A tincture of the seed of Strychnos Nux vomica, L., is used.
General Action
Its most pronounced characteristic is spasm of all muscle fibre, both voluntary and involuntary, characterized by extreme hyperaesthesia of the general nervous system; these spasms are tetanic and seem to arise from the action of the poison on the motor tract of the spinal cord; consciousness is rarely affected. Careful experiments have developed very prominent effects on the gastro-intestinal canal as well as on the vaso-motor nerves; well marked gastro-intestinal catarrh accompanies an irregular action of the peristaltic muscles of the stomach and bowels; well defined paroxysms of chill, fever and sweat are associated with the disturbance of the circulation. Very few tissue changes have been observed (mostly resulting from malnutrition).
Allies – Ignatia, Sulphur, Pulsatilla, Lycopodium, Sec-c., Cic-v., Coccul., Cedr.
Generalities
Emaciation. Loud involuntary cries. Knits his brows and folds his arms. Lying on her back. Extended rigidly along the floor. Stretching in morning in bed, seeming to start from abdomen, arms stretched upward. Awkward. Trembling; as from an electric shock, constant necessity to rise and walk about; tremulous sensation in morning.
Twitchings. Convulsions; on slight touch (compare Stramonium); (<) limbs, with pain in all parts affected, with red face and closed eyes; with rigid muscles, jaws clenched, restless, and short cries; woke in C., uttering loud cries, on cessation of the spasm faintness, on coming to himself the first drop of water on his tongue caused spasm, with shrieks and opisthotonos, spasms, (>) forcible extension of body, in intervals constant twitches of limbs; like electric shocks, on rising form a chair vertigo, then spasms of limbs, (>) rest, renewed by movement, speech hurried, when talking C. of facial muscles, trismus, pale face, weak pulse, sweat on head; whole body straight and stiff, legs wide apart, pulse and respiration imperceptible, face and hands livid, face and lips agitated, moaning, chattering, afterwards asphyxia; head drawn back, teeth clenched, heels fixed to the ground, eyes protruding, unable to move, but crying “Hold me.”
Tetanic spasms, (<) wiping sweat from face; T. spasm when arm was touched to feel the pulse, eyes wide open, protruding, rigid, jaws clenched, lips wide open, face distorted, limbs rigidly outstretched, spine bent backward, jerks along lower part of spine, which raised the body, breathing intermittent, face blue, during a pause the child breathed with exertion and in a catching manner and desired coffee, spasms returned if lips touched the cup, if any one touched his person, at noise and without apparent cause, after the spasms eyes were usually closed, face and forehead covered with sweat, lips blue, groans, pulse 102, spasmodic and irregular, afterwards irregular and soft. Tetanic spasms, head drawn backward, arms extended, finger flexed to palms, jaws contracted, face livid, eyes open, fixed, protruding, trunk stiff, legs extended, feet turned outward, toes flexed to sole, skin dry and warm, breathing loud, perfect sensibility between the spasms, at last the slightest movement or an attempt to speak or drink caused the paroxysms, she begged to be let alone on account of the pains during the paroxysms.
Tetanic spasms, limbs stretched out, hands grasping sides of bed, legs apart, feet everted, afterwards opisthotonos, with difficult breathing, prostration between the spasms, then jerking of whole body on touch or movement of bed or sudden noise. Tetanus, jaws locked and limbs rigidly extended. Tetanus and trismus, jaw moved spasmodically from side to side, arms cramped towards chest, thighs drawn up against abdomen, fingers and toes flexed, whining and groaning, loss of voice, anaesthesia of skin, no pain. Spasms, with tetanic rigidity of nearly all muscles, with interruptions of a few minutes during which muscles were relaxed (compare Sec-c.), pulse became soft, with consciousness and speech, spasm renewed by slightest touch, but at times (>) grasping the patient or straightening the elbow.
Opisthotonos (Cic-v.); beginning with a sense of impending death, brought on by touch, (>) applications of ice to spine; and all muscles rigid and respiration suspended; alternating with trismus, tongue protruded and injured by sudden closure of jaws; and impulse of heart marked, pulse slow, scarcely perceptible, biting at everything brought near the mouth. Convulsive tossing about of arms, bending backward of head, biting teeth together, hands clenched. Stretched out her arms, clenched her fists, threw her head back, jaws firmly closed, face distorted and expressive of agony. Spasmodic flexion of arms on elbows, fingers clenched and pressed against pit of stomach, abdominal muscles spasmodically contracted. First nervous excitement, then spasmodic contraction of jaws, with grinding of teeth, bending backward of head, rigidity of trunk, forcible extension and inversion of feet and subsultus of calves. Spasmodic drawing sideways of body, ineffectual efforts to hold himself erect with the hands, then vomiting, then involuntary quick discharge of stool and urine, with consciousness.
Stiffness, (<) neck; tetanic S., with shuddering of trunk and limbs; as in catalepsy (one fell suddenly to the ground while conscious), jaws clenched; stiff and lifeless suddenly, feet and toes turned outward, eyes staring, jaws clenched.
Frightful tortures. Stitches at times in affected parts; S. here and there, with sore pain; like jerkings in various parts, causing shuddering; burning here and there; burning, or stitches here and there that end in burning. Contractive pain through whole body. Pain in all parts on which he was lying during morning sweat; P. in voluntary muscles, (<) neck and limbs, (<) motion; sore, renewed in old wounds that had healed; (intolerable, from 8 till 9 P.M.). Bruised sensation.
Drawing, crampy pains in nape, with paroxysms of internal rigidity from nape downward, sometimes muscles of chest and throat were affected as well as those of neck, causing difficult breathing and choking, (<) attempting to swallow anything, also muscles of head, (<) forehead, causing contraction of brows, sometimes all muscles of back and legs were affected and the whole body became rigid and bent backward, at times he could not keep his seat, and when he attempted to get on his feet he could scarcely stand or move his legs, he always attempted to move about when the attacks came on and to rest the affected parts.
Sensation in muscles of limbs, back, scapulae, etc., as if something in them were drawn back and forth, more spasmodic than painful. Everything makes too strong an impression ( Coffea). Whole body feels electrified. Attack in evening, it arose to the heart, he became sick, apprehensive, trembled, obliged to bend head forward and rest it on the table. Attack after midnight, crawling in hands and feet, rising (with heat of face) to pit of stomach, then to throat, then nausea and apprehension, thence it rose into head, with Dullness of head and ringing in ears.
Takes cold from slightest draught (Sul., Kali-c., etc.), (discomfort in skin, colic, etc.). Oppression; of whole body, with pain in legs as after a long walk. Uneasiness at night; in evening after lying down, with anxiety so that he was constantly obliged to stretch the limbs; with easily dilated pupils. Inclination to sit. Inability to sit up.
Weakness; in morning after rising greater than in evening on going to bed; in morning, (>) rising; in morning on rising, with soreness of lower limbs and arms; morning on walking in open air; in afternoon, with loss of appetite; about 2 P.M., during menstruation, with headache as if eyes would fall out, inability to hold head up, chilliness and shivering, then internal heat, with dry lips; in evening; in evening after walking in open air; when walking in open air; after walking in open air; after being in open air, with stiffness of l. foot; after stool during menses; on waking, (>) open air, with headache; with frequent sighs and irregular respirations; sudden; drops things involuntarily.
Faintness; in morning after rising, during menstruation, preceded by spasmodic motion in abdomen, then weakness and chilliness on rising; in morning in open air, with staring eyes; about 8 or 9 P.M. when sitting. Stiffness, (<) neck. Aggravation from slightest touch. Amelioration from frequent stretching; A. after dinner; of all pains by cold sweat.
Clinical Chorea. Convulsions from indigestion. Tetaniform convulsions without loss of consciousness. Palliative in epileptiform convulsions, especially when brought on by indigestion. There is disposition to lie down and rest, with easy mental and physical fatigue. Paralysis resulting from apoplexy, in high livers. Various paralyses. Partial paralysis, with vertigo and nausea, especially in drunkards. There is aggravation of all symptoms early in the morning. Aggravation from any mental effort, sometimes worse in open air and from motion, sometimes relief in the house or when at rest, or vice versa. There is general relief from unbroken sleep, but aggravation when the sleep is disturbed; the patient is usually very drowsy early in the evening and wakes very early in the morning, but after falling asleep a second time he wakes finally with all the Nux aggravations.
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.