PULSATILLA


Hahnemann’s proving symptoms of homeopathy remedy Pulsatilla from Materia Medica Pura, which Samuel Hahnemann wrote between 1811 to 1821 …


(From vol. ii, 3td edit. 1893.)

(Anemone Pratensis)

(The expressed juice of the whole green fresh plant mixed with equal parts of alcohol by shaking. After the cloudiness has settled down, the clear fluid is decanted off. Of this two drops are dropped into the first of 30 diluting-phials (each filled three quarters full with 99 drops of alcohol), and the phial being corked is held in the hand and the contents potentized by means of two strokes of the arm from above downwards. This is to be marked first dilution or 1/100. Of this one drop is to be introduced into the second phial and two equal shakes administered (to be marked second dilution or 1/10000) One drop of this is to be introduced into the third phial, and this process is to be repeated, until the thirtieth phial is provided with one drop from the twenty-ninth (which had got its drop from the twenty eighth phial and been twice shaken); this is also to be twice shaken and marked 30th dilution or X.)

THIS very powerful plant produces many symptoms on the healthy human body (as may be seen from the following tolerably complete list), which often correspond to the morbid symptoms commonly met with; hence, also, they admit of frequent homoeopathic employment, and often do good. We can therefore unquestionably reckon it as a remedy of many uses (polychrest).

It is useful in acute as well as in chronic diseases, as its action, even in small doses, lasts from ten to twelve days.

I have indicated the peculiarities of its symptoms in the notes, therefore I will not repeat them here.

As the experiments, whose results will be found below, were chiefly made by me with very moderate and small doses, the symptoms recorded are consequently almost without exception primary effects.

The homoeopathic employment of this, as of all other medicines, is most suitable when not only the corporeal affections of the medicine correspond in similarity to the corporeal symptoms of the disease, but also when the mental and emotional alterations peculiar to the drug encounter similar states in the disease to be cured, or at least in the temperament of the subject of treatment.

Hence the medicinal employment of pulsatilla will be all the more efficacious when, in affections for which this plant is suitable in respect to the corporeal symptom, there is at the same time in the patient a timid, lachrymose disposition, with a tendency to inward grief and silent peevishness, or at all events a mild and yielding disposition, especially when the patient in his normal state of health was good tempered and mild (or even frivolous and good-humouredly waggish). It is therefore especially adapted for slow, phlegmatic temperature; on the other hand, it is but little suitable for persons who form their resolutions with rapidity, and are quick in their movements, even though they may appear to be good tempered.

It acts best when there is a disposition to chilliness and adipsia.

It is particularly suitable for females when their menses usually come on some days after the proper time; and especially also when the patient must lie long in bed at night before he can get to sleep, and when the patient is worst in the evening. It is useful for the ill effects caused by partaking of pork.

When pulsatilla has been given in too large a dose, or in an unsuitable case, and has consequently produced disagreeable effects, these according to their peculiar character, may be removed by chamomilla (particularly when drowsiness, exhaustion, and diminution of the senses are permanent) or by an infusion of coffee, (e.g. in the timorous anxiety), or by ignatia or nux vomica. The fever, the disposition to weep, and the pains of pulsatilla with all their aftersufferings can be most quickly removed by the tincture of raw coffee.

The proper dose is a small globule moistened with the thirtieth potency, repeated at most every twenty-four hours; in acute diseases the olfaction of a globule the size of a mustard seed is preferable.

[HAHNEMANN’S fellow provers were, FRIEDRICH HAHNEMANN, HORNBURG, MICHLER, E. F. RUCKERT, STAPF.]

Symptoms are taken from the following sources:

BERGIUS, Mat. med.

HELLWING, Flora Campana, Lips, 1719.

HEYER, in Crell ‘s Journ, ii.

SAUR, in Bergius’ Mat. Medorrhinum

STOERCK, ANT. v., Von der Pulsatille.

In the Frag. de vir. pulsatilla has 300 symptoms, in the 1st edit. 1073, in the 2nd edit 1163, in this last edition they are reduced to 1154 (correcting the erroneous enumeration).]

PULSATILLA

Vertigo.

Violent vertigo like intoxication. [Stf.]

Vertigo, like that which occurs on turning round for a long time in circle, combined with nausea. [Hbg.]

Vertigo (immediately), still worse the next day. [Fr. H-n.]

5. Vertigo as from intoxication. (5, 7, comp. 41, 1077)

Vertigo as if the blood mounted to the head; raking and grasping in it.

Giddy staggering, as from intoxication, with internal heat of head and paleness of the normally warm face, especially in the evening.

Staggering as from the side. [Fr. H-n.]

Staggering, as from drinking spirits. [Hbg.]

10. Attacks of vertigo, intoxication, heat.

After eating he feels as if intoxicated.

Vertigo, especially when sitting.

Vertigo in the morning on rising from bed; on account of it be must lie down again.

Vertigo when taking a walk in the open air, (One of the alternating states of pulsatilla, which always comes on later and more rarely than the opposite state, where the ailments are relieved or go off in the open air, but recur when sitting and when at rest, as may be seen in part in S. 15.) which goes off on sitting down.

15. Whirling, only when sitting, and stupid in the head, and as if sleepy.

Vertigo, he imagines he cannot stand (in the 1st hours).

Vertigo, he imagines he cannot comprehend a subject (in the 1st hours).

A kind of vertigo-when he turns the eyes upwards-as if he would fall, or as if he were dancing. (Comp. 64.)

Vertigo when stooping, as if he would fall down, as from intoxication; followed by inclination to vomit (aft. 6 h.).

20. Vertigo when stooping down, so that she could hardly raise herself up again.

When stooping he feels as if the head became too heavy, land he could not raise himself up again.

Vertigo as from a weight in the head, when walking and stooping, with some whirling which was also felt when lying.

When stooping forwards sensation in the head as if he would fall forwards.

Staggering when walking as if he had vertigo, and yet he is not giddy, in the evening.(Comp, 810.) (aft. 3 d.).

25. Dulness in the head and vertigo, caused by moving.

Cannot support his head nor hold it upright, must lie down, and yet cannot remain in bed. (A kind of third alternating state, which is intermediate between the production of the symptoms when sitting and the production of symptoms by movement.)

Headache, when lying down for the midday siesta, in the half of the brain of the side on which he is not lying. (Comp. 58.) (aft. 18 h.).

Cannot maintain the head erect, cannot raise it.

Heavines of the head. (Comp. 102, 733, 1014.)

30. Heaviness in the head, he cannot bear the light of a candle. (The oversensitiveness of the eyes to light, comp. 103, 104, 105, 107 is an alternating state with the dimness of vision caused by Pulsatilla. See 94, 98, 99, 101, 102.)

Dulness of the head and pains in the forehead as if beaten to pieces.

Headache, so that he would like to incline his head to one side.

Headache on moving the eyes, deep in the orbits, as if the forehead would fall out, and the frontal bones were too thin; with dulness of the head, in the evening. (33, 33, comp. with 213, 712, 788, 900.) (aft. 48 h.).

Semilateral headache, as if the brain would burst, and the eyes fall out of the head.

35. Head stupid, so that the eyes in her head are painful.

Head as if stupid and heavy.

Stupid feeling in the head, and pain as from a bruise in the forehead.

Stupid feeling in the head, as if his memory were defective (aft. 2 h.).

Emptiness and hollowness in the head; his head felt like a lantern.

40. Emptiness and pain in the head as from a debauch the previous day. (Comp, 931, 1051.)

Headache as from intoxication and night-watching (aft. 12 h.).

Dulness in the head; his thoughts leave him.

A thought he has once entertained he cannot get rid of.

Headache causing him to be confused, when he comes into the warm room. (Comp. 573.)

45. Creeping pain in the forehead. (Comp. 102, 723.) (aft. 1 h.).

Gurgling in the head, at night; he distinctly heard the pulse beating in it.

Headache like throbbing of the arteries in the brain (aft. 6 h.).

Throbbing headache about midnight.

Throbbing pain in the forehead, when stooping and when exerting his mind, which goes off on walking, in the evening.

50. Headache in the occiput, a rythmical throbbing. [Hbg. ]

Throbbing, aching pain in the head, which was alleviated by external pressure. (This diminution of the pains by external pressure occurs in other pulsatilla pains; see 840, 841. ) (aft. 1/2 h.).

Aching pain in the head on stooping forwards.

In the forehead, above the orbits, an aching pain involving the head. [Rkt.]

Samuel Hahnemann
Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) was the founder of Homoeopathy. He is called the Father of Experimental Pharmacology because he was the first physician to prepare medicines in a specialized way; proving them on healthy human beings, to determine how the medicines acted to cure diseases.

Hahnemann's three major publications chart the development of homeopathy. In the Organon of Medicine, we see the fundamentals laid out. Materia Medica Pura records the exact symptoms of the remedy provings. In his book, The Chronic Diseases, Their Peculiar Nature and Their Homoeopathic Cure, he showed us how natural diseases become chronic in nature when suppressed by improper treatment.

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