But of Lumbago he says, “Here Rhus is the remedy whether the patient is better from motion or not. Rhus has `great pains in attempting to rise: stiff neck from sitting in a draught; interscapular pains, better from warmth and worse from cold.'”
And he says, “Rhus is especially indicated in what has been termed rheumatic gout. Especially indicated in a rheumatic hard swelling of the big-toe joint, often mistaken for bunion.”
Rhus has “Colic, better by bending double and moving about. (Coloc. better bending, but not from motion.)”
“In orbital cellulitis, Rhus is almost a specific.”
Rheumatism of maxillary joints, as if jaw would break. Easy dislocation of jaw.
“RHUS is very freaky. For instance, hunger without appetite: hungry sensation, or sensation of emptiness in the stomach without desire for food. Dryness of the mouth and throat with great thirst; unquenchable thirst for cold drinks, especially at at night, with great dryness of the mouth. Yet many times the cold drinks bring on chilliness, and bring on the cough.” KENT.
The relentless periodicity of Rhus poisoning, on sensitives, is instanced by one case where the symptoms returned on the same day–even hour, for sixteen years, till Tuberculinum stopped the trouble (Clarke); and another case (Hering) where the burning itching of skin, lasting twenty-four hours, recurred on May 13th each year.
In a previous number of HOMOEOPATHY we quoted a letter to Dr. Kent, alluding to his statement that “when a person was poisoned by Rhus it was because he was in need of that poison, and had it been given in a high potency, he would not have been poisoned by contact with the plant”; and saying, that in travels in northern and western parts of New York, the writer, a Dr. Peters, “learned from the farmers that as soon as the leaves come out, they pick off two or three and chew them, after which they can handle the plant with bare hands with impunity”. Personally, one would not care to risk either!
Farrington speaks of Rhus as useful in various forms of PARALYSIS, especially in rheumatic patients from over-exertion, or exposure to wet (as lying on damp ground (Dulcamara). He thinks it originates in a rheumatic inflammation of the meninges of the cord. The three drugs he contrasts for paralysis from cold are Rhus., Sulphur and Causticum Rhus especially affects fibrous tissues, tendons, fasciae, sheaths of nerves, ligaments and tissues external to joints, rather than the joints themselves (Bryonia). It has a great record in the treatment of lumbago and sciatica, where not from mechanical cause; and, as Hahnemann insists, Sprains. We seem to remember that it was the prompt relief form a very bad sprained ankle that caused one of our doctors to look into Homoeopathy.
BLACK LETTER SYMPTOMS
(Allen, Hering and Hahnemann).
Worse in the house, relieved by walking in open air (Pulsatilla).
Sad, begins to weep without knowing why.
Very restless mood.
Great apprehension at night; cannot remain in bed.
On rising such dizziness, it seemed she was going to fall forward and backward.
Inflammation of the EYES.
Very sore around the right eye.
The eyes are closed, or greatly swollen and inflamed.
Great swelling of the lids.
Left eye closed from swollen lids.
Inflammation of the lids.
Eyes red and agglutinated with matter in a.m.
Eyes agglutinated with purulent mucus in a.m.
Heaviness and stiffness of lids, like a paralysis : difficult to move the lids.
Nasal mucus runs in profusion out of nose, as in the most severe coryza in a.m., after rising from bed (Nux). Frequent, violent, spasmodic sneezing.
Great swelling of the FACE.
Yawning so violent and spasmodic: cause pain in maxillary joint which is in danger of being dislocated.
Sore sensation with redness at apex of TONGUE.
Tongue dry. Salivation.
THROAT much swollen externally, maxillary and parotid glands greatly enlarged.
Parotid and submaxillary glands hard and swollen.
Great thirst.
Thirst and dryness of throat.
Acute diseases take on a TYPHOID form–dysentery. Peritonitis, Pneumonia, Scarlatina, Diphtheria.
Typhoid fever: mild temperature; mild delirium; at times may try to jump out of bed to try to escape. Mental and physical restlessness. Constantly tosses about bed, lies first on one side then the other, one moment sitting up, the next lying down. At beginning of disease wants to lie perfectly quiet on account of great weakness–prostrate–indifferent. Hallucinations: fears he will be poisoned; refuses medicine and food.
Short COUGH, from severe tickling and irritation behind the upper part of sternum, followed the feeling of discouragement and apprehension.
Pneumonic cough, rust-coloured sputum.
Stiffness in small of BACK, painful on motion.
Small of back feels bruised.
While sitting the small of back aches, as after long stooping and bending the back.
Pain as if bruised in small of back, whenever he lies quietly upon it or sits still: on moving about he feels nothing.
Heaviness and pressure in small of back, as if one had received a blow, while sitting.
The LIMBS tremble after exerting them.
All the limbs feel stiff and paralysed, during and after walking; with a sensation of a hundred-weight on nape of neck.
Sensation of stiffness on first moving the limb after rest.
The limbs upon which he lies, especially the arm, fall asleep.
A sensation as of trembling in arms and lower extremities, even while at rest.
Drawing in all the limbs, while lying down.
Trembling of arms after moderate exertion of them.
Violent tearing pain in arm, most violent while lying still.
Drawing and paralysed sensation left arm, at night.
Sticking and drawing in left arm extending from above downward and out at tips of fingers.
Pain in left upper arm as if muscles or tendons were unduly strained, when the limb is carried by them far upwards and backwards, at 2 and 3 p.m.
Jerking tearing in elbow and wrist joints, during rest, better during motion.
Loss of power and stiffness in forearms and fingers on moving them.
A powerless sensation in upper right forearm, on motion, and pain as if sprained in wrist, when grasping anything.
Sensation on upper surface left wrist on bending it, as if it had been sprained.
When grasping, feeling as if pins were pricking tips and palmar surface of first phalanges of fingers.
Great weakness of legs while walking in open air (afternoon), hardly able to proceed, because they are so heavy and weary (Gelsemium): after sitting an hour, weariness disappears.
Great heaviness in legs while sitting, disappeared on walking.
Aching pains in legs, inability to rest in any position but for a moment.
Pressive pain in both hip-joints on every step, and paralysed sensation in anterior muscles of thighs.
Tension, left hip-joint, while sitting.
When lying on the side the hips hurt, and when lying on the back, the small of the back hurts.
Stiffness, especially knees and feet.
Tension left knee joint, when rising from seat.
Tension knee, as if it were too short.
Uneasiness in foot (from pulling and tension in tendons.)
Tearing in knee and ankle, worse during rest.
Legs heavy and weary, as if he had walked a long distance.
Pain like a tingling in tibiae at night, when feet are crossed.
Constantly obliged to move legs back and forth, and so unable to sleep.
Heaviness and tension in feet while sitting, but only weariness when walking.
Feet painful, as if sprained or wrenched on rising in a.m.
A drawing, like paralysis, in whole foot, while sitting.
Unusual weakness of limbs. mostly during rest.
Very great weakness, especially walking in open air.
Weariness, worse sitting, relieved while walking: decided stiffness on rising from seat.
Unusual RESTLESSNESS at night. Great restlessness.
Could not sit still on account of internal uneasiness, but was obliged to turn in every direction on the chair, and move all her limbs (Pyrogen).
Great uneasiness at night.
Stiff on rising from a seat.
Soreness in every muscle, passes off during exercise.
SKIN : erysipelas, with numerous vesicles that burst, and secreted for eight days a slimy liquid.
After 24 hours itching and burning commenced, lasting from half-an-hour to two hours.
After 36 hours, swelling of the parts, with violent itching and burning, increased on touching or moving; the parts affected as if pierced by hot needles (Arsenicum) White transparent vesicles appeared on the highly red and inflamed skin (Ranunculus bulb.).
Covered from head to foot with a fine red vesicular rash, itching and burning terribly, especially in the joints; worse at night causing constant scratching, with little or no relief, and which felt very hard when pressed with the finger: skin burning hot.
The face became red, enormously swollen and oedematous, then also the hands and the skin of the whole body became covered with a scarlet-like exanthema, with intolerable itching biting; on the fourth day, the backs of the hands and legs became covered with blisters, which burst and slowly desquamated. Violent vesicular erysipelas of the face and hands, attended with a high state of fever.
Burning, itching eruptions.
Urticaria from getting wet: during rheumatism: with chills and fever. Worse in cold air.
