Nux vomica
By Adolph von Lippe — Text Book of Materia Medica
Mind and Disposition
Anger, with habitual malicious, spiteful disposition.
Fiery, excited temperament.
Inclined to find fault and scold; morose; stubborn.
Over-sensitiveness to external impressions, noise, smells; light and music are unbearable and affect him much; anxiety and restlessness in the evening.
Anxiety with irritability and inclination to commit suicide; but is afraid to die.
Hypochondriac humor of persons of sedentary habits, and of those who dissipate at night, with abdominal sufferings and constipation.
Delirium tremens with over-sensitiveness, nervous excitability and malicious vehemence.
The time passes too slow.
After anger, chilliness alternating with heat, vomiting of bile and thirst.
Great laziness and aversion to occupy oneself.
Head
Reeling vertigo in the morning and after dinner; with vanishing of sight and loss of hearing.
Cloudiness as from intoxication in the head.
Intoxication from the drunkenness on the previous day, with vanishing of sight and bearing; worse after dinner and in the sun.
Congestion of blood to the head, with burning in it and with heat and redness of the bloated face; worse in the morning, on moving the head and when walking in the open air.
Burning in the forehead in the morning on waking and after eating; worse from mental exertion and when exercising in the open air; better when at rest and in the warm room.
Stunning headache in the morning, after eating, and in the sunshine.
Pressing headache in the forehead, with sour vomiting; worse in the morning in bed, better when leaning the head against something or when lying on the back.
Pressing pain on the vertex, as if a nail were driven into it.
Pressing headache, as if the skull were pressed asunder.
Sensation as from a bruise in the back part of the head.
Rheumatic headache with nausea and acid vomiting.
Tension in the forehead as if it were pressed in at night and in the morning, worse on exposing the head to the cold air.
Bruised sensation of the brain, generally one (right) sided, better when lying on the painless side.
The brain seems to shake when walking or running in the open air; better when wrapping the head up in the warm room and when at rest.
Pressing in the head, as if something heavy were sinking down in the forehead or head.
Periodical headache in the forehead, sore as from ulceration, with constipation.
Semi-lateral headaches from excessive use of coffee.
The scalp is sensitively painful, on the least touch, to the wind, and is relieved by warmly covering the head.
Fetid perspiration of one half of the head and face, which is cold to the touch, relieving the pain, and with anxiety and dread from uncovering the head.
Liability to take cold on the head mostly from dry wind, draft of air.
The head symptoms are worse in the morning, in the open air, and from mental exertion and from motion and better after rising in the morning and during the day, in the warm room, and from sitting quiet or when lying down.
Eyes
Inflammation of the sclerotica, with stitches and aversion to the light of the sun.
Painless, circumscribed red spots, like extravasation of blood, in the white of the eye.
Exudation of blood from the eyes.
Yellowness of (especially of the lower part of) the eyeball.
In the morning the light of day is insupportable.
Streaks like lightning before the eyes.
Burning and smarting in the eyes as from salt.
Twitching of the eyelids.
Anxious staring look.
Ears
Otalgia with tearing-stinging pains.
Tension in the ears when he raises his face.
Painful sharp shocks and stitches in the ears, especially in the morning in bed.
Pain in the ear on swallowing, as if it were pressed outward.
Strong reverberation of sounds in the ear.
The pains in the ear are worse after entering the room and in bed.
Nose
Sensitiveness and inflammatory redness of the internal nose.
Bleeding from the nose in the morning.
Smell before the nose like old cheese or brimstone.
Coryza; fluent during the day, worse in the warm room, better in the cold air; dry coryza during the evening and night.
Dry coryza with stoppage of the nose (in infants).
Acrid discharge from the obstructed nose.
Face
Pale, yellowish and earthy color of the face.
Yellowness around the mouth and nose, or around the eyes.
Swelling of one cheek, with faceache, and pain in the cheekbone.
Red, swollen face; burning redness of the face with heat.
Twitching of the muscles of the face, in the evening when lying down.
Painful pealing off of the lips.
Crusts on the lips.
Trismus.
Corroding ulcers in the corners of the mouth.
Periodical prosopalgia nervosa, worse at night.
Pimples in the face from the excessive use of spirituous liquors.
Swelling of the sub-maxillary glands; with stinging on swallowing.
Mouth and Throat
Tearing in the teeth extending to the head through the bones of the face, renewed from cold drink, relieved by warmth.
Stinging in decayed teeth; burning-stinging in one whole row of teeth.
Looseness of the teeth.
The gums swollen, white, putrid, bleeding.
Toothache from taking cold.
The toothache is caused or aggravated by wine, coffee, cold air and mental exertion, and is relieved by heat.
Bad odor from the mouth.
Stomacace.
Aphthæ (of children).
Inflammatory swelling of the roof of the mouth, throat and gums, with difficulty of deglutition.
Sensation as of a plug in the throat.
Sensation of soreness in the throat on inhaling cold air.
When swallowing, stitches in the throat and sensation as if it were too narrow or constricted.
Inflammatory swelling and stitches in the palate.
Heavy white coating on the tongue.
The tongue is black and dark-red and cracked on the edges.
Heaviness of the tongue with difficulty of speech.
Fetid ulcers in the mouth and throat.
Stomach and Abdomen
Hunger with aversion to food, especially to bread, coffee and tobacco.
Ravenous hunger after drinking beer.
Thirst, in the morning, with aversion to water and beer.
Longing for brandy and chalk.
Tastelessness of all food.
Sour taste, especially in the morning or after eating and drinking.
Putrid taste (in the morning).
After dinner (some hours after) pressure in the stomach, dulness of the head and hypochondriacal mood.
Bitter, sour eructations.
Violent hiccough.
Nausea, especially in the morning and after dinner.
Empty vomiturition; straining to vomit (in drunkards).
Periodical attacks of vomiting; of food, of sour-smelling mucus, of dark, clotted blood; and during, pregnancy.
Bloatedness, and pressure in the stomach and pit of the stomach, as from a stone, especially after eating.
Colic and pressure in the stomach, extending to the shoulders, in the morning, fasting and after eating.
Constrictive colic generally, with water-brash.
Colic of brandy and coffee drinkers.
Pressure and tension in the pit of the stomach, with tension opposite, between the shoulder-blades.
Cannot bear his clothes tight around the hypochondria.
Pressure and stinging in the region of the liver.
Inflammation and induration of the liver.
Labor-like spasms in the abdomen and in the uterus, extending into the legs.
Pressing in the abdomen towards the genitals.
Painful soreness of the abdominal muscles when moving, pressing on them, coughing or laughing.
Periodical (colic) pains in the abdomen, especially after eating and drinking.
Disordered stomach after over-eating.
Hernia incarcerated hernia.
Stool and Anus
Constipation; stool insufficient, black, bard, often streaked with blood, as from inactivity of the intestines; ineffectual efforts to go to stool (in infants).
Stools like pitch, with blood.
Dysenteric stools, with cutting at the navel, pressing and rectum and discharge of bloody mucus with feces.
Frequent small mucous discharges, with pressing and straining.
Painful, spasmodically closed anus.
Painful blind hæmorrhoidal tumors.
Urinary Organs
Strangury; painful, ineffectual urging to urinate.
Pressure to urinate, at night, with discharge of a few drops of red, bloody, burning urine.
Hæmatorrhœa.
During and after micturition, discharge of viscid, purulent mucus from the bladder.
Genital Organs
Men. Increased secretion of smegma behind the corona glandis.
Inflammation and swelling of the testicles, with singing and spasmodic contraction, extending to the spermatic cords, the testicles being hard and drawn up.
Easily excited, strong sexual desire, with painful eructions.
Hydrocele.
Women. Menses to early and too profuse, with dark, black blood.
During and after menstruation, appearance of new and aggravation of old ailments.
Congestion to and bearing, down of the uterus.
Inflammation of the uterus and the external parts.
Prolapsus uteri.
False and inefficient labor-pains, with frequent pressure to urinate and to pass stool.
After-pains too violent and of too long duration.
Respiratory Organs
Suffocative attacks after midnight from spasmodic constriction of the larynx.
Dyspnœa; asthma from spasmodic constriction of the lower part of the thorax.
Catarrhal hoarseness, from scraping in the throat, with viscous mucus in the larynx and on the chest.
Itching in the larynx.
Acute bronchitis.
Cough from exertion, -reading or mental exertion,- or thereby aggravated.
Dry cough, with pain in the head, as if it would burst or with great soreness in the upper part of the abdomen.
Dry cough; worse at night or early in the morning.
The cough is dry in the evening and at night; expectoration during the day.
Hooping-cough, caused by a tickling in the throat and larynx, with expectoration, during the day of yellow, gray, cold mucus, mostly tasting sour or sweet, and last of bright-red blood.
The cough is aggravated after midnight and in the morning, from exertion, from cold air, when lying on the back from eating and drinking from smoking tobacco, from becoming cold, from acids.
Heavy, pressing pain in the chest, as from a heavy, load.
Sensation as if something were torn loose in the chest.
Congestion to the chest, with heat and burning in it.
Anxious palpitation of the heart.
Back and Neck
Tension between the shoulder-blades.
Burning, pressing, and stitches between the shoulder-blades.
Pain, as if bruised in the small of the back and back, so violent that he cannot move.
Sensation in the small of the back as if lame (also after difficult parturition).
Heaviness and stiffness in the neck.
Extremities
Upper. Paralysis of the arm, with violent jerks in it, as if the blood would start out of the veins.
Soreness in the shoulder-joint.
Drawing in the arms, extending from the shoulder to the fingers, with sensation as if the arm were asleep; loss of motion of the arm, especially at night.
The hands go to sleep and feel dead.
Cold, sweaty hands, with cold nose.
The veins on the hands and arms are prominent, enlarged.
Lower. Numbness, stiffness and tension ill the legs.
Sensation of paralysis of the legs, with the sensation of a painful stripe down on the inside of the thigh; numbness and paralysis of the legs.
Staggering walk and weakness of the legs.
Painful swelling of the knee-joint.
Numbness and deadness of the lower legs.
When he walks he drags the feet; he cannot lift them up.
Dryness and cracking in the knee-joint when walking.
Cramp in the calves at night.
Generalities
Great debility of the nervous system, with over-sensitiveness of all the senses.
Periodical attacks of indisposition.
Sensation of heaviness of the body, alternating with sensation of lightness.
Stitches in jerks through the whole body.
Feeling of soreness all over the body in the morning, in bed.
Great inclination to lie down or to sit, with aversion to move about and to the open air.
Rheumatic pains, especially during windy (stormy) weather.
Disposition to take cold and great sensitiveness to draft of air, and aversion to the open air.
Paralysis, with coldness of the paralyzed parts.
Convulsions and spasms; epileptic attacks.
Attacks of fainting (in the morning; after eating).
Gastric and bilious complaints, especially of pregnant women.
Inflammation of internal organs: congestion.
Very suitable for thin, slender persons.
Sleep
Goes to sleep late from crowding of thoughts on him.
Goes to sleep late; wakens at 3 A.M. and lies awake till break of day, when he falls into a dull sleep full of dreams, from which he is hard to rouse and wakens late, feeling tired.
The morning sleep aggravates all the complaints.
Great drowsiness during the day and after eating.
Fever
Pulse full, hard, accelerated, especially during the heat.
Pulse small and rapid; every fourth or fifth beat intermits.
Chilliness and coldness, which cannot be relieved by external heat.
Chilliness with shuddering, in the evening and during the night in bed till morning; aggravated from every movement and from drinking.
Chilliness with hot face.
Chilliness and heat alternating.
Chilliness and shuddering during exercise in the open cold air.
After the chill he sleeps till the hot stage sets in.
General internal, burning heat.
Heat during the night, without thirst.
Heat, with aversion to be uncovered, and from it at once chilliness.
Heat, which is aggravated from the least exertion or motion, even in the open air.
Heat precedes the chill.
Heat of single parts while others are chilly.
Heat is ascending from the throat.
Perspiration after midnight and during the morning.
Perspiration smells sour or offensive.
Perspiration only on one (right) side of the body, or only on the upper part of the body.
Cold, clammy perspiration in the face.
Perspiration which relieves the pain in the limbs.
Intermittent fever. Chill in the evening; then one hour's sleep, which is followed by heat, with headache, tingling in the ears and nausea.
Violent chill with shaking, increased by drinking; afterwards heat, which is followed by perspiration.
Chilliness after the perspiration, and then perspiration again.
Anticipating morning fever; first moderate chilliness, with blue nails without thirst, -then thirst and long-lasting violent fever and heat, with stitches in the temples, followed by light perspiration.
Chill without thirst, followed by violent heat with thirst, headache, vertigo, redness of the face, vomiting, red urine, pain in the chest, followed by partial perspiration.
Intermittent fevers, with the prevalence of gastric and bilious symptoms or with constipation.
Congestive intermittent fevers, with vertigo, anguish, chills, delirium, accompanied by vivid visions and distention of the stomach; with stitches in the sides and abdomen.
Intermittent fever, characterized by a sense of paralysis and want of strength in the limbs in the beginning of the fever.
Conditions
Every mental exertion causes or aggravates the symptoms.
Bad effects from coffee, tobacco, and spirituous liquors; from over-exertion of the mind, sedentary habits and loss of sleep; over-heating.
Aggravation from motion and slight touch, but strong pressure relieves.
Most symptoms are most severe on waking in the morning and after eating.
The ailments which appear in the open air and from motion are relieved in the room and when at rest; but the reverse also takes place occasionally.
Is an antidote to almost all narcotic, drastic and vegetable remedies, especially against citrate of magnesia, and often suitable to begin the treatment of cases after drugging.