Paris quadrifolia. One-berry. True Love. Herb Paris. (Moist, shady woods in Great Britain.) *N. O. Trilliaceae. (Sometimes considered a sub-order of Smilaceae, or of Liliaceae.) Tincture of whole plant when in fruit.
Clinical
Acidity. after-pains. Brachial neuralgia. Ciliary neuralgia. Ciliary paralysis. Digestion, slow, weak. Gonorrhoea. Headache. Hiccough. Hoarseness. Hysteria. Mania. Neuralgia. Panaritium. Paralysis. Saliva, sour. Spine, affection of. Touch, sense of, disordered.
Characteristics
*Paris betrays its relation to the Lilies and Arums in the symptoms of irritation which it causes in mucous membranes and skin with burning sensations and cramps. The *Treasury of Botany says of *Paris that the leaves and stems were “formerly used in medicine, the juice of the berry, though considered poisonous, has been employed in curing inflammation of the eyes.” The provings made by Hahnemann, Stapf, and others, bring out a very marked and characteristic action on the eyes, and develop some of the keynote symptoms of the drug. One of these is a sensation of expansion and consequent tension. The head feels as if distended and the scalp too tight. The eyes feel as if much too large for their sockets, as if they were projecting and were being drawn tightly backward by a string to the middle of the brain. *Paris is one of the drugs which are credited with producing garrulity, vivacity with love of prattling, like tea. A case of loquacious insanity cured with *Paris 3 was recorded by ***B. Nath Banerjee (*Calc F. of Medorrhinum, xii. 60). It brings out may of the leading symptoms of Paris, which I have put in italics. Mrs. B., 45, suddenly become loquacious and insane. After a month of Kavirajee treatment without benefit she came under Banerjee’s care, October 3, 1893. A year before, the last of her five children, a grown-up son, died, and she could not be consoled, and gradually became morose and dull. She ceased to menstruate in February, 1893, but had no uterine troubles or any other illness previous to the present. The symptoms were: *Loquacity, but not continuous. Every three or four days, if interfered with, maniacal attacks lasting about half an hour. At times foolish behaviour. With difficulty Banerjee obtained the following symptoms from the patient: Vertigo, and whenever she thinks of her lost son, severe headache, the vertex being sensitive to touch. When telling these symptoms, suddenly her *looks became wandering, and her eyes appeared *as if protruding from their sockets. She could not relish her food because everything, especially fish, *smell putrid. Whole body painful, *especially when touched. She complained of a *ball lodging in the throat and giving her trouble, with burning. Acidity and *badly smelling diarrhoea. A peculiar feeling of *coldness of right side of the body while the left side was hot. All symptoms worse in *evening and on motion. *Ignatia 30, and later 200, was given without any effect. *Paris acted promptly, and on the third day the patient assured the doctor that she was quite well. The remedy was not repeated and the cure held good. *Paris is in general a left side remedy, but it has coldness of the right side, while the left side is natural or hot. I cured with *Paris “numb feeling of lift side of head.” Numbness affects the upper Extremities. The left arm is paralysed, feels stiff, and fingers contracted. “Numbness and prickling in left hand” was removed in a case of spinal affection. “Fingers often feel as if asleep, *objects seem rough to touch.” This disorder of the sense of touch is a marked symptom. And at the same time there is great sensitiveness of the surface. The characteristic mucous secretions are green and tenacious. The diarrhoeic stool smell like Putrid meat. There is great sensitiveness to offensive odours, also imaginary bad smells: milk and bread smell like putrid meat. The eyes give out of fetid, ulcer-like smell. *Paris has “hunger soon after a meal,” which is the same thing as the “sinking” of the antipsorics, and of the Hellebores, Veratrums, etc. *Peculiar sensations are: As if scalp were contracted, and bones scraped sores. As if a thread were drawn tightly through eye to middle of head. As if head were puffed up, and temples and eyes were pressed out, as if distended the size of a bucket and the walls were too thin. Eyes as if too large, projecting, as if pulled into head by a thread drawn through eyeball, as if he could not open eyes. Ear as if forced apart by a wedge, as if pressed out or torn out, as if a burning heat was rushing out of ears. As though face were drawn to root of nose then back towards occiput as if by a string. Tongue feels too large. Ball in throat. Throat constricted. Stone in stomach. As if internal parts contracted. Heavy load on nape. Fingers as if asleep, dead. All joints as if broken, swelled or dislocated at every motion. Hot stitches in left malar bones. Acidity, sour saliva. The symptoms are worse by touch. The scalp is very sensitive to touch. Pressure on a sore spot on head causes cries. Pressure with the hand better pressive pain in head. Motion worse, rest better. Sitting causes stitches in coccyx, burning in orifice of urethra, vertigo. Worse From mental exertion, thinking. All symptoms worse evening. Tenacious expectoration worse morning. Dull pain in neck better in open air. Smoking tobacco causes headache. Worse After eating (hiccough). better By eructations.
Relations
*Antidoted by: Coffea. *Compatible: Calcarea, Ledum, Lycopodium, Nux-v., Pho., Rhus, Sepia, Sul., *Incompatible: Fe-p. *Compare: In spinal headache rising from nape, Sil, (Paris causes feeling as if head immensely large). Wild look in eyes, bell. As if eyes drawn back by thread, Croton tiglium Eyeballs feel too large, Silicea Garrulity, Lachesis, Meph., Stramonium, Actea, race, Agaricus Laryngeal affections, Arg-n. (Paris has expectoration noticed mostly in morning, and it is green and tenacious). String-like pain, Allium. cp. Heart, Lilium t., Conval. Panaritium, Bor-ac. Imaginary foul smells, Anacardium worse Motion, Bryonia
Causation
Injury. Suppressions.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Disposition to treat others with contempt and disdain. Silly conduct. Disposition to utter absurdities with complacency. Mania with loquacity. Repugnance to intellectual labour. Discontent, ill-humour.
Head
Bewildered, confused head. Vertigo on reading aloud, with difficulty of speech and sight. Sensitiveness of vertex to contact. Pains in head are worse by meditation Pressive pain in the head, which disappears when the hand is pressed upon it. Sensation of swelling in head, with pressure, as if contents of cranium were forcing themselves through temples and eyes. Head feels like a bushel, and walls too thin. Sticking pain in middle of head and in temples, afterwards heavy pressure on forehead, especially on stooping. Benumbing stitches in left side of forehead. (Numb feeling left side of head.) _ A very sore, painful spot, only when touched, in left parietal bone. Tension in brain and integuments of forehead. Shootings and lancinations in head. Pulsative, bubbling headache on waking at night, with great agitation. Pulsative headache, with a wavering sensation on going up stairs. Headache after having smoked. Pain as of excoriation on the exterior of vertex when touched. Painful sensitiveness and falling off of hair. Severe pains in occiput, from mental exertion, after a blow. Headache of spinal origin rising from nape and producing a feeling as if head unusually large. (Acute congestion to brain). Tension of scalp on forehead and occiput. Brain, eyes, and skin feel tense, and the bones scraped sore, worse from motion, excitement, or using eyes, worse in evening. Scalp sensitive to touch, sore pain in small spots on forehead. Pain in scalp when touched as if the hair were painful. Scabs on the head.
Eyes
Pain in eyes, like a pressure on orbital bones. Sensation as if eyeballs were too large or swollen, as if orbits too small and lids could not close. Burning pain in eyes, with lachrymation, especially after rising in morning. Jerking and twitching of (right) upper lid. Eyes feel heavy as lead. Eyeballs pain on slightest attempt at motion. Confused sight and wavering before eyes. Eyes feel as if projecting with a sensation as if a thread were tightly drawn through eyeball, and backward into middle of brain, very painful, weak sight, stitches through middle of eye. Wandering, unsteady looks. Fetid, ulcer-like smell from eyes.
Ears
Otalgia, with tearings. Sensation as if ears were pressed out or torn out, or forced apart by a wedge. Sensation as if a burning heat were rushing out of ears. Pains in ears on swallowing. Diminution of hearing. Tinkling in ear. Ringing in left ear.
Nose
A sensation of obstruction in upper part of nose, with a discharge of blood when it is blown. Bread and milk have a putrid smell. Great sensitiveness to offensive odours, imaginary foul smells. Obstruction of the nose in the morning, with discharge of thick and sanguineous mucus when it is blown. Dry alternately with fluent coryza. Discharge of liquid mucus from nose and eyes, which excites a panting respiration. Red or greenish mucus blown from nose.
