Bryonia alba. White Bryony. N. O. Cucurbitaceae. Tincture of root procured before flowering.
Clinical
Alcoholism. Amenorrhoea. Anger, effects of. Aphthae. Apoplexy. Asthma. *Bilious attack. *Brain, affections of. *Breast, inflamed. *Bronchitis. *Cancer. Chill, effects of. Chlorosis. *Constipation. *Consumption. Coryza. *Cough. Dentition. *Diaphragm, rheumatism of. Diarrhoea. Dropsy. *Dyspepsia. Eczema. *Enteric fever. *Eruptions. Gastro-enteritis. Haemorrhages. *Hands, swollen. *Headache. *Heart, inflammation of. Hernia. Hiccough. *Hydrocele. *Hydrocephalus. *Influenza. Intermittent fevers. Jaundice. *Joints, pain in. *Lactation, disorder of. *Liver, disorders of. *Lumbago. Measles. *Meningitis. *Menstruation, vicarious. Miliaria. Milk fever. *Myalgia. Nephritis. *Nose-bleed. *Peritonitis. Phlegmasia alba dolens. *Pleurisy. *Pleurodynia. *Pneumonia. *Pregnancy, morning cough of, sickness of. Puerperal fever. *Pyuria. *Relapsing fever. Remittent fever. *Rheumatism. *Scarlatina. *Screaming. *Side, pain in. *Sleep, anxious dreams in. *Spina bifida. *Stiff-neck. Suppressed eruptions, bad effects of. *Thirst. *Tongue, coated. *Toothache. *Trachea, pain in. *Vertigo. *Waking, starts and screams on. *Water-brash. Whooping-cough. *Yellow fever.
Characteristics
*Bryonia alba is one of the polychrest remedies of the homoeopathic materia medica. The common *Bryony of this country is the *Bryonia dioica, which has been substituted for the *B. alba, and has probably identical properties, but the *Alba alone has been proved, and consequently this should always be dispensed. Less rapid in its action than *Aconite, it goes deeper in its effects, and often takes up the work where *Aconite leaves off. It not only disorders the circulation, but alters the blood itself. It corresponds to fevers of almost all kinds, especially rheumatic, typhoid, bilious and remitting. In these, as in all other complaints, the exquisite sensitiveness of the drug to movement of all kinds is a leading characteristic. The patient avoids even the movement of the eyes, raising head from pillow causes faintness, nausea, and vomiting. Allied to this is better from pressure, from lying on painful side. (This distinguishes *Bryonia from *Belladonna in pulmonary complaints. A case of intense pleurisy with high fever grew steadily worse under *Bryonia Until I noticed that the patient lay on the unaffected side. *Belladonna was then given and cured rapidly. Lying on the painful part *keeps the part at rest.) There is also an intense headache, dull throbbing or sharp stabbing pains, sharp pain in or over eyes. “Headache or neuralgia in (left) side of head and face, better from hard pressure and cold applications, worse moving. Head greasy, scalp tender, eyeballs tender.” Mouth very dry, tongue coated white down the middle, the edges may be quite clean, later it becomes yellow with bitter taste, later, very dry, but still coated. If the fever is intermitting there is chill mixed with heat: during chill, head hot, cheeks deep red, decided thirst, generally for large quantities at long intervals, sweat worse by least motion, sour or oily. The lips are dry and cracked. Facial eczema has been cured with it in an infant five months old, presenting these additional symptoms: Constipation, peevish, fretful, thirsty, face and lips cracked and sore, child scratched continually. The mother had a similar eruption for some years, and it disappeared suddenly at the sixth month of her pregnancy. The mucous membranes are dry, especially those of the mouth and stomach, deficient secretion. The serous membranes are inflamed, the seat of sharp, stitching pains, worse from motion, later on, exudation occurs. The muscles, likewise, are inflamed and sore. Irritability of mind and tissues runs through the remedy. Haemorrhages are frequent. In this connection it may be remembered that *Bryonia dioica is a popular remedy for ” black- eye” as a local application. I have often known nose-bleed occur in patients to whom I have been giving *Bryonia, especially in the night, 3 to 4 a m., which is characteristic. This may or may not be preceded by a sense of fullness in the head. Nose-bleed occurring consequent on suppression of the menses is characteristic. The characteristic mental state of *Bryonia is irritability. Easily angered (with biliousness, headache, dyspepsia, etc.), and it corresponds to the effects of anger, fright chagrin. The patient desires things to eat which cannot be had, or are refused if offered. In fever cases there is often a stupid, drowsy condition, or mild delirium, in which the patient has the delusion that he is somewhere else and “wants to go home.” The headache is dull, frontal, or bursting, splitting, worse by any motion or by the concussion of cough, goes from before backward. The headache of drunkards, of over-feeding. Nausea and faintness when rising up, better when lying still. *Bryonia is a gourmand (*Nux-v. an epicure), dirty wash-leather, foul tongue, congested eyes, bitter nausea. *Bryonia is a coarse feeder. Food lies at the epigastrium like a stone, better bringing up wind. The digestion is worse in summer. Symptoms worse after a meal. There is intolerance of vegetable food. Everything tastes bitter. Thirst for large quantities. “Eructations of tasteless gas” is characteristic. Sour stomach. Van den Berghe has found *Bryonia signally curative in chlorosis. There is diarrhoea and constipation. Diarrhoea occurs: in the morning “as soon as he moves”, from cold drinks in warm weather, on every spell of hot weather. The usual *Bryonia state is one of constipation, there is the usual dryness of mucous membranes, atony of the bowels, stool large, *dry, hard, brown or black, as if burnt or charred, crumbling. (*Platina has sticky, tenacious stool, sticks to rectum.) Stools smell of old cheese. The liver is tender and inflamed. The kidneys also are inflamed, the urine being dark red without deposit (from excess of colouring matter).
Relations.
Bryonia is antidoted by: Aconite, Alumina, Camph., Chamomilla, Chelidonium, Clem., Ignatia, Mur-ac., Nux-v., Pulsatilla, Rhus, Seneg. Teste found by accident, Ferr-m. the best antidote in his experience. It *antidotes: Alumina, Chlorum, China, Frag., Mercurius, Rhus-t. *Compare: The Cucurbitacea (all have belching, with unaltered taste of food), Aconite (pallor on rising up. Aconite has more restlessness and tossing about, is full of fears, Bryonia must keep still), Ammonium, Ant-c. (nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, aversion to milk), Arnica (haemorrhages, wounds, soreness all over, also Baptisia), Arsenicum (unlike Bryonia drinks often and little, and eats seldom but much),Asc-t. (pleurisy), Belladonna (delirium, hasty speech, hasty drinking. Belladonna has headache worse lying down, Bryonia must lie down, Belladonna has worse lying on painful side, Bryonia better lying on painful side, Belladonna has “chewing motion of jaws” but without the dry, cracked lips of Bryonia). Calcarea c. (very like Bryonia, but the resemblance is too close for compatibility. They should never be given one after the other without an intercurrent remedy between. Calcarea, like Bryonia, Chi., and Belladonna, has “as soon as he closes his eyes sees all sorts of objects”), Carb-v. (miliaria), Causticum, Chamomilla, Ignatia, Ip. (miliaria), Kali-c. (miliaria, bilious affections, chest affections, sharp pains in right hypochondrium shooting up into chest, sharp pain coming from lower lobe right lung, but Kali-c. has not *necessarily worse by motion), Kreosotum, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Mercurius, Nat-s. (morning diarrhoea), Natrum mur. (headache in morning, oily, sour sweat on face, Bryonia on head generally, cracked lips, Bryonia and Natrum mur. go well together, and are often complementary), nitricum acidum, Nux-v. (digestive organs, corresponds to epicures, Bryonia to gourmands), Opium, Pet., Phosphorus, Podophyllum, Pulsatilla (morning diarrhoea), Ranunculus bulbosus (pleurisy, rheumatic affections), Rhus (rheumatism, headache, typhoid. Rhus is restless and better by movement and by warmth), Rumex (morning diarrhoea), Sepia, Silicea, Spigelia (pleura), Sulphur, Squil. (pleura). Pulsatilla and Chi. have nausea worse on sitting up. Arsenicum has gagging at the end of a cough like Bryonia, Cimex, gagging and belching after cough. Aconite is like Bryonia in effects of cold, dry winds (cold, moist winds, Nux-m., Calcarea, Arsenicum, Dulcamara), Hamamelis and Millefolium (hemorrhages). Bryonia *follows well: Aconite, Ammonium Nux-v., Opium, Rhus. *Is followed well by: Alumina, Arsenicum, Kali-c., Nux-v., Phosphorus, Pulsatilla, Rhus-t., Sulphur *Complementary: Alumina, Rhus-t. Alumina is the “chronic” of Bryonia, and Kali-c. and Natrum mur., hold a similar but less pronounced relation to it.
Causation
Anger, fright, chagrin. Suppressed eruptions and discharges. Alcohol. Gluttony. Wounds. Cold winds.
Mind
Anxiety and inquietude, with fear of the future. Frequent tears. Despair of being cured, with fear of death. Restlessness, with fear of the future, fear of death, which he thinks is near. Fear, with desire to run away. Discouragement. Aversion to conversation. Exceedingly irritable and inclined to be angry. After having been angry he is chilly, has a red face and heat in the head. Irascibility and passion. Want of memory. Momentary absence of mind. Giddiness. Desire for things which are rejected when obtained. Delirium (at night) and ravings about the transactions of the day. Unconsciousness.
