Nux moschata

This is not a very great remedy; it has not a very wide range of usefulness, but it is often overlooked when needed.

We get into the habit of relying entirely on the polychrests.

The old women used to give nutmeg to hysterics, and wonderful to tell its provings justify its use. It must have had some palliative relation to the hysteria. The root is much stronger than the nut, in the same proportions, and contains the real medicinal qualities.

The patient appears to be dazed; there is a complete loss of memory; she is automatic in her actions. This is a wonderful state of the mind. She goes about the house performing her duties, but if interrupted, forgets what she has been doing, forgets that she was all day in conversation with her son; she has no recollection of past events.

Mind

This is a singular state of the mind sometimes found in hysterical women.

Sometimes it is impossible to find out what state of the mind is present she is so forgetful. She lies with the eyes closed and yet knows everything that is going on, but remembers nothing. She speaks with intelligence about the things of the moment, but knows nothing of the past. She prophesies, predicts with a sort of clairvoyance.

The mental state is the keynote. Sometimes she is < in the morning, sometimes in the evening, or on waking. She performs all her duties and yet seems to be in a dream, she seems not to know her friends.

Sleep

The Nux mos. patient is always ready to go to sleep; it is with great difficulty that she can keep awake. She falls asleep on all occasions, in season and out of season. The eyes look heavy; she cannot keep awake; falls into a profound slumber, sometimes into coma.

Useful in the coma of typhoid and intermittent fever. When aroused she remembers nothing; looks dazed; looks about and wants to know who the people are around and what they are doing. It is a state in which patients answer questions slowly after a long interval, and then look confused again.

They give an answer that has no relation to the question asked, or, answer correctly. We find such a state in typhoid, in hysteria, after shock, after fear, blighted affections, or the loss of a friend. It is more suitable after shock ending in this kind of trouble than in typhoid.

It is also useful in typhoid, but where there is great weakness, sliding down in bed, and nervous trembling, Phos. ac. is a better remedy. Nux mos. does not relate so completely to the general image of a typhoid as does Phos. ac.

The sleepiness and the dazed state are two things combined, and when combined are difficult to cover by a remedy. This state is somewhat like Opium.

Faintness and even fainting when standing long, such as occurs in a nervous woman standing to have a dress fitted.

There is a dry mouth, the tongue cleaves to the roof of the mouth in all complaints. There is great sleepiness and automatic conduct, especially in nervous women. It has cured petit mal.

The hemorrhages stand out in bold relief; hemorrhages from the nose, uterus and bowels. There is vomiting of blood.

The patient is sensitive to wind, to a draft, to damp air. She has a headache < walking against the wind; hoarseness from walking against the wind; she is so sensitive to cold weather that she comes home dazed and sleepy from walking against the wind; her mouth is dry but there is no thirst, she doesn't desire water (sometimes thirst is present).

The patient may hold water in the mouth without desire to swallow it. Nux mos. holds ice water and succulent fruits in the mouth to relieve the sensation of dryness. Often there is a sensation of dryness when the mouth is moist.

In the extremities there is numbness, tingling, prickling, paralytic weakness; there is threatened paralysis; momentary hysterical paralysis; coming for a short time and then going away.

Aphonia with a dry mouth, in hysterical patients; when walking out of doors. This aphonia passes away on going into the house.

The whole back is sensitive to pressure, the vertebrae are sensitive.

This remedy has prolonged and inveterate constipation; prolonged urging to stool followed by a soft stool. ( Alum., Psor., China .) The stool is difficult but soft. He wonders why he has to urge for a soft stool.

Women: In woman there are many troubles; menorrhagia lasting ten or fifteen days; the blood is clotted; the menses are too often, last too long, are irregular. The abdomen is full of colic; cramping pains extending to be broad ligaments and down the limbs; most distressing dysmenorrhoea from exposure to cold, riding in the wind or living in damp houses.

With this there is a dry mouth and thirstlessness; she wakes at night with a dry mouth; it seems as if the tongue cleaved to the roof of the mouth.

This remedy is especially suitable for lean women, those who have lost flesh. The breasts are flat. I remember a case of a woman thirty five years old whose breasts which were once well rounded became perfectly flat. Nux mos. restored the breasts.

This is a little remedy, but when wanted nothing will take its place.