Nux vomica is especially suitable to persons of a cautious, ardent, vehement temperament, or who have a malicious, angry disposition. The unpleasant symptoms which remain after the cessa- NUX vomica. 143 tion of premature or profuse menses, may be obviated by Nux vomica. This medicine acts more mildly when taken a few hours before retiring than at other hours of the day ; necessity, of course, may require the exhibition of the drug at any other period. In sensitive persons especially, the exhibition of Nux in the morning excites unpleasant sensations, inasmuch as the most frequent and violent symptoms of Nux make their appearance in the morning. Next to this the symptoms of Nux are most frequent short- ly or immediately after a meal, and when exerting the mind ; it is therefore necessary not to give it directly after a meal, or to exert the mind in any shape immediately after taking the medicine (nor ought this to be done after any other medicine) ; a few hours should always intervene between taking the medicine and the mental labor. This drug cures likewise many chronic affections, occa- sioned by drinking too much wine or coffee, by a sedentary life, or by continued exertions of the mind ; it likewise cures several epidemic diseases and acute fevers, especially those where the heat appears before the chills, or where the heat and chills are mingled. Several kinds of dangerous catarrhal affections are likewise cured by Nux. Nux is most suitable when the patient is worse in the morning, when he wakes at three o'clock in the morning, re- mains awake for several hours on account of a number of ideas crowding irresistibly upon his mind, and falls asleep again towards morning, the sleep being disturbed by heavy dreams, from which he wakes more weary than he was the evening before ; or it is more suitable when persons are unable to keep themselves from sleeping in the evening several hours before bed-time. This drug has alternate symptoms, both orders of symp- toms being primary symptoms. Nux is antidoted by wine, brandy and camphor ; the head- ache and the want of appetite may be removed by coffee, the paralytic symptoms by Cocculus, the excessive sensitiveness and the asthma by Aconite, and the ill and vexed humor by Chamomile. Physicians generally who are in the habit of imagining the power of drugs and their antidotes in the closet, have recom- mended vinegar and other vegetable acids as the best antidotes against Nux vomica and other violent vegetable substances. I know from experience, both in the treatment of men and ani- mals, that Nux is not properly antidoted by acids. 144 NUX VOMICA. The following symptoms exhibit almost the complete range of the action of Nux upon the body, mind and temperament. My co-observers are Flaeming, Fr. Hahnemann, Wahle. FROM NOACK AND TRINKS. ; The provings which Hahnemann has instituted with this drug, show at the first glance its whole physiological action upon the various organs and systems of the animal economy, viz.: the brain, the organs of sense, the spinal nerves, the nerves of motion and sensation in both extremities, the nerves going to the genital organs, the pneumogastric nerve ; the cir- culatory system is also acted upon indirectly by Nux, its pri- mary action being upon the nerves which regulate the circula- tion of the blood. In the second rank belong the phenomena which Nux is capable of realizing in the organs the functions of which are regulated by the splanchnic nerves, and in these nerves themselves, in the portal system, the liver, spleen, etc. The third order of symptoms embraces the action of Nux upon the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs, the intestinal canal, the uropcetic and genital organs of both sexes. It has but little influence on the lymphatic vessels, the glands, the skin, muscles, ligaments, periosteum, and the bones. Nux has been successfully employed in the treatment of the follow- ing affections: Neuralgia. Excessive sensitiveness to the open air. Liability to catarrhal sufferings from the least draft of air, such as shiverings, chilliness, toothache, colic, etc. Rheumatic affections with and without fever ; tearing rheu- matic pains; drawing-tensive rheumatic pains, with weakness and much feeling in the affected parts with cramp-pains, jerk- ings of single muscles and limbs. — Febrile rheumatic and catarrhal affections. — Rheumatic inflammation of the cellular tissue. — Paralytic pains. Muscular weakness, and difficulty of learning to walk, in children. — Congestion of blood to head and chest. — Erethism of the whole cerebro-spinal and the ganglionic system. — Excessive sensitiveness of sight, hearing, smell, taste; all external impressions of any kind, even con- tact, causing an oppressive sensation, concussion of the whole nervous system, convulsions, etc. — Tremor artuum, also when caused by inhalations of mercury, lead, etc. — Trembling of drunkards, opium-eaters. Spasmodic stiffness and inflexibility of the limbs. — St. Vitus' dance, more frequently in boys than girls. Spasms and convulsions of single muscles, affecting various limbs in succession, and depending upon an irritation of the spine. — Tonic spasms as of electric shocks, spasmodic NUX VOMICA. 145 jerking and stretching of the whole body, opisthotonos, em- prosthotonos, pleurothotonos, occasioned by noise, contact, strong light, etc., the consciousness remaining undisturbed. — Tetanus, trismus. — Epilepsy, especially when occasioned by moral or gastric causes. — Precursory symptoms of sanguineous and nervous apoplexy. — Paraplegia. — Paraplegia caused by apoplexy of the brain. — Softening of the spinal marrow (in conjunction with Agaricus). Paralysis of the limbs, caused by various affections of the spinal marrow. — Paralysis with or without painfulness of the vertrebral column. — Paralysis from inhaling lead, mercury or arsenic. — Fainting fits occasioned by the least efforts, moral affections, pain, walking in the open air, at night, congestion of blood to the head and chest. — Great weakness and weariness in all the limbs. — Catarrhal cough after measles. — Boils. — Pseudo-erysipelas. — Old ulcers, with a bright-red swelling around, which comes on when the parts become cold, with tearing pains in the ulcer. — Chilblains with burning itching, bleeding rhagades and pale-red swelling. — Frozen limbs with a tolerably bright-red swelling. — Great sen- sitiveness of the corns. — Drowsiness in the daytime, especially in the morning and after dinner. — Sleep before the regular hour. — Sleeplessness from excessive mental activity. — Sleep disturbed by palpitation of the heart, anxiety, frightful dreams. — Stupefying sleep toward morning, with anxious, frightful dreams, and a feeling of weakness when waking. Remittent fever with gastric symptoms. — Intermittent fevers, the parox- ysm being characterized by vertigo, headache, pain in the stomach, both aching and spasmodic, nausea, bitter and sour eructations, vomiting, etc. ; or by chilliness, long-lasting cold- ness of the whole body, chattering of teeth, icy coldness of the hands and feet, blue nails, no thirst, tearing pains in the limbs and small of the back, these symptoms being succeeded by constant, general heat, aching in the sinciput, redness of the face, thirst, chilliness when uncovered, sweat ; the apyrexia being characterized by violent gastric symptoms, bitter and putrid taste, bitter vomiting, stitches in the region of the liver, painfulness in the pit of the stomach, contractive pain in the stomach, swelling of the spleen, constipation, emaciation weak- ness, anxiety, irritability. — Quotidian, double-quotidian fever. — Tertian fever. — Quartan, double quartan. Intermittent fever with jaundice. — Gastric and bilious fevers. — Febris nervosa versatilis. — Typhus abdominalis, second stage. — Sadness, an- guish, melancholy. — Melancholy with derangement of the gastric organs, from over-exertion of the mind, or abuse of spirituous drinks. — Nervous hypochondria, or when origina VOL. III. 11 146 NUX VOMICA. ting in gastric disorder.— Delirium tremens.— Loss of con- sciousness, and stupefaction.— Vertigo with inclination to fall to the left side.— Nervous vertigo, with or without obscuration of sight, humming in the ears, staggering.— Apoplexy with loss of consciousness, sopor, paralysis of the limbs, of the organs of deglutition, lower jaw and sphincters.— Headache, generally- most violent in the forenoon and after dinner.— Headache, in- creased by stormy weather, occasioned by excessive use of coffee, spirituous drinks, mental exertions, etc.— Stupefying, congestion, catarrhal headache.— Headache from gastric causes. — Aching pain over the root of the nose, the eyebrows, extend- ing as far as the right temple, with paleness of face and cold sweat, every morning. — Hysteric headache. — Hemicrania. — Clavus hystericus. — Congestion of blood to the face, with vio- lent pain in the forehead, vertigo, and fainting turns. — Catar- rhal, rheumatic, arthritic and scrofulous inflammation of the lids and eyeballs.— Sugillations of the sclerotica. — Hemorrhage from the eye of a child. — Photophobia.— Presbyopia.— Mouches volantes. — Weakness of sight.— •Amaurosis. — Otalgia. — Otitis. — Noises in the ear.— Hardness of hearing from cold. — Exces- sive sensitiveness to smell, idiopathic and consensual. — Rheu- matic pain in the face.— Prosopalgia, tearing, with nightly exacerbation. — Rheumatic paralysis and distortion of one-half of the face. — Paralysis of one-half of the muscles of the face, brought on by cold and apoplexy of the brain. — Pimples in the face, in plethoric individuals. — Trismus. — Rheumatic, arthritic, purely nervous toothache.— Stitching, drawing, tearing, dart- ing digging-up pain in sound and hollow teeth. Drawing, tearing toothache, without swelling of the cheek, most violent in the night, increasing by cold or warm food, and cold air. — Difficult dentition. — Fetid smell from the mouth, from de- ranged stomach. — Catarrhal angina. — Spasm of the fauces. Spastic and paralytic dysphagia. — Sour, bitter, slimy and pu- trid taste.— Complete want of appetite, with coated tongue, and morbidly changed taste. — Gastric ailments of every kind : cramp of the stomach, heart-burn, eructations, sour, bitter and putrid water-brash, vomiting.— Complaints from abuse of spir- its. — Hsematemesis. Morbus niger.— Dyspepsia. — Cardialgia. Incipient scirrhus of the cardia and the pylorus, with disposi- tion to haemorrhoids, indolent stool. — Acute and chronic affec- tions of the liver.— Hepatelgia with constipation.— Swelling and induration of the liver from abuse of Cinchona and Mer- cury. — Jaundice. — Colic from biliary calculi.— Colic of preg- nant females.— Cutting colic from cold.— Enteralgia.— Entero- dynia. — Neuralgia coeliaca (in conjunction with Arsenic).— NUX VOMICA. 147 Flatulent colic. — Hypochondriac and hysteric spasms of the abdomen. — Venous congestion of the abdomen. Umbilical hernia in children and females. — Incarcerated hernia. — Incar- cerated femoral hernia. — Faeculent vomiting from mechanical closing of the intestinal canal. — Costiveness. — Constipation from paralysis of the intestines, or from constriction of the rectum. — Thick and hard stool. — Dysenteric stool with tenes- mus. — Protalgia. — Haemorrhoidal congestion. — Inflamed he- morrhoidal tumors. — Excessive haemorrhage ftom the rectum and anus after every stool. — Prolapsus of the rectum. — Taenia. — Ascarides. — Lithiasis. — Pains in one or the other kidney, extending afterwards along the course of the ureter, ceasing with the entrance of a stone into the bladder, frequently ac- companied by spasmodic vomiting and retching, violent spas- modic pains in the abdomen, convulsions, and emission of urine, which comes out in drops at first, and is either bloody or has the appearance as if tinged with Sepia. — Strangury. Ischury. Dysuria. Spasms of the bladder. Haemorrhoids of the bladder. Haematuria. — Paralysis of the bladder. — Exu- resis nocturna of children. — Haemorrhage from the urethra. Spasmodic contraction of the urethra. — Chronic gonorrhoea. — Spasmodic, strangulating pains in the spermatic cords, with swelling and hardness of the testicle which is drawn up. Inflammatory swelling of the testicle. — Impotence. — Spasms in the uterus, contractive and griping, with discharge of coag- ulated blood. — Feeble and premature catamenia.— Premature and profuse catamenia. — Menstrual colic. — Dysmenorrhea. — Apprehensive mood, with qualmishness in the pit of the stomach after the premature catamenia. — Internal swelling of one side of the vagina. — Recent prolapsus uteriana vaginae. — Complaints during pregnancy : head and toothache. — Conges- tions to head and chest.— Vomiting and abdominal spasms. — Vomiting of pregnant females. — Constipation. — Premature la- bor-pains. — After-pains. — Violent after-pains with pressure upon the rectum.— Drawing pains in the nipples, with soreness of the same.— Convulsions, ophthalmia, umbilical hernia of new- born children. — Inflammatory stage of coryza. — Dry coryza. — Excessive sensitiveness of the respiratory organs. — Catarrhal inflammation of the mucous membrane of the air-passages. — First stage of catarrh of the larynx and trachea. — Catarrhal affections of persons who suffer with haemorrhoids, with violent titillation in the throat, and little or no secretion of mucus.— Constrictive spasm in the larynx.— Cough proceeding from roughness and titillation in the larynx, increased by motion, reading, reflection. Titillating cough with distensive head- 148 Nux VOMICA. ache, and bruised pain in the abdomen. — First stage of hooping cough. — Pneumonia. — Parapleuritis. — Pricking pains in the left side of the chest. — Neuralgia of the chest. — Neurosis of the pneu- mo-gastric nerve. — Pleurodynia. — Spasm in the chest. — Dysp- noea. — Asthma. — Suffocative fits after midnight. — Asthma hu- midum nocturnum. — Spasm of the heart — Angina pectoris. — Myelitis, acute and chronic. — Spinal irritation, aching, tensive and burning pains, with painfulness of the vertebrae to the touch, paralytic sensation in the limbs, alternating with clonic spasms. — Neuralgic affections of the spinal marrow and the sentient and motor nerves coming from the affected parts. — Spasms of the dorsal muscles after a cold. — Pain in the small of the back after catching cold by the feet. — Stitching and bruised pain in the small of the back. — Periodical pain in the small of the back, extending up to the shoulder and down to the genital organs, increased by motion and accompanied with constipa- tion. — Rheumatic affections of the limbs.— Paralysis of the left arm.— Paresis of the hands, in drunkards.— Ischias.— Ischias with nightly pains as if the limb were broken. — Lumbago. Spasms in the lower extremities, after a cold. — Paralysis or paresis of the foot. — Pseudo-erysipelas of the knee and foot.— Cramp in the calf.— Cramp-like contraction of the soles and toes.— Burning-stitching, intense pain, with swelling of the heel, increased by walking. Large doses are antidoted by wine, coffee, camphor and opium.