Nux vomica has been known since 1540, when a certain Valerius Cordus gave a remarkably correct description of it. The fruit of this tree is about the size of an orange and contains a bitter, gelatinous pulp. This pulp is said to be eaten by some birds of India, although it is well known to contain strychnine. Nux is the actual kernel, de-pulped and shelled. It is disc-shaped, about an inch in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Its surface is velvety due to densely covering it with appressed shiny hairs.

I have already said that Ignatia and Nux vomica contain, as active principles, two alkaloids, namely Strychninum and Brucine. Brucine is found in a much smaller quantity than Strychninum, and is found in greater quantities in the bark than in the nut itself. Its properties are somewhat similar to those of Strychninum. Both alkaloids are combined with igasuric acid (acidum igasuricum), which is identical to malic acid (ac. malicum) found in apples and pears. Strychninum, the chief alkaloid of Ignatia and Nux vomica, has a well-described symptomatology, being a poison often used for the purpose of suicide and poisoning others, as well as for the destruction of lower animals, cats, rats, etc. Strychninum produces restlessness, trembling of the limbs, numbness of the neck and limbs . The throat is constricted like Belladonna. Sometimes there are titanic convulsions and opisthotonus (back bending of the whole body). These titanic convulsions differ from those observed in real tetanus (tetanus) only in that in them the muscles relax between paroxysms. The body temperature is not as high as in true tetanus, and trismus (convulsive clenching of the jaws) appears late in Strychnine poisoning. Strychnine convulsions reappear from any external influence on the sense organs, especially from the lightest touch, while rubbing relieves the patient. In very large or frequently repeated doses, Strychninum causes paralysis of the centripetal nerves. Finally, there comes a complete decline in strength, as a result of the exhaustion of the motor centers. I bring you these symptoms of Strychninum for two purposes. In the first place, that you should be sufficiently familiar with them in order to recognize them if any of your patients had the misfortune of being poisoned by this poison, and, secondly, that you may better understand the action of Nux vomica, since Strychninum represents its main component, and so that you notice how this extreme impressionability runs through all its symptomatology; By this I mean that every impression acts sharply on the patient. External impressions, like sound, smell and noise, excite him, and this excessive irritability, I repeat, is characteristic of this remedy.

Similar to Strychnine in action are Picrotoxinum, Veratrinum, Cicuta virosa, Thebainum, Acid. hydrocyanicum, Belladonna, Stramonium, Aconite, Physostigma, Passiflora, Curare, Camphora and Phytolacca, but in particular its action is similar to traumatic tetanus.

Picrotoxinum, according to Bertholow, is a synergist * Strychninum, but only the respiration is accelerated not so much from the spasm of the respiratory muscles, but from the spasm of the glottis, and, moreover, the susceptibility to light touches is less. Guber states that Picrotoxin produces more choreic symptoms.

* From Greek, means “helping”, doing the same thing. I. L.

Veratrinum causes a disorder of coordination of movements, causing relaxation of some muscle fibers and contraction of others, that is, after a prolonged contraction of the muscles, a state of partial relaxation occurs with contractions of only individual fibers. In this respect it is somewhat similar to Strychninum, but it differs greatly from the latter in its diarrhoea, vomiting, and, above all, paralysis, which is not due to the wasting of the muscles, but to the loss of their vital energy.

Thebainum produces tetanus, but may be distinguished by its hypnotic symptoms. It is said to be the most poisonous of the active principles of opium.

Physostigma can only be mixed with Strychnine for a limited number of symptoms. It increases the irritability of the sensory nerves and produces titanic convulsions of the involuntary muscles. In general it differs greatly from Strychninum, causing paralysis of the spinal cord and lowering of the reflexes. Therefore, when such symptoms as constriction in the pharynx, convulsions in the stomach and intestines, straining of the rectum, numbness of the waist and lower extremities, a feeling of tightness in and around the eyeballs, suggest a similarity with Strychnine, then the corresponding phenomena will serve to distinguish spinal paralysis, such as the following: trembling, weak patient can hardly walk, can only with difficulty make the muscles obey their will (as in Gelsemium and Conium), unsteadiness when walking with closed eyes. In Strychninum, death is due to suffocation, which is due to a tonic spasm of the respiratory muscles, while in Physostigma it is due to paralysis. The pupils are also different: the former causes their dilation, the latter causes constriction with incomplete accommodation and twitching of the eyelids.

If, however, you have to take into account the remote effects of Strychninum, such as the consequences of severe poisoning with it, or such symptoms as are often produced by dilutions, you can always make sense of them, thanks to the characteristic irritability, which is more pronounced under Strychninum; every impression acts too abruptly; from the smell is fainting; irritation causes muscle trembling, sexual desire and rapid ejaculation.

Curare, even if containing Strychninum, acts quite differently from the latter. It destroys the excitability of the terminal nerve apparatus in the muscles, leaving the muscles themselves intact. Reflexes are reduced or destroyed and breathing is paralyzed. Feeling changed insignificantly. Due to paralysis of the vagus nerve endings, the activity of the heart is accelerated, but blood pressure is not increased, because due to paralysis of the vasomotor endings, the blood vessels dilate, thereby reducing the resistance to blood flow. The increase in peristalsis is due not to spasm, but to paralysis of the nerves that hold it back (nn. splanchnice).

We do not have particularly reliable trials of Curare. However, Baruch has used it for so-called "liver spots", and Dr. Paul Pitet reports several interesting cures for muscle weakness, shortness of breath due to lack of muscle strength, immobility, fixed gaze on waking, and eczema in children, especially on the face and behind the ears; with scrofula in children (World "s Homoeop. Convention, vol. I).

It was also used, I think, by Baruch for catalepsy, with spasm of the lower jaw.

Phytolacca differs substantially from Strychninum in its sharply narcotic properties, and also in its late onset gastro-intestinal irritation and collapse. But convulsive symptoms somewhat similar: the limbs are motionless, the arms are tightly clenched, the legs are extended, and the toes are bent, the teeth are clenched, and the lips are twisted, the whole body is bent back (opisthotonus); the chin is drawn to the sternum.

Passiflora incarnata has not been tested, but it has cured cases of tetanus. Dr. Archibald Bayne, of Barbados, reports two cases of healing with the tincture and the first decimal dilution. (Hahn. Monthly, May, 1881).

Angustura is placed among the aromatic bitters and is considered tonic. But it is more than tonic. It produces contraction, tension and numbness of the muscles and joints, with a broken, sore sensation, as after a blow. This tension is so pronounced in the temporal masticatory muscles that one might think of trismus of the jaws. This remedy also affects the bones; there are points of similarity between Angustura and another plant of the family. Rutaceae, Ruta graveolens. Damage to the periosteum often indicates this latter, and damage to it with incipient contracture of the muscles may, in all likelihood, require the former.

Dr. Hering, who knew well that Angustura was mixed with Strychnine, nevertheless reports a cure for tetanus by the first remedy, and gives the symptoms of it in his "Guiding Symptoms." Dr. Hubbard also reports one case of healing of Angustura (Med. Investigator, April, 1870).

That Angustura vera acts on the bones has been fully confirmed. Aegidi used it for long bones (see Raue's Pathology). Dr. C. G. Raue writes to me that the remedy with which he healed podarthrocace (swelling of the leg joints) was undoubtedly Angustura vera and Angustura falsa, or else Nucis vomicae cortex seu Brucea antidysenterica.

Dr. Ang. Korndoerfer used Jenichen-a 2B° for necrosis of the lower jaw. One side of the jaw was successfully operated on, but the disease appeared on the other side of it; the cure was complete.

Among the symptoms characteristic of Angustura in general, we may include irritation from a slight injury (in caries). Greed for coffee (clinical observation confirmed by Dunhan, Boenninghausen and Aegidi). Tenesmus of the rectum with soft stools; urge to urinate with copious amounts of urine (see the case of Dr. Edmundson, Hannemonnian Monthly, October, 1876). I cannot therefore entirely agree with Dr. Hughes who states that Angustura has no recognized therapeutic site.

Aconite, in one of its manifestations, causes a general tension of the nerves and vessels, characterized by the well-known restlessness, fever, etc. (see Yuz., "Pharmacodynamics"). It also produces clenching of the jaws (trismus), torpor of the limbs, and even opisthotonus. From this we see why Reynol could use it with complete success in trismus in horses (Trousseaus "s Therapeutics, vol. II), and then why it was offered at the beginning of traumatic tetanus.

However, it does not increase reflex excitability like Strychninum. With it there is rather a decrease or perversion of sensitivity, expressed by ringing in the ears and numbness.

In impending tetanus, we certainly have real remedies to prevent the full development of the disease: Aconite - fever, restlessness, muscle tension, ringing in the ears and numbness; Veratrum viride, Hypericum, excruciating pain in wound; Belladonna, Cicuta, Silicea, and perhaps Angustura, if the wound suppurates, or suddenly ceases to pus.

Acidum hydrocyanicum was first recommended for tetanus by Begin, and Dr. Hughes, in his note on this acid, read at the meeting of the Wordl's Convention in 1876, cites cases of poisoning, proving its homeopathy for epilepsy and tetanus. of this last disease is more fully outlined in Dr. Hughes' Pharmacodiamics, where we read: "Prussic acid causes tetanus. There is no sign of increased reflex excitability, as from Strychninum, but a persistent tonic spasm, as from Aconite and Cicuta. This comes from a direct action on the spinal cord.

It seems to be chiefly useful in titanic symptoms, showing up most in the muscles of the face, jaws, and back; there is trismus, risus sardonicus, and difficulty in breathing, with blue face and foam at the mouth. Dr. Charles A. Barnard reports two cases of traumatic tetanus relieved by this acid. In each case, only the spasms of the face, jaws, and chest were relieved, while other remedies were required for the rest of the symptoms (see N. E. Med. Gazette, October, 1882). This affinity of hydrocyanic acid for the upper part of the body is not a contraindication for non-opisthotonus and general titanic rigidity, since both the trunk and limbs are subjected to spasm from its poisonous action. In one case, the spasm began in the toes and then spread throughout the body. Hydrocyanic acid undoubtedly acts most strongly on the medulla oblongata, and from here successively through the medium of the vagus nerves (n. n. vagi) the lungs, heart and larynx are affected. It bears little resemblance to Strychninum, but is similar to Cicuta, Lachesis and Nicotinum.

Lachesis relieved when, together with trismus and spasm of the larynx, there is blue from asphyxia and the patient sleeps during the paroxysm.

Cicuta virosa contains the volatile alkaloid Cicutinum, which, however, has not yet been isolated. According to Boehm "y, this plant causes vomiting, diarrhea and titaioid convulsions, and in men also fainting (syncope, cardiac arrest) and strabismus. The volatile oil that it contains is said to be identical with cumin oil and is not poisonous. But alcohol resinous an extract containing, according to Troyanovsky, Cicutoxinum, causes alternating tonic and clonic convulsions in frogs. Respiration is accelerated, the act of inhalation exceeds the act of exhalation so much that the animal swells with air. In mammals, the nervous effect is expressed by profuse salivation, trembling of the muscles and then convulsions. Respiration is strong the convulsions become more frequent, and then the convulsions suddenly set in. Respiration, as with Strychninum, depends on the contraction of the respiratory muscles.When irritated, the convulsions return; when the paroxysm ceases, the animal lies completely exhausted.

The following course of action of Cicuta brings together all its characteristic features, which the homeopath must constantly be guided by in choosing this powerful remedy: sudden numbness, then tossing and violent writhing, followed by complete prostration. Tonic convulsions are renewed by touch. Great difficulty in breathing. Convulsive clenching of the jaws, dark red face; foam at the mouth. Opis thotonus. Loss of consciousness.

The attack in Cicuta is more epileptic than in Strychninum, and is usually accompanied by loss of consciousness. Reflex excitability is less pronounced in the first. The depletion of Cicuta is only equal to that of Chininum arsenicosum.

Tabacum and Nicotinum cause: throwing the head back, with stiffness of the muscles of the neck and back, contracture of the eyelids and masticatory muscles (mm. masseteres), wheezing due to spasm of the laryngeal and bronchial muscles; alternating tonic and clonic convulsions followed by general relaxation and trembling; reduction of the abdominal muscles; contraction of parts supplied with involuntary muscles, such as intestines, ureters, etc., these contractions are accompanied by severe pain, nausea, cold sweat, rapid loss of strength and asphyxia (suffocation).

Tabacum also acts on the spinal cord, especially on the medulla oblongata and on the abdominal nerve ganglions. His titanic symptoms with asphyxia are more like those of Hydrocyanic Acid than Strychninum. The characteristic difference between Tabacum and Nux is well seen from their respective uses in renal colic; pain in right ureter descending into genitals and leg, nausea and vomiting, Nux; suffering along the ureter with deathly pain and cold sweat, Tabacum.

Veratrum album causes convulsions, with spasm of the glottis and constriction of the chest, almost to the point of suffocation; the arms and legs are pulled inward and the pupils are contracted. The difference between Veratrum and Strychninum is this: in Veratrum these convulsions are secondary to the wasting diseases, and never primary, as in Strychninum.

Stramonium, like Strychninum, causes titanic convulsions, worse from touch and light; the difference is chiefly this: with Stramonium there is almost always mania, while with Strychninum the brain remains clear until the last hour of life.

Camphora and Phytolacca are very similar to Strychninum in titanic convulsions. With both, teeth are shown due to the raised corners of the mouth. Camphora is given in titanic convulsions, which are always fatal. Phytolacca, on the other hand, is required if the hands are clenched into fists and the toes are bent, the lips are twisted and alternately contraction and relaxation are observed in the muscles of the face.

In studying Nux vomica, these introductory remarks must be remembered. Now I must tell you that Nux vomica is a complement to Sulfur. By this I mean that very often, after Nux vomica has been given, as far as its symptoms fit the case, the rest of the symptoms of the disease often require Sulfur to cure it completely.

Then I will describe to you the temperament of Nux vomica. It does not necessarily follow that you should not use Nux if the constitution of the patient is not such as I will describe; but this means that it works better if the constitution fits the one under consideration. Nux vomica is most suitable for rather thin, lean patients. It doesn't seem to work so well on portly ones. It is especially indicated if the patient is rather quick-tempered, quick and active in his movements. He has a nervous temperament. His face is rather pale or yellowish. In this case, there is a kind of false plethora, which is why the patient sometimes has ruddy cheeks, but with yellowness in the circumference. In general, you will find that the patient suffers from every kind of mental exertion, especially if this overexertion of the mental forces is aggravated or aggravated by a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, you will find this remedy very valuable for those who are deprived of sleep and movement because of their occupations. The Nux patient often lies awake at night; his brain is so excited that he cannot sleep. His thoughts run through his brain in a confused order. He falls asleep long after midnight, and then early in the morning, maybe at 4-5 o'clock, he wakes up. He falls asleep again and, waking up again, feels terribly exhausted, as if he had been at a feast and therefore slept badly. He has a bitter taste in his mouth; tongue coated; he complains of a dull headache, and of every symptom that really points to the exhaustion of the organism from overwork. Here is the character of the patient in whom you will find Nux most effective.

In the Nux patient you will find the digestive organs often suffering. He suffers from a headache. This pain is concentrated either in the back of the head or over one or the other eye, usually over the left. If it is centered over the eye, it usually begins in the morning, increases all day until night, and is accompanied for the most part by a sour taste in the mouth (less often a bitter taste), an accumulation of flatus, and an unpleasant urge to vomit. This may be accompanied by vomiting of food and sour masses; but the outstanding feature of this vomiting is a strong urge to it, often more or less ineffectual, indicating to you an irritable condition of the stomach. He has the same feature of sleep - early awakening, at 3-4 o'clock in the morning, then falling asleep again and waking up again with a feeling of deterioration compared to the previous state. The intestines are subject to constipation, and this constipation, characteristically, consists of ineffectual urge to stool. From this you see that it does not depend on intestinal atony, but on its incorrect, seizure activity. The patient also suffers from pain in the stomach, usually aggravated by eating. Sometimes it worsens when the stomach is empty. The pains arise in the upper abdomen and then spread radially in various directions, to the back, etc. The attacks are very apt to return periodically every morning and are often accompanied by vomiting of sour masses and an unsuccessful urge to stool. The pains themselves are of a grasping, scratching character, as if a hand were scraping the inside of the stomach; they are often relieved by hot drinks. Note that the symptoms I have given for Nux vomica may be summarized under the term "stomach irritability" in pathological terms. His nerves are in such a state increased irritability that food causes spasmodic activity of the stomach and the ejection of its contents. Note that the condition of the stomach is pathologically similar to that of the rectum.

In extreme irritability of the stomach we will find Nux vomica and 2 or 3 other remedies useful, without which we cannot achieve good luck. You take advantage of a sick person who has lost all his strength from illness; as soon as he swallows the food, it comes back again. One of the remedies here would be Nux, especially for children who are very excitable, and also for men when they indulge in excessive eating or debauchery.

In other cases, when there is great burning in the stomach, with great eruption of food, Vismuthum is the remedy. Vismuthum subnitricum is a remedy for a pure form of gastralgia, one that is not accompanied by any catarrh or any symptoms of indigestion. The pains in the upper abdomen may be of a burning, cutting, or stabbing character, and are accompanied by dull pain in the back and spasmodic vomiting.

Another form of stomach trouble for which Nux vomica is applicable is dyspepsia, which is markedly worse an hour or so after eating. The patient complains of severe hunger for 24 hours or so before the onset of the attack. In such cases, he has a strong greed for meat, meat sauces and fatty foods. He is very thirsty, but water upsets the stomach and causes that organ to expand; the patient, even after a light dinner, is sometimes forced to loosen his dress.

In other cases, we find Arsenicum useful if, in addition to burning pains, there is unbearable anxiety and fear, thirst, etc. It produces a complete picture of subacute gastritis (inflammation of the stomach).

The next remedy, which is of greater importance than some of those already mentioned, is Kreosotum. Kreosotum is a remedy for irritable stomach weakness. Food cannot be digested. But, in my opinion, its distinctive character lies in the fact that if the food stays in the stomach for even a few hours, it still ends up vomited undigested.

In gastric symptoms resulting from intemperance, Nux sometimes fails, and sometimes is temperamentally contraindicated. In the first case, Carbo vegetabilis will be a good remedy.

Pulsatilla is preferable to Nux vomica if these symptoms are the result of mixed foods, such as meat, cake, ice cream, etc., especially in the right temperament.

In constipation Nux is like many remedies.

Lycopodium is constipated with futile urging to stool, but under this remedy these futile urges are due to contraction of the rectum and anus.

Carbo vegetabilis has urges to stool similar to Nux vomica, but relieved by passing flatus, indicating the cause of the urge.

Under Opium, Bryonia and Alumina, the constipation is not accompanied by an urge to go down. Opium constipation comes from inactivity (atony) of the bowels; stools are hard, round, black clods.

Bryonia constipation is caused by dryness of the digestive tract. The stools are copious, dry and hard.

A marked atony of the rectum characterizes Alumina. Even soft stools require a lot of effort to pass.

Nux vomica has a marked effect on the liver. It is particularly indicated in those liver troubles which depend on the abuse of liquor, highly seasoned foods, and strong purgatives. Nux vomica is one of the best remedies we have for destroying the effects of allopathic treatment. When taking on a case previously treated in the old school system, you will often have to give Nux before we are able to deal with the case. In these cases the liver is often swollen, hard and sensitive to the pressure of the dress. These gastric and bilious disturbances are often accompanied by colic. Colic may come from the accumulation of winds that press towards the chest cavity, producing difficulty in breathing, or they press downward on the rectum and bladder, causing urging for stool and urine. There may also be hemorrhoidal colic. By this I mean the pains in the abdomen that accompany the sudden stop of hemorrhoidal bleeding. The patient for years is subject to hemorrhoids, losing blood during stool. If for any reason these bleedings suddenly stop and cause headache or colic, Nux will help the patient. If the liver is enlarged, you must give Nux in repeated doses and will often have the pleasure of finding the liver return to its normal size. If not, then you can turn to Sulfur, Sepia or Magnesia muriatica.

Nux vomica is also useful in jaundice caused by intense anger, abuse of quinine, and too luxurious a life. The patient has fainting spells, after which he feels very sick and weak.

Nux may also be indicated in enlargement of the liver in drunkards.

Chamomilla can be used for jaundice caused by a fit of anger.

Bryonia is useful in jaundice when it comes from the abuse of calomel.

Carduus marianus is indicated in jaundice with dull headache, bitter taste in the mouth, white tongue, especially in the middle, and with red margins and tip. This causes nausea and vomiting of an acidic green liquid. The stools are icteric and the urine is golden yellow. An unpleasant fullness is felt in the region of the liver.

In haemorrhoids, Nux may be useful if there is an itch that wakes the patient at night, and is often so severe as to compel the patient to sit down in a tub of cold water for relief. At the same time, frequent unsuccessful urge to stool; bleeding from hemorrhoidal cones. If Nux is not well indicated, then it should not be given, because in such cases, while you have cured the hemorrhoids, you will cause some other disorders, more intolerable than those which you have relieved.

There are many analogues of Nux for hemorrhoids: firstly, Aesculus hippocastanum. This is a wonderful remedy for abdominal plethora. You will find it indicated by throbbing deep in the abdomen, especially in the hypogastrium. Hemorrhoids, which may or may not bleed, are accompanied by a feeling of dryness in the rectum, as if small knots or splinters were stuck in the folds of the mucous membrane. This is the key for Aesculus. It also has a faint sensation in the sacroiliac joint, as if the legs would refuse to serve.

The next remedy I will mention in connection with Nux is Aloe. This remedy has abdominal plethora and flatulence like Nux and Sulfur and hemorrhoidal lumps like Nux, Sulfur and Aesculus. However, it differs from these remedies in that it acts almost exclusively on the rectum, causing catarrh of it. The stools are accompanied by the release of a huge amount of winds. The hemorrhoidal lumps protrude like clusters of grapes and are much relieved by cold water. At the same time, some indefinite sensation is noticed in the region of the rectum, a sensation as if the intestines were being moved. Aloe also cures headaches, which, like those of Nux vomica, center over the eyes. It is accompanied by a sensation as if a weight were pressing the eyelids down. Some relief comes from closing the eyelids.

Collinsonia is indicated in hemorrhoids when there is a prickly sensation in the rectum. Constipation is habitual. The chair happens more often in the evenings. It is also useful in uterine prolapse complicated by hemorrhoids. Under this condition, it is almost as often prescribed as Podophyllum for prolapse of the uterus, complicated by diarrhea and prolapse of the rectum. We find that Collinsonia has one symptom similar to that of Opium: the feces come out of the rectum in dry lumps, which differ from Opium lumps in that they are light colored.

Hamamelis is called for in haemorrhoids with great haemorrhage, with marked soreness of the affected parts. Feeling broken in the lower back.

Nux vomica may be used in diarrhea from excess. The patient is usually worse in the morning. The stools are soft or watery, characterized by their scantiness, and often accompanied by urging, retaining in this respect the character of Nux vomica. The patient in the morning tries to induce vomiting, spewing out only a little foam or sour liquid. He naturally feels a great need for fluids, but his stomach is irritable, which regurgitates the fluid as soon as it is swallowed. Such faces seem to be particularly intolerant of milk.

Nux may be given in dysentery when there is frequent downward urging, which stops as soon as the bowels move. The stools are bloody, slimy, watery, and scanty. The patient is worse in the morning.

Mercurius differs from Nux in dysentery in that the urge to go down does not stop with stool.

Another suitable (concordant) remedy for dysentery is Aloe. It is useful in dysentery when there are griping pains in the lower abdomen before stool, being in this respect very similar to Nux vomica. The stools consist of blood and mucus, which appears in the form of jelly-like masses. After a stool, contractions may or may not stop. In addition, the number of mucus eruptions can be unusually profuse.

Nux vomica is also used in strangulated hernias, both inguinal and umbilical, against the accompanying abdominal symptoms. Nux is indicated when the patient complains of a feeling of weakness in the abdomen when he gets up in the morning from bed.

Lycopodium may be used in right-sided inguinal hernia.

Cocculus indicus comes into play in umbilical hernia after Nux vomica has failed.

Let us now consider the action of Nux on various organs, for example, on the eyes. We will find it indicated in many eye diseases. Our first duty is to give it in ordinary inflammation of the conjunctivitis of the eye, especially if it is worse in the morning. This period of aggravation is so pronounced that it is characteristic of this remedy. In this case, in the morning there is gluing of the eyelids and photophobia. The same symptoms may show this remedy in scrofulous inflammation of the eyes and convulsive constriction of the eyelids (blepharospasmus).

For spasms of the eyelids Agaricus is generally the best remedy.

Nux vomica may also be indicated in disease of the deeper layers of the eye. So, for example, it can be assigned with such terrible disease like retinal atrophy, whether it comes from inflammation of the choroid and retina together (choroidoretinitis) or not.

Then we find it shown in another condition of the retina, namely, hyperesthesia of it. It is shown here by the intolerance of light and the aggravation in the morning; the slightest attempt to move the eyes is accompanied by severe pain and spasmodic contraction of various eye muscles; this may be joined by lacrimation, causing abrasions of the skin.

The next state in which we find it indicated is bruising of the sclera (ecchymosis), when a certain amount of blood is poured under the conjunctiva. These bruises often appear after feasts, or classes before late night in persons predisposed to dyspepsia.

If these ecchymoses are of traumatic origin, then we should think of Ledum, Arnica, and Hamamelis.

We will now come to Nux vomica in catarrhs. Nux is suitable for the first stage of the common coryza. The disease is accompanied by sneezing and a sensation as if the nose were stuffed up. The nose seems dry, but there is no speech disorder; the eyes are slightly watery, in the throat there is a scraping, sore sensation. Sometimes these catarrhal symptoms seem to be aggravated in a warm room and are relieved by outdoors.

But this scraping sensation in the throat is different from that seen under Mercurius. It is not a painful raw sensation, as if the skin were torn off, but rather a sensation of roughness, not smoothness. Mercurius is therefore useful in coryza, with a feeling of roughness and soreness in the nose and throat, worse in damp weather.

Pulsatilla is a remedy for coryza already developed, when the discharge is green and of a delicate texture. If Pulsatilla is given first, it will usually only hurt in this case.

If, in spite of Nux being prescribed, the cold descends and attacks the chest, I have found Phosphorus to take the place of it with success.

There is epistaxis, which cures Nux vomica. It occurs in persons predisposed to hemorrhoids. It is usually preceded by a headache with reddening of the cheeks. It usually happens at night during sleep, but it can happen at any other time.

Nux can also be used in catarrh of the Eustachian tube. There is itching and ringing along the Eustachian tube, which causes a frequent desire to swallow.

Sometimes in the mouth you will find a symptom pointing to Nux as a remedy. Ulcers form on the lips, which burn and are accompanied by stitching pains. There are also ulcers in the mouth. Ulcerative inflammation of the mouth (stomacaeae) Nux vomica is of bilious origin.

The Nux cough is not very characteristic. It can also be used for coughs of gastric origin; after eating, the patient begins to cough. It is usually accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen.

In chest affections we do not find Nux very often indicated; so far it has been observed to be sometimes useful in asthma. This asthma is usually not of a purely nervous nature, but appears after gastric disorders and is accompanied by a feeling of fullness and pressure in the stomach, especially found after a heavy dinner, during which the patient must unravel his dress in the hypochondrium. The abdomen is distended with gases. This asthmatic condition is relieved by belching. All these symptoms are worse from cold air or any exertion, especially going up stairs.

There is a remedy analogous to Nux vomica which is often looked over by the members of our school, and that is Zingiber. Zingiber or ginger has a tonic effect on the stomach if not abused. It is not a health food when eaten much by children, or by those who have some affection of the kidneys, as it rather favors the development of Bright's disease. As a medicine, Zingiber can be used for asthma of gastric origin. Attacks come at night, towards morning. The patient must sit up to breathe. Despite the severity of the seizures, anxiety does not seem to occur.

Carbo veg. and Lycopodium may be indicated in asthma resulting from irritation of the abdomen with marked tympanitis.

In haemoptys is (hemoptysis) Nux vomica is indicated when this disease occurs after excesses. An attack is detected after a drinking bout or after some strong excitement, for example, after anger. It can also appear due to delayed hemorrhoidal bleeding.

Nux is a useful remedy for diseases of the urinary organs. It is indicated in renal colic, if the site of the disease is one or the other kidney, but usually the right one. The pains extend to the genitals and down the leg. Usually they are accompanied by intense back pain. Here we must distinguish Nux from several other remedies: Lycopodium, Cantharis and Berberis.

One of the best remedies during these attacks will be Cantharis, which relieves the patient by lowering the intensity of the local irritation, and thus allows nature to get rid of the stone that causes this disease, with less suffering for the patient.

In the passage of gallstones is very good, as I noticed, Aether, outside and inside. It works better here than Chloroformium.

Another remedy for gallstones is Belladonna. Pain of a stabbing, shooting nature; they appear suddenly and, like radii, diverge in different directions from the central point of irritation. The patient is feverish and agitated.

An excellent remedy for both gallstones and kidney stones is Berberis. The pains are of a shooting nature. The patient cannot make the slightest movement and must sit leaning over on the right side to numb the pain. Also, if he complains of pains as sharp as arrows, going along the path of the ureters and extending to the legs, then there is no remedy like Berberis. In the urine there is a reddish sediment, consisting of mucus, epithelium and uric acid salts.

Cinchona is the remedy for permanent cure of gallstones. It is highly recommended by Dr. Thayer, of Boston. If any symptom or symptoms do not require you to prescribe another, specific remedy, then subject your patient to a course of Cinchona for several months.

We find that Nux is indicated for bloody urine (haematuria) if it is from the same causes as in hemoptysis.

Nux vomica is also indicated in affections of the bladder, especially in constriction of the urethra, with painful urge to urinate, passing only a few drops at a time, with burning and other unpleasant sensations.

I have sometimes noticed that after the gonorrhea has been treated as long as there is a discharge, the patient complains of irritation far in the back of the urethra, probably in the region of the prostate, where that unpleasant sensation develops, which the patient refers to the root of the penis. With these urges to urinate there are also urges to stool. In gonorrhea Nux is useful after abuse of Cubeba or Copaia when the discharge is fluid.

Nux is useful in sexual excesses, especially against the bad effects of early onanism. It is one of a group of remedies used in these cases since the time of Hahnemann. This group consists of Nux vomica, Sulfur, Calcarea, and Lycopodium. Nux is to be given when the patient has a headache, frequent, involuntary ejaculations at night, especially in the morning; he complains of back pain and difficulty walking. Do not repeat your remedy too often, and if the amelioration stops under the influence of Nux, you will almost always find that the nearest remedy to relieve the patient is Sulfur.

Calcarea usually follows Nux and Sulphur, especially if every ejaculation is followed by night sweats.

Lycopodium is indicated still later when complete impotence develops, when erections are either absent or imperfect. The genitals are cold and somewhat wrinkled.

Staphysagria is required for the bad effects of masturbation, especially if it is. there is great emaciation, with dark circles under the eyes, a pale complexion, and marked irritability and shyness.

There is another remedy which I would like to mention in this comparison, and that is Cobaltum. It is an excellent remedy for pains in the lumbar region following ejaculation, whether voluntary or involuntary; the pains are especially worse while the patient is sitting.

Nux is indicated in quite a variety of diseases of the female genital organs.

Menstruation in Nux vomica is almost always profuse and usually dark in color. The patient often faints during menstruation, especially in a warm room.

During pregnancy Nux is a useful remedy for morning sickness. The patient gets up in the morning with nausea and discomfort in the stomach. The more the urge to vomit predominates over the vomiting itself, the more success we can expect from Nux vomica. Maybe even jaundice. Wrinkled skin, no appetite, constipation. Even later, the patient complains of a strong pressure upwards, as if restricting breathing.

During childbirth, Nux is useful tool when constipation requires it. Labor pains can be quite convulsive and severe; the woman in labor has a constant urge to go down and urinate. This symptom, when Nux is useful, does not depend on mechanical causes, like pressure on the head of a child, but also of a purely reflex origin. Often you will observe fainting during the pains, or there are pains in the back and from here down to the sacrum and thighs. We may also give Nux when the labor pains have almost or completely ceased, as in Pulsatilla. The temperament of the patient gives you the opportunity to sort out between the two.

Next, the action of Nux vomica on the spinal cord. It produces, as we have seen in speaking of Strychninum, irritation of the motor centers and centrifugal nerves. The back pains cured by Nux vomica are placed in the lumbar region. They are usually worse at night, while lying in bed, and the patient cannot roll over without first getting up; it is useful in lumb ago. The longer the patient lies in bed in the morning, the stronger his lumbar pain.

It is also indicated in torticollis, which comes from a cold and depends on a disease of the spinal cord.

In spinal irritation, you can use Nux when the back pains just described are associated with the following symptoms: sudden loss of strength in the legs in the morning; hands and feet go numb easily; immobility and tension in the cavity of the knee joints; the dress around the waist seems too tight; feeling like a belt around the waist; desire to lie down; numbness and tingling along the spine and in the limbs. These symptoms show Nux also in inflammation of the spinal cord (myelitis) and in various stages of motor ataxia.

Physostigma has a symptomatology almost typical of spinal cord irritation. Under the influence of this remedy, every spinal nerve is irritated. Pressing a finger between the vertebrae makes the patient stamp his feet. Physostigma produces stiffness of the muscles due to irritation of the meninges. Finally, it causes spasms of the jaws and tetanus.

Belladonna is the best remedy for stiffness of the occiput of rheumatic or catarrhal origin.

Ambra grisea, like Nux vomica, is useful in lean, desiccated, nervous subjects. With it, numbness of the skin is expressed. Various parts of the body are easily numb. After sitting, there is stiffness in the lower back and tension in the lumbar muscles, worse on waking. Even the scrotum and penis feel numb. Such patients who complain of these symptoms are usually extremely nervous and weak. In society, they are easily confused, speak and act hastily. Nervousness gives them an irresistible desire to speak, but they soon give up (as in Cocculus, Veratrum album, Calcarea ostrearum. Alumina, Sulphur, Kali card.). Conversation and exercises quickly tire the patient.

Castoreum is indicated when women are nervous and do not recover well from illness. Therefore it may be given after typhus, especially if the patient is subject to headaches which make the head very sensitive to touch. The pains are accompanied by ringing in the ears and crawling sensation, which is relieved by sleep.

Nux vomica is useful in rheumatism when it affects the large joints and muscles. It is especially useful in rheumatism of the trunk. Tumors of the joints are usually rather pale in color. The symptoms almost always worsen in the morning.

There is one new remedy which I would like to mention here, and that is Acidum picricum. This is a strong poison. It must be remembered if, after every great mental exertion, the patient suffers from a severe headache of a throbbing nature, felt chiefly at the base of the brain. There is often a congestion of the spinal cord, with increased sexual excitability, so that the erections become so violent that they can almost be called priapism.

Then consider Nux vomica in typhoid fevers. In choosing Nux vomica in such cases, you should be guided by gastric and bilious symptoms, bitter taste in the mouth, especially in the morning, nausea, bilious vomiting and constipation characteristic of this remedy. The weakness that inevitably accompanies the typhoid condition is expressed in Nux vomica by a great inclination to lie down. The nights are spent in nervous, excited sleep; the slightest noise makes the patient start. At night he sees many dreams. Maybe even nonsense.

One feature of Nux vomica is worth mentioning, namely, that it seems to enhance the action of Sepia. The same relationship exists between Sepia and Lilium tigrinum, and between Sulfur and Mercurius, Nux vomica is hostile to Zinc.

Nux works best when given in the evening. Likewise, it should not be taken immediately before or after dinner, or when the brain is in tension.

Nux vomica (according to Vithoulkas)

Nux vomica is one of the most commonly prescribed remedies in the homeopathic Materia Medica, it is one of the remedies that every homeopath absolutely needs to know in depth. Let us first describe the type of people who are usually affected by Nux vomica, and then we will go deeper into the pathology of Nux vomica. The Nux vomica type usually has a strong, compact, muscular body and a strong constitution. They are ambitious, smart, quick, capable and competent. Often, their upbringing emphasizes a strong sense of duty and places great value on a work ethic. The Nux vomica is more self-reliant than dependent. Their mind is more pragmatic and efficient than philosophical or intellectual. When the Nux vomica person is not in a pathological state, he is an excellent, hard-working and efficient collaborator: their talents lead them to such professions as controllers, managers, businessmen, accountants, merchants.

However, as always in homeopathy, we must be careful not to prescribe Nux vomica on the basis of such positive and constructive personality traits. Unlike the methods of astrology, divination by hand, handwriting, physiognomy, etc., where both good and bad qualities of a person are described, homeopathy bases its prescriptions on the pathological state of a person. Our goal is not to provide a drug that can make a person less pragmatic and effective! Let us therefore consider the development of the pathological condition of a man in need of Nux vomica for a cure.

In the first stage, the Nux vomica type shows exaggeration, an excess of normally positive qualities such as ambition and conscientiousness. Instead of simply using his talents at work in the proper calm and balanced manner, the Nux vomica begins to obey them. Ambition begins to occupy him around the clock, becoming a driving force with an excessive emphasis on achievement and rivalry. Nux vomica is more competitive than any of the Materia Medica remedies, to the point where it can ruin its own health, and it competes even with its colleagues. A Nux vomica person can become a workaholic subject to work. Because he is capable and efficient, he will be quickly promoted with more and more responsibility. He would welcome such promotions. Two other remedies with similar physical symptomatology, Arsenicum and Phosphorus, will take it differently. Arsenicum will tend to forego promotions that come with too much responsibility, partly because the Arsenicum self-centered person is more interested in personal comfort than achievement. The Phosphorus patient is just as smart and quick, but avoids the intense competition that is necessary to move forward.

In Nux vomica, the normal state of conscientiousness can be disproportionately exaggerated and lead to forced efficiency. Nux vomica is one of the few remedies listed under the heading "Pedantry," but Nux vomica's pedantry is due to the emphasis on effectiveness. In this sense, the pedantry of Nux vomica is more in line with reality and not as pathological as one might think from the fact that the Repertory lists this remedy in italics. On the other hand, the pedantry of Arsenicum is a typical example of the strong neurotic, syphilitic pedantry so classically described by psychiatrists. It is a compulsive neurotic preoccupation with cleanliness and order, driven by a deep-rooted, tormenting sense of insecurity. The Arsenicum patient is constantly fixing and cleaning, far more than is required for mere efficiency. Another well-known pedantic remedy is Natrum mur.; in this case, it's more of a preoccupation with punctuality and timing.

Gradually, the Nux vomica type can get over his head with work. As a rule, he reacts to this situation by working even harder and longer, expecting more from himself and others. The Nux vomica person is characterized by the implicit assumption that any difficulty, any problem, can be overcome by strenuous effort and ability. One of the most difficult things for the Nux vomica patient is to accept the limitation or accept the inevitable. In order to cope with stress, he resorts to various artificial means to stimulate himself: coffee, cigarettes, drugs (taken by prescription or social drugs such as marijuana), alcohol, and even sex. In spite of this abuse of stimulants, it is also true that Nux vomica patients are unusually sensitive to many of these substances, and therefore suffer the consequences of their abuse.

The Nux vomica person is known to be a hypersexual person. They experience a very strong sexual desire and can indulge their sexual impulses even beyond the bounds of traditional morality. Although bound by a work ethic, Nux vomica is not your typical banal moralist. In the use of stimulants and drugs, and especially in the sexual realm, their behavior is driven by impulses and is therefore best described as "immoral". As with other aspects of the Nux vomica picture, excessive sex leads eventually to exhaustion; in the later stages, the Nux vomica patient suffers from impotence - usually loss of erection after insertion.

Abuse of stimulants may satisfy their needs for a while, but in the end, overstimulation and toxicity take their toll. Disorders of the stomach begin, the entire nervous system becomes hypersensitive. Even the slightest stress, such as a light, a small noise, someone's voice or singing, becomes unbearable. The state of an "over-stimulated" nervous system is brilliantly described by Kent: "For example, a businessman sat at his desk until he was completely tired. He received many letters, he had many worries, he was occupied with thousands of little things. His mind is constantly rushing from one subject to another, until he doesn't get completely exhausted It's not so much the hard things as the little things He has to stimulate his memory to go into all the details he comes home and thinks about work he stays awake at night his mind is tangled up with the whirlwind of business and daytime activities that pile on exhaustion sets in. When details pile up on him, he gets angry and wants to get rid of them, tears things, swears, goes home and takes it all out on his family and children. It's 3 a.m. and business is running through his mind so he can't go back to sleep until late in the morning, when he falls into a weary sleep and wakes up tired and exhausted. He wants to sleep late in the morning."

It seems that the nervous system is tense and works against itself. Again, this is best described by Kent: “Another state of Nux vomica is action in the opposite direction. he has to forcibly open his stomach. It is an action in the opposite direction: straining, straining, and after prolonged effort he finally empties the stomach. The same condition is found in the bladder. To urinate, he has to strain. He experiences tenesmus, urge. The bladder is full and urine leaks out, but when the patient strains, it stops dripping.As for the bowels, despite the efforts, the patient has only a scanty stool.During diarrhea, when the patient is completely passively sitting on the toilet seat, a small trickle of stool comes out, then tenesmus sets in, and the patient cannot stop pushing, and when pushing, he has a feeling that he is pushing chair back. It seems that the stool comes back, it is something like anti-peristalsis. In constipation, the more he pushes, the more difficult it is for him to have a stool.

These patients complain of gastritis, ulcers, or "colon spasms." Eventually, they go to a doctor who declares their condition psychosomatic and prescribes antacids, anti-spastic drugs, tranquilizers, or even psychotherapy. All these remedies merely mask the symptom, usually ineffectively, and therefore sensitize the nervous system as a whole.

The Nux vomica patient is very irritable, but this kind of irritability is difficult for a homeopath to detect without due diligence. The Nux vomica patient usually keeps the irritability inside (at least in the early stages). You ask: "Are you irritable?" - The patient says: "Not at all, I never even raise my voice." - Then you ask: "And inside? Do you feel irritation inside?" - Patient: "Oh yes! Very strong!" - These people are extremely prone to gastritis and peptic ulcers. If such a person learned to express his thoughts better, he would get rid of the ulcer, but then the abuse of coffee, cigarettes and alcohol can lead to the same condition.

Eventually the tension becomes too great and the Nux vomica patient becomes impatient and irritable. He becomes impatient with himself, and especially with others, scolding and reproaching others for petty reasons. He reacts impulsively to small disturbances. Someone whistles softly, and he yells, "Can't you just sit still!" - He can not find a pencil, and with a crash pushing the drawer into the table. He hesitates for a second to button his shirt, and rips off a button. Someone objects to him and he runs out of the room, slamming the door loudly. He does not tolerate objections, but not so much out of arrogance or arrogance (like Lycopodium or Platinum), but because he is sure of his right and is impatient with others who have not considered the problem as quickly and carefully as he did. And, of course, he is most often right. His impulsiveness can create many personal difficulties for him: Nux vomica patients are straightforward and undiplomatic, and therefore by nature cannot become very good politicians.

In the next stage of development, Nux vomica becomes really vicious, violent and violent. Violence can start with talking behind other people's backs, especially on impulse, and beating animals (like Medorrhinum). Then Nux vomica can start behaving openly violently: most likely, many husbands who beat their wives and parents who abuse children would be helped by Nux vomica (of course, if the rest of the image matches). Violence is not necessarily always directed at others; Nux vomica may also have a suicidal tendency, especially to shoot oneself with a pistol or jump from a high place.

The last stage of Nux vomica is the psychotic state, the paranoid state. The Nux vomica patient is constantly tormented by the impulse to kill others, but he may not show real violence. A woman may be haunted by the desire to throw her child into the fire or kill her husband. Nux vomica is listed in the repertory for many kinds of delusions related to murder, victims of murder, injury and abuse, and failure. To an outside observer, however, the inner anguish of a Nux vomica patient may be completely invisible. At this stage, Nux vomica is disgusted with the company and refuses to answer questions. This is a state of mental disorder which is very similar to that described in the last stage of Arsenicum, although a careful study of the history of the stages of development of the pathology makes the distinction very clear. Nux vomica is self-reliant, independent, forced to work hard, overly efficient, irritable and impulsive, while Arsenicum is insecure, dependent, preoccupied with his personal health and comfort, meticulously strives for cleanliness and order, and is very anxious.

When looking at the physical level of the image of Nux vomica, the general impression is that Nux vomica causes mainly functional difficulties. It does not have the deep expression of, for example, Arsenicum, which has deeply spreading ulcers and gangrenous suppurations.

Nux vomica acts very strongly on the nervous system. At first there are many muscular twitches and spasms, like Hyoscyamus and Agaricus. He experiences severe neuralgic pains, especially in the head. Nux vomica is often needed in apoplexy, especially when the paralysis is accompanied by stabbing pains in the affected limbs. In more extreme disorders, convulsions, opisthotonus, epileptic seizures occur. Considering the abuse of stimulants like alcohol, it is not surprising that Nux vomica is a remedy that can be indicated for delirium tremens.

All beginner homeopathic students study the general symptoms of Nux vomica: chilliness, aggravation from drafts, aggravation in the morning.

Nux vomica is one of the most chilly remedies, but it usually gets worse in a cold dry environment and better in wet weather (like Asarum, Causticum and Hepar sulph.). Nux vomica is very sensitive to drafts, which can easily bring on coryza if the patient sweats (as Nux vomica easily does on the slightest exertion). The particular characteristic of Nux vomica acute coryza is that the nose is stuffed up in the open air and runs profusely indoors; besides, the nose runs a lot during the day and is stuffed up at night.

The gastrointestinal tract is especially sensitive to Nux vomica. As has been said, gastritis and peptic ulcers are common, causing spasms, eructations, retching, which do not bring satisfaction to the patient. There is great sensitivity to almost all kinds of food; in the ruined condition of the Nux vomica type the appetite will be especially weak and the patient will be particularly picky about food. He has an aversion to meat, but may desire fat, as well as stimulants, spicy foods, and spices, which he crave for their stimulating effect, but which can upset the stomach. The Nux vomica patient reports that he gets sick when the stomach is upset: colds, headaches or asthma. Abdominal pains are usually accompanied by desire for stool, which is very distressing to Nux vomica.

As usual in alcoholics, the Nux vomica system may be characterized by congestion in the portal system - esophageal varices and especially hemorrhoids. There is also a tendency to jaundice, corresponding in many cases to cirrhosis of the liver. Sometimes Nux vomica relieves the spasm of gallbladder colic by passing the stone into the intestinal tract; it can also relieve colic from a kidney stone.

In conclusion, it is important to recall that the symptoms described here are not exhaustive, but simply describe the image, point to the "essence". Any combination of these symptoms may occur in any particular patient, except perhaps for some of the classic symptoms of Nux vomica, and yet such a patient will need this remedy. In most cases there will be preoccupation with work, irritability due to an overexcited nervous system, and chilliness. However, individual patients may, for example, avoid alcohol and dislike cigarettes and still need Nux vomica. In prescribing a homeopathic remedy, we are not comparing the symptoms per se, but rather the essence of the patient with the essence of the remedy.

Nux vomica (according to Berike)

Nux vomica

The greatest of the homeopathic polychrests, since the totality of its symptoms is more or less similar to the symptoms of the most various most common diseases. It is often the first remedy indicated after the abuse of various remedies: in such cases, Nux vomica helps to restore the balance of the forces of the body and counteracts the transition of the disease to a chronic state.

Nux vomica is an outstanding, excellent remedy for many of the undesirable conditions that come up in the conditions of modern life. The typical Nux vomica patient is lean, thin, mobile, active, nervous and irritable. He does a lot of mental work, experiences mental stress and leads a sedentary lifestyle: he stays at work for a long time, constantly improves his skills, is absorbed in his work with all its worries and anxieties. Such "life in a closed room" with mental stress encourages the use of various kinds of stimulants - coffee, wine, etc. - often in excess, but on the other hand, Nux vomica also seeks solace - well, if only in tobacco, without resorting to such seductive substances as opium, etc. drugs. All this is usually associated with other errors: at the table he eats a lot and, moreover, delicious food; wine and sexual intemperance also give rise to a departure from the normal daily routine. All this often induces to sit up for a long time in the evenings, and the next day there is heaviness in the head, dyspepsia, irritability. Under such circumstances, he willingly resorts to various medicines - laxatives, "liver" pills, mineral water- and gradually gets used to their use, thereby further worsening his condition. And since men are more prone to these "weaknesses" than women, Nux vomica is predominantly a "male" remedy.

These conditions form irritability, hypersensitivity and excitability of the nervous system, which Nux vomica greatly alleviates and soothes.

Especially indicated in digestive disorders, congestion in the portal venous system and associated hypochondriacal conditions. Convulsions while remaining conscious, worse from motion and touch. Zealous, hot temperament.

The Nux vomica patient is easily chilled, avoids fresh air, etc. He always seems to be "out of shape": an inharmonious spasmodic effect is felt.

Psyche. Very irritable; sensitive to all impressions. Nasty, vicious creatures. They do not tolerate noise, smells, light, etc. They do not tolerate touch. Time passes slowly for them. Even a minor illness or disease unbalances. Tend to blame others. Closed, picky.

Head. Headaches in the occiput or above the eyes, with vertigo, as if the brain were going round and round. Increased sensitivity. Vertigo with instant loss of consciousness. A state of intoxication, worse in the morning, from mental exertion, from tobacco, alcohol, coffee, fresh air. Pressing pains in vertex, as if a nail were driven in. Vertigo in the morning and after dinner. Sensitivity of the scalp. Frontal headaches with desire to lean head against something.

Combination of congestive headaches and hemorrhoids. Headaches in the sun (Glon.; Nat. carb.). After drinking, the head seems enlarged and hurts from the inside.

Eyes. Photophobia, worse in the morning. Burning pains; sensation of dryness in the inner corner of the eye. Infraorbital neuralgia with watery eyes. Atrophy of the optic nerve due to the habit of toxic substances. Paresis of the oculomotor muscles, aggravated by tobacco and stimulants. Twitching of the orbital muscles radiating towards the occiput. Optic neuritis.

Ears. Itching in the area eustachian tubes. Dryness and sensitivity of the auditory canal.

Otalgia worse in bed. Hyperesthesia of the auditory nerves: loud sounds irritate and cause pain.

Nose. Closed, especially at night. Colds with stuffy nose, nasal after exposure to dry cold, worse in a warm room. From strong odors can faint. Coryza: fluent during the day and stuffy at night and outdoors, or alternating, now in one nostril, then in the other. Morning nosebleeds (Bry).

Fluid discharge, but with a stuffy feeling.

Mouth. Reduction of the jaws. Small aphthae with bloody saliva. The front half of the tongue is clean, the back is covered with a dense coating: white or yellow; cracks along the edges of the tongue.

toothache; worse from cold food or drink. Gums swollen, white, bleeding.

Throat. Feeling of roughness, scratching. Tickling in the morning on waking.

Feeling of roughness, constraint, tension of tissues. Throat constriction. Swelling of the palatine uvula. Tingling in the ear.

Stomach. Sour taste and nausea in the morning, after eating. Heaviness and pain in the stomach; worse during eating and some time after. Flatulence and heartburn.

Eructations: sour, bitter. Nausea with violent inclination to vomit and vomit. Insatiable hunger, especially on the eve of an attack of dyspepsia. Region of stomach very sensitive to pressure (Bry; Ars). Bloating and pressure, as if from a stone, in the epigastrium, a few hours after eating. Desire for stimulants. Likes fat and tolerates it well (Puls. - vice versa). Dyspepsia from strong coffee. It is difficult to burp gases. Pulls to vomit, but cannot vomit.

Stomach. Soreness of the abdominal wall (Apis; Sulph.). Flatulence with spasmodic colic. Colic when open. Congestion of the liver with blood and stitching pains. Colic with upward pressure, causing dyspnea and urging to stool. Weakness in the region of the inguinal rings. Incarcerated hernia (Op.), with worse pain in lower abdomen towards genitals. Umbilical hernia in infants.

Chair. Constipation, with frequent and ineffectual urging, with feeling that the ampulla was not empty. Compression of the rectum. Impaired peristalsis, hence frequent ineffective craving or passing only small amounts of feces on each attempt. (Absence of urge to defecate is a contraindication for Nux.) Alternating diarrhea and constipation after abuse of laxatives.

The urge to defecate is felt all over the abdomen. Itching, protruding haemorrhoids, with ineffectual, very painful urge to stool after taking a laxative. Diarrhea after drinking, worse in the morning. Frequent loose stools. The chair is scanty, and the urge is very persistent. Dysentery: stool relieves pains only temporarily.

Constant discomfort in the rectum. Diarrhea with jaundice (Digit.).

Urinary system. Irritability of the bladder; sphincter spasms. Frequent urge, urination frequent and not abundant. Hematuria (Ipec.; Tereb.).

Ineffectual urging, spasmodic, with strangury. Renal colic extending to the genitals, with dripping urine. During urination, itching in the urethra and pain in the neck of the bladder.

Male reproductive organs. Desire comes easily. Emissions "from a luxurious life."

Consequences of sexual excesses. Contractive pains in testicles. Orchitis (Hamam.; Puls.).

Spermatorrhea with dreams, headaches, burning in spine, weakness and irritability.

Female reproductive organs. Menstruation premature, prolonged, always irregular, black discharge (Cycl.; Lach.; Puls.), with fainting. Uterine prolapse. Dysmenorrhea with pain in the sacrum and constant urge to stool. Inefficiency of labor pains, extending to rectum with desire to stool and frequent urination (Lilium). The desire is too strong.

Metrorrhagia, with sensation as if intestines would come out.

Respiratory organs. Catarrhal hoarseness with scratching in the throat. Spasmodic contractions. Asthma with fullness in stomach in the morning or after eating. Cough with sensation as if something were loose in the chest. Shallow breathing.

Shortness of breath. Dry cough and cough; sometimes with bloody sputum.

Cough causes "explosive" headaches and pains, as from beatings, in the epigastric region.

Back. Pain in the back and lower back. Burning in region of spine, worse from 3 to 4 am. Cervical-brachial neuralgia, worse from touch. Forced to sit up in bed to roll over. Pain, as from a beating, under the shoulder blades, it hurts to sit.

Limbs. The whole hands or only the hands become numb. Paresis of the upper limbs in a state of shock. Numbness of the legs; feeling of paralysis; cramps in calves and soles.

Partial paralysis from overwork or getting wet (Rhus). Cracking in the knee joints when moving. Dragging legs when walking. Feeling sudden loss strength in arms and legs in the morning.

Dream. Cannot sleep after 3 am until morning; then wakes up with a feeling of unhappiness. Sleepiness after eating and early in the evening. Dreams are full of turmoil and haste.

Better after a short sleep if not awakened.

Leather. The whole body burns, glows, especially the face, but cannot open without a feeling of chill. Urticaria with gastric disturbances. Acne, skin red and with small spots.

Fever. The chill stage predominates. Paroxysms begin in the morning. Extreme rigidity with bluish nails on the hands. Pain in limbs and back and stomach symptoms. Chilling : in any stage of fever must take cover. The sweat is sour and only on one side of the body. Chill as soon as it is uncovered, but does not allow itself to be covered. Dry heat all over body.

MODALITIES. Worse, morning; with mental effort; after meal; from touch; from spices; from stimulants; from drugs; in dry weather; by cold. Better from short sleep, if not awakened; in the evenings; at rest; in damp, damp weather (Caust.); from intense pressure.

RELATIONSHIPS. Nux seeds contain Cuprum (note the tendency of both of these remedies to cause convulsions). Antidotes: Coff.; Ignat.; Cocc.

Additionally: Sulph.; Sepia.

Incompatible: Zinc.

Similar: Strychnia; Kali carb.; Hydro; Bry.; Lyc.; graph.

BREEDINGS. From the first to the thirtieth and above. It is believed to work best when taken in the evening.

Nux vomica (according to Kent)

Nux vomica / Nux vomica - emetic nut, chilibuha

Basic dosage forms. Homeopathic granules D3, C3, C6, C12 and above. Drops D3, C3, C6, C12 and above.

Indications for use. Indigestion after too much and heavy food. Spasmodic constipation with false urging. Hangover after drinking too much alcohol. For those who rage in a state of intoxication. Digestive disorders associated with the use of poor-quality food. Common infectious diseases occurring with inflammation of the stomach. For people who like to eat well in the evening. Gastric disorders due to the abuse of drugs (especially anti-neuralgic and laxatives). Tobacco abuse. Vomiting of pregnant women. Renal colic. Eye diseases (diseases of the retina).

Nux vomica is a broad spectrum deep acting remedy. A classic remedy for intolerance to allopathic drugs.

characteristic signs. Hahnemann writes that persons needing Nux vomica are either very preoccupied, jealous, with an ardent, hot temperament, or cunning, malicious, angry. As a rule, irritable, easily injured, draft-sensitive patients. morning vomiting, hand tremor and gastritis in alcohol abusers.

Worse, morning; with mental effort; after meal; from touch; from spices; from stimulants; from drugs; in dry weather; by cold.

Better from a short sleep, if not awakened; in the evenings; at rest; in damp, damp weather, from strong pressure.

In every part of the body, wherever we observe the action of this remedy, the oversensitivity of the patient is conspicuous; it manifests itself in all symptoms. Irritability; hypersensitivity to noise, light, the slightest breath of air, to others; extreme intelligibility in food; many types of food are poorly digested, including heavy food, meat; strong desire for strong drinks, spicy, bitter, juicy foods, any stimulants. Hypersensitivity to drugs. One of the reasons we see so many Nux vomica patients is because people are overwhelmed with allopathic medicines. If you come across a person who has been treated by an allopath, has been mistreated, overloaded with stimulants and tonics, has abused wine, then it is sometimes impossible to get reliable symptoms and the patient should be "cleansed" by giving him Nux vomica as an antidote.

This medicine is necessary for the abuse of tea, coffee, wine. Those who abuse coffee for a long time become hypersensitive to noise, their symptoms change like in a kaleidoscope, they can hardly articulate them themselves. Such patients get better a few days after giving Nux vomica; some symptoms go away and the picture clears up.

The mental state varies, but there is always hypersensitivity; irritability, resentment, painful reaction. The patient is never satisfied, calm; everyone annoys him, he gets so angry that he wants to break something, yell at someone. At times impulsiveness is expressed. A woman has an impulse to kill her husband or throw her child into the fireplace; impulsiveness combined with malice, the patient does not tolerate contradictions or objections; if he gets in the way of a chair, he can break it; if a button is not unbuttoned on his shirt, he will tear it off in a rage (like Nitricum acidum). The state of uncontrolled irritability is a manifestation of weakness and is accompanied by physical weakness; inability to control himself. It can be a businessman, sitting at work to exhaustion: he looks through a bunch of papers, is constantly busy with something; keeps a thousand little things in mind; his mind constantly jumps from one to another until he stops thinking. And it's not the complexity of the work, but the abundance of little things. He must constantly strain his memory so as not to miss anything; he continues to think about this at home; at night he cannot sleep; thoughts about daily problems swirl in my head; eventually neurasthenia develops. When he is forced to delve into the details, he becomes furious, he does not want to hear about them, tears things up, scandals, and when he returns home, he takes out his anger on his family and children. Sleeps badly, shudders; wakes up at 3 a.m., and thoughts about business again begin to swarm in his head, preventing him from falling asleep, and only in the late morning he is forgotten by a heavy sleep, waking up tired and exhausted. Sleepiness in the late morning.

Anguish, sadness, a constant feeling that it could break into pieces; pulls, tears things; wants everything to be the way he likes it. Under the influence of impulses, he performs almost abnormal acts, aggressive towards other people. Natrum sulphuricum is characterized by suicidal impulses; Argentum nitricum also has a particularly strong desire to throw himself down from a height, so this patient avoids high places.

The patient is hypersensitive to fresh air, drafts; constantly chilly, constantly picking up colds, which settle in the nose and then descend into the bronchi.

The skin is hypersensitive to touch, draft. Lots of aching and sharp pains. Sweats from the slightest effort. Neurasthenia, fatigue, neuralgia; the patient is on the verge of insanity, and convulsions begin. Spasms of individual muscles and the whole body; muscle twitches; weakness, trembling, paralysis. Paralytic weakness and dysfunction of the muscles and nerves are very pronounced.

Another feature that runs through the whole remedy is the perverted direction of the organism's actions. When a person has a stomach ache, he usually empties without difficulty, but a Nux vomica patient will tense up and gag with vomiting, as if the muscles were working in the wrong direction, as if they were pushing the contents of the stomach through the stomach; perverted work; urge to vomit, belching, straining; after prolonged effort, the patient finally empties the stomach. We find a similar state in the activity of the bladder. The patient has to push to urinate. Tenesmus, urge to urinate. The bladder is full, urine is excreted drop by drop, but when straining, it stops dripping. The intestines work in the same way: although the patient is pushing with all his might, the stool is very scanty. With diarrhoea, if the patient does not strain, the stool passes in a thin stream; then there is tenesmus, when the patient can no longer push, and at the same time there is a feeling that the stool is moving backward; there is something like antiperistalsis. With constipation, the more the patient pushes, the more difficult the stool is separated. In diarrhea and dysentery, straining does not bring relief; but it comes on after passing a small amount of stool. Constant urge to stool in dysentery corresponds to Mercurius vivus; and tenesmus with violent urge to urinate, Mercurius corrosivus. The perverted activity of the various organs is a reflection of the spasmodic nature of this remedy. Shooting pains upward from the rectum; burning.

Neuralgic pains in eyes, face and head; piercing, tearing pains; the patient cries in pain, faints; burning, stinging pain. Pain in the head, face and limbs, stinging and tearing, but the pains of a drawing nature are most characteristic. Feeling of tension in the muscles. Drawing pain in the back, as if the muscles were drawn and tense. The pain is felt as tension, spasm in the muscles; drawing pain in the back, in the back of the neck, causing the patient to throw back his head; lumbago. Pain in the back worse as soon as the patient lies down (during pregnancy), as if the back would break (Bryonia, Phosphorus - as if the back were broken. Kali carbonicum), the patient has to get up and walk. Neuritis with great soreness of the skin. Pain in the region of the kidneys and liver. The pulling pains are so strong that they do not allow turning in bed, the patient can only rise on his hands, turn around and lie back down. Drawing pains in sacrum and hips; in the sacrum, with dysentery. Tearing pains in the intestines, every time the pain causes the urge to stool. This is typical for any pain in the abdomen. Drawing pains in the limbs, causing cramps in the calves, feet and toes. Cramps in the abdomen cause the urge to empty the bowels; postpartum contractions in the form of spasmodic urge to defecate; menstrual cramps, pain in stomach after eating with urge to stool. After hard straining the stool does not pass, but when, after prolonged exertion, a little fecal matter is discharged, there is relief. Stool scanty, reverse peristalsis.

Hypersensitivity to strong drinks. It is a routine remedy for people trying to stop drinking; shown even in delirium tremens. Patients who have undermined their health by years of drunkenness, sexual excesses, worries and overwork; they work for half an hour, and then they take a bottle and so on several times, until they completely stop thinking and are forced to go home and go to bed. Borderline with insanity, irritability, fatigue, perspiration, worse from open air, sensitive to noise and light; undermined health. Such patients should be given Nux vomica, advised to rest and give up alcohol.

Those who abuse tea, coffee, and strong drinks may not sleep around the clock, but in the end the nerves are stretched to the limit; it seems to the patient that he is flying away somewhere and cannot restrain himself; his muscles and hands tremble; twitching of limbs on falling asleep and during sleep.

The patient is consumed by anxiety, despair, hypochondria; he has "hypersensitivity to impressions", all the senses are in a state of hypersensitivity; “cannot stand reading or talking; irritable, wants to be alone. Everyone does everything wrong, they annoy him. Attempts to calm down only increase anger. The patient in horror thinks about the upcoming affairs. In the end, an explosion occurs: “he scandals, accuses, swears, attacks of jealousy arise, swearing is heard; and shortly thereafter he groans and wails loudly.

Due to the unlimited satisfaction of his own lust, the patient's sexual power is completely undermined, up to complete impotence; sexual exhaustion, impotence. The patient is excited, but the genitals remain relaxed. Because of this - the desire for suicide.

The Nux vomica patient has chronic stomach troubles - he is a lean, hungry, emaciated, stooping, prematurely aged subject; he is very fastidious about food, but his stomach can hardly digest anything; aversion to meat, which causes nausea; desire for spicy, bitter, tonic food. Weak stomach; pain in the stomach after eating, nausea, vomiting; feeling of weakness in the stomach; exhaustion, weight loss.

Tendency to constant colds, runny nose. The cold settles in the nose, throat, chest and ears. Takes a cold from the slightest provocation; sweats easily, and the slightest breath of air causes headache and coryza. If the patient is in a hot room and feels uncomfortable, he catches a runny nose. In Allium cepa the coryza is also worse in a warm room. Severe nasal congestion indoors at night; the nose is completely stuffed up, especially in the street, but in the room the nose flows; thin, watery discharge during the day. Sensitivity to the slightest draft; sneezing due to itching in the nose. Itching goes to the throat and trachea. Cough; burning in respiratory tract; mucosal irritation; speaks through the nose loss of voice sore throat; tickling cough. Dry, agonizing cough, with great soreness in chest, like Bryonia, head feels as if it would burst. Coryza descends into the chest. Influenza with fever and bone pains; the patient tends to put on more clothes; he is better only in a very hot room, although the coryza worsened in a warm room before the fever; but when the fever has already begun, the patient longs for warmth; he is worse from the slightest movement of air under the covers; lifting the blanket increases pain, coughing, etc.

Acute fever with perspiration or hot sweat like Opium (but the Opium patient with hot sweat wants to throw off the covers, while Nux vomica cannot even lift it). Intermittent chill, heat and sweat. With chills, the hands and fingers are cold, purple; coldness from head to feet; the chill begins in the limbs or back, spreads over the whole body, and the patient wants to take cover. Soon there is a reaction, there is heat and sweat, but in all stages the patient wants to be covered. Thirst is not expressed; sometimes it is observed during a fever.

Tendency to jaundice during febrile states. Icteric sclera. Intense jaundice of the skin. Chronic patients with intermittent fever with jaundice. It is closely related to Bryonia for gastrointestinal complaints with jaundice.

Nux vomica patients suffer greatly from indigestion. There is stagnation in the portal system, portal congestion; congestion in the hemorrhoidal veins with enlarged hemorrhoids; constipation; dysentery; paralysis of the rectum. Gastric symptoms like Pulsatilla: worse in the morning; bad taste in the mouth in the morning, like Pulsatilla. After an upset stomach, the head splits, as if the top of the head were broken with a stone.

The remedy is full of paralytic conditions. At first, the intestine is in an excited state, after some time it is replaced by a complete absence of the urge to defecate and the accumulation of feces in the rectum. The same is true of the bladder: it is full of urine that cannot be excreted; it leaks in drops in older men with an enlarged prostate or in gonorrhea. Facial paralysis; limbs; one hand; brushes; individual muscles; Nux vomica often cures paralysis facial nerve. With paralysis, the presence of piercing pains is important.

At times there is a false plethora, with a rush of blood to the face; redness of the face; blush; great weakness and emaciation, with irritability and mental symptoms. While the patient is resting, doing nothing and thinking about nothing, he seems to be feeling fine; but one thought that something needs to be done instantly takes away all the strength.

Headache : from perspiration; drunkards; from night vigils. Complete rest is best for relieving headaches. Headaches, as if a stone were pressing on the vertex. Most of the symptoms are better from warmth, but the head symptoms are worse from warmth. Acne from eating cheese.

Extremely violent convulsions with opisthotonos; convulsions of all the muscles of the body, with purplish face and absence of respiration during convulsions; conscious or semi-conscious state during a general spasm, the patient is aware of his suffering and convulsions, which are terrible; worse from least draft; tingling in the soles; a slight touch to the throat causes the urge to vomit.

Vomit is usually prescribed for loss of appetite. It really increases appetite, but harms the patient. "Aversion to meat, habitual food and drink, tobacco and coffee, water, ale, food recently eaten."

Pain, especially in the abdomen; cutting pains that make the patient double over, with nausea from overeating; pulling down feeling; spasmodic pains in the abdomen, often extending to the limbs, but more often to the rectum; spasmodic pain causing urge to stool and urination; renal colic, especially if the pain shoots every time into the rectum and causes the urge to defecate. Renal colic due to a stone in the ureter, which irritates the mucous membrane and causes spasmodic contraction of the circular fibers; the right medicine relaxes these fibers, and under the action of expelling forces the stone immediately comes out. The same thing happens with biliary colic. A drug that relieves spasm, or one of its closest "relatives", overcomes the tendency to form stones. Healthy bile dissolves gallstones; healthy urine does the same with kidney stones. In the abdominal symptoms, with great jaundice of the skin, Nux vomica is very similar to Bryonia. Bryonia is aggravated by motion and not typically ameliorated by warmth - like Nux vomica, Nux vomica being more suitable for portal congestion, neuralgias, etc.; worse from slightest pressure (Colocynth is better from slightest pressure. Magnesia phosphorica is better from pressure and heat). Bryonia is more indicated for peritonitis, when the patient lies with outstretched limbs. Hemorrhoids, portal congestion, cutting pains extending to the rectum, causing urging to stool. In Cuprum metallicum the cutting pains radiate from front to back, as if they were piercing the patient. In Nux vomica, the belly is sunken, while in Calcarea carbonica and Sepia it is bloated. Similar symptoms to Nux vomica are found in Inula helenium - the same colic with urging to stool and urinate.

"Milk turns sour in the stomach." "Heat in head while eating." Bad effects of drinking coffee, alcohol, revelry. Feeling of mucus in throat; worse after eating. Aloe gets diarrhea when he stops drinking beer. Nux vomica has diarrhea after stopping the use of alcoholic beverages. There is often a sensation of a stone in the stomach (Bryonia). In chronic cases, Nux vomica seems to be best followed by Sepia rather than Bryonia; if you add pressure at the vertex, you get the typical state of Nux vomica. The sensation of a stone occurs an hour after eating, i.e. the stomach is still trying to digest something, while in Abies nigra this sensation occurs immediately. The pains of Kreosotum do not begin until three hours after eating, and then there is vomiting of food.

Nux vomica is closely related to Sulfur and is often used as an antidote for overreaction to Sulfur. Nux vomica can seldom reach deep and interfere with the constitutional effects of Sulfur, but will eliminate superficial reactions.

Menses too early; too long; their duration is conspicuous; the discharge ends, and only a few drops stain the laundry, then it starts again, with clots. One period leads to the next. At the same time, there is a characteristic mental state; excitability; drug hypersensitivity. “Menstruation too early and too profuse; come prematurely and last too long; dark highlights. Sometimes menstruation is combined with severe pains, cramps in the uterus, extending to the whole body; better from heat and pressure; worse from least draft or cold; pains and spasms are relieved by hot water bottles, wrappings and warmth. Painful labor pains like Arnica montana, with urge to stool, etc. Pressing downwards as if the viscera would come out, with urge to stool and urinate. menstrual flow may be sparse and intermittent. Great itching of the vulva.

The remedy is full of hysterical manifestations. In Europeans, hysterical symptoms more often require Nux vomica, while Americans more often need Ignatia.

Persistent asthma. It is suitable for those patients in whom every attack begins after an upset stomach. Nux vomica can make them free from attacks for a whole year, but after a new indigestion there may be another attack for the whole night. Then Nux vomica must be repeated. Asthma associated with cough; wheezing in the chest; bubbling of mucus in the chest; cough with urge to vomit; it seems that the patient has just caught a cold.

Coryza after every upset stomach. I had a patient who got a runny nose every time she ate sausage; it was out of the question to cure her, since for her coffee, wine and parties were more important than health. She ate fried meat; then it would be better for her not to eat it at all, as others do. After indigestion, she began to have a runny nose, descending into the chest, and then asthma developed.

Palpitation, overexcitation of the cardiovascular system. Strong pulsation.

The patient is worse in the morning, both mentally and physically. Coryza and some head symptoms are worse from warmth of bed, like Mercurius vivus, though worse from uncovering; worse from eating and motion; head symptoms are aggravated by heat.

Pressure and feeling of weakness in left inguinal ring, hence Nux vomica cures hernia in young children (Lycopodium, right). Arnica montana reduces the soreness, etc. Conium also competes with Nux vomica in "dip" sensations in the groin.

The chill does not decrease, no matter how the patient takes cover; in Ignatia the chilliness is ameliorated by uncovering. In intermittent fever, chill and heat alternate; short period of dry heat, then hot sweat and intense heat; worse in the morning, although the chill may come on at any time.

Nux vomica (according to Grangeorge)

Nux vomica (overworked)

Vomiting nut (chilibuha) contains strychnine. Recent studies by neurophysiologists show that strychnine is a neurotransmitter that acts on our brain, exciting pyramid system responsible for motility (glycine, on the contrary, calms this system). This absolutely confirms the observation of homeopaths that Nux vomica is an agitated individual with an exhausted nervous system due to all sorts of excesses (heavy food, skewers, intellectual labor ...) without adequate physical compensation Nux vomica is irritable, he enters your office, comes in front of everyone, and grumbles about the previous treatment, which has not yet yielded results.

He is a maniac and can't stand it when something is wrong. He shudders from noise, he is hypersensitive to everything (light, smell). Sometimes this arousal ceases for the duration of a short afternoon nap, which has a calming effect, but he combats this effect by regularly taking stimulants such as coffee, alcohol, tobacco, various drugs, etc. The Nux vomica infant is overtired from active digestive activity, which always presents problems. He eats too much, digests badly, he cannot burp, he is worried. He has an umbilical or inguinal hernia (with the risk of strangulation). The nose is stuffed up, especially at night, which makes it difficult to sleep. Nux vomica is one of the best remedies for nasal congestion at night. In addition, we note the frequent urge to stool, but the child, like the adult, has a very small amount of feces at a time. In adults there are back pains that cause the Nux vomica person to sit up to turn over in bed. This same person suffers from insomnia after 3 am. What causes Nux vomica to overwork? This is the fear of lack, the fear of poverty in an adult, the fear of starving to death in an infant.

Three-year-old Remy suffers from recurrent otitis media. One day he is hospitalized in a state of febrile convulsions. A clinical examination revealed a scar after surgery for an inguinal hernia, transferred at the age of 2 months, marbling of the skin (peripheral circulation insufficiency), a small inguinal hernia, nasal congestion. After taking Nux vomica 15 and then 30 CH, the otitis disappears and is replaced by a general eczema with slight itching, which also disappears 6 months later.

A few remedies to remember in febrile convulsions: Cicuta virosa, Cina, Hyoscyamus, Nux vomica, Opium, Stramonium.

Nux vomica (Nux vomica) - chilibuha.

Nux vomica can be used for homeopathic treatment children.

Nux vomica homeopathy - indications

General complaints:

• Stomach upset;
• Flu and fever;
• Constipation.

Typical symptoms:

The child is often very chilly.

Constipation, the child continues to feel the urge to pass the stool, although he has just been to the toilet.

The child has constipation while traveling.

Irritability and impatience.

In homeopathy, Nux vomica is indicated for excessive sensitivity of the child to noise, smells, remarks, etc.

Desire to eat spicy food.

Dyspepsia due to overeating.

Modalities

Worse: in the morning, in cold air, after eating.

Better: in warmth, during rest, when clothing is loosened at the waist (if the problem is dyspepsia).

typical child behavior

Children who are shown the homeopathic remedy Nux vomica often suffer from various digestive disorders and are irritable. They cannot stand criticism and can be despotic, rude, ambitious, and assertive. Often they are ready to work hard and get upset if they fail at something in school.

Nux vomica - indications for use

Colds - indications for the use of Nux vomica

The child is easily irritated, asks to warm him. In homeopathy, Nux vomica is given to infants when they sniffle. At night, their nose may be dry and stuffy, and during the day - copious discharge.

Digestive tract - indications for the use of Nux vomica

Nux vomica is used in the absence of appetite. Nausea, dyspepsia and cramps shortly after eating. The child may feel sick or vomit in the morning. With nausea, the child seems to feel better after vomiting. Constipation, which is accompanied by a constant urge to stool, but even after the stool there is a feeling that the bowel movement was incomplete.

Fever and flu - indications for the use of Nux vomica

In homeopathy, Nux vomica is used when the slightest movement of the child makes him shiver. Often accompanied by irritability and a desire to lie quietly under the covers.

Head - indications for the use of Nux vomica

In homeopathy there is excellent tool if a child has a headache due to overeating or constipation, this is Nux vomica.

The curative action of Nux vomica has such a wide range that it suggested to Hahnemann the idea of ​​polychrest, and in his introductory essay on the description of the pathogenesis of this remedy, he wrote: “There are several remedies, most of whose symptoms correspond in their similarity to the symptoms of the most common and most common diseases. human, and therefore they are very often effectively used in homeopathy. They can be called the term polychrest. The seed of Nux vomica also belongs to them.

Since this remedy is often prescribed for physical symptoms due to excitement and overexcitation, homeopaths in describing this remedy tend to emphasize the mental symptoms when excited or irritated in this quarrelsome, provocative, irascible personality. Indeed, the expressions "cure for irascibility" (Tyler), and "unkind Nux vomica" have become proverbs. Such a tone when characterizing this remedy was set by Hahnemann, who wrote: "Nux vomica successfully acts on people with an ardent character, irritable and impatient, often angry, spiteful or prone to deceit."

Without diminishing or denying these traits, which are indeed often found in this type, a portrait will be given below which will expand the known clinical picture, giving equal attention to the individual who is balanced and emotionally restrained, even if he is constantly in a state of tension and easily excited. Hahnemann gave his "papal blessing" to attempts to rehabilitate this often unjustly condemned constitutional type by placing the following words at the end of the chapter on Nux vomica: "clear awareness of one's existence; subtle, strong and correct understanding of what is right and what is unrighteous.

Since the relationship with the previously described remedies is very important for a complete understanding of the Nux vomica man, its pathogenesis will be given in comparison with that of Sulfur, Arsenicum album, Lycopodium and other constitutional remedies.

CLEANER

Like Sulphur, Nux vomica is often prescribed as a remedy for counteracting the harmful effects of previously used medical drugs: "it is often indicated in cases where many other remedies have previously been prescribed - it establishes a kind of balance and counteracts chronic effects" ( Berike). In this role, as in many others, the two remedies are often used interchangeably ("Nux vomica is closely related to Sulfur," Kent; "Sulphur is a complementary remedy in almost all diseases," Allen). However, Sulfur is much more effective when it comes to eliminating side effects in certain specific allopathic therapies, such as steroid therapy or repeated courses of antibiotics used for relapses of diseases, while Nux vomica is prescribed to patients who have received increased doses of various proprietary drugs; it is needed by people who have "been treated with potions, bitter balms and tinctures, herbs, pills, and all kinds of medicines" (Allen) and who are "hypersensitive to drugs" (Kent). It also plays an almost unique role in cases of overdose of homeopathic remedies, when the patient has taken too many different homeopathic remedies during the course of treatment (especially in low potencies) and has become hypersensitive to his own constitutional remedy, or when any remedy in dilutions just above the minimum causes severe aggravation. ("cannot tolerate even the most dissimilar medicines", Goering).

Nash put it more clearly on this subject: "he cannot bear the slightest, even the drugs that are suitable for him."

Nux vomica stabilizes even the organism in hyperreactivity, making it possible for the patient to tolerate his own constitutional remedy or other well-chosen aggravating remedies (for example, "the antidote for an overreaction to Sulfur", Kent).

The patient who came to the appointment complained of severe pains in the abdomen and in the stomach after eating, mainly in the afternoon. The drugs that seemed to fit the case - Lycopodium, Carbo vegetabilis and Natrum sulphuricum, caused tachycardia, dizziness and shortness of breath , regardless of the potency in which they were administered. But after a dose of Nux vomica 30X, the patient was able to tolerate his similium Natrum sulphuricum, given first in medium and then in high potency.

Another case of the same kind was a patient in whom, in her strong need for a constitutional remedy (Natrum muriaticum for migraine headaches), it necessarily caused heavy and prolonged menstruation, and she was able to take her similium only after an additional course of treatment with Nux vomica.

Both Sulfur and Nux vomica are excellent at neutralizing the effects of hallucinogenic drugs. The first of them is prescribed primarily to those patients who have overcome the addiction to the drug or are in the process of overcoming, but have not completely freed themselves from the action of its destructive force directed at the mind and psyche. It helps to “ground” the spirit that has lost touch with the body, which, so to speak, is still floating in the sky above the clouds and cannot return to earth. Sulfur restores the ability to comprehend the surrounding reality to its former sharpness and concentration, returning the ability to collect, organize and express thoughts clearly and logically, both in speech and in writing. A Nux vomica is given mainly to those patients who are trying unsuccessfully to overcome their addiction to the drug. It moderates desire, reduces dependence, and alleviates symptoms of "withdrawal" when trying to stop taking the drug. In short, Nux vomica is preferable for the individual who is still struggling with drug addiction, while Sulfur cleanses the body of remaining toxins after the drug habit has already been overcome.

Nux vomica is the most valuable remedy in alcoholism. When prescribing for the first time, it is absolutely suitable for those who like to get drunk and for those who have the "morning after" syndrome. In chronic alcoholism, or as a constitutional remedy, it is prescribed for delirium tremens (Goering has a detailed description), hardened drunkards who invariably (but imperceptibly) increase the amount of alcohol consumption, but do not often suffer from acute binges, and also for those who intermittently abstain, and then starts drinking again. Turning to the bottle during stress or depression, this type of person can resort to insults and violence, this is the one who, intoxicated, beats his wife and scolds the child. Nux vomica is also a mild alcoholic who is usually in a state of semi-drunkenness, but in fact never drinks himself unconscious and seems to have been permanently preserved in his steady state.

Both Sulfur and Nux vomica provide valuable assistance to those who have joined sobriety groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. But Nux vomica is especially effective in those who do not want to stop drinking voluntarily. The wives or older daughters (usually of the Natrum muriaticum type) of such alcoholics, who are accustomed to picking up pieces of dishes, tell how, after secretly putting doses of Nux vomica into food or drink for a husband or father, after more or less doses, they notice how without of any conscious decision on the part of the drinker himself, the consumption of high-grade drinks is reduced. The doctor can also play this role of guardian angel by prescribing a cure for alcoholism under the guise of a remedy for the same physical disorders that the patient complains about.

The patient who came in was suffering in cold weather from painful, disabling bouts of sinusitis. The doctor learned from his family that this man was drinking constantly from the moment he came home from work until he went to bed, starting with cocktails, moving on to a large portion of wine at dinner, cognac after dinner, and finally two large glasses of whiskey and soda at night . He gradually lost control of himself, and his once pleasant disposition deteriorated (Nux vomica is a classic remedy for character changes from drugs or heavy drinking). The patient was prescribed Nux vomica 30 X for daily use, and then, when the acute condition from sinus attacks had passed, twice a week "to get rid of sinusitis." Within a few months, he cut his alcohol consumption in half. Nux vomica was discontinued, but the patient continued to reduce his alcohol intake to almost a third of his original level, where he had stopped. In the course of the treatment, the medicine reduced the sensitivity of his sinuses to cold, and his character also improved markedly.

In some cases, repeated doses of Nux vomica are not well tolerated, and may be necessary in the treatment of deep-seated chronic conditions or to rid the patient of bad habits (sometimes, however, only 2-3 doses of the 10 M remedy have the same effect), since Nux vomica is a person prone to bad habits, with a tendency to extremes ("living in a big way", Boger). In other words, this is a person who works hard and plays a lot, and in order for the body to withstand a stressful regime during the day, he seeks to stimulate him with plentiful food, alcohol, tobacco, coffee and other stimulants, and the more he strains, the more he needs it. Even when he is not too busy with work, and then the day seems incomplete to him without his favorite stimulant. However, many hardened coffee drinkers have been cured of their habit by this remedy; it moderates desire and thus helps a person to endure and not violate his decision and “the desire to break with bad habit» (Kent).

I am caught in a vicious circle, complains the patient, a typical Nux vomica, suffering from the humiliating effects of various stimulants. - It started in college when I was too tired preparing for exams. Coffee and tonics stopped working, and I was forced to switch to stronger remedies. But, God, these mood boosters really made me feel great! I could take in knowledge as fast as I took pills. But then I became dependent on them. In order to invigorate myself during the day so as to be able to work and concentrate properly, I had to take increasingly stronger doses of sleeping pills at night ...

These states, - writes Berike, - make the nervous system irritable, hypersensitive and super-impressive, which is so much softened and calmed by the action of Nux vomica.

The body of the Nux vomica man who is exposed to all these medical preparations and stimulants may not only suffer a physical and nervous breakdown, but may in fact become so poisoned that he will no longer be able to carry out his excretory functions properly ("reverse action of the functions of the body"). ", Kent). The patient develops a symptom such as nausea when it is impossible to vomit, despite the desire to do so, or this is achieved only after persistent attempts and attempts. Or "food goes down the esophagus, then it feels uncomfortable and comes back" (Blackie); there is an inability to urinate despite the urge, so that the patient has to exert himself ("tenesmus", Kent); tenesmus with difficult evacuation, with insufficient, incomplete or unsatisfactory stools, variously described: "frequent and ineffective urge to defecate ... very little feces comes out at a time" (Hahnemann), "anti-peristalsis: the more he strains, the more difficult it is to get a stool " (Kent), "irregular peristalsis, moving the contents of the intestines simultaneously back and forth ... a feeling that the intestines are going to work long before this action occurs" (Borland).

A small domestic dog whose favorite pastime was raiding neighbors' kitchen waste in the trash bins developed intestinal inflammation, manifested by recurrent inflammation of the intestines with bleeding from the anus and an inability to defecate. She was cured of her "dietary promiscuity" with several doses of Nux vomica 10M.

NERVOUS IRRITABILITY AND HYPER-SENSITIVITY

On the physical level, the well-studied nervous irritability of this constitutional type takes the form of "frayed nerves", various twitches, tremors and tremors, either of the whole body or of a separate part of it, with lesions of the spinal nerves, starting from exposure to many external stimuli ("hypersensitive to impressions from sensations"). ", Hahnemann).

The smells torment him so much that he becomes ill. Along with Phosphorus, Ignatia and Arsenicum album, the Nux vomica type ranks first among those with the highest sensitivity to tobacco, various aromatic substances, plant and animal odors, and therefore Nux vomica is one of the main remedies for allergies caused by trees, herbs, flowers, mold, and animal fur or dander. The patient is intolerant of bright light, suffers from photophobia or optic neuritis, and has to wear tinted glasses in harsh light. One of his strongest sensitivities is his sensitivity to sounds: "He cannot bear any noise or the sounds of conversation, he is strongly affected by both music and singing" (Hahnemann).

The well-known hero of comic drawings, whiskey-lover Captain Haddock from the French comic series "Tintin", always boasts and knows how to flare up, but he, devoted, generous and irresistibly attractive, caricature this constitutional type. He is driven to despair by the singing of Bianca Castafiore, called the "nightingale of Milan", when it does not unnerve everyone else at all.

Living in an apartment, he can reach hysterics, hearing the steps of people descending the stairs or entering a neighboring apartment, even just a loud conversation behind the wall or when someone walks around the apartment above him, excites him (“The easiest step, the most slight shaking of the floor is perceived painfully and intolerably, Hahnemann). He raps on walls or ceilings in an uncontrollable rage, screaming loudly about his suffering. He is not able to work if even the slightest sound is heard. Unlike Sulfur, which likes noise around, or Lycopodium, which also likes noise, unless it is very close, Nux vomica needs absolute silence in order to concentrate.

He is hypersensitive to cold. “Aversion to cold or cold air; chilliness on least movement, when uncovered; must be covered at any rise in temperature" - such is the conclusion drawn by Allen from all the numerous symptoms of "chill". He is sometimes so chilled that no heat outside or clothes to keep him warm will help (Arsenicum album, Silicea, Psorinum). When the patient falls into a paroxysm of wild sneezing after a chill, Nux vomica is often the remedy needed to get rid of an incipient cold.

Nux vomica is well known as the "bilious type" because of its sensitive or nervous stomach, its predisposition to esophageal and intestinal ulcers, colic, and sharp pains with irritation of the intestines, burning sensations, hiccups, eructations, inflammations with abdominal hardness, a feeling of pressure after eating, as if there was a stone in the stomach, and other symptoms of liver dysfunction and impaired digestion (Hahnemann lists about 50 symptoms of gastric disorders, and Hering has them completely six pages). Eating large amounts of fatty, spicy, and heavily seasoned foods often causes indigestion, and may even form an "unsociable stomach," as some patients call it. In severe cases, the patient is practically unable to digest any foods normally. “Food no longer gives me the pleasure it once was,” complained one sufferer. He loved to eat and was a gourmet, and also a terrible lover and connoisseur of good wines, and now he was forced to make do with the simplest food.

Nux vomica is very fond of spicy and spicy food, as it is one of the forms of stimulation and heat to which this type is always hankering. However, even if he does not overindulge in large amounts of unsuitable food, he still cannot consume many of the spices or condiments that his stomach cannot tolerate. This also includes alcohol, coffee and other stimulants. Weakness of digestion makes Nux vomica choosy, extremely picky about food, and sensitive to the quality of its preparation. He approaches food as carefully as a cat. A Sulfur is like a beloved dog, quickly devouring everything that is given to it, no matter how the dish looks.

And yet, paradoxically, the Nux vomica often loves fat and even tends to eat it, digesting it without much difficulty. The patient may state: “For me, food is not food unless there is something fatty. I will remain hungry and not eat, unless there is fat on meat, butter on bread, and vegetable salads in vegetable salads. I also like nuts that have a lot of oil, as well as desserts, butter and cream” (to be distinguished from the more common dessert lovers - sweet teeth). And besides, the dinner seems incomplete if a person of this type has not eaten some form of animal protein. He may not like the thought of eating "animal corpses", as some of the patients claim with disgust, or he may be a religious vegetarian, but still admits that only animal protein gives him a real boost of energy ("must eat meat" , Kent).

Much has been written in the homeopathic literature about the tastes and appetite of Nux vomica. He is the first among other types - lovers of bitter, metallic, rotten, salty, sour, sweetish or other flavors in the mouth (Mercurius, Pulsatilla). He is in equally known as a man with "loss of appetite" and "aversion to food" - a picture usually ending in "prolonged anorexia" (Hahnemann). This last symptom may be due to several causes: emotional trauma (Ignatia); disorders of aesthetic attitudes, or the need to feel that he is in complete control of his physical condition (Arsenicum album); principled ideological orientation (Natrum muriaticum); exhaustion from hard work (Calcarea carbonica), or a reaction to too much weight in the mother or other member of the family.

A nervous, excitable nature makes Nux vomica a sleepless person. He cannot sleep because of the thoughts that swirl in his head when he is in a state of nervous excitement (“he becomes more mentally active and more sensitive to the environment late in the evening and cannot sleep,” Borland). Or anger, sad thoughts, a lot of problems that come to his mind, excite him, preventing him from falling asleep. He may fall asleep easily, but "sleeps and wakes up" (Kent), or wakes up at 3 am (keynote) and falls asleep only when it is already dawn ("wakes up around 3 am and has to lie awake for several hours). , while haunting thoughts creep into the head, and ... falls asleep, full of gloomy thoughts, when the morning is already in full swing, after which he wakes up more tired than he was when he lay awake in the middle of the night, Hahnemann).

Both Nux vomica and Natrum muriaticum tend to wake up after a few hours of sleep, but Nux vomica then goes back to sleep even if it is late in the morning, and the other does not fall asleep at all ("inability to sleep after waking up", Boger). Sulfur is also one of those types who "absolutely cannot sleep," or may "wake up at 3, 4, or 5 a.m. and not go back to sleep after that" (Gering). In the treatment of severe insomnia, it is usually better to give frequent (daily for a week or two) doses in a low or medium potency than a single dose in a high potency.

Lachesis in the morning, as we remember, is full of energy, despite a sleepless night. At the same time of day (early morning) Nux vomica may have a worsening of his dyspepsia, asthma, pains in the back or joints. He may resent his insomnia (Arsenicum album), deeming an uninterrupted, eight-hour sleep necessary for health, and complaining of a great, worldwide injustice if he is deprived of such sleep ("I hoped that all God's creatures could at least sleep!" - was the indignant exclamation of one patient).

Since this person is disturbed by any noise waking him up, it may be difficult for him to fall asleep while sharing a sleeping area with someone. If any of the brothers and sisters, or fellow students in a boarding school or college, or newlyweds, in spite of mutual affection, show such anxiety, then one of the remedies to be thought of first of all will be Nux vomica.

The threshold for pain sensitivity in this type is very low. Even moderate pain can make him uncontrollable and aggressively impatient ("sensitive to even the most trifling ailments", Kent; "cannot bear pain without groans and complaints", Hahnemann), and when the pain is somewhat more the pain is unbearable and he will die from the shock of pain” (Hahnemann).

All his sensibilities act so strongly on Nux vomica that he faints (lists of all repertories place this type in the first place in such a rubric). Nux vomica faints in a crowded room full of people, from excitement, hysteria, weakness, during menstruation, pregnancy, from hard work, or from heat ("vertigo and weakness in a crowd or when many gas lamps are lit," Hering) , or the opposite - when walking in the open air. Notable here is his idiosyncratic "loss of consciousness at the sight of blood" (Gibson Miller).

It was decided that one of the patients with fairly common allergic conditions needed to be treated with Nux vomica after he told the doctor that he had been exempted from military service because he would pass out at the sight of blood on any creature and then at the sight of piece of undercooked meat.

Nux vomica is very sensitive to disharmony in his environment, perhaps because it threatens his own precarious emotional and mental balance. Neatness, harmony and order are very important for the tranquility of Nux vomica. With his "busy and precise" (Goering) nature, he is "always dissatisfied and dissatisfied and constantly worried about external interference" (Kent). His typical complaint: “My house (office, yard) is a source of constant irritation. Everywhere I look, something is not right” (Arsenicum album). Often his irritability and criticality arise when the people around him do not adhere to precisely his special concepts of order. “Everything in my house (office) has its own place, and if someone moves a thing, then I move it back!” is his usual comment. That is, he likes everything to be done exactly to the smallest detail and in a special (“correct”) way. For example, he does not like to eat a grapefruit unless it has first been carefully divided into segments; he may refuse cornbread baked in a deep (instead of shallow) pan ("It just doesn't look good!"); can get upset if someone makes the bed wrong or paints the fence with too small a brush: “The most unproductive way to do this ...” he grumbles.

He can, albeit with difficulty, endure a picture hanging crookedly on the wall (which Arsenicum album cannot), but he cannot bear open drawers and open doors to the toilet. Both colleagues and students of one professor of English literature like Nux vomica stated that they could find any book on the shelf of the professor’s closet without looking, so carefully to the smallest detail they were arranged by subject and by period (and, of course, alphabetically).

Many of the constitutional types may show special attention to any particular area - the constitutional types Sulfur, Natrum muriaticum and Silicea are the first to come to mind, but Nux vomica is similar to Arsenicum album in its ability to pay endless attention to everything that is done in its life, and everything he does himself ("Any job worth doing should be done well" is his creed, and it follows immediately after Arsenicum album with its "Whatever needs to be done is worth overdoing"). For example, if he prepares some special dish, then he will clean up after himself, as usual, while after Sulfur or Natrum muriaticum, someone else must clean up. Perhaps that is why Nux vomica and Arsenicum album are the only remedies listed under the heading "Catchiness" in Kent's Repertory.

One woman, a cleaning lady with a long history of strained family relationships, well known for her conscientious and diligent work ethic, suffered from internal trembling and shaking (“primary” as she called it) as well as pain in the lower part of her body. spasmodic back before and during menstruation. All pains were relieved by strong hard pressure, and while sitting or lying motionless, she tried to press her back firmly against some solid support (“worse with the slightest movement ... she wants to sit still”, Berike) The doctor found it difficult to choose a medicine, since the symptoms corresponded equally to Nux vomica and Natrum muriaticum, until he asked her if her house was as clean as her work. "Oh my God, no," she exclaimed. - Everything is in disorder, as in the market! Do you think I feel like cleaning the house after I've done it all day for others?" This answer clearly pointed to Natrum muriaticum, which, out of a sense of duty, would do for others what it would not do for itself. The house of Nux vomica is immaculate.

At times the intelligibility of Nux vomica, like Arsenicum album, can be "a bit too much", some kind of obsession instead of dignity. In this imperfect world, a person is always at odds with himself and annoys others, those who wholeheartedly want to be free from dirt and disorder.

Paradoxically, these picky constitutional types like ugly dogs. As if fed up with elegance, neatness and apparent harmony, they are looking for the opposite in a repulsive and drooling bulldog. When asked to explain the reason for such an amazing choice, they respond that: “There is something soothing about this breed. These dogs are so ugly they actually look beautiful!” And if Natrum muriaticum has an ugly dog, it is out of sympathy, or because Natrum muriaticum considers such a dog a "loser."

The oversensitivity and nervous irritability of Nux vomica may also show itself in its touchiness. He easily accepts insults (“interprets everything in a bad way,” Hahnemann), blames others, and, prickly as a porcupine, immediately bristles his quills in defense. A teasing remark or a word said in jest can make him rude or sarcastic, and if a friend asks him, “What happened to you? You look really good today,” he may respond defiantly, “You mean I usually look bad?” When he is annoyed, a piece of undercooked or overcooked meat at home or in a restaurant is taken as a personal challenge and ends in a scandalous scene - Nux vomica is a master at making scenes as in in public places, and at home (“evil obstinacy”, Hahnemann). He quickly begins to think that he has been misunderstood, and inflates this misunderstanding into a whole tragedy. When people around him do not respond in tone, he becomes furious: “No one ever listens to me. Soon I will be zero in my own home (office)!” He immediately becomes angry at criticism and, in his rage, is ready to simply kill the critics or himself. He is "sensitive to rudeness" (Kent) in the same way that Staphysagria, Calcarea carbonica, and Natrum muriaticum are, but this does not prevent him from being "rude" quite often himself or from "insulting" others (Bönninghausen).

He is not only "hot and irascible" (Hahnemann). “I am a man-a barrel of gunpowder that can flare up from the slightest spark,” commented one patient. In manner, he can also be tough, squeamish, and overwrought. All of these are outward manifestations of anxiety and the inability of consciousness to allow events to unfold and take their natural course. If both at home and at work everything goes too smoothly, then he continues to artificially inflate everything. Nux vomica constantly brings up controversial issues and expresses opposing opinions. He creates his own excitement, and then complains about being overwhelmed and disturbed by other people and circumstances, and speaks of "his craving for peace and rest" (Kent). By contrast, Lachesis and Sulfur enjoy the emotional disturbance or imbalance they create more sincerely and complain less about it.

The key to describing the pathogenesis of Nux vomica is the word spasmodic. "In strychnine poisoning, the most important symptoms are spasms and convulsions," writes Clarke, and the pattern of physical disturbances in Nux vomica includes spasms of the intestines, limbs, back muscles, spasms when coughing or sneezing, and spasms caused by the slightest touch or movement. On an emotional level, there are corresponding brief but unbridled outbursts of irritability or "ill humor" (Bönninghausen), a tendency to lose his temper when things do not go his way, etc. Even his "immoderate laughter" (Kent) wears spasmodic character, because in him, as in Natrum muriaticum, it is often the outlet of his latent tension.

One well-known example of this is the behavior of a husband taking out his displeasure on his wife and family when he returns home from work in the evening. "Why isn't dinner ready for me yet? What do you mean you have to feed the kids first? You show them a bad example and indulge their laziness and slovenliness!

Another familiar picture is that of the irritable Nux vomica the motorist. Cars, driving and travel evoke everything that is aggressive, belligerent and sarcastic about this otherwise quite likable personality. He is notorious for causing all sorts of accidents on the road, becoming annoyed if someone overtakes him, and often insults other drivers. He gets angry at the thought that he may have taken a wrong turn, and to say that he went the wrong way is taken as an insult.

Nux vomica traits clearly dominate the tense, irritable father of the family in Ring Lardner's short story The Young Emigrants, about people traveling by car through the Midwest (written from the point of view of a child).

God, my mother said, Ypsilanti must be a super-huge school - they have such a huge football field.

The father had an irritated face.

It's not Ypsilanti, it's Ann Arbor, he shouted.

But I thought you said we were going south of Ann Arbor and heading for Ypsilanti,” Mom said with a goofy grin.

I said that, but I thought I'd surprise you by coming to Ann Arbor, - answered the father with a pained smile.

Personally, I think the surprise was mutual.

It's Canada, isn't it? Mom said.

And you thought it was the Austrian Tyrol? - answered the father, torn from coughing.

Listen, you'd better stick to the main roads, - said my mother peacefully.

And you’d better not mind your own business, ”the father answered, throwing a glance at her full of disgust ...

Soon my father paid the bill and gave the waiter a royal tip, we jumped back into the car and drove on our way. On the way, they talked about my father's miscalculations, which were at the very short term corrected, but it turned out to be a real disaster after driving for miles and miles on terrible roads, we suddenly found ourselves in front of a frozen freight train, which, like a dead one, did not respond to the signals of the cars. We sat there for half an hour, listening to my father's irritated mockery, but at last my mother dared and said cautiously:

Why don't we turn around and drive somewhere back? I can't pronounce what my father said.

Are you lost, dad? I asked kindly.

Shut up, he said...

Characteristic of this type is a refusal to even try to curb one's irascibility. The leopard has no desire to change its spots or even hide them. Nux vomica is in this respect like a child, deprived of the ability to restrain himself or see his behavior from the outside - he behaves in such a way as to free himself from the accumulated internal irritation.

An extreme case of such infantilism and uncivilized behavior occurred during a deer hunt. By the end of the day, having achieved nothing, the hunters saw a female deer at a distance of a shot. Since everyone knew that the females were under the protection of the law, no one fired a shot. But one hunter from the group (type Nux vomica), upset and irritated by the failure of the day, raised his gun and shot the doe.

Even a successful and prudent businessman can completely forget himself in a fit of petty irritation, violating all the laws of civilized behavior and ignoring or simply not thinking about the impression that he makes on others. An employer who cannot speak without shouting, or even speak on the phone in such a way as not to throw the receiver on the lever with a swing without giving the interlocutor an answer, the one who finds fault with his employees, "quarrels with them, showers them with reproaches, abuse and insults" ( Goering) of his loved ones, reacts to every situation with excessive vehemence, may well need Nux vomica. However, then he, like a child, can behave as perfectly as if nothing had happened: "I do not get ulcers, I cause ulcers in others," a short self-assessment was given to one such type.

No doubt this frantic manner of acting under pressure and temper tantrums can also be found in Sulphur, who is in high position at work or in his own home - he can be equally rude, aggressive and violent, with the same tendency to shout at the interlocutor, who said something undesirable to him (Lycopodium just doesn't listen and Natrum muriaticum argues endlessly). But usually the tone of Sulfur is less vicious than that of Nux vomica. It is fair, however, to note that his harsh and raspy voice itself creates an atmosphere of irritability.

Angry that things are not going the way he wants, Nux vomica can resort to "rebuke with indelicate terms" (Hahnemann) or "blasphemy" (Bönninghausen). If he feels that he is guilty even in the slightest degree, then he quickly puts others in the position of defending himself in order to avoid reproaches himself. For example, if his credit company warns him that his account will be closed for non-payment, he will respond with a tirade of threats and insults: “You're damn right - I didn't pay! So what? What, you still don't recognize me? I always end up crying. What the hell is this! That's it with a credit card, that you can delay payment? Let me talk to your manager... Oh, are you the manager? All right, then I'll talk to your master. You may soon be out of a job…” and so on and so forth in the same vein.

This "nonsensical" (Bönninghausen), "insulting" (Hahnemann) or "arrogant" (Goering) behavior, when he is angry, can cause fear and dislike towards even the best representatives of Nux vomica on the part of colleagues at work. His uncontrollable irritability and accusatory stance can destroy friendships and threaten a potentially happy family life. By the time he pulls himself together and tries to dispel his bad mood, evil may already be irreparable: his scandalous outbursts have already destroyed the happy atmosphere in the house and upset the peace and joyful mood of those around him.

One bank owner came to be treated by a homeopath for an ulcer. When the doctor asked about his memory and ability to concentrate, he replied: “There are no problems here. Help is needed for my temper, not for my mind. I am awarded the longest memory and the shortest patience known among people. In fact, people tell me that I am the most unpleasant person they have ever had to deal with. I would be grateful if you could make me at least not the most, but the second among the most unpleasant.

Thus, Nux vomica should always be considered in cases where the physician is confronted with a patient whose moods are unstable and whose classic "quick turn-on syndrome" or explosive anger destroys relationships with people.

The following is a description from a short story by writer H. G. Munro ("Saki") of a resentful hunting dog owner during an unsuccessful hunting season that perfectly paints a portrait of this unrestrained type. Major Pallaby became a victim of circumstances over which he had no control (“everything goes wrong for him”, Hahnemann), and his temper, with which he could do nothing. When he (erroneously) concludes that someone has inadvertently shot a fox that was going to be hunted tomorrow, the major "reproaches and scolds fate and the general plan of the hunt, curses everyone with whom he has ever come into contact, wishing him endless and exorbitant punishment." And when he left, “the happy cry of his pretty mistress was outstanding in itself. But after the Major's reciprocal performance, her greatest efforts at sound violence lost all their effect: it was as if someone had walked straight out of the Wagner Opera into a fairly moderate thunderstorm."

Nux vomica, especially in men, can soften the quickness of a man's reactions and give him a few seconds to think before answering, so that he can calm down and give a considered answer. And then he will understand that restraint is sometimes better than fearless straightforwardness. He may become more balanced and more in control of himself, he may learn to curb those "frantic" (Bönninghausen) reactions which, after they have already been demonstrated, so often turn out to be simply stupid (Lachesis in women).

Another behavior in Nux vomica men is the silent treatment of those who have caused him displeasure, when Nux vomica sinks into resentful, denial and indifferent withdrawal from communication (“closed, gloomy disposition”, Hering) or when a person responds to polite questions with morose, one-syllable responses ("disgusted by answers," Kent) and responds to decisions that differ from his own idea of ​​how things should go in short, sarcastic, through gritted teeth.

Thus, sometimes overactive Nux vomica, unpredictable behaviour, unstable disposition and changeable contrasting moods are its most predictable traits. Every day, work colleagues wonder what mood he will be in today, and his wife asks herself the same question, waiting for him to come home, to be ready to adjust to him. Good or bad, malicious or merciful - his mood should always be taken into account by the people around him, he constantly needs to be appeased or reduced to a joke. At a higher level - the level of consciousness - this general fragility of emotional balance makes a person of this type predisposed to various mental disturbances and manias: maternity, from ambitious disappointments or wounded honor, from a possible lawsuit or a failed business venture, etc. "He can sit for many hours, staring with empty, sunken eyes, or, on the contrary, incoherently delirious, moaning ... ”(Goering).

A Nux vomica person is often not satisfied with verbal abuse and may turn to physical violence (“scandalous mood can turn into action”, Hahnemann, “may strike”, Kent, “he seems ready to punch anyone in the face who says a word to him , he is so irritated and unrestrained”, Hahnemann), and becomes unreasonably destructive: he breaks objects and throws them around. He may even have a "cruel" (Kent) or "evil" (Hahnemann) disposition.

Under the rubric "vindictive, vicious" Kent only puts Nux vomica and Stramonium in bold type; under the same heading in the fourth (highest degree) Bönninghausen places only Nux vomica and Anacardium.

His mood of destruction can also be directed at himself, Nux vomica is one of the most commonly prescribed remedies for suicidal thoughts ("when looking at a knife, he wants to kill himself with a knife, and when he is in water, he wants to drown himself", Bönninghausen), especially if a person "wants to commit suicide, but is afraid to die" (Goering).

Such a case was a man in his fifties whose rudeness caused him to be fired from his job after twenty years of service. In his anger and self-pity, not knowing where to direct his emotions and his energy, he threatened to take his own life. This impulse was restrained only by the physical fear of death, and not by concern for others and not by Hamlet. "And so it is the consciousness of each of us that makes a coward" He was first prescribed a highly potent dose of Nux vomica for his "melancholy about losing his job" (Goering) with no apparent effect; then Aurum metallicum from his black depression, suicidal desire and threats to throw himself out the window in desperation, as well as from his "curses of himself and sense of worthlessness" (Berike) - and again without success. As his weeping and complaining increased and his threats to commit suicide increased (he confessed this to anyone who was willing to listen to him), he was prescribed Pulsatilla 10M daily for a week. His sobs lessened, his demeanor became more restrained, his threats to commit suicide were rarer, but thoughts of suicide still visited him. Nux vomica 50M was given again, this time successfully. And during the course of treatment, which lasted a year, he was prescribed one of these two drugs alternately when the symptoms reappeared.

It may seem that Nux vomica and Pulsatilla are a very strange couple, but in this case the combination of these two remedies has done what either of them alone could not do.

Just as quadratic equations contain elements with a plus sign and a minus sign, so constitutional medicines show opposite aspects. " positive side The sensibility of Nux vomica is its "subtlety" (Hahnemann) and caring nature.

As already noted, this constitutional type has an unusually reactive character ("excitable", Allen). His emotions are on the surface, he has a heightened sensitivity, and when he is in a balanced state, then it is natural for him to be "soft" to a greater extent than for an ordinary, average man (a strange, inappropriate word for Nux vomica). He can "strongly sympathize" (Kent) and even weep under some sad circumstances, exhibiting a sensibility similar to that of Pulsatilla, and become visibly distressed at the suffering of others. Thus, it is clear that he is not only sensitive towards himself with his vulnerable pride, but, suffering from "wounded honor" (Goering), he is overly attentive to the pride of others and tries not to humiliate them (Natrum muriaticum, Staphysagria). In general, these men of the Sulfur and Lycopodium type are usually bullish in their sensitivity, and very rarely Nux vomica, who himself is all "an open wound" and who both emotionally and physically "feels everything too much" (Hahnemann). It is the heightened reactivity of this type and the sensitive "excitable nature" (Bönninghausen) that can cause his passions and, if his hopes are crushed, cause insane fury when he loses control over his actions, for which this type is well known.

He has a complex nature, often mixed - "softness" punctuated by outbursts of irritability. It is often found in an appointment that the patient, whose real kindness is hidden behind erratic and spiteful impulses, responds well to Nux vomica. A person who is tyrannical at work may turn out to be hypersensitive with loved ones at home and love animals, getting angry at any manifestation of their mistreatment (the other side of the coin is his more famous cruelty towards animals: kicking dogs, beating a horse, etc.). ). Or vice versa, one who is rough in the family may be exceptionally considerate in his professional relationships; he easily obtains willing sacrifices from his devoted and respectful colleagues (at the expense of being highly respected), and behind his caustic manner there is more than an obligatory concern for the interests of his clients.

The immediate proximity of virtues and vices in Nux vomica differs from a similar picture in the dualistic Lachesis in that in Nux vomica this feature does not have the character of moral doubts. He is more accepting of his mixed nature, or less aware of it, and therefore less at war with himself and creating a less contradictory image of himself.

Thus, although this type may be more brusque than most other constitutional types, may have a rougher and more snarky manner, and be less polite to strangers than, for example, Lycopodium, in fact he may be more helpful than Lycopodium, there, where we are talking about the closest members of the family, at least judging by the estimates of the spouses of these two types. Apart from some cases of alcoholism and an unusually bad temper in Nux vomica, wives of these types report sincere caring and usually report feeling loved and protected in their private lives, even though in public the husband may be agitated, unpredictable, or act unreasonably, sometimes embarrassingly. surrounding with their clumsy behavior.

In Jane Austen's Emma, ​​there is a character named John Knightley who is easily irritated and sarcastic with his wife and her family despite his fundamentally "strong domestic affections and self-sufficiency at home for him" and who finds it difficult to tolerate and agree with the constant soothing guidance of his Pulsatilla wife (who is quite happy doing so), as well as the constant watchful attention of the other members of the family, this John Knightley is eminently a Nux vomica type.

On the other hand, the wife of a Lycopodium man, despite appearing to have less to complain about (because the husband behaves impeccably in society), may complain about some invisible flaw in personal relationships: impenetrable aloofness. , lack of interest.

The reason may simply be that Lycopodium has less ardor, emotional support, than Nux vomica with its strong feelings and great masculine energy. The romantic side of his nature is more strongly developed than that of Lycopodium, and for his wife this may well compensate for many of his other shortcomings.

Because of this, you can often hear the dissatisfied wife of Lycopodium say to the doctor "Yes, my husband is attentive and kind enough, but what does attention mean when there is no warmth?", and the displeased wife of Nux vomica says "Yes, my husband has strong feelings, they have a lot of heat, but what is the value of this warmth without mindfulness.

In a well-established family, a devoted Nux vomica husband speaks of his wife with generosity, making somewhat sentimental and touching confessions: “She doesn’t know how much she means to me and how much she helps me!”, “I just can’t imagine life without her!" or "I consider lost every moment when I'm not with her!". Sulfur, Lycopodium or Arsenicum rarely express themselves in this way, no matter how they feel.

One patient, who had a childless and hypochondriacal Arsenicum wife, whose intellect and feelings were almost wholly devoted to his own health, occasionally took doses of Nux vomica, on account of his excitement and sympathetic attention to his wife. When she fell ill or considered herself ill, he furiously scolded the whole world, her parents, every doctor with whom she was treated, for their inability to alleviate her suffering. At the same time, he subconsciously thwarted any continued attempt to improve her condition by protecting her from potential adversaries. There was little the doctor could do except to alleviate some of the couple's anxiety and treat their acute ailments. Neither of the two was willing to let go of a situation that contained so many small positives. good health his wife, or his absence, was the best occasion for expressing the strong personal bonds between them, the perfect outlet for all their personal worries, feelings of relief, hopes, fears, and mutual devotions.

Such a situation in different variants is not unusual. From the point of view of a homeopath, it is interesting and surprising that very often it is Nux vomica that shows a desire to deal with the neurotic disorders of the health of the spouse. Sulfur, Lycopodium, and Sepia lack the patience to sympathize year after year, while Arsenicum, unwilling to be left behind, agitated Pulsatilla and Phosphorus, may begin to compete over who has "more sores" and who needs more attention. The latter type may even develop similar pains and distresses out of sympathy. Natrum muriaticum and Lachesis also patiently endure a chronically ill spouse, but are less likely to panic or become enraged at such injustice. Natrum muriaticum is simply well aware that illness is just another aspect of the inevitable human fate, while the selfless devotion of Lachesis makes him or her perceive the situation as a "mission" entrusted to him from above, with no choice. Lachesis may even see in it the meaning of life and take pleasure in such a load, while Natrum muriaticum takes his duties as well as pleasures - seriously and sadly.

As a male copy of the isomorphic Ignatia, with highly developed romantic and "passionate" (Bönninghausen) sides of his character, Nux vomica should naturally help with "unhappy love" (Kent). Indeed, often the causes of rudeness, acrimony, alcoholism and other nervous disorders of this type are rooted in disappointment and disillusionment in love.

Sexual desire at the slightest provocation" (Hehring), "unusually intense sexual desire" (Bönninghausen), "at the slightest arousal, rapture of love" (Hahnemann) are among those phrases that describe the sexual ardor of Nux vomica.

A romantic literary portrait of the complex love nature of Nux vomica is Rhett Butler, the hero of Gone with the Wind. The destruction of his true and passionate feelings for Scarlett O'Hara enhances his natural cynicism and brings to the surface previously hidden rudeness and alcoholism, although at the same time he shows unexpected gentleness in dealing with children and a subtle sensual appreciation of the beautiful features of Melanie Vilkes.

Nux vomica may show high spirits and be good-natured, but he rarely has that true cordiality and that generosity which characterizes Sulfur. And, of course, generosity in relation to their offenders is not a strong point of the character of this type. Sulfur (thanks to their selectivity and "fine tuning" of memory) and Lycopodium (thanks to a "convenient" or "constructive" memory) more readily withdraw from the bitterness of impressions and give up their instinctive desire to reproach. As a result, Nux vomica, as well as Arsenicum album, can become angry and resentful when he is overwhelmed with demands and pressured to give more than he himself decided: “I already give a lot, how can you ask me much more?" However, he does have frequent generous impulses and emotions, even if he experiences them from a rational basis.

An example of the above is the case that came to mind of a journalist who called a doctor on the morning of the day he went on a business trip, complaining of debilitating hiccups that had begun a few days before and had become almost incessant.

Before turning to a homeopath, he was an avid coffee drinker, drinking eight cups of coffee a day and increasing his coffee intake in an effort to invigorate himself and improve well-being, as well as stimulate the brain while writing articles. Thus, his digestion was disturbed, and the constitutional treatment caused the periodic appearance of all sorts of bizarre symptoms.

The patient was in doubt and complained that he expected more from homeopathy: “I have given my body a chance to recover by taking a constitutional remedy and have already tried everything to get rid of hiccups, from drinking plenty of water and holding my breath to standing on his head, but all to no avail. A few minutes later the hiccups started again. Today I have to fly away and I can't wait any longer. If you are as good a doctor as they say you are, then find something that would work quickly, because I need to get rid of hiccups before flying. This critical attitude corresponded equally to the type of Arsenicum album, but the violent hiccoughing was a symptom of spasmodic Nux vomica. Was prescribed Nux vomica 30 M from the home medicine cabinet; it should be taken every hour until improvement occurs.

At noon of the same day, he called again in a state of ecstasy: “This is just a miracle ... there is no other word! I only took the medicine once while I was on the phone with you, and the hiccups started to subside when I was just putting the first aid kit back in its place. Now it comes back rarely and lasts only one or two seconds. Can you imagine!” (In fact, even veterans of homeopathy are not fed up with the results of the homeopathic method, which is harmless, always merciful to patients, and grateful to the physician.)

If the patient described above had been Arsenicum, he would have been more moderate in praise: “I'm not completely cured yet, but I'm getting better. Of course, I would like to get rid of the hiccups completely, but this, no doubt, was the right remedy. Of course, it is time for me to learn to stop doubting and accept homeopathy as a phenomenon for what it is”, etc., becoming more and more amiable. And the skeptical Lycopodium might have said that since the improvement came so quickly, he must have been recovering by himself.

And last but not least, Nux vomica can give a picture that is polar opposite to the traditional ideas about his irritability and loss of calmness - the patient can be calm, reserved, self-confident, regardless of whether he is seething or not inside from grief and anger.

This type of patient came to the homeopathic office complaining of restless and disturbed sleep at night, combined with overwhelming drowsiness during the day, especially after eating. Being a very prominent figure in his field of activity, he did not boast in the least and did not try to attract attention, demonstrating, as in a parade, his achievements. Of course, such remedies as Arsenicum album and Lycopodium have also been considered, but an atmosphere of their own importance is usually created around them, while Nux vomica acts as if it were not aware of its outstanding qualities. In addition, the patient had a sickly sallow complexion and was tormented by cutting or drawing pains before or during bowel movements, which indicated a poisonous nut (Nux vomica).

This attractive kind of restraint and delicacy is often found in a person from a temperamental, noisy and friendly family. But Nux vomica has decided to be different from the rest, and despite his weak steadiness, he is in full control of his emotions, rarely raises his voice (which may be soft, but not caressing, like Phosphorus), he carefully considers answers, he needs time to respond.

He does not allow himself to show emotions or feel strong feelings on insignificant occasions - to the point that in his restraint he seems inert or spineless, the kind that is easy to push. If you ask him "What do you like: this or that?", then he will answer: "I don't care." - "Well, tell me, what do you want?" "But I really don't care." And really, he doesn't care.

The hallmark of such a person is maturity, which is the complete opposite of the infantilism that so often characterizes the Nux vomica type. It seems that this maturity is born of a moral awareness that does not serve its own needs, does not try to prove any point of view, and does not force the adoption of special moral codes. This sincere lack of interest colors all his motives and actions, endowing them with intellectual integrity and moral reliability. Thus, he is able to give a more elevated character to his highly developed critical instincts and often finds himself in the role of a public judge. No doubt this is what Hahnemann had in mind when he wrote: “clear awareness of the purpose of one's existence; subtle, clear and correct understanding of what is right and what is wrong.

PSYCHE AND INTELLIGENCE: MODERN MAN AND RENAISSANCE MAN

The classic depiction of Nux vomica as the tense, obsessive, and driven businessman or expert in his field, keeping up with today's demands of life, is immortalized by Kent in his Lectures on the Philosophy of Homeopathy:

“He stays at his desk to exhaustion; he receives a lot of letters and takes on many cases at the same time; he is troubled at once by a thousand petty worries. His mind constantly rushes from one thing to another until he begins to experience torment. These are not so much big things as little things ... He comes home and still continues to think about them.

This picture has been supplemented by other homeopaths. Wheeler writes, "Nux vomica is a remedy for highly civilized races, urban dwellers, and those who, under the pressure of modern lifestyles, have exhibited both physical and mental symptoms." The latest description was by Whitmont: "Our well-known contemporary, super-civilized city dweller, intellectually overworked, hard-working lawyer or accountant, tyrannical bureaucrat ... arrogant, nervous." It seems that stress, tension and intense involvement in business or professional life contribute to the development of the pathological picture of Nux vomica (even his dreams contain "business matters requiring the greatest attention", Hahnemann). Therefore, this remedy plays the same "episodic role" in professional men as Sepia does in housewives, i.e., the pathogenesis of Nux vomica appears temporarily in any other constitutional type.

The highly work- and career-oriented Nux vomica type experiences constant stress and anxiety from intense work ("study makes better," Kent). Indeed, in the professional sphere, he is more successful than in his personal life, because he sacrifices his emotions to his career and gives most of his seething energy to work, business or achieving professional heights. It follows that his "capriciousness and inner emptiness" (Bönninghausen) arise mainly from his inability to do this or that job and from the resulting sense of his own uselessness ("I'm just a drone now and nothing more!").

In its obsession with work this type is like Arsenicum album, but if Arsenicum is a woodpecker who hammers a trunk all day because he is obliged to do it, Nux vomica labors willingly and sparing no effort, since he has no other image. life, the whole meaning of his life lies in work. These traits are found even in calm, reserved mathematicians, computer scientists, and scientists, who show little of the obsession that is inherent in businessmen, managers, or powerful lawyers who manage several cases at the same time, but they are equally dedicated to their work. These two varieties of the Nux vomica type tend to take on too much work and have difficulty meeting deadlines. Sulfur does the same, but by believing in his abilities or overestimating them, he is less worried about getting everything done on time. These two "immoderate workers" (Kent) can sometimes be distinguished homeopathically only by their physical symptoms and modalities, especially the temporary ones, since Arsenicum album is in all respects the "morning personality" (with attendant nocturnal many physical and mental aggravations in the morning and feels better evening. Just like Lachesis and Natrum muriaticum, in the morning, after waking up, he is "sad" (Kent), while in the evening or at night his spirits rise.

However, this remedy should not be overlooked where there is an aggravation at night (especially between 3 and 5 am, i.e. early in the morning) and even sometimes around 6 pm (Boger). One should never start (when choosing a similium) from a single symptom or addiction, no matter how important (yes, there are thirsty Pulsatilla!).

Traditionally, Nux vomica is similar to Lachesis in that it has a strong influx of thoughts and the highest efficiency of mental work at night, as well as, according to Hering, "reluctance and great weariness in the morning." But he can work productively and with inspiration ("extraordinary stream of thoughts", Allen) also in the morning, perhaps due to his addiction - "the activity makes him feel better, makes him work hard at this time of day in order to overcome his depressed state spirit" (Natrum muriaticum).

Nux vomica often has an aversion to intellectual effort, inability to concentrate on work, lack of patience for work, and mental fatigue: “disinclination to intellectual pursuits…can hardly collect his thoughts; often makes mistakes in conversation; finds words with difficulty and uses unsuitable expressions… skips syllables and whole words when speaking and writing” (Hahnemann). The same hasty Sulfur differs in this from Nux vomica. Hahnemann states that Nux vomica is “horrified by literary work, in which he must think and develop with his own mind, unfold thoughts in order to put them in writing or to express them orally; but reading and learning by heart does not repel him.”

The Nux vomica is full of "extraordinary restlessness" (Hahnemann). It ranks first on the lists for young people who cannot find the meaning or purpose of life, who want to work fruitfully, but do not know how, and for middle-aged people who are in crisis, hard workers, dissatisfied with life, despite their professional achievements, those who feel they have "missed" something in life and regret lost opportunities (Lachesis in women). This medicine plays its part in sexual disorders and anxiety, which is very important for men, especially for those persons who are excessively fond of alcohol and sex ("participants in the night revels", Bönninghausen; because of the "bad consequences of sexual excesses", Berike; from "intemperance, licentiousness", Boger).

Many of Nux vomica's anxieties - about work, about the future, about health, financial security - are like the fears of Arsenicum album, being more subconscious than all-pervasive. But in Nux vomica, idiosyncrasy has its manifestations, similar to the fears of that Wall Street broker whose stresses caused typical Nux vomica lumbar pains with the key symptom "must sit up in order to turn over in bed" (Gering). When asked about his specific fears, he admitted that he always sits in the middle of his regularly running train for fear that the first or last cars might collide with something along the way.

The preoccupation of this type with one's health is also not as strong as that of Arsenicum. If a patient who has quit smoking for a long time says: “I have never been a heavy smoker, but to this day I regret every puff I took fifty years ago and worry that the smoke is lurking somewhere in there. my lungs!” the homeopath must think that he is dealing with Arsenicum album and not with Nux vomica.

No one gets the impression that visiting the doctor is a great pleasure for Nux vomica, or that he is very susceptible to suggestions and is ready to go to the doctor after reading any publication about the disease in the newspaper. And finally, he does not give the impression that you are facing a failed potential doctor, as it usually looks when meeting with Arsenicum album, and does not try to know more than a doctor. Often he responds to the unusual "explanations" of a homeopath about the therapeutic effect of microdoses with irritated words: "Do your job and do not try to explain! I don't want to know anything, especially since it's incomprehensible to me. I am ready to accept the position that in homeopathy less is more, and deterioration is good, and let's leave this topic! (Lycopodium). If at the end of the conversation the doctor asks: “Did YOU tell me all the symptoms?”, Then the patient can answer: “I’m sure that not all, but I’m absolutely sure that you no longer need it, so I won’t add anything else to what has been said. The Arsenicum patient needs to be forced to complete the list of his symptoms.

But at the same time, Nux vomica is more attentive to its health than, for example, Sulfur or Lycopodium. If he causes harm to his body, then he knows about it and is simply indifferent to the consequences. And those two types just take for granted their good health and do not even know that they are mistreating their own body.

However, Nux vomica can also be a "hypochondriac" (Tyler) who thinks and talks like a man possessed about his illnesses and suffers from a complete loss of hope for a cure, as other people do, mainly due to the collapse of their love. . Moderately severe back pain or occasional insomnia may convince him that life has lost all meaning.

Even the loss of a tooth can have a similar effect, as happened to an intelligent young man who had a tooth knocked out while playing hockey. The psychic trauma, combined with the usual pain in these cases, led him to obsessive thoughts about the loss of a tooth (although it was replaced by a temporary bridge), to complete despair and thoughts of suicide, which persisted for several months and disappeared only after he was prescribed Nux vomica 50M (“melancholy after tooth extraction, speaks of nothing but his tooth… sits doing nothing all day, crying and complaining about his anxiety about the tooth,” (Goering) combined with a stressful situation) .

In this case, the Nux vomica man, with his insatiable "desire to talk about his condition, with anxious thoughts about it" (Gering), as well as the Natrum muriaticum woman, preoccupied with her health, often resembles Arsenicum album.

In one of the short stories O "Henry's "Soulmate", a handsome burglar thief (Nux vomica), who entered a respectable private house, finds himself face to face with the owner of the house (Arsenicum album), who lies in bed, twisted from rheumatism. The thief suffers from the same disease, and both of them are immersed in a lively discussion of their symptoms and attempts to cure.The genius of the author perceptively reflects the stylistic and behavioral differences of these two types.The owner of the Arsenicum house asks, like a doctor, entering into the details of his illness interlocutor: "How long have you been sick? When do you feel worse, in the morning or in the evening? How does it go, paroxysms or is it constant pain? Do any of the joints swell?" - while the inspirational thief-Nux vomica replies quite figuratively: "She jumps in and grabs me when I don't expect it. I have to stop working on the second floors due to the fact that sometimes I can be grabbed halfway. " The story ends by the fact that two suffering friends go to a nearby bar to celebrate their friendship and alleviate a common illness.

Impatience is a prominent feature in the constitutional picture of Nux vomica: "always in a hurry" (Kent), sometimes showing a panicky concern about punctuality and lack of time ("I'm pathologically efficient!").

For this reason, and because it requires long, uninterrupted periods of time for productive work, he can become unusually angry if disturbed during work ("scandalous if he is disturbed", Goering; "looks with malice at anyone who asks him about something, and it seems that he has to restrain himself in order not to be rude”, Hahnemann). In this it differs from Sulfur, which works very well when interrupted and is actually inspired by all sorts of stimuli.

At times the impatience of Nux vomica has a physiological basis. His sense of time is disturbed and distorted (as under the influence of drugs or alcohol acting on the psyche). The rubric "time passes too slowly" indicates not only the accelerated pace of life of this type and his impatience for "things to move", but can also be a leading symptom in patients with neuralgic disorders: he can lie in bed, falling asleep and waking up, as it seems , countless times, but after looking at his watch, he finds that only five minutes have passed.

Nux vomica can be excessive, out of place, impatient if something doesn't work out the first time: the child stamps his feet and cries when he can't get something right away; the adult, angry, quits his job or, in annoyance, struggles with physical causes that prevent him from completing a task. “If, undressing, he cannot unbutton his clothes, he pulls them off without unbuttoning, because it infuriates him ... If he has a chair in the way, then he pushes it with his foot” (Kent). A person of this type shows impatience, encountering delays and meeting resistance to his plans and desires. He subconsciously feels that he must do something, and, not allowing events to develop as usual (“wants to change events according to his own understanding”, Kent), like the Arsenicum album, he tries to “dance faster than the music plays”. Of course, he is impatient with those who he considers less competent, and "seeks out mistakes" (Goering) from them, expressing his opinion in rude words. Nux vomica is easily agitated and angry, encountering the slowness of others in perception and learning, and urges them on as violently as he does himself. He obviously enjoys finding and correcting the mistakes of others, and perhaps for this reason he, like the Arsenicum album, is a good editor. Since both types are quick thinkers when necessary, they make up a large percentage of journalists and lawyers who specialize in litigation when analyzing the current situation.

The difference in the manifestation of impatience for others in Sulfur and Nux vomica is this: while the first type has a double standard towards himself and other people and criticizes others for mistakes that actually reflect his own shortcomings (for example, he leaves his room is a mess, but gets angry when others do not clean up after themselves; scolds others for sloppy bills when he himself does the same; blames others for the rivalry and aggressiveness that he shows himself), Nux vomica criticizes more from virtuous motives ( he himself really does everything that he requires of others - he is organized, works productively and thinks clearly), but is "full of reproaches" (Hahnemann) in relation to the mistakes and shortcomings of others that differ from his own, and is very tolerant of the shortcomings he has. In this respect Arsenicum differs from both, for it criticizes all kinds of error without distinction.

And finally, the "hurriedness and haste" of the Nux vomica (Bönninghausen) patient is visible to the doctor in the patient's desire to be cured quickly and without having to answer many questions. Before the remedy has had its calming effect, its responses may be probing, harsh, abrupt, impolite, and defiant. Often he doesn't like being in the doctor's office and may announce in a hostile manner, “You might know right away that you won't get my trust. So your medicines must not work on me.”

The doctor, of course, remains calm. Just as the sun shines equally for the good and the evil, so homeopathic medicines equally have their beneficial effect on believers and skeptics alike. Here, Kent's statement is quite appropriate: “We cannot enlighten the patient before we have cured him. Therefore, we must allow him to think about homeopathy whatever he sees fit. But sneak up on him and heal him. Do good to him. It's the most important".

A prime example is an amateur golfer who went to a homeopath for arthritis pain and joint stiffness. A wiry, tense man, always ready for a quarrel, he had a bad reputation, because he often showed unreasonable rudeness (which, probably, could be justified by his constant pains). There are many remedies for arthritis, and Nux vomica is the first and best of them. It can be recognized by the fact that a person is worse in dry, cold weather; better in damp or rainy weather, which is characteristic of this remedy, and which is no doubt a "strange, rare, and peculiar" symptom in this particular disease (and also in Causticum).

For these and other addictions characteristic of Nux vomica (better from hot applications, worse in the morning), the patient received this remedy in the 1M potency and a second dose in the same potency in case of need. He returned three weeks later with a 75% improvement in pain and stiffness, but he still needed the final 25% improvement to complete the next round. When the doctor stated encouragingly that perhaps this too would be overcome, the patient replied derisively, “Well, even if I am cured in that time, isn’t homeopathy going to pay me money for travel expenses and participation in these tours? » Nux vomica had gone through a lot, but it still had the ability to manifest!

But again, however abrupt his answers and venomous his remarks, however unbridled his passions and uncontrollable impatience, often under the explosive and ungracious surface of Nux vomica lies kind heart, and it is this type that endures exceptionally difficult family situations with great stamina.

Mr. Jaggers, the attorney in Dickens's Great Expectations, whose bluntness and irritability conceals an unobtrusive frankness and good relations to the prisoners, it might well be Nux vomica (as well as Natrum muriaticum and Bryonia - all three types can be "hard diamonds"). “I don’t know why everyone is afraid of me. Can't they see that I'm actually just a toothless old lion that roars viciously but can't bite anyone?

Generally (and rightly so), this type is considered intelligent. He is resourceful, intellectually resourceful, able to adapt to changing circumstances, and competent in whatever he undertakes. Very often he shows a striving for perfection, productivity, like in Arsenicum album, and, in contrast to the rough hand of the Sulfur artisan, a subtle understanding and attention to detail: "is a very choosy, attentive and diligent person" (Gering).

Even as a “sedentary scholar”, spending long hours at a desk and engaging in “prolonged mental work” (Hahnemann), Nux vomica has a practical mindset and uses pragmatic approaches to ideas. He is not a dreamer and not an idealist who gets lost in abstractions and empty theorizing, he clearly sees the situation and evaluates it realistically. His mind is logical and systematic and is able to draw lessons from past experiences as well as take them into account when planning for the future - an ability not often found in life.

An eighteen-year-old boy was being treated with Nux vomica for burning (possibly stress-induced) pain in the esophagus and stomach region. Fully feeling life and experiencing strong emotions, at the same time he was not their slave, which is characteristic of the best representatives of the Nux vomica type. As he was urged to give some psychological symptoms, he recalled that several years ago his girlfriend had lost interest in him and kept him on the verge of breaking up their relationship: “She was very selfish, taking advantage of me when she had no one better at hand, and then I bored her." “But then,” he added dispassionately, “a couple of years ago I did the same thing with Danny, who was my best friend for two years. When a better friend came along, I just dumped him and didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. And Phyllis treats me exactly the same way I treated Danny, and now,” she says with a guilty smile, “when I know what it means to suffer from wounded pride and be rejected, I will never treat anyone like that.” It was!" This was said simply, without accusations and without malice, exposing the special honesty characteristic of Nux vomica (“scrupulousness”, Bönninghausen).

The intellect of Nux vomica differs from the intellect of Sulfur in that it has no passion for abstract ideas in themselves. He does not perceive or assimilate (or otherwise err) in them as deeply as Sulphur. Quickly grasping theories and ideologies and well aware of the power of ideas, he usually lacks the depth of perception of a Sulfur scholar. He may lack that power of foresight or divination which Sulfur has, and this is evidently why, although he himself is capable of deep conviction, he does not have the power to convince others in the way that Sulfur (and also Arsenicum album) does, so to bring about great changes and world revolutions. Nux vomica is a person who brings ideas to life. And again, in contrast to Sulfur, which can be "only talk and no action," he always finishes what he sets out to do.

The scientist Nux vomica can also be distinguished from Lycopodium by the fact that his intellectual activity does not alienate him from his own emotions and from the emotions of other people.

The intellectual Nux vomica strives to be what the Renaissance man was - quite frank, proud of his mind and believing in the aristocracy of culture. Patients often describe their varied and impressive range of interests.

Goethe, "the last representative of the Renaissance," possessed many features of Nux vomica. Unlike the personalities of their famous contemporaries - Hahnemann, Marx and Jung, who were mainly Sulfur and whose starting point was a single, all-encompassing and all-inclusive vision - Goethe's multifaceted interests included a wide variety of activities. , because he was a poet, playwright, novelist, physiologist, botanist, physicist, economist and politician, dealing with each of the disciplines with full knowledge of its specifics.

Even while striving to expand its knowledge, Nux vomica takes into account the specifics new area(Sulphur accumulates knowledge more spontaneously, absorbing everything within its reach, haphazardly piling up one theory upon another.) In his subtle perception of beauty, that form of harmony and order that Nux vomica values ​​so highly, he responds vividly to both the smallest and the greatest manifestations of nature and art. And by the way, he appreciates all this without the usual desire for acquisition. In contrast to Sulfur, he may admire beautiful lakes, mountains, forests or valleys without feeling the desire to own any of them for himself.

He may be deeply moved by the movement or hue of a flower by the side of the road, or a curl in the carving of furniture. Because, like Arsenicum album, it often exhibits an enthusiastic attitude and obligatory, if not obsessive, attention to detail. But while every artist striving for perfection almost certainly has the traits of Arsenicum album, the traits of Nux vomica are much less pronounced in him.

He has a sense of language, and he speaks it well (“he chooses his words well,” Goering), and every string in him responds to a bright or successful expression. If Nux vomica finds himself in a foreign country, he immediately grasps interesting turns of speech and uses them at the first opportunity: using his native language, he is equally attentive to everything new that appears in it, trying to express himself in the best possible way. His intellectual and linguistic flexibility often makes him a good conversationalist: provocative, quick in replies, almost never boring. His critical streaks and aggressiveness can find their way out in wit, which tends to be harsh (“mocking”, Bönninghausen) and sarcastic (“ridiculing mania”, Kent). There is little of Sulfur's pedantry and ineradicable urge to monologue, and in this respect the two types cannot be confused. Where the discourse of Sulfur degenerates into dissemination of information, infinitely honest delving into the facts, or investigation of oneself and one's opinions, there the characteristic weakness of Nux vomica is the tendency to be witty. Either nothing goes by with him without some kind of trick or mocking remark, or his conversation turns into a lively, but empty anecdote.

A young Pulsatilla woman told the doctor about her two admirers, complaining about their shortcomings. While she likes them purely outwardly, their characters cause her fears, albeit of a different plan. “The more I date Jack, the more he worries me. At first I could communicate with him, but what I see now is an extremely self-centered individual. I have followed everything he talks about and I see that more than 90% of his topics are about himself: his sport, his work, his acquisitions and, especially, his opinions. My God, does it mean to have opinions, he has hundreds of them, about everything under the sun. Larry is completely different, but I don't know. I may have lost my sense of humor, but his jokes and taunts are sometimes so cruel. He is always trying to elevate himself and bring others down (which is very typical of the critical Nux vomica and Arsenicum album). And no one else makes me feel as insignificant as Larry when he is in a bad mood or unhappy with me, but then, just the same, if he is in a good mood, then few people can make me feel as good as he does. ".

Jack appears to be a Sulfur type and Larry is a Nux vomica.

Sulfur's long explanations and philosophizing are described everywhere, as is his tendency to spread thought in all directions, eloquently expounding everything conceivable and unthinkable and giving out one after another the most unusual theories or listing his successes in a "quantitative" way: how many miles he flew on his last business trip ; how many pages that day he read or wrote; how many students he has in his class this semester; how much money he will earn in the current year, etc. He also sprinkles his speech with unnecessary small facts like: how many sausages are sold daily in the most popular restaurant of ready meals in the city, but all this without significant emotional overtones. Of course, not every Sulfur expresses himself in this impersonal or "enumerating" way, but when this manner of speaking is encountered, then the first remedy to think of is Sulfur.

Nux vomica talks in a completely different way: lively, expressive, nervous, enthusiastic, he knows how to present his arguments concisely and shows a tendency to play with words and thoughts. He does not raptly listen to his own voice and admire his own intelligence (“I am the most exciting person, I know” - this is much more in line with Sulfur), but rather seeks to get a response from the interlocutor, which in turn stimulates his own talents for conversation. Therefore, he does not speak for listeners, but seeks an exchange of opinions. It is not necessary for him to carry on the conversation himself, and unlike Arsenicum album he does not enter the room already saying some words in a way that sets the tone of the conversation or a certain topic.

The conversation between the doctor and the Nux vomica patient is often lively, with catchy expressions and flashes of humor.

One cheerful seventy-year-old Nux vomica patient, describing his shortness of breath, remarked: “Running for buses is no longer as good for me as it used to be. Now the buses run much faster.” Another patient whose seasonal allergies eliminated from time to time with highly potent doses of Nux vomica taken periodically, thus describing her previous acquaintance with a European homeopath who prescribed her many different remedies in low potency: “What do you say, did the method of polydrug work? I'm personally not sure about it. I was so busy taking tiny grains every hour, a mixture of drops with water and larger pills three or four times a day at precisely set intervals, remembering to take weekly doses of one particular nosode, that as a result I did not have time to just sneeze! »

However, a third patient, treated for a recent series of headaches, whose most striking symptom of Nux vomica was "feeling as if a nail (or thorn) were being driven into the temple on one side of the head" (Göring), exhibited the excited pugnacity inherent in this type.

“I put myself in your hands, do with me what you want,” the patient tells the doctor. “Not what I want,” the doctor corrects him. - You cannot completely disclaim responsibility. The medicine simply helps you open up your inner reserves to help the body heal itself.” “I'm not sure about that. I would not immediately say that I have any internal reserves. I live my work and give it my all. How can you know what is in me, what to discover in myself? “Just by intuition,” the doctor replies. The patient shudders doubtfully, as if to say that he doesn't think too highly of the doctor's intuition, but so be it. “Well, anyway, you are the boss here. Let's decide on that."

This attitude is diametrically opposed to that of Arsenicum album: “I simply cannot understand people who place themselves unconditionally at the disposal of the doctor, as if to say, “Please, I am at your disposal. Take care of me!"

Nux vomica not only has a straightforward demeanor (which is sometimes lively and sometimes disturbing), but he is also notorious for his "impulsiveness" (Kent), which is a derivative of Nux vomica's ardor, impatience and irritability. But this does not mean that he is necessarily tactless, or that this prevents him from being shrewd and dexterous, like anyone else, if he wants to. The way Machiavelli slyly pandered to the prince suggests that he is Nux vomica-Lycopodium. Another literary representative of this type is Julien Sorel in Stendhal's Red and Black, who combined the impulsiveness of Nux vomica with amazing relationships with women and with his penchant for ambition.

Usually with headaches and bad mood of patients, Nux vomica is chilly. They don't like to be talked to or disturbed, they hate to move and are better when they lie down... The headache is worse with any mental exertion or any noise... Nausea is usually felt and if they force themselves to eat, then it worsens their condition. The true difference in this case from Lycopodium is that in the latter the headache is relieved by eating a little (also in Arsenicum album)... Cold air immediately aggravates the pain in the front of the head (unlike in Arsenicum album)... etc. d.

These observations, however, are only a small part of the total sum of observations. Hahnemann lists about a hundred symptoms of headaches, Allen over a hundred, and Hering gives three full pages of descriptions of typical "cases" of this disease, such as mental fatigue (especially in the early stages), constipation, hemorrhoids, etc.

Traditionally, American homeopaths have associated the constitutional type Nux vomica with the Latin and other Mediterranean nations. It is possible that Hering began this by writing: "In North America there are more representatives of the Ignatia type than of the Nux vomica type." Kent later reinforced this view further by his statement: "Europeans are more likely to develop the symptoms of Nux vomica in their hysterical manifestations, while Americans are more likely to need Ignatia." Perhaps a significant role in the emergence of the Nux vomica picture is played by the large consumption of wine in France, Spain and Italy. But by experience many homeopaths in our time know that the difference between the two remedies is less national than sex, Nux vomica being predominantly masculine in its emotional manifestation, and Ignatia the feminine type.

As is often the case in reality, Nux vomica is often a dark-haired and swarthy man ("brunette man", Boger), "thin, thin, energetic, quick, nervous, irritable" (Berike), who openly enjoys wine, women and words and whose emotional intensity and joyful demeanor exude a particular Latin charm and sex appeal.

Interestingly, if in the family the hair and complexion of the boy is noticeably darker than that of the rest of the family, then this often indicates Nux vomica. Even a reddish or brown-haired child, growing up, can darken and become a brunette.

No doubt any average Mediterranean intellectual exhibits many of the traits of Nux vomica, and the little open-air cafes of the Latin countries are crowded with them, excitedly debating political, philosophical, artistic, and religious matters, or simply exercising wit and honing their tongues. The Nux vomica mind is receptive to ideas and absorbs them readily, sometimes too readily, which arises from the activity of its faith, from the passionate perception of a certain view of the world, and may be accompanied by a corresponding depth of understanding.

When Mark Twain, returning from a trip abroad, wrote: "Man is a little less than an angel, and a little more than a Frenchman," he meant the negative aspects of the Nux vomica personality. This type is well known for turning its not so good side to foreigners. As is often the case with Sepia or Natrum muriaticum, they show enduring virtues as they get to know each other, and sometimes need to be dug up. This contrasts with the behavior of Lycopodium, Phosphorus and Pulsatilla, who have good contact with foreigners. But if a trusting relationship with Nux vomica is established, then the picture changes dramatically, then his generosity manifests itself, he is capable of beautiful gestures, he can be extravagantly hospitable and unusually devoted, caring for some relative or friend, and shows typical Latin panache. and a representative of other Mediterranean nations.

Consideration of questions of power is a central theme in any analysis of the Nux vomica type. First of all, he can assert his authoritarian needs, relying on his undoubted competence. He is far-sighted, purposeful and, even when he is guided by his own interests, he does not lose his sense of reality and does not exaggerate his achievements either to himself or to others. Therefore he succeeds where Sulfur, Phosphorus or Lycopodium can only speak of success. His enterprise may be less developed than that of Sulfur with all his grandiose ideas, but whatever Nux vomica undertakes, he carries it out with purpose and sees it through to the end. He is diligent first of all, and only then trusting (Natrum muriaticum, Arsenicum album), believing that most problems can be solved with diligence and work, and that hard work always leads to success.

The power of his nature manifests itself in a variety of ways. In his house, he insists that those around him live by his rules, respect his wishes and reckon with his opinion. Thus, if he has established a rule, he demands that it be followed unconditionally, and not like Natrum muriaticum, which gladly indulges in endless conversations about disagreements.

The wife of Nux vomica is not exactly a "servant for hire" like the wife of Arsenicum album, who must earn by work and obedience the right to live in her own house. Her status is more in line with that of a trusted servant. One such patient told the doctor that what irritated her most about her husband was how he consulted with her about all sorts of household devices: whom to invite to dinner, whether to vaccinate in the garden, what chair to buy on free place in the living room, but only after the decision has already been made by him. “I was caught up in this housekeeping game until I realized that there was no need for me to say no, as the question was always purely rhetorical. The guest had already been invited, the trees grafted and the chair chosen, and the husband had no desire to deviate from the decision or change it ”(this constitutional type is among the most stubborn of mortals).

Nux vomica likes to make decisions and takes responsibility with pleasure. His eyes light up with a special commanding gleam as he takes control of the situation, leaving no other option but to silently obey. One of the clearest examples in life was a patient with hemorrhoids (to whom Nux vomica is very disposed, and when this disease aggravates, so does his bad mood and irritability). When he took his family to dinner, he insisted that he chooses all the dishes for the household himself. "You shouldn't order fish," he objected to his wife's order. - You know this restaurant has bad fish. Order better veal!” Or to your son: “How can you order sausages and chips again! You ordered this last time, and anyway, I'm not taking you to a restaurant to order such primitive dishes as sausages and chips. And he ends up ordering them something himself.

In this respect it is similar to Arsenicum album, although the notable difference between them is that these largely related types tend to dictate their will in different ways: Arsenicum album is in everything, while Nux vomica, with its desire to take responsibility, expresses itself , first of all, within some specific, clearly defined boundaries. This may be a large area of ​​activity (management) or a small range of duties (official work or household chores), but his authority is usually limited to any particular area of ​​\u200b\u200bactivity (or two).

However, Nux vomica willingly submits to a more authoritative person. One patient rated himself as follows: “At work, I am the most cooperative person. In fact, like a good soldier, I am dumb and obedient and do everything that I am told. But at home I am a despot dictator and tyrant, I am intolerant of any objection. I can't seem to find any middle ground between these two extremes." And indeed, he can be a very good employee, being in a subordinate position, but immediately becomes a "boss" as soon as he feels the power. Sometimes it is difficult for him to maintain an equal relationship.

Sensual pride does not favor opposing points of view, and Nux vomica, as might be expected, "is unable to bear the slightest objection" (Hahnemann). He cannot stand being corrected, even if he is obviously wrong (“I said how it will happen, and it will happen the way I want it, even if I am wrong!”), And “even the most reasonable arguments will not make him change his behavior” (Hahnemann), although he feels entitled to force others to change their own minds.

However, this medicine can change character traits, as illustrated by the following Hebrew parable, the symbolic meaning of which lends itself perfectly to homeopathic interpretation.

Growing up, the son decided to leave his domineering (before taking Nux vomica) father and went far away. The father sent a messenger for him, ordering him to return, but the son replied: "I cannot." Some time later (after taking Nux vomica) the father sent another messenger with the message: "Some day turn around and go back as far as you can, and I will make the rest of the way to meet you."

The love of power and the need for it in Nux vomica can be clearly seen in the business and professional sphere of life. Usually this constitutional type is oriented towards work, career and open competition: his factory produces more (or better) nails, nuts or bolts than any other factory, and his business is more profitable and successful. He often realizes himself through work, thus proving his worth to the world around him, and a sense of professional fitness is very important to his self-esteem (Lycopodium). A person who has worked hard to achieve everything he has, and expects the same accomplishments from others, is often Nux vomica, but at the same time it is difficult for him to throw responsibility on others, because he is convinced, and often not without reason, that he himself could do better.

A person of this type willingly accepts the fundamental theory of Nietzsche that the desire for power is at the basis of all human instincts, even at the basis of the instinct of self-preservation.

In this he is no doubt not alone, for Lycopodium, Arsenicum album, Sulfur, and Lachesis often show the same features as many other types, only in more subtle ways. But when Nux vomica ambitiously pursues its own interests and tries to achieve a high position, it not only "uses" others to elevate itself, but in order to achieve its goals, it sometimes seeks to trample on those who have different views or who simply happened to be in his way. .

An extremely ambitious middle-aged man who had succeeded in becoming the head of his company and who was now constantly expanding it, tirelessly organizing new ventures, came to the homeopathic doctor complaining of systematic attacks of persistent spasmodic cough. This cough began with a characteristic scraping sensation in the throat, and it began to sore, causing coughing fits, which subsided only when the purulent-mucous sputum was discharged. After a winter treatment, Nux vomica's emollient action was remarkably noticeable. Not only did the condition of his respiratory organs change, but there were changes at a deeper level as well. After a few months of treatment, the patient, by his own admission, no longer felt the desire to plunge his competitors into dust and achieve his goals at all costs. “I began to de-stress about my work and learn what many learned much earlier in life, namely, that the purpose of life is not at all to constantly receive rewards that are the result of achieving the goals you set, and not in an endless struggle for proving that you are better than others, but in self-respect and worthy adaptation to life lessons and real-life situations.

It seemed that the patient could hardly overcome his cough until his perception of the surrounding reality changed. At any rate, no physician could have had a clearer example of the assertion that this remedy could temper the excessive competitiveness and obsessive striving for success, and restore the right attitude towards values.

Although the Nux vomica may often change his occupation, profession and specialty, this is not out of anxiety (Tuberculinum) or failure, but to expand his sphere of influence - he tends to rise higher and higher. In his activity, however, this type can rise and fall with lightning speed, earn money and lose it again, as if he were not able to control the situation.

Success makes Nux vomica dizzy, but seldom lulls his vigilance. Perhaps because of the aggressiveness, competitive spirit, and "captiousness" (Kent) characteristic of this type, he, like Arsenicum album, is afraid of the dangers of the world, suffers from "suspicion" (Kent) of other people and constantly tries to be on the alert, fearing that he would be betrayed or deceived. In fact, this type of people has an almost primitive primitive view of the world around them, which a person instinctively regards as something hostile and dangerous, and all strangers as seekers of their own benefit (Natrum muriaticum shows more paranoid suspicion towards members of its family and former friends , but trusts outsiders more). This view of the world justifies the desire of the Nux vomica to be the first to skim the cream. And when things do not go the way he wants, he may be overwhelmed by unbearable self-pity (Pulsatilla): “Why do I always fail?” This "weeping" (Bönninghausen) tone is in direct contrast to the tone of Natrum muriaticum in a similar situation: "I must have deserved it."

Nux vomica is a good strategist, skilled in all sorts of subtleties and indirect actions, as well as in open manipulation of power for both personal and business gain. He uses methods such as assault in feigned or imagined self-defense; he is able to wage guerrilla warfare, engaging in predatory raids and sorties into enemy territory, and then hastily retreat to a safe place and wait for a new opportune moment to attack. Sulfur, as we remember, is also a good strategist and organizer of common affairs, but he has difficulty in choosing ideas, does not delve into details well, and therefore is weak in the systematic implementation of his plans. Nux vomica is skilled in both strategy and tactics.

For all these reasons, and also because he is a "complex nature", General, former President Ulysses S. Grant is a prime example of the ambitious personality of Nux vomica.

To begin with, he was notorious for his addiction to alcohol and struggled with this weakness all his adult life (he had previously been forced to leave the army for this reason). During the command of the Allied army, he could abstain from alcohol for a certain time, but then, especially in the absence of his adored wife with her beneficial influence, he again could not stand it and shamefully got drunk to the point of unconsciousness and inability to command the army for several days in a row.

His character struck with a mixture of cruelty and extraordinary delicacy. The first could be seen in his desire to use a new tactic - warfare from trenches - and a new weapon - Gatling guns, which caused a hitherto unheard-of loss of life. Ultimately, his "killer" consciousness, as Mrs. Lincoln called it, caused the death of an entire generation of northerners in their quest to defeat the South. However, despite his legendary courage on the battlefield, which seemed to make him not only inaccessible to any danger, but also indifferent to it, he could not bear the sight of blood to such an extent that he refused to eat meat, except for very well-done beef (he never ate chicken because, as he said, "I can't eat anything that walks on two legs"). Nor could he bear the sight of the wounded suffering in the camp hospitals. The mistreatment of animals infuriated him, and General Grant severely punished the offender.

The best evidence of delicacy was his constant attention to the health of his subordinates and his wife, and especially his compassionate actions during the conquest of Appomatox, which put an end to the Civil War. Without parade or swagger, dressed in the simple blue shirt of an ally, and without a saber, he calmly and without boasting accepted the recognition of defeat from the more worthy (Lycopodium) Robert E. Lee, who in defeat remained the same noble man. Grant's unwillingness to witness the humiliation of another person, which caused him "a sad and depressed mood", was expressed in the following words: "I felt that I was ready to do anything, just not to triumph over the defeat of the enemy who stubbornly and who endured so much for the sake of his idea. These words are not like the usual speeches of a victorious general.

Grant is also the author of an enduring work of American prose. His "Personal Memoirs" are considered by historians to be the most remarkable military report after J. Caesar's "Comments on the Galic War". The economy and transparent clarity of his unvarnished English without artifice or embellishment, clear but striking phrases, indicate the clear, neat and well-ordered mind of Nux vomica.

A woman of this type, like a man, is similar in many of her features to other polychrests, it is especially difficult to distinguish her from the Arsenicum album type. On the physical plane, she is extremely chilly, like Arsenicum album, she also strives for warmth, she also loves fatty foods (is it not for the sake of warming with calories?) And demonstrates the same tension in behavior. In addition, there is a hidden reserve in women of both types, despite the desire to pour everything into words, and this distinguishes them from the irrepressible manner of speaking Lachesis. In addition, both show concern for their health, with the only difference that the Arsenicum woman's fears are more open and she is more concerned about her health than the Nux vomica woman. If Nux vomica jogs, it will take a break during the cold wet months, while Arsenicum album will gladly force itself to run, in spite of the most unfavorable weather conditions.

A woman of this type is not a supporter of extreme forms of diet: being committed to healthy food, she can sometimes afford to eat a sausage or two, while an Arsenicum woman would consider this a betrayal of her principles.

On a more serious level, when menstruation becomes more profuse or prolonged in middle age, the Nux vomica woman will consider this disorder as a mechanism not working according to the given parameters, and will decide to investigate her condition, and the Arsenicum woman, without even taking such necessary measures, immediately begins to suspect a malignant tumor.

There are other differences as well. The anxieties and fears of motherhood, the exhausting striving for perfection, and the boundless hopes for growing children are much more in line with the traits of the Arsenicum woman than Nux vomica. Of course, any homeopath who deserves the title of homeopath can immediately recognize the Arsenicum mother, while the Nux vomica mother is much more difficult to recognize.

Sometimes, in middle age, some women may need Nux vomica and Lachesis, although they did not need these drugs before, for the reason that during their life they took many stimulants and allopathic drugs, and also because of some particular inclination.

A typical case was a menopausal patient who suffered for weeks from a sensation of throbbing throughout her body and heavy, prolonged bleeding. In her highly excitable mental state, she developed severe insomnia and appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Several doses of Lachesis in various potencies improved her sleep and reduced her trembling, but the bleeding did not stop. On the basis of the picture that "one menstruation continues before another, returning every two weeks" (Bericke; also in Phosphorus and Sepia), or "menstruation too early and profuse, coming too quickly and dragging on too long" (Gering), was prescribed Nux vomica 30X to be taken with water twice a day for two weeks or until the condition improved.

After a week, the bleeding decreased, and after 10 days it was almost gone. She stopped treatment and had normal periods for the next few months. Thereafter, whenever there was a danger that the bleeding would become excessive, she took several more doses of Nux vomica in high potency, with excellent results each time. Her periods stopped at the scheduled time and without further complications.

On the whole, the Nux vomica woman is less irascible and more unpredictable in her behaviour, less easily angered, less prone to overt machinations, and more stable emotionally than a man. But she still has a tendency to hysteria and loss of control over herself, as well as intolerance to criticism ("she reacts so furiously that she even cries," Boger). In addition, she can just as subtly provoke as a man of this type, embarrass those who disagree with her - although they have proven their point, she makes them feel petty and arrogant. She too can be prickly like a porcupine, she is always on the alert and under pressure usually has a tendency to grumble (“scandals, gets angry and reproaches”, Hahnemann) or, like Sepia, surrounds herself with a “black cloud”, causing depression in everyone in the house ( "gloomy", Bönninghausen). When a woman of this type is especially out of sorts, she dampens the enthusiasm of those around her by downplaying their accomplishments. For example, in response to an enthusiastic story from a family member about improved vision as a result of special eye exercises, Nux vomica reacted with this remark: “You must have imagined it. You've put so much effort into them that you just can't admit that you've wasted so much time. Perhaps your vision is exactly the same as it was before. Or, like Lachesis, she can burst into offensive language, even resorting to "obscene" (Goering) language, if she is angered. She may be like Lachesis in her inability to "leave the slightest evil" (Hahnemann), whether it is due to her own wrong conduct ("pricks of conscience", Kent) or to the moral aberrations of others. In fact, any indignation can turn into an obsession with her.

In other respects, the Nux vomica woman, like the Nux man, has attractive vitality and often great sexual vigor ("Great arousal of the genitals with sexual dreams and orgasm," Hering writes, and adds, "irritable and willful women") . They can be witty and imaginative, often demonstrating a brilliant insightful mind. In their artistic and intellectual inclinations they, like the women of the Arsenicum album and Sepia types, are often obsessed with their creativity. The Nux vomica woman cannot relax or feel content, and suffers from not being able to devote some time daily to her intellectual pursuits in absolutely calm surroundings. But her "occupation improves" symptom (Kent) is the same as that of Arsenicum album, love of work, and not like that of Sepia, who seeks work and pursues a career outside the home primarily to escape her family. and hide your indifference to her.

In addition, unlike the Sulfur woman, who thrives in an environment of “disorderly order” or “artistic disorder” (as she herself calls it) and who can simultaneously feed children, bake bread, conduct business negotiations on the phone, follow a television program and in the meantime to continue her knitting, the Nux vomica woman does only one or two things at a time, but she does them carefully and carefully.

The super-gentle and soft nature referred to by Hahnemann suggests, and indeed reflects, a willingness to sympathize and an extraordinary sensitivity to the misfortunes and sorrows of others. When the media is flooded with reports of catastrophes, both natural and man-made—floods, earthquakes, famines, nuclear fallout, explosions, acts of terrorism, etc.—then homeopaths note an increased number of patients in need of Nux vomica. Such events cause them emotional distress, insomnia, they can easily cry, etc.

The Natrum muriaticum woman also reacts to the sorrows of those around her, but in a different way. Other people's suffering does not affect her so directly; it perceives, holds in memory, and thinks over the message again and again in silent sadness, which causes the slow development of pathology. And the reactions of Nux vomica are instantaneous, uncontrollable, expressed openly ("she sobs loudly ... groans and sighs plaintively", Hahnemann) and indicates a high degree of emotional shock. The immediate reactions and sympathy of Nux vomica differ from those of Ignatia and Phosphorus in that these latter types are impressed by grief that has touched first of all those close to them, and Nux vomica, in addition, reacts to the grief of other people.

However, despite her many good traits, the Nux vomica woman's self-esteem is very unstable, so that she "loses her temper at objection" (Hahnemann) and becomes "mad" (Bönninghausen) when she is objected to, sinking into the depths of despair, feeling own uselessness, feeling "no more important than a flea" (as one patient put it about herself). Either she becomes "silent" (Bönninghausen) and has "an aversion to society" (Kent), or she exhibits the characteristic Natrum muriaticum, Sepia, or Staphysagria type of melancholy and depression, with the feeling that "Nobody needs me!" ("I'm not needed anywhere", "What am I even doing here in this world?"). As a result, she strives to bring joy to others, to make them treat themselves better in the hope or calculation that they, in turn, will appreciate and support her. The ingratiating Nux vomica is somewhere between the spontaneously responsive Phosphorus and the strenuous Natrum muriaticum.

It is well known that both men and women of the Nux vomica type are in the forefront of those on whom "indignation has a negative effect" (Kent), causing trembling, insomnia, headaches and inability to concentrate (Staphysagria).

An illustration of this statement was one normally sensitive bright woman 35 years old, who suffered from unusual headaches, sometimes turning into migraines. The immediate cause was not difficult to ascertain: she had only recently separated from her husband and was filled with resentment that he had exploited and mistreated her, and now she was faced with the need for a painful and unpleasant divorce process. When she came to the homeopath for help, she tried to be steadfast and silently endured her grief. Therefore, the Ignatia prescribed to her worked positively, the headaches decreased in severity and frequency, and she was already able to endure the upcoming divorce procedure. But as the situation did not change, the periodic doses of Ignatia lost their effectiveness, the migraine pains returned, and Natrum muriaticum (as well as Staphysagria) helped only partially. The patient began to show unprecedented belligerence and anger—perhaps a healthy reaction, but emotionally debilitating nonetheless—and was determined to make her ex-husband pay for all the misfortune he had caused her. “I will squeeze every penny out of him,” she declared, describing in detail all his features in the most abusive terms that she was capable of. The divorce proceedings activated the most pugnacious parts of her character, and she was prescribed Nux vomica 1M at long intervals. This not only cured her headache, but also assuaged her hostile and "vindictive" (Kent) emotions and thereby contributed to her ex-husband's more reasonable behavior, causing him to behave more honestly in the final decision of the case.

When Ignatia cannot cure, or at least alleviate, the negative influence of sadness or anger, then Natrum muriaticum is often prescribed, but in these cases Nux vomica can be prescribed additionally both in the treatment of a hysterical patient and in the treatment of a person who silently bears his negative emotions. Consequently, the Nux vomica woman resembles both the overworked Ignatia with her loss of emotional control, sometimes with extravagant attacks, and the openly or silently indignant Staphysagria, and even Sepia and Natrum muriaticum with her extraordinary "restraint" (Kent) and inability to cry.

However, when Nux vomica relieves the soul in conversation with an understanding or sympathetic listener, her sobs are less desperate than those of Natrum muriaticum, her tone is less hopeless and suffering, perhaps due to her great inner cheerfulness or because her emotions are less oppressed and initially constrained. .

Traditionally, the strong characteristics of young Nux vomica are, again, disobedience to rules and bad temper. He wakes up crying, irritable and angry, and walks around puffed up all day, or is overactive and overexcited, constantly "provoking reactions" (Blackie). He rolls up terrible scenes of irritation both at home and in public places - with wild screeching, kicking, stamping his feet, rolling on the floor, "hitting" (Kent) or biting those who try to help him, and in the doctor's office he may not give examine yourself.

Among other types of misbehaving children are Calcarea carbonica, Tuberculinum (see the relevant chapters), and Chamomilla.

The older child is argumentative, "defiant" (Kent), "goes around looking for reasons for bruises and gouges" because of his desire to constantly test the patience of adults. Later, he will be updated with the very picky and cocky teenager who surreptitiously provokes conflicts in any situation. The active indiscipline and confrontational tendencies of the Nux vomica and Sulfur boys are in direct contrast to the passive stubbornness of Silicea and Calcarea carbonica.

Boys who are fascinated by war books, biographies of famous generals and dictators (holding power) and who from a young age begin to voraciously devour books about the First and Second World Wars, often turn out to be Nux vomica or Sulphur. In daily life, Arsenicum becomes an excellent "commanding general", but in youth he is less interested in real warfare.

The behavior of Nux vomica can also be anti-social, uncommunicative. Kent places this remedy second on the list for kleptomania, where it is the only polychrest mentioned here. However, practicing homeopaths recall very few cases of this disorder in adults (few adult patients ask to be cured of kleptomania), so it is difficult to find confirmation of this. Among the children and adolescents of various constitutional types who show the initial signs of this condition, it is first of all Sulfur boys (see his acquisitive and hoarding instincts), and in second place are Nux vomica and Calcarea carbonica. Among the girls, again, Sulfur and Lachesis are in first place, and Calcarea carbonica is in second place. Under the heading "stealing money" Kent puts the only remedy, Calcarea carbonica, but Sulfur, Nux vomica, and Lachesis must also be added here.

All the destructive tendencies and physical disorders discussed in this chapter can arise from a variety of reasons. For example, a teenager's kleptomania may reflect sexual insecurity, fear of poverty, joy in defiance of social norms, arrogance, or competition for survival. But such "psychoanalytic" reasons are of little value to homeopathic practice. The homeopath is primarily interested in deeply hidden psychological disorders and how they manifest themselves outwardly. The whole sum of the symptoms, their external signs of the internal mental process, remains the most accurate indicator for the selection of the similium.

Apart from this overtly rebellious behavior, few mental traits distinguish the Nux vomica child from other constitutional types with ordinary normal behavior, so this type in children is often identified only by physical symptoms. There are, however, some attractive features in this type, and they should be given due attention. Usually the child is determined and self-confident, being convinced from a young age that hard work brings success, and, in addition, he has the ability to "think through all the phenomena around him, extracting benefits for himself" (Allen). His intellectual insight can also be shown at a doctor's appointment: “Yes, I am very proud,” one very young lady admitted to the doctor, “and if you want to change this, then I am ready to force myself to sacrifice myself a little. After all, there are many other possibilities where it can manifest itself. Another teen confessed to being rude at home, citing boredom as an excuse. “This summer will be a real test for homeopathy. The ideal would be for me to take up painting, compose a symphony, write a novel, or maybe seek salvation in a social organization. But I can clearly see how my summer free time dissolves in my usual lack of concentration, in the absence of purposeful actions and in a bad mood. Medicines should do a good job of avoiding this and channeling my energy to some useful purpose.” As a matter of fact, Nux vomica children of both sexes usually direct their efforts well, but often all this is done with a gloomy air and in an obscure way, which is not easily recognized by an outsider's eye, and even by himself. And, of course, like adults, they always want their results to be even better!

They, like adults, have a good sense of language, because their pride is easily vulnerable and they care about the opinions of others. They suffer from the (real or perceived) insensitivity of others, make remarks to their parents, for example, for not making distinctions in their treatment of friends or their siblings: “Yes, you have the right to ask for help washing the dishes, but you must was to say it in a different tone. But in fact, often their own confusion is much stronger than the resentment of those they are trying to protect.

Just like Natrum muriaticum, a girl can be especially "shy and awkward" (Hering) and "inconsolable" (Hahnemann) if she cannot contain her emotional outburst. Kent places Pulsatilla under this rubric, but many homeopaths have found by experience that Pulsatilla can be easily consoled. When the Nux vomica child is in high spirits, he is usually less violent than Sulfur, and if he or she has a good and "kind" (Bönninghausen) character, he shows more understanding than Phosphorus, and better self-control than Pulsatilla.

One teenager was being treated for seasonal allergies, hay fever, and a tendency to catch colds, which invariably began with "a feeling of itching in the nose" (Goering), violent sneezing and sensations of icy chills (in Phosphorus and Ferrum phosphoricum, in contrast, the cold begins in the throat). He was so perfectly in control of himself that the doctor wondered what was behind it. Both parents and teachers claimed that he rarely, if ever, lost his temper, cursed or raised his voice, although it was obvious that the boy had an excitable and very tense mentality. However, in spite of his restrained manner, he did not seem in the least depressed, as might be the case with Natrum muriaticum in a similar situation, with such an "unnaturally good" child. And besides, while commanding the respect of those around him (Arsenicum album, Lycopodium), he seemed completely unaware of the unusualness of his mature behavior.

Nux vomica relieved his allergies and colds to a great extent, and the doctor saw fit to inquire into the reasons for this unusual poise of the patient, and asked him if he had ever been driven to anger or upset. The boy replied that of course he was, but that one day, when he became angry with a teacher in the fifth grade and completely lost his temper, later he became so ashamed of the loss of his dignity (the sensitive pride of Nux vomica) that he vowed never to allow similar to himself. “It was just awful to lose control of yourself,” he said, “to the point where you wanted to kill the person who objected to you.” In addition, he saw many of his peers who were "turned on" for various reasons, and his sense of beauty was so greatly offended by their behavior ("moral legibility" Nux vomica), that he decided in the future to maintain self-control ("remain self-possessed") in any situation.

Similarly, he quit smoking a year after he started, for the reason, he said, that he didn't want to depend on anyone or anything, much less his emotions and addictions. Boys and girls of the Nux vomica type are often capable of perfect self-cultivation and, like Natrum muriaticum, of steadfast moral principles.

Another constituent of this boy's constitution was Sulfur, but all his symptoms were ameliorated by heat, and his mind was more tense and his physical balance more stable than usual in Sulfur. A sign of Nux vomica was also his admission that even the mildest criticism or opposition provoked an unreasonable paranoid reaction and that when things did not go quite the way he wanted, he had to make an effort to keep himself from hysterical manifestations. The Sulfur boy is of good character, usually more cheerful and has stronger mental stability, since he is not so oppressed by coercion and he is able to maintain cheerfulness, cheerfulness, affability.

Nux vomica often starts life as a responsive, sensitive and generous individual, but he does not have much vitality and peace of mind. He demonstrates strength, but this strength is without certainty. Hard life lessons can destroy his emotional stability and activate his choleric traits. His inability to put up with emotional disharmony and disharmony in the environment, all kinds of disappointments, can make him irritable, unrestrained, or emotionally unbalanced ("easy to unsettle," Berike). In his misfortunes, he turns to alcohol or drugs and often reacts aggressively to the unresponsiveness and hostility of the environment.

But the more fortunate Nux vomica personalities, who have not been subjected to difficulties and emotional stresses, or have succeeded in overcoming them, or whose sensibility has not been impaired, often have a delicacy, moral discernment, integrity of nature, which, in conjunction with the fine psyche of this type, sensitivity and controlled balance, make him a truly interesting and wonderful person.

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE - COMMANDER AND RULER OF THE TYPE NUX VOMICA

The type of military leader and ruler of the country is also characteristic of Nux vomica. Such, for example, was none other than Napoleon Bonaparte himself. The inconsistency of his nature, his greatness and his conspicuous weaknesses very clearly represent the virtues and vices of this type.

First and foremost, he has a highly practical and pragmatic Nux vomica mind. "God is on the side of the strongest battalions!" is something that readily translates an idea into action. Napoleon had the ability to realistically assess the situation and determine the measures to be taken at the appropriate time: “The same thing cannot be done twice in one century!

His rejection of the old methods of warfare with their cumbersome plans of military operations and the use of a new factor - speed ("More energetically! Livelier!" - He repeated to his generals) - all this corresponds accelerated metabolism Nux vomica. Thanks to this, he was able to emerge victorious from the vast majority of the most unfavorable situations for him, which were not limited to victories on the battlefields. He gave an acceleration to the social processes throughout Europe, thanks to which society was fundamentally rebuilt. It was Napoleon who introduced the fast modern rhythm of life, which is so consonant with the Nux vomica type.

Napoleon was outstanding person by the breadth of his activity, although the greatness of his ideas, the breadth of his views and his ability to influence the destinies of people lead us to assume that he also has strongly expressed features of Sulfur. The literary taste and lively curiosity inherited from his father, his knowledge of mathematics, geology, history and jurisprudence are amazing. Simply listing his positive influences speaks volumes about his wide range of talents.

He brought France out of the post-revolutionary chaos remarkably quickly, initiating a period of prosperity with his social, economic, political and religious reforms; he secured freedom of religion and commerce for the entire population, and took steps to ease economic pressure on the poor. His merits in the transformation of the administrative apparatus are enormous: thanks to him, government bodies were centralized and received the form in which they still exist. The Napoleonic code of laws, developed by lawyers and scientists under his leadership, remains to this day the fundamental law of France. He extended legal rights and civil legal protection to all citizens, he also contributed to the moral and intellectual development of France by introducing a wide network of educational programs on a state basis.

His "Renaissance Man" traits include a deep, if cynical, understanding of human nature and psychology. Napoleon Bonaparte perfectly understood his compatriots and demonstrated an unerring instinct and sense of what the masses wanted. He correctly assessed even his own mindset, once saying: “My greatest talent lies in a clear vision of the inner content of all things ... I penetrate the very essence of any issue from any point of view ... Various cases are grouped in my head, as if sorted into shelves. When I need to finish one problem, I just slide this drawer in and pull out another one. They never mix with me. They do not confuse me and do not tire me with their variety ...

This is an accurate assessment of the well-organized and well-placed mentality of Nux vomica. It is diametrically opposed to the stormy, chaotic and creative mentality of Lachesis, which in any way must somehow find a “way out” for itself in speech or writing, as well as with the consciousness of Sulfur, which is more like a messy table littered with piles of papers with various objects. , falling out of the boxes when you open them, so that no one, least of all Sulfur himself, knows what might actually be there, what priceless (or useless) item will fall out after those already dropped. In essence, just as the disordered and confused Sulfur mind finds its physical counterpart in a cluttered desk or slovenly appearance, so the mind of Nux vomica manifests itself methodically and orderly in the same way in order in the home, neatness in the workplace, and often smart appearance.

In Napoleon, the negative side of this type also manifested itself in rudeness, sensuality, in the pleasure of low gossip and intrigue (“evil”, Hahnemann; “evil”, Bönninghausen). And his greed, selfishness, and vanity, vices from which Nux vomica is by no means free, caused his downfall. Success had a bad effect on him - he appropriated the title of Emperor of France, contrary to his fundamentally democratic and republican instincts. And, regardless of any advice, he forced the country to fight one war after another, when France and all of Europe desperately needed peace.

Even Napoleon's physical features, demeanor, and disease symptoms fit the constitutional picture of Nux vomica - swarthy complexion and chiseled features, nervous, skillful, and boastful demeanor.

At times Nux vomica looks like a rooster, or especially, if the person is not large, like a Bentham rooster - easily excitable, strutting to and fro with an air of importance and puffing up with its own importance.

It is believed that his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo was due in no small part to a severe attack of hemorrhoids, which forced Napoleon to remain still in his tent during the decisive periods of the battle on the fourth day of the battle ("worse from the slightest movement; better in a sitting position", Kent) instead of commanding troops directly on the battlefield. Not being able to observe the development of actions himself, he made mistakes unusual for him. Instead of advancing quickly and decisively on the morning of the final battle, he inexplicably delayed the attack for several hours, allowing the Prussian forces to rejoin Wellington and the Allies.

Notes:

In some cases of chronic diseases, especially where previously treated with allopathic medicines, it is necessary to re-prescribe the homeopathic remedy. In acute cases, re-dosing is the usual rule.

Because the romance of Ignatia is mostly female trait, from now on in the future we will call Ignatia in the feminine.

Hahnemann discusses this concept in the light of the law on similar substances in Was sind Gifte? Was sind Arzneien?” ("What are poisons? What are medicines?") Journal der practischen Heilkunde, XXIV, 1806, ch. III, pp. 40–59.

The constipation that these people have "while traveling and traveling" (Kent) can be interpreted as the result of his disorder due to the violation of his usual regimen.

In bold type, Natrum muriaticum should be entered in Kent's Repertory under the heading "sorrow in the morning", where it is understandably absent entirely.

Very often his dreams are full of "vanity and haste" (Berike).

In this regard, Napoleon's response to the request of one of his subordinate generals to show him mercy is typical: "Ask me, sir, anything you like, except for time!" (also Arsenicum album).

Rhus toxicodendron has an addiction of "rusty hinges" (pain worse on first movement and better as the joint is warmed by movement); just like Kali bichromicum, it feels worse in cold damp weather and feels the coming of rain in the joints; Bryonia feels worse from slightest movement and better from firm pressure, because it the only way keep the diseased part of the body in absolute rest. Pulsatilla has wandering, shifting, flying pains, which are better from cool air and light motion, worse from heat...etc.

One patient suggested feeding racing horses cottage cheese to increase the protein in the diet and to achieve better performance at the races.

Borland gives one of the most useful and concise descriptions of the different kinds of headaches of this remedy (abridged): "The headache in Nux vomica usually comes on from overeating and also from drinking too much and is aggravated by any stimulant such as wine or coffee. Patients complain about general feeling heaviness in the head with a feeling of rush of blood and pressure, usually in the upper part of the head or in the upper facial part. The headache is associated with constipation, but is not necessarily accompanied by vomiting, despite the sensation of nausea. Nux vomica has headaches in the morning when he wakes up, while Bryonia does not have headaches until she starts to move.

Nietzsche argues that man's strongest and highest desire for life is based not on a petty struggle for existence, but on the Desire for Power. From this position follows the logical conclusion that a person is above good and evil and rises to the level of a superman who is allowed, “if necessary, to ruthlessly trample underfoot a crowd of weak, degenerate and poor in spirit ...

Among female athletes, Sepia and Arsenicum album types predominate; the first because of her desire for vigorous exercise and improvement from it, and the second because of her innate sense of competition and striving for excellence.

Known as "adding on," this method of prescribing drugs in acute cases of illness where frequent repetitions of the drug are needed is used successfully if the patient's body stops responding to the same dose. This requires dissolving the medicine in a small bottle or a medium glass of water and shaking or stirring vigorously with a spoon up to a hundred times and repeating this with each successive dose. This repetitive sequence seems to increase the effect of the drug only slightly, but this slight change maintains the therapeutic effect of the drug. It also reduces the likelihood of aggravation (i.e. "proof") from repeated medication (see Hahnemann's discussion of this method in the Organon, §§ 247, 248, 272).

The individual who weeps over obituaries is Causticum ("acutely sympathetic", Hahnemann), while Calcarea carbonica is "hypersensitive when it hears of cruelties" (Kent).

Although these remedies are generally regarded as "incompatible" (Goering), "hostile" (Gibson Miller), and Nux vomica is the "antidote" (Bericke) of Ignatia, they are at the same time recognized as "comparable" (Goering) and even " allied medicines" (Bönninghausen). In hysteria and anger, they are often used interchangeably.

Nux Vom-plus is a homeopathic remedy prescribed for patients suffering from alcoholism.

What is the composition and form of the drug Nux Vom-plus?

The pharmaceutical industry produces Nux Vom-plus in the form of drops, which are recommended to be taken enterally, that is, inside. They contain the following active compounds: Artemisia absinthium, Stryсhnos nux-vomica, Asarum europaeum, Passiflora incarnata, in addition, Acidum sulfuricum, and Cinchona pubescens. In addition, there are also form-building components.

Drops are packaged in dropper bottles, which are made of tinted glass, the capacity is 50 and 25 milliliters. You can buy a homeopathic remedy without a prescription. In addition to this dosage form, the pharmaceutical industry produces granules that contain the above active compounds.

On the package with a homeopathic remedy, you can see the date of its manufacture, as well as the expiration date on the package, after which it is contraindicated to use the remedy.

What is the effect of Nux Vom-plus drops?

The homeopathic preparation Nux Vom-plus has a medicinal effect on the body due to the components present in the preparation, I will consider some of them.

Artemisia absinthium

This plant is bitter wormwood, which contains the following components: sesquiterpene lactones, there are bitter glycosides in the form of absinthine, anabsinthine, which give this representative of the flora a peculiar bitter taste, in addition, there are saponins, flavonoids, essential oil, phytoncides, vitamin C, resins, tannins substances, carotene, potassium salts, as well as artemisetin; among organic acids, malic and succinic acids can be noted.

Wormwood essential oil consists of the following compounds: thuyl alcohol, curcumene, thujone, phellandrene, pinene, β-caryophyllene, cadinene, gamma-selinene, β-bisabolene, and chamazulenogen. In addition, this plant contains ortabsin, prochamazulenogen, oxylactone, artemisetin, as well as ketolactones A and B.

Passiflora incarnata

This plant is a bodily passionflower, containing in its composition the following components: harmane, harmine, harmol, which are indole alkaloids, in addition, this representative of the flora contains flavonoids represented by vitexin, luteolin, quercetin, apigenin, as well as coumarins and quinones.

Cinchona pubescens

This is a cinchona tree, in a plant for medicinal purposes, dried bark is used, taken from trunks, branches, and also from the root part. The main active compounds are alkaloids, quinoline derivatives, including cinchonine, quinine, cinchonidine.

In medicine, quinine hydrochloride, dihydrochloride and sulfate are used as an antiprotozoal agent, acting on the so-called malarial plasmodia. Quinidine sulfate is used as an antiarrhythmic drug for atrial fibrillation, tachycardia.

In addition, the bitter glycoside quinovine is present in the bark of this tree, which is split into quinic acid and quinovose during the hydrolysis process. Usually cinchona bark is peeled off several times, after which the damaged surface is tied with a layer of moss.

What are the indications for Nux Vom-plus?

Drops Nux Vom-plus instructions for use allows you to use for medicinal purposes in the following cases: in addition, drops and granules are used for. The drug is recommended to be used on the recommendation of a qualified doctor.

What are the contraindications for Nux Vom-plus?

Homeopathic remedy Nux Vom-plus (drops) instructions for use does not allow use in case of hypersensitivity to the components of this drug.

What is the use and dosage of Nux Vom-plus?

Nux Vom-plus drops are intended for oral administration, and the drug in the form of granules should be used in the sublingual way, that is, the drug is placed under the tongue and left in the mouth until the dosage form is completely dissolved.

You can take the drug 30 minutes before a meal or one hour after a meal. Usually, 8 granules or drops are used, while the liquid is pre-diluted in one hundred milliliters of pure water.

The multiplicity of taking granules per day is five times, and homeopathic drops can be used 3 to 5 times a day. Therapeutic measures are carried out for an eight-week period after prior consultation with the attending physician.

What are the side effects of Nux Vom Plus?

In some situations, taking the drug can provoke the development of allergic reactions to any components of this drug. If you have an allergy, you should consult a doctor, and also take antihistamines prescribed by the doctor.

Overdose from Nux Vom Plus

In case of an overdose of homeopathic granules or drops, the patient's stomach should be washed, for this it is necessary to recommend that the patient drink water, which will provoke the so-called gag reflex. Then, if necessary, symptomatic treatment is carried out.

special instructions

During treatment with a homeopathic remedy, it is not recommended to abuse coffee, and alcohol should not be consumed. In addition, this drug should not be used with medicines containing mint.

How to replace Nux Vom-plus, what analogs to use?

At present, no analogues of Nux Vom-plus have been developed.

Conclusion

The use of a homeopathic remedy must be approved by the attending physician. At your own discretion, the use of drops or granules is contraindicated.

Nux vomica ***

Nux vomica ***

(Nux vomica) Chilibuha Seeds

Main indications

General: “Hot, lively and active temperaments,” says Hahnemann, “prone to mockery, cunning and anger. Nux vomica has a very strong effect on women with profuse and premature menstruation. Nux vomica should always be thought of when there is nervous and muscular excitement, convulsions and spasms. The action of Nux vomic on the digestive tract is so special, Espana says in turn, that it predominates in all the morbid disorders to which it corresponds. It can be called the "regulator of abdominal innervation." It has been observed that Nux vomica acts more or less directly on the whole group of gastric symptoms with excitatory phenomena, and that in all chronic diseases calling for this remedy, gastric disorders or functional disorders of the digestive system are observed on one side or another.

Nervous: tetanus; the action of strychnine is characterized by an increase and exacerbation of attacks from noise, the slightest movement, and even a simple touch; motor ataxia. Jusset prefers strychnine sulphate: this remedy is especially indicated for shooting pains, disorders of the sphincters of the anus and bladder, attacks of convulsions in the stomach and vomiting. Morning intermittent neuralgia with latent fever, often affecting the supraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve, mainly the left; intercostal neuralgia, which decreases when lying on a healthy side; inflammation of the sciatic nerve, with very sharp shooting pains, numbness, goosebumps, worse from motion and touch; limbs, convulsions. Trembling of hands and other neuromuscular diseases in drunkards; hypochondria: especially with fear of death and suicidal tendencies. Accompanied by gastric disorders, hemorrhoids and irritability.

Digestive: Nux vomica gives a complete picture of slow digestion: heaviness and pain in the stomach during and after eating, in the first hours of digestion. The stomach area is very sensitive to pressure, indicating muscle pain (Bryonia in particular). Bloating of the upper part of the abdomen, like a stone, a few hours after eating. Desire for stimulants. Dyspepsia from strong coffee, alcohol and liquors. Heavy empty belching. Irresistible urge to vomit, nausea in the morning, nausea and vomiting with violent eructations. Heartburn, bitter, sour belching. Consequence of gluttony and other excesses (Cartier).

Convulsions of the stomach. At first glance it seems strange that the same remedy should be recommended for two such opposite conditions as slow digestion and stomach cramps. But it has been accurately observed that Nux vomica acts on the neuromuscular apparatus of the stomach and regulates it. motor functions. In any case, Nux vomica 6 is a heroic remedy if the convulsions are purely neuromuscular in origin, and not secondary symptom as in gastric ulcer; constipation, spasmodic constipation, unknown for a long time, but which is now well defined and occurs much more often than atonic, even in old people. Allopaths in these cases use belladonna and bromine preparations, which reduce spasms, but do not cure constipation. Homeopaths do more good by administering Nux vomica, which, as we have seen in the study of physiological action, produces spasms in large doses. To determine intestinal spasms, I do not attach much importance, as Espana does, to palpation, which is very difficult in practice, since with this method of examination, muscle contractions are often mistaken for intestinal contractions, and I am content clinical symptoms. Usually spasms are observed in lean, nervous, bilious hemorrhoidal subjects, with empty urge to stool or frequent insufficient, sometimes even liquid stool. The feeling of spasm is very characteristic: painful tenesmus extends to the bladder and is accompanied by gastric disturbances.

Diseases of the liver in alcoholics, lovers of spices, or abused laxatives. The liver is enlarged, dense, sensitive to pressure. Colic is often observed, accompanying disorders of the stomach and liver.

Hemorrhoids or hemorrhoidal constitution in gouty patients: constipation with tenesmus, pain more or less like fissures, hemorrhoids with painful and swollen bumps, hemorrhoids. Concomitant symptoms: hypochondria, dizziness, pain in the back of the head, nose and other bleeding, dyspepsia.

Circulatory system: palpitations: very violent, especially at night and in the morning in bed, with drowsiness and congestion of the chest. Constricting pains in the chest, worse from motion, often from pressure, and even from touch. Angina pectoris: without objective data in still young people suffering from hemorrhoids, or associated with aortitis, when the attacks are extremely painful, with marked restlessness; an increase in blood pressure is often seen in nux vomica subjects who overload their nervous system and digestive tract.

Respiratory Organs: Nux vomica 3 often stops the coryza if it is given at the very beginning, when there is dryness and tickling in the nasal cavity. For hay coryza, Cartier recommends Nux vomica alternately with Allium cepa and Euphrasia, especially for gouty people; asthma. Attacks in the morning or after eating. Attacks of suffocation begin with sneezing and fluent coryza. Constriction in the lower part of the chest, short, shaking cough, with heavy expectoration of a small amount of mucus; cough dry, with or without coryza, early in the morning or in the evening, rough, short, radiating to the head or umbilical region. In the morning, a small amount of sputum is hardly expectorated.

Miscellaneous: rheumatism of large joints; the swelling is rather pale and worse in the morning. Myalgia, lumbago, with violent constrictive and shooting pains, worse from motion and touch, in the morning, in bed. Migraine: begins in the morning on waking. Nausea and even vomiting during an attack, better at rest, in bed (12 and 30); epistaxis at night or in the morning, preceded by pain and heat in the head; inflammation of the uterus (metritis). Hartmann considers Nux vomica 30 a good remedy for this disease. It works better with metritis with sharp pains and tenesmus in those suffering from hemorrhoids. Jusset appoints her in these cases alternately with belladonna.

Chronic alcoholism. Consequences of alcoholism. Gallawarden-father prescribed 200 dilutions with great success. He also gave it to irritable, eternally dissatisfied subjects.

Hypochondria. According to Jusset, nux vomica is the main remedy.

Fever. Terrific chill with chattering of teeth, limbs and nails blue, twitching of muscles and thirst. An increase in temperature is not accompanied by thirst.

Summary. Acute phases of liver diseases. Alcohol poisoning, smoking. Since the liver provokes irritability and rage, the best remedy for vivid manifestations of the psyche with the desire to "tear and throw."

The main remedy for alcoholism in the acute phase (binge drinking), together with sulfur. However, it effectively removes long-term consequences, since the main symptom of developed alcoholism is a decrease in the level of responsibility, and Nuks vom. shown to enhance it. Like any homeopathy, nuks vom acts in a normalizing way, that is, it brings the sense of responsibility back to normal. With an excess of responsibility, when a person sets himself impossible tasks, reproaches himself and others for their unfulfillment for a long time, this is the main means.

When giving up alcohol, tobacco, drugs, it is the main remedy for the period of their illness.