The headaches for which belladonna is suitable are those where the face is red and hot, the pulse bounding, the head throbbing, the pains burning or shooting, and mainly in the front part of the head; there is often a feeling of expansion outwards, or a stabbing from one temple to the other. The headache is worse from lying down flat, stooping, noise, light, odours, motion, any jar or touch, or from cold; it is better from sitting upright, perfect stillness, strong pressure, and wrapping the head up warmly and tightly. The scalp is exceedingly sensitive, so that even the weight of the “done up” hair causes pain and the patient lets it hand down. This kind of headache may be the result of concussion or reflex from the uterus or ovary, it may be caused from catching cold, from having the hair cut, or from exposure to the rays of the sun. Vertigo is often present, worse on stooping, rising, or any change of position.
The eye affections calling for belladonna are those inflammations that come on suddenly with great redness and swelling of the conjunctivae, and pain and intolerance of light. The eyes feel dry, as if sand is in them and the lids are stiff and heavy. There are bright flashes of light, and often a halo, usually of red colour, around artificial light. It is not necessary that the pupils should be dilated to render this drug a suitable remedy in eye affections. It is useful in iritis and retinitis when other symptoms agree.
Ears.-Belladonna is suitable for acute otitis in the early stage and is indicated by acute, tearing pain, intolerance of noise and by ringing and roaring in the ears.
Nasal.-Symptoms referable to the nose, indicating this remedy, are great sensitiveness of smell, shining redness of the tip of the nose, frequent sneezing and nose-bleeding (acon., bry.) with congestion of the head.
Digestive System.-It is a remedy for inflammations of the first part of the alimentary canal-of the gums, palate, great thirst which drinking does not relieve, by dryness of the mouth and a red, dry tongue, the papillae of which are elongated, producing the so-called “strawberry tongue,” by scarlet redness of the fauces and pharynx, and by great difficulty in swallowing, which is very painful. The tonsils are red and swollen, especially the right; and the whole throat is red and shining. The constant efforts to swallow set up spasms which almost choke the patient. The cervical glands become suddenly inflamed. For acute sore throats of this description, for the early stage of quinsy and the sore throat of scarlet fever, belladonna is a notable medicine.
Toothache in the right upper teeth, worse at night and from cold air, and nervous prosopalgia, with cutting pains and the same modalities, are cured by belladonna (puls.)
It is not much used as a stomach medicine, but has been employed for gastritis with violent vomiting (an indication for it in measles), when there is great desire for lemons and lemonade.
It is one of the first remedies to be thought of in inflammations of the peritoneal covering of the abdominal viscera. The abdomen is distended, painful, and very sensitive to touch or the least jar. It feels pungently hot to the hand. The pains are clutching and come in spasms. It thus is a remedy when peritonitis is threatening or is recent, in such conditions as appendicitis, hepatitis, metritis, and puerperal peritonitis, and during the period awaiting operation for them, or in such accidents as volvulus, strangulated hernia and intussusception. The abdominal pains are better from bending forwards slightly, and worse from bending backwards and strongly forwards, as either of these positions increases pressure on the inflamed parts. The stools are usually green mucus (arg. nit., merc., puls., sulph.), but they may contain lumps like chalk; there is much spasmodic constriction of the sphincter ani and some tenesmus. It has been found useful in dysentery in children when these characteristics have been present. The patient gets red in the face when straining.
In the urinary sphere there may be paralysis of the vesical sphincter with involuntary escape of urine, which would be an indication for its used in enuresis, or there may be paralysis of the bladder with retention when there is generally frequent desire, but the urine can escape only drop by drop on account of mingled paresis of the sphincter and painful spasm of the walls.
Sexual Organs.-Belladonna has scarcely a place in the treatment of diseases of the male sexual organs, but is of great value in those of the female, especially for dysmenorrhoea in strong plethoric girls, when the menses are premature and profuse, and consist of bright red blood intermingled with clots, and are badly smelling. The pain is severe, of a constricting character, is felt more towards the right side and comes in spasms. The flow, which follows each spasm, comes in gushes. There is present also a forcing down as if the pelvic contents would protrude at the vulva, which is worse in the morning (lil. tig., nat. mur., plat., sep.). The uterine region is sensitive to the least jar or sudden movement, and the patient cannot bear the legs to be stretched straight out as that position increases the pressure of the abdominal walls on the underlying organs. In parturition belladonna will promote delivery when there is a rigid os uteri, and it is very useful after delivery for haemorrhage of bright red blood that comes in gushes and feels hot to the patient. It is a remedy to be used when the lochia are offensive or suppressed. It has also been used spread on plaster to suppress the milk when it is desired to wean the child, but in this case it acts merely by affording support to the breasts, and adhesive plaster would have the same effect. “The secretion of milk is not materially changed by atropine, whether the alkaloid is carried to it by the blood or is applied locally.” (Cushny, “Pharmacology,” eight edition, pp. 340. 352.)
Respiratory System.-Belladonna causes dryness, hoarseness and congestion of the larynx, and is most cough is dry, short and barking, it started by a tickling or feeling of dust in the larynx, it comes in paroxysms with intervals of rest, and is quieted for a time by the expulsion of a small pellet of mucus. The larynx is painful to pressure, and the cough is worse from lying down. It will often disturb the patient just as he is going to sleep, or will awake him from sleep. The larynx is sore, there is hoarseness of voice, the the voice changes its key.
It has been found a good remedy for acute pleurisy in the early stage before effusion has taken place, and is indicated by a sharp pain from breathing or movement, that is worse from lying on the affected side (bry. the reverse).
Spinal Symptoms.-Belladonna is a medicine to be thought of for irritability of the spine due to congestion of the spinal nerves. There are cuttings as from knives in the bones of the spine, which are aggravated by pressure on them, also lumbago pains which come on suddenly and shoot down over the hips into the thighs and legs. The hyperaemia of the spine causing these symptoms is often associated with inco-ordination, but, as there is no organic lesion of the cord produced by belladonna, this symptom is only transitory and must not be taken as warranting the use of the drug and locomotor ataxia.
In the extremities are various shooting and pressive pains and a sensation of stretching and twisting. There are also tearing and swelling in the joints, with redness and great sensitiveness to motion or jar. The joint pains are relieved by hot applications, and the patient cannot bear them to be uncovered. These are the local indications for the employment of belladonna in rheumatic fever.
It is a valuable remedy in convulsions, especially those occurring in children. The convulsions indicating it are those which occur suddenly with head troubles and cerebral irritation, they are symptomatic, as in the teething or worm affections of children, and do not arise from deep-seated causes. It is unsuitable for convulsions arising from brain tumours or permanent organic lesion; it avails for epileptiform convulsions rather than for true epilepsy.
Sleep, &c.-Belladonna is indicated for irritability of the nervous centres, shown by jerkings and startings of the limbs, especially when they occur on dropping off to sleep or wake the patient out of sleep, also for twitchings of the facial muscles, which may or may not be associated with neuralgia. Sleep is restless, interrupted by the above-mentioned jerkings and by anxious dreams of fire or murder, from which the patient awakes frightened, or talks or moans in his sleep. He may be sleepy and yet unable to sleep. The feet are cold and the sleeplessness is from hyperaemia of the brain. Anything that will draw blood away from the brain will promote sleep in belladonna cases.
The skin, when this drug is required is red, hot, dry and shining; there is dermographia. This state of skin is an indication for it in scarlet fever and erysipelas, in both of which it has been much commended. The coincident throat and tongue symptoms of scarlet fever make belladonna very homoeopathic to that disease, and it has found favour not only in the treatment of the attack but as a prophylactic. In erysipelas it is suitable for the cases where the skin is smooth, tense and shining and very sensitive to touch. It there are vesicles, rhus tox. is called for Belladonna is useful to abort commencing boils and pustules when the surrounding skin is red and sensitive.
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,