Nux vomica- the conqueror

Dr Anu S

Abstract
The three main traits of a Nux vomica personality is love of power, ability to acquire power and exercise it with confidence. This article is an attempt to make you understand how to differentiate different types of nux vomica individuals in your clinical practice.

Key words: Nux vom, power,

 Introduction

• This is the king of our polycrest remedies.
• The word has been taken from Latin ‘Nux’ meaning ‘nut’ and ‘vomere’ meaning “vomiting” because of the peculiar property of the nut.
• This is commonly known as the poison nut, a plant indigenous to India and East Indies.
• It belongs to the natural order of Loganiaceae.
• The tincture is prepared from the seed of this plant, deprived of their hard shells.
• They are disc-shaped, about an inch in diameter and a quarter of an inch in thickness.
• They are intensely bitter and poisonous.
• It contains strychnia and Brucia to which most of its properties are to be attributed.
• The symptoms of poisoning are tetanic rigidity of the muscles of the body with occasional relaxations and renewal of the spasm from the slightest touch.
• Nux vomica, and its Alkaloid Strychnia, acts upon the entire gray matter of the central nervous system, especially centering upon the tubular gray matter of the pons, medulla, and cervical portion, more than upon the dorsal and lumbar cord; and the characteristic tetanus is due to the specific action it has upon the axial tract.

Physical appearance

• Penetrating nature; pointed appearance
• Face generally little longer
• Features sharp particularly nose which tends to end a point
• Facial feature angular rather than rounded, reflecting sharp intellect
• The eyes are penetrating stare that tends to be disarming
• Taller than average
• Eg: Client Eastwood

Constitution

• Very particular, zealous persons inclined to get angry and excited or of a spiteful, malicious disposition.
• Ardent persons or disposed to anger, spite or deception, always irritable or impatient.
• Nervous, melancholic people, troubled with indigestion, venous constitution with tendency to hemorrhoids.
• Thin, irritable, choleric persons with dark hair, who make great mental exertion or lead a sedentary life.
• Bilious temperament.
• Persons addicted to wine, coffee or pepper and condiments, who life a sedentary life with much mental exertion.
• Debauches, thin, irritable, venous.
• It is an excellent remedy in ailment of literary and studious persons, who are constantly indoors and who stuff themselves with strong powerful drugs for little or no ailments, and suffer from sluggish liver and constipation.
• They lead too much of sedentary life.
• The only part of their system that is exercised is their brain and intellect.

The warrior

• Success is not enough for Nux vom. It is winning that gives meaning to his life, and at the moment of conquest he experiences his sweetest pleasure.
• After a victory, Nux does not rest on his laurels. He is quick to consolidate his power, and to seek new battles to fight, and a new territory to conquer.
• Shakesphere paints a perfect portrait of the Nux warrior in the character of Hotspur, the fiery noble in ‘Henry IV Part 1’ who betrays the King at the end of the play
• During peacetime Hotspur thinks of nothing but the next battle, even during his sleep.
• Nux warrior is in control of his own destiny, and will not follow orders from any, except another Nux warrior whose skill and experience exceed his own.
• The Nux warrior is very forth right in his speech. He speaks his truth without regard for the feelings of other people, which is attractive to some, and very threatening to others, particularly those who like to pretend they are something other than what they are.
• Alexander the Great exemplify the greatness of the Nux warrior. Not only were they brilliant military strategists , they were also utterly determined, and so hungry for power that they continued expanding their empires until they could no longer hold them. If a Nux warrior has a weakness, it is this, that he will eventually over- extend himself in his pursuit of power.
• Those Nux people who have not yet established a power-base for themselves have a habit of fantacising about fighting glorious battles.
• Nux admires strength, and the young Nux in particular will model himself on other powerful Nux figures, such as his successful Nux father, and glamorous fighters like Clint Eastwood characters and historical generals.

The knight

• Not all Nux warriors are ruthless. Many follow a code of honour, and love to defend the weak. The legendary Robin Hood is a fine example, as are the Knights of King Arthur’s Round Table.
• The noble Nux cannot bear a bully, and since he is powerful as well as noble, he enjoys standing up to oppressors.
• Every Nux man is a Knight to his partner and his children. Although he may be obsessed at times with his work, he is a pillar of strength to his family, and he will defend them to the ends of the earth. He may agree with equality for women, but he knows that men and women are different, and that the man’s role involves protecting his family, and providing for them. There is still something of the caveman hunter in Nux. He may drag his women into his cave by the hair (metaphorically speaking), but he will defend her and his brood against all dangers. The greater the threat against his family, the more courage Nux finds inside, a courage that consists of rage in addition to Nux’ usual determination.
• The Knight is generally a lot more courteous than other Nux warriors. Though never fawning, he treats people with respect, and he is especially courteous towards women.
• Most Nux men love women in general, and although the Knight is somewhat purer in his attitude towards women than the others, he still wants to win an attractive woman’s favour, even if he is married and has no intention of jumping into bed with her.
• Hero figures like Batman and Superman are based on the Nux Knight. They are practical people, who intervene in individual cases, not reformers who try to change the political and social system.

The emperor

• Leadership is what Nux was born for. Just as some Kings are noble, whilst others are tyrants, so it is with the Nux leader. Both types have their hands very firmly on the controls, and know exactly what they are doing.
• The Nux ruler who has clawed his way up from the bottom is the most formidable despot. He must have his own way in all things, and he translates the term ‘compromise’ to ‘weakness’. This kind of Nux is really more of an emperor than a king. He is continually bent on expanding his empire, and will resort to both trickery and force to do so.
• Like other Nux types, the Emperor is a pragmatic man.
• He is supremely in control of his life, and he will only delegate small portions of his responsibility, and then only to his most trusted accomplices (who are very often relatives. Nux tends to have a clan mentality, looking after and trusting his own). There are many examples of the Nux Emperor that come to mind.
• Nux enjoys making decisions and loves to assume responsibility. His eyes light up with a special disciplinary gleam when he assumes control of a situation, leaving others little choice but to acquiesce.

The king

• I have called the more benign Nux ruler the King, in contrast to the rapacious Emperor. The king enjoys his power, and is very efficient at ruling over his dominion, but he is not without a heart, and he generally makes a fair and even kind boss.
• The King is far more healthy emotionally than the Emperor. He may still be a little too obsessed with his work, but he makes sure he finds time to stay close to his family. At work he is often rather stern and officious, but he has enough insight to catch himself being so, and will soften a little. At home he is usually benign and playful.
• Many politicians belong to the King sub-type of Nux, particularly the more dynamic and successful ones. They rise quickly to prominence, and whilst they are careful to retain the trust of their superiors, they often have their sights set on the top job.
• The Nux ruler is often magnanimous as long as his position is not threatened. When it is threatened he can be both petty and vindictive. Furthermore, Nux has a tendency to become paranoid with respect to competition.
• In keeping with his kingly persona, Nux tends to have the attitude that only the best is good enough for him, and if for some reason he can’t afford the best, he usually knows somebody who can help out, or else he will buy now and pay later. After all, his abundant skills and his effortless self-promotion ensure him a profitable future, or so he reckons, and he is usually right.

The expert

• Many Nux individuals become experts, often in more than one field. Nux has a natural love of excellence, and when this is combined with a sharp, penetrating intellect, as it very often is, the result is a person who becomes extremely knowledgeable about those subjects he is interested in. A great many Nux people become experts in their line of work.
• The Nux expert really does know a great deal, but he is not always right. Nevertheless, he often acts as though he is. He has supreme confidence in his knowledge, and this confidence extends to those areas where his understanding and experience is limited.
• The Nux expert differs from others in being interested in knowledge principally for its practical application. Virtually everything about Nux is orientated towards concrete results, and his specialist knowledge is no exception.

The playboy

• Any constitutional type can become a hedonistic playboy, but the four who most commonly do so are Nux, Lachesis, Tuberculinum and Lycopodium. For all his precision and determination, Nux is a self-indulgent sensualist. His appetite for excitement, food, alcohol and sex are almost as insatiable as his lust for power.
• Arrogance is one of Nux’ biggest weaknesses. Sensual indulgence is another. People are often surprised to find that the dynamic businessman, who demolishes rivals on the stock exchange and maintains the utmost discipline amongst his staff, will order the biggest ice-cream sundae they have ever seen, and devour it unselfconsciously before their eyes. Nux is very innocent about his appetites. Like a child he tends to satisfy them without giving it much thought.
• Ironically, after decades of overindulgence, many Nux individuals ‘burn out’, and can tolerate only the blandest of diets, and the quietest of surroundings. Reading tends to be too sedate for the average Nux, who is far more likely to lose himself in a film than a book.
• Because Nux lives on stimulation, he is more prone than most to nervous exhaustion. After years of late nights, dietary overindulgence, excessive alcohol and nicotine consumption, and nightly sexual gymnastics, he may eventually burn out. When this happens he becomes simultaneously tense and exhausted, like an alcoholic in withdrawal. He cannot relax, because his nerves are so jangled, but neither can he act effectively, because his mind is muddled, and his body is weak.

Relationships

• He has very little heart, and may keep up the pretense of family life in order to retain social respectability, whilst spending most of his nights with his mistress. Even more human Nux individuals tend to be rather selfish in relationships.
• The average Nux husband will love and respect his wife, but tend to think of his own needs first, and hers as an after-thought.
• The more sensitive Nux individual (they do exist) plays the role of the knight in his relationships, at least some of the time. He chooses a sensible caring partner, who provides a steadying influence in his life, making sure he eats properly, and gets enough rest.

Bibliography

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Dr Anu S
P G Scholar
Department Of Homoeopathic Materia Medica
Guide: Dr Amitha P Baliga
Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical College And Hospital, Mangalore