split. The general conditions of *Nux are the best guides in such cases. But it must not be supposed that *Nux cannot cure cases which are not purely spasmodic. I have cured with *Nux many cases of bronchitis with copious moist rales and expectoration. In addition to spasms, *Nux causes languor, great nervous debility (as from sexual or other excesses), trembling, excitement with trembling, paralysis. Paralysis after apoplexy, parts cold, numb, emaciated. Hemiplegia. Locomotor ataxy has been relieved by it. *Nux is a drowsy medicine and it also produces sleeplessness. Wakes 3 a.m. and lies awake for hours, falls asleep when it is time to rise and feels heavy and unrefreshed. It is curative in cases where sleep is unattainable except from a stimulant. The symptoms of *Nux are better after undisturbed sleep, worse when sleep is disturbed. The third keynote of *Nux is *Chilliness. *Nux is one of Grauvogl’s chief hydrogenoids, and, like so many other “bitters, it is a great remedy in intermittents _ intermittent fevers, periodic neuralgias. Chilliness: Cannot get warm in bed at night. Coldness of whole body with blue hands,’ with blue skin. Cold, moist hands with cold tip of nose. Repugnance to cold or cold air: chilly on least movement, from being uncovered, must be covered in every stage of fever, chill, heat, or sweat. In the fever there is great heat, whole body burning hot, face red and hot, yet patient cannot move or uncover without being chilly (***H. C. Allen). But *Nux may have “Intolerance of covering during sweat with heat.” *Nux has hunger with aversion to food, loss of appetite, and sudden satiety. A patient to whom I gave Nux 30 said that immediately after each dose she felt as if she had nothing to eat for a week. Another patient from the same medicine developed: “Hot feeling up in throat. Biliousness. General heat and scarlet redness of face. Headache.” The red face of *Nux is a characteristic feature. Nash gives a characteristic of the menses of *Nux: “Catamenia a few days before the time, and rather too copious, or keeping on several days longer, with complaints at the onset which remain until it is over.” Nash remarks that *Calcarea has the same, but the temperaments differ, and he adds this useful note: He found that patients that required *Nux for this condition could hardly ever take *Pulsatilla for anything. For instance, if they had a green, bland, thick discharge, and *Pulsatilla were give, it would often bring on too early and profuse menstruation. Sepia, on the other hand, would cure the catarrh and not interfere with the menses. Nash deservedly italicizes Boenninghausen’s keynote: “Feels worse in morning, soon after walking, also after mental exertion, after eating and in cold air.” *Sour breath I have noticed to be a very leading indication for *Nux. Hering gives the gastric disorder of *Nux thus: “After eating, sour taste, pressure in stomach an hour or two afterwards, with hypochondriacal mood, tightness about waist, must loosen clothing, confused, cannot use mind two or three hours after a meal, epigastrium bloated, with pressure as from a stone in stomach.” The pressure *two or three hours after eating distinguishes *Nux from Nux moschata and *Kali. Bi., which have it *immediately after. *Nux has many eye-symptoms. Sircar cured cases of night-blindness with *Nux 6. He connected the disorder with the liver *(Calcutta F. of Medorrhinum, xiv. 454). ***F. A. Griffith (*H.P. ix. 211) gives an interesting example of the use of *Nux in cases which have been much drugged. Living in a part where there are no other homoeopaths he had mostly heavily drugged patients to deal with. His plan was to give *Nux 30 four times daily for four days and then see the patient again and take a new picture. A man, 45, had sciatica for six months and had taken a great deal of strong medicine internally. After four days of *Nux 30 Griffith was surprised to find his patient almost well, the trouble having “got well from above downward,” at last localizing in the heel. One dose of Sepia c.m. completed the cure.
***O. W. Smith (*H.P., ix. 210) reports this symptom as having been caused by *Nux: “Sensation under middle of sternum like a lump of hot lead as large as two fists.” Among the *peculiar sensations are: As if something heavy fell into head. As if his head were immensely larger than his body. As if pressing a nail into brain, into vertex. As if brain beaten or cleft with an axe. As if skull pressed asunder. As if hot water in eye. As if eye would be pressed out. As if he had received a bruise over eye. As if a hot plate of iron were nearly in contact with face. Face feels as if he were sitting before a hot fire. As if a ball or plug in throat. As if skin scratched off throat with a sharp instrument. As if throat too narrow. As if a stone in abdomen. As if abdomen raw and sore. As if bowels, bladder, and rectum were pressed with a sharp instrument. As if hernia would occur. As if everything in region of umbilicus were being shattered and torn. Navel as if drawn in. Chest as if drawn together. As if room had been exhausted of air. As if something torn loose in chest. As if blood would be jerked out of veins. As of a band above knees, round body. Stiffness. Numbness. Burning. Stitches. Symptoms are worse in morning, in open air, by motion, by mental exertion. Each of these is a characteristic, a combination of two or three of them may be considered a keynote. Worse In morning is the greatly predominating feature of *Nux. (The best time to give Nux is in the evening at bedtime, that is, well away from the time of its chief aggravations.] Cough and some other symptoms are worse in night, worse after midnight, worse 3 or 4 a.m. During day, drowsiness. Menses return at full moon. Although *Nux is sensitive to chill, draft, and air, most symptoms being worse by cold, cold water, and by getting wet, still the symptoms generally are worse in dry weather, better in wet weather. But wet weather worse facial neuralgia, and wet, warm, weather causes gastric and bilious fever. Warm room and warm covering better headache. But warm room causes fainting. Summer heat is unsupportable, sunshine worse headache. Open air better flatulence and asthma and worse all other symptoms. Worse In wind. Rest better. Better Lying down, on side. Motion worse. Exertion, physical or mental, worse. Worse From shaking head. Eating worse. Milk sours on stomach. When eating: heat in head. Worse From coffee, cold food, cold water, wine. Alcoholic drinks both worse and better. Tough worse. Pressure better, but cannot bear tight clothing. Rubbing better. Riding in carriage causes sickness. Coughing worse, shocks are felt in pit of stomach with every cough. Worse From pollutions. Worse From stomach derangement. Worse After stool, before urinating, when yawning, worse during and after menses (old symptoms are renewed and new ones occur). worse On waking at night. When “all medicines disagree” *Nux will often cure the morbid sensitiveness and other troubles with it. Worse From music. There is very great better for a short time after a stool.
Relations
*Antidoted by: Wine., Coffee, Aco., Belladonna, Camph., Chamomilla, Coccul., Opium, Palladium, Platina, Stramonium, Thuja (ineffectual desire to pass water). *It antidotes: Narcotic, drastic, and vegetable remedies. Bad effects of anomalies on foods, e.g., Ginger, Nutmeg, Pepper, and so-called “hot” medicines, mag. cit., Alcohol, Mercurius (tremors), Mez. (neuralgia), Ether, Thuja (urination). *Compatible after: Arsenicum Ipecac., Mg-m., Pho., Sepia, Sul. *Compatible before: Bryonia, Pul., Sul. *Complementary: Sul. (Calcarea). *Incompatible: Zincum met. (Nux and Pulsatilla have many symptoms in common, but are opposite in temperament and conditions. For all that they may be required by the same patient when temperaments and conditions are mixed. In clearly Nux cases Sepia Follows better than Pulsatilla) *Compare: In tetanus, Picrotoxin, Veratrine., Theban. Cicuta, Hy-ac., Belladonna, Aco., Physo., Phytolacca, Cura., Camph. Cerebrospinal affections, Pic-ac. Fainting in nervous women, Ignatia, Nux-m., Mosch., Gastric troubles, Bism., Arsenicum, Kreosotum, Lycopodium, Pul., Carb-v. (Carb., v. often follows Nux well in ill effects of debauchery). Asthma, Zingib., Carb., v., Lyc, Nat-s. Paralysis of sphincters, Sepia, Belladonna, Sul. (Nux at any time, Sepia in first sleep, Sul, and Belladonna in deep sleep). Bad temper before and during menses, Chamomilla (Chamomilla does not know it, Nux does), Mag-m. (Lycopodium, Before menses). Wakes 3 a.m. and cannot get to sleep, Kali-ca., Arsenicum Calcarea, Sepia Night-watching effects, sensitiveness, effects of noise, travelling by land or sea, umbilical hernia, Coccul. Fever of losing senses, Calcarea, Lycopodium, Sul., Desire to kill those there is most reason to love, Hepar, Arsenicum, Fainting or faints after every evacuation, Digitalis, Nux-m. Piles, Aesculus Leucorrhoea staining yellow, Agn. C., carb. an., Chelidonium, re. (nitricum acidum, Sepia, Pru. sp., Thuja Bloody sweat, Nux-m., Lycopodium Calcarea Impotence from abuse, Calcarea, Sul. Stricture of rectum, Natrum mur., Opium, better In wet weather, lam. Renal colic, Ocim., Tabac. Bad effects of masturbation, Chi., Natrum mur., Calcarea, Sul., Conium, Lycopodium, Cobalt. Sensitiveness, Amb,. Asarum europaeum, Castor., Nux moschata Scraped feeling in throat, Apis. “Stopped-up” Nose, Chamomilla (Chamomilla feels stopped, but discharges hot water, Nux no secretion whatever). Pain with stool, better after Coloc. (Mercurius pain and tenesmus continue after stool).
