Actaea Racemosa


Actaea Racemosa signs and symptoms of the homeopathy medicine from the Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica by J.H. Clarke. Find out for which conditions and symptoms Actaea Racemosa is used…


      Cimicifuga racemosa. Actea monogynia. C. serpentaria. Macrotys racemosa. Botroflus serpentaria. Black snake root. Black Cohosh. (Canada, Georgia, Western States of America.) *N. O. Ranunculaceae. Tincture of the root. Trituration of the resinoid, Macrotyn.

Clinical

Abortion, tendency to. *Angina *pectoris. *Appetite, *disordered. *Back *pains. *Breast, *affections of. Cerebrospinal meningitis. *Change of life. *Chest, *pains in. *Chorea. Delirium Tremens. *Diaphragm, *rheumatism of. Dyspepsia. *Epilepsy. *Faintness. *Headache. *Heart, *affections of. *Hyperpyrexia. *Hypochondriasis. *Hysteria. *Lumbago. *Melancholia. *Meningitis. *Menstruation, *disorders of. *Myalgia. Neuralgia. *Ovaries, *affections of. *Perichondritis. *Pleurodynia. *Pregnancy, *disorders of. *Puerperal *mania. *Rheumatic *gout. *Rheumatism. Sciatica. *Side, *pain in. *Sinking *sensation. *Sleeplessness. *Spinal *irritation. *Stiff-neck. Tinnitus aurium. *Tremors. *Uterus, *affections of. *Vomiting of pregnancy.

Characteristics

One of the most marked symptoms of *Actaea rac. is found in the mental sphere: a sense of gloom and dejection, as if there was a black pall over everything, showing the appropriateness of the remedy in hysteria and hypochondriasis. There is also fear of death, as with *Aconite Incessant talking, changing from one subject to another, as in delirium tremens. I have greatly relieved an inveterate case of epilepsy in which the aura was a “waving sensation in the brain,” which is a leading symptom of the remedy. Many symptoms appear in the head and eyes. Feeling as if going crazy with headache. Headache reflected from pelvic organs. The headache is frontal, vertical, or occipital, and is accompanied by great pain in eyeballs better pressure, worse slightest motion. Peculiar sensations are: as of lifting up of skull, as if top of head would fly off, as of a bolt through from base of skull to vertex. Inspired air seems to penetrate skull and into brain, causing a cold sensation. Intense pain in and around eyes (lancinating), worse moving head or eyes. In cases of tinnitus aurium it has proved curative in old-school practice, in

15 to 30 drops of the tincture, whether due to direct or reflex irritation (*L’ Art Medorrhinum, July, 1898). In the face there is malar neuralgia, ceasing at night. There are many symptoms of disordered digestion, bad taste and breath and coated tongue, sticky saliva, viscid mucus in throat. Sinking at epigastrium is very marked. The generative organs in the female are particularly affected by *Actaea. Uterine and ovarian pains are very marked. Inframammary pains. Tenderness of uterine region. Pains fly across hypogastrium, extending from one side to the other. Painful and irregular menstruation. Leucorrhoea, with feeling of weight in uterus. Labour-like pains. Left ovarian pains. Given before term it renders labours easier: cures sickness of pregnancy, and prevents after-pains and over-sensitiveness.

According to Lippe a characteristic indication is: “The recently delivered uterus becomes actually jammed in the pelvis with great pain.” Puerperal mania has been cured by it. It has also ensured living births in women who have previously borne only dead children from no discoverable cause, given in daily doses of 1X for two months before term. In the respiratory sphere a dry, teasing cough, worse at night, and worse on every attempt to speak, is the most characteristic feature. The rheumatic action of the drug is shown in chest and heart pains and pains in the joints and limbs. I have found a pain at the nape of the neck very characteristic. Rheumatism affecting the vertebral joints and especially in the neck. Cerebrospinal meningitis, head and neck retracted. There are sharp pains in chest, especially in heart region and down left arm, which is numb (*Aco., *Pulsatilla, *Rhus) as if bound to the side. Palpitation from least motion. Heart ceases suddenly. A patient who was taking 6-drop doses of the O tincture complained of a feeling “as if his heart had stopped.” The pains of *Actea *r. are like electric shocks here and there: sharp, lancinating in various parts, chest and uterine pains shoot from side to side. There is a general bruised feeling all over as if sore, worse by touch. Rest better, motion worse. Cold air seems to penetrate the system, is very sensitive to it. But headache is better in open air, worse in warm room. The symptoms are worse at night (malar neuralgia better at night), in the morning. Pains in arms and tendo Achillis, worse as evening approaches. Worse During the menses. Eating better. It is suited to the climacteric period, to nervous persons, to children during dentition.

Relations.

It is allied to Act-sp. and the other Ranunculaceae. Aconite *antidotes the sleeplessness, and Baptisia relieved the headache and nausea of the drug. It is like Aconite in fear of death and restlessness, Bryonia and Pulsatilla in rheumatism, Caulophyllum in uterine affections, also Sepia, Natrum mur., Lil-t., Ignatia, Gelsemium (Uterine headache), Lycopodium (pains go from side to side), Arsenicum (fears to be alone), Calcarea (visions of rats and mice). In a case of Tansy poisoning (taken by a pregnant woman in fifth month to procure abortion), with high fever, rheumatic pains, bearing-down sensation, and abdominal soreness, Actea r. promptly relieved after failure of Aconite and Bryonia Pregnancy went to term.

The resinoid of Act-r., Macro., has been used in the lower triturations in preference to the tincture, in cases of lumbago more especially.

Causation

Anxiety. Fright. Disappointed love. Business failure. Over- exertion. Child-bearing.

Mind

In all mental symptoms there is a want of natural coherence. Thinks she is going crazy, with headache on vertex. Miserable, dejected feeling. Gloom as if a black pall over everything. Feels grieved and troubled, with sighing. Mania following disappearance of neuralgia. Puerperal mania. Suicidal. Incessant talking, changing from one subject to another. Visions of rats, etc. Fear of death. Not disposed to fix the attention on anything. Irritable. Indifferent, taciturn. Feels faint at epigastrium when meeting a friend. Effects of fright, disappointed love, business failures.

Head

Vertigo, Fulness, and dull aching in vertex. Waving sensation in brain. When sleeping head swims. Rush of blood to the head, brain feels too large for the cranium. Head dull and heavy as after a debauch. Dull aching, particularly in occiput, during afternoon and evening, worse indoors, better in the open air. Headache through the whole brain, with distinct sense of soreness in occipital region. Sensation of a bolt through from base of brain to vertex. Constant dull pain in occiput extending to vertex. Severe pain in head and eyeballs increased on slightest motion. Excruciating pain in right side of head, back of orbit. Top of head feels as if it would fly off. Headache better in the open air. Headache of students. Sensation as if vertex opened and let in cold air.

Eyes

Intense aching pains in the eyeballs, better by pressure, worse by slightest motion. Pain over eyes, extending to occiput. Ciliary neuralgia, acute pains in eyeballs or in temples, extending to eyes, so severe, especially at night, it seemed as if patient would go crazy. Dilated pupils, with dark spots before the eyes. Peculiar wild look out of eyes.

Ears

Sensitive to least noise. Singing in left, later in both ears. (Tinnitus from irritation of auditory nerve, direct or reflex.).

Face

Pale, eyes large, sunken, surrounded by dark rings. Forehead feels cold, deadly pale. Neuralgia affecting malar bone, pain goes off at night and reappears next day. Frequent flushes of heat, wants to be in the open air. Lips dry, lower lip cracked as if bitten.

Mouth

Breath offensive. Mouth and tongue feel warm and dry. Thick mucus on teeth. Spitting of thick, sticky saliva. Tongue swollen.

Throat

Viscid mucus in throat, hawking. Dry spot in throat, causing cough, dryness of pharynx, with constant desire to swallow, Fulness in pharynx, mouth and palate swollen, neck stiff.Inflamed throat, pains wake him at night.

Stomach

Nausea, eructations, headache, and tremor (more in women). Nausea with uterine affections. Sharp pains across the hypogastrium. Sinking or goneness in the epigastrium.

Abdomen

Periodical colicky pains, better bending double and after Stool and Anus. Excruciating pains in the bowels, small of back, and limbs. Abdominal muscles sore. Sharp pains across hypogastrium.

Stool

Alternate diarrhoea and constipation. Frequent, thin, dark, offensive Stool.

Urinary organs

Incessant flow of urine. Urine frequent and quantity increased. Pressing in region of kidneys and small of back.

Female Sexual Organs

Menses profuse, early, dark, coagulated, scanty, irregular, delayed, or suppressed. Hysterical or epileptic spasms at time of menses. Feels strange, talks incoherently, screams, tries to injure herself. Pains in uterine region shoot from side to side. Pains in ovarian region shoot upward. Bearing-down in uterine region and small of back, limbs feel heavy, torpid. Severe pain in lower part of abdomen. Rheumatic dysmenorrheal. Leucorrhoea, with sensation of weight in the uterus. During pregnancy: nausea, false labour-like pains, sharp pains across abdomen, sleeplessness. During parturition ” shivers, ” first stage, pains too strong, spasmodic cardiac neuralgia, lochia suppressed (by cold or emotions), rigid os, puerperal mania. Tendency to abort at third month. Inframammary pains, worst on left side. Burning in the mammae.

John Henry Clarke
John Henry Clarke MD (1853 – November 24, 1931 was a prominent English classical homeopath. Dr. Clarke was a busy practitioner. As a physician he not only had his own clinic in Piccadilly, London, but he also was a consultant at the London Homeopathic Hospital and researched into new remedies — nosodes. For many years, he was the editor of The Homeopathic World. He wrote many books, his best known were Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica and Repertory of Materia Medica