Causticum

Generalities

Rheumatic, tearing pains in the limbs, better in bed and in warmth.

Soreness, as if bruised or pressed in the side, hip and thigh on which he lies at night, with frequent necessity to turn over.

Bruised pains in the parts when touched.

Inability to lie still a moment at night.

Uneasiness of body while sitting, with anxiety about heart.

Flexor muscles generally seem to be shortened.

Tremulous weakness, almost like paralysis, of the limbs, out of bed.

General sensitiveness to cold, and to a draft of air.

General aggravation in the evening, and in the open air, as well as from drinking coffee.

Clinical

Children are slow in learning to walk.

Cracking in joints.

The pains, neuralgic or rheumatic, make the patient very restless, but are not ameliorated by motion.

Chorea, especially affecting the muscles of the right side and eyeballs.

Epileptiform spasms or chorea-like spasms, especially at the time of puberty.

Patients requiring Caust. are weak and anaemic, have no desire and scarcely the ability to make an effort.

General tendency to paralytic affections (like all the Potashes).

Paralysis resulting from rheumatism, after diarrhoea, etc.

Mind

Morose, silent.

Melancholy ; before menstruation ; with weakness.

Anxiety and apprehension, easily frightened.

Anxiety in the evening ; is afraid to go to bed, at night with uneasiness, preventing sleep ; as if something unpleasant impended.

Disinclination for any mental work.

Absent-minded.

Distraction of mind.

Weakness of memory.

Head

Vertigo at night on rising in bed, when lying down again ; during micturition, worse stooping, better in the afternoon ; on fixing vision.

Vertigo, with falling forward and sideways.

The headaches generally consist of stitching or drawing pains.

Rarely throbbing ; worse in the evening, better during warmth.

The scalp feels tense over the skull.

Eyes

A feeling as if sand were in the eyes, with inflammation.

Burning in the eyes, with dryness, as from sand.

Dryness of the eyes, with photophobia.

Lachrymation, worse in the open air.

Biting and itching in the eyes, especially in the lids, which are red.

Involuntary closure of the lids.

Heaviness of the upper lids, as if he could not raise them, or as if stuck to the lower.

Lids seem to close from weakness.

Photophobia, with constant desire to wink.

Vision dim ; as from swarms of insects ; vision of sparks on winking.

Clinical

Blepharitis, ameliorated by open air.

Paralysis of muscles of the eye, especially of upper lid.

Weakness of the muscles of the eyeball, causing asthenopia, amounting even to paralysis, especially with feeling of sand in the eyes.

Has arrested cataract in some cases.

Frequent sudden loss of sight, as from a mist (muscular asthenopia).

Double vision from paralysis of the ocular muscles ; vision worse on turning eyes to the right.

Ptosis after catching cold.

Ears

Earache, like a forcing outward.

Painful swelling of the external ear.

Roaring and rushing in the ears, as if in the head.

Re-echoing of one's own words and steps.

Nose

Symptoms of coryza ; nose feels stopped, with very yellow discharge.

Frequent sneezing, especially in the morning.

Eruption on the tip of the nose.

Face

Yellow color, especially on the temples.

Eruption, especially on the cheeks, like acne rosacea.

Burning pain in the right cheek and ear.

Tension and pain in the jaws, so that they are difficult to open, with difficulty in eating because a tooth seemed too long.

Difficulty in opening the jaws.

Rheumatic pains in the articulation of the lower jaw.

(Paralysis of the face from taking cold, one-sided.)

Mouth

Tearing in the teeth, extending through the upper and lower jaws, extending to the nose and eyes.

Sticking pain in the teeth on biting, extending upward and downward.

Teeth very painful ; they seem to be pushed out of their sockets.

Swelling and suppuration of the gums ; fistula.

Tongue painful at the tip ; coated white on the sides, red in the middle.

Painful vesicles on the tip of the tongue.

(Paralysis of the tongue.)

General dryness of the mouth.

Sore, painful, abraded spots in the mouth on the hard palate.

Taste greasy, bitter, sour, putrid.

Throat

A feeling of swelling in the throat, with inclination to swallow.

Secretion of much mucus, which cannot be expectorated ; must swallow it.

Constant disposition to swallow, as if the throat were too narrow.

Rawness and tickling, with a dry cough ; expectorates only after long coughing.

Scraping down the back part of the throat, with dryness.

(Paralysis of the muscles of the pharynx and oesophagus.)

Aversion to sweet things.

Thirst for cold drinks.

Great aversion, with little appetite.

Eructations of air ; hot in the afternoon and evening ; of food ; as if undigested food remained in the stomach.

Nausea during and after eating.

Vomiting sour water, followed by sour eructations.

Stomach

Pains in the stomach, with heat in the head and pressure over the whole body, > lying down.

Pinching pains in the pit of the stomach on deep breathing.

Cramp in the stomach.

Pressing pain in the stomach after eating bread.

Abdomen

Sharp pains, sticking or cutting, through the abdomen, in the region of the liver, < motion, especially during menstruation, or with diarrhoea.

Stitches in the hepatic region in the afternoon.

Painful distention of the abdomen, especially in children.

Painful swelling about the umbilicus.

Deep-seated pain above the left hip as if it would burst on coughing.

Rectum and Anus :

Sudden piercing pains ; persistent pressure ; ineffectual efforts to stool.

Painful spasms of the rectum which prevent evacuation of the bowels.

Haemorrhoids, with sore pain, intolerable on walking, or on thinking of it.

Swollen haemorrhoids, with itching, sticking pain, and much moisture.

Hard, painful haemorrhoids, with stinging and burning.

Haemorrhoids impede evacuation.

Pain in the perineum.

Clinical

Haemorrhoids, intolerably painful, aggravated by walking.

Partial paralysis of rectum ; stool passed better when standing.

Pruritus of anus and fistula.

Stool

Obstinate constipation.

Painful, ineffectual straining, with anxiety and redness of the face.

Stool very small in form.

After stool, anxiety.

Urinary Organs

Insensibility of the urethra ; is unconscious of the passage of urine.

Involuntary micturition when coughing or blowing the nose ; at night in sleep.

Intermittent micturition in the evening ; last drops are delayed.

Urging to urinate, but waits a long time before the urine passes.

Frequent ineffectual efforts to urinate ; afterwards, while sitting, it is involuntary.

After passing a few drops of urine, pain in the bladder, and (after walking in order to relieve it) cramps in the rectum.

Urine often dark brown ; turbid on standing.

Clinical

Weakness of bladder.

Paralysis of bladder ; the urine is expelled very slowly and sometimes is even retained.

Weakness of the sphincter of bladder, especially in children ; the urine passes involuntarily, especially during the first sleep at night ; also, involuntarily, from the slightest excitement during the day.

Paralysis of bladder after labor ; the urine is retained.

Sexual organs, Male :

Pressing pains in the testicles.

Increase of smegma about the glans.

Itching of the scrotum.

Sexual organs, Female :

Biting, as from salt, of the pudenda after micturition.

Menstruation delayed or too early and profuse.

Menses do not flow at night ; offensive and cause itching.

Leucorrhoea like the menses, especially worse at night, with great weakness.

Clinical

Uterine inertia during labor.

Postpartum haemorrhage from inertia of uterus.

Leucorrhoea, especially aggravated at night, with great weakness.

Menstruation is delayed in its appearance in girls.

Menses late, but profuse.

The flow is clotted.

Respiratory organs :

Larynx dry ; painful on blowing the nose.

Frequent need of clearing the larynx.

Muscles do not perform their function, hence one is unable to speak aloud.

Hoarseness, worse in the morning, also in the evening, with scraping in the throat.

Cough short, dry ; deep, hollow and dry, with pain in the chest, especially down the trachea and under the sternum.

Cough hollow from adherent mucus in the chest, in which there is sticking, soreness and feeling of ulceration.

Cough wakes in the evening and in the morning, but is better during the day.

Cough always caused by talking, from a feeling of crawling in the larynx.

Cough caused by stooping.

Cough causes pains in the hips.

Arrest of breathing while talking or walking rapidly ; must suddenly catch for breath.

Rattling in the chest when coughing.

Stitches in the chest when walking in the open air.

Stitches and rawness in the sternum on deep breathing, and on lifting and on coughing.

Sore pain in the chest, generally when coughing.

Tightness, as if the clothes were too tight ; must frequently take a deep breath.

Clinical

Acute laryngitis, loss of voice and rawness and soreness in larynx and trachea (Bell. and Benz. ac).

Sudden aphonia after taking cold.

Paralysis of vocal cords.

Loss of voice in singers and speakers.

Cough, aggravated by warmth of bed, ameliorated by sips of cold water.

Cough, with sensation as if he "could not get under the mucus" to raise it.

Constant, hacking cough, with involuntary micturition.

Expectoration, as a rule, scanty ; must be swallowed ; excessive rawness in chest on coughing, especially under sternum.

Neck and Back :

Stiffness of the neck, cannot move the head.

Stiffness of the neck and throat, with pain in the occiput ; the muscles feel bound, cannot move the head.

Painful stiffness in the neck and back, worse when rising from seat.

Pains in the back during menstruation.

Stitches in the left side of the back, by the last false ribs.

Cramp-like pains in the back while sitting.

Bruised pain in the coccyx.

Extremities

Tearing pains here and there, worse in the joints, extending into the long bones.

General uneasiness in the morning in bed.

Weakness and trembling.

Paralytic weakness.

Clinical

Rheumatic paralysis of arm, aggravated by rest.

Unsteadiness of the muscles of forearm and hand.

Numbness, loss of sensation in hands.

Contracted tendons in palms of hands.

Sciatica ; on right side, aggravated by motion, especially aggravated by easterly storms.

Rheumatoid arthritis, especially in persons who suffer great weakness of the limbs, aggravated by east wind ; limbs become distorted.

The hamstrings under the knee seem too short, in chronic rheumatism.

Weakness of ankles.

Extremities, upper :

Tearing and drawings in the arms and hands.

A feeling of stiffness in the hand when grasping anything.

A shortening and hardening of the tendons in the fingers.

Extremities, lower :

Pain as if sprained in the hip joints when stepping.

Gait is unsteady ; easy falling down of children.

Cracking of the knees when walking.

Tension in the hollows of the knee when walking, with stiffness.

Cramp in the calves in the morning in bed.

Cramp in the feet.

Burning in the ball of the great toe.

Skin

The skin becomes sore easily.

Pimples form on the tip of the nose, moist eruption on the cheeks.

Itching over the whole body, worse at night in bed ; usually not > scratching.

Warts form on the fingers which are horny.

Horny growths, especially on the forehead or nose.

Sleep

Yawning and stretching, especially at night, usually without thirst ; sleeplessness with anxiety and fright, heat and frequent starting up in fright.

Anxious dreams.

Constant motion of the arms and legs during sleep, then great sleepiness during the day.

Fever

Predominating chilliness.

Profuse perspiration when walking in the open air.