Utility of Anacardiaceae Group of Homeopathy Remedies

Dr Prathibha K C

Homoeopathic Medicines made out of Anacardiaceae group of plants and their preparation, properties and clinical indications

Medicines
Anacardium orientale
Anacardium occidentale
Comocladia dentate
Rhus venenata
Rhus aromatica
Rhus diversiloba
Rhus toxicodendron
Rhus radicans
Rhus glabra
Karaka
Shinus molle

Characteristic particulars of individual remedies
Anacardium Orientale
Common name – Marking nut
Preparation and Part Used :- From the husk of marking nut. The nut is heart shaped. Layer of nut between shell and kernel triturated.
Characteristic Symptoms

Mental symptoms
A remedy for the over exertion of mind
Impaired memory or sudden loss of memory, every thing seems to be in a dream
Confused
Fear of examination in students
Contradictory state of mind
Tendency to curse and swear
Fixed ideas
Weakness of all senses
Suspicious
Illusions
Hallucinations
Aversion to exertions

Physical symptoms
Syphilitic patients often suffers from these conditions
A very characteristic sensation is a pressing sensation as from a plug
Sensation of a hoop or a band around the body or about any part
> Eating

Anacardium Occidentale
Common name – Cashew nut
Preparation and Part Used :- Nut is kidney shaped. Tincture of the black juice between outer and inner shell.
Acts powerfully on the skin producing erysipelas, blisters, and swelling with intolerable itching
Used as an antidote to Rhus poisoning
Used as an application to corns, warts,& ulcers
Weakness of memory
General paralytic state

Comocladia Dentata
Common name – Guao
Preparation and Part Used :- Tincture of leaves and bark. Shows the botanical affinity with rhus family by its virulence on its effect on skin. The trunk and branches of the tree contains a milky fluid turning black on exposure to sunlight, discolring the skin, linen etc.
The slightest contact and at times even walking in the neighborhood of the growing tree is sufficient to cause violent inflammation.
The plant causes itchy, swelling, redness, vesication and ulceration.
Sloughing ulcer of right breast
Indolent ulcer of lower third of right leg discharging foetid pus
Cough with pain under left breast going through to left scapula.
Eye- Pain in right eye with sensation as if it were larger than the left
Rheumatic pains > motion < rest
In contradiction to Rhus heat < and open air >

Rhus Aromatica
Common name : Fragrant Sumach
Preparation and Part Used :- Tincture of fresh root bark. It is a shrub growing from 2-6 feet high on high rocky soil. Stem straight branching near the top. Flowers yellow fruit clustered red seedy and acid. When the bush is fractured it emits a strong odour. The bark of the root is the proper medicinal part.
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetis Insipidus
Enuresis. Due to vesical atony, senile incontinence
Urine – pale, albuminous, severe pain at beginning or before urination. Large quantities of urine of low specific gravity.

Rhus Diversiloba
Common Name: Californian Poisson Oak.
Preparation and part used: – Tincture of fresh leaves.
Skin- Vesicular erysipelatous rash with great edema and swelling of glands and eruptions like chicken pox. After erysipelatous condition subsided, extreme irritability and hyper sensitiveness to cold air
Heat and itching of scrotum and adjacent surfaces of thigh more on hairy parts. Itching > cold < heat, warmth, rubbing

Rhus Toxicodendron
Common name- Poison oak
Preparation and part used: – Similar to rhus radicans. It is a shrub with erect stem from 2-4 feet high. The stem is devoid of root lets. Tincture of fresh leaves gathered at sunset, just before the flowering time.
Active principles: – Rhiotanic acid & Toxico dendric acid.
A peculiarity of the plant is that it is more poisonous during the night and when bursting in to leaf or at any time in June or July, when sun is not shining up on it. Absence of sunlight together with dampness seems to favour exhalation of toxicodendric acid. Thus the cardinal aggravation of Rhus Tox is at night and from damp atmosphere.

Sphere of Action
Skin – Especially of face, scalp and genitals.
Fibrous tissue – Especially right
Ligaments and joints
Nerves and spinal cord
Glands – Auxiliary and parotid gland.

Ailments from
Getting wet
Spraining or Straining a single part or muscular tendon
Over lifting
Lying on damp ground
Too much summer bathing

Characteristic features
1- Pain as if sprained, as if a muscle or a tendon is torn from its attachment, as if bones were scraped with a knife, as if hamstrings were too short
Complaints < night & damp weather.
Great soreness of affected part
Dislocative sensation
Lameness, stiffness and pain on first moving, & > by continued motion Great sensitiveness to open air
Restlessness
Craving for milk and cold drinks
Laborious dreams
Triangular red tipped tongue
Complimentary to Bry & Inimical to Apis

Rhus Radicans
Common name- Poison ivy
Preparation and part used: – It has more or less tortuous stems 4-30 feet high profusely studded with dark coloured rootlets by which it clings to the support. The tincture contains Rhiotannic acid and Toxicodendric acid. A peculiarity is that it is more poisonous during night and when bursting in to leaf. Absence of sunlight together with dampness seems to favour the exhalation of toxicodendric acid.
Therapeutics: – Herpetic eruptions, Paralysis, rheumatism & amaurosis

Rhus Venenata
Common name – Poison elder.
Preparation and part used: – It is a small tree growing sometimes to the height of 10 feet. Tincture of fresh leaves and stem is used for preparing medicine.
It is more poisonous than Rhus Tox and is more actively curative.
Intense itching and burning of scrotum and penis. Glans is very painful. Slight friction > for a moment the itching, but not the burning.
Eczema with intense distress
Inflammation of eyes
Affects the bones. Those parts were bones are directly covered with skin.
Watery stool passed with great force and attended with violent colicky pain.

Karaka
Characteristic Symptoms
Giddiness, protrusion of eyes, deafness
Spasm with pain
Partial paralysis
Violent spasm & convulsions of whole body with rigid distortion

Schinus
Shrub native of Mexico.
The symptoms were observed by Dr : P. W. Paulson on a young lady who ate leaves as well as berries. He had heartburn, griping in liver and a kind of drawing sensation in the spinal cord and cerebellum. Characteristic symptom is Painless diarrhoea following painful vomiting. Profuse diarrhoea, which continues all night. Long continued vomiting as if the bowels would be emptied out.

General features
Chilliness.
Irritability.
Weakness of memory or forgetfulness
Anxiety with fear.
Suicidal tendency – by drowning- Rhus Tox ; by shooting in Anacardium Orientale
Common action up on skin- erysipelas, warts, eczema.
Eye affection.
Restlessness

Comparison
1.Constitution – Mental
Anac — People who have an inferior complex and work hard to prove themselves. They have often been put down from an early age and lack self-confidence. This makes them feel detached from themselves, as if they are split into two wills. Students who give up their studies due to memory loss often need this remedy. This type may display cruel behaviour and confused readily.
Rhus Tox — Usually cheerful, lovely, joky and quick witted and are good company although a bit timid at first. There are often serious hard working people. They may feel an inner restlessness and agitation, become irritable frustrated, depressed gloomy if suffering from a long-standing illness.
Rhus Venenata – Gloomy, has no desire to live.

2. Temperament – Irritability.

3. Thermal Reaction -Chilly. Aggravation from cold, amelioration from – warmth. Comocladia – Heat < & open air >

4. Mind – Common to both Anac and Rhus Tox – irritability, sadness and mental depression. Anxiety, Fear of being poisoned. Lack of confidence, Delusion as if pursued by someone, Delirium, Weakness of memory, Suspicious.

5.Dreams
Anac – Anxious dreams, disgusting, horrible with cries, lively dreams with meditation and activity of mind followed by pain in head after walking. Dreams of projects, of fire, of diseases, of death and of dangers.
Rhus Tox – Dreams of great excersion, rowing, swimming etc or working hard at daily occupation. Dreams of fire.
Rhus Glabra – Dreams of flying in air.
Comocladia – Dreamy refreshing sleep with pleasant dreams almost clairvoyant.

6. Side Affinity
Anac – Left sided.
Rhus Tox – Affects generally right abdominal ring, Left chest, arm, lower extremities and left side of body. Affects joints of right side.
Comocladia – Right Side

7.Skin
Erysipelas – Anac Similar to Rhus Tox
Anac – Erysipelatous eruption of malignant type. Yellow vesicles of intense burning and itching.
Anac Occi – Cures Erysipelas spreading from right to left > warmth ant applications < scratching. Anac proved to be a valuable antidote to poison Oak
Rhus Tox – Phlegmonous Erysipelas, especially when it begins in the ankle moves gradually up the leg, running up in deeper tissues. Rhus Tox cures cases spreading from left to right. Vesicular eruption with much swelling, inflammation, burning, itching. Aggravation night, cold, wet, rainy weather. Amelioration warmth, dry weather.
Comocladia – Malignant Erysipelas with pain similar to Rhus Tox. Scarlet redness of the body with burning and itching. Both produce weakness, numbness and restlessness.
Venenata – Face swollen, eyes nearly closed with great swelling. Nose red and -shining. Vesicular eruptions. Erysipelas, itching > hot water. – warts

Warts
Anac – On palms
Rhus tox – Warts especially on hands and fingers, large jagged often pedunculated exuding moisture bleeding readly.
Eczema
Anac has intense itching eczema with mental irritability ( similar to Rhus tox )
Rhus tox – Of entire scalp

8. Eye symptoms
Anac – Pressure in eyes as from a plug. Objects appear too far off.ox
Rhus Tox – Usually left eye is affected. Also in rheumatic ophthalmia of right eye. Amelioration by warmth.
Comocladia – Pain in right eye with a sensation as if it were larger or were being pushed out of the head. < near a warm stove or warmth.

9. GIT
Anac – General > after eating , < empty stomach
Rhus Tox – Pain in stomach < after meal > lying down
Rhus Glabra – Foetid flatus
Schinus – Painful vomiting followed by painful diarrhea. Profuse diarrhea, which continues all night.

10. Affection of Joints
Anac – Aggravation commencing motion.
Rhus Tox– Similar to Comocladia. Both has >motion < rest and night. But, Rhus Tox has > from warmth and Comocladia has < from warmth and > open air.

11. General Modality
Anac – > Eating, Lying down and when falling asleep, < Motion, Warmth, Cold and night.
Rhus Tox < During rest, On beginning to move, After resting, general aggravation morning on rising, cold wet weather, change of weather, damp stormy weather, Night. > Continued motion, Dry clear weather, Warmth.
Comocladia – < Rest, Night, Heat. > Motion and Open air.

Reference:
1. Allen, T.F, Encyclopedia of Homoeopathic Materia Medica.
2. Clark, J.H, A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica.
3. Frederic Schroyens, Synthesis.
4. William Boericke, Pocket Manual Homoeopathic Materia Medica and Repertory.

Dr Prathibha K C  BHMS,MD(Hom)
Medical Officer,Dept. of Homoeopathy, Govt. of Kerala