Veratrum Album

Collapse, with general coldness and cold sweat, especially on forehead; hippocratic face.

Mania, with desire to cut and tear things, with lewdness, lascivious talk, religious or amorous.

Disposed to silence, but if irritated gets mad. Scolds, calls names and talks of faults of others.

Rice water stools, profuse, exhausting, cramps in calves, coldness, collapse.

Rheumatic affections < in damp weather; drives patient out of bed.

The pains are maddening, driving the patient to delirium.

Copiousness of discharges: stools, vomiting, urine, saliva, sweat, craving for acids or refreshing things.

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Here is a remedy that has a characteristic “Cold sweat on the forehead.” It makes no difference whether it is cholera, cholera infantum, pneumonia, asthma, typhoid fever or constipation; if this symptom is prominently present, and the patient is in anything like a faint, collapse, or greatly prostrated condition, Veratrum album is the first remedy to think of. It is one of Hahnemann’s trio of remedies for Asiatic cholera, Camphor and Cuprum metallicum being the other two; and to-day his indications for its use stand as true as when he first gave them to the profession. It abides the test because it is founded upon a natural law of cure, which is the same “yesterday, to-day, and forever.”

Veratrum alb. has some very strong mind symptoms. “Mania with desire to cut and tear things, especially clothes, with lewdness and lascivious talk, religious or amorous.”

Here the choice will sometimes have to be made between this remedy and Stramonium. They are both very loquacious, and both strongly religious. Also both at times very violent; but the face of Stramonium is generally very red and bloated, while that of Veratrum is likely to be pale, sunken or hippocratic; again, there is greater general weakness with Veratrum. Sometimes the violent form of mania alternates with a “disposition to silence,” but if irritated gets mad, scolds, calls names and talks of the faults of others. These forms of mania are often consequent upon suppressed menses or the puerperal state. They may be acute or become chronic. In either case we may find the cure in Veratrum album.

If we were to describe in one word the general condition, as near as possible, for which this remedy was best, it would be collapse. Let me quote: “Rapid sinking of forces; complete prostration; cold sweat and cold breath.” “Skin blue, purple, cold, wrinkled, remaining in folds when pinched.” “Face hippocratic; nose pointed.” “Whole body icy cold.” “Cold skin, face cold, back cold.” “Hands icy cold.” “Feet and legs icy cold.” (Icy coldness of surface, covered with cold sweat, Tabacum.) “Cramps in calves.” All these are verified symptoms, and show to what an extreme degree of collapse a case may come and yet be cured. This condition may be found in rapidly progressing, acute cases like cholera, or it may be found in suppressed exanthemata; or, again, in the course of bronchitis, pneumonia, typhoid or intermittent fever. No matter where found, or in connection with whatever disease, if this collapse is present, and especially if the grand keynote, “cold sweat on face and forehead,” is present, we may give this remedy with full confidence that it will do all that can be done and much more than the old school system of stimulation with alcoholics. In choleraic diseases Camphor comes nearest to Veratrum, but with Veratrum the stools are profuse and like rice-water, while they are scanty or entirely absent with Camphor. The pains of Veratrum are very severe sometimes, driving the patient to delirium. It is said to be a good remedy for rheumatism, which is worse in wet weather and which drives the patient out of bed (Ferrum met.). Veratrum is a remedy of wide range, because it covers a condition which may be found in so many different diseases,