Semecarpus Anacardium. Marking Nut. *N. O. Anacardiacae. (East Indies.) Preparation: layer of nut between shell and kernel triturated.
Clinical
Alcoholism. Apoplexy. *Brain-fag. Constipation. Cough. *Debility. Dysmenorrhoea, *Dyspepsia. Eczema. *Elephantiasis. Examination funk. Haemorrhoids. Headache. Heart, affections of. Hypochondriasis. Hysteria. Insanity. *Memory, *loss of. *Mental *weakness. Nervous ailments. Palpitation. Paralysis. Pemphigus. Rheumatism. *Self-abuse. Skin, disease of. Smell, illusions of. Spine, affections of. Stiff-neck. Vomiting of pregnancy. Whooping-cough. Warts. Writer’s cramp.
Characteristics
*Anacardium has many features in common with its botanical relatives, the different species of *Rhus, especially in its action on the skin, muscles, and joints, but it has also very distinct features of its own. A very characteristic sensation is a pressing or penetrating pain as from a *plug, which may occur in any locality in connection with neuralgias and ear affection, piles etc., and whenever present *Anacardium will probably be the remedy. Sensation of a hoop or band around the body or about any part is a leading symptom. It has been used with success in
diseases of the spinal cord with this sensation and the feeling of a plug in the spine, worse by any motion which causes a pain as if the plug were sticking still further in. Paralysed feeling in knees. Sensation as if knees were bandaged.
The nut is heart-shaped (hence its name), and perhaps this may be taken as the “sign” of its courage-imparting properties. It has at any rate won for itself a reputation in “examination funk” and allied conditions. Brain-fag. Loss of memory is very marked. Deafness with loss of memory. Headache worse by mental exertion, better by eating. The *Anacard. patient has many mental aberrations, is clairaudient, hearing voices of persons for away, or dead, voices behind her. Seems to have two wills. Is as if in a dream. A curious symptoms is a great propensity to swear and blaspheme in persons not usually addicted thereto. Irritability. There is also a tendency to suicide by shooting (*Ant.crud.). Fixed ideas of various kinds: that mind and body are separated, that he is double, that a demon sits on his neck telling him most offensive things, that he sees everybody’s face in a glass except his own. The senses are either too weak or too acute, and there are sense illusions: a light has a halo, optical illusions in dark colours, illusions of hearing, illusions of smell: burning tinder, pigeon’s dung.I cured with it a man who had a smell of burning wood in his nose, remaining after influenza. There is a headache proceeding from before backward. Stiffness in nape of neck. Stiff-neck worse beginning to move. Whooping-cough with gaping and drowsiness after the cough. Morning sickness of pregnancy better by eating, but returns soon after. The *Anacard. indigestion contrasts with that of *Nux in a striking way. With *Nux the pain is worst for two or three hours after a meal, *during stomach-digestion, and is better when that is over, whereas with *Anacardium it is just then (when digestion is complete) that the pain is worst, and it lasts until the next meal, which again better for a time.
E. S. Breyfogle narrates a striking case (an involuntary proving) illustrating the nerve and skin effects of the remedy. Acting on Bayes’ indications, “funk before examination, ” “nerve- exhaustion from over-study. ” “nervous prostration from seminal emissions,” or sexual excess, Breyfogle has used the remedy with much success. To a patient, for excessive nervousness, he gave the 1st dilution in discs. He took two discs every four hours till eight were taken. Then a sore mouth suddenly developed, mucous membrane inflamed, burning, and acutely sensitive. Vesicles appeared on roof of mouth, and a dirty membrane peeled off easily. Gums were next affected. Mouth dry, taste offensive: at the same time a papular eruption on wrists and ankles, later on inside arms and legs, chest, neck, back, especially defined in bends of knees and elbows, and worst of all about anus. Scratching worse, but was compelled, to scratch all the same. Water as *hot as could be borne better instantly. Simultaneously the nervousness disappeared. “I haven’t had a nerve since. It has made a profound impression on my nervous system.” Later came a sudden sense of complete prostration: knees gave way, had to keep a flask of whisky by him to relieve it. Later: cold chills ran over body at least exposure, even putting arms out of bed, feared he was going to be ill, slept with hot bottles on chest all night. As eruption in mouth disappeared salivary flow increased, it ran from his mouth on pillow during sleep. “Feels as if a particles of food were in oesophagus, swallows constantly to get rid of it.”
There is not the same worse by rest and better by motion as with *Rhus, but many symptoms are worse by commencing motion (stiff-neck). Headache is better lying down. Piano-playing caused heaviness and fullness of the whole body. Like *Rhus, *Anacardium has chilliness, liability to take cold, sensitiveness to drafts, and better from warmth. The symptoms are worse morning, and again evening to midnight. 4 p-m.: heat daily. The cough of *Anacardium is better by eating. Symptoms generally better by eating, recur two hours after.
There is intermittence in the symptoms of *Anacardium “The attacks ceased for one or two days, and then continued again for a couple of days. ” Guided by this indication alone, Custis cured with *Anacardium 200 a case of sleeplessness in a pregnant woman: “Spells of sleeplessness lasting for several nights.” *Anacardium is suited to affections of the palms of the hands. There are warts even on the palms.
Relations.
*Compare: Com., Rhus-t., Rhus-v. (botanical.), Ant-t., Apis, Cori-r., Ferrum, Iodium, Jug-c., Lycopodium, nitricum acidum, Nux-v., Ph-ac., Platina, Urt-u., Pulsatilla, Natrum mur., Causticum, Thuja (fixed ideas). *It is an antidote to Rhus if there are gastric symptoms, or symptoms going from right to left. *Antidoted by: Coffea, Jug-c. *Follows well: Lycopodium, Pulsatilla, Platina *Followed well by: Lycopodium, Pulsatilla, Platina
Causation
Checked eruptions. Examinations.
Mind
Hypochondriacal sadness, and melancholy ideas. Anthropophobia. Anxiety, apprehension, and fear of approaching death. Fear and mistrust of the future, with discouragement and despair. Disposition to take everything amiss, to contradict, and to fly into a rage. Frequently screams loudly, as if to call some one, so furious has to be restrained. Manners awkward, silly. Disposition to laugh at serious things, and to maintain a serious demeanor when anything laughable occurs. State as if there were two wills, one of which rejects what the other requires. Fixed ideas: that he is double, that there is no reality in anything, all appears like a dream, that a stranger is constantly by his side, one to right., the other to the left, her husband is not her husband, her child is not hers, fondles, then pushes them away. Want of moral sentiment (wickedness, impiety, hardness of heart, cruelty). Irresistible desire to blaspheme, and to swear. Sensation as if the mind were separated from the body. Weakness of mind and of memory. Loss of memory. Soon forgets everything, consciousness of forgetfulness takes away appetite. Weakness of all the senses. Absence of ideas.
Head
Head confused. Fits of giddiness. Vertigo on walking, as if all objects were too distant, or undulating. Whirling dizziness, with obscuration of the eyes on stooping. Headache from noise, and at every (false) step. Headache with giddiness and vertigo, aggravated by movement. Digging and throbbing right side of head, and along border of orbit, better entirely when eating, and when lying down in bed at night and when about falling asleep, worse during motion and work. Headache in consequence of intellectual Labour, with pain as from a bruise in the brain, or tractive pressure in the forehead. Congestion of blood to the head, with pain in the cerebellum. Pressive pains, principally in the temples. Pressive pain in the temple, as from a nail, worse after eating, in the cold air, and from exertions of the mind. Constrictive pains in the head. Sensation of tearing in the head, chiefly on the right side, and often as far as the face and neck, followed by buzzing in the ears. In the evening, sensation of digging in the head, disappearing with sleep. Stitches in the head. Itching in the scalp.
Eyes
Painful pressure on the eyes. Pressure in the eyes as from a plug. Objects appear too far off. Photophobia. Contraction of the pupils. Weakness and confusion of sight. Myopia. Threads and black spots appear before the eyes. A nimbus round the candle in the evening.
Ears
Shooting and tearing otalgia. Painful pressure in the ears. Pain, as of ulceration, in the ears, principally on pressing the teeth close, and on swallowing. Imagines whispers of blasphemy in his ears. Discharge (of a brownish colour) from the ears. Itching in the ears. Tingling in right ear. Hardness of hearing. Buzzing and roaring in the ears.
