Chamomilla Matricaria

The Chamomilla of the homoeopathic materia medica is the German variety, the Chamomilla matricaria. The drug apparently acts best upon patients with a morbidly sensitive nervous system. It is like Cofiea, Ignalia and Belladonna then, in so far as it lessens nervous ex- citability.

Slight impressions produce distress and anguish of mind ; pains often result in fainting. Here it is similar to Valeria?! , Hepar, Veratrum album and Nux moschata. It is especially applicable to these symp- toms when they appear after long-continued use of narcotics.

In every disease in which Chamomilla is indicated, we notice this peculiar excitability. The patient, whether it be child or adult, a woman in labor or with toothache, is cross and excitable. Unless this mental state is present, Chamomilla will most likely fail you.

When violent emotions, like anger, affect the viscera, as, for ex- ample, the liver with jaundice, you may think of the drug under con- sideration. In this condition it stands related to a few drugs.

Staphisagria is indicated in children or adults when colic follows a fit of anger.

Bryonia has gastro-enteric symptoms after anger. Under this^ remedy, however, the symptoms are associated with chilliness, under Chamomilla with heat ; under Bryotiia the face is dark red, under Chamomilla} pale with one red cheek. The Bryonia tongue is coated white, that of Chamomilla yellow.

Colocynth has vomiting, diarrhoea and violent colicky pains from a fit of anger, but may easily be distinguished by the fact that the pains are relieved by bending double and from firm pressure.

Continuing the nervous symptoms of Chamomilla, we find the drug useful for insomnia in children, when they start during sleep and the muscles of the face and hands twitch. With these symptoms there is apt to be colic ; the face is red, especially one cheek, and the head and scalp are bathed in a hot sweat. A word of explanation is here neces- sary. Sometimes, during an attack of fever in a child, the cheek on which it lies becomes red ; now that is not a Chamomilla symptom.

These nervous symptoms of Chamomilla are generally reflex from the abdomen. There is very little evidence of delirium in these cases. When brain complications are present Chamomilla ceases to be the remedy, and Belladomia comes in.

CIXA AND CHAMOMILLA. 249

When, during dentition, Chamomilla fails, Belladonna is the remedy, because it is suited to a more advanced state.

This same nervous state of Cha?nomilla may be applied to the use of the drug in rheumatism. Rheumatic pains drive the patient out of bed and compel him to walk about. He is thirsty, hot, with red cheeks and almost beside himself with anguish. Stitching pains jump from place to place, but unlike Pulsatilla, they leave a sense of weakness and numbness. Sweat does not relieve him, but his pains are better after sweat.

The analogous remedies here are Rhustox., which lacks the excite- ment of Chamomilla ; Ferrum metallicum , which has rheumatism better from moving about slowly ; Veratrtcm album, which has maddening pains, compelling the patient to walk about. With the latter remedy there is not the feverishness and excitement which characterize Cham- om ilia .

Chamomilla also acts on mucous membranes, causing symptoms of catarrh. It is indicated in the catarrhs of children, when the nose is " stopped up," and yet there is a dropping of hot, watery mucus from the nostrils ; there are sneezing and inability to sleep; and with these a dry, teasing cough, which keeps the child awake, or may even occur during sleep; or there is rattling cough, as though the bronchi were full of mucus Especially is Chamomilla useful in colds brought on by cold windy days.

Nux vomica is also indicated in catarrhs, when there is a " stopped- up" feeling in the nose, but there is no secretion whatever.

Sambucus is indicated in catarrh, when the child starts up suddenly as if suffocating.

Sticta suits a hard, drj^ barking cough; the nose is "stuffed up" and dry ; the real condition is this, the nasal secretion dries so rapidly that it cannot be discharged.

Chamomilla has a number of gastric symptoms. It is useful in bil- iousness produced by anger. We find it also indicated in gastralgia, especially when the food eaten seems to lie like a load in the stomach. There is distension of the hypochondria, the tongue is coated yellow- ish-white, and there is a bitter taste in the mouth ; there are colicky pains in the abdomen, which are relieved by drinking a cup of coffee.

Cha??i07?iilla produces a diarrhoea with hot, yellowish-green stool, looking like chopped eggs, and often mixed with bile, causing soreness at the anus, and having an odor of sulphuretted hydrogen ; it is especially worse toward evening ; it is apt to occur during dentition.

250 A CLINICAL MATERIA MEDICA.

Chamomilla is here frequently followed by Sulphur, because both remedies produce the same stools with soreness of the stomach. If there is much tenesmus with these symptoms Mercurius is the remedy.

If the stool is worse in the morning, and comes with a gush, we should think of Podophyllum and Sulphur.

Chamomilla is an invaluable remedy in the lying-in room ; it is in- dicated when labor pains begin in the back and pass off down the inner side of the thighs. There is great nervous excitement ; the labor seems exceedingly painful. After the labor is over, the lochial flow is dark and too profuse, and the after-pains are violent and intolerable.

Chamomilla may be used in threatening abortion caused by anger, when the pains are of the character just described, and there is a flow of dark blood.

Viburnum is useful in threatening miscarriage when these pains come down the lower part of the abdomen and go into the thighs. It will stop the pains even if it cannot prevent the miscarriage.

LECTURE XXIV.

MELANTHACEiE.

Melanthacese.

Veratrum album,

Veratrum viride. Sabadilla.