Solanum nigrum. Black nightshade. *N.O. Solanaceae. Tincture of fresh plant.
Clinical
Amaurosis. Chorea. Headache. Heartburn. Hydrocephalus. Mania. Meningitis. Night-terrors. Parotitis. Peritonitis. Puerperal convulsions. Scarlatina. Small-pox. Stammering. Tetanus. Trismus. Tympanites. Typhoid fever. Varicosis. Vertigo. Ulcers.
Characteristics
*Sol. n. is a common weed found in waste places. It has white flowers and black berries. “The leaves applied externally ease pain and abate inflammation. Too large a quantity occasions violent sickness and headache, giddiness, drowsiness, and other dangerous symptoms. The Arabians apply the leaves to burns and ulcers, skin diseases, and scrofulous and cancerous affections, they are diaphoretic, diuretic, and purgative” (Green’s *Herbal). Hale says some country practitioners used it with much success under the impression that it was “an indigenous Belladonna,” having been misled by the name “nightshade.” Hale verified its use in meningitis and headache, in scarlatina when the eruption
is *blotchy. Hale justly points out the close affinity of *Sol. *n. with *Belladonna: Delirium, headache, flushed face, sparkling eyes, pains coming and going suddenly, fiery rashes, burning skin and sweat. The Schema is made up of provings and symptoms of poisoning cases _ all are unusually distinctive. A curious feature of the skin effects of the Black nightshade is that they have a tendency to *blackness: “The swelling is very painful, it enlarges, becomes shiny, hard, and deep red, and in several places, quite black.” “The black hue of the swollen parts grows deeper, the fingers are stiffened,” &c. “The tip of the nose, the hands, from the finger-tips to the knuckles, and the toes to the tarsal joints become quite black as if regularly dyed.” Corresponding to the black appearance is a bruised feeling all over the body. The headaches of *Sol. *n. are described as “frightful.” They are splitting, throbbing, bursting, piercing, and are worse by least movement of head, light, noise, stooping, by least movement after sitting, worse in a close room, and rather better in open air. The day after taking a single dose of O a patient of Cooper’s had this: “Head feels full across forehead, eyes heavy, and forehead burns, could not apply himself to work.” The vertigo is worse on moving the head. Sensation as if the bed was being rapidly turned in a circle. Inclines to left on walking. The delirium is characterized by the cephalic cry, efforts to escape, and by stammering speech. Dilatation of the pupils is as marked as with *Belladonna, and there is the same dryness of mouth and throat. Spasms, convulsions, and tetanic rigidity of the whole body have been induced. The most peculiar feature of the convulsions is this: “In the midst of these convulsions the children frequently stretch out their little hands, then carry them eagerly to their mouths, and go through the motions of mastication and swallowing.” The skin symptoms are very marked. After one dose of O this condition disappeared in a patient of Cooper’s: patches of psoriasis, knees, elbows, and forehead, scaly, with red irritating spots at roots of hair. *Peculiar Sensations are: Brain as if swimming. As if things moving in a circle, when stooping. As if bed turning rapidly in a circle. As if brain shaking about in skull, on moving head. As if head would split. As from a blow on forehead. As if sand in eyes. As if splinter in right tonsil. Tongue as if scalded. Pains come and go suddenly. Symptoms extend upward. Right upper, left lower. Alternate coldness and heat. The symptoms are worse by touch. Worse motion. Worse moving head. Worse moving. Worse beginning to move after sitting. Worse walking (inclines to left). Worse misstep. Worse swallowing. Worse light. Worse bright sunshine (eyes). Better closing eyes (headache causes him to close eyes). There is very great sensitiveness to cold air, but headache is worse in warm room and better in open air. Many symptoms are worse morning on waking. Headache at 10 A.M.
Relations
*Compare: In general Bell, and other Solanaceae. Cerebral cry, Apis. Stammering, Stramonium Headache 10 A.M. Natrum mur. Splinter sensation, nitricum acidum, Hepar Tongue as if scalded, Sanguinaria Pain in back of neck, Helleborus Sensation of a blow, Naja. (Naja. On occiput, Sol. n. on forehead).
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Delirium: with stammering speech, efforts to get out of bed, with piercing cries and convulsions.- Complete cessation of mental faculties.- Apoplectic stupor, muscles relaxed, face flushed, pulse full and irregular. – Coma with twitching.
Head
Vertigo: on rising and moving about, with dizziness before eyes, with nausea and colic, on stooping, on rising in morning, better in open air.- Brain seems to swim, worse on moving head.- Sensation as if bed was turning rapidly in a circle (ten minutes after going to bed).- On stooping sensation as if everything moving in a circle.-While walking, body inclines to left- Headache: dull, heavy throbbing, followed by dilatation of pupils.- Lightness in head.- Frightful headache.- Headache worse beginning to move after sitting, better walking in open air.- Very severe pain in head immediately over eyes, makes him partially close eyes, worse by light, by stooping, 10 A.M.- Headache worse in close room.- Feeling as if head would split.- Feeling on least motion after sitting as if brain would burst from forehead.- In forehead: dull, heavy pressure, sensation as from a blow, throbbing during whole afternoon.-Severe pain through temples as if head would split.- Severe throbbing pain in left temple worse slightest miss-step, and worse stooping at 1 p.m. Sharp gnawing pain in right temple 9 A.M. causing him to grasp his hand and shut his eyes.- Throbbing of temporal and carotid arteries, 11 A.M. Pain in small circumscribed spot on vertex.- Pressure on vertex and forehead.- Eruption on forehead of small red pimples, sore to touch and very hard, when one went another came.- Scalp sore on moving hand through hair. Scalp sore as if hair had been severely pulled.
Eyes
Wrinkles round eyes.- Eyes wide open, moist, and sparkling.- Eyes: red, full and tense, dull and heavy, burning, very sensitive to light, sensation as if sand in them.- Pain: over left eye, severe in supraorbital region on waking in morning, worse motion and stooping, heavy, bruised sensation.- Sharp shooting over right eye.-Burning in lids.- Burning in lid- margins,- Lids swollen and itching.-Lids agglutinated.- Pain in left inner canthus.- Lachrymation. – Pupils dilated: enormously and insensible, alternating with contraction. -Vision weak, worse by bright sunlight.- Erethiritic amaurosis.- Muscae, flickering black points and streaks, darkness before eyes, everything seemed too bright.- Sparks before eyes (with nausea).
Ears
Most violent parotitis.- Stitches in ear.- Sounds seem distant.- Buzzing before ears.
Nose
Nose deep red.- Considerable sneezing.- Discharge of thin, watery substance, from right nostril, left being closed. -Burning in nose.- Nose swollen, painful, and black.- Tip of nose black.
Face
Wrinkles round eyes, on upper lip and on fingers.-Face highly congested, wild anxious.- Face, red, swollen, bloated, itching.- Expression: fatigued, of fright and terror, as if intoxicated.- Face pale. -Sloughs detached from face.-Sharp, neuralgic-like pains shooting from lower jaw up into left ear, coming and going suddenly (10 A.M.). -Lips dry and blistered, as if scalded. Trismus.
Mouth
Lips and tongue dry as if scalded.- Tongue sore as if burnt.- Dryness: of back of tongue and arch of palate, of mouth.-Insipid taste (with pain over eyes) on waking in morning. -Utterance becomes uneasy.
Throat
Throat sore as if burnt.- Stitches in right side of throat.-Raw sensation in throat, painful on swallowing, solids or liquids.- Tickling in throat causing cough.- Fauces: dry, sticking in worse on swallowing, at times stitches shooting to drum of right ear.- Left tonsil swollen.- Feeling as if splinter in right tonsil.- Cramp in oesophagus. – Violent beating of carotids.
Stomach
Appetite lost.- Great thirst, for large quantities, often.-Empty eructations with burning in stomach.-Heartburn.-Nausea with sparks before the eyes, continuing till he went to sleep.-Nausea and retchings.- Nausea and efforts to vomit, followed by profuse vomiting, at first of mucus, afterwards of bluish or greyish- black fluid.- Vomit: ingesta, blackish-green liquid, thick.- Severe pain in region of stomach, extending into heart region and left shoulder (5 p.m.).- Pressure in stomach, constant or in paroxysms. Cramps, cutting, burning in pit of stomach.- Burning in stomach extending up into oesophagus.
Abdomen
Violent cutting in umbilical region.- Abdomen excessively distended and tense.- Colic, and ineffectual urging.- Pain 5 p.m., as if intestines were cut with knives.- Pains in abdomen and desire to lie down.
Stool and Anus
Tenesmus in anus.- Stools: natural but more frequent, semi-fluid, yellow, watery.- Stools followed by burning pain in stomach, extending up, with nausea.- Constipation, small, dry, hard stools.
