Viburnum opulus. High Cranberry Bush. Cramp Bark. Water Elder. (The Gueldres Rose, or Snowball-tree of our gardens, is the cultivated and sterile variety.) *N.O. Caprifoliaceae. Tincture of the fresh bark.
Clinical
After-pains. Cough, of pregnancy. Cramps. Dysmenorrhoea, spasmodic, neuralgic, membranous. Ears, painful. Epididymitis. Headache. Hysteria. Labour pains, false. Lumbago. *Menstruation, *painful. Miscarriage. Ovaries, pain in. Paralysis. Uterus, cramps in, bearing down in.
Characteristics
*Viburnum opulus, a native of Great Britain, is widely distributed over the northern parts of the continent and America. In America (says Hale) the wild species is called “Cramp bark,” and the knowledge of its curative virtues in painful spasmodic diseases, especially in dysmenorrhoea, is derived from the American aborigines. The tincture has a strong odour of *Valerianic acid (as also has that of *Vib. tinus). Hale derived his knowledge from domestic sources. He gives these indications and directions: (1) In spasmodic dysmenorrhoea he gives a few drops of O to 3x thrice daily for a week before the period, every hour when the pains set in, or every fifteen minutes if the pains are severe. (2) False pains preceding labour (3) After-pains, a dose after each pain. (4) Cramps in abdomen and legs of pregnant women. (5) To prevent miscarriage when the pains are spasmodic or threatening. Hale considers it acts like galvanism, he cured with it cases exactly resembling a series cured with galvanism by Neftel. The first provings were by *H.C. Allen, assisted by eleven provers, male and female, with O and Ist and 30th dilutions. Their symptoms constitute the basis of the Schema. Dr. Susan J.Fenton, of Oakland (*Pac. C.J.H., reprinted *New Eng. M. Gaz., xxx. 405), proved *Vib. o. on six provers. One of the six took the tincture up to drachm doses without obtaining a single symptom. One prover was cured of a number of symptoms, but developed no new ones. The other four had very pronounced symptoms, which I have marked in the Schema (F1), (F2), (F3), and (F4). They were (1) Mrs. A., 49, tall slender, rigid fibre, dark hair and eyes nervo-bilious, (F1). (2) Miss B., 21, short, plump, dark hair, grey eyes, phlegmatic, (F2). (3) Miss D., 24, nurse, short, plump, dark hair and eyes, bilious, good health, (F3). (4) Miss E., 21, nurse, medium height, dark-brown eyes, dark hair, bright, lively temperament, (F4), All took potencies at first without eliciting any symptoms. Taking the tincture all had these symptoms with variations: severe backache going through to the front or round the abdomen to uterus. Cramping pelvic pain. Temporal headache. Three had nausea with the pains. All had “sick feeling all over.” One had omission of a period, two had menses too early. The cured case was the following: Miss F., 25, housekeeper, medium height, rather slender, blonde, sanguine, was strong till late in 1891 (i.e., 3 1/2 years before the proving), when she had severe pelvic congestion and was fifteen months under treatment and most of the time in bed. In June, 1892, double oophorectomy was performed with great relief, but attacks of pelvic congestion with severe pain still persisted, at first every two to four weeks, later less frequently, causing impairment of general health and strength. The symptoms were: excruciating pains through lower abdomen, with bearing-down sensation and a feeling as if the body from the waist to lower part of pelvis would collapse, an indescribable sick feeling all over with severe aching in rectum, great depression of spirits, symptoms better when lying down. *Vib. o. O was taken in three- drop doses thrice daily. After taking it for three days she lost all her symptoms and felt “perfectly well for the first time in over four years”. It is evident that “sick feeling all over” in connection with pelvic complaints, and “worse from movement, better by rest” are keynotes of *Vib. o. Peculiar Sensations are: As if she could not tell where she was or what to do on awaking. Crushing pain in head. Opening and shutting in left parietal region. As if stabbing with a knife in eyes and ears. Ear as if bruised, as if pinned to head. As if she could not live, sick feeling at stomach. Sick feeling all over. Goneness as if stomach empty. As if body from waist to lower pelvis would collapse. As if a hot fluid running through splenic vessels. As if urine continued to flow after urinating. As if menses coming on. As if pelvic organs were turning upside down. As if parts would be forced through vulva and she must support the part. Pain in back and across lower abdomen. As if breath would leave body and heart would cease beating. Bruised feeling in back as after severe exertion. Buzzing in hands as if they would burst. Left side as if strained or bruised by over-lifting. The *left side is much more powerfully affected than the right. *Vib. o. is Suited to tall, slender, dark-or fair-haired hysterical subjects. The symptoms are: worse By sudden jar. better By pressure. worse By motion. Rest, lying down better. Lying on left side impossible. Straining at stool worse headache. Stooping causes dizziness. Rising causes fainting, nausea, and dizziness. worse At night. worse In close room. Open air better.
Relations
*Antidoted by: Aconite (epididymitis), Verbascum (Diarrhoea). *Compare: Botan., Sambucus, Vib. p., Vib. t. Chemical, Valer. Nervous, rheumatic diathesis, Actea r. cramp like abdominal pains and menstrual symptoms, Caulo. Threatened miscarriage, pains go down into thighs, Chamomilla (with Chamomilla pains are intolerable, and there is flow of dark blood). Pains coming round pelvis to uterus, goneness, bearing down, feeling that organs will escape from vulva, and wants support, nervousness, Sepia (with Vib. the bearing down is more violent and culminates in uterus in cramps). Uterine cramps, Caulophyllum, Secale, Actea r. Aching eyeballs, Actea r. Bearing-down pains, Belladonna, Calcarea, Gossyp., Lilium tigrinum, Pul., Sul. Left ovarian and left inframammary pain, Lilium tigrinum, Lachesis, Caulophyllum, Sul., Ustil. better Menses coming on, Lachesis
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Exaltation of spirits, in some cases followed by depression.- Depressed.- Irritable, wishes to be alone.- Very nervous and excessively irritable, lasting all day (F3).- Confusion, and inability to concentrate thoughts.- Stupid feeling as if I could not tell where I was or what to do in morning on waking.- Inability to perform mental labour.
Head
Vertigo: in afternoon on closing eyes, worse descending stairs or walking in a dimly-lighted room, with inclination to turn to left, as if he would fall forward on rising from a seat.- Head hurt by every cough.- Pain in head: beginning about 3 p.m., worse at night, with red face.- Throbbing in head, all the evening, so severe on retiring that I felt sick all over.- Heavy headache, over eyes, worse left side, at times extending to vertex and occiput (worse when delayed menses should appear), worse a sudden jar, bending over, false step or movement.- Dull, heavy pain right side of head, throbbing on movement, better by rest, with dizziness and nausea (F2).- Very painful shootings from temples (worse r.) to base of brain (F3). Head dull and sluggish. Frontal headache: over left eye, in right supraorbital region, in forenoon over eyes on opening them, the soreness extending back into head, with occasional vertigo, almost incapacitating him for study, with profuse and frequent micturition, and in supraorbital region, with profuse, clear, watery urine.- Headache beginning over right eye and extending to vertex, with fullness in head and pressure on vertex.- Throbbing pain in forehead, extending to eyeballs, worse by mental exertion., better moving about.- Terrible crushing pain in head, worse left parietal region where there is sensation as if head opening and shutting, worse by motion, by mental exertion, better by rest (F1). Confusing, dull frontal headache extending to temples as after night-watching, compelling cessation of mental exertion. Pain in left temple, with pinching. Pain in left side of head. Sharp pain in parietal region penetrating into brain, worse coughing, moving head, and at stool. Pressive pain in right supraorbital region.- Hair feels as if pulled.- Scalp sensitive to touch.
Eyes
Swelling about right eye with induration.- Sclerotica streaked with blood.- Sensation of sand in eyes.- Pain in right eye with congestion.- Sore feeling on closing lids.- Burning and lachrymation.- Heaviness of eyes, feels almost sick enough to go to bed.- Heaviness over eyes and in balls, at times had to look twice to be sure of seeing an object. Eyeballs feel sore, (also F1).- Lids swollen.
Ears
Stabbing in ears.- Pains in bone waking at night.- External ear sore as if bruised, cannot lie on affected side of head, had to rub ear and it seemed as if I must straighten it out, sensation as if pinned to head, lay on other side, and was awakened by same feeling in that ear, in consequence compelled to change position often.
