Nux moschata
E. B. Nash द्वारा — Leaders in Typhoid Fever
Historical reference for practitioners and students. The statements below reflect the named author’s homeopathic teaching and do not establish treatment effectiveness. This text is not medical advice and must not replace appropriate diagnosis or care.
REMEDIES FOLLOWING THE FIRST OR PRODROMAL STAGE OF TYPHOID FEVER
OPIUM AND NUX MOSCHATA
Nux moschata, which I have introduced alongside Opium, is not after all so near it as Hyoscyamus, but is nevertheless one of our remedies for febris stupida. It seems to me that it comes closer to Phosphoric acid in its symptomatology than any other remedy, though the stupor is greater. As I wrote in my Leaders in Homœopathic Therapeutics, page 277: “The effect upon the brain, while producing a sleepiness and dullness almost equal to Opium, is of an entirely different character, the Opium being seemingly due to fullness of the blood vessels and pressure (evidenced by the bloated red face and injected eyes), while that of Nux moschata seems to be a benumbing of the very nerve substance itself. Notwithstanding both Opium and Nux moschata, on account of the stupor, are frequently indicated in typhoid, the choice between them is not difficult. The leading symptoms as recorded by Raue and in parenthesis accredited to (Hering confirmed by Nash) are:—
Profound coma.
Lying silent, immovable, insensible.
Difficult comprehension, slowness of ideas.
Dwells long on her answer, or does not answer at all.
Very deaf.
Putrid colliquative diarrhœa.
Rolling, rumbling and gurgling of the bowels.
Dreamy state, with drowsiness and falling of the eyelids, dryness of tongue, mouth and throat, with fullness of stomach and loss of appetite.
In the evening the dryness is so great that the tongue sticks to the roof of the mouth. Yet there is no thirst.”
I have quoted this entire from Raue. A comparison of this remedy with Phosphoric acid will show how closely they resemble each other.
Quoting again from Leaders, page 278: “I once had a case of typhoid fever of the nervosa stupida variety. On account of the stupor the yellow, watery diarrhœa, and rumbling and bloating of the abdomen, I thought surely Phosphoric acid must help; but it did not. I finally discovered the excessive dryness of the mouth, which had escaped my attention before. This completed the picture for Nux moschata. Under the action of the 200th potency the patient rapidly improved unto complete recovery.
So we must “watch out” when the seemingly indicated remedy does not cure, for it may not be Sulphur, Opium, Laurocerasus or Psorinum that will have to be given, as we said when writing upon Opium and Sulphur; but we have not, no matter what the “seemings,” chosen the homœopathic remedy at all, and as in this case some symptom may appear that will change the prescription entirely. “Nux moschata is not so well understood or often used as it should be.”