Pulsatilla Nigricans – A comprehensive study

Dr Sudheera. A P

Source : Vegetable Kingdom
Synonyms:  Anemone, Wind flower, Pulsatilla pratensis(Hahnemann’s Pulsatilla)
Family: Ranunculaceae.
Proved by Dr. Hahnemann in 1805.
Duration of Action 40 days
First employed by Arabian physicians

Introduction & History
It is pre-eminently a woman’s remedy. No type is as universally feminine as Pulsatilla. It is one of those remedies, which we are apt to select frequently on the basis of its mental symptoms. There is scarcely any disease where this remedy is not useful.

Hahnemann :Pulsatilla – “This powerful plant produces many symptoms on the healthy human body which often correspond to the marked symptoms commonly met with, hence, also, they admit of frequent homoeopathic employment, and often do good. We can therefore unquestionably reckon it as a remedy of many uses (polycrest)”

Nash: Puls. will often clear up those cases which have no “head or tail” to them, in which the symptoms are always changing and contradicting, pains run here and there

Stoerck:The forerunner of Hahnemann in the modern use of Pulsatilla, which he employed especially in chronic affections of the eyes (catarrh, amaurosis, spots on cornea).

Pulsatilla is always found in groups, as if seeking company, never, or rarely, as a single specimen. The plant grows on dry sandy soil, having small need for water. It appears early, thriving in the cool air of first spring, but is protected against chill by fine, soft hair covering stems and leaves. The flower, on its gently curving stein, hangs downwards: it yields to the slightest breath of air, moving about, constantly changing its position, as the wind changes its direction –wind flower

The name, Anemone Pulsatilla, from the Greek word atienios, meaning “itching”, and from the Latin ‘pulsate “pulsating with the wind”, as well as the name wind flower express this characteristic. A popular English name for the plant is “shamefaced maiden”. As changing as the position of the flower is also the character of the soil, which it seeks, some species preferring soil rich in calcium, others avoiding it. The greatest “changefulness” is apparent in the enormous varieties there are. More than a hundred sub – species of Pulsatilla exist. The same characteristic “changefulness” exists in the colours.

The name Pulsatilla is also derived from the Latin word pulsate meaning ‘to beat or to strike’. The flowers pulsates from the growing winds, so the name Pulsatilla. Nigricans is derived from the word niger, meaning dark colour & the flowers of this plant are usually of dark colour. It was first employed by Arabian physicians as a external application for ulcers, in the inflammation of eyes, toothache and headache. It was introduced into homoeopathy in 1805.

Further distinguishes this *Black Pulsatilla from the *Common Pulsatilla (*Pulsatilla vulgaris, Anemone pulsatilla) which “grows only on dry and sterile hills and flowers in spring only, while the black-coloured *Pulsatilla flowers a second time in August and September.” *P-vulg. is much less downy than *P-nig.: “Its flowers clear violet or pale red, straight and not hanging, seeds surmounted by a long silky tail.” It is called Pasque Flower because it is in bloom at Easter, and its flowers are used for colouring Easter eggs.

Habit & Habitat
It is found in Scandinavia, Denmark, Germany, some parts of France, Russia, Turkey & Asia. It was first cultivated in England in 1731 by Mr. Miller and then cultivated in gardens.
It is a perennial plant. Stem is 1.5 meters high. Stem is simple, erect and rounded. Leaves are feather like, bipinnatifid with linear segments. Flowers are numerous, bell-shaped colour varying from dark violet to light blue appearing from March to May.
Root is thick and short and sends of several strong fibers. The whole plant is covered with silky hairs. When the plant is rubbed, it exudes acrid vapours. It has an acrid and burning taste.

Preparation & Parts used
Mother tincture is prepared from the whole plant when it is flowering. Higher potencies are prepared form the mother tincture. Class 3-drug power 1/6

Constitution & Physiognomy
It is best suited to persons of slow, phlegmatic temperament who are indecisive and of a timid, tearful disposition. Usually ladies who are fair and beautiful-looking but inclined to be fleshy with fine hair and blue eyes, soft and lax muscles, anaemic and chlorotic with pale face at puberty

Miasmatic Background – Psora and Sycosis
Temperament – Phlegmatic and indecisive temperament
Thermal Relationship  – Chilly or hot (Tyler,Boerike, Farrington- chilly)

Ailments from
Eating fatty and starchy food, ice cream, chill, getting feet wet, abuse of mercury, abuse of quinine, abuse of sulphur, tea and coffee, abortion, ovarian and uterine troubles, Worm affections, indigestion, irregular menses etc.

Seats of Action (Pharmacodynamics)
Mind, veins, mucous membrane, tongue, stomach, bowels, vagina, urinary organs, female organs, eyes and ears, uterus etc.

Doctrine of Signature
Pulsatilla is prepared from windflower & the doctrine of signature of it is as follows:
As the plant grows in deserts, patient has a dry mouth. As the plant needs less water to grow, patient is thirst less

• As the flowers of the plant are drooping downwards, patient is very shy.
• As the flowers are so delicate that they change their direction by a draft of wind, changeability of signs & symptoms is marked.
• As the flowers are always present in groups, patient likes to be in a group (likes company) dose not want to be alone.
• As the stem of the plant is delicate & is covered by small hair like structures to protect it from the wind, in the chilly phase, the patient likes to go into the open air by covering himself.

Active Principles (Chemical Constituents)
The chief constituents of this drug are potassium sulphate, anemonic acid, oil of anemone, anemone camphor, isoanemonic acid, saponin, anemonin.

Physiological Action
Pulsatilla pratensis is an active irritant to the skin, producing phenomena ranging from tingling and burning to vesicular or pustular dermatitis. When the powdered root is inhaled, itching of the eyes, colic, vomiting and diarrhoea may result.

Administered internally the fresh juice causes burning and tingling of the tongue followed by numbness. It is a diuretic, diaphoretic and emmenagogue; a cardiac and vascular sedative, lowering arterial pressure and body temperature.

In large doses Pulsatilla affects all mucous membranes, induces nausea and vomiting, slimy diarrhoea, coryza and cough, skin eruptions, ocular pains and faulty vision. It produces spinal irritation at first and later motor and sensory paralysis with stupor and coma.

Fatal doses are followed by a slow and feeble pulse, low blood pressure, slow breathing, lowered temperature, diarrhoea, paralysis of extremities, dyspnoea, dilation of pupils, stupor and death.

Autopsies of poisoned cases show congestion and oedema of the lungs, hyperemia of meninges, especially in area of the medulla. The heart is relaxed and together with the large vessels, is filled with clotted, dark blood. In other parts the blood is liquid. The liver, kidneys, spleen and other abdominal organs are not pathologically affected.

Physio – Pathological Changes

• It acts prominently on all mucous membranes, synovial membranes, veins, eyes, ears and sets up a catarrhal inflammation.
• It acts on the skin producing tingling and burning, vesicular or pustular dermatitis. It is an active irritant.
• Its action on genito-urinary system especially females is very marked, producing -contractive pains in the uterus, leucorrhoea of various kinds; scanty delayed and often painful menses.
• In the males it acts on testes producing swelling of testes and pain in the spermatic cords.
• It acts on ‘joints, chiefly knees, ankles and small joints of the hands and feet, producing arthritic or rheumatic inflammations.
• It has a diuretic action on the urinary system.
• It acts on the tongue producing tingling and burning of the tongue, which is soon followed by numbness.
• It acts on the digestive system and produces nausea and vomiting with slimy diarrhoea.
• It acts on the kidney and bladder and thereby produces copious discharge of mucus in the urine.
• It acts on ears where it causes catarrhal inflammation deafness and ostalgia.
• It is a diuretic, diaphoretic and emmenagogue; a cardiac and vascular sedative, lowering arterial pressure and body temperature.
• It produces spinal irritation at first and later motor and sensory paralysis with stupor and coma.
• After fatal doses it causes slow and feeble pulse, low blood pressure, slow breathing, lowered temperature, diarrhoea, paralysis of extremities, dyspnoea, dilation of pupils, stupor and death.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

• Mild Yielding , changeable:Very tuned to what you want(Avoid any leading questions) They shape themselves around what ever is presented with force . Moulds herself to what others want(Phos-Suggestible;Puls-Malleable) (Puls –A river shaped by surroundings ; Phos-cloud, changing but diffusing) Gay like April day
• Weeping tendency, cannot narrate her symptoms without weeping. She weeps at everything whether it is joyful or sorrowful. Patient is better by consolation; all symptoms are relieved by consolation. That gives her immense comfort and relief.

Pulsatilla child:

• Pulsatilla children of both sexes are highly emotional.Devoted, affectionate and mild providing their emotional needs are met by their parents, but they tend to demand instant gratification and if they feel deprived they will cry and be petulant until their needs are met.
• There is no attempt to disguise her pain
• Emotional satisfaction is more important- seeks for emotional security-rejected feeling easily- needs constant reassurance that they are loved-moans, whines to attract loving attention(Phos- active curious adventurous-robust emotionally)
• Selfish,Dependent up on her parents, particularly fond of physical contact
• Away from home-timid with strangers
• Highly personal about her preferences
• Jealousy- She will tend to get very jealous of other children if they are favoured by her parents
• Fear- darkness- ghosts(Nat.m.-afraid of men)
• Being alone makes the pulsatilla anxious esp. in childhood
• Aggression is threatening to her-Peace maker

Adult:

• She has an intellect, but it is used exclusively in service of her emotional needs and desires-does not suppress emotions
• As long as her home life is going smooth, she lives in blissful ignorance of much of the worlds drama. Interest in domestic affairs- but revolve around her loved ones (Calc.- more interest in domestic affairs- more creative- as a hobby)-loss of loved ones-they will be at sea
• They release from their attachment with parents at their puberty. Pulsatilla who are fortunate enough to step from parental home in to a loving stable romantic relationship, cope more easily with adolescence
• Emotional instability-esp. in relation with husband they need constant reassurance if any rejection, cries but Nat.m.-suppresses) Crying is her most frequent response to emotional pain
• Passivity, simplicity and sensuality:
• She is quite happy to be lazy when she can unless her mate demands of her that she be productive
• Confusion-indecisive- not interested in logical rational things, lazy rather than unintelligent
• Aversion to opposite sex
• Innocence:Open hearted (Phos)
• Religious insanity, aversion to marriage, mania from suppressed menses.
• Anguish about the heart, even to suicide.
• Fancies a naked man is wrapped in her bedclothes; dreams of men.
• Fatigued by mental labour; head is affected. Confusion of head, with pains, as after intoxication or watching

Pulsatilla Men:

• Irresolution, shyness,
• Vast majority of Pulsatilla children grows up in to other constitutional types(Principally Nat.m.), with only a few growing up in to Puls. Women and exceedingly few in to puls. men

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

•  Thirstlessness – Thirstlessness often associated with nearly all
•  complaints. Mouth dry, yet thirstless, in intermittent fever, there is thirst only during heat.
• (Teste gives a useful clue to that in suggesting that it depends on the congestive action of the remedy. The loss of thirst and even aversion to liquid food is “as if one had an instinctive dread of increasing the excessive fullness of the vessels.” )
• Chilliness – Constant internal chilliness even in warm room, but aversion to cover, pains are associated with chilliness.
• Changeability of symptoms- Symptoms are always changeable. No two chills, no two stools, no two attacks are alike. It has an ever-changing character of symptoms.
• One-sidedness – One-sided complaints. One-sided headache. One-sided sweat. One sided pains.
•  Bitterness – Bad and bitter taste. Bitter taste in mouth, also after food and drink. Bad taste in mouth, especially early in the morning.
• Pains- Drawing, tearing, erratic, pains rapidly shifting from one part to another, Pain comes gradually and disappears suddenly or pain appears suddenly and goes gradually. Pains accompanied with constant chilliness, and the more severe the pain the harder the chill  (with profuse sweating, CHAM; with fainting, HEPAR-S,; with frequent micturition, THUJA;with delirium, VERAT.ALB).
• Diarrhoea – Only, or usually at night, watery, greenish yellow, very changeable, as soon as he eats, from fruits, cold food or drinks, ice-cream.
• Discharges – Thick, bland, yellowish green discharge from mucous membranes. But discharges such as leucorrhoea are sometimes acrid and excoriating.
• Sleep – Does not want to go to bed, first sleep restless, sound sleep when it is time to get up, awakes unrefreshed,
• Toothache- Toothache relived by holding cold water in the mouth, worse from warm things and heat of room.
• Menses – Delayed first menstruation. Menses are too late and scanty or suppressed particularly by getting feet wet.

• Styes – Styles are especially found on upper lid, from eating fat, greasy, rich food or pork.
• Sensation – All gone sensation in stomach, in tea drinkers especially.
• Weeping- Weeps easily almost impossible to detail her ailments without weeping.
• Abortion- Threatened abortion, flow ceases and then returns with increased force, pains spasmodic excite suffocation and fainting, must have fresh air.
• Desire – Desire for open air.
• Aversion & Craving- Desire for alcoholic drinks, beer, whisky, brandy, cheese, bread and butter, cold food, cold drinks, juicy things and lemonade but aversion to warm food, tobacco, smoking, fats and rich food. Meat disagrees. Desire for sour, refreshing things.” Often desires things he cannot digest;  • lemonade, herring, cheese, pungent things, highly-seasoned  • things, juicy things”. Aversion to meat, butter, fat food, pork,  • bread, milk, smoking.” “Scraping sensation in stomach
• Dreams- Dreams of black animals, of business, exhausting, frightful, ghosts, naked men, murder, of misfortune and accidents.
• Perspiration – Cold perspiration on getting out of bed, during coldness on covered parts, on single parts on the left side, offensive odour, during sleep and during anxiety.
• Heaviness – Heaviness of stomach after eating. Pressure as from a stone in pit of the stomach, relieved by eructation.
• Important Characteristic Features
• Headache- Bruised pain, shifting type of headache better from pressure or tight bandage. Head.-Semilateral headache, with bad taste in the mouth in the morning, without thirst, with nightly diarrhoea and scanty urination.. Sick headache, from suppression of the menses, or from some menstrual or gastric disorder.
• Ears.-Catarrhal otitis, with much pain, specific. Much pain in the ears, with deafness; the meatus is red and swollen.. Chronic otorrhoea, with discharge of pus.

Gastrointestinal system:
Thickly coated white or yellow tongue with bad taste in the morning She always has a very bad taste in the mouth, early in the morning.
Loathing nausea,and retchings after greasy food, with sour eructations. Sensation as if the food were lodged undigested above the stomach. Morning sickness, vomiting of mucus; pulsations in the pit of the stomach; bad taste in the mouth every morning on awaking; she has to wash it out soon, it is so bad she cannot bear it; Digestive nothing tastes good to her; absence of thirst, and nightly diarrhoea. Disordered stomach; nausea; vomiting; repugnance to food; colicky pains in the abdomen, and dizziness from looking up. Sour, bitter vomiting after fat, rich food. Gastric disturbance from rich fat food; she cannot sit long at a time, much walk about to relieve her pains.. Cholera morbus, caused by fat rich food, with violent pains in the bowels; worse in the evening and night; drawing, cutting pains around the navel. Gastrodynia, of the most violent kind, in mild tearful women, inclined to be fleshy, with scanty menstruation; brought on by fat, greasy food.

Haemorrhoids – painful, protruding, blind, with itching and stitches in anus.” The aggravation from lying down in extremely painful haemorrhoids is contrasted with (Ammonium carb.) which has violently painful haemorrhoids relieved by lying flat on the back. In violently painful haemorrhoids, with intense burning, think of (Arsenicum) and (Kali carbonicum.) In those with sticking, tearing pains study (Aesculus.) Looking over a number of years I have been forced to use in these cases a remedy not yet fully proven. In painful haemorrhoids, in a broken down constitution, where the whole disease seems to culminate in the haemorrhoids; bleeding, protruding; a mere touch almost causes a convulsion; it causes her to scream out at the top of her voice; it is so painful that she feels that death would be a relief; she lies in bed holding the nates far apart with her hands; after every stool she has three or four hours of extreme suffering. In these cases look up the (Paeony.) The haemorrhoids it cures look like the flowers of the plant, they are so inflamed, so red and bleeding; oozing; tender to touch; patient is so worn out with the pain. It has many times relieved the pain and cured these enormous haemorrhoidal tumors. I have cured them after they had been operated on, and all sorts of violence done them, without relief. Do not go to this drug if you can find a remedy that covers (all the patient.) Many patients will not confess any other symptoms,and some of these will suffer so much from the haemorrhoids alone that you will really need this remedy.

Menses, Leucorrhoea & Dysmenorrhoea – Delayed menses after getting feet wet. Menses come too late. Flow is thick and changeable in character. Blood flows, stops and flows again. Sometimes there is intermittent flow, mixed with clots or fluid, coagulable in character. Her flow is more during day and while walking. With menses there is severe pain across the abdomen, which is shifting in nature. There is drytongue with complete absence of thirst. With menses there may be nausea, vomiting and purging.
Leucorrhoea acrid, burning, creamy. It is milky white in colour with swollen vulva. Cutting pain in abdomen. It is excoriating and corrodes the vulva. Pain in back; tired feeling, diarrhoea during or after menses.
All complaints can be found at the time of puberty. Ailments on and from the pubertic age. ” Has never been well since that time.”

Conjunctivitis & Styes – There is dryness of eyes and lids with sensation as if darkened by mucus. She feels pressure as if from sand in eyes. There is conjunctivitis with profuse, thick, yellow, bland discharge with burning and itching. The margins of eyelids are agglutinated. There may be styes, especially on upper eyelids with itching, biting and burning from eating fatty food or pork. Complaints ameliorated by washing in warm water, even cold water feels good to the eyes.

Abortion & Labour pain – It is a very good medicine for abortion & labour pains. Threatened abortion. The flow starts and ceases and again starts with double force and ceases, again. During pregnancy with pain, fainting spells and craving for fresh air. According to Dr. Hering it is also useful for expulsion of moles.

It is also a very good medicine for prolapse of uterus. Labour pains are difficult and irregular. During labour, the patient wants doors and windows open. She cannot bear a warm room. She feels suffocated. There may be prolapse of uterus. There is a dragging down sensation. She cannot stand on her feet or walk around much because of the weight and dragging down sensation. Dr. Huges says that Pulsatilla is useful for its ability to bring about spontaneous version in case of abnormal presentation & in retained placenta.

Men.-Orchitis, the testicles and spermatic cord swollen and painful; caused from clod or suppressed gonorrhoea. Acute inflammation of the testicles.

Rheumatism; pains shift rapidly from one part to another, unattended with any great swelling or redness; chronic cases, with weakness, rigidity, coldness, and weight in the diseased tissues. Drawing rheumatic pains, frequently shifting from one part of the body to another; constant chilliness, worse nights..

Intermittents, where chilliness predominates, little heat, and no thirst. The great amount of chilliness, shows how prominently it affects the posterior portion of the spinal cord.

Asthma, Cough & Coryza – It is a very good medicine for cough and coryza. Repeated attacks of coryza, with sneezing and stuffing of the nose with a febrile state. There is pain on the face through the nose. In the evening there is a considerable watery discharge with sneezing. In the morning stuffing of the nose with thick yellow greenish discharge which is bland and offensive. Large bloody, thick, yellow crust accumulates in the nose, hardens down and is blown out in the morning accompanied by thick yellow pus. There is also a loss of smell. The patient himself feels better in open air and worse in a warm room.

Usually cough is caused by irritation in the pit of the stomach, by taking ice cold things, fatty and starchy food, ice – cream, or due to suppressed menses. There is dry evening cough and a loose morning cough. Cough is shaking and spasmodic; in paroxysms of two coughs. Involuntary urination while coughing, there may be pain in lower part of the chest.
Asthma of girls from suppressed menses. In children from suppressed rash or in chronic catarrh of chest. Sensation of fullness in the chest in the evening with pulsation which prevents sleep. Wandering tearing pains in the chest. Cutting pain in pleurisy. Violent heat in the chest. There may also be haemoptysis. It is also useful in phthisis in suppurative stage in chlorotic girls.

Urticaria; worse nights, caused by fat rich food. Chilliness even in the summer, when warmly clad, with vertigo, throbbing headache; pressure in the stomach, pain in the uterus, and dysuria; caused by nervous debility, or from wet feet.
General Modalities

Aggravation- Warm and closed room, hot food and drinks, after eating, overloading stomach, lying on left side, on painless sides with head low. Feet hanging down, towards evening before midnight. Violent emotions, sitting up, beginning motion, getting wet.

Amelioration– Cool open air, cold applications, change of position, gentle, continued motion, rubbing, hard pressure, lying with head high.

Relationship
Complementary Follow well
Ars., Kali-bi., Kali-m., Kali-s., Lyc.,sil.,stann.,sul.ac. Graph., Ac-nit., Bry., Calc., Euph., Nux-v., Phos., Rhus-t., Sep., Sil., Sulph
Antidotes Antidotes to
Coff., Cham., Nux., Stann., Asaf.,Ign. Chin., Sulph., Sul-ac.

Potency :  From lowest to highest potencies.

Repetition : May be repeated in acute diseases. Single dose of high potency for constitutional ailments.

Food Items to be avoided: Pastry, fatty food, icecreams etc

Note –
1. Silicea is the chronic of Pulsatilla.” One of the best remedies with which to begin the treatment of a chronic case” – H. C. Allen. Pulsatilla grows well in soils rich in Silica.
2. Pulsatilla can be used in patients who are anaemic or chlorotic, who have taken much iron, quinine and tonics, even years before.
3. Sepia should never be alternated

Therapeutic value
Female genital organs, Abortion, Cough, Bronchitis, Anaemia, Fever, Dyspepsia, Varicose veins, Colic, Acne, Chest affection, Amenorrhoea, Ear and eye affection, Haemorrhoid, Disorders of pregnancy, measles, Chilblains, Bladder affections, Distension, Lactation, Menstrual disorder, Mumps, Urinary affection, Toothache, Respiratory troubles, Rheumatism, Catarrh, Cough, Glandular ophthalmia, Gout, Headache, Diarrhoea, Heart affections, Labour, Heartburn, sleep leucorrhoea etc.

Comparing with other drugs:
Calcarea Carbonicum Centered around self structure Mild, but not dependant like Puls.
Cyclamen Realize all plants have some sensitiveness. Female remedy.< space (open air)
Phosphorus Usually more extraverted, talkative patient, Puls. more introverted.
Pulsatilla Nuttalliana Identical symptoms. (gray) American Pasque flower (American oriented Puls.?) seems more depressive remedy
Sepia Like Puls. a female remedy. Sepia more animalistic, like pushing jealousy, sexuality. Indifference to loved ones.
Silicea . Sensitive feeling, but headstrong. Mostly yielding for social reasons.

Chamomilla: Pains in the ears in the evening or in the night, ameliorated by walking slowly about the room. In (Chamomilla) you have a snapping and snarling child, never pleased, scolds the nurse and mother; ameliorated by walking about. The irritability decides for (Chamomilla.) You can detect a pitiful cry from a snarling mad cry. Both are ameliorated by motion, by being carried. Both want this and that and are never satisfied; they want amusement. But the Pulsatilla child when not amused has a pitiful cry and the (Chamomilla) child a snarling cry. You will want to caress the one and spank the other.(Dr. Kent)When the hay fever comes on, all the other symptoms are better, she feel nothing except the hay fever, however, all the symptoms interweave with each other. The (Natrum mur.) symptoms will be worse in the morning and until toward noon, while in Pulsatilla they are worse in the evening, the nose filling up with thick, yellowish-green, ropy mucus, and when the nose has been cleared,a dry, burning, smarting feeling remains; if the room is warm at night, She cannot sleep. (Natrum mur.) is a little like that in the smarting and inability to sleep at night in a warm room.

Natrum mur., too, the discharge may continue day and night. We have an acute class in which Pulsatilla is sometimes indicated—copious watery discharge which ends in sneezing. In the beginning we will think of (Carbo veg., Arsenic,) (Allium cepa, Euphrasia.) With (Carbo veg.) there is a watery discharge and the irritation extends into the chest, with hoarseness and rawness. In (Allium cepa) we have one group of symptoms that points to this remedy. Excoriating discharge from the nose and bland discharge from the eyes; in the larynx, sensation as if hooks were there, and sometimes this extends below the larynx; this always means (Allium cepa;) it is also worse in a warm room like Puls. The (Euphrasia) looks like (Cepa,) only the discharge from the eyes is copious, watery and burning—the lachrymation bums the eyes and excoriates the cheeks; discharge from nose is bland like Pulsatilla; sometimes this goes into the chest, then it is no longer (Euphrasia.) . (Iodine) is worse in a warm room; thick discharge from nose which burns and excoriates and is yellowish-green; but there is one thing that differentiates it from all the others—the patient immediately begins to emaciate when the complaint comes on and is very hungry.

Kali hydr with the thick yellowish discharge, worse in a warm room, there is a great amount of rawness and burning in the nose; external nose very sore to pressure; sensitiveness in the root of the nose; whole face aches and patient is extremely restless; wants to walk in the open air which does not fatigue him.

Iodide of Arsenic –  anxiety, restlessness and weakness; frequent sneezing and copious watery nasal discharge that burns the lip. Burning, watery discharge from the eyes like (Arsenic. Arsenic) wants to be very warm; wants hot water applied to the eyes; the only relief is from sniffing hot water up the nose. The (Iodide of Arsenic) is worse in a warm room, and, for days after sneezing, the discharge thickens and becomes gluey, looking like (thick yellow honey,) this excoriates; much pain through the root of the ,nose and eyes; often rawness in the chest with dyspnoea. The remedies having the dyspnoea are (Arsenic, Iodide of Arsenic, Iodine, Kali hydr.,) and Sabadilla;) these are the ones I have found most frequently indicated in the asthmatic forms of hay fever. If the complaint has been developed after being overheated about that time, you will find that (Silica,) Puls. and (Carbo veg.) must be carefully compared. There is another class of remedies having the stuffing up of the nose not relieved by the discharge. There is a constant desire to blow the nose, yet he gets no relief. This makes me think at once of(Lach., Kali bi., Psor., Naja) and (Sticta.)

Psorinum  has the copious, watery, bland discharge from the nose, it may be excoriating, it has both. The stuffing up of the nose generally takes place in the open air; he is relieved in a warm, close room and by lying down; has some dyspnoea which is relieved by stretching the arms at right angles with the body. Hay fever is a psoric sickness. (Psorinum) given in a single dose will so develop the symptoms that the case will be more clear. The attack is not the best thing to prescribe for. If it is too violent, a short acting remedy may be selected that will mitigate it.

Nux vomica has a free, easy breathing in the open air, but when he goes into the warm room his nose stuffs up, which also occurs at night, though the water drips on the pillow yet he stuffs up like Puls., (Bry.,) and the (Iodine) preparations, (Iodide of Arsenic) and (Cyclamen.) Do not understand me to have given remedies for hay fever, we cannot lay down remedies for diseases. The whole constitution must be most carefully examined. Pulsatilla is the common remedy for enormously swollen testicles from mumps in a boy.

Carbo vegetabilis is another remedy, but then you have a (Carbo veg.) patient. (Abrotanum) is also useful in wandering around symptoms. Pulsatilla has (wandering pains;) rheumatism goes from joint to joint, jumps around here and there; neuralgic pains fly from place to place; inflammations go from gland to gland. But here is the distinguishing feature—Pulsatilla (sticks to its own text;) it keeps jumping around, but it does not change to a new class of disease. (Abrotanum) has this metastasis, but it change

Dr Sudheera A P
Medical Officer, Department of Homoeopathy
Govt. of Kerala