Tincture from the root of Bryonia alba and Bryonia dioica (the red bryony). N.O. Cucurbitaceae.
INTRODUCTION
IN large doses bryonia is a drastic purgative but is is not used in medicine for this purpose.
It possesses very extensive pathogenetic powers irritating or inflaming many organs and tissues mucous membranes of the alimentary canal and respiratory system, the liver and lungs, serous and synovial membranes the internal ear and certain glands. A febrile condition is also produced by the drug.
PATHOGENESIS.
(1) MUSCULAR AND FIBROUS TISSUES.- Pains described as “like rheumatism, ” soreness of the bellies of muscles, tenderness around joints shooting, aching and tearing pains in almost any part of the body are induced by bryonia. They have the distinguishing feature of being worse from any movement. The joint condition closely counterfeits acute rheumatism pain, swelling even redness being caused, and the correlated symptoms of tenderness when pressed or touched is noted in the finger- joints, &c there is a tendency for the right side to be more affected than the left. In the upper limb it is conspicuously so. Numbness and tingling (“as if gone to sleep”) suggest involvement of nerve sheaths. Another modality is increase of pain in a hot room, or when the patient becomes overheated. This modality is a general one with local exceptions, as will be seen later on.
The conspicuous bryonia pains are felt in the lower limbs as in the upper, but in the former one or two features come out more strongly.
(a) That of weakness or staggering unsteady gait, due doubtless to the legs having to support the weight of the body, and it is felt both on going up and down stairs. In one instance, however, the weakness was distinctly less when going downstairs. In several instances the pains were felt when sitting or lying, which may appear inconsistent with the strong bryonia characteristic of relief from rest. Hahnemann draws attention to these as alternating symptoms. Another possible explanation of the apparent inconsistency is that the symptoms which are distinctly worse on movement are muscular, and those more noticeable when at rest due to involvement of the fibrous tissues. (b) A second feature very prominent in the lower extremities is the aggravation from (or sensitiveness to) touch or pressure in any form, ex.gr., in the sole or heel when treading, or in the abdomen.
External chest and Back.- pains of a similar character occurring in the muscles of chest back and head call for no special notice notice. Like the limbs the right side is chiefly affected. Inspiration naturally aggravates the pains, being a muscular effort; the same sensitiveness to touch is noticed; and the same exceptional feature of relief from moving; stooping aggravates. The verbal description does not always enable the reader to distinguish between muscular and pleural pains.
pain in the nape is frequent, at the point of muscular insertions into the occipital bone. Chest pain on turning, in the side on which the patient is not lying is a not worthy symptom.
It should be pointed out here that though parts are sensitive to touch and pressure, pressure which sets inflamed or painful region at rest give relief whether in the chest or elsewhere.
(2) ALIMENTARY CANAL.- The digestive system symptoms produced by bryonia, experienced by many provers, are too numerous to record in detail here Reference may be made to the various records, such as the Materia medica Pura, Allen’s Encyclopaedia, Hughes’ Cyclopaedia, Clarke’s Dictionary, or Cowperthwaite. For our purposes a summary must suffice one encumbering the description with too much detail and repetition.
Pathologically different degrees of irritation, going on in certain parts to ulceration, form the chief lesions, and dryness one of the outstanding symptomatic features.
Lips.- Burning of the lower lip and tender cracks and small vesicles are common; also, near the angle of the mouth, spots which bleed.
Teeth.- Bryonia causes pain in the teeth in various sites especially the left upper molars. They re liable to be induced by hot or cold air or substances taken into the mouth and are relieved by lying on t painful side, which (in such a case) is equivalent to saying are relieved by external warmth. some of the pains in this region (? neuralgic) are relieved by “chewing.” The teeth may feel long or loose and the gums may become spongy.
Mouth and Throat.- The palate feels dry the mouth sour or dry and sticky so that the tongue sticks to the palate. Small painful blisters or pimples or aphthae form on the tongue. The latter is coated with a very white fur. There is thirst without fever, especially in the morning. The taste may be insipid, bitter or putrid, worse in the morning and relieved by eating.
Gastric and Abdominal Symptoms.- The pains are various and are described as griping shooting, tearing crampy or colicky; they occur at any time of day or night and are notably brought on by on by or aggravated soon after, food.
A much quoted symptom is pain as of a stone (or weight) in the epigastrium, causing irritability (nux, puls.), or sensation of something heavy lying in the abdomen soon after food.
Tenderness and soreness from pressure or on coughing or breathing, are contrasted with the more crampy (colicky) pain (which is relieved by walking and by drawing up the legs). It is also relieved by hot applications and by passing flatus. Abdominal distension and rumbling or gurgling are liable to come on after every meal. “Voracious hunger without appetite” seems to or there may be large appetite. Aversion from milk though if taken it is appreciated and agrees, is a peculiar symptoms; and desire for wine or coffee may be present.
The eructations of bryonia are tasteless acid or markedly bitter-soon after food.
All forms of movement are liable to aggravate the abdominal tenderness, viz., moving the body walking, breathing deeply, coughing, &c; pressure similarly aggravates. This form of pain is liable to be associated with irritation of some of the viscera, especially with irritation or defiant inflammation of their peritoneal covering.
Stool.- The characteristic stool of bryonia is hard, large and dry, giving pain during expulsion. Diarrhoea may come on in hot weather or after getting overheated, usually in the morning.
Liver.- Prominent among the effects is sharp severe pain in the hepatic region, worse on pressure, on coughing and breathing. With this there may be a pale, sickly or yellow complexion. At other times a red, hot or puffy spot appears over the malar bone. In animals poisoned the liver was always found engorged and sometimes friable.
(3) RESPIRATORY SYSTEM.- Beginning with the ocular mucous membrane there is a certain amount of conjunctivitis, which is worse from warmth; some photophobia, together with lachrymation, is also present. The accompanying heat and feeling of dust in the eye are worse on moving the eyeball. Next there is inflammation of the nostrils, and there may be frequent bleeding of the nose in the morning in association with suppressed menstruation. A dry cough is resent, apparently arising from tickling in the throat or epigastrium; the cough causes sharp pain in the sides of the chest soreness in the windpipe and a bursting headache. It is worse on coming into a warm room, which gives a suffocating feeling as from an irritating vapour, and is worse after eating and drinking. After coughing some phlegm may be raised, and the expectoration may be blood-stained or brown in colour.
In some cases of shortness of breath, and quick breathing with severe stitches in the chest pressure with the hand or by lying on the painful side gives relief. Palpitation, with a hard, full, rapid pulse, goes with the last named group of symptoms.
Such experiments as have been made show the respiratory mucous membranes to be “extremely injected,” in some animals evidence of hepatization or of oedema of lungs is found, corresponding symptoms having been shown during life. In one case of chronic poisoning in an old woman and one experiment on a rabbit a false membrane was produced, long strips being expectorated by the woman and peeling off the throat in the case of the rabbit. though it had remained apparently in vigorous health it dies suddenly from suffocation. A membrane was found lining the larynx, trachea and bronchi to the third ramifications. some membrane was also present in the mouth. Death apparently resulted from a piece of detached membrane acting as a valve.
Irritation of pleura was also noted in a rabbit. From poisoning by eating bryony berries (B. dioica) a child of three became giddy, delirious and comatose. Excessive vomiting preceded the coma; she died in less than twelve hours. Symptoms such as convulsions, delirium lividity cold perspiration only occur in acute cases with vomiting and sometimes diarrhoea, due to the irritant acrid property of the bryonia. serious and synovial Membranes.- On post mortem examination the pleura (as just stated), the arachnoid and the pericardium have been found reddened. Fluid has been found in the pleural cavity. The pain tenderness and swelling of the joints, especially of the small joints, point to synovitis.
Edwin Awdas Neatby founded the Missionary School of Homeopathy and the London Homeopathic Hospital in 1903, and run by the British Homeopathic Association. He died in East Grinstead, Sussex, on the 1st December 1933. Edwin Awdas Neatby wrote The place of operation in the treatment of uterine fibroids, Modern developments in medicine, Pleural effusions in children, Manual of Homoeo Therapeutics,