirsche
= cherry). I have attempted to give you a clear and rather vivid picture of the
process which occurs as the deadly nightshade comes into being.
It becomes a deadly nightshade, and as it does so, and has in its roots
already the forces which will finally cause it to produce its black berries,
the plant is related to everything which in the human body tends to impel
towards the development of form and shape, to impel towards something which can
actually only take place in the sphere of the senses, i.e. to lift man out
of the sphere of his organization into the sphere of his senses.
The process which occurs when small amounts of Bell. are given in
potentized form is indeed highly interesting. It is terribly like the process
of waking from sleep, when one is not yet quite perceiving with the senses, and
sensory perception is still potentized, within, to fill our consciousness with
dreams. At that moment one always gets a sort of Bell. action in man. Bell.
poisoning occurs because the very process which normally goes on
when human beings wake up, when their waking is permeated with dreams, is now
evoked in them by the poison of Bell., but in this case becomes a continuous
state and
is not taken over by (daytime) consciousness.
The phenomena of the transitional state thus become lasting. This is
what is so interesting, that here one can see how the processes evoked by the
phenomena of poisoning are processes which, if they have the right timing,
actually pertain to the whole human organization . . . waking from sleep in man
has something in it of becoming Bell., but toned down . . . limited to the
moment of waking."
If the moment of waking were to become a permanent state, R.S.
concludes, it would be fatal – like Bell. poisoning.
Thus Bell. may be said to bring the "night-time man" close to
the day-time man, though night-time man is everywhere projecting into day-time
man. Their eyes are open, but in broad daylight they look as though they had opened
to total darkness. Lower man, blood man, is forcing his way up from the
subconscious, unconscious depths into nerve-man, into the region of the head.
For in its senses the organism is awake; in its metabolism it is asleep,
always, even during the day. The blood pushes upwards, the head grows hot, the
face red. Under the influence of Bell. poison, the blood principle erupts into
the nerve principle. The blood vessels in the eye become engorged, epistaxis
occurs, the salivary glands and tonsils become enlarged, and the tongue grows
red and swollen. Hypersensitivity to external cold develops. A similar state is
seen with many diseases involving acute temperatures and the initial stage of
inflammation, and the homeopathic school has come to regard Bell. as a major
remedy for these initial stages. Other conditions are migraine, congestive
headaches, and also the treatment of sequelae of influenza (Raeff's
Bulgarian cure). Here we see the effect on the head of the powerful root action
of Bell.
A plant in which astral activities are forced in to such abnormal degree
will obviously act on conditions in the human organism where certain organic
regions are subject to abnormal action on the part of the astral body, so that
cramps or spasms result. Bell. has accordingly been used to treat whooping
cough, asthma, gastric and intestinal spasms, the spastic component of biliary
and renal colic, spasms in the uterine region, and even paralysis (sphincter
vesicae).
In the sphere of the nerves and senses, "day-time man" is able
to live fully in conscious activity of the spirit; in the system of metabolism
and limbs, man is unconscious, he is active in a state of consciousness dimmed
down to sleep; this activity is very much of the spirit, but it is
unconscious; "night-time man" lives in it. Spiritual qualities, in
remaining unconscious, are shackled, one might say, to organ activity and the
preparation of physical substance. With the poison of Bell., part of this
spiritual principle is driven out of the physical and liberated. Normally such
a liberation of the spiritual principle from its organic base and support
should take place only in the brain, the nervous and sense organs. If it rises
unfettered from the depth of the metabolic organs, abnormal soul contents will
be experienced in form of visions and the like. At the same time a mad,
pathological urge to move takes hold of the muscular system. The
role of Bell. in the treatment of "mental disorders" may be discerned
from this.
We must remember, however, how we discerned the intense struggle between
etheric and astral principle going on in every part of the deadly nightshade. Particular
note should also be taken that the plant remains soft and resists
hardening at all stages of growth. In autumn, the whole handsome structure
withers away to almost nothing. One aspect of the Bell. action, therefore, is
that given in suitable dosage it stimulates the life processes (the
activity of the ether-body) and combats processes of hardening and
mineralization such as might occur in the organization as a whole, or in an
organic region (eye), due to premature aging.
It would however, go far beyond the scope of this book to enter thus
deeply into purely medical aspects. Anyone interested in specific details and
in the many possibilities of medicinal action, is strongly advised to consult the
detailed and comprehensive studies in Dr. Simonis' Die unbekannte
Heilpflanze.
‡ Folgendes
hat anthroposofische Einschlüsse ‡
One of the Solanaceae be truly at home in our parts is the deadly
nightshade. It is highly typical of the family, a perennial growing in mountain
forests, where it mysteriously makes itself part of these places where nature
is so elemental, part as something dangerous, something demonic.
The twilight border zone, where the light of day meets the humid darkness of
the forest, is the area where the deadly nightshade likes to place itself. It
may be at the edge of the forest, in a small clearing, or an area
where all trees have been felled, providing the soil contains dark humus, and
there are sufficient forces of shade. If the sun comes through more strongly
and there is not sufficient darkness to hold the sun forces in balance, the
plant will soon disappear.
The habitat and the whole form of the plant expresses the battle between
forces of light and of darkness. One major organ, the strong root stock which
develops several heads as it grows older, is for ever hidden away in darkness.
From it, spring energetically forth the shoot with its large petiolate foliage
leaves, oval in shape with a pointed apex and margin entire, taking them up
into the upper region - until autumn, when the nether region demands
the return of their essential principle down to the root. The shoot grows
strongly and rapidly, one would expect to see it develop to more than a man's
height, or even into a tree. Yet how soon an end is put to this vitality
of growth. There, it has stopped. A flower has stepped into its path, an
unsurmountable obstacle. Having got going, the powerful current of growth
cannot stop at the height it has reached, which is about a meter; it breaks
apart into lateral rays, usually 3, not unlike the water of a fountain will be
deflected to go up at an angle when a fist has come down to stop it gushing
straight upwards. But from this point onwards the whole plant has become
something other. Something which has announced itself so early and so clearly
with that first flower, has now taken hold of all further growth and
development, lateral deflection having brought no escape. The plant structure
now is one of 3 rays forming a funnel opening out wide at the top, and this has
become one whole inflorescence, though we also see rich herbage. In the process
of developing to full power its abundant foliage, the plant was
literally assaulted by the flowering process.
The lateral shoots forming the funnel have thus become a strange mixture
of intermingling leaf and flower elements. The following trinity may be
observed, rhythmically repeating itself all the way up the branch: a small leaf
which, being a bract, intimately belongs to the flower, and from its axil the
bud rising on a stem; beside them on the other side, a large leaf, wanting to
appear as a bract subtending that flower, though in fact it is a bract
belonging to the flower below, one floor lower down; its stem has fused with
the shoot and been taken one floor up with it. The large leaf thus belongs more
to the shoot, and owes its size to the stronger etheric forces of the shoot;
the small leaf belongs more to the flower, and the astral forces of this have
obviously reduced its growth. The flower buds are all on the inside of the
funnel formed by the plant, and face upwards. This needs to be emphasized, for
the proper appreciation of what is to follow. As it opens up, the flower makes
a strong movement, seeking shade, rotating downward and outward and creeping
under the large leaf beside it - as under a parasol. It flees the
light and in doing so, falls subject to gravity. A deeply invaginated throat
opens up, its colors revealing a struggle between a weak, fading yellow and a
gloomy brown-violet. The "earth bee", the heavy bumble bee, gathers
the nectar. Then the many-seeded "cherry" swells, black-violet, like
the eye of an animal, and as it does so, leaves the shade of the parasol and
rises up again into the lighter twilight. The dark hues apparent even on the
stem, in shades of black, violet and brown, lending their tinge to branches and
flowers, reach their final peak in the shiny black berry. Thus the whole plant
is sensitive to the interplay of light and darkness. The leaves show it; they
are real shade leaves, finely structured, though structure changes when more
light washes around them. The seeds however need light to germinate, they only
come up reluctantly if in deep shade.
The characteristic nature of Bell. lies in the interaction of light and
shade, and in the interweaving of water and air. The roots, the growing shoot,
suck up water greedily from the moist humus of the forest, and exhale it into the
atmosphere. This intensive "aerification" of the fluid element
becomes apparent if picking a branch of the plant. Within a very short time it
will hang down limply, for no more fluid follows up, to make up for the losses due
to evaporation. Drying-out, withering forces from the astral element (air) are
constantly striving to get hold of the plant, but all the time this is made
good, as water, the element of the etheric, pulses afresh through the plant.
A powerful life process generally counterbalances the effects of
excessive "astralization". We have seen this already in the way in
which flower and leaf processes blend; the flower succeeds in prematurely
irrupting into the plant form, but it must suffer the leaf element
to continue unchanged by its side, right to the tip of the shoot. It is also
evident in the vitality shown by the petals of the calyx, for these survive
long after the flower, forming a wide green dish with the black
violet berry at the center. Vitalization and devitalization are thus constantly
contending for supremacy. The plant flowers in June and July, and the berry
ripens during the autumn.
Bell. poisonous to man in all its parts. Birds and rabbits (in whom, in
a sense, the nervous and sensory processes are preponderant) feed on it with
impunity. The chemist will find in it the typical Solanaceae alkaloids
(l-hyoscyamine, atropine, l-scopolamine, apoatropine, belladonnine) and in
addition a substance called a-methyl-aesculetin; this shows blue fluorescence
and is closely related to the iridescent substance found in Aesc-h. (aesculin). The ash
contains silicic acid and Mg in appreciable quantities and also a trace of
copper. The first two relate to the hidden longing for light in this plant, for
both silicic acid and magnesium are connected with light
processes, serving them, and are "light elements".
Bell. is one of the "great" remedies. Its actions, for all
their multiplicity, arise from the processes we have described which make up
its specific nature. The action is directed at the mode of coordination of the
members of man's being; it applies generally, and also in specific
organ spheres. As we have become aware of the special relation of the deadly
nightshade process to light and darkness, it will come as no surprise that the
eye holds a special place among those specific organ spheres. The
encounter between light and darkness, the world of night and that of day, is
not limited, however, to one organ, the eye, "created in the light and for
the light". As the transition from sleeping to waking
consciousness, it concerns also the human being as a whole. In the 19th lecture
in Spiritual Science and Medicine, 2 a description is given of how certain
plants resist the immediate forces of earth and then reserve many
of their form-giving forces for the development of flower and fruit (and Bell.
does this most noticeably). R.S.: "As the plant resists those forces of
earth it becomes exposed to forces from outside the earth when the
final stage of seed-formation, of fruiting, is reached; it then becomes a plant
which desires to look out upon the world in the same way as higher beings,
beings from a sphere above that of the plant kingdom, look out upon the world.
The desire to perceive is revealed. The plant is not organized for perception,
however; it remains a plant though it desires to develop something of the
nature found in the human eye.
Yet it is unable to develop an eye, because its body is that of a plant,
not of a human being or animal. And so it becomes a banewort, a deadly
nightshade (German Tollkirsche; toll = mad, Kirsche = cherry). I have attempted
to give you a clear and rather vivid picture of the process which
occurs as the deadly nightshade comes into being. It becomes a deadly
nightshade, and as it does so, and has in its roots already the forces which
will finally cause it to produce its black berries, the plant is
related to everything which in the human body tends to impel towards the
development of form and shape, to impel towards something which can actually
only take place in the sphere of the senses, i.e. to lift man out
of the sphere of his organization into the sphere of his senses. The process
which occurs when small amounts of Bell. are given in potentized form is indeed
highly interesting. It is terribly like the process of waking from sleep, when
one is not yet quite perceiving with the senses, and sensory perception is
still potentized, within, to fill our consciousness with dreams. At that moment
one always gets a sort of Bell. action in man. Bell. poisoning
occurs because the very process which normally goes on when human beings wake
up, when their waking is permeated with dreams, is now evoked in them by the
poison of Bell., but in this case becomes a continuous state and
is not taken over by (daytime) consciousness. The phenomena of the transitional
state thus become lasting. This is what is so interesting, that here one can
see how the processes evoked by the phenomena of poisoning are
processes which, if they have the right timing, actually pertain to the whole
human organization . . . waking from sleep in man has something in it of
becoming Bell., but toned down . . . limited to the moment of
waking“.
If the moment of waking were to become a permanent state, R.S.
concludes, it would be fatal - like Bell. poisoning.
Thus Bell. may be said to bring the "night-time man" close to
the day-time man, though night-time man is everywhere projecting into day-time
man. Their eyes are open, but in broad daylight they look as though they had opened
to total darkness. Lower man, blood man, is forcing his way up from the
subconscious, unconscious depths into nerve-man, into the region of the head.
For in its senses the organism is awake; in its metabolism it is asleep,
always, even during the day. The blood pushes upwards, the head grows hot, the
face red. Under the influence of Bell. poison, the blood principle erupts into
the nerve principle. The blood vessels in the eye become engorged, epistaxis
occurs, the salivary glands and tonsils become enlarged, and the tongue grows
red and swollen. Hypersensitivity to external cold develops. A similar state
seen in diseases involving acute temperatures and the initial
stage of inflammation. Other conditions are migraine, congestive headaches,
sequelae of influenza (Raeff's Bulgarian cure = root of bulgarian Bell. in wine
for Parkinson).
A plant in which astral activities are forced in to such abnormal degree
will obviously act on conditions in the human organism where certain organic
regions are subject to abnormal action on the part of the astral body, so that
cramps or spasms result. Bell. has accordingly been used to treat whooping
cough, asthma, gastric and intestinal spasms, the spastic component of biliary
and renal colic, spasms in the uterine region, and even paralysis, e.g.
of the sphincter vesicae.
In the sphere of the nerves and senses, "day-time man" is able
to live fully in conscious activity of the spirit; in the system of metabolism
and limbs, man is unconscious, he is active in a state of consciousness dimmed
down to sleep; this activity is very much of the spirit, but
unconscious; "night-time man" lives in it. Spiritual qualities, in
remaining unconscious, are shackled, one might say, to organ activity and the
preparation of physical substance. With the poison of Bell., part
of this spiritual principle is driven out of the physical and liberated.
Normally such a liberation of the spiritual principle from its organic base and
support should take place only in the brain, the nervous and sense
organs. If it rises unfettered from the depth of the metabolic organs, abnormal
soul contents will be experienced in form of visions and the like. At the same
time a mad, pathological urge to move takes hold of the muscular
system. The role of Bell. in the treatment of "mental disorders" may
be discerned from this.
We must remember, however, how we discerned the intense struggle between
etheric and astral principle going on in every part of the deadly nightshade.
Particular note should also be taken that the plant remains soft and resists
hardening at all stages of growth. In autumn, the whole handsome structure
withers away to almost nothing. One aspect of the Bell. action, therefore, is
that given in suitable dosage it stimulates the life processes (the activity of
the ether-body) and combats processes of hardening and mineralization such as might
occur in the organization as a whole, or in an organic region (especially the
eye), due to premature aging.
Bell. (woman/child) react rapidly, often with high body temperature, are
very sensitive to all external influences, are erethic, sanguine, irritable,
usually fair and full-blooded.
cannot go to sleep although they feel sleepy, they start up from sleep
with fright, moaning and crying; also talking and walking in their sleep,
restlessness and twitching of the limbs and throwing about can be observed.
Grinding of teeth.
During waking hours, hyperacuity of the senses makes itself felt
(seeing), but hearing, taste and smell may also be oversensitive.
Flashes of light appear before the eyes, things glitter and shine, but
cannot be clearly distinguished from each other. (visual hallucinations: swarms
of animals coming close, as in
delirium). The visions grow more importunate on closing the eyes.
In the motor sphere, restlessness, twitching, throwing himself about,
incoordination of speech and walking appear. Loquacity and confused talking are
forerunners of delirium. More rarely the sudden contractions of the muscles of
a single limb go over into general convulsions similar to epileptic attacks.
Epilepsy in overexcitable, "nervous" children.
Fever suddenly, with dry, burning heat; there is no preliminary stage of
chilliness, or only very little. Sweating is generally not profuse and can only
be noted here and there on covered parts of the body. Thirst is not marked,
it is more a desire to moisten the dry and sometimes cracked mucosa; the
drinking of water brings no relief or only a very temporary one.
The fever comes on suddenly and rises high, the lack of outlet through
sweating and other secretions probably contributing to this. It generally also
drops down to normal suddenly. Bell. fevers are acute.
Upper body hot (feet cold).
Face red/eyes glazed and staring, the widened vessels of the conjunctiva
stand out clearly against the white (wild expression results). The congestive
headaches, fullness, pressure and "bursting" lie chiefly in the
forehead and temples, r.-sided (+ dizziness "like early
stages of drunkenness"). < Cold draughts (Glon.)
< bending down/lying down/sudden movement (vibration on walking);
> resting in the upright position; headache (dizziness) > in open
air/< heat of sun.
< touching the head; steady pressure may >: <
noise/light/strong smells/< evening/beginning of the night;
The syndromes relating to the gastro-intestinal canal cannot be reduced to
a simple common denominator such as atonic or spasm. If it is a matter of
relieving spasms one approaches the palliative end of the range of action and
low potencies of Bell. or Atro. are required; this has already been mentioned
for the bile ducts. Neither constipation nor diarrhea are characteristic of
Bell.; some provers observed delayed sparse stools without or with unsuccessful
urging, but others reported frequent small, thin evacuations with tenesmus, and
the greenish color of the stools is mentioned several times. All types of
incoordination of secretion and motility do thus occur.
For the stomach, cramp-like pains, going through to the back, which
force the patient to bend backwards and are ameliorated by stretching are
characteristic of Bell. In the abdomen meteoric complaints predominate and particular
sensitivity of the abdominal wall to touch is worth noting.
In the urinary passages, too, all types of incoordination in emptying
the bladder occur; Bell. has proved particularly helpful for enuresis nocturia
in easily excited, "nervous" children. Other remedies like Equisetum
and Tuberculin have given more permanent successes.
In the same way, successes with Dysmenorrhea.x in hyperexcitable young girls are often
prompt but only short-lived. The following may serve as indications for Bell.:
period too early and too profuse, menstrual discharge bright red
and hot; downward pressure, as though everything were going to fall out, at the
same time severe pain in the small of the back, as though it would break,
aggravation of pains from movement.
Even with an acute remedy such as Bell. the constitutional type of the
patient is more important in the selection of the remedy than the articular
organ syndrome and in selecting the potency the known or estimated sensitivity of
the patient has to be considered.
Frei nach: Otto Leeser,
M.D., Ph.D.
When we make a study of the medicinal plants of a family such as the
Solanaceae there is no need to linger over their botanical classification. We
can rely for this on the botanists. There is no doubt that they have correctly
determined the main relationships of the family from the morphology and
histology of the species. But these gross structural characteristics cannot be
correlated to the medicinal actions of the plants. Poetic observations on the
exterior of the plants as clues to their medicinal actions in the fashion of
the signature rerum may seem very attractive to many, but they have no place in
the homeopathic materia medica. The relevant structures are on the molecular
level. To understand the actions from structural characteristics of the plants,
one must take account of those special chemical products of their metabolism
which, being alien, can interfere with the functions of the human organism. In
the Solanaceae these substances are chiefly alkaloids, i.e. basic products of
the amino acid metabolism characteristic of this family of plants. And it is
the structure of these alkaloids which leads to a natural grouping of the
species we use in medicine.
The most important group is characterized by atropine (or rather
hyoscyamine). We shall discuss only Bell., Hyos., Stram. and Mand.; Duboisia
and Scop. need not concern us here. The second group, characterized by
nicotine is only represented by Nicotiana tabacum; the third, that
of the solanine plants, by Solanum Dulcamara and Capsicum annuum. In the
latter, however, other non-alkaloid constituents must also be considered to
play a part in its actions.
ATROPINE AND BELLadonna
Let us begin with the biggest and most important group, the atropine
plants. You know everything or at least a great deal about atropine from
pharmacology. But perhaps it would be a good idea to recall some of it and establish
the context. Atropine is the racemic mixture of 1-hyoscyamine and
dextrohyoscyamine. The plants contain only, or almost only, 1-hyoscyamine; the
racemic compound is formed
on chemical extraction of the alkaloids. As with nearly
all the alkaloids, the levorotatory form is the more active. We are only
concerned with 1-hyoscyamine. But experimental investigations in pharmacology
and the palliative applications based on them have throughout
been made with the less active atropine.
In experimental pharmacology, the inhibiting or paralyzing action on the
parasympathetic nerve endings in muscles and glands has been put forward as the
main effect of atropine. But that is only part of the potential action, just
as, and indeed because, the neuromuscular and neuroglandular preparations on
which this effect is demonstrated form only part of the living organism.
Nevertheless, we may take this as a starting point and see what they have
got to say with regard to therapy. First of all we have the well-founded theory
that atropine is able to inhibit the action of acetylcholine, the transmitter
or parasympathetic impulses. It may not yet be generally acknowledged,
but it is a good working hypothesis that atropine may temporarily take the
place of acetylcholine at the nerve end-plates; perhaps because it is
structurally similar, so that as a structural analogue it would stop the
functioning of the physiological neurohormone. If one looks at the structural
formulae of atropine and acetylcholine side
by side, a similarity is not easily recognizable. Both are esters. The
tropic acid radicle of atropine
can be taken as a substituted acetic acid. The atropine radicle,
however, is a tertiary compound (derived from NH3), while choline, a
quarternary, derives from NH4OH. Tropine could, however, combine with halides
in the organism to form a quarternary salt. And it has indeed been maintained
that this is responsible for the action. When the large atropine molecule
replaces acetylcholine the physiological regulation of the transmission of impulses
fails because the enzyme cholinesterase is then ineffective; the
parasympathetic blockage persists until the atropine is eliminated from the
system. If atropine is used for its inhibiting effect, no more than a temporary
suppression of symptoms can be expected.
The secretion of the salivary glands is reduced, hence the dry mouth and
throat; the secretions of the mucous glands of the esophagus and trachea and
bronchi, the production of acid and pepsin in the gastric mucosa, and the
pancreatic, biliary and intestinal secretions are decreased to a greater or lesser
extent. The most familiar example of the paralyzing action on unstriped muscle
is that on the sphincter iridis via parasympathetic branches of the Nerve
oculomotorius. This action is frequently made use of in ophthalmology;
accommodation is paralyzed at the same time through the relaxation of the
ciliary muscle. The forcible widening of the pupil is used regularly, and in my
opinion much too regularly, for iritis; it should be carefully considered for
each case. The tearing or prevention of adhesions is a valid reason, but the
regular administration of atropine to the eye for prolonged periods may not
only provoke conjunctivitis, but even render the iritis more and more chronic.
I have quoted some cases of this type on an earlier occasion, 1 when the
inflammation could only be terminated by stopping the atropine and instead
using Merc. 3x. In discontinuing the routine of instilling atropine one must,
however, guard against the danger of seclusio pupillae. On the other hand, the
danger of increased intraocular pressure through atropine must also
be considered. Cases of poisoning with psychotic symptoms and damage to the
heart muscle following the local application of atropine to the eye have been
reported.
Now let us consider the action of atropine on the smooth musculature of
the hollow organs. Relaxation of the spasm of the bronchial muscles in an
attack of asthma is only rarely attempted with atropine
or Bell., Stram. being more commonly used. Acute
hallucinatory psychosis has been recorded from overdosage of Stramonium in this
palliative use.
Therapeutic doses of atropine have a palliative effect on spasmodic
contractions of the smooth musculature of other organs, too: in the gastrointestinal
tract, bile ducts, ureter, bladder and uterus. Particularly sensitive to atropine
appear to be the parasympathetic nerve endings on the gall bladder and the
sphincter Oddi. The irregular spasmodic contraction in biliary colic often
responds well to Atropine 3x; that is of course also a palliative action,
but after all one does not expect more. It is noteworthy that a preliminary
phase of excitation has been observed following the administration of
atropine, for instance on the uterus, the ureters and the bladder, and even
on the sphincter iridis. My late uncle. J. Leeser, wrote his doctorate thesis
on the primary miotic effect of atropine. One could claim utilization of this
primary stimulant action for the homeopathic action on, for instance, the
gastro-intestinal canal and the bile ducts, an action which we will have to
discuss later for Bell. and Mandragora. Experimental pharmacology explains a
stimulating action on the intestine via Auerbach's plexus which maintains the
rhythm of the peristaltic movements. The speeding up of this rhythm does not
lead to tonic spasms, so that on the whole the action of atropine is sedative.
This might explain why one can observe from atropine not only
temporary relief in spastic obstipation, but a beneficial action in certain
cases of atonic obstipation as well. With such general statements as that
atropine in small doses is a stimulant and in large doses an inhibitor one
does not get far towards an understanding of its mode of action.
That is particularly obvious in the effect of atropine upon the heart.
In large doses atropine paralyzes the inhibitory terminations of the vagus;
hence the acceleration of the heart action can be seen from atropine or from
Bell.
This stimulation has occasionally been made use of to relieve heart
block. Such an action cannot very well be called an inhibition through large
doses (as the Arndt-Schulz rule would have it). It is also known since Schroff
(1852) that atropine has a preliminary phase with slowing down of the pulse.
For this effect another point of attack has been suggested, the heart muscle
itself. In a case of toxic psychosis after drops of the usual 1 per cent
solution of atropine sulphate had been instilled into an eye, damage to the
myocardium was indeed established by E.C.G.
From the negative cholinergic actions of atropine on the parasympathetic
nerve endings we now go on, or rather up, to the actions on neuronal centres.
About these actions we know less from animal experiments than from what
can be inferred from poisonings in human beings. There, too, an antagonism to
acetylcholine is suspected, but it has not been proved. It is not an easy thing
to prove, since nothing definite is known about the role of acetylcholine in
transmitting impulses within the central nervous system. Let us take the
vasomotor disturbances to begin with. The scarlatinoid erythema which occurs
with atropine and Bell. poisonings has not yet been sufficiently explained. It
is improbable that it can be explained by the dilatation of the blood vessels
when tissues are irrigated with atropine solution in animal experiments. A
central action would seem more likely. Increase in arterial blood
pressure and a 1-3° C. rise in body temperature is almost certainly due to
central action of the alkaloids. This stimulation goes hand in hand with the
excitation of the respiratory center. Breathing accelerated and deepened. Hence
the attempt to stimulate the respiratory center through large doses of
atropine
in cases of morphine poisoning. ("Strong stimuli enhance life
activities", in contrast to Arndt-Schultz's rule!) Stimulation of the
respiratory center may also be taken into account for the palliative use
of Stramonium for asthma, even if the chief consideration is relaxation
of the spasm of the bronchial muscles.
Finally we come to the cortical excitation elicited by atropine. Animal
experiments tell us little about this. Herbivorous animals and birds react
hardly at all to atropine and Bell. and experiments on dogs give a very
incomplete picture; the only thing which could be shown was the increased
excitability of the motor centers of the cortex after small doses of atropine.
The main psychoso-mimetic symptoms are well established from atropine and Bell.
poisonings. (By the way, why did the so-called psychoso-mimetic action of
substances such as mescaline and lysergic acid have to be announced with much
to-do as a new phenomemon when alcoholic, atropine and numerous other psychoses
from drugs had been well known for ages?) The picture of acute atropine or 1-
hyoscyamine poisoning is in the main comparable to that of Bell. The
differences only become apparent in the more gradual
unfolding of symptoms by provings on man, and it is fortunate that we
have extensive drug-proving records of both Bell. and Atropine.
If we now sketch the sequence of events in acute poisoning as ascending
from the periphery to the center, this does not mean that they always follow
the same course. Depending on the sensitivity of the person the central
syndromes may occur first or even exclusively, both with atropine and Bell.
Usually dryness and rawness appear first in the mouth, sometimes with
hoarseness, difficulties in swallowing and nausea; the skin grows dry, hot and
raw, often with a scarlatinoid erythema particularly of the head and neck,
sometimes with prickling and itching. The difficulties in swallowing may
increase until swallowing becomes quite impossible. The pulse is usually
somewhat slowed down to begin with, but later on becomes much faster and
combines with palpitations; the pupil is widened and immobile; the eyes are
dry, brilliant, staring, and may protrude slightly. Headaches and dizziness are
frequent early symptoms, accompanied by a feeling of weakness, heaviness
and tiredness in the limbs. Cerebral irritation
starts with restless, hasty movements, trembling and staggering walk;
this is followed by confused talking, visual and, more rarely, auditory
hallucinations, finally delirium with laughter and crying,
paroxysms of rage; hydrophobia is marked, reminding of rabies. In the terminal
stage the ability to see, hear and the sensitivity to touch may decrease;
retching and incontinence of urine and stools may set in; the
acute excitement changes into convulsions, and finally collapse, coma with
greatly accelerated respiration may lead to fatal asphyxia.
The drug provings have added the finer details and nuances to this
toxicological outline. If the stimulus is applied in planned gradations of
intensity and time intervals the defense reactions of the organism can unfold
gradually and may be studied in detail. And it is these finer
nuances which we use as indications for a planned stimulative therapy. Because
of its more elaborate drug picture Bell. is definitely of more use to us than
Atropine.
The effects of atropine are too stormy and too violent, the reactive
range and therapeutic index are narrow. With Bell. the action is modified by
the secondary alkaloids scopolamine and apoatropine which are related to atropine.
Other substances found in the crude drug may be even more important,
particularly the glycoside scopolin. Its aglucone is scopoletin
(methylaesculin). Such lactone compounds are known to have an action on the smooth
musculature, particularly of the intestine and uterus. It may be assumed that
additional substances in extracts of the plants slow down the passage of the
alkaloid through the organism and allow the gradual unfolding of
the reactions to become more apparent. Such a difference in the development of
symptoms can also be seen between other alkaloid plants and their respective
alkaloids, for instance in the case of Nux vomica and Ignatia on
the one hand and their chief alkaloid strychnine on the other. Atropine itself
is mostly used on fairly gross pathological indications, for instance in
achylia gastrica where one expects a simple reversal to be affected.
But when it is a question of adjusting the remedy to the diseased person
rather than to the disease, Bell. is more to the purpose.
Individual sensitivity to Bell. varies greatly. That has already been noticed
in the cases of poisoning; only very few people will react to atropine
eyedrops with psychosis. On an earlier occasion I described one case of
hypersensitivity to Bell. 6x. One constitutional type (women and children), has
proved especially sensitive to Bell.: they react rapidly, often with high body
temperature, are very sensitive to all external influences, are
erethic, sanguine, irritable, usually fair and full-blooded.
The preliminary stage of sensory and motor excitation has come out
clearly in the drug provings and these symptoms provide good indications for
the use of Bell. The patients, usually children, cannot go to sleep although they
feel sleepy, they start up from sleep with fright, moaning and crying; also
talking and walking in their sleep, restlessness and twitching of the limbs and
throwing about can be observed. Grinding of teeth during sleep has
proved to be a particularly good indication for Bell. During waking hours,
hyperacuity of the senses makes itself felt, particularly that of seeing, but
hearing, taste and smelling may also appear oversensitive. It seems that
the intraocular disturbances of refraction and hyperaemia of the fundus
coincide with excitation of the visual center in the cortex, or pass
into each other. Flashes of light appear before the eyes, things glitter
and shine, but cannot be clearly distinguished from each other.
This excitation progresses into visual hallucinations, usually in the form of
swarms of small animals or even large animals coming close, as in delirium. The
visions grow more importunate on closing the eyes. In the motor
sphere, restlessness, twitching, throwing himself about, incoordination of
speech and walking appear. Loquacity and confused talking are forerunners of
delirium. More rarely the sudden contractions of the muscles of a
single limb go over into general convulsions similar to epileptic attacks. With
epilepsy in overexcitable, "nervous" children I have seen remarkable
improvement from Bell.
The Bell. fever is well characterized. Excitation of the temperature
center combines with that of the vasomotor center in producing the active
hyperaemia which is one of the main characteristics of the Bell. picture.
The fever comes on suddenly, with dry, burning heat; there is no
preliminary stage of chilliness, or only very little. Sweating is generally not
profuse and can only be noted here and there on covered parts of the body.
Thirst not marked, it is more a desire to moisten the dry and sometimes cracked
mucosa; the drinking of water brings no relief or only a very temporary one.
The fever comes on suddenly and rises high, the lack of outlet through sweating
and other secretions probably contributing to this. It generally also drops
down to normal suddenly. Bell. fevers are acute.
The arterial hyperemia of Bell. need not by any means have progressed to
inflammation and fever. Similarly as with Glonoin the Bell. hyperaemia affects
preferably the upper half of the body, particularly the head and neck, whilst
the feet are usually cold. The face is reddened, the eyes are glazed and
staring, the widened vessels of the conjunctiva stand out clearly against the
white, and altogether a somewhat wild expression results.
The congestive headaches, fullness, pressure and "bursting"
lie chiefly in the forehead and temples, mainly on the right, and there seems
to be a general preponderance of right-sidedness with Bell.
The headaches are often accompanied by dizziness, "like early
stages of drunkenness". If in some books you read that warmth and a warm
room ameliorate the headaches, you may cross that out. There
is nothing in the provings or in clinical records to
support this. On the contrary, I have found that Bell. headaches are always
ameliorated by cold compresses. Cold draughts of air can, of course, produce
other troubles with that marked hyperaemia, just as in the case of Glon. Both
Belladona and Glonoin have the strange indication: Wry neck after haircut,
obviously to be interpreted as great sensitivity to cold and draught of the
hyperemic head and neck. But this does not mean that a general aggravation
through cold can be deduced, and even less that Bell. corresponds to chilly
persons. If neuralgias, of the n. trigeminus for instance, are ameliorated by
warmth, this modality does not signify much for the Bell. case. Atropine and Bell.
certainly do also have an affinity to the sensory nerve endings, they can even
produce anaesthesia; the use of Bell. plasters as an analgetic was formerly
very common. Without any further indications acute neuralgias rarely lead to
the choice of Bell.
The other modalities fit well with the hyperemic, congestive nature of
the headaches and the dizziness "as if drunk": they are worse on
bending down and lying down, from any sudden movement, from vibration on
walking; the Bell. patient feels better resting in the upright
position; headache and particularly the dizziness > in the open air, but
worse from heat of sun. Further modalities arise from the great sensory
irritability: < touching the head, the scalp is very sensitive
to touch, less so to steady pressure which may even ameliorate; <
noise/light/strong smells. < towards evening/beginning of the night
(hyperaemia/inflammatory/febrile conditions).
The early stage of inflammation with marked arterial hyperaemia is the
main sphere for the use of Bell. It acts preferably on highly vascularized
tissues. The fauces are frequently affected: violent dark red swelling and dryness,
sudden high temperature are characteristic. With extensive inflammation of the
tissues one generally finds strong pulsation in the Bell. case, particularly of
the carotids, a full hard, rapid pulse, thirst not quenched by drinking.
With iritis, the time during which Bell. would be effective is brief,
the hyperemic stage, before exudation begins; usually one sees cases of iritis
only in the stage corresponding to Mercury. The purpose of using Bell. is to prevent
exudation or at least to reduce and shorten it. The same consideration applies
with other acute inflammations, for instance an otitis media coming on suddenly
with a bright red tympanic membrane, i.e. before such remedies as
Merc./Hep./Caps./Puls.e indicated. In the early stages of acute appendicitis
when the patient tosses restlessly in a dry fever, one used to be able to see
prompt results from Bell.; nowadays the reflex from the diagnosis
to the knife has become so habitual, both with doctors and relatives, that the
attempt is hardly ever made.
The similarity of the erythema and inflammation of the throat to scarlet
fever led Hahnemann to recommend Bell. as the remedy for scarlet fever as
early as 1799. It is little known that the Bell. erythema
if severe and persistent also leaves behind a scarlatinoid scaling.
During the last 40 years scarlet fever has become so much more benign that the
success of Bell. can no longer be simply evaluated as "proper hoc."
I have no personal experience of Bell. with the severe, often fatal, cases seen
50 years ago, since at that time I was homeopathically still in a state of
innocence. But Bell. may also be indicated for other exanthemata, such as
measles, in irritable children with abrupt fever. It is said that Bell. is able
to bring out suppressed exanthemata in acute infectious diseases and thus to
forestall complications, particularly meningism. I have no personal experience
of this. For smooth erysipelas, i.e. without pustules and rhagades, Bell. is
foremost as a remedy.
In the action of Bell. on the hollow organs the symptoms from the mucosa
combine with changes in the tone and motility of the smooth musculature. In the
upper respiratory tract an irritative cough worse when lying down may
be an indication for Bell. (or Hyoscyamus), whether the irritation comes from
the dry mucosa or from the tickling of an elongated, swollen uvula. With
whooping cough in "nervous" children the cough is dry, produces no
mucus, but streaks of blood. In acute laryngitis Bell. is specified for
laryngospasm, but with laryngismus tridulus, children's croup, Spongia has
proved more successful.
The syndromes relating to the gastro-intestinal canal cannot be reduced
to a simple common denominator such as atonic or spasm. If it is a matter of
relieving spasms one approaches the palliative end of the range of action and
low potencies of Bell. or Atropine are required; this has already been
mentioned for the bile ducts. Neither constipation nor diarrhea are
characteristic of Bell.; some provers observed delayed sparse stools without or
with unsuccessful urging, but others reported frequent small, thin evacuations
with tenesmus, and the greenish color of the stools is mentioned several times.
All types of incoordination of secretion and motility do thus occur.
For the stomach, cramp-like pains, going through to the back, which
force the patient to bend backwards and are ameliorated by stretching are
characteristic of Bell. In the abdomen meteoric complaints predominate and particular
sensitivity of the abdominal wall to touch is worth noting.
In the urinary passages, too, all types of incoordination in emptying
the bladder occur; Bell. has proved particularly helpful for enuresis nocturia
in easily excited, "nervous" children. However, other remedies like
Equisetum and Tuberculin have given more permanent successes.
In the same way, successes with dysmenorrhea in hyperexcitable young
girls are often prompt but only short-lived. The following may serve as
indications for Bell.: period too early and too profuse, menstrual discharge
bright red and hot; downward pressure, as though everything were
going to fall out, at the same time severe pain in the small of the back, as
though it would break, < pain from movement.
Even with an acute remedy such as Bell. the constitutional type of the
patient is more important in the selection of the remedy than the articular
organ syndrome and in selecting the potency the known or estimated sensitivity of
the patient has to be considered. I have mostly used the 6x.
HYOSCYAMUS AND STRAMONIUM
If one has a knowledge of Atropine and Bell., there is little to be
added in respect of the other plants of the tropane group, Hyoscyamus,
Stramonium and Mandragora. Their actions and use differ from those of Bell.
only in minor points of emphasis. In Hyoscyamus and Stramonium the influence
of scopolamine (1-hyoscine, an oxidation product of hyoscyamine) is more
noticeable, although compared
to hyoscyamine the scopolamine content of these plants is
still small. But the differences in their action may also partly be due to the
other alkaloids they contain and to volatile amino bases, with scopolamine and
stramonium the actions on the cerebral cortex are prominent, while
with Mandragora present evidence points mainly to peripheral actions on the
smooth musculature of the gastro-intestinal tract and bile ducts.
Scopolamine is best known from its use in psychiatry. Much used to quiet
excited patients and make them drowsy, the dosage being about 1/2 mg. In some
cases hallucination precedes the sedation even with this dosage. But generally
scopolamine in small quantities reduces excitement of the motor centers. While
large doses produce strong motor excitement in man as well as in animals. In
sensitive persons doses of 1 mg. may produce a state of confusion, unrest and
visual hallucinations with delirium; with larger doses this is always the case
and the excited condition grows longer and more severe and may lead to
convulsions. In a case of habitual scopolamine injection of up to
2 mg. continuous delirium with visual hallucinations and persecution complexes
was observed. 4 And those are the very indications on which the plants
containing scopolamine, Hyos. and Stram. generally used in
Homeopathy in preference to Bell.
Hyos. and Stram. leading remedies for severe states of excitement in
psychoses or delirious fever.
Hyos.: motor unrest particularly marked; the patients are
"wild", with staring eyes, they cry, gesticulate and grimace and hit
out wildly, make unintelligible speeches. The manic condition often has a
strong erotic emphasis which finds expression in the speeches,
gestures and sometimes in exhibitionism. The paranoiac syndrome also comes out
most strongly in Hyoscyamus. The delusions go from jealous obsession to
out-and-out persecution complexes; the patient thinks he is being poisoned or
has been poisoned, or shows other variants of delusion. In the case of one
hebephrenic with manic attacks I thought that an extended remission may have
been due to the Hyoscyamus he was given; similar cases have also been quoted by
other observers. But one should not speak of "cures" in such
psychoses. With puerpural psychoses, where the prognosis in itself is a better
one, the position is, of course, different.
The hyperemic and inflammatory symptoms of the Bell. picture are almost
absent with Hyoscyamus. The peripheral hyper-reflexia of the smooth musculature
with all its modalities is described in the same terms as for Bell.
Some prescribers prefer low potencies of Hyos. to Bell. for the
spasmodic attacks of tickling cough < at night and lying down. Hyoscyamus is
also greatly praised for singultus; my own experience
does not confirm this. If Hyos. is given for spasm of the bladder of
central origin, the low potencies used in this instance suggest that one finds
oneself at the palliative end of the range of action.
As far as we know Hyos. and Stram. are not distinguishable by the type of
alkaloids they contain; the relative amounts do vary anyway in the different
parts of the plants and at different times.
Stram. also matches Hyos. in its main action on the cerebral centers.
The states of excitement are no less violent with Stramonium. Delirium and
hallucinations are stronger, but the paranoiac syndrome
is less marked than in Hyos. Again, as in the case
of Bell., the visual sphere is particularly affected, the
hallucinations are throughout of a visual nature. The syndrome is most similar
to delirium tremens: the patient shows all the signs of terror, sees wild
animals approaching, tries to escape. It is stated that strong
light stimuli, looking at glittering objects or the reflections on water, may
produce convulsions. On the other hand, desire for light and company has come
out as a leading indication for Stramonium, and perhaps fear and terror of the
visions play a part in this. The illusions of Stramonium often refer to the
subject's own body, for instance "sees himself double, in two parts".
Gross motor unrest and the manic syndrome with unceasing incoherent talking,
singing and crying occur with Stram. as well as Hyos.; likewise the erotic
excitement, and Stramonium has a particular reputation in satyriasis; the
bright red head, (red ears) serve as a clue. The scarlatinoid
erythema has also been described for Stramonium, and some prefer Stramonium to
Bell. when in acute infectious diseases exanthemata are subdued while cerebral
irritation (meningism) is marked.
Incoordination of voluntary movements is also often described for Stram.
But its usefulness in chorea minor is no better proved than that of Hyos.
Stammering is given as a particular indication for Stramonium; but that could
hardly apply to old-established speech disturbances with a psychic motivation.
MANDRAGORA
The alkaloids of Mand. also stated to be hyoscyamine and scopolamine;
their relative amounts in the root or herb are not known. A proving was made
in 1951 with potencies of the tincture from the root. The most striking result
was that no definite symptoms were noted of the central stimulation which is
so characteristic of the alkaloids, be it then that the statement of one prover
(5th day after 2x): 'Irritable and nervous, very sensitive particularly to
noise" is taken as pointing in this direction. No widening of the pupils
was observed, and definite visual disturbances only in one case where they were
perhaps connected with the strong congestion to the head and swelling around
the eyes. The cardiovascular symptoms as well as their modalities were similar
to those known from Bell., as were also the sensory disturbances.
Incoordination of voluntary movements was noted by one prover only; he
was unable to control the walking movements; the same prover also observed torticollis.
The greatest part of the provings is taken up with disturbances of the
motility and of the secretions of the gastro-intestinal canal and bile ducts.
These again are very similar to those known from Bell.,
as for instance the amelioration of gastric pain by stretching and
bending backwards. It is remarkable that apart from Bell. and Mandragora only
Dioscorea has this modality and that dioscorine is also a tropane alkaloid (a
tropine lacton).
Two provers referred to this modality as a hunger pain which was
ameliorated by eating. Much more significant, however, is the, to my knowledge,
singular modality which has been brought out by the Mandragora provings, that
the sensation of fullness, pressure and eructations are ameliorated by eating.
On the advice of one of the provers who had observed this peculiar syndrome on
himself Mandragora 6x was given to a patient with all the signs and
symptoms of almost complete cicatricial stenosis of the bulbus duodeni. The
improvement was impressive and lasting over the many months
of subsequent observation. Just as with Bell. so with Mandragora one
cannot speak one-sidedly of spasms in the smooth musculature.
Colics certainly do occur, but atonic comes out just as much in the symptoms;
for instance in that "soft stools are evacuated only with difficulty and
with much pressing". But this is a symptom which occurs with many remedies
and hence is not very distinctive.
One peculiar modality, like the one mentioned above, makes up for a
whole register of commonplace symptoms in the selection of the remedy. Heart
symptoms which were very frequently noted in the proving, oppression, pressure,
palpitation, stitches, constriction and dyspnea, appear to be part of the
gastrocardial syndrome.
TABACUM
In Nicotiana tabacum we find a new type of alkaloid in the form of nicotine
which is the principal alkaloid among a great number of similarly structured
minor alkaloids in the plant.
The difference between nicotine and the tropane alkaloids is not as
fundamental as it first looks on paper. The methylpyrrolidine component of
nicotine is also found in the tropane alkaloids. There is a biogenetic
connection between the two types. This is also suggested by the fact that in
some species of Duboisia hyoscyamine is the principal alkaloid, in others
scopolamine, and in Duboisia Hopwoodii (Pituri plant) nicotine. Although
Tabacum contains many minor alkaloids right down to simple pyridine bases, the
actions of the crude drug largely correspond to those of nicotine. Nicotine is
a volatile alkaloid and Tabacum probably owes its rapid and direct action on
bulbar and brain stem centers to this. Recently a temporary antidiuretic action
on the posterior part of the hypophysis via the hypothalamo-hypophyseal system
has been discovered as well. On the other hand the peripheral action of
nicotine on both the parasympathetic and sympathetic synapses is more
emphasized in experimental pharmacology. Nicotine interrupts the transmission
of impulses at these synapses and this is used to distinguish the pre -from the
post- ganglionic fibers in the autonomic nervous system.
But in this peripheral action as well as in that on the centers the
paralyzing phase is preceded by one of stimulation. Reflex actions from
autonomic ganglia, such as those on the sinus aortae and the
carotid plexus, combine with those on the respiratory, vasomotor and vomiting
centers to form a very complex picture. Added to this, the discharge of
adrenaline from the adrenal glands is stimulated. No wonder then
that the actual symptoms vary greatly with the dose given and from species to
species. In the acute action on man, however, it is the vagal excitation which
dominates the first state: bradycardia, lowering of the blood pressure,
"deathly" nausea with retching and vomiting, dizziness, salivation
and increased intestinal peristalsis, then irregular cardiac activity, weakness
as if fainting, paleness with cold sweat, shaky weakness in the legs with
sudden lowering of the blood pressure; the breathing is at first deepened and
quick. If the action is prolonged the blood pressure rises which, partially at
least, must be ascribed to the increased amounts of adrenaline in
circulation. In the long run nicotine may produce atheromatosis. It was
possible to demonstrate calcareous degeneration of the aorta in animals after
repeated injections of nicotine. Another end result of the chronic
action is known to be amaurosis due to atrophy of the optic nerve. Just like
arteriosclerosis this is no longer responsive to a stimulative therapy with Tabacum.
But the preceding stages, the visual disturbances which are
similar to those in some cases of migraine, do belong to the picture of
stimulative actions. The carcinogenic effects of smoking, particularly of
cigarettes, apparently must be ascribed to other pyridine bases rather than to
nicotine.
The homeopathic indications follow quite straightforwardly from this
picture of the toxicological actions. Even Rademacher's former use of tobacco
water for cholera-like conditions can be regarded as homeopathic: symptoms of
collapse with paleness, cold sweat, shaky weakness, interruption of heart
beat, and vehement diarrhea. The Tabacum diarrheas are accompanied by meteorism
and burning in
the abdomen, and at the same time desire to have the
abdomen uncovered. Apart from the symptoms of collapse, deathly nausea and
vomiting, dizziness is one of the cardinal symptoms of Tabacum.
This is a true rotatory vertigo, or "objects moving up and down in
front of the eyes". I was not able to confirm the statement that the
vertigo grew worse on opening the eyes when I made some involuntary provings
with heavy cigars; on the contrary, the up and down movement only became
definite on closing the eyes, and very much so. Amelioration in open air and
probably also from sour things can be confirmed; in my own experience the
condition improved by eating an apple. This type of vertigo, nausea and general
prostration, with indifference towards life or death, is characteristic of the
syndrome of seasickness, for which Tabacum has been recommended. Cocculus,
containing picrotoxin which also stimulates the vagal center strongly, is,
more commonly used. Rotatory vertigo + tinnitus has also served as an
indication in Meniere's syndrome, but in that I had such good results with
Chininum salicylicum that I never tried Tabacum.
It has however proved helpful in arteriosclerotic attacks of vertigo
with cerebral retching and vomiting; of course, one cannot expect any lasting
effect on the structural changes of arteriosclerosis. The same applies to
attacks of angina pectoris which are characterized by fear, with
symptoms of collapse, icy coldness and cold sweat, tachycardia and arrhythmia.
Tabacum does not have the feeling of constriction as in Cactus, the attacks
resemble more those of Latrodectus. There seems to be little
clinical experience on its use in migraines with visual disturbances. In that
case a patchy redness of the face is said to precede the paleness. And finally
Tabacum has been recommended, to my knowledge first by Emil Schlegel, as a
euthanasiacum, similar to Verat., when collapse of the circulation with cold
sweat and great fear of death require a sedative.
Modalities not very characteristic: >: vertigo in the open air.
Vertigo and migraine < any movement. "Aggravation in a warm room in
spite of a feeling of inner coldness" may point to an increased desire for
oxygen when the circulation is failing. If it is stated that
vomiting relieves, this is probably based on the observation that the attacks
which indicate Tabacum often end with vomiting. It will be noticed that these
modalities refer to the acute syndromes and not to the patient as
a person.
With Tabacum the action of nicotine on the autonomic centers develops
rapidly; only a short span is available for defense reactions to be stimulated
before the toxic effects set in. That is probably the reason why Tabacum has
found only limited use, and chiefly only in acute syndromes occurring in
attacks.
DULCAMARA
There remain two species of the sub-family Solaninae to consider, Dulc.
and Caps. The Solaninae by far the largest number of Solanaceae and among them
Sol-t. (= potato)/Sol-lyc. (tomato)/Sol-n.
The predominant alkaloids in the sub-family are peculiar glycosides, and
solanine may be taken as representative of the type. Several modifications of
this type occur in the Solaninae species. The aglycone of solanine is
solanidine, a fusion of a steroid structure of the cholesterol type, with a
methyl piperidine or a methyl pyrrolidine. It is quite possible that there is a
biogenetic connection with nicotine and the tropane alkaloids.
The alkaloidal component is probably responsible for the actions of
solanine on medullary centers, particularly the respiratory center. Potatoes
also sometimes form excessive solanine, most of it directly under the skin and
at the germination points. Cases of poisonings from such potatoes
have been reported occasionally, with vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. 6
A number of experiments have been made with solanine and solanidine on both
animals and human beings. A detailed discussion of the alkaloid actions
involving respiration, cardiac frequency and body temperature is not called for
in this context as they have not so far proved significant for the picture
of Dulcamara or of Capsicum. A much more definite influence from solanine has
come out in a proving of Sol-n. which produced some symptoms strongly
reminiscent of Bell. But Sol-n. is hardly ever used. It is
interesting that the aglycone solanidine applied locally produced widening of
the pupil while solanine had no effect; furthermore, that a central motor
excitation was observed from solanine, while in the sensory sphere drowsiness,
stupefaction and dizziness and at the same time hypersensitivity to light,
noise and touch were noted.
What is new and important about solanine is that it is a steroid alkaloid.
It is thus close to the steroid alkaloids of Veratrum album and Sabadilla.
These, however, are more toxic than solanine and that is probably due to the fact
that the Veratrum alkaloids are mostly esters of steroid alkaloids and not
glycosides like the solanines. The greater toxicity shows itself with Veratrum
in the stronger action on the circulation and in the cholera-like and collapse
symptoms. The similarity between Dulcamara and Sabadilla will be seen chiefly
in the action on the mucosa. It appears that it is not so much the alkaloid
component as the steroid which is responsible for this affinity.
At this point we must take a look at the substances which are called
saponines. Many saponines are steroid glycosides, so that solanine differs
from this group solely by having the alkaloid component in addition. It is a
likely assumption that through an antagonism to cholesterol solanine, like the
actual saponines, unfolds an irritant or toxic action on the cell surfaces.
Cholesterol has an important function
in the cell membranes. When a foreign steroid alkaloid
takes its place this protection may be lost to the cell. The entering of
allergens or even microorganisms is facilitated. This would explain the
allergy-like syndromes met with Dulc./Sabad.
Extensive painful and itching edemata have been observed also from the
handling of tomato leaves (containing the glyco-alkaloid tomatine) and from
Sol-n. Besides solanine (or rather the very similar solaceine) Dulc. contains a
mixture of saponines, called dulcamarine. As the glyco-alkaloid content of
Dulcamara has been found to vary greatly, the saponine mixture may be more significant,
perhaps
in that one irritant substance makes it easier for the
other to enter through the cell membranes. The constitutional formulas of the
two constituents of dulcamarine, a glycoside dulcamaric acid and the
non-glycoside dulcamaretinic acid, are not yet known. The saponines and
solaceine are responsible for the taste of the Dulcamara herb which is bitter
at first and then sweetish. Sugar is liberated from the bitter glycosides by
the saliva. This change in taste has given the bittersweet its name in all
languages.
Here we cannot go fully into the centuries-old history of the medicinal
use of Dulcamara. It is, however, remarkable that even in old herbals (for
instance, Conker) the herb was recommended as a remedy suitable only for persons
of a cold and humid nature, and the particular effectiveness of Dulcamara in
patients who were exposed to cold and wet has been emphasized already before
Hahnemann (for instance by Carrere 7 in 1789).
H. several times concerned himself with the action of Dulcamara before
he did his proving in 1811. One of these passages I cannot resist quoting:
"If, as v. Haller (in Vicat) assures us, the bittersweet has cured cough
developed from chill, this is because in cold and damp air it has a marked
tendency to produce all sorts of catarrhs, as Carrere and de Hahn observed. The
reason why just the bittersweet has
so effectively cured a type of eczema and herpes (under the eyes of
Carrere, Fouquet and Poupart) is sought in vain in the sphere of fanciful
conjectures, since simple nature herself puts it right under our noses, namely:
the bittersweet excites for itself a type of eczema; Carrere saw a
herpes spread for two weeks over the whole body from its use and on another
occasion eczema develop on the hands.
Can there be a more natural connection between potential action and
effect?"
In H.'s proving of Dulcamara 8, the action of solanine (or of solaceine)
on the central nervous system appears insignificant compared with that on the
skin and mucosa and on peripheral muscle and nerve. The main actions may be
summarized as of the allergy type; but that is not to say that Dulcamara itself
contains an allergen, the actions of which resemble those of Dulc. in many
respects. It is more likely that the solanine or the saponines of
Dulcamara make it easier for any allergens to enter through the mucous
membranes. Though this is at present only a hypothesis, it is conducive to an
understanding
of the actions on which we base our homeopathic use of
Dulcamara.
Affinity to the skin, which has been known since ancient days, has had a
new light thrown upon it by the provings: at first there is a burning and
itching which is worse at night. The subsequent eruptions a urticaria-like,
'like flea bites or nettle rash", or in the form of red
pimples and vesicles which later on may become purulent. In some cases sudden
swellings "similar to acute articular rheumatism" have been observed
(by Rockwith) in the region of the wrist, with pain along the
ulnar nerve. Moreover, severe inflammatory edemata have been seen in cattle who
had eaten Dulcamara.
The skin symptoms of an allergic type must be seen in connection with
the catarrhal and rheumatic symptoms. Indeed, the alternation of syndromes,
now from mucous membranes, be it of the respiratory or the gastro-intestinal
tracts, now from the skin or as "rheumatic" from the neuro-muscular
system, has become one of the main indications for Dulcamara. The basic
observation was: aggravation of skin eruptions or their reappearance when Dulc.
had been given for rheumatism or diarrhea. This alternation of syndromes is not
of the type to qualify Dulcamara for inclusion among the constitutional
remedies in the narrower sense of the word, the so-called anti-psoric remedies.
The symptomatology of Dulcamara points rather to acute reactions to
environmental agents and influences.
The saponine-like action of Dulcamara comes out even more clearly in the
mucous membranes than it did in the skin. All secretions are increased acutely.
The catarrhs of the ocular conjunctiva, of the nose, and upper respiratory
passages are similar to those of Sabadilla, and as with the latter have led to
the use in hay fever. In the lower respiratory passages fewer signs of
increased secretion are found in the provings than one might have expected from
what animal experiments with solanine have shown. Pain in the chest and
oppression were more conspicuous in the proving of Dulcamara. This may be due
to action on centers controlling respiration which is more evident
from the reports of Dulcamara and solanine poisoning. Allergic asthma is
frequently taken as an indication for Dulcamara, but apart from the alternation
of asthma with skin eruptions and rheumatic complaints there are
no other more definite characteristics. The long-established and proved
modality that cold and wet are causal and aggravating factors in Dulcamara
complaints is accepted. But for asthma this modality applies just as
well to Nat-s. which in my experience at least has shown itself superior to
Dulcamara. Because of the aggravation from cold and wet Dulcamara has been
regarded as a remedy for v. Grauvogl's "hydrogenoid constitution",
but not too aptly; for the second characteristic of this constitutional type,
periodicity in the occurrence of symptoms, there is no evidence. With Nat-s.
this second modality is somewhat better substantiated, for there a regular
aggravation of asthma in the early hours of the morning and a recurrence of the
skin eruptions every spring are mentioned. But then the aggravation from cold
and wet in the case of Dulc.
should not be presented simply as proneness to colds, as may equally
apply to dozens of other drugs. What is meant rather is that the catarrhal and
rheumatic syndromes are of the type which is produced particularly by cold and
wet, through sudden cooling after being heated, and suppression of sweat.
Dulcamara acts "as if" there had been a "cold".
Earaches and noises in the ears appear so frequently in the provings
that one would assume that Dulcamara should be useful for catarrhs ascending
along the Eustachian tubes to the middle ear. But there seem to be no records of
clinical experience in this condition.
Symptoms of irritation from the gastro-intestinal mucosa do not come out
very clearly in the provings, merely as pain and rumbling in the stomach. It
was known from Dulcamara poisonings already before Hahnemann that vomiting and
diarrhea may occur. Carrere: diarrhea slimy and yellow or greenish and this
statement has been borne out. From clinical observation comes the indication of
Dulc. for autumnal diarrhea, partially also due to sudden changes
of weather such as from hot days to cold nights, or moving from the heat of the
sun into chilly rooms; a variation of the "catching cold" motif.
A better indication is given if the diarrheas appear as
equivalents for other syndromes, perhaps alternating with asthma or moist
eczema.
Signs of irritation of the urinary passages and the female genital passages
with Dulc. poisoning have been reported particularly by Carrere: cystitis,
stranguria, pain on micturition, frequency of micturition, slimy cloudy urine;
again as the result of cold and wet; symptoms of irritation with eruptions on
the external female passages with increased libido, and menstrual disorders of
various, in themselves non-characteristic, types. If in addition there
is premenstrual urticaria and if secretions or eruptions seem to be suppressed
through a chill, the case for Dulcamara would be stronger. Hemorrhagic
nephritis has been seen as a rare occurrence in Dulc. poisoning, but
this has apparently not been taken up as an indication for the use of Dulc. so
far. A tendency to hemorrhage may well be due to the action of the saponines.
Epistaxis has been reported several times in the provings.
Vicarious nose bleeds, in the place of missing menses or after the
suppression of other discharges, would be in line with the action of Dulcamara;
but there seems to be little clinical experience in this respect.
With regard to the neuro-muscular system which so often manifests the
effects of cold and wet, the provings have brought out many symptoms. Apart
from rheumatic-neuralgic pains, stiffness and lameness are frequent,
particularly in the back of the neck and shoulder region. Neuralgias have been
described particularly in the face, arms and calves, combined with a feeling of
icy coldness, lameness, tension, twitching and trembling.
The important factor with these syndromes is the modality amelioration
from movement; it indicates stagnation in the tissues, an altered turgidity.
This modality often brings Dulc. into the final choice with Rhus-t. has a similar
affinity to muscles, mucosa and the skin on an allergic basis. Dulc. often used
as a matter of routine when Rhus Tox. has failed. The clinical indications for
Dulc., "rheuma # diarrhea" or "rheumatic symptoms following acute skin eruption," need no further
elucidation after what has been said above.
Symptoms from the central nervous system which are marked in the picture
of solanine and Dulcamara poisoning are much less significant in the drug
picture. Headache and dizziness, slight twitchings and tensions, sensations of
lameness, and psychically a discontented, off-putting mood do appear in the
drug provings. But no definite therapeutic indication have arisen from them.
The character of Dulcamara comes out most clearly in the alternation of
syndromes of the skin, mucosa, and locomotor system, and in the following
modalities: causal and aggravating factors are cold and wet, sudden change from
hot to cold; > movement (rheumatic symptoms); the skin symptoms < at
night.
CAPSICUM
Finally, there is Capsicum annuum, the fruits of which are well known as
cayenne or Spanish pepper or paprika.
Capsicum also belongs to the subfamily of Solaninae, it is doubtful whether
it contains the glyco-alkaloid solanine, some say so and others not; it seems
at any rate to be of no significance for the action
of Capsicum. But there are also traces of another alkaloid
which has not yet been identified; being volatile it may be similar to confine
or the tobacco alkaloids. But with regard to the actions of Capsicum nothing
definite can as yet be said about it. The rich vitamin content of
the Capsicum fruits, particularly vitamin C, beta-ascorbic acid, may well have
a bearing on its former use, in substantial amounts,
for reduced resistance to infections, marasm and dysentery, but for the
use of Capsicum potencies a vitamin substitution can hardly be considered. The
chief active principle of Capsicum is capsaicin.
This is no true alkaloid, but an acid amide, a combination of vanillyl
amide with dimethylnonenylic acid. Capsaicin is a strong irritant for the skin
and mucosa. It appears to stimulate first of all the sensory receptors, and
particularly those for the sensation of warmth. Hence the characteristic
burning of Capsicum at any site where it comes in contact with tissues. This is
followed by a reflector hyperemia and this again is characterized in that the
expansion of the capillaries relaxation of the small vessels persists for a
long time. The vessels can then no longer adapt themselves to cold stimuli,
hence the general sensation of chilliness and great sensitivity to cold. The
contrast with the saponine action of Dulc., where increased secretion stands in
the foreground, is obvious.
As to the use of Capsicum plasters as a derivative counter irritant for
rheumatism, synovitis, chilblains and occasionally also for bronchitis and
bronchiolitis, nothing further need be said. More rarely, Capsicum tincture is
used as a gargle for torpid inflammation of the throat with an
elongated uvula. For homeopathic use the skin affinity of Capsicum has achieved
no significance.
The tincture has also been used occasionally as a stomachic for lack of
appetite and dyspepsia. Lyon recommended it especially for alcoholism;
apparently it not only relieves the dyspeptic symptoms with morning sickness, but
the craving itself is said to be abolished. It is also maintained that Capsicum
has a calming and hypnotic action in the early stages of delirium tremens; the
provings show trembling and disturbances of sleep, but no hallucinations.
Possibly the alkaloid of which no details are known may play a part.
But it is capsaicin which is responsible for the main actions of Capsicum.
Wherever
this peppery principle passes the mucosa it produces a burning, hot
sensation, and a dryness which in turn gives rise to spasms.
On elimination through the urine the bladder is irritated until there is
tenesmus, the urge to urinate is strong but ineffectual. A sharp burning passes
along the urethra and concentrates particularly on the urethral orifice; if
the irritation is continuous a state of near-paralysis arises. I have found
Capsicum particularly helpful for ectropium of the female urethral orifice
which can bring with it a distressing irritation. A good indication is chronic
urethritis, either non-specific or following gonorrhea, if there is more
irritation than secretion: a small amount of creamy secretion is discharged
with sharp burning
and great urging and cramp-like erection, so-called chords.
If the bladder is involved the severe tenesmus points to Capsicum. Capsicum
seems to be less indicated for the acute initial state of an infection, and
rather more when the blood vessels and thus the mucosa are already
lax from earlier attacks and a relapse of irritation and inflammation
supervenes.
Sharp burning and tenesmus indicate Capsicum also for hemorrhoids,
particularly if they occur together with the same symptoms from the urinary
passages. In such cases the symptoms of irritation < passage of stools.
A small amount of slimy secretion, but sometimes also bleeding from the
relaxed mucosa serve as a further indication. The old-established indication of
Capsicum for dysentery with violent tenesmus has been give a special note
by the provings: after every stool there is thirst and if this is slaked with
cold water intense shivering will follow. This latter modality is given as a
general characteristic of Capsicum: after cold drinks shivering starts between
the shoulders, runs down the back and spreads over the whole body. That is but
an example of the great sensitivity to cold: cold draft aggravates pain, cough
and other complaints, and is anxiously avoided. In this one can
see the lack of adaptability to cold on the part of the relaxed and widened
capillaries and arterioles. A particular aggravation from cold wetness, as in
the case of Dulcamara, has not been noted for Capsicum.
The irritation of the upper respiratory passages is characterized by
dryness of the mucosa. The cough arising from this is explosive, shaking, it
causes pain not only in the throat and chest but also in more distant parts,
such as bursting headaches, pressing earaches, shooting pains into the
extremities, especially along the sciatic nerve. Here again cold aggravates,
and that applies also to a dry laryngitis with hoarseness. In general the
attacks of coughing are also < lying down, at night, in bed. The provings
also record dyspnea, a feeling of fullness and distension in the chest and constriction
worse from movement. But Capsicum has no indications for humid asthma like
Dulc.
On the other hand, a tendency of the dry hyperemia of the respiratory
mucosa towards ulceration can be inferred from the following symptoms in
Hahnemann's proving: "Me cough expels an evil-smelling breath from the
mouth. The breath coming from the lungs on coughing produces a strange,
repugnant taste in the mouth." In fact, Capsicum has been used
successfully in bronchitis foetida and even for lung abscesses.
Another strange observation in the proving has led to the frequently
successful use of Capsicum for impending mastoiditis: a swelling over the
petrous bone behind the ear which is painful on touch. That was probably only
an intercellular inflammation of the type which has been seen in one case
described in the literature of lethal poisoning from Capsicum; there the
swellings appeared on the cheeks, ears and back of the neck after papular
eruptions had changed into vesicles. One can merely guess why the
tympanum and the petrous bone should be sites of preference for the action of
Capsicum. The lax, spongy mucous membrane attached directly to the periost of
the
mastoid and with a wide capillary bed may well be predisposed for the
irritating action of capsaicin.
The widening and relaxation of the capillaries through Capsicum may
persist and leave circumscribed areas of redness on the cheeks, the nose or
ears. The dilatation of the small blood vessels remains even under the
influence of cold, hence the red areas on the face present a
contrast to the chilliness and frostiness of the Capsicum type. Relaxation of
tissues generally is characteristic of the constitutional type. Hahnemann
already noted that Caps.
was less suitable for persons of a tense fibre. The cold, flabby type
with circumscribed redness of the cheeks has been described by later authors as
sluggish, indolent, fat--probably with some measure of poetic license.
It certainly is not a stipulation for the effectiveness of Capsicum in
the well-defined pathological conditions in which mostly low potencies are used.
Stiffness and pain in muscles and joints and along nerves also appear
frequently in the provings; they are said to be worse when starting to move,
> continued movement (Dulc.). Capsicum has, however,
been little used in this direction.
A number of mental symptoms have also come out in the Capsicum provings:
changeable mood, peevish, sullen, timid, indifferent; also offish and even
obstinate, carping, taciturn, withdrawn; fearful and sentimental.
One prover states that such moods were not over persons or moral issues,
but over lifeless objects, having no relation to ordinary causes or events.
From this wide scale of unease towards the environment, home-sickness has been
picked out as a particular indication for Capsicum; not exactly a complaint for
which our medical aid is very often demanded. I do not know whether any
remarkable successes have been scored with Capsicum in this field.
And when some authors phrased the indication "home-sickness with red
cheeks" one really does not know whether they wanted to make a laughing
stock of themselves or of the homeopathic materia medics.
This survey of the family of Solanaceae was made to show what the drug
pictures have in common and where they differ. Without recourse to their active
substances, the closer or more distant relationships among the remedies of
this family of plants could hardly be conceived. Incomplete though our
knowledge may still be, such an approach to understanding their actions serves
an intelligent application of the drugs on the homeopathic principle.
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