Bryonia Alba – Homeopathic Remedy – Materia Medica Viva George Vithoulkas

 

Bryonia Alba

Vitis nigra; Bryonia nigram; Chironiam vitam; Bryonia dioica; Bryonia vera; Vitis alba.

English: White bryony; Black-berried white bryony; White hops.

French: Bryone; Bryone blanche; Coulevre. German: Weisse Zaunrube; Stichwurz Polish: Pryestepbiaty.

Dutch: Welde wyngaar; Witte Bryon Portuguese: Norca branca.

Italian: Brionia, Vita bianca.

Spanish: Neuza alba

Swedish: Hundrosva.

Natural order: Cucurbitaceae – Monoecia, Monodelphia.

Family: Jussieu [vegetable substance] Dioecia gynandria, L. Tincture of root procured before flowering.

 

The essential features

The pathology which every remedy represents and cures in the human organism can be conceived of as an “idea” rather than as a heap of meaningless symptoms. The important remedies of our materia medica have been proven extensively and their symptomatology is sufficiently comprehensive for the contemplative student to extract therefrom the prevailing “idea”.

In Bryonia we have a patient who is emotionally, bodily and mentally dried up. He wants to be left alone, undisturbed, while at the same time constantly needing great quantities of water to balance his dryness. If this is looked at symbolically, we see that the water element, symbolising the emotions, is lacking, or has been restricted.

It will be apparent to you when you look upon a typical constitutional Bryonia type that there is an element of dehydration at all levels. The sensation of dryness of the mucous membranes is most frequently reported, but the dryness of Bryonia extends to the emotional and mental levels as well. The mind is dry — in other words, the mind lacks nimbleness and agility; it is unimaginative.

 

The stiffness of the mind

Constitutional Bryonia patients suffer from a stiffness of the mind; they tend to be very business-like and matter-of-fact. Their perspective is quite limited or earthy. Consequently, they often focus their energies upon the attainment of earthly things and material security, especially money. Underlying their rather gruff, business-like manner, however, a sense of financial insecurity dwells, and the primary expression of this insecurity in Bryonia patients is a fear of poverty. They are afraid of being poor one day, irrespective of the degree of their bank balance or business success.

Bryonia is a remedy which is indicated quite frequently today. The need for Bryonia is quite possibly a result of the pressures arising from the currently prevailing socioeconomic system. The pressures to perform effectively in the business world and to achieve financial success in the face of fierce competition can have a profound influence upon one’s psychological functioning. As a consequence, many susceptible individuals will develop the mental, emotional, and physical pathological indications for Bryonia.

The Bryonia individual, most often a male, will be one who primarily wishes to be alone. This desire to be alone is attributable to a great amount of internal irritability and anger. Underlying the irritability is a considerable sense of insecurity expressed, as we have said before, with an irrational fear of poverty and also fear about the future and, most specifically, about the future as it relates to his financial situation. These people are very business-like. Business concerns even occupy their subconscious mind; as a consequence, they often will talk about business while in a delirium. As one might expect, these people will be very careful with their money and are reluctant to part with it, though they are not stingy to the extent of Arsenicum or Mercury. It is unlikely that a Bryonia case should buy expensive goods for himself which he feels to be unnecessary. He may however spend money for a good cause. The Bryonia attitude, as has been mentioned, is a materialistic one. Bryonia patients are earth-bound; i.e., earthy in their perspectives and attitudes. They will pursue with determination whatever they decide would be beneficial for them. Bryonia patients with any interest in spiritual matters are definitely the exception.

 

The emotional dryness and desire to be left alone

The emotional dryness manifests in the patients’ irritability and peevishness, major characteristics of Bryonia. They are very serious people, lacking in imagination. They are neither playful nor joyful. Seldom will they attempt a joke. Typically these people lack refinement and sensitivity, but they do retain a specific sensitivity — a sensitivity to annoyance. They do not welcome interference in their lives; they simply want to find their own niche, their place in life, and to be left alone. They are averse to being bothered by others because of the internal irritability which they are reluctant to show. The problem with any kind of interference is that there must be some reaction on their part; this is tremendously difficult and aggravates them. Their attitude is “Leave me alone.”

This is the nature of Bryonia, and we must perceive its inner structure along the same lines. The agility goes and a rigidity settles in. This individual is drying up, and in order to keep in balance he must have supplies of water, of emotions and of money. All of which must come from the outside. He is afraid that in his old age nobody will love him, nobody will care about him and he has to have money to pay people. Emotionally he cannot give love but he needs to feel loved in order to feel secure, in spite of the fact that when he is loved he does not appreciate it. He can be busy and excited, buying and selling on the stock market, for which he can have a great passion, but he is unable to fall passionately in love with a woman.

He cannot feel or express passion, although he can perform sexually. For a Bryonia individual, it is enough that his wife should love him and be available, but he is incapable of romance or appreciation of her tenderness.

He is usually angry and irritable and inconsiderate towards others, and once he has finished with sexual intercourse he retreats into himself and is better if no-one bothers him anymore.

In a description of this type it is not possible to describe all the variations of the remedy and all the different moods. The student of homeopathy is requested to understand the main ideas that run through each remedy.

 

The dryness of the physical body and thirst

This same attitude will be apparent when the patient has to move a painful joint. Moving the joint creates a dry and cracking sensation, and he hates to have to do it. This dryness is apparent at different levels of the physical body. The mucous membranes, serous membranes or skin can dry up to a tremendous extent. Further examples of such dryness include: dryness of the conjunctiva of the eyes, so that the eyes cannot be moved without distress; dryness of the synovial membranes, so the joints cannot be moved without pain; dryness of the linings of the intestines so the stool will not move and a most distressing constipation sets in.

Bryonia is, of course, an extremely thirsty remedy. The thirst is for large quantities of cool or tepid water. In Bryonia there is a preference for warm drinks that actually makes the patient feel better, often tepid tap water is quite sufficient. These characteristics help to distinguish Bryonia from such remedies as Phosphorus, Natrum muriaticum, and Sulphur which all desire great quantites of cold water frequently. (Lycopodium, on the other hand desires and is ameliorated by warm drinks but the quantity of water they require is much less; Lac caninum, Ars. and Chel. also crave warm drinks.) As mentioned, Bryonia manifests great dryness of the mucous membranes in many conditions. One must be careful when analyzing a case however, because some Bryonia patients can experience great dryness of the mouth without thirst. There are other remedies which have dryness and a simultaneous aversion to water. One of these remedies, Nux moschata, possesses such great dryness that the tongue feels stuck to the palate, yet there is an aversion to water. If these patients even attempt to drink some water to help wash down some food, they will have to spit out the water; they cannot drink it. There is a complete absence of thirst. Natrum muriaticum often exhibits this symptom too. So far we have given a description of the symptoms of the remedy. However, you should bear in mind the importance of the pathological picture that presents itself when you combine all the symptoms, for this is where the peculiarity and uniqueness of this personality lie. On prescribing this remedy you should not lose sight of the dryness, of the aggravation from moving these dry parts, nor of the “do not bother me” attitude, and the persistent but slow development of the pathology. And beyond that, you should make an effort to understand the subtleties of the pathology of the personality.

As you perceive the idea behind a remedy, you find yourself prescribing it with more surety and greater confidence than ever. If, however, you prescribe the remedy on symptoms alone, the margin for error remains very great. In order for one to be able to see these images and ideas correctly, it is necessary to have seen a lot of cases, and most of all to have prescribed the remedy correctly in several constitutional types.

When I started talking about these ideas more than 25 years ago my students got excited and became very receptive. As a side-effect of this excitement, several “eager homeopaths” came on the scene, trying to copy these ideas, as a result creating confusion in the minds of those who were listening. Do not be in a hurry to make up stories about the remedies before you have seen enough cases and gained some real insight into the remedies, and before being able to confirm your observations.

 

The acute state

Bryonia is a remedy that will show persistence and determination, and will not vacillate. The complaints start slowly and develop steadily to a crescendo over a much longer period of time than most other remedies. Acute conditions take several days to reach their full-blown manifestation, whereas in other remedies – eg. Aconite or Belladonna – we see a much more immediate and explosive reaction of the organism. Bryonia presents a slow but steady development of complaints, which persists until a very serious level is reached.

We can better understand the chronic state of Bryonia by examining Bryonia’s acute state. Typically during severe Bryonia acute states — usually involving fever and bronchitis — patients realize that they need to muster all of their recuperative powers. Their suffering and irritability are tremendous. They want to be left alone in order to collect all their energy to insure that they will be able to weather the illness. Even in their normal chronic condition Bryonia individuals don’t easily seek help for mental or emotional problems; they would rather attempt to work their problems out by themselves. In this acute state they are dry and dehydrated. The mouth is very dry and there is a constant need to drink. Consequently, during a fever, the patients tend to become irritated when someone enters the room to talk to them, console them, or to offer help. They feel that quiet is the best thing for them. It is very distressing for them to have to react to anything, or even to have to move.

During a fever, the simple question: “Do you want a cup of tea?” is liable to make the Bryonia patient feel worse. He feels that the simple act of answering such a question will cause an aggravation by expending the recuperative powers. The usual observation made in a Bryonia case is that the person attending the patient will say that the patient is very ill and does not want any interference. On being offered a cup of tea, even though the patient is thirsty, he is aggravated by the fact that someone has disturbed him. But when the tea arrives, he will drink it with great relish. He is very thirsty and is often ameliorated by warm drinks. However, the whole process of being asked and of having to respond remains very aggravating. In such a case it is best to leave the tea and go out of the room immediately. If you are sensitive enough you will perceive the aggravation, even without words. Kent writes: “Do not cross a Bryonia patient for it makes him worse.” The patient himself feels that it is unfair to treat others, who are interested in him, in this way, but he cannot help it.

 

The aggravation from movement

Exhaustion and sluggishness play a role in this unwillingness to interact with others when ill, but far more responsible is an irritability and a basic aversion to motion. Any motion — that of physically moving, even breathing or moving the eyes — or the effort of feeling or talking, even of thinking — aggravates Bryonia patients; they do not want to move. They are aggravated from movement; and here we have the greatest characteristic and keynote of Bryonia. Such is the aggravation from motion that you may not be able to make a physical examination, as the patient faints as soon as he tries to raise himself in bed.

I recall a case of Bryonia that I saw in South Africa. When I entered the patient’s room, he was lying facing the wall. He coughed and lay perfectly still with his back towards me. During the entire visit I conversed through an interpreter, and the patient never once turned around to look at me. It was too painful for him to move. He offered very little information. The person who was interpreting and who had been caring for him said that he had had no appetite for two to three days, that he had been in a great deal of pain while coughing and would lie in one position only, never moving. He did not want anything; he only drank water from time to time. He was given Bryonia, and the next day he was much better and recovered without needing any other remedy.

The aggravation from movement of Bryonia makes it a good remedy for arthritic conditions. Severe arthritic inflammations that are aggravated by the slightest movement will often be benefited by Bryonia. An important observation, however, is that sometimes, when the joint pain is extremely intense, the pain can be so severe that, despite being aggravated by motion, the patient feels compelled to get up and walk about. The suffering is so great that he has to move. This paradoxical restlessness can at times create confusion with Arsenicum and Rhus toxicodendron.

A further important keynote of Bryonia is an amelioration from pressure. Many forms of pain and discomfort are ameliorated by holding and pressing upon the affected part. Lying on the painful side (e.g., in headaches, chest pain, etc.) frequently provides respite from the pain. An important observation in cases of acute appendicitis corresponding to Bryonia is that there will seldom be tenderness to direct pressure. When the examiner’s hand is suddenly removed from the abdomen, however, severe pain occurs. This presentation is classic for Bryonia: with pressure there is an amelioration of the pain, but the sudden release of pressure — sudden motion — provokes pain. Bryonia is one of the specific remedies for acute appendicitis; it will cure a very large percentage of cases which present with marked rebound tenderness and a lack of significant tenderness to direct pressure.

Bryonia is full of anxiety and despondency. He is not easily pleased with others, and often does not know himself what he really wants. There is an internal restlessness that forces him to move about, in spite of being aggravated from motion. There is anxiety and fear, including fear of death and fear that he will not recover from his illness. But his mind which is logical and practical does not allow the fears to overwhelm him. He may allow his temper, his anger, or his irritability to reach violent expressions, but he will not allow the fears to cloud his mind completely.

Kent writes about Bryonia:”The mental state of Bryonia is usually relieved from cool air, he wants the windows open. Anxiety, confusion of mind, fear, etc., are ameliorated from being cool. Sometimes the delirium, and the congestive fulness of the head affecting the mind, will increase if the room becomes very warm, or from the heat of the stove, from becoming heated, or from warm covers. In children this will be noticed, whereas if the window be thrown up to relieve the stuffiness of the room the child will sleep quietly. Such remedies as Bryonia, Apis, Pulsatilla, and many others, come in here. If you go into a room and find the child raging with delirium, turning and tossing, and the mother is trying to keep the room warm because she is chilly, and say: “Why, how stuffy it is in here!” and you open the window and then notice that the child goes off to sleep, do not overlook that; because that relief was caused by something. There should be nothing that can possibly occur to a patient, but that you should solve the meaning of before you leave the room. Settle in your mind as to what it was that caused it.

“Fear of death.” Full of fear, anxiety, despair of recovery, great despondency. Both mental and bodily quietness is required, that is he wants to keep still. Often he wants the room dark. It has complaints from getting excited. Bryonia patients are nearly always worse from visitors. “Morose.” Do not cross a Bryonia patient for it makes him worse. “Bad effects from mortification.” “Ailments arising from chagrin;” these are headaches usually. Violent, congesting headaches that come on a few hours after altercation or controversy, or little misunderstandings with somebody that he cannot talk back to, will be covered by Staph., but Bryonia also has that. Staph. is suited to irritable, violent, nervous, excitable people, who get into violent altercation or dispute. If a headache comes on, such a patient may need Bryonia. If in a chronic state a patient says. “Doctor, if I ever have a dispute with a man over anything I come down with nervous excitement, sleeplessness, headaches;” you do not have to work long upon that case, because more than likely Staph. will be suitable.”

 

The Bryonia child

Bryonia children, during acute illnesses, will often ask for things that they cannot have. In the midst of their fever and moaning they will call out their demands, which typically will be for several impossible things. Should their parents hand them one of the items, they will immediately throw it away like the Chamomilla child does. The especially characteristic trait, though, is that they ask for things that are difficult for the parents to find. There is a feeling of dissatisfaction, of discontent inside them; they don’t actually know what they want. “He wants something and he knows not what,” is a very important symptom for Bryonia. It is a   symptom that calls for Bryonia only when the rest of the symptoms agree. You go to a child who is being carried in the arms of the nurse and wants one toy after another; you get the toy he wants and he does not want it and will throw it back at you. When that case is looked into thoroughly it may be covered by Kreosote; another is never satisfied with anything and rejects everything he asks for; you look into that case and it may be covered by Chamomilla.

A characteristic that one may at times encounter is a tendency for nosebleeds in children during the night while they are in bed, between three and four a.m. Children seem weary, easily fall down from dizziness. In brain affections children perform a strange chewing motion as if they were chewing the cud. This usually occurs during sleep. The mouth may distort during sleep when there is brain involvement.

 

The delirium

Bryonia’s well-known time of aggravation is morning on waking and 9 p.m. ; there is a general aggravation at this time. This is how Kent describes it: “In rheumatic complaints, in pneumonia, and in typhoid conditions, when he is aroused from this stage of stupefaction he is confused, sees images, thinks he is away from home and wants to be taken home. Sometimes he will lie and say nothing but he “wants to go home.” The delirium is of a low type: it is not the flashing wild excitement of Bell. or Stram.; it is the very opposite; he talks and wanders and does not say much unless he is disturbed. You disturb him and he says “Go away and let me go home” and if you let him alone he will relapse into a perfectly quiet state and seldom speak. “Irrational talk or prattle of his business aggravated after 3 p.m. Usually you will find the delirium commencing about 9 p.m. and keeping up all night like the fever. The acute mental symptoms appear on rising in the morning, but as the febrile state advances and takes possession the symptoms take on a 9 p.m. aggravation; those that have chill will have it at 9 p.m. ; in those who have a fever the fever will come at 9 p.m. If mental symptoms are uppermost they increase and spread over the night.” … “Bryonia will begin at 9 p.m. and run through the night.”

When delirious, Bryonia patients will, in addition to talking of business, often express the wish to go home, even if they are already in their home. The origin of this delirious request is the feeling of security they enjoy when they are in their own place. This trait is very strong.

 

The mind conditions

Bryonia is one of our major polychrests and a remedy that covers a vast amount of pathology. The above description has not exhausted the symptomatology and the conditions in which this remedy could be prescribed, and therefore we give below some characteristic mind conditions for the conscientious student wanting to know more about the mind of Bryonia.

The Anger and Irritability – Ailments after anger, vexation, fright, scorn or acute disappointment and mortification with anxiety. Complaints from hurry; from violence.

Anger, irascibility, and irritability; in the evening. Irritability in the morning on waking, during chill, after eating, during headache, during heat, during menses, and during perspiration.

Irritability in liver troubles and from the cough during whooping cough.

Quarrelsome and inclined to scold those around him. Envious of others and feels himself unfortunate. Becomes violently angry from contradiction. After having been angry he is chilly, but has a red face with heat in the head. The Ill Humor – Morose during whooping cough.

Ill humour with needless anxiety and everything seems to put him in a bad mood. Mocking and sarcastic. Bad tempered and weeping mood. Wearisome, weeping, tearful mood, in day time and at night, before coughing, during the heat, during the perspiration; he feels nervous all day.

Taciturn and disinclined to conversation. Answers hastily, does not ask for anything and wishes to be alone. He is averse to any company, particularly the presence of strangers and does not wish to be disturbed. Aversion to being touched.

The Dissatisfaction – Generally displeased, discontented and dissatisfied with himself. Complaining and despondent.

The Anxieties and Apprehensions – Extreme anxiety for the future, especially in the evening, in bed at night, before midnight; ameliorated in the open air. Anxiety about his health and thinking about his complaints aggravates his symptoms. Causeless anxiety; feels anxious in the house.

The state of apprehension is felt in the whole body forcing him to do something constantly. He is always busy and thinks about his work or his business all the time. Hurried, impatient and industrious. Conscientious about trifles. Avarice with a desire to have material objects and make plenty of money. Fear of poverty. The Restlessness – Restlessness, nervousness, at night, with anxiety, during headache, during perspiration.

Restlessness, causing him to toss and turn in bed and eventually drives him out of bed.

The Capriciousness – Capricious mood; has a desire for many things which when offered are refused; desire for change; obstinate.

Lacks confidence and becomes hesitant. Timidity.

The Stupefaction and Dullness – Disinclined to think with exhausted mental power. Indolence and aversion to work; irresolution.

Stupefaction and confused hasty speech.

Feels confused in the morning, on rising and in the afternoon, ameliorated in the open air. Persistent thoughts when walking.

Confusion during the heat, as after being intoxicated; when lying, while riding, from motion, after sleeping, while walking, ameliorated from yawning. Confusion after drinking; ameliorated with eructations.

The mind becomes so weak that his ideas seem to disappear, as if he would faint; he becomes hot in the face and feels worse standing. Inclination to sit. Momentary absence of mind with giddiness and forgetfulness. Dullness and sluggishness, while lying down and during chill.

The imagination is sluggish with an inability to make any plans for the future. Ameliorated in the evening with clearness of mind and abundant ideas. The Depression – Sadness and depression during heat and perspiration with much sighing. Wants to be quiet during chill and during heat. Becomes oversensitive during the chill.

Sensitive to noise.

Despair of being cured and fear of death. He has many fears and is easily frightened, the fear rising up from the stomach; fear of being alone, of poverty, of death, of impending disease, of evil, of insanity, of narrow places, of being poisoned, when riding in a vehicle, of suffering, of starving, of thunderstorm. Mental symptoms before and during thunderstorms.

Bryonia has ailments from mortification and from chagrin and these are usually headaches.

The Insanity and Delusions – Madness and insanity with a desire to travel. Mental insecurity.

Raging and raving during delirium, which occurs at daybreak, in the morning or in the evening, at night. On closing the eyes, he becomes loquacious and busy. He has a presentiment of death and many delusions: as if the bed were sinking, the bed is too hard, fancies is doing business, sees dead persons, sees faces on closing eyes, illusions of fancy; thinks is away from home, is in a strange land, is being injured, being beaten; sees people on closing eyes, thought he was pursued by soldiers, sees spectres, ghosts, spirits, friends appear as strangers. Desires to leave home and talks about home.

During the delirium he attempts to escape through the window. Impetuous during perspiration with moaning, groaning, during sleep. Symptoms are aggravated by heat.

Starting on falling asleep in the evening, also in bed while lying awake; startled from sleep.

Muttering and shrieking during sleep and becomes excitable with exaltation of fancies; very anxious and fearful during a fever. Talks about business matters when he is delirious and thinks he is somewhere else and wants to go home.

Waves his hands around and gesticulates with the delirium.

Unconsciousness in the morning, after delirium, during fever, on rising in the morning and on rising up. Suspicious.

With the information provided above, one can cure any condition that manifests the typical Bryonia picture, be it bronchitis, pneumonia, intercostal neuralgia, constipation, diarrhea, etc. But the symptomatology must be present — the dryness, the aggravation from motion, the irritability, the desire to be left alone, the thirst etc.

 

Generalities

Kent writes: This medicine is suitable in a great many diseases, diseases of a typhoid nature, diseases that take on a symptomatic typhoid, diseases that start out as remittents and run into a continued fever, as in pneumonia, pleurisy, inflammation of the liver, of glands, of the bowels, etc. It may be a gastro-enteritis or peritonitis, or inflammation of the bowels, with the sensitiveness, the aggravation from motion and the desire to keep perfectly still. Inflammation of joints, whether of rheumatic character or not, whether from cold, exposure or injury, Bryonia is often indicated in injuries of joints where Arnica would be a failure. There is an extreme state of irritability in Bryonia; every word which compels him to answer a question or to think will aggravate him. The effort to talk will be attended with horror. At the beginning of complaints you go to the bedside of a patient who has been grumbling a few days; something is evidently coming on; the family meet you at the door and say, “The patient is almost unconscious;” you look at him, the face is puffed and purplish, he seems to be dazed, there appears to be a sort of venous stasis all over the body, but especially about the face; his countenance is almost that of an imbecile, yet he is perfectly capable of talking, although he has an aversion to it and appears to outsiders to ignore everything that is said. This sometimes comes on apparently in a short time; the patient awakens in the morning with a dull, congestive headache and a stupid feeling in the head; dulness of mind so that he cannot work, and this feeling gradually increases; such a state is sometimes the forerunner of a serious illness. We find, when a pneumonia or inflammation of the liver, or some slow insidious inflammation is coming on somewhere in the body, but not yet located, that this state will begin in the morning. This is peculiar about the aggravation of Bryonia – its troubles commence many times early in the morning. On waking, with the first move, he realizes that things are not all right, there is a state of stupidity bordering on unconsciousness. Those who have been grumbling for a week or ten days wake up in the morning feeling miserable, some time that night or the next day they have to send for the doctor. If this is watched for a few days, a continued fever is observed. Or at night a chill will come on, with much pain in the chest, rusty expectoration, short dry cough and other symptoms that will be spoken of under Bryonia later, showing that the trouble is going towards the chest; or the condition may gradually increase as a congestive, dull headache. This will be seen when congestion of the brain is coming on. ………”

“……. There is a feature worthy of consideration because it sometimes makes a case appear inconsistent. It is due to his anxiety that pervades the whole body. In Bryonia as in Arsenic there comes an anxious and uneasy feeling which compels him to move, but he is worse from motion, yet so uneasy and anxious that he must move. There are pains so violent that he cannot keep still, and yet when he moves he screeches from the pain. So it is really not an inconsistency but simply due to the great violence of the pain. Even though he knows that the motion is going to make him worse, he cannot keep still, for the pain is so violent. Early in the case he was able to keep still, and found that he was better from keeping still, and that the mental state was better from keeping still, and that the anxious restlessness increased the more he moved, until finally a reaction comes and he is obliged to move. You would think, looking at the case superficially, that patient is better from motion as in Rhus tox., but in Rhus you find that the patient moves and in moving he gets feeble, and when he sits down the pains begin to come on again. There is the distinction between the two, and yet they look alike if not examined into carefully. It is common for Bryonia to be ameliorated from cool air, and from cool applications. Now, if he moves, he gets warmed up, the pains are worse, but there are rheumatic complaints of Bryonia which are better from heat, and under these circumstances he is better from continued motion. It is another form of relief, and another of the modalities. I sometimes wonder whether Bryonia has a greater element of relief from heat, or greater element of relief from cold. Most of the head complaints that are of a congestive character are better from cool applications, from cold air, etc. Yet there are some of the Bryonia head complaints that are relieved by hot applications, and these seem to have no accompanying cerebral congestion. So that Bryonia has opposite modalities, but in all its opposite states there is still a grand nature running all through, sufficient to detect it. In a damp climate Bryonia is one of the most frequently indicated remedies, but in the clear climates, where the thermometer runs low, Aconite will be indicated more than Bryonia. These atmospheric changes should be thoroughly considered in relation to our Materia Medica.

The patient is worse from a warm room, worse from too much clothing, worse from the warmth of the bed, wants the windows open, wants to breathe fresh, cool air. He suffers more than ordinary persons, from a stuffy room. Persons who are subject to Bryonia conditions suffer in church, at the opera, in close warm rooms, like Lycopodium. Girls who faint every time they go to church are relieved by Ignatia.

Bryonia has a marked action on all the serous membranes and the viscera they contain, causing inflammation and exudation.

It disorders circulation, alters the blood and gives rise to fevers of the typhoid, bilious, rheumatic and remittent types. The acute symptomatology of Bryonia has a tendency to develop gradually over a course of two to three days, similar to Gelsemium.

Characteristic stitching and tearing pains with AVERSION TO THE LEAST MOVEMENT. The patient avoids even moving the eyes, and raising the head from the pillow causes faintness, nausea and vomiting. These stitching pains are found everywhere, but especially in the chest. Has strong effect on nerves and muscles, where it causes inflammation and soreness. Muscles become hard, after neuralgia.

The typical Bryonia patient is of dark complexion and hair, plethoric or choleric constitution, has a bilious tendency with firm fleshy fibre and a tendency to great irritability and bad temper. Easily angered (with biliousness, headache, and dyspepsia). Ailments after: anger, catalepsy from anger, chagrin, fright, suppressed eruptions and discharges; alcohol, over-indulgence in rich food and red meat, wounds; black or brown abscesses with acrid pus, suppressed abscesses. Ulcers of the skin with fistulae. Aluminium poisoning. Influenza. Measles after repelled exanthema. Lack of reaction in exanthemas.

A remedy which closely resembles Bryonia and which is often effective when a case appears to call for Bryonia but fails to respond to it is Stellaria media. It is a remedy for rheumatism, stiffness of the joints, synovitis, general irritability; the neck muscles are “stiff and sore”; the “eyes feel protruded.” There is an aggravation from movement in this remedy as well.

There is typically an aggravation from heat. Complaints from drinking cold drinks in hot weather, from taking cold or getting hot in summer; complaints when the warm weather sets in after cold days.

Irritability of mind and tissues runs through this remedy and chilliness predominates.

Headache or neuralgia in (left) side of the head and face, aggravated by moving and ameliorated by hard pressure and cold applications.

There is a peculiarity of Bryonia that one may encounter in elderly patients. Arteriosclerotic patients will tend to make a lateral chewing motion with their jaws; it is somewhat like a cow chewing its cud. This chewing motion can also be seen in febrile children when there is brain involvement.

Dryness of the mucous membranes; scanty discharges.

Dry, burning heat, as if blood were burning in the veins or one part cold with heat of another. Flushes as if warm water were poured over one and a sensation of heat in the evening in bed.

Profuse sour or oily sweat night and morning.

Dryness of the mouth and stomach; extreme thirst, worse from drinking beer. Desire for food which cannot be had or refuses things when offered. There are no particularly strong desires and aversions in Bryonia’s food preferences with the exception of a strong desire for oysters and for meat. There is also a desire for warm drinks which ameliorate the stomach symptomatology.

Bryonia is gluttonous in its eating and suffers many digestive complaints.

Food lies like a stone; ameliorated by bringing up wind. Eructations of tasteless gas is characteristic. Symptoms worse after a meal. The tongue is foul and everything tastes bitter. Sour stomach. Digestion usually worse in the summer. Teste regards the digestive canal, and more particularly the stomach, as the principal seat of the action of Bryonia.

Diarrhea in the morning as soon as he moves, but more commonly constipation with large, dry, burnt looking stools. Stools that smell of old cheese.

Bryonia is one of the main remedies for constipation when the stool is large, hard, and dry; there seems to be no mucous lining to the intestines to facilitate the passage of the stool. There is also a deficiency of peristaltic activity in the bowels.

Inflammation and tenderness of the liver and kidneys. Urine is dark red but without deposit.

Hemorrhages are frequent; nosebleed especially in the night around 3-4 am is characteristic. Nosebleed from the suppression of menses.

Bryonia has been found to be curative in chlorosis.

Mastitis with hardness and tenderness of the breasts.

Pain in the left ovary ameliorated by lying on the painful side.

Stupid, drowsy condition during fever, where the patient has the delusion that he is somewhere else and “wants to go home’.

Headaches which are bursting, splitting and go backwards and are worse for any movement or from coughing. Headaches from over-indulgence in alcohol and food.

Convulsions from suppressed eruptions, after perspiration and after hemorrhages where the aura begins with jerking in the nape of the neck.

The respiratory organs and heart are profoundly affected. A characteristic of Bryonia is a frequent desire to take a long breath; must expand the lungs.

The Bryonia cough can be quite painful; patients will be seen to hold their chests when coughing in order to minimize the painful motion of the chest wall. Dropsical swellings into synovial and serous membranes, painful to touch, which increase as the day goes on and disappear during the night.

Hot swelling of the affected parts.

Swelling of glands, like nodes.

Joints red, swollen and stiff with stitching pain from the slightest motion. Children dislike to be carried or raised.

Pains are bursting, stitching or heavy and go backwards and appear gradually. Pain tends to move to the part lain on and after the pain has subsided the patient trembles.

On coughing he holds his sides, the chest and the head.

Burning pain of parts grasped with the hand and burning and tearing pains externally and internally. Pressing pain as from load or pressing pain outward, from within.

Painful joints, worse motion and touch. Often indicated in an injury of the joint when Arnica fails. Stitching in affected parts upon pressure. Jerking, especially in places of the forehead, with sensitiveness of the teeth. Bruised or suppurating pain in whole body when taken hold of, especially in the pit of the stomach, worse in the morning.

Pains worse on the right side; pain from motion and worse during rest. Drawing pains and tension in almost all the limbs, especially in sinewy expansions.

Physical weakness from the slightest exertion, with general sweat. Worse in the morning, on rising; in the morning while walking so that he drags himself about.

Weakness felt in the knees and legs on ascending stairs.

Unsteadiness of all parts of the body when walking. Faintness on rising from the bed, with cold sweat and rumbling in the abdomen. Disappearance of symptoms after a short rest in bed, except the weakness and depressed mood.

Rapid cooling after heated walk causes weakness and sore bruised pains.

Symptoms are usually right sided, worse in the morning around 9 a.m. and in the evening at 9 p.m.

Aggravation from vexation, from WARMTH, in cool days after the summer; from cold wind; change of weather – cold to warm aggravates, becoming hot in a room or in the open air, drinking while hot; warm, wet applications.

Aggravation after sitting up, rising from a seat and on beginning to walk, better for continued walking; worse ascending, physical exertion, running, stepping or jar; lying on the side, the painless side, worse from touch. Worse before, at the beginning of and during sleep. Worse from vegetables, acids, early morning.

Aggravation from suppressed coryza or suppressed eruptions or discharges.

Amelioration from pressure; better for lying on the affected part, lying on the back, in a warm bed with heat to the inflamed part, bandaging the affected part, for cool; for open air, for quiet; cloudy, damp days; drawing knees up; descending, sitting up, cold food and drink after eating, from perspiration, from diarrhea, in the evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

 

Vertigo

The vertigo of Bryonia posesses some unique characteristics. During an episode of vertigo these patients may report the peculiar sensation that they feel as though they were sinking through the bed. This feeling is very characteristic; they feel that they are passing right through the bed or sinking with the bed. Bryonia patients will feel better if they lie quietly in bed; if they attempt to sit up, they will suffer a surge of nausea and vertigo requiring them to lie back down.

Whirling in the head if she sits up in bed, with nausea in the middle of the chest, as if faintness would ensue.

Staggering and drunkenness as if the head were congested, with staggering and running backwards. Dizzy in the morning, and weak in the limbs the whole day; dizziness before a chill.

Confusion, giddiness and cloudiness of the head with a sensation of looseness in the brain when stooping and when raising up the head or on the slightest motion. Vertigo felt in the occiput, followed by epistaxis or dizziness with epistaxis. Vertigo on turning or moving the head quickly or from inclining it forward; with suppressed eruptions.

Vertigo on rising in the morning with weakness in the limbs, as if the head were turning in a circle or on rising from a chair when everything seems to turn in a circle, ameliorated after walking.

Vertigo ameliorated while sitting and while lying with the head high.

 

Head

The important keynote is “aggravation from motion“, and this applies to the head most impressively.

Headaches, for instance, can be aggravated by the slightest motion of the eyes; simply by turning the eyes ever so little, the headache can become excruciating. Bryonia headache patients prefer a semi-dark room. Were one to enter the room and turn on a light, their headache would be aggravated, and they would quite probably shout at the person in irritation. Just the small motion of the pupils of the eyes as they accommodate to the change in lighting can provoke an aggravation. There is another characteristic of Bryonia headaches; they are usually left-sided headaches and are typically situated over the left eye. Spigelia is another principal remedy for headaches in this location; Bryonia, however, is the only remedy corresponding to such headaches which then extend to the left occiput and subsequently to the entire head.

Bursting, splitting or heavy crushing headache, as if everything would be pressed out of the head.

Headache in the morning as soon as the eyes are open and moving the eyes is very painful with twitching and drawing in the malar and maxillary bones.

Pain in the forehead, above the left eye, followed by a dull, pressive pain, going to the occiput and thence spreading to the whole body; after eating or moving quickly the pain is so severe that it seems a distinct pulsation in the head; worse while walking, ameliorated by pressure and lying on the left side.

Headache after washing with cold water when the face was sweating; even opening the eyelids increases the headache. In the morning before breakfast, pain as if the head were compressed, with heaviness in it mingled with stitches; inability to raise the eyes on account of the pain, and if the patient stoops he cannot rise up.

The headaches begin in the morning and cease towards the evening and occur after over-eating or drinking, with constipation or after vexation; from lifting; from suppression of the menses; after anger, rheumatic headache in cold, raw, wet seasons; from running, after scarlatina, in the summer or from exposure to the sun; from the cold, cold wind, or cold, damp weather; during pregnancy or after nursing a baby; from stepping too heavily; on ascending steps.

Meningitis; apoplexy. Convulsions where the aura begins with a jerking in the nape of the neck.

Great fullness and heaviness of the head as if it would fall to either side. Pressure outwards in the brain and digging with pressure towards the forehead and a desire to lie down. Rushing of blood to the head, with dark red color to the face, but the patient feels generally chilly. On stooping there is a sensation as if everything were going to fall out through the forehead. The brain feels compressed inside the head which is made worse by sitting, worse raising the eyes and with an inability to rise. The headache may become seated in the occiput or be frontal and affect the frontal sinuses.

The patient wakes in the morning confused, with boring and aching pains in the head as if he had been drinking heavily with a disinclination to rise. Feels confused after getting up from bed; before sleep; with drawing in the occiput extending into the neck. Stupefaction.

Pulsating pain in occiput; in the vertex on waking; pain around the occipital protuberance; from the sun; in the morning while lying on the back, which extends to the shoulders, like a heaviness which pressed upon a sore spot; during the menses. Amelioration at noon. Aggravated by noise and warmth.

Headache in the temples extending to the face.

Pressure on coughing; pressing pain from shaking the head; shooting pains in the head sometimes only on one side. Stitches through the head from stepping hard going from the front backwards.

Bursting pains during the menses; after drinking cold water when hot; when coughing. On coughing the patient holds his head with his hands.

Strange bubbling sensations in the head; chirping and gurgling noises in the temples. Turning, twisting sensations in the head; the brain feels as though it is twitching. The scalp is very sensitive, especially towards the evening and cannot even bear to use a soft brush. The hair is very greasy and seems fatty in the morning; the hands become fatty whilst combing.

Sour smelling, oily perspiration on the head, worse at night in bed.

Pain is worse from motion, touch, heat, stooping or opening the eyes. Feels worse if he is disturbed in any way.

The patient prefers to lie with the head high and in a dark room; lying on the back or on the painful side and lying with the eyes closed brings relief. Amelioration by cool air and being left alone.

 

Eye

The eyes feel sore with pains behind the eyeballs. Intermittent pain in the left eyeball, worse on moving it, with a feeling as if the eyes became smaller and were retracted within the orbit.

The eyes feel distended or have a sensation of protrusion.

Bruised, sore pain on moving the eyes and the eyelids, especially during influenza; the lids are swollen and puffed, worse in the right upper lid. Glaucoma.

Blindness of the right eye.

Crushing eye pain; pain from exertion of vision. Aching in the eyes as if they were going to start out of the head; pain extends inward; worse on moving, on opening the eyes, better by pressure.

Pressing pains in the eyes on waking in the morning, better with rest.

The pains extend downwards or towards the occiput. The eyes feel as if they are full of sand.

Frequent burning lachrymation of the right eye; lachrymation from sunlight. Burning pain of canthi at night. The eyes and eyelids look inflamed and red, worse in the morning, worse from heat and are sore to touch. Inflammation of the eyes especially in gouty types.

Choroid inflammation, amelioration by cold, aggravated by heat. Recurrent inflammation of the eyes.

Agglutination of the lids in the morning. Furfuraceous tetters on the eyelids with burning and itching; styes.

The eyes look dull, glassy, turbid or sparkling as if they were drowned in tears. Glassy appearance of eye during fever; chemosis during chill with a desire to close the eyes.

Cold either aggravates or ameliorates the eye.

Vision – Confused sight from bright sunlight. The vision is foggy in the morning and letters run together. Flickering vision. Blackness or flames appear before the eyes.

The eyes are weak in the morning.

Blue haze appears before the eyes; appearance of all the colors of the rainbow; every object seems covered with these colors. Circles appear before the eyes or a strip appears on closing one eye.

Presbyopia.

 

Ear

Aural vertigo.

Contractive pains in the ears with diminution of hearing. Hearing is poor in the left ear. Sensation in the ears as if they were blocked. Loud roaring and rumbling noises in the ears, worse in the right one. Singing noises in the left ear. Humming noises before menses. All noise is insupportable. Cracking in the ears when sneezing.

Pain in ear worse from the warmth of bed and from dry warmth.

Pinching pains in the ear at night.

Bleeding from the ears and discharges of blood from ear instead of menses.

Soreness in the external ear; small cystic tumors appear in front of and behind the ears. The ears discharge clear substances or purulent and puslike material. Itching and burning in the ears with formication behind the ear. In the evening, there is heat in the ears.

 

Nose

The nose has a tendency to bleed profusely every day and the patient becomes anemic. Epistaxis from suppression of the menses; during the menses, if the menses are scanty or during the menopause. Nosebleeds during pregnancy and while walking in the open air; during whooping cough; during sleep or during a headache; during fevers or during chill; with perspiration; or when washing the face. Epistaxis after rising in the morning or between 3 and 4 a.m. and at 8 a.m.

Ulcers inside the nostrils which cause a gnawing pain, particularly in the right nostril. Ulcer in tip of septum. Swelling of posterior nares.

The patient sneezes frequently. When the patient becomes overheated he produces a profuse coryza. There is no cough but the larynx becomes inflamed. The coryza goes down onto the chest. Ailments from suppressed coryza.

Dryness, sometimes obstinate obstruction of the nose; itching inside septum or tingling in septum when blowing the nose.

 

Face

Red, hot, soft puffiness of the face with red spots on the malar bones. The face becomes red after getting angry or during a chill or after washing in a warm room. On waking in the morning there is great heat in the face. Yellow or pale discoloration of the face.

Bluish or pale discoloration during a chill; with dyspnea.

The upper lip and expansion of the nose is swollen, red, and hot, as in the beginning of erysipelas.

The muscles of the face are stiff, the expression bewildered. During sleep the face twitches, the lower lips tremble and there is twitching around the corners of the mouth.

Aching pains in the face which are better by lying quietly on the affected side. Exertion, mental exertion and motion aggravate the pain, even opening the mouth or moving the eyes; but hard pressure ameliorates the pain in the face.

The parotid gland becomes sore and bruised or is inflamed and then suppurates.

The lips are characteristically swollen, cracked and dry and are painful to touch. Great dryness of the lips, of the tongue, and of the hard palate, while the tip of the tongue is moist. Children pick their lips.

Cracks in the lower lip and swelling, redness and heat in the upper lip as in the beginning of erysipelas. Eruptions on the lips with burning and smarting. Nodular eruptions or eruptions of inflamed pimples on the face. Membrane on the corners of the mouth and on the lips.

 

Mouth

The mouth and lips are very dry and cracked so that the tongue sticks to the palate; drinking moistens it for a moment, but the former dryness returns in a great degree. Dryness in the mouth, without thirst, or with thirst for large quantities of water. The inner mouth seems dry, but without thirst, whilst the tip of the tongue is moist. After eating the palate becomes very dry. The tongue is very furred and discolored, grey, brown, yellow or thickly coated white.

The centre is hardened and cracked in places which causes a burning pain. Burning blisters on the edge of the tongue and aphthae on tip of tongue; in the mouth in infancy.

Collection of much soapy, frothy saliva in the mouth which is offensive and slimy. Salivation in the evening or while smoking.

An intensely bitter taste on the tongue with a nauseous bitter taste in the mouth in the morning. Frequent drinking of cold water relieved the bitter taste and the inclination to vomit.

The mouth tastes rancid, stale, burnt, sweetish. Eating is unpleasant as the bitter taste is there during and after eating. Food is difficult to swallow and after drinking beer there is an offensive, bitter taste.

Bitter risings into the mouth with nausea but without eructations.

The mouth has an offensive, putrid odor.

Teeth – Pain as if a tooth were screwed in and then pulled out, which is momentarily relieved by cold water, but becomes better on walking in the open air. The toothache is ameliorated by washing with cold water, or lying on the painful side. Taking anything warm into the mouth brings on toothache, although the pain is sometimes better from warm drinks. Toothache from smoking, chewing, from opening the mouth, after midnight; in the summer and the autumn. Toothache shooting from one tooth to another, or into head and cheeks.

Drawing, at times jerking toothache in the left upper back teeth, only during and after eating, when the teeth seem too long and wobble back and forth.

In the evening, in bed, jerking toothache, first in the upper, then in the lower back teeth; when the pain is in the upper teeth, and they are pressed by the tip of the finger, the pain suddenly ceases, and changes to the corresponding lower teeth.

The pains are aggravated by brushing the teeth, from coughing, from motion and by others talking. Amelioration from chewing hard on something and from lying down. Toothache in teething children.

The gums are spongy and painful as if they were excoriated and the teeth become loose.

 

Throat

Dryness and a scraped feeling in the throat makes speaking very difficult and the speech becomes very indistinct.

Tough, tenacious mucus in the larynx and trachea, especially in the fauces and only loosened by hawking or hacking. Choking when clearing the throat. Worse coming into a warm room and in the evening.

Raw pain in throat on empty swallowing or after swallowing liquids. Swallowing solid food is difficult and food is felt in esophagus until it enters the stomach.

The throat is painful on turning the head and in a warm room. Crawling in throat causing the patient to cough, but coughing and swallowing cause stitching pains in the throat.

Painful tonsils in the morning on waking; the back of the throat feels swollen with a sensation of swelling and constriction in the esophagus.

Itching needle-like stitches in the throat especially when walking rapidly, which irritate and cause scratching and then disappear after scratching. The external throat feels stiff along the sides with soreness on moving it. Spots and urticaria appear on the external throat.

 

Stomach

Burning, vehement thirst with a desire to drink large quantities of water. Great thirst with internal heat but without feeling hot externally; great thirst after anger, during all stages of fever; before and during stool. Frequent drinking of cold water relieves the bitter taste and the inclination to vomit.

He was obliged to lie perfectly quiet, because the slightest motion caused nausea, even vomiting. Rising up in bed brings on faintness and nausea which is ameliorated by drinking cold water.

Nausea after beer; after wine, after coffee; during dinner; while drinking; or even at the thought of food.

Nausea at night and while lying on the side, or while washing or on rinsing out the mouth.

Incessant vomiting of solid food, but not of drinks, or vomiting after drinking or after drinking the smallest quantity.

Vomiting when lying on right side in liver affections.

Ravenous appetite in the morning and at night; before and after nausea. Capricious appetite; a desire for things immediately, but, when offered, does not want them. Or a desire for something but doesn’t know exactly what. Abnormal hunger which forces the patient to eat something little and often. There is a great desire for wine, acid drinks, coffee and even things which are not eaten.

However, the thirst is worse after drinking beer.

No appetite for milk; but if it is drunk, the appetite returns, and the patient begins to relish it.

The appetite is poor and all food tastes bitter or the food has lost its taste.

Eating is unpleasant as the bitter taste is there during and after eating.

Loss of appetite after the first morsel has been eaten, thereafter a repugnance and disgust for food.

Frequent, sour and bitter eructations with waterbrash after eating, particularly after eating rich food, bread, or oysters. Food is regurgitated with the eructations and shivering and shooting pains follow. There is pressure in the stomach and on the epigastrium after eating with a heavy, stone like feeling in the stomach, which makes the patient fretful. Motion of any sort aggravates the discomfort; eructation ameliorates.

Heartburn in the afternoon; in the evening after wine.

Hiccough after eating, and on every shock caused by it, pressure in the forehead, as if the brain shook from behind forward.

Hiccough after eructations and after vomiting.

Coughing, hawking up mucus, motion or eating, especially after eating bread, will cause the patient to vomit. Vomiting, or vomiting blood when the menses have been suppressed; vomiting during dentition.

The patient vomits bile, watery fluid, chocolate colored material or mouthfuls of food soon after eating, or vomiting of bile, then food; food, then bile. Bitter and offensive smelling vomit in the morning; mucus in the evening. Faecal vomiting.

The stomach feels full, is very sensitive to pressure or touch; there is a feeling of pressure in the pit of the stomach, even while eating, accompanied by a sensation of heat. Pains in the stomach after eating bread, while walking, during heat or on motion, during the chill or with constipation. Constrictive sensation in the stomach in the afternoon at 4 p.m., aggravated by deep inspiration. The constrictive pain in the region of the stomach is relieved by drawing the legs up against the abdomen. Constriction of pylorus and contraction in the stomach after eating, sometimes to vomiting.

The epigastric region is painful to pressure, even to the pressure of clothes.

Heat, pressure, warm drinks, and sitting bent over ameliorates the pain.

Burning sensations in the stomach after wine, on bending forward or from motion. Standing erect ameliorates cramping pain.

Pressing pain in stomach, better when bending backward, worse when bending forward. The pains usually come on in the afternoon, from 4 – 5 p.m., and are better while sitting bent.

Bending to the right, taking a false step, or eructations cause stitching pains in the stomach; worse when lying down on the side.

The stomach becomes easily disordered; after excitement, after a cold, after food and eating cold food which brings on indigestion. Inflammation in the stomach after getting cold.

Numbness and apprehension felt in the stomach.

All kinds of flatulent food aggravate and the patient is generally worse from buttermilk, warm food, hot drinks, ice, indigestible things, hot milk, oil, fruit, raw food, rice, salad, sauerkraut, sausages, spoiled sausages, starchy food, turnips and vegetables.

Cold drinks and water aggravate when heated or in hot weather.

There is a desire for beer, wine, strong coffee, for sour and acid things, for sweet things and strange things, for lime, earth, chalk, clay, for warm milk, warm drinks and soups and for cold drinks and water during a chill.

Aversion to fats, rich food, to meat, milk, beer in the evening, hard boiled eggs, cabbage, turnips and hot drinks.

Aversion to food after eating only a little; children are averse to drinks.

Warm drinks can ameliorate, or the patient is better with cold drinks, cold water and cold food.

 

Abdomen

Tensive pain below the false ribs in the right hypochondrium, especially sensitive on deep inspiration and in the region of the liver. Many pains in the liver which are shooting, burning or tensive, relieved by lying on the right side.

The patient cannot bear tight clothing pressing against the abdomen and the whole area feels sore and bruised, especially before and during menses. Spasms of muscles in hysterical women.

The abdomen feels tense and distended in the afternoon after eating; drinking hot milk brings on cramp-like pains with a feeling as if diarrhea would ensue. Pinching and soreness with pains that drag downwards and outwards. Dull, aching pain throughout the abdomen, during cough, from motion.

In the evening, or while sitting, the abdomen feels heavy as if there is a load inside it.

Hard swelling or dropsical swelling of the umbilical and hypochondriac regions. Getting cold suddenly will bring on aching and gnawing pains around the umbilicus.

Tractive pains in the hypochondrium, extending to the stomach and the back. Pains are sometimes brought on by lifting.

All motion aggravates the patient. The pains are worse from being jarred, deep inspiration, coughing and being touched.

Sudden painful cuttings in the intestines, with a feeling as though one were digging him with the fingers, compelling him to bend double; aggravated by standing, relieved by profuse pasty evacuations.

During the chill the patient has dull aching in the region of the spleen.

Stitching pains in abdomen which extend upwards; stitching and burning pain on the right side of the inguinal region; digging, gnawing pains worse from uncovering. Gurgling and borborygmi in the abdomen, with escape of loud, offensive flatus, sometimes only in the evening in bed. Gurgling in abdomen in the afternoon at 3 p.m. and after stool; rumbling on rising.

Eruption of itching pimples on the abdomen.

Heat of abdomen at night, extending to the chest.

Inflammatory conditions of the abdomen – peritonitis, enteritis, appendicitis.

 

Rectum

Obstinate constipation with DRY, HARD STOOL. The faeces are too large and evacuation is difficult, the stool having to be removed mechanically.

Great effort in the morning to pass a stool, with much urging; the stool is very unsatisfactory and only after much straining is anything passed which causes a rush of blood to the head and a feeling of confusion.

Urging to stool, followed by copious pasty evacuations, with relief of all the symptoms, except that the confusion of the head remained.

Urging on tightening the clothing, from motion or while standing.

The stool may remain in the rectum a long time with no desire, no urging as if the rectum were inactive. The rectum feels weak with strange prickling and twitching sensations.

Sensation of fullness in perineum or as if plug were pressing out of rectum.

Involuntary stools passed during sleep or during motion.

Constipation after vexation; in old people; during pregnancy; with retention after delivery; before menses; from sedentary habits, after abuse of drugs; alternating with diarrhea.

Gushing, liquid diarrhea in the morning after rising and on moving about and especially at night, during sleep, with burning in the anus at every evacuation. Painless diarrhea at night or diarrhea preceded by pain in the abdomen.

Hot weather, taking cold in the summer or drinking cold drinks when he is hot will bring on diarrhea. Emotional upset and anger will give the patient diarrhea. Also after the suppression of eruptions and exanthemata and in phthisis.

Diarrhea after the slightest indiscretion in eating with pain in rectum extending through to urethra.

Diarrhea with colic, sometimes alternating with constipation and gastralgia. Motion, sitting erect, lying on the side, rising up or standing aggravates the diarrhea.

 

Stool – LARGE, DRY AND HARD, which look burnt or charred. Brown, black or crumbling stools. Offensive smelling like old cheese or bilious and acrid causing soreness in the anus.

Pasty stool passed in the morning and followed by an offensive smelling liquid stool, which causes burning and soreness in the anus.

Evacuations of undigested substances or stools brown, thick and bloody.

Stools mushy and yellow, lienteric at night or stools that look like the scrapings of intestines.

 

Urinary organs

Bladder – Morbid desire to urinate after lifting; during motion; at night. Involuntary urination during cough, during exertion, and from motion.

Urging in bladder during perspiration and during chill.

Frequent urge to urinate immediately and if he does not go there is a feeling that he will not be able to hold on to his urine, even though the bladder is not full. Pressing pains ameliorated when sitting and while walking.

Stitching, stinging, and tearing pains in bladder.

Constriction and contraction in urethra during urination with burning and incisive pains before passing water. The urethra feels constricted or narrowed. Red spots appear on the urethra. The meatus feels sore.

Increase in greenish, gonorrheal discharge from urethra, after having decreased, or hemorrhage of pure blood. Also hemorrhage of pure blood from urethra when not urinating.

Inflammation and pain in the kidneys.

Fullness and sensation of enlargement in the prostate gland.

Urine – The urine is very dark, scanty and almost brown or is reddish and leaves a pink sediment in the bowl and leaves a thick sediment after standing overnight.

Milky, turbid urine which has a mousy odor. Scanty urine with brain affection. The urine feels hot as it passes and causes burning sensations.

 

Genitalia – male

Increased desire with emission in the night after coition and painful erections after morning and night coition. Erections wanting in sexual passion. Blotchy eruptions and eruption of a red, itching, miliary rash on the glans penis.

Drawing pain in spermatic cords, extending into abdominal ring.

Drawing and stitching pain in right testicle and in the testes extending to inguinal ring.

 

Genitalia – female

Suppression of the menses with bleeding of the nose or bad headache. Menses suppressed after getting hot, by ironing, after exertion, or from fright; in plethoric women. Menstrual irregularities with gastric symptoms.

Menses too early and too profuse, with dark red blood; backache, splitting headache and tractive pains in the limbs during the flow; all worse from motion. Protracted menses which are copious, dark, brownish or membranous. The flow has a bad smell.

Suppressed lochia from the cold, with sensation as though head would burst.

Metrorrhagia of dark, fluid blood with a feeling of heat, aggravated by motion.

Intermenstrual pain with great abdominal and pelvic soreness.

Inflammation of ovaries, in particular the right ovary with pain extending down to the thigh.

Lying on right side ameliorates pain in right ovary, or lying on the painful side ameliorates the pain.

Stitching pains on taking a deep breath, from motion and the ovaries are very sensitive to touch.

The uterus is generally sore and painful, aggravated by motion, diminished by pressure and rest. Inflammation and dropsy of the uterus. Sore pain in the abdomen before the menses.

Abortion from becoming overheated, or from exertion.

Puerperal fever, particularly when the breasts are distended with milk. Deep inhalations are painful; there are stitches in abdomen, which is greatly distended, thirst for large quantities of water, and the patient cannot lie upon either side.

Nursing women who get cold, then ache all over. The head feels as if it would burst, the lips are dry and parched, the breasts swollen and feel heavy and the milk suppressed.

First stage of mammary abscess where the breasts become hard, hot and painful.

Swelling of the left labia majora with eruptions of hard black pustules, but without inflammation or pain.

 

Chest

Larynx and Trachea – Irritation and rawness of the larynx with a sensation as if a crumb is in there. Hoarseness, worse in the open air. Tickling in the air passages at night or in a warm room. Sensation of a vapour, on going from a warm room into the open air, causing the patient to cough and a feeling as if he could not inspire enough air.

After coughing there is excoriating pain in the larynx which is aggravated by speaking or smoking tobacco. Bending the head backwards or turning the neck is also painful. Irritation and tough mucus in the trachea, which is loosened only after frequent hacking.

Pain and soreness in the trachea on coughing and inspiring.

Voice – Voice rough and hoarse during coryza, after measles and from singing.

Hoarseness when walking in open air and when in a warm room.

Respiration – Respiration is difficult, rough, accelerated and deep with a desire to take deep breaths. The patient feels that he must try and fill his lungs and takes frequent short breaths and has a constant disposition to sigh, and sigh deeply. Deep breathing, during the cough. The discomfort in the chest impedes the breathing and the pain takes the breath away. The patient is obliged to remain quite still.

Respiration is difficult and slow especially during motion or on entering a warm room from the open air. The patient is able to breathe more easily in the open air, when lying quietly or when walking.

Respiration is difficult in the upper part of the sternum with a feeling of oppression in the chest. Sensation of heaviness beneath the sternum, which extends toward the right shoulder, impeding respiration; deep inspiration is only accomplished with exertion. Raising the arms makes respiration difficult, as does laughing and talking; worse at 9 p.m. in the morning and accompanied with nosebleeds.

Asthma, with a feeling as if something should expand, but would not. Asthmatic respiration from the open air, in warm room or in the evening at 9 p.m., alternating with a headache; ameliorated in cold air.

Asthma occurs nightly about 8 – 9 p.m. and lasts through the whole night.

Arrested respiration and fits of dyspnea, even at night, sometimes with shooting colic and a desire to open the bowels.

Cough – Dry, spasmodic cough, principally at night, and after drinking and eating, when entering a warm room, and after taking a deep inspiration or after vexation.

Scraping cough in and from trachea, in the evening after lying down.

Irritation to cough, as though some mucus were in the trachea; the pain in the trachea is worse while talking or smoking.

A hacking dry cough, during fever, from the upper part of the trachea.

A constant crawling upwards in the throat starts the cough and the patient is then able to expectorate some mucus. Yellow expectoration or coagulated brown blood is coughed up during the daytime. Violent cough early in the morning in bed, and in the evening at 7 p.m. The cough will start if the arms get cold and will be further aggravated by raising them.

Sticking pains under the sternum and pleuritic stitches during heat. The cough seems to come from the stomach, together with a crawling and tickling in the pit of the stomach, ameliorated by drinking. Symptoms are made worse while lying on the left side. Irritation in epigastrium from cough.

The patient has to sit up when coughing at night and press his hand upon the sternum as though to support the chest, which ameliorates the painful stitching pains. Cough with stitches in sides of chest, or with headache as if head would fly to pieces. Cramp-like, suffocating cough, especially after midnight, or after drinking and eating, which causes vomiting of food. The patient has fits of choking before the paroxysm of the nocturnal cough.

In the morning the cough is looser and is better in the open air. The cough is racking, spasmodic and painful and starts from an irritation in the air passages, or as if there is smoke in the larynx and the patient has to breathe often. The cough seems to shake the whole body and pain is felt in the head or in the abdominal muscles.

Whooping cough in the evening and at night and from eating.

Going into a warm room and damp rooms aggravate the cough as does bending the head backwards or lying with the head low. Lying on the back and drinking ameliorates the cough.

Cough in bronchitis, asthma, pleurisy and pneumonia. Cough during pregnancy.

Coughing with a red face; with sneezing, hoarseness, involuntary escape of urine, thirst, stitches in the chest and the small of the back.

Expectoration – Expectoration in morning is tough, streaked, bloody or brown. Brick colored or rusty-looking mucus falls like lumps of jelly or is thin and watery.

Expectoration tastes burnt; smoky; like putrid meat; or like wine.

Inner and Outer Chest – Constriction of the chest; with the desire to breathe deeply and a feeling as if the chest were stopped and no air could get in.

Attempting to breathe deeply is painful as if something were being distended which could not be distended completely, or a feeling of smoke in the chest. Anxiety in the chest in the morning. Constriction in chest from cold air, when falling asleep or on exertion of the heart. The chest feels oppressed in the morning when talking and is ameliorated by passing flatus. Respiration, deep respiration, inspiration, sneezing, laughing, motion and sitting all cause or aggravate the pain in the chest. The pains are cutting, stitching, pressing or a sore, bruised feeling throughout the whole chest.

Tearing pain in the right side of the chest, which caused the patient to hold his breath in order not to cry out.

As the patient breathes he has a sensation that the chest is distending.

Sensation of heaviness beneath the sternum, which extends toward the right shoulder, impeding respiration; deep inspiration is only accomplished with exertion. Sensation in the chest as if all there were detached and falling into the abdomen.

Chest pain and pain behind the sternum during cough and during inspiration which compels the patient to press the hand to the middle of chest. Pressure ameliorates pain as does lying on the painful side. The patient has to lie still and lie on the back or the abdomen to get relief, as motion of any kind aggravates the pain.

Dull pain extending from region of the lower angle of the shoulder-blade forward. Fluttering in the chest when ascending steps.

Internal heat or chilliness in the chest, with pain during the chill.

Heat and burning pain in the chest with anxiety and tightness.

Pleurisy with fluid exudation or pneumonia; coagulated brown hemorrhage from the lungs. Pleuro-pneumonia, with stabbing pains; frequent respiration; bloody expectoration; high fever; bursting headache; worse on motion and deep inspiration.

Inflammation of bronchial tubes, the lungs, the diaphragm and the mammae. Inflammation of lungs after abuse of aconite; in old people and in babies. Typhoid inflammation of lungs.

Rheumatic inflammation of pleura; inflammation of the right pleura with fluid exudation and of the right lung. Congestion and dropsy of the chest.

Inflammation of the endocardium and the heart. Cramp in heart or a sore, bruised feeling around the heart. It beats violently and rapidly; the pulse is full, hard and rapid, especially on getting up.

Induration of the mammae with either an increase or the suppression of milk. Ill-effects of weaning. The mammae become hot and swollen and produce abscesses. They are worse before the menses.

Eruption of pointed pimples with whitish semi-transparent vesicles on chest. Ulcerative chest pain. Blotchy eruptions on axilla and perspiration in the axillae.

 

Back

Painful stiffness in the nape of the neck, especially on the right side towards the shoulder and pain near the occiput with a feeling as if the head were weak. Pain in the trapezius when turning head to left.

Rheumatic pain and stiffnesss in the back, especially on rising. Drawing and contracting pains in the muscles. Drawing pains in the back while sitting, which extend downwards, aggravated by turning and ameliorated by walking. Drawing pains in the lumbar region at night, which makes turning in bed almost impossible, also worse after eating and during a hard stool. There is pain in the lumbar region and the spine in the morning; the pain extends to the abdomen. Tearing pains from standing and on stooping. Aching pain in lumbar region on touch. Lying on the back ameliorates the pain; standing erect is impossible and motion is painful. Pain is brought on by coughing, when lifting something, on raising or stretching out a leg, or on turning in bed. The patient is only comfortable when lying with the body bent forward.

Pain in coccyx while walking and in the small of the back, which makes walking very difficult. When lying down, the small of the back feels sore and bruised.

Dull stitches between the shoulder-blades while lying down extending from behind forward; under the left scapula through to the heart and extending to the stomach. Pain with the chill ameliorated while walking.

Pain when coughing, on motion, when turning, during menses, before chill, on exposure to cold weather or from a change of warm to cold weather, or after eating.

Red, smarting eruptions or rashes appear on the back and on the sides of the neck. Biting, vesicular eruptions which are very itchy. However, when the spinal cord is inflamed the eruption does not develop.

The patient complains of a coldness in the back in the mornings. Shivering in the back in the evening, extending down the back. There is loss of sensation in the lumbar region and feelings of numbness in the cervical area.

 

Extremities

Rheumatic and gouty pains in limbs, with tension, in the morning, at noon and before midnight; worse from motion and contact and brought on by becoming cold, after eating and on lying down. Rheumatic pain coming on after a cold or from the first warm days of weather; acute rheumatic pains in the joints. Pain as if long bones were scraped.

The patient experiences pain during fever, influenza, and on motion. All the limbs seem bruised and paralyzed, as if the patient had lain upon a hard bed, and feel sore and painful when sitting. Soreness in the periosteum and the ligaments. Stiffness in the limbs after fright; with a dread of motion; stiffness of joints during chill. Uncovering aggravates the symptoms.

Erysipelatous inflammation of joints.

There are stitching pains in joints on motion and when touched.

Perspiration of joints. Warmth aggravates pain in extremities but ameliorates the pain in the joints; perspiration and pressure ameliorates extremities. Great weakness after the least exertion.

Riding makes the extremities painful; the pain in the joints alternates with the pains in the limbs and the joints become painful after eating, ameliorated by pressure.

Coldness of the extremities in the morning with numbness of the limbs on waking.

Motion of extremities, with a waving motion of left arm and leg, accompanied by sighing.

Dry, itchy or moist eruptions on the extremities.

Upper limbs – The shoulders and upper arm feel tense and lame when being raised.

Tearing pains in the upper arm in the morning; alternating with tearing pains in the hip. In the morning the patient has tearing pains in the upper limbs, ameliorated when he gets up. The upper left limbs feel stiff. There is pain in the shoulder when holding anything firmly with the hand or when the patient coughs. Painful tension and pressure in the right shoulder, when at rest.

Drawing pain in shoulder alternating with drawing pain in hips.

Sensation as if cold water (also hot water) were running from clavicle down to toes along a narrow line.

Pain in upper limbs during chill, during the menses and on motion. They feel sore and bruised whilst sitting. Burning pains and weariness in the arms with constant trembling of the arms and fingers. Shuddering and shaking in the upper limbs. The limbs and joints become hot, red and swollen and have a shiny appearance or look pale and swollen.

The wrist is painful on moving it and feels as though it were dislocated. If the hands become warm the patient then has fine stitching pains in the wrists which do not disappear on moving them. Stitching pain in the fingers when writing or on exertion, with a sensation as if the finger–joints were swollen and puffed, ameliorated by warmth. The last joint of the little finger is hot, pale and swollen, with sticking in it, on attempting to move it or on pressing it.

Stiffness and rheumatic swelling in the elbow. Swelling on the elbow as far as middle of the upper arm and forearm; a feeling in the right elbow as if the arm were broken.

Heat and inflammation in the palms of the hands and heat in the forearm with coldness of the hands at night. Perspiration of upper limbs. Itchy and rash like eruptions appear on the limbs. Eruption of scabies at the bend of the elbow.

Felon beginning in nail – deep-seated panaritium.

Lower limbs – Painful, shiny swelling in the lower limbs with tension and stitching pains.

Drawing pain in bones as from a thread.

Cramps in the knee and in the sole of the foot at night, in bed and whilst sitting. Pain in the knee during coughing and from motion.

Tensive, painful stiffness of the knees. Pain in the right knee, with a feeling as if the patella is broken, so that in the evening the patient can scarcely walk, and is obliged to keep the leg very quiet. The patient has drawing pains in the knees which alternate from one knee to the other. Tearing pain in knee after eating. While walking in the morning the knees feel paralysed and ache and the knees totter and knock together when walking.

Motion, going up stairs, walking or warm covering will cause stitching pains in the knees. The knees feel weak, rest ameliorates.

Cracking in the knees and joints while walking; the ankles and knees feel dislocated.

A few large stitches, like knife stitches, in the hips especially when walking bent, when the pains go from the hip into the knee. Touch aggravates the pain. The hips are painful on going up steps.

Pain in hip when walking with feeling as if hip were dislocated.

Pressure on the hip ameliorates the drawing pains. Tearing pain in hip alternating with the right upper arm.

Cramps in nates.

Coldness of right hip, with coldness of the thighs in the evening. During the chill the right leg is cold.

Great weariness and heaviness in all the limbs. The legs feel too weak to hold the patient, particularly on beginning to walk and even when standing. Can hardly go up the steps but are better going down.

Cramps in lower limbs in the morning; in the calves whilst lying down, ameliorated by motion. Cold applications and motion aggravates the sciatica in the lower limbs, but the patient obtains relief from lying on painful side. The sciatica is worse in the morning. Sore pain in leg while sitting; gouty pains in the legs. Tearing pain in calf aggravated after eating.

The right thigh and the hollow of sole of foot become numb.

Walking bent causes stitching pains in the thigh. Cramp-like stiffness in the thigh, worse in the morning. Involuntary motion of leg.

The lower limbs are painful in bed in the morning, are aggravated by motion, feel worse on becoming cold, while standing upright and are painful to touch. Tearing pains in the lower limbs on motion and during the menses. Drawing pain in thigh as if menses would appear.

Chilliness of feet, the toes in particular while sitting, ameliorated by walking. Sudden pain in first toe, particularly in the ball of the toe, which feels as if it is frozen.

The feet perspire in bed, in the morning.

Pain in the ankle with a feeling as if it is dislocated, with tension on motion and made worse from motion. The feet are painful on rising in the morning, with great stiffness, especially when rising after sitting; stepping and touching aggravates the pain. The feet become hot, red, tense and swollen in the evening. The soles of the feet swell; hot swelling of the instep, with bruised pain on stretching out the foot; the foot seems tense on stepping on it, and on touch it pains, as if suppurating, like an abscess. Pins and needles in the soles of the feet which prevent walking. Erysipelatous inflammation of the foot.

The feet feel heavy in the morning, after eating and when rising after a meal.

The feet, the first toes and the soles of the feet are discolored with red spots. Fetid ulcers on the lower limbs and on the toes.

Dry or moist, itch-like eruption on the lower limbs. Painful pimples appear on the lower limbs; blotches break out on the nates; rashes and pimples on the foot and the sole of the foot. Tickling itching in lower limbs and in the foot. Milk-leg.

 

Sleep

Great sleepiness and constant yawning all day even though the patient had slept well the previous night. Sleepiness with eyes half-closed and a feeling of great sleepiness during the day when alone or periodical sleepiness every other day. Sleepiness during delirium, during and after stool. He feels sleepy by day and semi-conscious by night.

Yawning with thirst and in rheumatism.

Restlessness and sleeplessness; he could scarcely sleep for half an hour, and during his slumbering was continually busy with what he had read the previous evening. Sleeplessness on account of a warmth and anxiety in the blood. The patient feels anxious, especially during the heat; sleeplessness from shivering; from visions; the bed feels too hard.

Sleeplessness before midnight, with thirst, until 1 or 2 a.m. or until 4 a.m. He wakes with a bitter taste in the mouth.

The patient is very restless at night with frequent waking and falling asleep again. Sleep disturbed by frightful dreams; delirium and shuddering. He starts with fright on going to sleep and during sleep.

He dreams he is busy about his household affairs; anxious dreams about his business; dreams of dispute and vexation; of battles; of pain and disease; of events of the previous day; of events read about; of tossing someone out of the window.

Nightmares and somnambulism.

Restless sleep in children.

He cannot sleep before midnight on account of a frequent shivering sensation, which creeps over one arm or foot, followed by some sweat. Waking in the evening soon after falling asleep; waking with hepatic symptoms; with numbness. Sudden waking at midnight or 3 a. m, or from desire for stool.

Deep, comatose sleep after delirium.

He sleeps on his back; curled up like a dog or on the painful side, or it is impossible to sleep on his side.

 

Fever

Chilliness yet warm to touch, more so in a warm room than in the open air. The patient is predominately chilly but frequently with heat of the head, red cheeks and is thirsty. Shaking from chill with heat of face and head or shaking with chill from a draft of air. The chill is mainly in the morning and is right sided.

Chill with external coldness of the body which begins and extends from the right side of the body; begins in and extends from the tips of the fingers and the toes; begins in and extends from the lips or the hands and feet.

Chill after exposure to swamps in tropical countries or after exposure from becoming wet. Violent chill with delirium; chill after anger; before urination, in the evening during motion or on turning over in bed; at noon after sleep. Creeping chill after the afternoon siesta. The patient feels chilly and confused in the head after his midday nap; chilliness when washing. External chill at night after waking. Chill in stormy weather or in the hot weather of summer or between 4 to 5 a.m.

Chilliness yet warm to touch when going into the open air. Chilliness mostly in the evening and often only on one side, the right side. Lying ameliorates the chill.

Chilliness ameliorated in the open air and from drinking warm drinks but aggravated from eating warm things and being in a warm room.

Immediately after lying down in bed in the evening, there is a sensation of heat, with external heat over him, but without thirst, lasting the whole night; the patient turns from one side to the other but does not dare to uncover any part, because it immediately causes violent pain in the abdomen; a painful griping-sticking or a sticking-griping, as if flatus moves spasmodically here and there.

Fever in the afternoon while walking; in the evening after lying down. Fever at night with dry, burning heat and anxiety. The temperature is high and the blood   seems to burn in the veins.

The patient wants to be quiet in any stage of fever. Noise will bring on a fever. Warm rooms and warmth aggravates the fever.

Nervous fever with pain in the limbs.

Fever from 9 to 12 p.m. A feeling of heat in the face, with redness and thirst; heat in the head in the forenoon with a feeling as if the heat would come out of the forehead.

The patient has fever without chill and the fever is continued from 9 to 12 p.m. with the temperature running very high. Continued fever in affected parts:

abdominal, pectoral; congestive fever; fever in the upper part of the body. Succession of stages of fever: heat alternating with chill, followed by sweat, then heat, and finally sweat or chill, but without heat or thirst. Cold perspiration appears in the open air.

Paroxysms of fever increasing in severity or remittent fevers; infantile remittent fever or remittent fever prone to become typhoid. Septic fevers, one sided fever; fever after stool; autumnal or catarrhal fever; exanthematic fevers, measles; gastric fever; inflammatory fever.

 

Perspiration

Perspiration at night at 10 p.m. during chilliness, and perspiration at night from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. Cold perspiration all over the body in the open air and on rising from the bed.

Perspiration from anger; on closing the eyes or after convulsions. Critical and debilitating perspiration; on drinking warm drinks; after eating or eating warm food; the sweat becomes profuse while walking. Perspiration on the slightest exertion, after which the patient feels better. The perspiration is oily and attracts flies.

It has a sour or burnt odor to it mostly in the morning or at night during sleep.

The sweat may be right sided and only on single parts lain on, ameliorated on going to and during sleep. The symptoms are either aggravated while sweating or ameliorated.

 

Skin

The whole body, even the face is yellow. After anger or mortification the skin turns yellow. The skin is discolored in small spots as if it were burnt; a red, round hot spot on the cheek on the malar bone.

The skin feels dry and burning especially after scratching or from mental excitement.

Slow development of rash in eruptive fevers; or, sudden receding of rash, with difficult respiration or inflammatory affection of the chest as in scarlatina. Eruptions after measles or ailments from the suppression of measles.

Hard, dropsical swellings which sting. The last joint of the little finger is hot, pale and swollen, with sticking in it. Itching in the joints of the fingers.

The whole body is covered with a red, elevated, rashlike eruption.

Eruption of inflamed pimples, of white pimples after scratching; of black pustules and eruptions after scratching. Close white rash with burning and itching. Burning itching as from nettles.

The skin itches and stings on excitement but tears after scratching.

As long as the patient stays perfectly quiet there is no itching but with the least motion of body or emotions the itching starts and then becomes worse and worse and is really intolerable.

Urticaria from strawberries.

Erysipelatous inflammations, especially of joints.

Purpura senilis. Petechiae.

Putrid ulcers which have a cold feeling in them; burrowing, fistulous ulcers or painless ulcers. Brownish or blackish discharge from the ulcers. Ulcerated cracks in the skin and cracks after washing.

Variola with dropsy; black small pox; hard tubercles.

Vesicular eruptions which peel off, or fill with blood or cracked, vesicular eruptions.

 

Clinical

Head – The headaches of Bryonia are all aggravated by motion, even of eyeballs. The pains either begin in the occiput or finally become seated in the occiput, frequently associated with dryness of the mouth, thirst and coated tongue; the headaches are rarely neuralgic, but are generally sympathetic with gastric disorders or with inflammatory affections. Meningitis from suppressed eruptions.

Eyes – Congestion and soreness of the eye. Inflammation of the eye, especially of internal parts, iritis, choroiditis, glaucoma, etc., the eyeball very painful, full feeling, pains extending to back of head.

Nose – Catarrh with dryness, sudden suppression of the discharge and headache. Bleeding from suppressed menstruation, occurring regularly every day.

Face – Neuralgia of one side of the face, cannot even speak or eat, because it is so much aggravated by motion.

Mouth – Dryness of lips, mouth and throat. Tongue dry, rough (in low fevers). Tongue heavily coated white (in gastric derangements).

Chest – Laryngitis and bronchitis (the cough in these diseases is generally dry, hacking, with soreness of abdominal muscles, worse night and motion, worse coming into a warm room, worse after eating or drinking, better with heat).

Pneumonia in the early stage; Bryonia follows immediately after Aconite, high fever, sharp pains, better lying on the affected side, thirst, profuse sweat, headache, etc. In pleurisy it is most frequently required (the Bryonia patient sweats easily and freely), extremely sharp pain, better pressure and warmth, cannot tolerate the slightest motion. Sometimes useful in pleuritic exudation, when the sharp pains continue.

Pericarditis, endocarditis. Great oppression over the region of the heart.

Stomach – An extremely valuable remedy for catarrhal inflammation of the stomach (dyspepsia), with thirst, white-coated tongue, nausea and vomiting, aggravated by warm drinks, which are vomited; feeling of a hard lump, which makes the stomach sore. Gastric derangements, which recur often in persons who have been in the habit of taking mercury, the attacks frequently preceded by great hunger and apparently caused by overeating; the patient becomes very irritable, tongue thickly coated, etc. In all gastric derangements there are usually great sensitiveness of epigastrium to touch and vomiting of food.

Abdomen – Symptoms of inflammation of the liver, which seems swollen, very sore to touch, pains sharp, greatly aggravated by motion, better with warmth and pressure, typhlitis, peritonitis, gastro-enteritis; a frequently indicated remedy for these diseases, characterized by extreme soreness, thirst, fever, coated tongue, etc.

Rectum – Diarrhea in summer, brought on by cold drinks or from vegetables or being overheated, movements in the morning on moving around; diarrhea from suppressed eruptions; during typhoid fever (of putrid odor), brown. Constipation, stool large and hard.

Genitalia – female – Suppression of menses, with the characteristic gastric derangements, or with periodical discharge of blood elsewhere, nose, throat, etc. Inflamed ovaries. Puerperal fever is the early stage, with headache, pains in limbs, weakness. Suppressed lochia. Pelvic peritonitis. Inflammation of mammary glands, breasts much swollen, hot, sharp pains.

Back – Severe muscular pains in back, lumbago, etc.

Extremities – Acute inflammation of numerous joints, especially of the large joints, characterized by swelling, heat, shiny redness, better with warm wraps, intolerance of slightest motion, etc. Sciatica worse lying on the affected side. Muscular rheumatism. In all forms of rheumatism, acute, chronic, muscular or articular, there is generally the additional indication of easy, profuse perspiration.

Fever – It is frequently indicated in scarlet fever, when the eruption does not develop well and the general symptoms of the drug are present; the same is true of measles. In typhoid fever it is very frequently indicated in the early stage with the occipital headache, furred tongue, thirst, abdominal soreness, etc. In a great variety of fevers not eruptive. For febrile states, which are the accompaniment of inflammatory processes in various organs and tissues, always with headache, thirst and intolerance of motion (closely allied to Iod.).

 

Causation

Anger; fright; chagrin. Suppressed eruptions and discharges. Alcohol. Gluttony. Wounds. Cold winds. Heat of the sun. Drinking cold drinks when heated. Taking cold, getting chilled.

 

Relationships

Compare: Asclep-tub.; Kali mur.; Ptelia; Stellaria..

It is followed well by: Alumina, Abrotanum, Antimonium tartaricum, Arsenicum album, belladonna, Berberis, Cactus grandiflorus, Carbo vegetabilis, Dulcamara, Hyoscyamus, Kali carbonicum, Muriaticum acidum, Nux vomica, Phosphorus, Pulsatilla, Rhus toxicodendron, Sabadilla, Silica, Squilla, Sulphur.

It follows well: Aconite, Antimonium crudum.

It is complementary to: Alumina, Rhus toxicodendron, Sulphur. Alumina is the “chronic” of Bryonia; and Kali carbonicum and Natrum muriaticum hold a similar but less pronounced relation to it.

Incompatible to: Calcarea carbonica.

 

Antidotes

It is antidoted by: Aconitum napellus, Alumina, Camphor, Chamomilla, Chelidonium, Clematis, Coffea, Ferrum muriaticum [the best, considered so by Teste], Ignatia, Muriatic acid, Nux vomica, Pulsatilla, Rhus toxicodendron, Senega.

It antidotes: Alumina, Chlorum, China, Fragaria vesca, Mercurius, Rhus toxicodendron.

Inimical to it: Wine, tobacco, warm food, green vegetables, turnips, spoiled sausages, sauerkraut, salad, rich food, raw food, peas, pancakes, oysters, heavy food, flatulent food, fat, cold drinks in hot weather, frozen food, fruit, coffee, old cheese, cabbage, black bread, bread, beer, beans and peas.

 

Dosage

From the lowest to the highest but the usual potencies are from 200 upwards.