Agaricus Muscarius


James Tyler Kent describes the symptoms of the homeopathic medicine Agaricus Muscarius in great detail and compares it with other homeopathy remedies. …


Generalities: The most striking things running through Agaricus are twitchings and tremblings, jerkings of the muscles and trembling of the limbs; quivering and tremors, everywhere these two features are present in all parts of the body and limbs.

The twitching of the muscles becomes so extensive that it is a well-developed case of chorea. It has in its nature all that is found in chorea and has cured many cases. This is a general belonging to all parts to all muscles.

Throughout the body there is a sensation of creeping and crawling. It is hardly confined to the skin, it is felt as if in the flesh, a sensation as if of ants.

Itching of the skin all over which changes place from scratching. No place is exempt from this. There are strange sensations here and there upon the skin or in parts, cold sensations, sensations of cold needles and of hot needles; stinging and burning where the circulation is feeble, about the ears, nose, back of hands and fingers and toes, red spots with itching and burning as if frostbitten. It is a great remedy for chilblains.

The patient is extremely nervous and sensitive to cold. Itching, pricking, tingling, etc., come on from mental exertion and are relieved from physical exertion.

All the symptoms of Agaricus are also aggravated after sexual intercourse, especially in the symptoms of the spinal cord. It is useful for the symptoms which come on after coition in young, nervous married women, hysterical fainting after coition.

Mind: The mental symptoms are such as you would expect.

Great changeability, irritability, mental depression and complaints which come on from overexertion of the mind and prolonged study. The brain seems to be developed tardily.

Children are late in learning to talk and walk, thus combining the features of two remedies, Natrum muriaticum, which has the symptom “late learning to talk,” and Calcarea carb., which has the symptom “late learning to walk.”

It will be noticed in Calcarea that this is due to a defect in bone weakness. In Agaricus it is a mental defect, a slowly developing mind.

Children with twitching and early fainting, nervous girls prior to puberty who have convulsions from being scolded, from excitement and shock; late in mental development.

Children who cannot remember, make mistakes and are slow in learning. Nervous patients who on going over their manuscripts find out their mistakes in writing and spelling.

The condition of the mind is one in which they are slow to grasp ideas; wrong words float in kaleidoscopically.

When we read in the book “the whole psychological sphere as if paralyzed,” we must read between the lines.

The whole mind and sensorium seem paralyzed; the patient is sluggish, stupid, at times seems to be delirious; there is confusion of the mind so nearly like delirium that it is not unlike intoxication.

A delirium such as is produced by alcohol. He also becomes silly, says foolish and silly things, sings and whistles at an inopportune time, makes verses and prophesies; or he lapses into an opposite state, becomes indifferent to Ids surroundings. One who is mild and placid becomes self-willed, obstinate and conceited.

Difficulty in coordinating the movements of the muscles of the body. Incoordination of brain and spinal cord. Clumsy motion of the fingers and hands. In handling things she drops them. Fingers fly open spasmodically while holding things.

You will sometimes cure Bridget in the kitchen with Agaricus or Apis, when the trouble is that she is continually breaking the dishes by letting them fall. These two remedies are opposites,

Agaricus must stay near the fire, while Apis she wants to get out of the kitchen. The awkwardness, clumsiness, etc., are both mental and bodily.

Every sort of change is rung on the patient and the doctor. At times the patient is stupid, awkward and clumsy, at other times quick and poetical, can run off poetry without effort, especially at night.

In the morning he is tired and sluggish and this may last till noon. The mental symptoms are worse in the morning and are relieved towards evening.

All jerkings and twitchings subside during sleep. There is vertigo when walking in the open air. He is always chilly. On undertaking to do something he does the opposite. Vertigo and confusion of mind are mixed up.

Head: It is a common feature for the headaches of this remedy to be associated with the spinal symptoms, the quivering and jerking.

Headaches in spinal patients. Pain as though sharp ice touched the head, or as if from cold needles. – That is general; we find it in other parts.

James Tyler Kent
James Tyler Kent (1849–1916) was an American physician. Prior to his involvement with homeopathy, Kent had practiced conventional medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He discovered and "converted" to homeopathy as a result of his wife's recovery from a serious ailment using homeopathic methods.
In 1881, Kent accepted a position as professor of anatomy at the Homeopathic College of Missouri, an institution with which he remained affiliated until 1888. In 1890, Kent moved to Pennsylvania to take a position as Dean of Professors at the Post-Graduate Homeopathic Medical School of Philadelphia. In 1897 Kent published his magnum opus, Repertory of the Homœopathic Materia Medica. Kent moved to Chicago in 1903, where he taught at Hahnemann Medical College.

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