INTRODUCTION
NUX. V. Strychnos Nux Vom. Vomica Nut. See Hahnemann’s “Mat. Mec. Pura,” III. Duration of Action: from fifteen to twenty-one days.
COMPARE WITH.
Aconite, Alumina, Ambr., Am., Am-mur., Ant-crud., Arnica, Arsenicum Argentum, Bism., Borax, Calcarea, Camph., Caps., Carb-a., Carb-v., Causticum, Cham, China, Cocc., Coffea, Colchicum, Conium, Cuprum, Cyclamen, Digitalis, Drosera, Dulcamara, Ferrum, Graph, Guai., Hyoscyamus, Ignatia, Ipecac., Lachesis, Lauroc., Lyc, Magn-p.-arct., Magn-p-aust., Magn-mur., Mercurius, Mur- ac., Natr., Natr-mur., Nux-mos., Opium, petrol., Phosph., Plumb., puls., Paris. Ranunc., Rhod, Rheum, Rhus., Ruta, Sabad., Sambucus, Sepia, Spigelia, Squil., Stramonium, Sulphur, Tabac., Tartar, Tarax., Thuja, Valer., Viol-od. Is frequently suitable after: Arsenicum, Ipecac., Lachesis, Petrol., Phosph., Sulphur After Nux are frequently suitable: Bryonia, puls., Sulphur
ANTIDOTES.
Of large doses: Wine, Coffee, Camphor, Opium. Of small doses Alcohol, Belladonna, Camph., Chamomilla, Cocc., Coffea, Opium, Pulsatilla, Stramonium Nux-v antidotes: Ambra., Arsenicum, ARs., Calcarea, Chamomilla, China, Cocc., Coffea, Colch, Cuprum, Dig Graphites, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Mercurius, Mosch., Opium, Petrol., Phosph., Plumb., Pulsatilla, Stramonium, Sulphur, Tabac., and the poison of Orchis-morio (Moril).
GENERAL SYMPTOMS.
Chronic ailments from the abuse of coffee, wine, or other spirituous or narcotic substances. Complaints arising from a cold, chagrin, anger, mental exertions, from a sedentary life generally, or from watching. Is principally suitable to lively, Sanguine, or choleric temperaments, also to individuals of a malicious, artful character, with pale, livid color, or bright- red, highly-colored face; also to venous constitutions disposed to haemorrhoids, hypochondria, melancholy, and hysteria. Nux seems to be more suitable to the male than the female sex, and seems to be more useful to females when the menses are too early and too profuse. Periodical and intermittent ailments. Rheumatic affections, particularly of the large muscles of the back, loins, chest, and small of the back Precursory symptoms of arthritis, and arthritic metastases. Scrofulous and lymphatic affections. Scrofulous atrophy of infants. Congestion of blood, particularly to the head, chest, and abdomen. Muscular debility of infants, with difficulty of learning to walk. Stitches here and there, also with sore pain, or darting stitches striking through the whole body. Sticking and lacerating in the joints, worse when the weather changes, or during changeable weather. Drawing and lacerating in the limbs, particularly at night, or with feeling of numbness of the affected parts. Lacerating and heaviness in all the limbs, with stiffness in the muscles and joints, convulsive trembling. Pains in all the joints, also as if bruised, and particularly during motion, also after midnight. Sick feeling in all the limbs Bruised pain of the limbs. Violent pain in the muscles, at every moment. Painful contractive sensation through the whole body, also with weariness of the lower limbs, scarcely allowing him to drag them along. Almost every part of the body is insensible and goes to sleep. Paralysis, particularly of the lower limbs. Trembling of the lower limbs also with fluttering of the heart. Tremulousness through the whole body. Trembling of drunkards. Stiffness of the limbs, also with jactitation, or with tension, particularly around the knees. Diminished mobility of the joints. Convulsions and spasms. Epileptic spasms, with cries, bending the head backwards, vomiting, profuse sweat, thirst, and rattling, the paroxysms set in again after the least emotion. Frequent attacks of opisthotonos. St. Vitus’ dance, particularly of boys, less of girls, frequently accompanied with sensation of numbness. Violent convulsions, with distortion of the features and general debility. Extremely painful muscular contractions, continuing from three or four minutes, after the lapse of which period they are interrupted by a violent spasm. Tightness in the temples and ape of the neck, soon spreading over all the muscles of the trunk and limbs. Violent convulsions, during which the whole body became rigid. Painful tetanic convulsions, leaving the limbs stiff. Continual tetanic convulsion in the paralyzed limbs, alternating with violent concussions. Tetanic spasms, affecting even the muscles of the chest and occasioning a gradually- increasing dyspnoea. Tetanus, alternating with asphyxia and paralytic relaxation of the parts. Frightful spasm of the whole body every three or six minutes, a real tetanic spasm, with bending of the body backwards, drawing in of the muscles of the chest, loss of consciousness, stiffness of the limbs, hardness of the muscles, as if made of wood, distortion of the eyes, cherry- redness of the face. Sudden falling without loss of consciousness, with pale complexion, indifferent expression of countenance, anguish, rapid alternation of laughing and crying, widely-opened eyes, contraction of the pupils, unequal, superficial breathing, irregular, small pulse, cool skin, with the fore-arms half bent, whilst the hands and fingers were convulsively moved, with immobility and stiffness of the lower limbs and continued hardness and tetanic contraction of the muscles of those limbs. Violent convulsions, with subsequent stiffness and stupefaction of all the senses. Tetanus. Alternate ophisthotonos and trismus. Asphyctic condition. Trembling of the whole body, alternating with sudden starting up and staggering for a short time about the room. Fainting fits after making the least exertion Fainting after a walk in the open air. Fainting from congestion of the head and chest. Great weariness, even after the least motion. Languor in all the limbs, particularly after going up-stairs Laziness, and dread of motion. Heaviness in the upper and lower limbs. Sudden failing of strength. Great nervous weakness with excessive irritation of all the organs of sense, particularly hearing and sight. Excessive sensitiveness to the open air. Great liability to take cold, even a slight current of air occasions a disagreeable sensation in the skin, colic. Emaciation. Atrophy and emaciation of children, particularly scrofulous children.
CHARACTERISTIC PECULIARITIES.
Many of the symptoms are aggravated or excited by coffee, wine, smoking, watching, and mental exertions, also by windy weather. Many of the symptoms appear early in the morning (in bed or after rising), also after dinner. In the evening (8 or 9 o’clock) the pains are increased to an intolerable degree. Nux is particularly suitable if the symptoms are worst early in the morning, particularly if the patient wake at three o’clock in the morning, and then, overwhelmed with ideas, fall again into a heavy sleep full of dreams, from which the patient wakes more weary than he was on lying down. The pains which come on by keeping one’s self confined in a room are relieved by a walk in the open air, and vice versa. Some of pains are relieved by lying down.
SKIN.
Burning itching over the whole body. Burning stinging in various parts of the body. Rash. Blue spots on the body, as if ecchymozed. Boils. Chilblains, with burning itching, or also with bleeding rhagades, and pale-red swelling. Ulcers with raised, pale-red edges. Chlorosis. Jaundice, with aversion to food and fainting fits. Miliaria-alba, catarrhal cough., after measles.
SLEEP.
Constant disposition to sleep and yawn. Excessive drowsiness in the daytime, as if the head felt stupefied. Irresistible drowsiness after a meal. Sleeplessness until midnight, with a feeling of heat without thirst. Symptoms at night in bed: uneasiness, particularly in the arms. Light sleep at night, with frequent waking. During sleep. Starting at night as in the daytime when waking. Violent starting on going to sleep. Anxious, moaning babbling, early in the morning during sleep. Snuffing, whistling expirations through the nose. Anxious delirious fancies. Soporose condition, with heavy deep sleep (in apoplexy). Delirious, frightful visions at night. Horrid dreams. Anxious dreams and weeping during sleep. Lewd dreams. Early in the morning in bed: Seething of the blood, with discouragement. Anxious mood. Difficult waking. Feels more weary than the evening previous. After rising: diarrhoeic stool, followed by languor, yawning, drowsiness, chilliness, dullness of the head, and, lastly, refreshing sleep.
FEVER.
Convulsive stretching. Long paroxysm of incessant yawning. Headache early in the morning. The stretching and yawning are followed by spasmodic pains in the limbs, with chilliness and internal trembling. Coldness at night, not even yielding to the warmth of the bed. Great coldness, not even yielding to the warmth of the stove or of the bed. Coldness of the whole body, with blue skin, particularly on the hands, and blue nails. Chilliness in the evening in bed, and at night on waking, as if she could not get warm. Chilliness, with dread of the open air, and great liability to take cold. Shuddering and chilliness after drinking. Shuddering and chilliness when touched by the least fresh air. Violent chilliness, with chattering of teeth. Desire for beer during the chilliness. Chilliness when uncovering one’s self, even during the hot stage. Chilliness, with heat of the head and redness of the cheeks, or with redness of only one cheek. Chilliness, with rush of blood to the head. Chilliness with headache. Nightly chilliness, preceded by violent drawing through the thighs and legs. Chilliness, with sticking in the side and abdomen, pains in the back and small of the back, drawing in the limbs, stretching, spasmodic yawning, and urging to lie down. Afternoon or evening fever. External or internal heat, accompanied with chilliness and great weariness. Hot cheeks, with internal chilliness. Anxiety at night. Violent thirst. Internal heat with a full pulse; the heat increase from hour to hour, without thirst; afterwards sleeplessness. Sensation of burning, internal heat through the whole body. Full pulse, during the hot stage. Pulse hard, full and frequent. Pulse small and quick or intermittent. Collapse of pulse, with full consciousness. Very fetid sweats. Cold sweat. Night-sweat. Sweat after midnight. Sour night-sweat. Morning-sweat.
