Myristica fragrans. M. officinalis. M. moschata. Nutmeg. *N.O. Myristicaceae. Tincture of powdered seeds deprived of the Mace. (The is the official direction. But t would be well to make a tincture of the nut with the Mace, as some symptoms of Mace are included. Also a fresh nut and fresh plant tincture should be prepared and tested.).
Causation
Fright. Mental exertion. Suppressed eruption. Bath (suppressed menses). Over-eating. Milk. Bad beer. Alcohol.
Characteristics
*Nux mosch. is one of the many examples of powerfully poisonous and medicinal substances used as common articles of food. The Nutmeg has a popular repute for putting off the menstrual period or else for bringing it on, as a remedy for diarrhoea, and also for boils. It is the use of ground Nutmeg for these purposes that has led to many cases of poisoning, and has supplied a large number of symptoms of the Schema. *Nux moschata is one of the most profoundly active of psychical remedies in the Materia Medica, producing states of exaltation resembling hysteria, and the mesmeric state with exalted senses and consciousness of double personality. A case reported by Stonham (*M. H. R., xl, 494) brings this out. A dark-haired young man ate two nutmegs one morning. In afternoon was exhilarated, able to do more than usual, to argue on any subject. At dinner mouth dry, great thirst, felt he could not drink enough to quench it. After dinner, head felt strange as if in a dream, but he jointed a small musical party, as he had intended. *He seemed to be two persons, and his real, conscious self seemed to be watching his other self playing. He could not play well, and had to desist. He seemed lost and when spoken to would come to himself with a start. Hearing for distant sounds much more acute than usual. A women who ate several nutmegs with the idea of bringing on abortion had the hallucination that she had *two heads. ***A.P. Williamson records (*N.Y. Medorrhinum Times, October, 1882) one case of a woman who took grated nutmeg for diarrhoea. After second dose of half nutmeg head felt queer and dizzy, then head felt large, could no reply to questions, though eyes were open and seemed to understand. Pupils dilated, eyes starting, face pale, respiration laboured. Semi-conscious and had to be shouted at, but relapsed into semi-consciousness., Pulse at first small or rapid, but during unconscious period, irregular, fuller, and weak. When consciousness first returned kept hands to her head “to prevent it falling off,’ was obliged to move her head with her hands, ” it being too large and heavy for her body.” Her chest felt as if in a vice, For some days was unable to use words properly, frequently obliged to stop in middle of a sentence and change it entirely from not being to use appropriate words. Exaltation of the senses and sensibilities runs through the remedy. One hypersensitive patient to whom I gave a single dose of *Nux.m. 30, said it seemed to put a coat of cotton wool over her. The senses of sight and touch are exalted in the same way as hearing. The mental disturbance many take all the protean forms of hysteria and even mania. Vanishing of thought. One man had complete loss of memory of his past life, and did not recover it for a week. The sensorium is disturbed as much as the mind, and a state of staggering, helpless drunkenness is induced. Connected with this are the sleep symptoms of *Nux.m., which give the leading keynote of the remedy. *Drowsiness. *Nux.m. is needed for drowsiness more frequently than *Opium itself. When any complaint causes drowsiness or is accompanied by drowsiness, Nux.m., must be considered: and if in addition there is chilliness and thirstlessness, *Nux.m. must be given. For Nux.m., m. is a chilly medicine, worse by cold and damp, better by warmth (with one or two exceptions). *Chilliness may be considered the second keynote. But quite a important is the third-*Dryness. The dryness may be only sensation, or it may be actual as well. Dryness of the mouth and tongue (usually, but not always, *without thirst), tongue so dry it adheres to the roof of the mouth. Neurotic patients who always awaken with a very dry mouth and tongue. “The *saliva seems thick, *like cotton. (I cured with *Nux.m. 30 a very bad cause of indigestion with acne in a youth who has this symptom). Eyes dry, too dry to close he lids. The skin is dry, and *Nux.m is suited to people who readily perspire. Another keynote is *tendency to fainting. This is allied to the drowsiness, sudden loss of memory, and vanishing of ideas. This is allied to the drowsiness, sudden loss of memory, and vanishing of ideas. Persons who easily faint away, from sight of blood, from standing (as to have a dress tried on), and those who have faintness or fainting during or associated with evacuations, these are likely to want *Nux.m. One or more of the above conditions will be present in the majority of cases needing *Nux.m, but there are few remedies which have more of the *striking and peculiar symptoms, the value of which Hahnemann was the first to perceive, than this remedy, and when these are present (or the well-marked conditions of worse and better ) they will be sufficient indication independently of those mentioned. Here are some *Sensations: As if drunk. Limbs as if floating in the air. Forehead as if as large again. Forehead as if pushed out. As if brain struck against side of head. Brain as if loose. Object appear much too large. Pain as of a rough body in Eustachian tube. Pricking as of electric sparks on cheek. As if wind incarcerated in stomach. As if a piece of bacon were in throat. As if food had formed itself into lumps in stomach. As if a piece of wood stretched across small of back were pressing from within out. As if heart would be squeezed off. As if something grasped heart. As if heart were beating in a vacuum. As if it were difficult to move tongue. As if blood were rushing to heart, and then all over body. As if left shoulder contained lead. As if a string were tied round arms. As of a grasping hand in upper arm. Pains as if bruised, sprained, wrenched, as if bones smashed. As if electrified. Pressure, throbbing, drawing, burning, are all common sensations. The *sensitiveness of *Nux.m. comes out in the soreness of parts lain on. The use of Nutmeg as a condiment has doubtless its origin in the fact that *Nux.m. is specifically related to weak digestion. It is indicated in conditions of excessive flatulence and when the smallest excess in eating or drinking sets up indigestion. The domestic use in menstrual irregularities has also a specific foundation. “Irregularity” is the chief note of the remedy here. Much bearing-down pain, blood dark. Uterine prolapse and displacements have been remedied by it, and threatened abortion warded off. In pregnancy, labour, the puerperal state (convulsion head jerked forward), it has a large sphere. There is a cough occurring only when warm in bed, or worse then. In constipation with drowsiness. *Nux.m. is often indicated as *Opium. Faintness during or after stool is a great indication. *Nux.m. is also haemorrhoidal and haemorrhagic. Protruding piles. Haemorrhage of typhus, fetid flatus. Incontinence of urine. The haemorrhages of Nux moschata are dark. All kinds of spasms and convulsions are developed in the provings. Catalepsy. Clairvoyant state: answers questions accurately quite out of her sphere, and on returning to consciousness knows nothing about it. Jactitation of muscles, chorea, jerks in inner parts in muscles, recovers with a start. Paralysis, with spasms and trembling, of tongue, eyelids, oesophagus. Locomotor ataxy excited by cold and wet. Puffiness, swellings, dropsy of outer parts. Buzzing sensation with numbness of hands an feet. The symptoms are worse by touch. Pressure better some symptoms and worse others. Lying on parts causes soreness. Riding in carriage causes headache, water-brash, backache. Rest better headache, worse bellyache, backache, rheumatism. Raising head from pillow causes deathly sickness. Lying down worse head. Worse on side lain on. Stitches in spleen causes bending double. Motion worse. Shaking head worse. Walking worse, ( better palpitation). Many symptoms appear in the morning. Drowsy by day. Dry mouth worse evening and night. Diarrhoea worse night. Heat better, hot summer worse (summer complaint of children), hot weather causes loose feeling in brain. Heat of bed worse or causes cough. Warmth of room causes hands to feel as if frozen. Warmth better other symptoms. Open air worse. Walking against wind causes hoarseness. Worse Damp, wet weather, cold weather, getting wet, before a shower, washing. A bath causes check of menstrual flows. Worse After eating an drinking, after cold drink. Drinking causes dry cough, colic.Drinking beer causes strangury. Brandy causes electrifying effect. Milk causes diarrhoea. Alcohol worse. Eating a little too much causes headache. *Nux.m. is suited to: Children. Women. Pregnant women. Persons with cool, dry skin, who do not easily perspire. Weakness of old age. Dyspepsia of old people. Constitutions with stiff, straight hair rather than crisp and curly. Delicate constitutions. Hydrogenoid constitution. ***P.P Wells (*Medorrhinum adv., xxi. 84) says that “in brain affections of infantile life _ in the stupor, insensibility, and unconquerable desire to sleep _ whether in idiopathic affections of the brain or in those occurring during cholera infantum _ *Nux.m. is one of the most precious remedies in the materia medica.” ***J.C. White (*H.P., xvii. 326) gives a striking instance of *Nux.m. headache better by *hard pressure in a man convalescing from a severe gunshot-wound of the head. He wanted the nurse to “bear her whole weight on it.” With the headache was rapid, anxious breathing, as if he could not get air enough and the “wind would be shut off.” *Nux.m. always relieved it. The 3x was first given, then a higher potency.
