A tincture is prepared from the fresh root of Bryonia alba, L.
General Action
In large doses a violent hydragogue cathartic. It also (like its botanical ally, Colocynth) produces sharp pains. It causes inflammation of various organs, particularly of serous membranes and lungs, and gives rise to a fever of a rather low type. Its marked peculiarity is a disinclination to make any effort and great aggravations from motion of any sort.
Analogues.
Iodine, Belladonna, Verat-v., Colchicum, Ledum, Coloc., Lycopodium, Arnica, Phosphorus, Carbo-v. Sulph
Generalities
Unsteadiness of all parts of body when walking, (<) after rising from a seat and on beginning to walk, (>) continued walking. Trembling of the part on disappearance of the pain, with coldness of face. Anxious tossing about of hands and feet until 1 A.M., she lies as if unconscious, with cold sweat on forehead, with sighing, then weakness. Convulsions, with tonic contractions of extremities, Opisthotonos, immobility of thorax and on inspiration remarkable depression of pit of stomach.
Stitches; in joints on motion and on touch; over whole body; in affected parts upon pressure; here and there, especially in r. eye and l. arm; jerking, here and there, on vertex, wrists and elbows, especially in places on forehead, with sensitiveness of teeth; in evening in anterior and posterior direction through middle of chest and above navel. Tearing across forehead, then in cervical muscles, then in r. arm; in head and limbs, afterwards in chest and abdomen; in r. shoulder, in knees and toes; in various parts, especially in toes and r. shoulder, with feeling as if motion were difficult. Bruised or suppurating pain in whole body when taken hold of (Arnica), especially in pit of stomach, and (<) morning; B. feeling in morning, especially in r. hip, with lame feeling.
Pressing in whole body, especially on chest. Pain in every part, (<) on r. side; in teeth and limbs, (<) lying down and last till sleep; in joints, (<) after walking; in several parts, in metacarpus, metatarsus, ribs and clavicles; here and there in body when walking, and in l. knee, l. hip and in loins; during rest, are (>) after motion, others arise during motion and are (<) during rest; wandering, gradually becoming seated in l. shoulder; over whole body, as if the flesh were too loose.
Drawing pains here and there; especially in sinewy expansions; at 10 P.M. in bed, wandering through all limbs and joints, especially in l. middle ribs, where it caused stitches, impeding respiration; in periosteum of all bones in forenoon, causing apprehension, as in onset of ague. In almost all limbs and joints, with tension, the pain most sensitive in l. wrist, now in knees, now ankles and neck, remaining longest in l. shoulder- joint, with sensation of paralysis (during motion), afterwards the same pains also in neck, with drawing scraping in long bones, combined with stitches. Drawing rheumatic pains in various parts at different times during the day, especially at insertion of l. ligamentum patellae, anteriorly on r. leg and in nape. Drawing in lumbar region and in temporal bones, (<) after eating, with pressing; in temporal muscles, and in muscles of upper arm and here and there in body; painless, back and forth in affected parts.
(Painful throbbing in all vessels.) Anxiety in morning, which seemed to rise from abdomen, as if a purge had been taken and as if the breathing were too short. Attack as if the ailment rose up and took away breath and speech. General sick feeling. Dis- comfort, with weariness, so that even the clothes were oppressive. Lameness; with desire to keep quiet. Soreness of old bruises; in morning of every part on which he lies. Sensibility (<) in evening. Necessity to bend forward when walking. Restlessness; of affected part.
Weariness; in morning; on rising, (<) in forenoon while walking (Phosphorus), so that he drags himself about, with weakness in knees and legs on ascending stairs; in morning on waking, (>) rising and dressing; in morning after rising, with heaviness; in forenoon; in afternoon; in afternoon, then two liquid stools without tenesmus; towards evening; on slightest exertion, also with general sweat on walking; when sitting, (>) walking; when walking; when walking in a room, (>) walking in open air; walking in open air, (<) ascending steps; (>) a hearty supper; with aching in arms and legs, with sinking down of arms if she works, and with difficulty in ascending steps; with anxiety; as if quickly cooled by a rain after a fatiguing, heated walk, at 4 P.M., in the house, on approach of a storm, with chilliness, bruised sensation and wandering pains, as after taking a similar cold.
Faintness on rising from bed, with cold sweat and rumbling in abdomen. Does not like open air as well as formerly. Aggravation on every motion. A. after waking from midday sleep, with ill humor. Amelioration in evening from emission of flatus; A. while laying. Disappearance of symptoms after a short rest in bed, except the weakness and depressed mood.
Mind
Delirious; talking about his business; prattling about business to be attended to (Opium), at day break, (>) when the pain begins; D. talk at night; talking on waking. Furious delirium, then coma, with occasional subsultus tendinum. Delirious, frightful fantasy at 10 P.M. of soldiers cutting him down, he was on the point of escaping, with heat and sweat (without thirst), the delirium (>) uncovering and getting cool. Attempts to escape from bed (Belladonna). Mental illusion, her head seems too heavy. Nervous excitement; at noon.
Anxiety, apprehension for the future; anxiety in evening on lying down, from constriction of chest; (>) open air; in whole body, forcing him to do something constantly. Ill humor (Rhus- t.), with needless anxiety. Everything puts him out of humor. Ill humor during and after a meal; after a meal, with discomfort. Irritable, weeping mood; (and desire to be alone). Fretful, she imagines that she cannot accomplish her work, constantly takes up the wrong piece, is inclined to take another, then aching in forehead. Angry at contradiction. Quarrelsome. Inclined to scold. Taciturn. Hesitating. Discontented. Despondent; (and disinclined to think, with exhausted mental power); afterwards cheerful. Over-busy. Indolent.
Weakness of mind; so that his ideas disappear, as if he would faint, (<) standing, with heat in face. Imagination sluggish, it is impossible to make plans for the future, but the judgment is unimpaired. Thoughts vanish suddenly on attentive reading. Want of memory, with loss of reflecting powers. Unconsciousness of what she is doing (in a room), (<) when lying; of what she is doing (in a room), everything falls from her hands.
Head
Stitches through on stepping hard, mostly from before backward; through H. when coughing. It goes through the head when coughing. Pressure on coughing; (on stepping). Aching; in morning; beginning in morning on first opening and moving eyes; in morning on waking, also especially in upper part of forehead, extending after rising to supraorbital region, (>) afternoon; in forenoon, especially in forehead and vertex; in afternoon, more on one side, with pain in eye of same side; towards evening, with incipient coryza; after eating, and on walking pressing outward in forehead; (<) touch, mostly in forepart; (<) riding; on waking, especially over l. eye, after rising the pan extended towards vertex and occiput; in morning after rising, a twitching drawing in malar and maxillary bones; more a twitching than a throbbing, with hot face; as from a weight in head, as if he would incline it to either side, with pressure outward in brain and desire to lie down; as if something pressed skull as under, pulsating; as from compression, before daylight, (<) raising eyes, with heaviness and stitches in it and inability to rise; pressing together, with jerks in brain like pulsation; throbbing, more rapid on motion, she thinks she hears it, affecting eyes so that she cannot see well; oppressive in afternoon; stupefying, in evening.
Confusion; in morning; in morning on waking, with aching, as after intoxication, with disinclination to rise; in forenoon; after rising from bed; before sleep, with drawing in occiput extending into neck; while riding over a rough road; after eating, with heaviness; (<) walking, (>) sitting quietly; (>) moving in open air; (>) empty eructations; till sleep; with pain in forehead; and pain in temples, now in occiput, now in forehead; sudden; as if in a vise; dizzy; increasing to aching, especially in l. temple, the pain (<) at 5 P.M., accompanied then by nauseous vomiting, sensitiveness of smell and hissing in l. ear as of boiling water, all (>) riding in a wagon.
Stupefaction. Dullness, with difficulty in reflecting. Fulness, (<) turning head. Heaviness; with pressure forward of whole brain; dizzy, on sitting (stooping) and reading, (>) raising head. Lightness, with wobbling in ears. Rush of blood; then pressing together of temples. Felt as if drunk and would lie down.
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.