Strychnos Nux vomica. Poison nut. *N.O. Loganiaceae. Tincture and Trituration of imported seeds.
Clinical
*Acne rosacea. *Alcoholism. *Amaurosis. *Amblyopia. *Anger, *effects of. *Apoplexy. *Asthma. *Bilious attack. *Biliousness: *Bladder, *affections of. *Bone, *nodes on. *Brain, *affections of. *Breath, *sour. *Carriage-sickness. *Catarrh. *Clavus. *Cold. *Colic. *Constipation. *Convulsions. *Cough. *Cramp. *Delirium. *Diarrhoea. *Dysentery. *Dyspepsia. *Emissions. Epilepsy. *Erotomania. *Eyes, affection of, *gouty inflammation of. Gall- stones. *Gastrodynia. *Gout. *Haemorrhoids *Headache. *Heart, *affection of, *Hernia. Hydrocele. *Hypochondriasis. *Impotence. *Intermittent fever. Lisping. *Liver disorders. *Locomotor ataxy. *Lumbago. Masturbation. *Muscae volitantes. *Myelitis. Night- blindness, *Nightmare. *Nose, *affection of. Nymphomania. *Paralysis, *spastic. Paraphimosis. *Pregnancy, *affections of, spurious. *Pylorus, *disease of. Renal calculi. Sea-sickness. Sexual perversion. *Sleep, *abnormal. *Speech, *disordered. *Spermatorrhoea. Strabismus. *Taste, *disordered. *Tea, *effect of. *Tenesmus. *Tobacco *habit. *Tongue, *affection of. *Trachea, *affections of. *Urethra, *spasm of. *Urine, *frequent passing of. Uterus, prolapse of. Vagina, prolapse of. *Vertigo. *Waterbrash. Worms. *Yawning.
Characteristics
*Strychnos Nux vomica is a moderate-sized tree native of the Coromandel Coast and Cochin China. The fruit is very like an orange in appearance and contains numerous seeds of flattened circular outline, about the size of a half penny, ash-grey in colour, covered with fine silky hairs. The seeds are intensely bitter owing to the presence of *Strychnia and *Brucea which exist in the seeds together with certain peculiar acids, but the pulp is innocuous and is said to be eaten by birds. If nitric acid be added to the seeds a deep orange-yellow colour is produced. The wood of the tree is very bitter. It is used in India in cases of intermittent fever and snakebites. A decoction of the leaves is used externally in rheumatism (abridged from *Treas. of Bot.). Under *Brucea antidysenterica I have told how the bark of the tree was imported into Europe in mistake for *Angustura. The tree from which the *Ignatia “beans” are obtained is unknown, but it is not doubted to be a *Strychnos, the seeds actually contain a larger proportion of *Strychnia than those of *Nux vomica. The difference in the character of the two remedies proves the wisdom of Hahnemann’s method of studying medicines. If there was nothing more than the chemistry of the drugs to go by *Ignatia and *Nux vomica might be used indifferently, with the knowledge, Hahnemann has given us of their characteristic features they are seldom even thought of in connection with the same case. In the case of poisoning with *Nux vomica, the most marked feature is the spasms and convulsions which cause death by arresting respiratory movements. “Convulsions with consciousness.” “Spasms with tetanic rigidity of nearly all the muscles of the body, with interruption of a few minutes, during which the muscles were relaxed, the pulse became soft and the patient recovered consciousness and speech, the spasm was *renewed by the slightest touch, though at time it would immediately *cease when the patient was *tightly grasped, or the elbow was straightened up.” “During the spasms evident relief was afforded by forcible extension of the body.” In the case of two persons, a man and wife, who both took the poison, the reporter says: “As the convulsions came on the heads were drawn back, there was spasmodic clenching of teeth, heels fixed to the ground, eyes as if protruding from their sockets, and both, curiously enough, kept exclaiming. ‘Hold me! Hold me!’ although there was a person on either side of each.” One of the patients afterwards said that if a fire had been lit under him he could not have moved, although at the same time he kept crying, “Hold me!” Convulsions came on beginning with slight twitching in muscles of lower extremities.” “Convulsions with red face and closed eyes.” The general effect of the spasms was to cause opisthotonos and throwing back of the head, though in some the body was spasmodically drawn sideways. The tetanus of *Nux differs from traumatic or idiopathic tetanus in that the spasms of the former are less continuous, do not invariably begin with the muscles of the jaws, but preferably in the lower extremities, and are not accompanied by rise of temperature. *”Spasm” is the first keynote of *Nux and the second is *”exaggerated sensitiveness.” Both are brought to the front in the poisoning cases, and the provings bring out their developments in almost all regions of the body. The spasms affect all the voluntary muscles of the body and the involuntary muscles as well _ oesophagus, stomach, intestines, uterus, bladder, rectum, and the spasms and irritability go through the pathogenesis. There is irritability of bladder and rectum at the same time, constant urging and desire and very little passed, prolapse of rectum with constipation, or there may be incontinence of both urine and feces. Uterine bearing down and prolapse, cramps at menstrual periods and pressure on bladder and rectum. The *irritability and *extensive sensitiveness of *Nux depicted in the tetanic seizures and drawn facial expression applies to mind as well as body. *Nux is especially *suited to: (I) Very particular, zealous persons, inclined to get angry and excited, or of a spiteful, malicious disposition. (2) Ardent persons, or disposed to anger, spite, or deception, always irritable or impatient. (3) Nervous, melancholic people, troubled with indigestion, venous constitution with tendency to haemorrhoids. (4) Thin, irritable, choleric persons with dark hair, who make great mental exertion or lead a sedentary life. (5) Vigorous persons of dry habit, tense fibre, ardent and irascible temperament and tenacious disposition. (6) Bilious temperament (7) Persons addicted to wine, coffee, or pepper and condiments, who life a sedentary life with much mental exertion. (8) Debauches, thin, irritable, venous. (9) Drugged subjects. Throughout all these classes moral, mental, nervous, and muscular tension or spasms may be traced (but *ennui, loss of energy may also be indications for *Nux: they are alternating states). There are few drugs which produce a greater degree of irritability than *Nux vomica, running, as it does, to the verge of homicidal and suicidal impulse. Intestinal spasms is exemplified in the spasms which follow eating unripe fruit and other digestive irregularities, and sometimes they take the form of incipient hernia. Hernia, inguinal and umbilical, has been cured with *Nux vomica, and I have seen a case of strangulated hernia resolved by *Nux while preparations for operation were in progress. Although there are many pains in connection with the rectum, *constipation or spasm is the leading feature: “Constrictive sensation at times as if he would be obliged to go to stool.” “After a stool it seemed as if some remained behind and could not be evacuated, with a sensation of constriction in rectum, not in anus.” “Discharge of bright blood with the faeces, with sensation of constriction and contraction in rectum during stools.” “Stool daily though always with a colicky sensation in abdomen, and with the stool, it always seems as if it was not enough.” “Frequent, ineffectual desire for stool, after the usual evacuation.” *Nux is very far from being a panacea for constipation and hemorrhoids, but its indications are perfectly clear and when they are present it will not disappoint the prescriber. The diarrhoea of *Nux is sudden and drives patient out of bed, or is involuntary, or comes on after a meal. Alternate constipation and diarrhoea. In the dysentery of *Nux the straining ceases as soon as the motion passes. This distinguishes *Nux from some other remedies. There is tendency to faint after diarrhoeic stools, and also after vomiting. This tendency to fainting is another example of the *Nux sensitiveness. It occurs from odours, in a warm room, after eating, after every labour pain. *Nux has proved curative in epilepsy when the fit occurred during stool. *Nux is haemorrhagic. There is metrorrhagia (in high livers), and also menorrhagia. Menses too early and profuse, flow dark, faints easily, irregular, cease flowing at night-time. The pains are cramping and cause nausea and fainting, twisting, moving about in abdomen, soreness across pubes, cramps in bladder. During pregnancy: hiccough, morning sickness, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, false pains. Labour pains are violent and causes fainting. Lochia scanty, offensive, nipples sore, white spot in center, tensive pains when nursing. Desire is excited in both sexes, and here again the sensitiveness of *Nux is observed _ the slightest provocation suffices to excite the sexual passion. Spasm is the chief note of *Nux in the respiratory sphere, where it produces a variety of asthmatic states, a dry, persistent fatiguing cough which causes headache as if the skull would
