Matricaria chamomilla. *N. O. Compositae. Tincture of whole fresh plant.
Clinical
Acidity. *Anger. Asthma (from anger). Blepharospasm. Catarrh. Coffee, effects of. *Colic. *Convulsions. Cough. Cramp. Croup. *Dentition. *Diarrhoea. Dysmenorrhoea. Dyspepsia. *Earache. Eyes: blepharitis, ophthalmia. *Eructations. Erysipelas. *Excitement. *Excoriation. Fainting fits. Fevers. Flatulence. Flatulent colic. Gout. *Gum-rash. *Headache. Hernia. *Hysterical joint. Influenza. *Jaundice. Lienteria. labour: disorders of, after-pains. Mastitis. *Menstruation, disordered. Miliary eruption. Milk- fever. *Miscarriage. Mumps. *Neuralgia. Parotitis. Perichondritis. Peritonitis. *Pregnancy, disorders of. *Red-gum. Rheumatism. Salivation (nocturnal). Sciatica. *Screaming. *Sensitiveness. Spasms. *Speech, affections of. Toothache. Ulcers. *Uterus, diseases of. *Waking, Screaming on. Whooping cough.
Characteristics
“There is in *Chamomilla a little thread of symptoms, and nearly always found running through it. This is a *spiteful, sudden, or *uncivil irritability” (Guernsey). Taste puts *Chamomilla at the head of one of his groups, which includes *Gratiola, *Viol. t., *Helleborus n. The common feature of this group is: “A particular derangement of the cerebral functions and even of the whole nervous system, a painful increase of the sentient action, followed by a considerable depression of the vital forces, and a certain disorder of the mental faculties.” In spite of its obvious analogies with *Pulsatilla *Ip., *Aconite, and *Coni., it has marked and exclusive characteristics of its own. “It increases the general nervous sensibility, and stimulates the cerebral functions: a property that seems to give rise secondarily to the various organic alterations that *Chamomilla is capable of producing, and for which it has so often been given with success.” “It appears,” says Hahnemann, quoted by Teste, “to diminish” (*i.e., curatively) “in a great degree, the excessive sensitiveness to pain and the violent derangements which pain occasions in the moral condition of the patient. This is the reason why it appeases a multitude of sufferings to which coffee drinkers, and persons who have been treated with narcotic palliatives are subject. And this is likewise the reason why it ought not to be given to those who bear pain patiently and with resignation. I mention this rule here, for it is of very great importance.” Teste remarks on this that *Chamomilla antidotes not only *Coffea, but also *Causticum, and most of the members of the *Causticum group. Oversensitiveness, with great irritability and crossness, is the leading note of the *Chamomilla effects. The pains are *unbearable and drive to despair, the patient insists that the doctor shall cure them at once. Prostrating debility insists that the doctor shall cure them at once. Prostrating debility as soon as the pains begin. The senses are too acute. Bad temper (*Nux is *malicious). Peevishness, ill-humour, anger, with rage, violence and heat. Cannot bear to be looked at. Cannot be civil to doctor. Impatience. *Chamomilla also looked, at. Cannot be civil to doctor. Impatience. *Chamomilla also corresponds to the *effects of anger: colic, diarrhoea, jaundice, twitchings, and convulsions. Child cries, and must be carried about to be quieted. There is *hot sweat on head. Stopped up colds, with dripping of hot water from nose. One cheek red, the other pale. Face sweats after eating or drinking. The patient is hot and thirsty with the pains. *Chamomilla is almost typical of the dentition state. The toothache of *Chamomilla comes on when entering a warm room or from drinking anything warm. There is fetor of breath, and of discharges in general. Biliousness preceded by anger. Gastralgia, food eaten lies like a load on stomach, hypochondria distended. Tongue yellowish white. Bitter taste. Colic better by drinking coffee. The diarrhoea of *Chamomilla is: stool hot, yellowish green, like chopped egg, offensive, excoriation round anus. Intertrigo of children. Wind colic, belching of wind worse the condition (this is characteristic). Menorrhagia dark clots, fetid, temper always worse before and during flow (*Nux also, but *Nux is conscious of it, *Chamomilla is not). Threatened abortion caused by anger. The pain of labour or at menses is centered in the womb, bearing down, painful contractions, *unbearable, they extend down thighs and are felt in the back. Leucorrhoea is acrid, watery, corrosive, smarting. *Chamomilla has inflammation of the parotid glands, nocturnal salivation. Rheumatism compelling to get up and walk about, thirsty, hot, almost beside himself. Muscles of face and hands twitch. Insomnia of children, start in sleep, twitching of hands and face, hot sweat of head and face, one cheek red. Puts feet out of bed, soles burn. Aggravation by heat is one of the most prominent features of *Chamomilla worse By warm food. *Chamomilla may be the remedy in croup, or croupy cough, if mental symptoms and time conditions correspond. ***W. H. Baker (Rochester) has recorded such a case. A chubby boy, light hair, blue eyes has a croupy cough. *Aconite and *Spongia at first controlled it, but afterwards failed. The cough became a loose, rattling, suffocating cough, the mucus came up in the throat and nearly suffocated him. Paroxysms at midnight. During the day he was hoarse, ever impatient, nothing seemed to suit him. *Chamomilla c.m. cured, improvement setting in within two hours. “Chamomile tea” has removed the night-sweats of phthisis. Dr. Anderson, of Dover, Delaware, relates the case of a man who had to change three to five times every night. A cup of weak chamomile tea was ordered every night. The second night there was slight diminution, the third he only had to change twice, the fourth once, and after that there was no more trouble. The plant in this case was probably *Anthemis cotula, or wild chamomile of ***U. S. Dr. Anderson learned it use from “on old woman.” But the sweats of *Chamomilla are also very marked. Nash mentions a characteristic in the association of *numbness or alternation of it with pains.” He relates the case of a man who had very painful rheumatism of left shoulder, and who got no better from the usual remedies, but was speedily cured by *Chamomilla, the indication being: “Numbness with the pains.” Nash differentiates the restlessness of *Aconite, *Arsenicum from that of *Chamomilla by the absence in the case of the last of fear of death. The *Chamomilla patient “would *rather die than *suffer so.” Lying in bed worse. Walking better backache and rheumatic pains. Better Being carried about. Touch, and even looking at the patient, worse. Covering worse. Pains recur in evening and are worse before midnight. Symptoms generally worse night. Warmth worse most symptoms. Cold better ulcers, a finger dipped in cold water and applied to the part better toothache. Worse From music, Heaviness and Fulness of whole body from playing piano. There is desire for open air, and yet over- sensitiveness to open air, especially about ears. Damp cold weather worse. Windy weather worse. Great dread of wind. *Chamomilla is particularly suited to diseases of pregnant women, nurses, and little children. Light or brown-haired persons. Arthritic diathesis.
Relations.
Chamomilla *antidotes: Coffee, and the narcotics. Especially opium as it corresponds to its secondary effects (useful in nerve storm when morphia is discontinued), the nightly headaches of Thuja It is *antidoted by: Aconite, Alumina, Borax, Camph., Cocc., Coffea, Coloc., Coni., Ignatia, Nux-v., and especially Pulsatilla Pulsatilla and Chamomilla antidote one another, and precede and follow each other well. *Compatible: Mercurius sol., Sulphur, Pulsatilla *Complementary: Belladonna In diseases of children (Chamomilla acts more on nerves of abdomen, Belladonna more on cranial nerves.) *Compare: in dentition, Belladonna, Borax, Calcarea, Terebe., in oversensitiveness, Aconite, Coffea, Hepar, Hyoscyamus, Ignatia, diarrhoea, parotitis, toothache, Mercurius (Mercurius has hard, pale swelling of face, Chamomilla red and hot), sour breath, constrictive gastralgia in coffee drinkers, Nux-v. (Chamomilla has bad temper during menses, Nux-v. has malicious temper), toothache worse in bed at night: worse from warmth, Sulphur, Mercurius, Pulsatilla, distension of abdomen unrelieved by eructation, Chi., indignation and it s effects, Coloc., Staphysagria, Nux-v., Bryonia, aversion to be looked at, Ant-c., China, Stram, better by moving about, Rhus-t., Ferrum, Veratrum, (Veratrum has maddening pains compelling to walk about, but there is none of the feverishness and excitement of Chamomilla), stopped catarrh, Nux-v., Sambucus, Stict., nocturnal salivation., Nux-v., Phosphorus, Rhus.
Causation
Dentition. Anger. Indigestion. Pain.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Attacks of great anguish, as if the heart would break, with complete discouragement, excessive inquietude, agitation and tossing, groans and tears, accompanied often by drawing colic, and pressure at the pit of the stomach. Disposition to weep, and to be angry, with great sensitiveness to offence. Crying and howling. The child cries and wants to be carried on the arm. Quarrelsome and choleric humour. Mischievous disposition in children. Mental excitement, with strong tendency to be frightened. Hypochondriacal humour. Patients neither endure to be addressed by others, nor to be interrupted when conversing. Peevishness, ill-humour, absence of mind, taciturnity and repugnance to conversation. State of mental abstraction and inadvertence, as if plunged in meditation, with diminished comprehension. A sort of stupidity, & apathy to pleasure and to external objects. Desire for different things, which, when once possessed, are no longer cared for. Tendency to misapply word when speaking or writing. Frantic and furious delirium.
