Dulcamara.
Solanum dulcamara. Woody Nightshade. Bitter-sweet. N. O. Solanaceć. (Not
to be confounded with “Deadly Nightshade,” Belladonna, nor with “Climbing
Bitter-sweet,” Celastrus.) Tincture prepared from fresh green stems and leaves,
gathered just before flowering.Clinical.─
Adenitis. Angina faucium. Aphonia. Bladder, affections of. Blepharophthalmia. Catarrh. Cholera.
Crusta lactea. Diarrhśa. Dropsy. Dysentery. Emaciation.
Exostoses. Hćmorrhage. Hćmorrhoids. Hay-fever. Headache. Herpes. Influenza. Irritation. Lichen. Lumbago.
Measles. Meningitis. Myalgia. Myelitis. Nettle-rash. Neuralgia. Ophthalmia. Paralyses. Pemphigus. Rheumatism. Scarlatina. Scrofula. Stammering. Stiff-neck. Thirst. Tibić, pains in. Tongue,
affections of. Tonsillitis. Tumours. Typhoid. Urine, difficulty in passing;
incontinence of. Warts. Whooping-cough.
Characteristics.─
The leading indication for the
homśopathic use of Dulcamara is found in its modality,
“< from cold and damp.” Any condition which
has this feature may find its remedy in Dulc. Effects of
lying on damp ground (e.g., paralysis); conditions which
are < in cold, damp weather; or, from changes from
hot to cold weather, especially if sudden. Phlegmatic, torpid, scrofulous patients, who are
restless and irritable and who take cold on damp changes, are especially suited for Dulc. Sensitiveness to cold and damp runs through the Solanaceć,
and is marked in Bell. and Caps.,
but it is supreme in Dulc. This feature among others
renders them all good antidotes to Mercurius. Baryta carb,
is the complement of Dulc. in “< from cold weather, especially in scrofulous children.”
In poisoning cases Dulc. produces: Hard, griping pains
in bowels; unconsciousness; tetanic spasm; trismus; loud, rattling breathing; death.
Paralyses are numerous: paralysis of tongue; of lungs; of heart (pneumogastric paralysis).
(I once gave Dulc. 30, with complete relief to the pain,
in a case of sarcoma of the bones at the base of the skull, in which there were stabbing
pains in the front of the head, and partial paralysis of the tongue. It was the latter
symptom which determined the choice of the remedy.) Paralysis of the bladder. Rheumatic
paralyses. Paralysed part feels icy cold. One-sided spasms. Convulsions beginning in face.
Trembling, especially of right arm. It cured: “Paralysis of vocal cords (aphonia) from
sleeping over a damp cellar.” McLaren cured with a single dose the following case,
which was the result of a wetting: Facial paralysis (l.) following neuralgia, the eye having
remained unclosed for eight months. Red rash with itching <
in damp weather. After a slight aggravation improvement began in two weeks and continued
steadily (Med. Adv., xviii. 214). Dulc. is a scrofulous remedy and has many scrofulous-looking
eruptions: moist or dry, red, tettery eruptions, especially on face; furfuraceous; herpetic;
urticaria; skin callous; warts, fleshy or large, smooth. Painless ulcers. (Dulc. 30 cured in two doses a rash like mosquito-stings appearing
every month before the menses, < when warm; compelled
to sit where it is cold.) It corresponds to results of repercussed eruptions. Offensive
sweat; effects of sudden cooling whilst sweating. Dropsical affections. Catarrhal troubles.
Dryness of mucous membranes strongly indicate it. Dulc.
causes diarrhśa, and a characteristic form is when there is vomiting with the stool. It
causes a mucous-like sediment in the urine and is particularly indicated when a
muco-purulent urine is associated with general one-sided sensitiveness, especially of the
abdomen. (Amer. Hom., xxi. 317), records the cure with
six doses of Dulc. 200 of the following case: A
prison-warder had difficulty with urine four years; frequent micturition, dribbling a few
drops. Stains linen yellow. < Afternoon; in damp cold
weather. Some pain over left kidney and left iliac region; >
after moving about or in warm weather. Sweats easily and often takes cold, when he suffers
from sore-throat. Dislikes sweets.) Pains in many parts, as if from cold. Bruised feeling.
Sensations: as of a board pressing against forehead; as if head were enlarged; as if hair
stood on end; as if fire were darting out of eyes; as if worms were crawling up and down in
abdomen; biting in rectum as from salt; as if lung moved in waves; as if arms were of wood;
as of needles over whole body. Crawling, tickling itching of various parts; of tip of
tongue. < Lying on back; >
lying on side. < Stooping, >
erect. < Bending diseased part backward. Most
symptoms < at rest and >
by motion. Most symptoms are < evening and night.
Warmth > most symptoms, but <
cough and nettle-rash. < Cold air; cold change of
weather; damp weather; getting wet; using water. <
From cold drinks; from ice-creams. Skin eruptions are sensitive to touch; pressure >. Small furuncles appear on places hurt by concussion.
Relations.─
Dulc. antidotes:
Cupr. and Merc. Is antidoted by: Camph., Cup., Ip., Kali
c., Merc. Follows well: Bry., Calc. c., Lyc., Rhus t.,
Sep., Verat. Incompatible: Bell., Lach. Complementary: Baryta c. Compare:
Acon., Ars., Cham., Helleb., Nit. ac., Puls., Staph., Sul. In faintness during stool, Crot.
t., Ver. Effects of cold, moist winds, Ars., Calc., Nux m. (cold, dry
winds, Aco., Bry.). Effects of exposure to wet, and >
by motion, Rhus. Rheumatic paralysis, Rhus, Caust. Hasty speech and actions, Hep., Bell.,
Lach., Sul. Paralysis of lungs, Solania.
Causation.─
Damp with cold. Wading. Washing.
Injuries. Checked eruptions. Checked perspiration.
SYMPTOMS.
1. Mind.─
Mental agitation.─Great
impatience and restlessness.─Impatient desire for different things,
which are rejected as soon as they are obtained.─Inclination to scold,
without being angry.─Combative disposition, without anger.─Nocturnal
delirium, with aggravation of pains.
2. Head.─
Vertigo when rising from bed, with
darkness before the eyes.─Giddiness early in the morning, > on getting up.─Giddiness so as to
occasion failing, with trembling of the whole body, and general weakness.─Giddiness,
with heat ascending to the face.─Dull pressure, as if a board were
resting heavily on the forehead.─Pressive stunning pains in different
parts of the head.─Piercing and burning pain in the forehead, with
digging from the inside outwards, with the sensation as if the brain were enlarged; < in evening till midnight and when becoming cold; > when lying down.─Bursting pains
extending from forehead to bridge of nose.─The headache is < by the slightest movement, and even by speaking.─Boring
headache, from within to without, in the temples and forehead; <
before midnight and when lying quiet; > when talking.─Sensation
of heaviness in the head.─Congestion in the head, with buzzing in the
ears, and hardness of hearing.─Sensation in the occiput as if it were
enlarged.─Stupefying headache; heaviness of the head.─Stupefying
ache in occiput ascending from nape of neck.─Unpleasant sensation of
chilliness in the cerebellum and over the back, with the sensation as if the hair were
standing on end; returning everyday in the evening.─Thick crusts on the
scalp, causing the hair to fall off.
3. Eyes.─
Aching in the eyes, esp. when reading.─Sensation
as if fire were issuing from the eyes when walking in the sun or in the room.─Inflammation
of the eyes (ophthalmia from catching cold).─Itching of the eyelids in
the cold air.─Ptosis.─Eyelids dry.─Sparks
before the eyes.─Confused sight, as from incipient amaurosis, sees
everything as through gauze.
4. Ears.─
Otalgia, at night, with nausea.─Acute
pullings, with shootings in the ears.
5. Nose.─
Epistaxis of a very hot and bright red
blood, with pressive pain above the nose.─Coryza; dry; with stoppage of
the nose, < in cold air.
6. Face.─
Paleness of the face, with circumscribed
redness of the cheeks.─Eruptions and warts on the face.─Thick,
brownish or yellowish, scabs on the face, on the forehead, on the temples, and on the chin.─Crusta
lactea.─Moist tetter in the cheeks.─Twitching of the
lips in the cold air.─Paralysis of the lower jaw.─Swelling
of the sub-maxillary glands.─Redness of the face.─Distortion
of the mouth; it is drawn to one side.
8. Mouth.─
Salivation; saliva tenacious,
soap-like.─Dryness of the tongue and roughness, with much thirst and
increased flow of saliva.─Tongue loaded with thick mucus.─Swelling
of the tongue, hindering speech and impeding breathing.─Stammering from
time to time as if drunk; indistinct articulation, though he tried constantly to speak.─Pimples
and ulcers in the mouth.─Gums loosened and fungous.─Paralysis
of the tongue, and obstructed speaking, esp. after taking cold.─Itching,
crawling on the tip of the tongue.
9. Throat.─
Sore throat, as if from elongation of
the uvula, with pressive pain.─Burning heat in the palate.─Sore
throat, as after a chill.─Continual hawking up of very tough saliva,
with much rawness in the fauces.
10. Appetite.─
Sickly and saponaceous taste in the
mouth.─Bitterness in the mouth.─Burning thirst for
cold drinks, generally with dryness of the tongue, joined to a more abundant secretion of
saliva.─Hunger after the fever-heat.─Hunger, with
repugnance to all food.─Distension of the abdomen and epigastrium after
eating moderately.─Nausea, with vomiting of viscid phlegm.─Vomiting
of (white) tenacious mucus (morning).
11. Stomach.─
Aching in the stomach, extending to
the chest.─Cramp-like contraction in the stomach, so as to suspend
respiration.─Retraction of the epigastrium, with burning pain.─Sensation
of inflation in the pit of the stomach, with disagreeable sensation of emptiness in the
abdomen.─Retraction of the pit of the stomach, with burning pain.
12. Abdomen.─
Pains in the umbilical region.─Shooting,
pinchings, and cuttings in the umbilical region, esp. at night.─Pinchings,
gnawing, and sensation as if a worm were wriggling in the abdomen.─Pain
in the abdomen as from the effects of cold.─Inflammatory congestion and
induration of the inguinal glands, with drawing and tensive pains.─Swelling
of the inguinal glands.─Dropsy of the abdomen.
13. Stool and Anus.─
Constipation.─Difficult,
dry, infrequent stool.─Diarrhśa, as after a chill, with cuttings, or
with vomitings, risings, and thirst.─Diarrhśa of greenish (white) or
brownish mucus.─Slimy diarrhśa, with faintness.─Chronic,
bloody diarrhśa, with biting at the anus.─Sanguineous diarrhśa, with
itching in the anus, and prolapsus of the rectum.─Nocturnal watery
diarrhśa, with colic, particularly in the summer; also when the weather suddenly becomes
cool─with prolapsus recti.
14. Urinary Organs.─
Retention of urine.─Scanty
and fetid urine.─Clear and viscid urine, or troubled, with sediment-like
mucus.─Red, burning urine.─Involuntary discharge of
urine, as from paralysis of the bladder.─Difficult (painful) urination,
water issuing drop by drop.─Thickening of the bladder.─Discharge
of mucus from the urethra.─Stricture of the urethra.─Turbid
and whitish urine.
15. Male Sexual Organs.─
Tetters on the genitals.
16. Female Sexual Organs.─
Catamenia retarded, and
too abundant; blood watery, thin.─Tettery eruption of the labia.─Miliary
eruption before the catamenia.─Suppressed menstruation from cold.─Tetters
on the breast in nursing women.─Suppression of milk from a cold.
17. Respiratory Organs.─
Oppressed breathing, from
a cold; from accumulation of mucus.─Catarrh and hoarseness, as from
having taken cold.─Cough, with hoarseness.─Moist
cough.─Cough, with expectoration of bright red blood.─Cough,
similar to whooping-cough, excited by taking a deep inspiration, with profuse secretion of
mucus in the larynx and trachea; during each attack easy expectoration of tasteless mucus,
which is often streaked with blood.
18. Chest.─
Great oppression of the chest, esp.
when breathing.─Dull shooting, as from blows in and upon the sides of
the chest.─Troublesome undulating pain in the l. side of the chest.─(Impending
paralysis of lung.)
19. Heart.─
Strong palpitation of the heart, at
night, perceptible externally.
20. Neck and Back.─
Stiffness at the nape of the
neck.─Stiffness of the neck from a cold.─Engorgement
and induration of the glands of the nape, and of the neck.─Violent pains
in the lumbar region, above the hips, digging, shooting, or drawing, chiefly at night during
repose.─Lameness of the small of the back, from a cold.─Shooting
pullings in the loins, shoulders, and arms.
22. Upper Limbs.─
Paralysis of the arms, with icy
coldness (esp. during rest), as from apoplexy.─Paralytic pain in the
arms, as from a bruise, chiefly during repose.─Tettery eruption, and
warts, on the hands.─Perspiration in the palms of the hands.
23. Lower Limbs.─
Tractions and tearings in the
legs, esp. in the thighs.─Tetters on the knee.─Puffing
and swelling of the leg as far as the knee.─Burning sensation in the
feet, and in the toes.─Erysipelatous desquamation and itching in the
feet.─Tingling in the feet, as from formication.
24. Generalities.─
Tearing, shooting, or drawing
pains in the limbs.─Sufferings, as from a chill in various parts.─Rheumatic
pains and other complaints, from a cold.─Aggravation of sufferings,
chiefly in the evening or at night, and during repose; >
by movement.─Pains, with coldness of the body.─Immoderate
secretion and excretion of mucous membranes and glands, the activity of the skin being
suppressed.─Swelling and induration of the glands.─Emaciation.─Dropsical
swelling of the whole body, limbs, and face.─Rapid swelling of the whole
body.─Weakness and painful weariness of the whole body.─Semilateral
convulsions, with loss of speech.─Paralytic affections of the limbs (of
different single parts).─Great lassitude.
25. Skin.─
Dryness and heat of the skin.─Miliary
nettle-rash, with fever.─Tetters of different kinds, such as humid,
scaly, pale tetters, oozing after having been scratched; reddish tetters, with red areola,
bleeding after having been scratched; tetters with red edges, painfully sensitive to the
touch, and to cold water; small, round, yellowish-brown tetters, bleeding after having been
scratched; dry, furfuraceous tetters.─Tettery scabs over the whole body.─Tettery
eruptions, with swelling of the glands.─Warts.─Tetters
in the joints.─Eruption of itching pustules, which pass into
suppuration, and become covered with a scab, esp. in the lower limbs and the hinder part of
the body.─Red spots, as if caused by flea-bites.
26. Sleep.─
Great inclination to sleep during the
day.─Nocturnal sleep, agitated, restless, in consequence of heat and
startings in the body, esp. after midnight.─Waking very early.─Cannot
sleep because of impossibility of remaining in a position long enough.─Frightful
dreams.─Visions in the morning on waking.
27. Fever.─
In the evening, frequent shiverings
and coldness, not even relieved by the heat of the fire.─Cold during the
pains.─At first, febrile shivering, then burning heat with stunning pain
in the head, face red, burning heat in the palate, and insatiable thirst for cold drinks.─Dry,
burning heat over the whole body.─Heat and burning in the back.─Dry
heat and burning sensation in the skin, with delirium and thirst.─Heat
with delirium without thirst.─Fever, with aggravation in the evening.─Pulse
small, hard, and tight, esp. at night.─General sweat, esp. at night.─Fetid
sweat, with discharge of much urine.─Fetid perspiration, at night and in
the morning, over the whole body; during the day, more on the back, in the armpits and
hands.─Perspiration suppressed and entirely wanting.® 2000
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