Oleander


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


Generalities

      It has a marked action on nervous system, heart, skin and digestive tract. Paralytic conditions, with cramp like contractions of upper extremities. Paresis after infantile paralysis. General crampings. Numbness. Weakness, with trembling, in nursing women. Sense of vibrations. Emptiness in stomach and chest after eating, better brandy. Hemiplegia. Paralytic rigidity. Sopor. Unable to speak or speaks with difficulty. Discharges involuntary.

Worse

      Rubbing. Undressing. After suckling. Looking sideways. Friction of clothes.

Better

      Looking sideways. Brandy.

Mind

      Sadness, with lack of confidence and power. Morose. Peevish; distraction. Slow comprehension.

Head

      Vertigo; worse looking fixedly at an object or looking down, turning to either side in bed; with diplopia. Headache better by looking crossways, sideways or squinting. Vertigo for a long time before paralysis. Biting, itching of scalp. Moist milk crusts, worse occiput. Corrosive itching on forehead and edges of hair; worse heat.

Eyes

      As if drawn back into head. Can see objects only when looking at them sideways. Diplopia. Lachrymation; when reading.

Face

      Pale. Sunken. Numb upper lip. Lower jaw trembles when yawning.

Mouth

      Toothache only while masticating. Tongue numb. Loss of speech.

Throat

      As if a cool wind blowing on throat (left).

Stomach

      Empty feeling even after eating, better brandy; from nursing. Canine hunger with hurried eating. Throbbing in pit. Desires cold water. Aversion to cheese. Extreme debility of digestive power.

Abdomen

      Passes food undigested, in the morning which he ate the day before. Stools, thin, lienteric; involuntary; escape with flatus; in children.

Urinary

      Involuntary urination.

Female

      Tremors after nursing; so weak she can scarcely walk across the room.

Heart

      Palpitation, with weakness and empty feeling in chest, better brandy. Pains on stooping.

Extremities

      Crampy contraction of upper limbs; in paralysis. Numbness of limbs. Weakness of lower limbs. Painless paralysis. Veins on hands swollen. Hands tremble, while writing. Trembling knees when standing. Feet constantly cold. Fingers rigid and thumb turned into palm. Limbs stiff and cold.

Skin

      Sensitive, chafes and oozes or bleeds. Eruptions with itching, biting as of lice. Skin numb.

Sleep

      Sopor. Yawning with trembling of lower jaw.

Fever

      Heat from mental exertion.

Related

      Anac; China

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'.