Dulcamara


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


Generalities

      This remedy is useful to those persons who are prone to catarrhal, rheumatic and herpetic affections on account of exposure to cold and damp. It affects the MUCOUS MEMBRANES producing excessive secretions, esp. of bronchi, bladder and eyes. Stiffness, numbness, aching and soreness of muscles on every exposure to cold esp. of BACK and LOINS. Skin affections are liable to appear before menses. Paralytic effects; of single parts, vocal cords, tongue etc. Paralysed parts icy cold. Tearing pains. Griping in bowels around the UMBILICUS; in testes. One sided spasms with loss of speech. Enlarged glands. Every cold settles in the eyes; throat or affects the bladder, respiration or bowels. Dropsy. Complaints of workers in ice-factory. Men who are exposed to constant change of temperature (air condition). Glands; swollen, indurated. Dropsy; anasarca. Exostoses. Haemorrhages; blood watery or bright red.

Worse

      BEING CHILLED -WHILE HOT. Sudden changes of temperature.COLD WET. Cold drinks, ice creams. Damp ground, cellars, beds. Cold to feet. Suppressed discharges; eruptions, sweat etc. Autumn. Night. Rest. Injuries. Before storms. Mercury. Uncovering. Hot days and cold nights.

Better

      Moving about. Warmth. Dry weather.

Mind

      Confusion, cannot find the right word, can’t concentrate his thoughts. Depression. Scolds without being angry. Rejects the things asked for. Easily becomes delirious; with pain. Difficult speech.

Head

      Occiput feels large; cold. Sensation as if a board were pressing against the forehead. Headache Better conversation. Ring worm of scalp. Scald head; thick brown crusts, bleeding when scratched, causing hair to fall out. As if hair stood on end.

Eyes

      Aching when reading. Ophthalmia from catching cold. Paralysis of upper lid. Thick yellow discharge. Twitching of eyelids in cold air.

Ears

      Ache; with nausea; whole night, preventing sleep. Swelling of parotids; after measles. Buzzing in ears.

Nose

      Aching in. Dry or profuse coryza. Stuffs up in cold rain. Summer colds: with diarrhoea. Least cold air stops the nose. Wants to keep it warm, with hot wet clothes. Nosebleed; in place of menses. Coryza of new born.

Face

      Thick, brown, yellow crusts on face. Tearing in cheeks extending to ear, orbit and jaw, preceded by coldness of parts and attended with canine hunger. Facial neuralgia worse slight exposure to cold. Cold sores on lips. Warts and eruptions on face. Twitching of lips in cold air.

Mouth

      Distorted, drawn to one side. Tongue; swollen; hindering speech; paralysed; inarticulate or difficult speech. Saliva; tenacious, ropy; with toothache.

Throat

      Pressure as if uvula were too long. Tonsillitis from every cold change.

Stomach

      Aversion to food. Great thirst for cold drinks. Nausea, with desire for stool. Shivering while vomiting. Eructations, with shuddering.

Abdomen

      Cutting pain at navel followed by painful, green, slimy stools. Diarrhoea. Sour watery stools, worse night, summer, damp cold weather. Bowels cold. Eruptions or pain about the navel.

Urinary

      Frequent urination. Cystitis. Strangury. Retention of urine, from cold or cold drinks. Involuntary urination from paralysis of bladder. Urine; cloudy, slimy or foul. Nephritis from cold. Bladder wall thickened.

Male

      Enlarged testes; with griping pain. Impotence. Herpes preputialis.

Female

      Menses watery. Rash appears on the skin before menses. Dysmenorrhoea, with blotches all over. Herpes on mammae in nursing women. Menses, milk, lochia suppressed by cold. Mammae; engorged, hard, sore, with absent menses, or leucorrhoea. Eruptions on skin after weaning.

Respiratory

      Cough; caused by tickling in the back of throat; in prolonged fits; with much loose easy expectoration; after physical exertion. Winter cough. Pain in left chest as if lung moved in waves.

Neck and Back

      Neck stiff. Pain in small of back as after long stooping. Lumbar region, and sacrum feel cold.

Extremities

      Exostosis on arms after suppressed itch. Palms sweaty. Trembling of arm (right), with urinary difficulty. Rheumatic symptoms alternating with diarrhoea or acute eruptions. Warts on hands and fingers. Swelling of calf of leg.

Fever

      Coldness; in different parts, icy of paralysed parts; with pain. Chill starts in the back, not Better by warmth worse evening. Chill with urging in stool and urination. Foul sweat.

Skin

      Eruptions, scaly, thick, crusty, moist, bleeding or herpetic worse before menses. Urticaria better cold worse sour stomach. Warts large, smooth, fleshy, flat. Pruritus. Rash in new born. Ringworm, in the hair; in children. Eczema of infants. Small furuncles on places hurt. Thick crusts all over body.

Related

      Rhus-t.

Complementary

      Bar-c; Nat-s.

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'.