The headaches for which nux is suitable are usually caused by or accompany disorders of digestion, or are the after-effect of a debauch. They come on usually in the morning, immediately on waking, and are either ill-defined as to place or are frontal, vertical or occipital. They are congestive, with giddiness, flushed face and constipation, there is a sensation as if the head would burst, or a feeling as if a stone crushed the vertex, or an intoxicated sensation. The headaches are worse in the morning from mental or physical exertion, from eating, wine and coffee; and better from lying down quietly in a warm room. Nux is useful for a vertex headache occurring at the menopause, it is also remedy for a neuralgic headache which is usually supra- orbital and recurs every morning (cedron, nat. mur., spigelia) and for a unilateral headache caused by excessive use of coffee. It has been used for apoplexy when the attack has been preceded by vertigo, buzzing in the ears, nausea and urging to urinate, and has occurred in plethoric individuals who have been free livers.
Eyes.-Nux is a medicine for amblyopia, especially when occurring in drunkards or when caused by tobacco; it is useful in ciliary and supra-orbital neuralgia, in conjunctivitis and in asthenopia from retinal hyperaesthesia; there is photophobia, with flashes of fire before the eyes when looking towards a bright light, and pain shoots to the top of the head. It hastens the absorption of the ecchymoses that sometimes suddenly appear beneath the scleral conjunctiva.
Ears.-Nux is a remedy for Eustachian catarrh when there is itching along the Eustachian tube, with a frequent desire to swallow, which is accompanied by stitching pains in the ears.
Mouth and Teeth.-It is of great service to heal the small ulcers inside the lips and mouth and about the gums which often occur with disordered stomach and also for toothache with swollen face, the pain being worse from eating and from cold taking cold things into the mouth, and better from warm drinks.
Face.-It is useful for intermittent neuralgia of the infra- orbital branch of the facial nerve, coming on usually in the morning and relieved by warmth.
Urine.-Nux vomica is indicated in spasmodic affections of the urinary tract, such as the irritable bladder of gout or alcoholism, there is strangury, straining to pass water, which either does not flow or comes spasmodically in driblets, with pain at the neck of the bladder and down the urethra. It may also be used in paralysis of the bladder with constant dribbling and for the dribbling of urine in old men with enlarged prostate, as well as for irritability of the bladder caused by the use of a catheter, when the desire to micturate is counteracted by spasm of the sphincter. It is of value in relieving the pain of ureteral colic, which it does by moderating the spasm of the involuntary muscular fibres of the ureter and thereby assisting the passage of a calculus to the bladder.
Sexual- In the male sexual nux is indicated for the bad effects of masturbation and sexual excesses, such as impotency from premature ejaculation of semen, spermatorrhoea and too frequent nocturnal emissions; also for gonorrhoea after the abuse of copaiba and cubebs, there is a discharge, burning on urinating and frequent urging to stool.
In women it is useful for prolapsus uteri caused by straining and lifting, there is a bearing-down sensation, accompanied by urging to pass stool and urine. It will cheek the premonitory symptoms that would issue in abortion, stop the morning sickness of pregnancy and relieve the backache, as if the back would break, which often occurs in a pregnant woman, and is worse as soon as she lies down, she feels she must get up and walk about. In labour, nux is to be given when the pains though violent are inefficient and cause fainting, they extend to the rectum, causing desire for stool, and to the bladder, with frequent call to urinate. It has been given for violent after- pains. It is useful for dysmenorrhoea when the menses are too soon and too copious, are accompanied with violent cramping pains with urging to pass stool and urine, and when the patient is oversensitive, inclined to faint, and has nausea with chilliness. The flow is dark, comes irregularly, ceases at night and there are some clots. The pains extend from the hypogastrium over the body, are aggravated by a current of cold air and are relieved by hot-water bottles and pressure.
In the respiratory sphere, too, it is in spasmodic affections that nux has proved of value; for spasmodic asthma associated and dependent upon indigestion, and for a dry cough excited reflexly from the stomach or liver, and which shakes the head painfully and strains the abdominal muscles. It is useful in whooping-cough associated with a splitting headache.
Circulation-In palpitation after eating, from drinking coffee, or from mental over-exertion nux will act as a sedative, and it is equally useful in false angina caused by indigestion, suppressed haemorrhoids, tobacco or alcohol.
Nervous System- Intercostal neuralgia, better from lying on the well side, is ameliorated by nux, as is also cervico-brachial neuralgia with stiff neck, worse in the morning, after eating and from touch. Muscular twitching, spasms, cramps and jerking of the limbs on going to sleep, or from any slight impression, are indications for nux. It is of value in convulsions with tetanic rigidity and opisthotonos, with intervals of relaxation, convulsions that are renewed by the slightest touch, and when there is full consciousness throughout. Such conditions may occur in children and others from indigestion, is of service in partial paralysis, with gastric symptoms, in drunkards, in delirium tremens, and as an intercurrent remedy in locomotor ataxia and multiple sclerosis, bit it must be remembered that the action of nux of the spinal cord is functional, and that organic changes are, so far as is known, not caused by it. It should be though of for obsessional states, especially of violence, and for alcoholic confusion and toxemia.
Back and Limbs-The rheumatic affections for which the drug is suitable are those of the larger joints and the large muscles of the back. It is valuable for lumbago, when the pain is as if bruised or broken, is worse in bed and the patient cannot turn over without first sitting up. The joints are pale, swollen and tense, there are numbness and twitchings in their neighborhood and the pain is worse from jar or cold.
Skin-Acne of the face from indigestion, urticaria with gastric disorders, and crops of small boils, are curable with nux.
Fever-It is indicated for intermittent fevers of the kind described above, when the chill begins in the extremities and back, when the heat is prolonged and the sweat light, and when the patient desire to be covered up during all the stages.
Given in material doses, strychnine and nux vomica are used as a general and stomachic tonic, as a stimulant to the central nervous system in almost every form of paralysis, in blindness from commencing atrophy of the optic nerve, and in chronic alcoholism.
Nux vomica antidotes the abuse of aromatics, drastic, purgatives, narcotics, effects of coffee and alcohol and mercurial tremors.
LEADING INDICATIONS
(1) Increased reflex excitability.
(2) Convulsions, tetanic, with complete retention of consciousness.
(3) Hypersensitiveness of all the senses.
(4) Faintness, from slight impressions.
(5) Must be covered and kept warm in all stages of fever.
(6) Gastric disorders, from rich food, alcohol, condiments, drugs, coffee, sexual excesses, overwork, anxiety, sedentary occupation.
(7) Headaches, from the same causes and associated with gastric troubles.
(8) Constipation, with frequent ineffectual urging.
(9) Urging to stool and urine in abdominal and pelvic complaints.
(10) Spasmodic constrictions in excretory passages: ureters, gall-ducts, intestines, bronchi.
(11) Sensitiveness to cold and cold winds.
(12) Tetanic spasms from slight stimuli. Twitches, jerks, cramps.
(13) Complaints on walking and in early morning, 3 to 4 a.m., sleeplessness after those hours.
(14) Thin, irritable, impatient, choleric persons, with dark hair, who make great mental exertion and lead sedentary lives.
(15) Persons addicted to wine, coffee, pepper, condiments, drugs.
(16) Debauchees.
AGGRAVATION;
From open air, motion, mental exertion, 3 to 4 a.m., in morning, cold water, dry weather (except facial neuralgia), sunshine (headache), warm room (fainting), wind, eating, coffee, cold food, wine, touch, coughing, pollutions, after stool (fainting), during and after menses, on waking, noises.
AMELIORATION:
From wet weather, warm room (most symptoms), evening (headache), open air (flatulence and asthma), rest, lying down, pressure, rubbing, after stool (urging).
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,