Nux moschata appears in 12 of the 13 classic books on Similia. Each was written to do a different job — here is what each adds on this remedy, with the opening of its entry.
- Allen HC — The keynotes that separate this remedy from its nearest neighbours.
“Nutmeg. (Myristicaceae.) Adapted especially to women and children of a nervous hysterical temperament (Ign.); to people with a dry skin who rarely perspire ; complaints of pregnancy. Weakness of old age; dyspepsia of old people. Oversensitive: to light; of hearing; of smell; to touch. All the ailments are accompanied…”
- Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“Myristica fragrans, Houttuyn (1774). M. moschata, Thunb.; M. officinalis, Linn.; M. aromatica, Lam. Natural order , Myristicaceæ. Common names , Nutmeg; Muskate. Preparation , Tincture and triturations of the seed deprived of its arillus (mace) and testa. Authorities. (Nos. 1 to 48 , from Helbig, Heraklides, part 1…”
- Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Nutmeg Marked tendency to fainting fits , with heart failure. Cold extremities, extreme dryness of mucous membranes and skin. Strange feeling, with irresistible drowsiness . Indicanuria. General inclination to become unconscious during acute attacks. Lypothymia ( Ignatia ). Staggers on trying to walk. Changeable…”
- Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“SENSORIUM. Mind. NERVES. FEMALE ORGANS. Digestion. Children and old women. Cold: Bath. Damp. Drafts. Wind. Fogs. Feet. Pregnancy. Change of seasons. EMOTIONS. Excitement. MENSTRUATION. Jar. Bruises. Slight causes. Mental exertion or shock. Moist heat. Warm room. Dry weather. Narcotic effects and dryness. Little pain…”
- Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“Myristica fragrans. M. officinalis. M. moschata. Nutmeg. N. O. Myristicaceæ. Tincture of powdered seeds deprived of the Mace. [This is the official direction. But it would be well to make a tincture of the nut with the Mace, as some symptoms of Mace are included. Also a fresh nut and fresh plant tincture should be…”
- Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Nutmeg. Myristicaceæ. The nutmeg tree is a native of the East and West Indies. The alcoholic tincture is prepared from the powdered dried root. Introduced by Helbig. For history and list of provers and reports, covering a period of more than eight centuries, see Hering's Monograph. CLINICAL AUTHORITIES. Affection of…”
- Kent — The mental and general picture — who the patient is, before what the remedy cures.
“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…”
- Lippe (KN) — Only the symptoms Lippe considered reliable enough to prescribe on.
“Inclination to faintness and great debility, especially in the small of the back and in the knees, with sleepiness. Hysterical attacks. Of use in the spasms of children. Great sensitivity of the body and pain of the part on which one lies. Wandering and pressing pains which always only occupy a small spot, last only a…”
- Lippe (MM) — The strict Hahnemannian reading — the symptom picture without clinical interpretation.
“Changeable disposition; hysteria with suddenly changing disposition, great drowsiness and disposition to faint. Very irresolute, changes his intention continually. Absence of mind; vanishing of thoughts in reading, disposition to go to sleep. Dulness of senses, thoughtlessness, with slowly returning consciousness…”
- Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: nutmeg. Especially suitable for women and children (Ign.). Great sensitivity of the body and pain of the parts on which one lies (Bell.). Wandering and pressing pains, which always only occupy a small spot (Ign., Kali-B.), last only a short time (Bell.), but soon returns (Mag-P.). Drawing in the limbs…”
- Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Stupor, insensibility, unconquerable sleep; sleepy with most all complaints. Excessive dryness of the tongue, mouth, lips and throat; no thirst. And in room, dry weather. Changeable humor; one moment laughing, the next crying. The nutmeg, though frequently used for its peculiar flavor in common cookery, is…”
