Barberry. (Britain.) N. O. Berberidacae. Tincture of the bark of the root.
Clinical
Biliary colic. *Bilious attack. *Bladder affections. *Calculus.) Duodenum, catarrh of. Dysmenorrhoea. Fevers. Fistula. Gall- stones. *Gravel. Herpes. *Irritation. Jaundice. *Joint affections. *knee, pain in. Leucorrhoea. *Liver disorder. *Lumbago. Ophthalmia. *Oxaluria. Renal colic. Polypus. *Rheumatism. *Sacrum, pain in. *Side pain. Spermatic cords, neuralgia of. Spleen, affections of. Tumors. *Urine, disorders of). Vaginismus.
Characteristics
The usual preparations of Berberis are made from the root bark. *Berberis mahonia has a great local repute in the popular treatment of the low fever (typhoid) of the Rocky mountains, an infusion of the fresh plant being used. Chills and fever are among the prominent effects of *Berberis vulg.: “Coldness of body with hot face, commencing 11 a m., burning heat in afternoon, worse during night.” Ague with enlargement of spleen, or spleen, or spleen pains. Affections of liver and kidneys are strongly marked, but *Berberis Is a medicine of wide range. Movement worse its complaints. Stitches are frequent, and a “bubbling sensation” or “bubbling stitches” are characteristic. A bubbling feeling as if water were coming up through the skin. Tearing, burning pains or bubbling sensation in joints. The mental condition is one of indifference, apathy. Melancholy, with inclination to weep. There is aversion to darkness, terrifying apparitions in the twilight. In the head there is vertigo and heaviness. Darting and shooting pains often changing their localities, worse movement, better open air. Heat of head after dinner or in afternoon. Puffy feeling in head, as if it were becoming larger. Scalp tense. The face is pale, with dingy grey tinge, sunken cheeks, deep-set eyes, surrounded with bluish and blackish grey border. Mouth dry and sticky, painful white blisters on tip of tongue. The pit of the stomach is puffed up. Sticking pain in region of liver and gall-bladder shooting up to left shoulder, worse by pressure. Gall-stone colic, followed by jaundice. Gnawing pain in right hypochondrium, shooting up to left scapula. Pains shoot down from tenth rib to navel. Burning in either inguinal region (especially right). *Berberis produces both constipation (sheep-dung stools) and diarrhoea, and a number of symptoms about the anus.
Haemorrhoids, with itching or burning, particularly after stool, which frequently is hard and covered with blood. Fistula in ano with painful pressure in perinaeum, extending deep into pelvis (left side). The urinary organs are markedly affected. The emission of urine is frequently accompanied by pains in thighs and loins. Lancinating, or tearing, bubbling pains in region of kidneys, worse stooping and rising again, sitting or lying, better standing. Violent sticking pains in bladder, extending from kidneys into urethra, with urging to urinate. Many cases of (especially right) renal colic have been cured by it. Frequent urging to urinate. Urine dark yellow, red, becoming turbid, copious, mucous sediment, or transparent, jelly-like or reddish, bran-like sediment. Urine slimy when passed, depositing copious foamy yellowish sediment. Greenish urine depositing mucus. *During urination burning in urethra, or bladder, pressure in bladder, cutting, burning, or stitches in urethra. Dragging or lancinating pains in spermatic cord, extending into testes. Cold feeling in prepuce, glans, testes, and scrotum. In the female a marked symptom is absence of pleasurable sensation during coition. Uterine symptoms and leucorrhoea associated with painful urinary symptoms. Dysmenorrhoea, pains radiating in all directions down thighs, etc. Vagina intensely painful, reddened. Violent pain in back, with menses which are too scanty. It is leading remedy in lumbago, pains extend from back, round body, down leg, with red sediment in urine. Numbness, stiffness, and lameness in kidney region. Many old troubles in the back. Sufferings worse by fatigue. Aching in small of back, worse sitting, or lying, in the morning on awakening. Neuralgia under finger-nails. ***B. Simmons has verified a symptom of *Berberis which may be regarded as characteristic. A gentleman of 52 complained of rheumatic pains in his legs and loss of walking power. *After he had walked a short distance he was compelled to stop from a feeling of intense weariness, heaviness, lameness, and stiffness of the legs, which felt sore as if bruised. A single dose effected a complete cure, improvement commencing on the fourth day. Stuart Close (*H. P. xix. 218) records the cure with *Berberis 200 of a woman who had cutting, burning pains in the balls of the feet on stepping. On standing with most of the weight on the heels she had no pain. On rising in morning sensation in soles as if stepping on needles. There is great weakness, like fainting, after a walk, with perspiration and heat on the upper part of the body, cold, pale, sunken face and oppression of breathing. Great relaxation, with disinclination to do anything. On the indication “tumors and sessile growths,” Ozanam cured a case of polypus of vocal cords, red, with a sessile base, *Thuj had failed. *Berberis 200 was given at first with good effect, the attenuation being gradually reduced with increasingly good effect until the growth disappeared entirely under the Ix. Guernsey admirably sums up the remedy as follows: “Affects particularly the lumbar region, kidneys, uterus. The patient is sometimes unable to tell the exact locality, but the pain is somewhere in the back and shoots up the back, or into the spermatic cord, or testes, bladder, buttocks, or legs. The pain may shoot up or down, or both ways. Pains may be felt all over the body, emanating from the back, the pains are of a sticking, pricking, lancinating, or jerking character, flying about now here and there. There is often a bubbling sensation in the region of the kidneys, this sensation may occur elsewhere, but it is usually found here.” Great sleepiness during day and after dinner. After riding much, great sense of weakness in kidney region. *Suited to: Bilious diathesis. Cases where renal or vesical symptoms are prominent.
Relations.
*Compare: Aloe., Antim tart., Arsenicum, Calc-p. (fistula in ano, chest symptoms, especially after surgical operation), Cantharis, Carb-v., Chamomilla, Chi., Lycopodium, Natrum mur., nitricum acidum, Nux-v., Pulsatilla, Rheum. In burning and pricking pains in anus: Lycopodium, Thuja In duodenal catarrh: Chi., Lycopodium, Hydrastis, Podophyllum, Ric., com., Mercurius In aversion to darkness: Stramonium, Am-m., Calcarea, Carb-an., Stroph., Valer. In pains in feet on stepping: Cyclamen *Botanical relations: Podophyllum, Caulophyllum, Berb-a. *Antidoted by: Camph., Belladonna *Antidote to: Aconite An occasional dose of Lycopodium helped action of Berberis Follows well: Bryonia, Kali-bi., Rhus-t, Sulphur
Mind
Careless, calm, apathetic humor. Ill-humor, disgust to life. Melancholy, inclination to weep, with dislike to conversation. Anxiety, great fear and disposition to take fright. In the twilight, all objects seem larger than they really are. Intellectual labors are performed with difficulty and prove fatiguing, especially in the morning.
Head
Vertigo, with sensation as in fainting, and great weakness. Vertigo on stooping and on making use of the arms. Feeling of intoxication and giddiness. Confusion and heaviness of the head, often with pressure, dejection, ill-humor and shiverings, commencing in the morning, after waking. Head confused, as before a coryza. Sensation, as if the size of the head were increased. Sensation of swelling in the head. Aching, tensive pains in the forehead, in the temples, and in the eyes. Cephalalgia in the forehead and in the temples, as if from pressure from the inside outwards. Headache worse by movement, better in open air. Acute, shooting pains in the forehead and in the temples. Darting and shooting pains in the head after changing the locality.Teguments of the head as if they were stretched and swollen. Head feels full and heavy, as if a cap were pulled hard down on head. Heat in the head after dinner (or in afternoon) and in the morning. Sweat after exertion, on stooping, and on standing for any time. Small red spots in the forehead and in the cheeks. Itching or gnawing shootings in the teguments of the head and of the face. Pustules in the teguments of the head and in the face.
Eyes
Eyes sunk, with a blue or dirty grey circle. Aching and sensation of burning in the eyes. Painful sensibility of the eyes on reading by candle-light. Sensation of stiffness, with pressure in the eyes. Shootings in the eyes, originating in other parts (for instance, the forehead), and extending towards the eyes, and thence to the forehead. Burning and dryness in the eyes, which are dull. Dryness of. or biting-burning, or itching sensation in the eyes. Itching in the canthi, eyebrows, and eyelids. Redness of the conjunctiva, with confused sight, as if there were a veil before the eyes, in the morning after rising. Ophthalmia, with the characteristic flying pains from the back, sensation as if sand were between lids and eyes. Bubbling in eyes. Indistinct sight, better near than at a distance. Sensibility of the eyes to the brightness of the sun. Sharp pains in the ball of the eye, and in the eyelids. Heaviness in the eyelids during motion. Burning or gnawing pains in the eyelids. Convulsive movement of the eyelids when reading by candle-light.
