Raphanus sativus. Radish. (And R. Raphanistrum. Wild Radish.) *N. O. Cruciferae. Tincture from fresh root immediately before flowering in spring. Tincture of whole fresh plant.
Clinical
Alcoholism. Amblyopia. Axilla, inflamed gland in. Breasts, pains beneath, between. Catalepsy. Cough. Diarrhoea. Dysmenorrhoea. Emaciation. Epistaxis. Faintness. Fever. Flatulence. Flushings. Headache. Heart, palpitation of. Heel, pain in. Hernia. Hysteria. Insomnia. Lienteria. Liver, affections of, abscess of. Menorrhagia. Metrorrhagia. Myopia. *Numbness. Nymphomania. Oesophagus, affections of. Olecranon, pain in. Pemphigus. (Priapism.) Pregnancy, toothache of. Seborrhoea. Tonsillitis. Toothache. Yawning.
Characteristics
Nusser proved both the Garden Radish and the Wild Radish (the former probably only a cultivated variety of the latter), and of the Garden Radish he took tinctures of the long, round, and black (the favorite in Germany) varieties, and ate the different radishes themselves. The Schema contains his symptoms, with others from effects of eating radishes, and provings by Curie made on a woman with 15th and 30th dilutions. These provings developed many symptoms which have proved to be characteristics. *Rap. affords a marked example of a common article of diet being at the same time a poison and a medicine. A patient of mine, a man, has these symptoms whenever he eats even a single radish: “Burning sensation in epigastrium, followed by hot eructations, lasting a whole day and ending in a headache. ‘ Turnips (*Brassica rapa) produce in him a similar effect, but in less degree. The leaves of *Rap. are said to antidote its roots, and the *arum root is said to antidote the effects of Radish leaves (Cooper). The hysterical, mental, and uterine symptoms of Curie’s prover were very well marked, a state approaching catalepsy was induced: “On returning a little to herself she was unable to speak or stir. ‘ The “globus’ symptoms are as marked as with any other remedy: “A number of balls ascend from abdomen to throat. ‘ “A hot, foreign body goes up like a ball from uterus *and stops at the beginning of the throat, where it feels like a morsel too large to be swallowed, thence descends to the stomach, causing a sensation of something hard to digest, leaving an empty sensation with hunger. Many of the symptoms of *Rap. seem to make for the throat, and a case of mine bears on this. A man, 43, after taking *Lycopodium reported this condition: “Good deal of pain in back, sides, and body, worse after eating. Cannot lie on either side. *Very sinking at 4 a.m. Bowels confined. Passing wind after severe pain. *Rap. 30 every three hours was prescribed. His next report, a week later, was this: “He felt the first dose of *Rap. lie at his throat all night, it gradually passed down and the pains got better. After two or three days his water became thick like soap suds [Turbid urine with yeast-like sediment is characteristic of *Rap.] Can lie on sides better. Bowels less confined. Wind less. *Rap. is one of the most flatulent of remedies. Wind accumulates so that it almost stops the breathing. The most characteristic feature is when the flatus cannot be passed either up or down. Such a condition occurring after abdominal operations has been relieved by *Rap. Many symptoms, physical and mental, seemed to rise from the uterus, culminating in a very pronounced attack of nymphomania. With these was aversion to her own sex and to children, especially girls. Other mental symptoms were: Capricious manner, stupefaction, sadness, tears, and this at times alternated with hopefulness. Brain excitement. One prover had sense of intoxication on waking in the morning. Another felt intoxicated after dinner, though only water was drunk. This should give *Rap. a place in some forms of alcoholism. Extreme anxiety, with feeling of impending death. The following case from Allen’s Appendix is fairly typical of *Rap. poisoning. A man ate freely of radishes. Thereafter he began to feel nausea and drawing pains, extending from sternum to middle of abdomen. This went on for about a fortnight, when at 7 p.m. on May 26th he began to feel very ill. The pains became worse, and spread to back, but did not go lower than umbilicus. He took half an ounce of Castor oil, during the night he became worse, pain still very severe. A 8 a.m. bowels relieved, when pain and nausea became worse than ever and he was admitted to hospital, and soon after put in a warm bath. While in the bath he vomited dark, slimy matter. Vomiting went on till the 29th. Tympanitic swelling and great (writhing and twisting) pain in region of ascending and transverse colon, and in left groin. Pain worse by pressure. Small enema brought away lumps of faeces with amelioration of pain and sickness. Convalescent, June 2nd. Among the *Peculiar Symptoms of *Rap. are: OEdema of lower eyelids. When she turns her eyes in the direction of the ear she feels a pain in the ear, temple, and parietal bone. Vertigo with loss of vision. Eyes filled with blood, sight lost. Loss of vision and hearing just before vomiting. Stopped sensation in ears. Teeth feel as if made of papier mache. Appetite without hunger 4 a.m. in bed. Constant, violent thirst. (“Woke between 3 and 4 a.m. with headache and drank much water. ‘) “Drinks more than he micturates.’ Also “Pains more severe when he drinks liquid.’ Sensation as if she had put her cold feet into very hot water. Cough causes jarring of head and chest, seems to come from epigastrium, cannot get low cough to loosen phlegm, from laughing. Expectoration of a very large amount of tenacious white mucus from pharynx and oesophagus with sensation of stricture in throat. On breathing, pain under breasts and in back. Heavy lump and coldness in center of chest between mammae preventing sleep. Sensation of an iron band round waist. Sensation of stiffness. Numbness in hands, in soles of feet and buttocks, of the parts near the painful bones. Sensation of swelling of bones, of hands, arms, eyes, yet feet feel small. Swelling of abdomen. Sensation of a hot foreign body like a ball going up from uterus to throat. Hot breath, hot eructations. Sensation of a number of balls rising from abdomen to throat. Many symptoms ascend: Pain in vertebral column as if a foreign body passed through it from top to bottom and was stopped at certain points by obstacles causing pain. Acute pains in coccyx, sensation as if an abscess forming. Sensation as of an abscess in liver. Pressure in hypogastrium as if a hernia would protrude. Throbbings in the body that became lancinations. Chilliness along the back and posterior surfaces of arms. Icy cold knees. Feverish sensation as if a cold coming on. Many symptoms besides those of globus appear to have their seat in the oesophagus, including the pains in the back on swallowing. There are few remedies with a greater proportion of distinctive symptoms than *Rap. E. T. Blake reports (*M.H.R., xxxi. 7) two cases of sexual insomnia cured with *Rap., one of which shows that *Rap. Has an influence on the male sexual sphere analogous to that it has on the female. A young man suffering from reflex epilepsy had had a generally adherent prepuce removed. Healing was delayed by furious priapism, which caused dragging at the sutures. *Rap. 1X given each night cured. Blake’s second case was in a woman of 40, with old pelvic troubles. *Orig. had failed, and *Platina had helped only slightly. *Rap. cured. The symptoms are worse in night and morning on waking. Worse 3 to 4 a.m. worse By touch (gland in axilla, abdomen, uterus-cannot bear touch of clothes, pain in bones). worse By jarring: jar of walking causes soreness and tenderness of bowels and brain. Cough causes painful shock in brain, efforts to vomit, pain in chest. Walking causes efforts to vomit, pain in heel. Walking in open air ameliorates the symptoms. Lying down causes nausea and faintness, ameliorates the symptoms. Can only lie on back. Motion worse pain in belly. Throwing back head ameliorates pain in occiput. Laughing causes cough. Worse By eating and drinking: but drinking ameliorates pain in chest. After breakfast, pain in heart. (Riding in carriage causes pain in heart.) Strangulation when she begins to eat or drink. Cold water held in mouth ameliorates dryness of throat. Everything swallowed causes pain in back. Must keep mouth open in order to breathe, the air entering pains and burns. Epistaxis ameliorates (headache). Vomiting ameliorates (blindness and deafness).
Relations
*Antidoted by: Copious draught of cold water. (Milk and water worse the pains in abdomen.) *Follows well: Lycopodium Botan., Armor., Brassic., Cheiran., Thlasp. b. p., Matthiola., Sin ap. *Compare: In flatulence, Carb-v. Accumulation and retention of flatulence, Lycopodium (Rap., flatus does not pass away, bowels move, but no flatus passes). Pressure above root of nose, Kali-bi. Headache better by epistaxis, Kali-bi. Meli., Millefolium, Pso. Masturbation in females, Gratiola, Orig. Swallowing causes pain in back, Rhus, Globus, Ignatia, Asafoetida Alternation of mental states, Ipecac. worse By jar, Belladonna, Acid nitricum Worse 3 to 4 a.m., Kali-ca., Kali-bi., Thuja, Medorrhinum Extreme sensitiveness, K. iod. Sensitiveness to electric states, Rhododendron, Mercurius, Pho. Icy coldness of knees, Carb-v. Burning in tongue, Sanguinaria Laughing causes cough, Arg-n. Coughing jars head, skin greasy, Bryonia, Natrum mur. better Bending head back, Seneg. Uterine affections, Thlasp. b. p., Sepia As if intoxicated, Querc. Toothache in pregnancy, Rat., Mag-c. Sexual insomnia, Kali-bro.
