Rhus toxicodendron
By Adolph von Lippe — Text Book of Materia Medica
Mind and Disposition
Restlessness which does not permit one to sit quiet, and compels him to throw himself about in bed.
Anxiety and apprehensiveness (at twilight).
Fear; that he will die; of being poisoned.
Desire to commit suicide (to throw himself into the water).
Disgust for life.
Absence of mind.
Inclination to weep, especially in the evening, with desire for solitude.
Illusions of the fancy; visions.
Mild delirium, with insensibility.
Head
Stupefaction, with tingling in the head and pain in the limbs, ameliorated on motion.
Giddiness, as if intoxicated; when rising from the bed, with chilliness and pressure behind the eyes.
Fulness and heaviness in the head, especially in the forehead; as if a weight were falling forward, on stooping, with heat in the face.
Rush of blood to the head with burning-tingling and beating in the brain, bright redness of the face, great restlessness of the body, in the morning, when at rest, worse after eating.
Stinging headache, extending to the ears.
Stinging pain at the root of the nose, extending to the malar bones, with painfulness of the teeth.
Painful tingling in the head, especially of the occiput.
Burning in the forehead when walking.
When stepping, sensation as if the brain were loose, also when shaking the head.
Liability to take cold from having the head wetted.
Humid, suppurating eruption on the head, forming heavy crusts, eating off the hair, offensive smell and itching, worse at night.
Great sensitiveness of the scalp, worse on the side on which he does not lie, worse from combing the hair back, from becoming warm in bed and from the touch.
Erysipelatous swelling of the head and face, with vesicles drying up and forming burning itching scabs.
The hair falls off from suppurating eruptions.
The headache is worse in the morning, while lying; from cold, from drinking beer, relieved by heat, and when moving about.
Eyes
Inflammation of the eyes and lids, with redness, and agglutination of the lids at night.
Erysipelatous swelling of the eyes and around them.
Swelling of the eyelids.
Eyes full of water (bleareyedness).
Styes on the lower eyelids.
Heaviness of the eyelids.
Aversion to light.
Ears
Discharge of bloody pus from the ears.
Otalgia with pulsation in the ear at night.
Inflammatory swelling of the parotid gland (left side).
Suppuration of the parotid glands (with scarlet fever).
Nose
Redness of the tip of the nose, with soreness when touched.
Inflammation of the nose.
The nose feels sore internally.
Bleeding of the nose at night, or when stooping (coagulated blood).
Discharge of green offensive pus from the nose.
Puffiness of the nose.
Spasmodic sneezing.
Discharge of mucus from the nose without coryza.
Dryness of the nose.
Face
Face pale, sunken, with blue rings under the eyes, and pointed nose.
Erysipelatous swelling of the face, with burning, tingling, and stinging.
Erysipelas, with vesicles containing yellow water.
Milk crust; acnea rosacea; Impetigo on the face or on the forehead.
Exanthema on the cheeks, on the chin, around the mouth.
Stiffness in the articulation of the jaws.
Cracking in the articulation of the jaw.
Mouth and Throat
Looseness of the teeth.
Toothache, tearing, stinging, often at night, worm in the open air, better from external heat and in the warm room.
Dryness of the mouth, with much thirst.
Accumulation of much saliva in the mouth (saliva bloody).
Putrid taste in the mouth.
Offensive smell from the mouth.
Tongue dry, red, and cracked.
Much tough mucus accumulates in the mouth and throat.
Sore throat, as from an internal swelling, with bruised pain; also when talking, with pressure and stinging when swallowing.
Difficult deglutition of solid food, as from contraction.
Stomach and Abdomen
Want of appetite, with unquenchable thirst.
Food tastes bitter; especially the bread.
Putrid taste, especially in the morning and after eating.
Metallic taste.
Thirst, especially in the night, from dryness in the mouth, and mostly for cold water or cold milk.
Hunger without appetite.
When eating sudden vomiting.
Longing for oysters.
After eating great sleepiness, fulness in the stomach or giddiness.
Heaviness in the stomach as from a stone, after eating.
Stinging or pulsation in the pit of the stomach.
Nausea, with inordinate appetite and inclination to vomit, worse after eating and drinking and at night.
Eructations, with tingling in the stomach, worse when rising up while lying.
Colic, compelling one to walk bent.
Visible contraction in the abdomen above the navel.
Sensation as if something were torn off in the abdomen.
Pains in the abdomen at night.
Sensation of soreness in the walls of the abdomen, especially in the morning, when stretching.
Bloated abdomen, especially after eating.
From drinking ice-water pain in the stomach and nausea.
Stool and Anus
Diarrhœa, stools watery or consisting of mucus or bloody, or frothy, or white.
Tenesmus, with nausea, tearing and pinching in the abdomen.
Dysentery.
Nightly diarrhœa, with violent pain in the abdomen, which is relieved after an evacuation, or when lying on the abdomen.
Involuntary stools, especially at night while asleep.
During stool shortness of breath.
Urinary Organs
Frequent urging to urinate day and night, with increased accretion.
Involuntary discharge of urine at night, or while sitting, or when at rest.
Diminished secretion of urine, although he drinks much.
Urine hot, white and muddy, or pale with white sediment.
Urine dark, which soon becomes turbid.
Tenesmus vesicæ, with discharges of only a few drops of blood-red urine.
The urine is emitted in a divided stream.
Genital Organs
Men. Eruption on the genitals, closing the urethra by swelling.
Swelling of the glans and of the prepuce; prepuce dark-red.
Paraphymosis.
Humid vesicles on the glans.
Red blotches on the inner surface of the prepuce.
Stinging-itching on the inner surface of the prepuce.
Humid eruptions on the scrotum.
The scrotum becomes thicker and harder, with intolerable itching.
Erysipelas of the scrotum.
Violent erections at night, with urging to urinate.
Women. Bearing down pain (when standing).
Prolapsus uteri from overstraining, overlifting.
Catamenia too early, too profuse, and too protracted.
Discharge of blood during pregnancy.
Hæmorrhage, blood clotted, with labor-like pains.
Soreness and stitches in the vagina.
The menstrual blood is acrid.
The lochia become bloody again and smell offensively.
After-pains of too long duration, after severe labor, with much and excessive straining.
Galactorrhœa, or suppression of the milk, with burning over the body.
Respiratory Organs
Sensation of coldness in the larynx when breathing.
Hoarseness, with roughness in the larynx, and roughness and soreness in the chest.
Hot air rises from the trachea.
Cough, from tickling in the bronchia; short, dry, especially in the evening and before midnight.
Cough in the evening, with vomiting of the ingesta.
Cough in the morning soon after awaking.
Cough, with expectoration of (pale or clotted) blood, or with pains in the abdomen.
Cough, with stitches in the chest, profuse general perspiration, and pain in the stomach.
Hooping-cough; spasmodic violent cough, caused by tickling in the larynx and chest, with expectoration (except in the evening) of acrid pus or grayish-green cold mucus, of putrid smell, or of pale, clotted, at times brown blood.
Dyspnœa from pressure and painfulness in the pit of the stomach.
Hot breath.
Stitches in the chest and sides of the chest, worse when at rest, and while sneezing and breathing.
Inflammation of the lungs, also pneumonia nervosa.
Tingling in the chest, with tension in the intercostal muscles, worse when at rest.
Sensation of weakness and trembling of the heart.
Violent palpitation of the heart on sitting still.
Stitches in the heart, with painful lameness and numbness of the left arm.
Back and Neck
Painful tension between the shoulder-blades.
Pain in the shoulders and back, as from a sprain.
Rheumatic stiffness of the neck, with painful tension when moving.
Curvature of the dorsal vertebræ.
Pain in the small of the back, when sitting still or when lying; relieved when lying on something hard, or from exercise.
Extremities
Upper. Tearing and burning in the shoulder, with lameness of the arm.
Paralysis of the arm, with coldness and insensibility.
Erysipelatous swelling of the arm.
Tension in the elbow-joint.
Painful swelling of the axillary glands.
Rhagades on the back of the hands.
Swelling of the fingers; hot swelling of the hands in the evening.
Warts on the hands, -hangnails.
Swollen veins on the hands.
Lower. Pain in the hip when rising from a seat, or after over-exercise; involuntary limping.
Pain as if sprained in the, hip, knee and foot-joint.
Spasmodic twitching in the limbs when stepping out.
Painful swelling above the knee.
Swelling of the feet (in the evening).
Corns, with soreness and burning.
Generalities
Great debility, weakness and soreness, especially when sitting, and when at rest.
Rheumatic tension, drawing and tearing in the limbs, mostly with sensation of numbness, especially when at rest.
Tension, stiffness and stitches in the joints; worse when rising from a seat.
Tearing and weakness of the joints.
In inner parts sensation of fulness; or as if they were grown together (adhesion), or as if something in them were torn loose.
Numbness in the extremities, with previous twitching and tingling in them.
Painless paralysis of the limbs.
Burning and stinging pains in external parts.
Inflammatory swellings.
The parts on which one lies go to sleep.
Restlessness of the body; inclination to move the affected parts.
Pain as if sprained in outer parts; disposition to sprain a part by lifting heavy weights.
Sleep
Spasmodic yawning, without inclination to sleep, and with stretching of the limbs, and pain as from dislocation of the articulation of the jaw.
He falls asleep late; sleeplessness before midnight.
At night he can only he on his back.
Vivid dreams.
Fever
Pulse irregular; generally accelerated but weak, soft; sometimes it cannot be felt, or is intermittent.
Constant chilliness, as if cold water were poured over him, or as if the blood were running cold through the veins.
Sensation of coldness when he moves.
Chills running over the back.
Chills with increased pains, especially in the limbs.
Chilliness, worse in the evening.
Coldness, with paleness of the face, alternating with heat and redness of the face.
Heat after the chill, often with perspiration and amelioration of the concomitant symptoms.
General heat, as if hot water were thrown over him, or as if the blood were flowing hot through the veins.
Heat with nettle-rash.
Evening fever, with diarrhœa.
Perspiration; with the pains; when sitting; often accompanied with violent trembling.
General perspiration, frequently already during the heat, and then often not in the face.
Perspiration, with violent itching of the eruption.
Night-sweat, with miliary itching eruption.
Intermittent fever. First drowsy, weariness and yawning, afterwards (at 10 A.M.) excessive heat in the body, without thirst.
Chilliness 7 P.M., as if he had cold water poured over him; after going to bed, heat with inclination to stretch the limbs; sweat towards morning.
Quotidian fever about midnight, with pressure and swelling at the pit of the stomach, and anxious palpitation of the heart during the day.
First headache (throbbing in the temples); afterwards chilliness, with thirst and tearing pains in the limbs as from fatigue; afterwards general warmth, with slight chills during motion, and livid face; finally profuse, sour-smelling perspiration.
Tertian fever with nettle-rash, which disappears after the attack; during the apyrexia, burning and redness in the sclerotica.
Skin
Itching over the whole body, especially on the hairy parts.
Stinging and tingling on the skin, burning after scratching.
Erysipelas; vesicular; Zona.
Humidity of the skin.
Rhagades.
Hardness of the skin, with thickening.
Swelling (hard) of the affected parts.
Sensation of coldness in the skin.
Exanthema, burning, erysipelatous, itching, with swelling, pox-shaped, black, purulent; nettle-rash with burning-itching.
Milk crust.
Pustulous eruptions.
Warts.
Herpes, alternating with pains in the chest and dysenteric stools.
Inflammation, swelling induration and suppuration of the glands.
Inflammation and swelling of the long bones.
Pain as if the flesh were torn loose from the bones, or as if the bones were being scraped.
Burning in the ulcers.
Conditions
Bad consequences from getting wet, especially after being heated; from excessive bodily exercise; from bruises and sprains; from heavy falls; concussion of the body.
Great sensitiveness to the open air.
From cold bathing, convulsive twitches.
Aggravation in the morning; after midnight; during the winter; while at rest, reposing, lying down; on rising from a seat or after rising from the bed; from stepping heavily on the ground; on change of the weather; in wet weather; from getting wet; in cold air, and from cold in general; from cold water; from uncovering the head; from drawing up the limbs; from drinking beer.
Amelioration, when continuing to walk; from moving the affected parts; from stretching out the limbs; from warmth, warm air, wrapping oneself up warmly (the head) in dry (warm) weather.
Rhus follows well after Bryonia, or vice versa; but causes bad results when given after Apis, and vice versa.