INTRODUCTION
RHUS TOX – Poison Oak. Hahnemann’s “Materia MEdica,” IV.
COMPARE WITH
Am. carb., Arnica, ARs., Belladonna, Bryonia, Calcarea, Causticum, China, Clem., Cocc., Coffea, Conium, Dulcamara, Lachesis, Ledum, Lycopodium, Nitr-ac., Nux-v., Phosph., Phosph.ac., Platina, Pulsatilla, Ranunc., Rhododendron, Sambucus, Sepia, Silicea, Sulphur, Veratrum, Zincum met., Rhus-tox. is particularly suitable after: Arnica, Bryonia, Calc-c., Conium, Phosph., Phosph-ac., Pulsatilla, Sulphur
ANTIDOTE
Bryonia, Camph., Coffea, Sulphur – Rhus tox antidotes: Bryonia, Ranunc., Rhodod., Tart.stib.
CLINICAL REMARKS
DR. NEIDHARD – “The disease in which I have most frequently made use of Rhus, is rheumatism characterized by the following symptoms- it is a form of rheumatism which is most common in our climate; rigidity, paralytic weakness in the joints with stinging pain along the tendons and muscles. Swelling and redness on or near the joints. Rheumatism of the hip-joint and wrist seems to be most effectually controlled by its action. THE GREATEST RIGIDITY AND PAIN IS EXPERIENCED ON FIRST MOVING THE JOINTS AFTER REST, AND ON WAKING UP IN THE MORNING. After the joints are moved for a while the pain is lessened. This symptom is mentioned by Jahr. Its paramount importance has been evidenced to me by numerous cures. Jahr lays, however, more stress on the symptoms aggravated by rest. More than sixty cases might be detailed in this place, where rheumatic affections, characterized by the above symptoms, were removed in the shortest time by Rhus- tox., 3 to 30. In several of these cases other homoeopathic remedies had been prescribed in vain.”.
GENERAL SYMPTOMS
Affections of the ligaments, tendons, and synovial membranes. Deficient plasticity of the blood, with disposition of the organic activity to become extinct, even to paralysis. Rheumatic or arthritic affections, also with swelling. Scrofulous and and rachitic affections. Glandular swellings and indurations. Ailments arising from cold bathing, particularly convulsions. Paralysis. Ailments arising from suppressions of the menses. Nervous inflammations of internal organs. Rheumatic tension, drawing and lacerating in the limbs, most violent during rest, or in the cold season, or at night in bed, frequently attended with numbness and insensibility of the affected part after moving it. Lacerating drawing, in the evening, while sitting, going off when walking. Cramp and rigidity, as from contraction of the tendons, in various pats. Sticking in the joints, during rest. Tensive sticking, with stiffness, worse on rising from a seat and in the open air. Tingling pains, particularly in the affected parts, with moaning, when sitting. Drawing in all the limbs, when lying. Bruised pains in single parts, or sensation as if the flesh had been detached from the bones by blows. Pressure with drawing in the periosteum, as if the bone were scraped. Sensation in internal organs as if something were being torn off. Pains as if sprained. Bad consequences from straining or spraining parts. Semilateral complaints. The parts on which one is lying go to sleep, particularly the arm. Numbness of single parts, with tingling and insensibility. Stiffness of the limbs on first moving the lime after rest. Stiffness on rising from a seat. Lameness in all the joints, worst on rising from a seat after having been seated for sometime. Lameness in all the limbs, during and after a walk in the open air. Complete paralysis. Hemiplegia. Paralysis of the lower limbs, with dragging, slow, difficult walk. Tingling in the paralyzed parts. Tremulous sensation in the upper and lower limbs also during rest. Twitchings of the limbs and muscles. Convulsions arising from bathing in cold water. Tetanus, opisthotonos. Chorea? Weariness of the lower limbs. Great languor of the whole body. Languor, with constant disposition to be sitting or lying. Languor, with sensation as if the bones were aching. Is unable to remain out of bed. Feels nauseated while sitting up. Great debility. Sudden paroxysms of fainting. Great sensitiveness to the open air, even when warm.
CHARACTERISTIC PECULIARITIES.
The pains come on or are worse during rest, or at night, or on entering a room from the open air, or in cold weather. The pains in the joints are worse in the open air. Early, in bed, only those limbs and joints on which he is not lying feel painful and as if bruised.
SKIN
Itching of the whole body, particularly of the hairy parts, hairy scalp, and genital organs. Burning itching here and there. Erysipelatous inflammation (also zona). Petechial spots, also with great debility, even to complete loss of strength. Nettle- rash. Small burning vesicles, with redness of skin on the whole body, except on the hairy scalp, the palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. Burning itching eruptions, particularly on the scrotum, prepuce, eye-lids, and eyes (arms and loins), with swelling of the parts, and small yellowish vesicles which rain into each other and became moist. Confluent vesicles, most of them containing a milky or watery fluid. Black pustules, with inflammation and itching, rapidly spreading over the whole body. Herpetic eruptions, alternating with pains in the chest and dysenteric stools. Scurfs over the whole body. Rhagades. Warts, disfiguring the whole skin, or particularly on the hands and fingers. Panaritia. Hang-nails. Ulcers as if gangrenous, from small vesicles, attended with violent fever. In the ulcers: tingling. Smarting, as if from salt. Burning biting, with weeping and moaning. Pain as if bruised. Burning of the affected part. The wound becomes inflamed and is covered with little vesicles. Swelling of the hands and feet. Red shining swelling, with stinging sore pain when touched. Glandular swellings (also indurated?). Swelling of bones. Caries of bones.? Jaundice.
SLEEP
Violent and spasmodic yawning. Drowsiness in the day time. REstlessness during the siesta. Somnolence, full of laborious, interrupted dreams. Somnolence, with snoring, muttering, and grasping at flocks. Sleeplessness before midnight. Restless sleep, with tossing about. Restless slumber before midnight, full of anxious, disagreeable notions and fancies. Symptoms at night in bed: sad thoughts, preventing sleep. Feels nauseated in the evening, when lying down. Violent pressure at the stomach, preventing sleep. Starting, when on the point of falling asleep. Short breath. Great anxiety, he cannot remain in bed. Violent colic in the night. Nausea in the chest and stomach in the evening, going off after going to sleep. Loud weeping. Frightful dreams.
FEVER
Feeling of coldness in the limbs. Feeling of coldness at every motion. Extreme coldness of the hands and feet, the whole day. He is very sensitive to the cold, open air. Shuddering in the back. Chilliness towards evening. The chilliness, with the paroxysms of pain and other concomitant symptoms, generally sets in the evening. Hot internally, the whole day, and chilly externally. Chilliness and heat in the evening. Evening fever, with diarrhoea; chilliness at eight o’clock in the evening, followed by dry heat and thirst, and cuttings in the abdomen and diarrhoea; afterwards sleep; diarrhoea again in the morning. Fever: drowsiness, weariness, and yawning. When walking, he felt inclined to sleep, with anxiety; afterwards an evacuation, with cutting, followed by excessive heat in the whole body; or sensation as if his blood were coursing hot through the vessels, and too violently through the head. Fever: towards noon he is attacked with a febrile coldness in all his limbs, with violent headache and vertigo. Quotidian fevers. Tertian fevers. Compound tertian fevers, also with jaundice. Generally the chilliness and coldness set in first, with secondary symptoms, afterwards heat, with thirst (and with sweat), or first chilliness with thirst, then general warmth with chilliness at every motion, then sweat. Alternation of coldness and paleness, and heat and redness of the face. During or after the fever: twitchings, tingling in the ears, hardness of hearing, dry coryza, sleeplessness with uneasiness and tossing about, nettle- rash, gastric derangement, thirst, at night. During the chilliness: pains in the limbs, headache, vertigo, inclination to vomit. Inclines to vomit, with heat of the head and hands, and chilliness of the rest of the body; afterwards chilliness all over during the inclination to vomit. Extreme heat in the hands, with dull headache in the evening. Violent burning in the skin, with twitching tremulousness of the skin, and a general sweat at night. Flushes of heat, with sweat, proceeding from the umbilical region, and suddenly alternating with chilliness. Feverish thirst, even early in the morning. Violent feverish thirst. Great desire for water or beer. Pulse: quick. Slow and irregular pulse. Fevers of various kinds. Sweat during the pains. Sweat when sitting frequently with violent trembling. General sweat, also in the face. Night-sweat, particularly around the neck.
