Generalities
Nux-v. is an every day remedy. It corresponds to many diseased conditions to which a modern man is prone to. It is useful to those persons who lead a sedentary life, doing much mental work; or to those who remain under stress and strain of prolonged office work, business cares and worries. Such persons in order to forget their worries are apt to indulge in wine, women, rich stimulant food and sedative drugs; and ill effects from which they are apt to suffer. The typical Nux. patient is rather thin, spare, quick, active, nervous and irritable. It affects the nerves, causing hyper-sensitiveness, and over impression- ability_mentally and physically. Produces DIGESTIVE DISTURBANCES; partial congestion and hypochondriacal states. Dyspeptic persons who always select their food for experimenting, that is digested little. He is subject to spasms, convulsions, and fainting. The patient seems to be always out of tune; THE ACTION IS VIOLENT, often irregularly fitful or inefficient. Twisting, and jerks. Spasms, tetanic, with consciousness; worse by slightest touch, but better by grasping tightly, or when elbow was stretched. Tense contracted feeling. Lightning-like pains. Neuralgia; prodromal. Sensation as of a rough body internally. Sensation of heaviness and lightness alternately. Bruised soreness; OF ABDOMEN, brain etc. Internal scrapy sensation or RAWNESS; in throat, larynx. Takes cold. Faintings, after stools, vomiting; after labour pains etc. Biliousness. Haemorrhages. Debauchees; much drugged patients. Trembling. Epilepsy during stool. Paralysis from apoplexy, in high livers; partial, with vertigo and nausea; with sticking pains. Reflexes increased. Firm fibered brunettes. Reversed peristalsis. Ill effects; of masturbation, sexual excess. Varicose veins, without tortuousity, black hard cords; from much standing, or from sedentary habits.
Worse
EARLY MORNING. COLD; OPEN AIR (dry); drafts; seats; wind. UNCOVERING. HIGH LIVING; coffee; condiments, liquor, drugs, purgatives, over eating. Sedentary habits. Debauchery. Mental; exertion; fatigue; vexation. Disturbed sleep. SLIGHT CAUSES; anger; noise; odours; touch; PRESSURE; of clothes at waist. Yawning. Tobacco. Music. Disappointment of ambition. Wounded honour. Mental shock.
Better
FREE DISCHARGES. Naps. Wrapping head. Resting. Hot drinks. Milk. Fats. Moist air. Lying on sides.
Mind
Active. ANGRY AND IMPATIENT; can not stand pain; so mad, he cries. Zealous; fiery temperament. Nervous and excitable. Aversion to work. Fears poverty. Sullen. Spiteful. Nagging. Violent. Ugly; suicidal, homicidal impulses. Fear of knives, lest she should kill herself or others. Fault finding. Reproaches others. Frightfully apprehensive about getting married, (girls). Time passes too slowly. Talks about one’s condition. Even the least ailment affects her greatly. Hypochondriasis. Melancholia. Delirium tremens. Cannot bear noise, light, odour, touch, music, etc. Cannot bear conversation or reading. Angry when consoled. Head-strong, self-willed.
Head
Vertigo; brain and other objects turn in circle; with momentary loss of consciousness; with black spell; on empty stomach. Bruised sensation of the brain. Dizzy and faint in a crowd or where many lights are burning. Headache in the sunshine. Sensitive scalp. Swelled forehead. Head seems larger than body. Takes cold better wrapping head warmly. Migraine. Frontal headache with desire to lean it on something.
Eyes
Bloodshot. Lachrymation from affected side. Atrophy of the optic nerve. Photophobia. Paresis of ocular muscles. Lower eyeballs yellow. Loss of vision due to alcohol and tobacco. Exudation of blood from eyes. Spring conjunctivitis.
Ears
Itching in ear through eustachian tubes. External meatus dry and sensitive. Pain; stitching when swallowing. Loud sounds are painful.
Nose
Oversensitive to strong odours; even fainting. Nose stopped, but runs water; on one side. Snuffles; of the new born. Nosebleed during sleep; from suppressed flow of piles, from coughing. Sneezing, violent, abortive; from intense crawling in nostrils (left). Coryza, fluent by day, and in open air, dry at night. Smell before nose, like old cheese, burning sulphur. Smell acute. Nose looks sharp and pointed.
Face
Red, turgid or yellowish worse about nose and mouth. Left angle of the mouth drops. Infra-orbital neuralgia; with swelling of cheek, intermittent; better when lying in bed. Jaws. snap shut; stiff. Acne from eating cheese. Pimples from excessive use of liquors. Child passes its hand constantly over face (brain disease).
Mouth
Teeth chatter. Toothache better warm drinks. Foetor oris; sour. Small aphthous ulcers in the mouth. TASTE; BITTER; sour, bad in a.m., low down in throat. Itching palate; eustachian tube. Gums; swollen, white, and bleeding. Needles at edges of tongue worse after eating; washing face in cold water.
Throat
Rough, raw; as if scraped. Putrid taste in; on coughing. Small ulcers in the throat; pain worse during empty swallowing. Stitches into ears.
Stomach
Craves piquant food; beer; fat food, chalk; stimulants. HICCOUGH; from over eating; from cold or hot drinks. Violent retching worse hawking. Eructations, sour. Heartburn. Water brash. Nausea; better if he can only vomit. VIOLENT VOMITING; bilious, sour, wants to vomit but cannot. Food lies like a heavy knot in stomach. Gastralgia; pains go into back and chest; better vomiting and hot drinks, worse from food. Indigestion. Hunger; yet aversion to food. Eructations; difficult, sour, bitter. Severe pain in stomach from injury, worse least food.
Abdomen
As of a hand about waist, clothes oppress it. Bruised soreness of abdominal wall. Liver sore, enlarged; sticking pain. Gall stone colic. Jaundice; from anger. Bowels gripe here and there. SORE BOWELS, worse COUGHING AND STEPPING. Hernia; infantile; from constipation or crying; umbilical. Flatulent colic. UNEASY, FITFUL AND FRUITLESS URGING FOR BOWELS TO ACT; better STOOLS. Obstipation. Inactive peristalsis. Strains hard at stools; feeling as if part remained unexpelled; passes small quantity at each attempt. Rectum; spasms of; flatus retained in; constant uneasiness in. Piles, itching, blind, bleeding, better cool bathing. Dysentery; stools better pains for a time. Diarrhoea; with jaundice; after debauch, during fevers. Colic in nursing infants from stimulating food taken by the mother. Colic from suppressed haemorrhoidal flow. First part of stool soft, last hard. Prolapse of rectum from diarrhoea. Dragging in anus when not at stool. Sense of goneness in the groins.
Urinary
Renal colic (right), extending to genitals and legs; with dribbling urine; better lying on back. Painful ineffectual urging to urinate. Spasmodic strangury. Haematuria from suppressed haemorrhoidal flow or menses. Spasmodic urethral stricture. Paralysis of bladder; urine dribble; in old men, with enlarged prostate or gonorrhoea. Involuntary urination when laughing, coughing, sneezing.
Male
Desire easily excited. Penis becomes relaxed during an embrace. Bad effects of onanism; sexual excess. Premature ejaculation. Cannot be in female society without having emission. Increase of smegma.
Female
Desire too strong; with burning in vulva. Menses; profuse, early and prolonged; intermittent; of dark lumpy bloody; irregular; with fainting spells. Dysmenorrhoea; cramps extend to the whole body; with constant urging to stool. Leucorrhoea; foetid; staining yellow. Inefficient labour pains; faints at every labour pain. Profuse bleeding after abortion. Prolapse of uterus; from straining or lifting. All the old symptoms are worse after menses. Lochia scanty, offensive. Nipples; sore; white spot in centre. Tensive pain when nursing. Painless gathering of milk in breast from not nursing the child.
Respiratory
Cough; violent; throwing the patient down; paroxysmal; whooping; with splitting headache; has to hold his head. Shallow respiration. Oppressed breathing. Asthma; from disordered stomach; with fullness of stomach. Hoarseness, with painful roughness in larynx and chest. Cough; with sensation as if something torn loose in the chest. Intercostal neuralgia worse lying on painful side. Asthma; with feeling as if clothing were too tight, better belching. Desire to eat during cough.
Heart
Palpitation on lying down. Heart feels tired. Angina pectoris; patient lies on knee with body leant backwards.
Neck and Back
Cervico-brachial neuralgia; painfully stiff neck; pains down shoulder (right) worse touch. Wry neck from cold or nervous shock. Lumbar ache, as if breaking; must sit up in order to turn in bed. Crawling along spine. Acute lumbago. Sacral region as if lame; after parturition.
Extremities
Arms go to sleep, numb, stiff feeling. Tense cramp in calves and soles, must stretch feet; or stand still while walking. Feet feel clubby and raw. Shooting from toes to thighs; worse after stool. Drags his feet while walking, (chorea); legs tremble; unsteady gait. Knee joints as if dry; cracking during motion. Paralysis of lower limbs from over exertion or from being soaked. Automatic motions of hand (right) towards mouth (Apoplexy). Legs stiff.
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'.