Euphorbium officinarum. Gum Euphorbium. The resinous exudation or juice of Euphorbia resinifera exported from Morocco. Euphorbia resinifera is a cactus-like plant of the Euphorbiacae.
Clinical
Bone, disease of. Cancer. Cataract. Coccygodynia. Cough. Crusta lactea. Erysipelas. Eyes, inflammation of. Gangrene. Hay-fever. Headache. Heartburn. Influenza. Peritonitis. Sciatica. Syphilis. Teeth, affections of. Toothache. Ulcers. Vision, disorders of. Warts. Writer’s cramp.
Characteristics
*Gum euphorbium is one of the remedies of Hahnemann’s chronic disease. It is the principal member of the group of Euphorbian drugs, and should be studied with *Croton tiglium and *Ricinus. Like these it produces gastro-intestinal irritation and all degrees of irritation of the skin. It also affects the eyes, teeth, and bones. Burning pains in the bones is an indication, and along with *Euphorb. *heterodoxa it is a remedy for the pains of cancer. (In a desperate case of sarcoma of the pelvic bones under my care nothing gave greater relief to the pains than repeated doses of *Euphorb. 6.) Painfulness of the coccyx. Caries. Old torpid ulcers. Hartmann says *Euphorb. often affords excellent service in gangrene of internal parts, “especially when consequent on inflammation of the stomach or bowels, etc., and the temperature of the body is continually diminishing, a great degree of torpor being present and the affected parts without sensation.” Gangrene of old persons. Erysipelas bullosa. Burning, which characterizes the Euphorbias generally, is well marked in this. Among the peculiar sensations are: Sensation, as if teeth were being screwed together. Jerking in tooth as if it would be torn out. Taste as if mouth were lined with rancid grease. Burning in throat as from a hot coal. As it flames were rushing out of mouth and throat. Feeling in middle of chest as if hot foot had been swallowed. As if left lobe of lung were adhering. (Munninghoff records a case in which the patient had two violent attacks of night cough. They occurred as soon as she touched the bed in lying down, and continued as long as the remained in it. Accompanying symptoms were: Pain in right temple, cold feet, and pain in heel. After failure of many remedies *Euphorb. off. f, one drop in a glass of water, to be sipped occasionally, gave instant relief, but she had to continue the remedy or the cough returned.) Sudden starting up in bed as from an electric shock. As if a thin cord lay under the skin. Prostration is present as with the other Euphorbias, but *Euphorbium has, in addition, periodic cramp, writer’s cramp, and convulsions with loss of consciousness. Most symptoms are worse at night and in the morning. Rest worse, motion better. Paralytic weakness in joints worse on beginning to move. Painfulness of coccyx, worse on rising from sitting. Heat worse, cool applications better. Touch worse.
Relations
*Antidoted by: Camph., Opium, large quantities of lemon juice. It *antidotes: Arsenicum, Nux-v. v. *It follows: Graphites, Lachesis, Pulse., Sepia, Sulphur *Compare: Colchicum, Elat., Antim tart., Veratrum, also the Euphorbiacious plants; Acal., Crot-t., Jatroph. c., Mancin., Mercurialis. Ricinus, Yucca fil., and the various Euphorbias.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Anxious apprehensions. Seriousness and taciturnity. Earnest quietness, reflective, seeks quiet, though with inclination to work.
Head
Turning vertigo, which causes falling sidelong. Vertigo when standing or walking in the open air. Pressive, shooting headache. Pain, as from a bruise in occiput, worse in morning, when lying, from heat, better by motion and cooling the head. Screwed-in sensation in whole brain.
Eyes
Inflammation of the eyes, with itching and dryness of the eyelids, and of the canthi. Chronic inflammation of the eyes. Smarting lachrymation, and nocturnal agglutination of the eyelids. Copious secretion of mucus in the canthi. Opacity of the cornea. Clouded vision. Myopia. Diplopia, seeing a person walk before him he imagines he sees the same man walking after him.
Ears
Otalgia in the open air.
Nose
A suffocating itching in the nose, extending to the brain, with abundant flow of mucus from the posterior nares. Frequent sneezing.
Face
Erysipelatous swelling of the cheek, with eruption of yellowish vesicles (full of yellowish humor), and piercing and digging pain. Red, inflamed, painful swelling of the face, with yellowish blisters secreting a thick yellow fluid. Pale (white oedema-like) swelling of the cheek. Burning pain in the face.
Teeth
Pressive, shooting toothache, or with piercing pain, aggravated by contact or mastication, or else at the beginning of a meal, with shivering and pain in the head, and in the cheek-bones. Brittleness of the teeth.
Mouth
Dryness of the mouth, without thirst. Salivation with shuddering inclination to vomit. and pinchings in the stomach. Saltness of the saliva.
Throat
Burning pain from the throat (as from a hot coal) to the stomach, accompanied by heat (as if a flame were rushing out), anxiety, trembling, and water-brash.
Stomach
Sickly, rancid, bitter taste. Strong thirst for cold drinks. Empty risings. Hiccough. Water-brash, with heat, anxiety, and trembling. Vomiting (with diarrhoea). Pain, as from a bruise, in the stomach. Relaxation and flaccidity of the stomach, with retraction of the abdomen. Contractive cramps in the stomach. Pinchings, and sensation of clawing in the stomach. Burning pain in the stomach and in the epigastrium. Inflammation of the stomach.
Abdomen
Constrictive pains in the abdomen. Spasmodic colic, flatulent, with pains as if the tissue were being separated, or of pressure upwards, generally better by supporting the head on the knee and the elbow. Sensation of emptiness in the abdomen as after an emetic (morning). Burning pain in the abdomen. Tearing in the groins, such as follows dislocation.
Stool
Hard stool to pass. Urgency to evacuate, with itching in the rectum (stool like glue). Liquid diarrhoea, with tenesmus. Stool first thin, then knotty. Sensation of burning in the anus, and pain as from excoriation in the abdomen.
Urinary Organs
Urgency to make water, with difficult discharge, scanty and drop by drop. White sediment in the urine. Itching stitch in the external portion of the urethra between the acts of urinating. Flow of blood from the urethra.
Male Sexual Organ
Tearing lancinations in the glans penis. Voluptuous itching in the prepuce. Tearing in the testes. Burning pain in the scrotum. Constant erections, without sexual desire. Discharge of prostatic fluid from a relaxed penis.
Respiratory Organs
Dry, hollow cough, excited by a burning tickling in the trachea and the chest. Dry cough, day and night, as from oppression, with frequent expectoration in the morning. Attacks of violent cough
commencing as soon as patient touches the pillow and continuing as long as she remains in bed.
Chest
Difficult respiration and short breath, with tensive pain in the muscles of the chest. Oppression of breathing, as if the chest were not wide enough, with tension in the pectoral muscles, especially when turning the body to the right side. Sensation of spasmodic distension in the chest. Sensation as if one of the lobes of the liver were adherent. Sensation as if the left lobe of the lung were adhering. Aching in the muscles of the chest. Pressive lancination on the sternum. Lancination in the left side of the chest, during repose, mitigated by movement. Warm feeling in the middle of the chest, as if hot food had been swallowed. Burning pain in the chest.
Back and neck
Sweat in the neck. Cramp-like pain in the dorsal spine, in the morning in bed, when lying on the back.
Upper Limbs
Paralytic tension in the joint of the shoulder, during repose, better by walking. Scarlet streaks on the front-arm, itching when touched. Cramp-like tractions in the hand, after writing.
Lower Limbs
Pains of dislocation in the hips. Burning pain at night in the thigh bones. Great weakness of the legs. Cramp-like contraction of the toes. Cold perspiration of the legs in the morning. Sore pain in (right) heel when walking in the open air. The feet go to sleep frequently when sitting.
Generalities
Tearing of pressive or shooting pains in he limbs, especially during repose, mitigated by movement. Rheumatic pains worse when at rest. Shooting and tensive pains in the muscles. Cancer pains. Paralytic weakness in the joints, with difficulty in rising from a seat, or when beginning to move. Great relaxation and lassitude. The majority of the symptoms are worse during repose, by a sitting posture, and by the touch. Burning in the bones. Caries.
Skin
Gnawing and burning itching, which provokes almost constant scratching. Streaks of a purple-red on the skin. Furunculi. Indolent ulcers. (Sphacelus?) Cold gangrene. Blood-boils. Warts.
Sleep
Drowsiness during the day, accompanied by frequent yawnings. Drowsiness after dinner. Comatose somnolency during the day. Difficulty in sleeping in the evening, with trembling and starts. Frequent waking. Sleeps with his arms extended over his head.
