Lycopersicum esculentum. Solanum lycopersicum. Tomato. Loveapple. *N. O. Solanaceae. Tincture of ripe fruit. Tincture of fresh plant.
Clinical
Backache. Coryza. Deltoid rheumatism. Diabetes. Diarrhoea. Eyes, affections of. Gout. Headache. Leucorrhoea. Metrorrhagia. Obesity. Rheumatism. Throat sore.
Characteristics
There is a popular impression that eating Tomatoes is a cause of cancer. The impression is not strong enough to prevent the universal use of them, and I have been unable to discover any basis for the idea. Cooper gave *Lycopers. in a case of rodent ulcer and caused sharp pain and temporary spread of the disease. Cooper commends the use of them in cases of obesity. I know of one instance in which the slightest indulgence in them brings on an attack of gout. When raw they require mustard or other condiment, being cold to the stomach. Gross made a proving of *Lycopers. It caused sticking and pressing pains, a sense of paralysis, peevishness and loss of memory, pressing and boring pains in head, stopped catarrh. Some women cannot eat tomatoes without getting backache, leucorrhoea, or metrorrhagia. In Gross’s proving the headache was worse in evening, she was obliged to rise in the night to urinate. The mind symptoms were worse, and the headache better by leaning the head against something. Dr. Herbert H. Roberts, of Derby, Conn., has published (*N. A. J. H., October, 1900) provings made by himself, two with the 3x and two with the 30X tinctures. “The original tincture was made from the thoroughly ripened fruit, great pains being taken to thoroughly macerate the seeds as well as the pulp.” Dr. Robert’s symptoms seem to me of great importance. They will be found marked “(R.)” in the Schema. The rheumatic and congestive symptoms were mostly produced by the 3x, the nervous symptoms mostly by the 30X. Roberts remarks that the natives of Mexico and California eat quantities of the ripe fruit to prevent rheumatism. Very decided rheumatic pains were developed both by Gross and Roberts. The right deltoid was very markedly affected, and should make *Lycopers. a companion to *Sanguinaria in shoulder pains. The headaches were very intense and characteristic, in some great soreness remained after the pain had gone. This is a not uncommon feature, and neuralgic headaches with this concomitant or sequela should call *Lycopers. to mind. A coryza worse out of doors should make *Lycopers. a useful alternative to *Cepa, which has better out of doors. worse By noise. worse By motion. (Gross’s rheumatic pains were bad both by rest and motion.) The headache in one instance was completely better by tobacco smoke. better In warm room. better By external heat. Right side principally affected, symptoms proceed from right to left, but left side is not so severely affected. Polyuria was a feature of both proving, and with the great thirst should give *Lycopers. a place in diabetes. Dark-complexioned people seem to be *suited to its action from two cases recorded by Roberts. (1) Widow, 50, dark complexion, large, stout, grey eyes. Sudden attack of grip. Very severe aching pains all over, up and down back, limbs, head. Beating, throbbing in head, beginning in occiput, spreading all over head, settling with great violence in temples. Excruciating pain back of eyes and in balls as if they would burst with the pressure. Light causes pain. Delirium. Severe, deep, racking cough. Thirst for large quantities. Pupils contracted. *Lycopers. 3x every hour, cleared away the fever and acute symptoms by the following morning, and rapidly cured the remaining cough. (2) Man, 40, dark complexion, black hair and eyes, tall, thick-set. Severe bursting, throbbing pain beginning in occiput and settling with great force in temporal and frontal regions, eyes painful, worse from light, pupils contracted. Thirst for large quantities. Temperature 104 F. Pulse full flowing. *Lycopers. 3x every hour given in evening removed headache before midnight. Next day right tonsil swollen and inflamed, sore on swallowing, feeling of a lump there. Temperature 101. Rapidly got well.
Relations
*Antidoted by: Tobacco smoke. *Compare: Belladonna, Hyo., Dulcamara, Caps., Sol. t., Sol. n. (botan.), Ant-t. (Weakness of cervical muscles). In coryza, Cepa (but Cepa has better open air, Lycopers. worse open air). Contracted pupils, Opium Deltoid rheumatism, Sanguinaria Diabetes, Uran. nit. Headache, sore throat, right side, Belladonna Headache worse on coughing, worse in open air, Caps.
Mind
Thoughts disappear, worse when leaning head against anything, forgets everything he wishes to recollect. Peevish about trifles, worse by weakness of memory. Unusually active for short periods, followed by longer periods of dulness (R.). Cannot keep mind fixed on work (R.). Very irritable, noises greatly annoy (R.).
Head
Giddiness with inclination to faint on attempting to walk (R.). Heavy confusion, dulness of the head. Heaviness of head with weakness of cervical muscles. Sensation as if head were compressed from both sides. Very severe nervous headache all over head, but settling in back of eye and temples with great force, pupils contracted, complete better from tobacco smoke (R.). Intense throbbing, bursting headache, beginning in occiput and spreading all over head, settling with great violence in occipital and temporal regions (R.). Boring, therewith the skin of forehead becomes painfully tense. Pressure beneath frontal bone as if the brain would be forced out, better leaning head against something, evening, and continuing awhile after going to bed. Bursting pain in head, especially vertex, and when coughing (R.). Dull pain with occasional sharp shooting pain in temples (R.). Sensation as if a nail were sticking into right parietal region. Boring in left occiput. Boring, pressing pain in right occiput (R.). Dull, heavy pain in occiput (R.). Sore, bruised feeling in whole head after pain had ceased (R.). Head, especially scalp, sore to touch (R.).
Eyes
Eyes: dull, heavy, ache and feel sore and burn, intense aching as if eyeball being much contracted (R.). Lids feel heavy and swollen (R.). Pupils minutely contracted (R.). Light painful (R.). Letters run together when reading (R.). Eyes water on close work (R.). Keeps wiping eyes to see clearly (R.). Twitching in left inner canthus (R.).
Nose
Stopped catarrh. Profuse watery coryza excoriating alae, drops down posterior nares, saltish taste, markedly worse out of doors (R.).
Face
Face flushed (R.). Pallid (R.). Pressure in right zygoma. Stitch in left cheek. Stitches in left zygoma.
Mouth
Itching and tickling in roof of mouth (R.). Tongue: coated thick yellow, thick and white, more in center (R.). Foul breath (R.). Foul taste (R.).
Throat
Constant desire to clear throat. Throat slightly sore on swallowing. Mucous membrane of pharynx pale, tip of uvula and arches of pharynx red and inflamed (R.). Burning raw feeling right side of throat, changing to left, left side slightly sore (R.). Swelling of left tonsil, doubtfully malignant, is much relieved in an elderly woman (Cooper).
Stomach
Thirst for large quantities of water (R.). Great flatulency between 10 a.m. and 11:30. (R.). Violent eructations of gas with taste of food (R.). Burning sensation in stomach towards evening and during evening (R.).
Abdomen
Great flatulency of abdomen (R.).
Stool
Brownish, watery diarrhoea (R.). Stool brownish, yellow, frothy, no urging, painless (R.).
Urinary Organs
Must rise at night to urinate (Gross, also R.). Constant debility when in open air, not at all in warm room (R.). Increase of watery constituents of urine, not of total solids (R.).
Female Sexual Organs.
Profuse leucorrheal discharge (immediately). In some cases, what was thought to be too frequent menstruation (with depressing backache), brought on by free use of canned tomatoes, the flow would return whenever this food was eaten for a few meals.
Respiratory Organs
Hoarseness towards night (R.) _ Husky voice (R.). Hoarseness: with constant tickling in pit of throat, with constant desire to clear throat (R.). Cough: deep, harsh, starting from irritation in lower chest (R.). Dry, hacking cough coming on at night and keeping him awake (R.). Explosive cough (R.). Expectoration white and in lumps (R.). Expectoration early in morning with more later in day (R.).
Chest
Slight sticking beneath left side of sternum, without difficulty of respiration. Oppression in chest, in lower lobe of right lung (R.). Relief of soreness and tenderness of scirrhous breast (Cooper).
Heart
Fine stitching pains at base of heart (R.). Lame pain in region of heart (R.). Pulse 100, full and flowing (R.).
Back and neck
Rheumatic pain near attachment of trapezius muscle to spine (R.). Heavy dragging in right scapula (R.). Intense aching through whole back, especially lumbar region (R.). Intense aching through back and limbs even after headache had stopped (R.). Backache in lower dorsal and lumbar region, making them gloomy and depressed (in women from eating tomatoes). Cannot get into a comfortable position (R.).
