Nerium Oleander. Rose Laurel. (South Europe, North Africa, West Asia. Thrives best in moist ground.) *N. O. Apocynaceae. Tincture of the leaves.
Clinical
Brain, affections of. *Eczema. Fainting. Headache. Hyperaesthesia. *Lienteria. Memory, weakened. Numbness. Nursing women, affections of. Palpitation. Paralysis. *Perichondritis. Rheumatism. *Scalp, eruption on. Spasms. Spine, affections of. Strabismus. Tongue, coated, parched. Vertigo.
Characteristics
*Oleander, which is one of the remedies proved by Hahnemann, has been recognised as a powerful poison from antiquity. In the Cape de Verde Islands the petals of *Oleander blossoms are used with dried orange-peel in all kinds of fevers to promote perspiration and drive out the rash. In animals poisoned by it, the heart becomes paralysed, first the auricles, then the entire heart. Goullon (*H.R., xii. 402) refers to poisoning cases in which “anguish, inflammation of the stomach, diarrhoea, swoons,” and even death had occurred. “Palpitation of the heart, anxiety, insomnia, and unconsciousness,” were observed by Petrus de Alvano, and Morgagni noted “vomiting, thirst, slumbering, speechlessness, and death.” Goullon also quotes instances of suffering from exhalations of the flowers, and even from the plants when not in flower. A young man, 18, fell sick, had attacks of vertigo, suffered from great weakness of the muscles, headache better in evening, worse every morning after waking, which was a difficult process. In addition: pale face, white- coated tongue, slow pulse. On leaving for change of air he soon got quite well, but ill again as soon as he returned. Some oleanders in his bedroom were then suspected by his doctor, and on their removal all the trouble vanished. The doctor then recalled that when a student he had some oleanders before his windows, and in autumn, when the nights were cold, he took them into his bedroom, with this result: On waking in the morning heavy head and sensation of weariness, could only leave his bed by great exertion. As soon as be put his foot to the ground was seized with vertigo and reeled. Having traced this to the oleanders, he purposely repeated the experiment, and always with the same result. Hahnemann says of *Olean: “It will be found to be, if not a complete remedy, yet an indispensable intermediate remedy in some kinds of mental derangements, e.g., absence of mind, and in certain kinds of painless paralysis, in eruptions on the head, and in some external head affections.” Experience has confirmed the truth of these remarks, and more especially of the latter part of them. *Oleander is in the front rank of remedies affecting the scalp, more particularly the back part of the scalp or commencing there. “Desquamation of the epidermis of the scalp,” “violent gnawing itching on the scalp, as from lice, after scratching, a smarting as if scratched raw” are symptoms which have been repeatedly verified by cures, and I have confirmed Cooper’s experience in one very bad case, in a schoolboy, that a single dose of the O may give the best possible result in such cases. The condition was: Head very sore and irritable, covered with crusts, sore to touch. Glands in neck swollen and sore to touch. *Oleander O two drops in a powder at bedtime on November 14th. On November 27th an aggravation was reported, and the eruption had spread from the head to the back. From this time rapid improvement set in. The skin generally of
*Oleander is very sensitive and easily chafed and chapped, and this occurring concomitantly with other *Oleander conditions (for example, gastro-enteritis), forms a strong indication. The paralytic symptoms of Oleander are in constant evidence. Involuntary evacuation of faeces and urine. The digestion is paralysed, and the food passes completely undigested. Infants soil their diapers every time they pass flatus. Momentary loss of sight. *Peculiar sensations, suggestive of paralysis, are: Buzzing and humming sensations in the body. Numb or painless paralysed feeling as if inner parts were distended. Pulsations in outer parts. Gnawing itching, biting or pungent pain after scratching. Numbness of skin, or itching numbness. *Oleander corresponds to “trembling after nursing” in nursing women, to weak memory and slow perception, to functional paralysis. The headaches are mostly pressive and stupefying. Pressure as if a hundredweight were pressing brain forward, and as if everything would come out at forehead. A curious feature in connection with some of the headaches is that they are better by looking cross- eyed, or by looking sideways. This is a clinical observation well verified. There is also cloudiness of vision, worse by looking sideways. Eyes distorted. *Oleander should cure some cases of strabismus. The left side is most affected, violent contraction of muscles, worse left side. Numbness of upper and lower limbs has been frequently confirmed. A case of poisoning is recorded (*H. W., xxxiii. 9, from *Amer. *Hom.) in which a boy of four put a broken *Oleander leaf into his mouth, but quickly spat it out. In a few minutes the tongue became red and raw where the leaf had touched it. The patch, one inch by one half inch, involving the side and part of dorsum of tongue, appeared denuded, and this appearance remained a year later. Ten months after the occurrence, general roughness of the skin had developed, with a papulopustular eruption on ankles and calves. The symptoms are worse (after first better ) by scratching, by rubbing. worse In open air, by draft of air. Getting out of bed better toothache. There is thirst for cold water. Motion better stiffness of thighs. Mastication worse toothache and headache. Looking down worse (vertigo, etc.). Looking sideways worse dim vision, better headache. Squinting better headache. Rising up worse headache, vertigo. Stooping causes pain over heart.
Relation
*Antidoted by: Camph. (acute effects), Sul. (chronic effects). *Compatible: Conium, Lycopodium, Natrum mur., Pul., Rhus, Sepia, Spi. *Compare: In irritability, Staphysagria, Hyoscyamus, Nux. In fits of passion followed by quick repentance, Croc. Affections of nursing women, Carb. an. In lienteria, Ferrum (Ferrum has no pain, stool apt to occur *during a meal), *Arsenicum has diarrhoea from chilling stomach, indigestion of cold things, stool yellow, with stool great pain, burning, worse after midnight, great thirst), Arg-n. (bowels act as soon as patient drinks), Chi. (watery stool containing undigested food, very debilitating, stools may escape involuntarily after a meal, caused or worse by eating fruits), Apis, Pho., and Ph-ac. (Wide-open anus). In crusta lactea, Mez., Sul., Viol. T., Vinca min., Melitag. Gone feeling, Sepia (Oleander has with it sense of distension in abdomen, chest feels empty and cold).
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Sadness, and want of self-confidence. Repugnance to labour and great indolence. Irascibility, moroseness, and ill-humour. Temper which can bear no contradiction. Fits of passion, followed by speedy repentance. Weakness of memory. Slowness of perception. Great abstraction and inattention. Confusion when reading, difficulty of grasping the connection when reading a long sentence. Loss of memory. Giddiness. Dullness of intellect, with difficult conception. Poetical reveries concerning the future. Immediately walked five yards and fell senseless (after an ounce of expressed juice).
Head
Turning vertigo, with tottering of limbs. Vertigo on rising after lying down, or on looking downwards, when rising. Vertigo when rising from bed, or if looking fixedly at any object, or when looking down while standing. When standing erect, dizzy with double vision on looking down, not on looking straight before him. Vertigo with turning, darkness, and scintillations before eyes. Vertigo when in bed if he turns to either side. Headache with stupefaction, as if brain were tightened, as if a dull nail forced into head over mastoid process. Painful heaviness in head, better by lying down. Headache worse reading and holding up head, better lying down, worse again with nausea on rising. Violent pressive pains in temples, at one time higher up, at another lower down, while chewing. Dull pressure in head (from within out), as if forehead were about to split. Painful and pulsative beating in head. Headache better by looking cross-eyed, by looking sideways. Boring in brain. Aching of exterior of head. Gnawing itching in scalp, with soreness after scratching. Biting itching on scalp, as from vermin, principally on back of head and behind ears, better when first scratching it, which is followed by burning and soreness, which gives place to burning-itching, worse in evening when undressing. Furfuraceous or humid scabs on head ( worse on back of head), with itching, especially at night, and burning after scratching. Desquamation of scalp.
Eyes
Eyes: sunk in sockets, distorted, turned up, fixed, stony, lusterless. Lids involuntarily drawn together, as if sleepy. Pain in eyes, as if fatigued from too much reading. Aching in eyes. Burning pains and tension in eyelids, especially when reading. Lachrymation. Double vision. Cloudiness of eyes when looking sideways. Momentary loss of sight, blue colour about the eyes.
