CARDUUS BENEDICTUS


Carduus Benedictus homeopathy medicine – drug proving symptoms from Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica by TF Allen, published in 1874. It has contributions from R Hughes, C Hering, C Dunham, and A Lippe….


Introduction

Cincus benedictus, Linn. (Centaurea benedicta, Linn). Natural order: Compositae. Preparation: Tincture of the whole plant when in flower.

Mind

Anxiety, fear, starting up at every noise, frequent breaking out into a cold sweat. Fretful mood. Fretful during the fever.

Head

Confusion of the head, with stitches in the temples. Vertigo on raising the head, aggravated by stooping. Continual sensation of heaviness in the head. Sensation of heaviness in the head and limbs, as from paralysis, worse during the fever. Pressure in the forehead, especially on stooping. Sharp pressure in the temporal region, afterwards in the whole head, with feeling of heaviness. Pain in the occiput. Pressive pain in the occiput, starting from the crown.

Eyes

Sensation in the eye as if it were pressed outwards, rather a pleasant than a painful feeling. Very painful tickling in the eye. Cutting pain over the eyes. Lids. Twitching in the lids. Trembling motion in the canthi. Sticking pain in the inner canthus, with lachrymation. Ball. The eyeballs feel larger than usual. Pressure in the eyeball from within outward. Vision. Vision dim, distorted. Gray spots move about before the eyes. Flickering before the eye of small fiery stripes, disappearing after repeated opening and closing of the eye. Transient blackness before vision.

Ears

Sensation as if something were lying before the ears, also feeling as if something burst like a bubble, and afterwards frequent humming. Roaring and ringing before the ears.

Nose

Constant feeling of gnawing and frequent tickling in the nose, followed by sneezing and drawing in the nose, as in impending coryza.

Mouth

Teeth. Pain in the teeth, more of a drawing than sticking character with simultaneous tickling on the upper surface of the tongue, more towards the root, which after a few minutes changed to a jerking stitch. Tongue. Tongue much furred during the fever. Tongue sensitive, as if it were swollen, during the fever. Mouth in General. Continual sensation as if the mouth were contracted and drawn together, slowly increasing and decreasing, disappearing for some time after every meal. Mouth very dry, with thirst, in the morning and evening. Saliva. Constant accumulation of saliva in the mouth. Taste nauseous during the fever. Clear, acid taste. Taste sour, always worse in the forenoon, becoming offensive and almost sulphurous, relieved for a time after eating.

Throat

Swallowing difficult, uncomfortable.

Stomach

Unusual, voracious appetite. Appetite slight. Eructations. Eructations after eating a little foot. Nausea. Vomiting. Sensation of fasting, although the stomach seems to be full. A bitter burning as from an excessively disordered stomach, constant in the afternoon and evening.

Abdomen

Slight griping in the abdomen. Drawing, cutting pain in the abdomen.

Stool

Diarrhoea.

Respiratory Organs

Contraction and closure of the air-passages, causing sudden whistling inspiration, and forcible expiration. Pain in the air- passages, as after a long-continued, obstinate cough, constantly increasing in severity, so that the whole of the air-passages became inflamed, and the inspired air seemed very cold. Larynx rough; hoarseness; rough voice. Frequent, entirely toneless, rough cough, sounding like whispering, which constantly increases for several days, and then diminishes, with relief of the breathing; singing, long- continued speaking, or reading became possible only after several days. Constant dry hacking cough. Difficult, accelerated respiration.

Chest

Dull, stitches in the side over the hip, now in the right side, now in the left, at first only on stooping, and on motion, but afterwards continuing when breathing and when not. Stitches beneath the left breast.

Extremities in General

Cracking of the joints, with difficult mobility. Paralytic-like heaviness of the limbs, worse during the fever. Sensation when touching the limbs as if there were sore bruised spots.

Superior Extremities

Contraction in the elbows and arms. Tension on the inner surface of the elbow, as if it had been kept bent for a long time. Sensation in the forearm, as if in the veins, as of a long thrust with a knife, with continued burning. Trembling of the hands.

Inferior Extremities

Weakness and giving way of the knees, when walking, especially during the fever. Pinching, burning, and paralytic weakness in the bones of the knees, neck, and hands, aggravated by external pressure. Weakness of the feet, after sitting. Sensation as if the soles of the feet were sore.

Generalities

Tension in the tendons. Aching of all the bones, especially after stretching the limbs. Aching and slight swelling of the veins.

Skin

Eruption of painless rash, like nettle-rash; a gooseskin, rather pointed, hard, preceded by cold creeping over the whole body, accompanied by feverish symptoms, lasting several days and slowly disappearing. Small red spots on the finger, lasting several days, followed by a yellow spot lasting a long time.

Sleep and Dreams

Constant yawning and hiccoughing.

Fever

Chilliness. Febrile chill, with gooseflesh, several days from noon till evening, at times appearing earlier. Fever. Fever, consisting of flushes of heat in the face; after eating, over the whole body, without thirst, with dimness of vision and pressure in the eyes, hot breath, hot lips, hands, and feet. Burning on exerting the arms. Burning under the skin in the face, afterwards in other parts of the body. Much heat in the face. Sweat. Slight general sweat. Sweat, followed by burning heat in the hands.

Conditions Aggravation

(Morning and evening), Mouth dry, etc. (Forenoon), Sour taste. (Afternoon), Febrile chill. (Afternoon and evening), Burning in stomach. (After eating), Eructations; flushes of heat all over. (On exerting arms), Burning. (During fever), Fretful; sensation in head; tongue sensitive; taste nauseous; heaviness of limbs; weakness of knees. (After sitting). Weakness of feet. (Stooping), Vertigo; pressure in forehead. (After stretching limbs), Aching of all the bones.

Amelioration

(After eating), Sour taste. (After every meal), Sensation in mouth disappears. (After repeated opening and closing of the eye), Flickering before the eye.

TF Allen
Dr. Timothy Field Allen, M.D. ( 1837 - 1902)

Born in 1837in Westminster, Vermont. . He was an orthodox doctor who converted to homeopathy
Dr. Allen compiled the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica over the course of 10 years.
In 1881 Allen published A Critical Revision of the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica.