CANTHARIS VESICATORIA

  
CANTHARIS VESICATORIA
Spanish Fly
(CANTHARIS)

This powerful drug produces a furious disturbance in the animal economy,
attacking the urinary and sexual organs especially, perverting their function, and setting
up violent inflammations, and causing a frenzied delirium, simulating hydrophobia symptoms (Anagallis). Puerperal convulsions. Produces most violent
inflammation of the whole gastro-intestinal canal, especially lower bowel. Oversensitiveness
of all parts. Irritation. Raw, burning pains.
Hæmorrhages. Intolerable, constant urging to urinate is
most characteristic. Gastric, hepatic and abdominal complaints that
are aggravated by drinking coffee. Gastric derangements of pregnancy. Dysuria, with other complaints. Increases secretion of mucous
membranes, tenacious mucus. The inflammations cantharis produces (bladder, kidneys, ovaries,
meninges, pleuritic and pericardial membranes)are usually associated with bladder
irritation.

Mind.–

Furious delirium. Anxious restlessness, ending in rage.
Crying, barking; worse touching larynx or drinking water. Constantly attempts to do
something, but accomplishes nothing. Acute mania,
generally of a sexual type; amorous frenzy; fiery sexual desire. Paroxysms of rage, crying,
barking. Sudden loss of consciousness with red face.

Head.–

Burning in brain. Sensation as if boiling water in
brain. Vertigo; worse in open air.

Eyes.–

Yellow vision (Santon).
Fiery, sparkling, staring look. Burning in eyes.

Ears.–

Sensation as if wind were coming from ear, or hot air.
Bones about ear painful (Capsic).

Face.–

Pale, wretched, death-like appearance. Itching vesicles
on face, burning when touched. Erysipelas of face, with burning, biting heat with urinary
symptoms. Hot and red.

Throat.–

Tongue covered with vesicles; deeply furred; edges
red. Burning in mouth, pharynx, and throat; vesicles in
mouth. Great difficulty in swallowing liquids. Very tenacious mucus (Kali bich).
Violent spasms reproduced by touching larynx. Inflammation of throat; feels on fire.
Constriction; aphthous ulceration (Hydr mur; Nit ac).
Scalding feeling. Burnt after taking too hot food.

Chest.–

Pleurisy, as soon as effusion has taken place. Intense
dyspnœa; palpitation; frequent, dry cough. Tendency to syncope.
Short, hacking cough, blood-streaked tenacious mucus.
Burning pains.

Stomach.–

Burning sensation of œsophagus and stomach (Carb). Disgust for everything-drink, food, tobacco. Burning
thirst, with aversion to all fluids. Very sensitive, violent
burning. Vomiting of blood-streaked membrane and violent retching. Aggravation from drinking coffee; drinking the smallest
quantity increases pain in bladder, and is vomited. Thirst unquenchable.

Stool.–

Shivering with burning.
Dysentery; mucous stools, like scrapings of intestines.
Bloody, with burning and tenesmus
and shuddering after stool.

Urine.–

Intolerable urging
and tenesmus. Nephritis with bloody urine. Violent paroxysms of cutting and burning in whole
renal region, with painful urging to urinate; bloody urine, by drops.
Intolerable tenesmus; cutting before, during, and after urine. Urine
scalds him, and is passed drop by drop. Constant desire to urinate. Membranous
scales looking like bran in water. Urine jelly-like, shreddy.

Male.–

Strong desire;
painful erections. Pain in glans (Prunus; Pareira).
Priapism in gonorrhœa.

Female.–

Retained placenta (Sep),
with painful urination. Expels moles, dead fœtuses, membranes, etc. Nymphomania
(Plat; Hyos; Lach; Stram). Puerperal metritis, with
inflammation of bladder. Menses too early and too profuse; black swelling of vulva with
irritation. Constant discharge from uterus; worse false step. Burning pain in ovaries;
extremely sensitive. Pain in os coccyx, lancinating and tearing.

Respiratory.–

Voice low; weak feeling. Stitches in chest (Bry; Kal c; Squilla). Pleurisy, with
exudation.

Heart.–

Palpitation; pulse feeble, irregular; tendency to
syncope. Pericarditis, with effusion.

Back.–

Pain in loins, with incessant desire to urinate.

Extremities.–

Tearing in limbs. Ulcerative pain in soles;
cannot step.

Skin.–

Dermatitis venenata with bled formation. Secondary
eczema about scrotum and genitals, following excessive perspiration. Tendency to gangrene.
Eruption with mealy scales. Vesicular eruptions, with
burning and itching. Sunburn. Burns, scalds, with
rawness and smarting, relieved by cold applications, followed by undue inflammation. Erysipelas, vesicular type, with great restlessness. Burning
in soles of feet at night.

Fever.–

Cold hands and feet; cold sweat. Soles burn. Chill, as
if water were poured over him.

Modalities.–

Worse, from
touch, or approach, urinating, drinking cold water or coffee. Better,
rubbing.

Relationship.–

Antidotes: Acon;
Camph; Puls.

Compare: Cantharidin–(Glomerular
nephritis). The immediate pharmacological action of Cantharidin is irritability of the
capillaries, rendering the passage of nutritive fluids through them less difficult. This is
most marked in the capillaries of the kidneys. The increase of blood sugar coincident with
the glomerular nephritis appears to be a valuable observation. Vesicaria–(Urinary
and kidney remedy. Smarting, burning sensation along urethra and in bladder with frequent
desire to void urine often with strangury. Cystitis, irritable bladder. Tincture 5-10 drop
doses). Fuschina coloring substance used in adulteration
of wine (Cortical nephritis with albuminuria, 6th-30th potency. Redness of ears, mouth,
swollen gums; deep, red urine; red, profuse diarrhœa, with severe abdominal pains). Androsace lactea (urinary troubles, diuretic; dropsy). Apis; Ars; Merc cor.

Complementary: Camph.

Dose.–

Sixth to thirtieth potency. Bears repeated doses well.
Locally, in burns and eczema, 1x and 2x, in water, or as cerate.