Aconite


Dr. S.R. Phatak describes the clinically confirmed symptoms of the homeopathic remedy Aconite in his Concise Materia Medica, published in 1977….


Generalities

      The rapidity of action of Aconite, determines its symptomatology. Its symptoms are acute, violent, and painful. They appear suddenly, remain for a short while, as of a big storm, which soon blows over. Mind is affected by such emotional factors as FRIGHT; SHOCK Vexation. Nerves are excited and the patient remains under emotional and nervous tension. Neuralgic pains are very intense. FEAR IS INTENSE, SO much so that the patient becomes frantic, screams, groans, gnaws the fist, bites the nails, wants to die. Fear of fright remains. Fear accompanying most trivial ailments. Heart and arterial circulation is affected strongly producing congestion to the head, (often apoplectic) and chest. It is a remedy for acute inflammation and congestion. Haemorrhages are bright red. Pains are sticking, tearing. Sensations of burning, numbness, tingling prickling or crawling are marked. Parts feel big or deformed. External soreness, with internal heaviness. Sudden loss of strength_collapse. Special senses acute. Parts remain sore or numb, after the pains. Convulsions. Faintness. Children put their hands to the affected part. Complaints caused by exposure to cold, dry weather, especially respiratory affections. Gastro- intestinal disturbances, are caused by exposure to very hot weather. It is adapted to persons of robust habit. Complaints, after surgical shocks and injury, or checked perspiration. Remote effects of fright. Cries out and grasps the genitals, Crepitation.

Worse

      Violent emotions, FRIGHT; SHOCK Vexation. Chilled by COLD; dry weather, while sweating. Pressure, touch. Night, in bed p.m. Lying on side. Noise. light. Dentition. During menses. Sleeping in the Sun. Music. Tobacco smoke. Inspiration.

Better

      Open air. Repose. Warm sweat.

Mind

      Great ANXIETY; AGONIZING FEAR and RESTLESSNESS, accompany every ailment however trivial. Fear of death, of crowds, or crossing the streets, of future, of touching others passing by. Impatient; besides himself; frantic; from intensity of pain. WITH FEAR, screams, moans, gnaws the fists, bites the nails; wants to die. Afraid to go out of the house. Forebodings, predicts the time of death. TERROR STRICKEN. Music makes him sad. Clairvoyance. Feels as if what had just been done were a dream. Delirium. Fitful moods; laughing, singing, then sad and fearful. Anxious excited, nervous, feverish. Imagines some part of the body is deformed. Imagine they do all their thinking from stomach.

Head

      Heavy, hot, bursting. Burning; undulating sensation in the head. As of a hot band about head, or boiling heat in brain. Violent squeezing or bursting in forehead or eyes. Headache with increased secretion of urine. Vertigo worse on rising or any other motion of the head or of the body. As if hair were pulled or stood on end. Crackling in head. Pulsation in forehead. Knocks the head.

Eyes

      Feel dry and hot as if sand in them. Lids; swollen, hard and red Shooting pain in eyeballs. Cannot bear the reflection of Sun from the snow. Conjunctivitis from cinders or other foreign bodies. Eyes, glitter stare, bleared. Aversion or desire for light.

Ears

      Very sensitive to noise. Music is unbearable. As of a drop of water in the ear.

Nose

      Numb with epistaxis. Smell acutely sensitive. Pain at the root of the nose. Nose dry, stopped up or runs hot scanty watery discharge.

Face

      ANXIOUS expression; becomes pale and red alternately. Hot, red cheeks. Red face becomes deathly pale on rising or he becomes dizzy. One cheek red hot other pale and cold. Neuralgia with restlessness tingling and numbness. Lips black, dry, peeling off. Heavy feeling of the whole face.

Mouth

      Toothache in sound teeth. Throbbing in, teeth and head. Grinding of the teeth. Gums hot and inflamed. Tongue feels as if swollen. Everything tastes bitter except water, which has bad taste. Trembling and temporary stammering. Mouth and tongue numb; dry burning heat in mouth. Tingling on coughing and swallowing. Chewing motions of lower Jaw.

Throat

      Red, dry, hot, constricted, chokes on swallowing. Tonsils swollen and dry.

Stomach

      Vomiting with fear, heat, profuse sweat and increased urination. INTENSE BURNING THIRST. Craving for beer, acids, bitter drinks. Thirst worse after iced drinks. Hungry. Milk disagrees. Projectile vomiting. Violent bilious or bloody vomiting. Pressure in stomach with dyspnoea. Wine generally ameliorates. Nausea and sweating before and after loose stool.

Abdomen

      Sensitive to touch. Colic, no position relieves. Hot distended. Jaundice; of newborn; from fright. Incarcerated hernia. Stools; of pure blood; slimy, grass green or white worse hot days and cold nights. Dysentery. Watery diarrhoea in children in hot days, they cry, are restless and sleepless. Itching and sticking at anus; as of a warm fluid escaping from the anus.

Urinary Organs

      Urine scanty, red, hot, painful. Retention or suppression of urine; in new born; due to cold exposure, with handling of genitals. Agonizing dysuria. Cystitis. Urethral chill.

Male

      Orchitis, testicles feel swollen and hard.

Females

      Suppression of menses from fright or cold, in plethoric patients. After pains with fear and restlessness. Maniacal fury, on the appearance of menses. Active uterine haemorrhage. Ovaritis from sudden checked menstrual flow. Vagina hot, dry and sensitive. Milk fever with delirium. Increase of milk in breast.

Respiratory organs

      Hoarse, dry, croupy, painful cough or short barking, ringing, or whistling cough worse from every inspiration, at night, drinking; grasps the throat. Cough better lying on back. Shortness of breath during sleep; sits erect. Laryngitis. Croup with fever. Violent congestion of blood in the chest. Pneumonia. Oppression of the chest when moving fast or ascending; in heart disease. Blood comes up on hawking. Lungs feel hot. Stitches in chest. Pleurisy. Tingling in chest after coughing.

Heart

      Feels swelled-carditis. Palpitation, with anxiety, fainting and tingling in fingers, pain down left arm. Heart pains into left shoulder, worse sitting erect. Tachycardia. Pulse fast, bounding, shaking, forcible and tumultuous or wiry, very irritable. Arterial tension.

Neck and Back

      Pain in the back, prevents taking deep inspiration. Bruised pain between shoulders, and sacrum.

Extremities

      Arms hang down powerless. Numbness of the left arm, tingling in fingers. Red finger tips. Hot hands and cold feet. Red shining swelling of the joints. Hypothenar eminences bright red. Legs powerless; feel tired during repose. Sensation as of drops of water trickling down the thighs. Jerking of left leg or arm. Palms hot.

Sleep

      Nightmares. Anxious dreams. Sleeplessness with restlessness and tossing about; caused by fear, fright or anxiety. Insomnia of the aged.

Fever

      CHILL passes through him in waves. Chill or coldness alternating with heat. HIGH FEVER; dry burning heat; in eyelids, nose, mouth, throat, lungs and palms, must uncover. Sweat drenching, wants to uncover. Sweat on uncovered parts or affected parts.

Skin

      DRY, HOT or as if ice water on it. Miliary eruptions. Itching better by stimulants.

Related

      Bell; Cham; Coffea

Complementary

      Coff; Sulph.

S.R. Phatak
A pioneer of Homoeopathy in Maharashtra, Dr Shankar Raghunath Phatak was born on 6th September, 1896. He did his MBBS from Grant Medical College, in 1924. Started his practice but somehow not satisfied with Allopathic Treatment.

He was convinced about Homoeopathy while going through Sir William Osler's writings on 'History of Medicine' so switched over to an entirely Homoeopathic Practice in 1932. He also started working on Homoeopathic literature along with his Practice.

He has contributed immensely to homoeopathic literature. He was an ardent follower of Dr Boger. His Repertory is based on Boger's ''A Synoptic key to Materia Medica'.