“Pulse full, hard and rapid.”
Bryonia corresponds to many forms of rheumatism and is indicated in many acute inflammatory affections of the heart, and effusion into the pericardium.
CACTUS GRANDIFLORUS.
This powerful heart-medicine, which we owe to the celebrated Dr. Rubini, and the heroic provings of it by himself and his devoted wife (whose health it is to be feared was permanently impaired by her experience) has recently been discovered and appropriated without acknowledgment by allopathic writers. Cactus has one grand key-note symptom distinguishing it from all other drugs. In many cardiac cases there is a painful sense of constriction about the chest or in the heart itself. When a patient complains of a “sensation of constriction in the heart as if an iron band prevented its normal movement,” there is no other medicine to be thought of until Cactus has been given. Cactus, however, will cure many cases of heart disease in which this symptom is not present when other symptoms correspond.
Pricking pains (as the prickly nature of the plant might suggest) are almost as characteristic as the constricting pains. “Pricking pins impeding breathing and movement of body; oppression; cannot lie on left side; blue face; pulse quick, throbbing, tense, hard.” “Acute pains and stitches in heart.” “Very acute pain, and such painful stitches in heart as to cause him to weep and cry out loudly, with obstruction of respiration.” “Dull heavy pains in region of heart, worse by external pressure.” “Palpitation violent, aggravated by walking and by lying on left side.” “Rapid, short, irregular beats of the heart, on rapid motions, on slow walking, rising from a chair or turning suddenly.”
“Slight excitement or deep thought brings on palpitation.” “Nervous palpitation increases gradually with the onset of the catamenia.” There is irregular and intermittent movement of the heart. Pulse hard and sudden without being frequent. The heart symptoms often compelled the prover to stand still when commencing to walk and to inspire deeply several times. One peculiar symptom experienced was a “sensation of very annoying movement, from before backward in the cardiac region, as if a reptile were moving about in the interior; worse by day than by night.” The usual time of aggravation of the “Night-blooming cereus” is the evening and night.
A tendency to haemorrhages is a distinguishing feature of Cactus grand.
The other members of the Cactus family are potent heart remedies, notably CEREUS BONPLANDII, which has among other symptoms the following: “Sensation of a great stone laid on the heart; soon after, sensation as if the chest was broken out just in front of the heart.” “Feeling as if the heart was transfixed with a blunt instrument like a bolt.” “Slight pricking pain at the heart.”
CALCAREA CARBONICA.
One of the leading antipsoric medicines, corresponding to many forms of rheumatism, Calcarea cannot be left out of sight in a catalogue of heart remedies. Its systemic symptoms will be the best guide to its use : “Apprehension, fearing consumption and heart disease.” “Ill-humour, obstinacy, and disposition to take everything in bad part.” Obesity or emaciation. Great chilliness, sensitiveness to open air; coldness and clamminess of hands and feet, feeling as if stockings were damp. Cold sweat of head and chest. Acidity, heartburn, hunger soon after eating. Menses too early, and too profuse. Stiffness of limbs; painful swellings of joints and nodosities on fingers and toes.
In the chest we have “Shortness of breath chiefly an ascending.” “Wheezing respiration.” “Anxious oppression.” “Burning.” “Palpitation of the heart, also at night, and after a meal, sometimes with anxiety and trembling movement.”
heart.” “Want of strength and dejection, worse in morning early.” “Fainting, especially in the evening, with obscuration of the eyes, sweat on face, and cold in the body, worse on walking in open air.” Sensitiveness to strains, like Baryta carb.
There are no conditions of heart and arterial disease that will not be benefited by Calcarea if the above symptoms or several of them are prominent.
CAMPHORA.
In all kinds of spasmodic affections with coldness of the surface and collapse, especially if there is at the same time intolerance of external heat, Camphora is to be thought of. Among the special heart symptoms are found : great anxiety in precordial region; spasmodic stitches in region of heart with oppression of chest when lying on left side, better when turning on right side. Palpitation. Pulse full or weak and imperceptible.
CARBO ANIMALIS.
Carbo animalis has a special relation to the effects of strains, and it also corresponds to many manifestations of secondary and tertiary syphilis. On both these accounts it is brought into relation with diseases of the arteries and aneurism in which strain is a great causative element, syphilis being frequently the original cause of the arterial defect.
In one of my patients it did excellent service for a long time given on the indication: “Sharp burning pains in the chest coming on after moving about, relieved completely by lying down.” The symptoms noted under Carbo animalis are are “Sharp burning stitches in chest.” and “Straining and over lifting produce great pulsation of the heart.” A coppery acneous eruption on the face is a further indication.
CARBO VEGETABILIS.
“Tight chest with fullness and anxiety.” “Burning pains in region of heart, with congestion in chest and violent palpitation of heart.” “Stitches through region of heart and spleen.” “Pulse threadlike, weak and faint.” “Cheyne-Stokes respiration.”
The Carbo veg. Patient must have air; wants to be fanned and to have the room cool. With the heart symptoms there is flatulent indigestion. “All food disagrees, even the most innocent.” There is often great and long-lasting hoarseness. Brown-yellow blotches on chest.
CAUSTICUM.
In the case of a young girl recently admitted to the homoeopathic Hospital suffering from rheumatism, with both endocarditis and pericarditis with large effusion, apparently well indicated remedies had little effect.
Pneumonia and pleurisy were added to her other troubles, and incontinence of faeces and urine. This last symptom led me to think of Causticum, especially as it was observed that the cough caused expulsion of urine. Causticum 30 was given, with immediate and rapid improvement in all the symptoms. The effusion was quickly absorbed, and the patient was soon convalescent. A mitral heart symptoms of Causticum are : “Oppression at heart with lowness of spirits; cardiac anxiety.” “Stitches in cardiac region.” “Burning in region of heart with palpitation.” “Palpitation with languor.” “Chronic disease of heart in young girls occasioned by overlifting.” “Pulse excited towards evening with orgasm of blood.”
CIMICIFUGA.
Cimicifuga racemosa, or Actaea racemosa as it is also called, is an important rheumatic an neuralgic remedy, and hence it is often called for in cases of deranged heart. The special heart symptoms are as follows: “Palpitation from the least motion.” “Pains from region of heart all over the chest and down left arm, which feels numb and as it bound to the side; palpitation; unconsciousness; cerebral congestion; face livid; dyspnoea; cold sweat on head, and numbness of body.”
“Heart’s action ceases suddenly; impending suffocation.”
Excessive muscular soreness; pains in the nape of the neck; restlessness; twitchings and tremblings; mental gloom and fear of death. “Sensation as if heavy black cloud settled all over him. enveloping him so that all was darkness and confusion, while at the same time it weighed like lead on his head.” “Waving sensation in the brain”-all these are additional indications for Cimicifuga.
COFFEA CRUDA.
Excessive sensitiveness and excitability is the leading note of the Coffea condition. All pains are unendurable. It causes violent irregular palpitation with trembling of the limbs. Palpitation after excessive exaltation, joy, surprise. Palpitation with nervous excitement and sleeplessness. Black Coffee (Coffea tosta) is a very valuable heart stimulant under certain conditions of heart failure: palpitation with vertigo and fainting; palpitation from irritable heart; collapse with feeble, frequent pulse.
CROCUS.
I need not add much to what I have said of this medicine in the body of the work apropos of Case IX. It has a “sensation of emptiness in precordial region; stitches beneath heart, worse on inspiration; palpitation and anxiety with sensation of weakness extending from heart through whole abdomen and down to soles of feet.”
But for Crocus to cure, the peculiar mental conditions ought to be present: uncontrollable laughter, or else violent alternations of disposition; and the key-note symptom-sensation as if something alive inside, or jumping sensation. Cactus has something like this.
CROTALUS.
Like all the serpent poisons, Crot. profoundly affects the heart, depressing it’s action even to fatal syncope. The most characteristic symptom of Crot. is a sensation as if the heart was tumbling about or tumbling over and over like a tumbler pigeon.
