SPHERE OF ACTION
Through the cerebro-spinal system, Pulsatilla especially affects the mucous lining of the sexual organs, eyes, ears, gastro-intestinal canal; urinary organs and skin. Causes a sub- acute catarrhal inflammation, with profuse mucous discharges, rarely going on to ulceration. If these discharges are suddenly arrested, the serous and fibrous tissues take on an active inflammation. Its effects are erratic in character; a blenorrhoea of one mucous surface may change to another, for instance a leucorrhoea, may change to a bronchitis or conjunctivitis. On the skin it produces an urticarious and vesicular eruption; also fetid sweat.
On the motor nerves, it causes a state of erethism, twitching, tremors and the motion of the body perverted.
On the nerves of sensation, it causes frequent chilliness, especially in the afternoon; hyperaesthesia, neuralgia, especially of the uterus and bowels.
Dr. I.S.P.Lord says: Pulsatilla is decidedly and emphatically a posterior spinal irritant, and hence through the sensory nerves has more intimate relations with the sympathetic system, than any other spinal irritant.
It seems to reach over into the sympathetic, as does Arsenicum into the spinal. It has besides some specific action on the pneumogastric nerve, and upper sympathetic ganglia.
Seems to have act specifically on the anterior part of the cerebrum at the base of the brain, hence the sensation of falling.
On the venous system, it has a special action, causing a state similar to varicosis.
On the glandular system, it affects the testicles, ovaries, mammae and tonsils.
On the synovial membranes, of the hands, knees, and feet, it produces a rheumatico-gouty inflammation.
It also strongly affects the fibrous tissue.
GRAND CHARACTERISTICS
Especially adapted to females, with blue eyes, very affectionate, easily excited to tears, and of a very yielding disposition.
Symptoms aggravated in a close warm room; craves fresh, cool air.
All her symptoms are worse towards evening; relieved in the open air, and worse on returning to a warm close room.
Better from cold things; worse from warm.
The forms of her symptoms are very changeable she is very well one hour, and very miserable the next.
She cannot sleep in the early part of the night, but sleeps late in the morning.
Very sluggish circulation, manifested by constant chilliness, coldness and paleness of the skin.-RAUE.
Worse in a warm room; from fruit, ices, pork, pastry, and warm food.
Mind.-She is timid and fearful, and yet extremely mild, gentle, and yielding; sometimes silent and melancholy; with bad taste in the mouth in the morning, nothing tastes good.
She weeps very easily, can hardly give her symptoms without weeping.
Very tearful, she weeps at everything, whether it is joyful or sorrowful.
Head.-Semilateral headache, with bad taste in the mouth in the morning, without thirst, with nightly diarrhoea and scanty urination.
Sick headache, from suppression of the menses, or from some menstrual or gastric disorder.
Eyes.-Catarrhal ophthalmia, especially of the lids, with profuse lachrymation and secretion of mucus.
Weak eyes, with frequent styes.
The eyes are always worse towards evening.
Ears.-Catarrhal otitis, with much pain, specific.
Much pain in the ears, with deafness; the meatus is red and swollen.
Chronic otorrhoea, with discharge of pus.
Digestive Organs.-Thickly coated, white or yellow tongue, with bad taste in the morning.
She always has a very bad taste in the mouth, early in the morning.G.
Toothache, relieved by cold water in the mouth.-F.
Toothache on one side of the face; always ceases on going into the open air; but returns in a warm room, and gets worse; the pains are throbbing, or shooting, accompanied with much swelling; worse evenings; in mild tearful females.
Loathing nausea, and retchings after greasy food, with sour eructations.
Sensation as if the food were lodged undigested above the stomach.-BAEHR.
Morning sickness, vomiting of mucus; pulsations in the pit of the stomach; bad taste in the mouth every morning on awaking; she has to wash it out soon, it is so bad she cannot bear it; nothing tastes good to her; absence of thirst, and nightly diarrhoea.
Disordered stomach; nausea; vomiting; repugnance to food; colicky pains in the abdomen, and dizziness from looking up.
Sour, bitter vomiting after fat, rich food.
Gastric disturbance from rich fat food; she cannot sit long at a time, much walk about to relieve her pains.
Cholera morbus, caused by fat rich food, with violent pains in the bowels; worse in the evening and night; drawing, cutting pains around the navel.
Gastrodynia, of the most violent kind, in mild tearful women, inclined to be fleshy, with scanty menstruation; brought on by fat, greasy food.
Pressure in the abdomen and small of the back, as from a stone, with disposition of the lower limbs to go to sleep when sitting, and attended with ineffectual desire for stools.-RAUE.
Discharge of blood and mucus during stool; pallid countenance, and disposition to faint, with bad taste in the mouth, in the mornings.
Dysentery, stools of mucus and blood; chilliness towards evening; bad taste in the mouth in the morning; bruised feeling in the abdomen.
Stools of mucus streaked with blood; worse in the evening, and through the night, without thirst.
Diarrhoea always worse at night; no two stools alike, they are so changeable; for a time the child seems much better; then it gets worse again without any appreciable cause; always seems better in the open air. Greenish, mucous diarrhoea at night.
Watery diarrhoea, usually at night, with very bad taste in the morning.
Obstinate constipation, in mild gentle, tearful females, with very nauseous bad taste in the mouth in the mornings, so very bad she has to wash her mouth out immediately on awaking.- Urinary Organs.-Retention of urine, with redness, heat and soreness of the vesical region externally.-RAUE.
Involuntary emissions of urine, when sitting, coughing or walking.-JAHR.
After urination, spasmodic pain in the neck of the bladder, extending to the pelvis and thighs.
Frequent and almost ineffectual urging to urinate, with cutting pain.
Constant pressure on the bladder, without desire to urinate with drawing in the abdomen.
Scanty urine and no thirst; profuse, watery urine in hysterical complaints.
Generative Organs of Women.- Women that are inclined to be fleshy, with scanty menstruation.
Catamenia too late and scanty, or suppressed, particularly by getting the feet wet.
Menses suppressed, or flow intermittently, with evening chilliness.
The blood is very changeable in its appearance; more apt to flow during walking in the day time, and intermitting.
Scanty, slimy menses, appear too late.
Delayed menstruation with much chilliness, and bad taste in the mouth in the morning.
Menstrual colic, with great restlessness; tossing in every possible direction.
Dysmenorrhoea, with pains so violent that she tosses in every direction, with cries and tears; the blood is thick and dark, or pale and watery, flows by fits and starts, and worse in a close warm room.
Amenorrhoea, in tearful yielding dispositions; pale face; difficulty in breathing; much pain in the small of the back; much chilliness in the afternoon, and very bad taste in the mouth in the morning.
Metrorrhagia, profuse at times, at other times intermittent, and mixed with clots; most profuse in persons given to reveries; in mild, tearful females.
Labor, the pains excite palpitation; suffocating and fainting spells, unless the doors and windows are open; she feels as though she must have them open.
Labor-pains alternating with hemorrhage and restlessness.- Labor-pains grow worse towards evening, in mild, tearful temperaments; no thirst.
Tension and contraction in the abdomen, as if the menses would come on, with nausea and sometimes vomiting of mucus.-RAUE.
Milky leucorrhoea, with swelling of the vulva, particularly after the menses.
Burning leucorrhoea, thick and acrid.
Thick, white, albuminous leucorrhoea.
Leucorrhoea of thick, white mucus, especially when lying, or before and during the menses, with cutting pains in the abdomen.
Mild, tearful women, who have but little milk.
The breasts are much swollen, and rheumatic pains extend to the muscles of the chest, shoulders, neck, axillae, and down the arms; she is fearful, tearful, and not thirsty.
She weeps at every nursing; the pains from nursing often extend into the chest, up into the neck, down the back, or change from place to place.
She can hardly find an easy position through the night, owing to the pain in the pelvic articulations.
Men.-Orchitis, the testicles and spermatic cord swollen and painful; caused from cold or suppressed gonorrhoea.
Acute inflammation of the testicles.
Respiratory Organs.-Coryza, fluid or dry, with loss of taste, sore nostrils, a yellowish-green discharge.
Coryza much worse every evening; the cough is very loose; and with all the fever, there is little or no thirst.
Child has difficulty of breathing when it lies on its side; worse evenings.
Cough very loose, with vomiting of mucus, and nightly diarrhoea.
(1836-1897)
Characteristic materia medica Published 1873
Physiological materia medica, containing all that is known of the physiological action of our remedies; together with their characteristic indications and pharmacology. Published 1881