Aconite [Acon]
Sudden onset: from chill: in cold dry weather.
First stage of pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy.
Cough hard, dry, painful. Chest tight.
Dry, hot skin.
Full, hard pulse. Rapid, difficult breathing.
Worse at night.
Lungs engorged. Sits erect. ( Chelidonium, Lachesis)
May grasp larynx ( Antim tart., Phosphorus)….
Always, with Aconite restlessness, anxiety, Fear.
Ferrum phos [Ferr-p]
Early inflammatory disease: pneumonia, etc., with very few indications.
Lacks the restless anxiety of Aconite, the burning, and brain symptoms of Belladonna, and the intense thirst of Phosphorus
Breathing oppressed, short, panting.
Expectoration of clear blood.
Pains and haemorrhages caused by hyperaemia.
Veratrum viride [Verat-v]
Sudden, violent congestion of lungs.
Bloated, livid face: faint, attempting to sit up.
Slow, heavy breathing. Must sit up ( Ant t.).
Dry, red streak along centre of tongue.
Rapidly oscillating temperature.
Hyperpyrexia, with sweat.
Rapid, full pulse. Engorgement severe, with violent excitement of heart.
Belladonna [Bell]
Pneumonia, etc., with cerebral complications.
Great nervousness: delirium.
Sleepy, yet cannot sleep.
Dilated pupils.
Flushed face, congested eyes: skin dry, hot.
Bronchitis with paroxysms of dry, hard, spasmodic cough.
Pleurisy, esp. right side: great pain, extreme soreness. Worst if bed jarred.
Cannot lie on sore side (opp. to Bryonia).
Ipecacuanha [Ip]
“Especially the infant’s friend, commonly indicated in the bronchitis of infancy.”
Bronchitis, broncho-pneumonia, pneumonia.
“Child coughs, gags, suffocates: coarse rattling often heard through the room.”
Spasmodic cough, with nausea, and vomiting.
Rapid onset ( Aconite, Verat v. Baptisia).
(Compare Ant tart.;both have rattling cough and breathing, and vomiting. Ipecac. for stage of irritation, Ant.tart. for stage of relaxation.
Ipecac. comes on hurriedly: Ant. tart. at the close of a bronchitis, or broncho- pneumonia, with threatened paralysis of lungs: while chest is full of mucus, nothing can be raised.).
Chelidonium majus [Chel]
Pneumonia, generally right-sided.
Pleura generally involved, and (?) diaphragm.
If stirs, pain shoots through him like a knife.
Sits up with pain that transfixes chest. Worse movement (Bryonia; but Bryonia must lie still).
Tight girdle sensation. Apt to get jaundiced.
Tongue coated; tooth-notched ( Mercurius, etc.).
Deep-seated pain in whole of right chest.
Pain lower angle right shoulder-blade: from chest to shoulder- angle. (Characteristic.)
Cough loose and rattling, but expectoration difficult ( Ant.t., Ammonium carb., Kali carb.).
“In catarrhal pneumonia of young children very like Ant tart.; chest seems full of mucus, not easily expectorated,”.
Gelsemium [Gels]
Influenzal pneumonia. Chills up and down back.
Paralytic weakness. Limbs heavy: eyelids heavy.
Dusky-red face ( Baptisia). Confused, dull, dazed, thirstless, severe congestive headache.
Baptisia [Bapt]
Sudden onset: rapidly goes into a typhoid state.
Influenzal pneumonias, typhoid pneumonias.
Face besotted: dusky: purple (Lachesis):bloated.
Tongue dry, brown down centre.
Besotted: mind confused: tries to answer or speak, but it flits away into stupor. In delirium, dual personality: tries to get the pieces together.
Discharges pungent: foetid.
Pyrogen [Pyrog]
” Baptisia, only more so.”
General aching and soreness.
” Bed too hard.” ( Arnica.)
Intense restlessness. (“Rhus, only more so.”)
Offensiveness. ( Baptisia, Kreosotum)
Fiery-red, smooth tongue.
Quickly oscillating temperature.
Pulse quick, or reverse: out of proportion to temperature. Delirium with dual personality.
Opium [Op]
Intensive. Comatose.
Stertor: blows out cheeks in expiration.
Hot sweat.
Nitric acid [Nit-ac]
Inhalation of Nitric acid fumes causes rapid congestion and inflammation of lungs.
Chest feels crowded: oppression, worse bending backwards. Sensation of spring released;-of a big hole in right temple.
Shattering cough.
Sputum sticks like glue: yellow, acrid, bitter, salt: flaps during respiration.
Expectoration of black, coagulated blood.
Stitches in right chest.
Fear of death, anxious about his illness (Aconite)
The typical Nit. a. patient is brown-eyed, chilly, intolerant of fuss; loves fat and salt.
Mercurius [Merc]
Bronchitis: cough worse evening and night.
Tickling in chest: feels dry.
” As if chest would burst.”
Copious sweating without relief; “The more he sweats the worse he is.”
“Rarely give Mercurius if the tongue is dry.”
“Pneumonia with excessive, offensive sweat, offensive mouth and breath, offensive expectoration. “(The action of Mercurius is pretty in such cases)
Broncho-pneumonia, infantile broncho- pneumonia, bilious pneumonia ( Chelidonium).
Tongue foul: tooth-notched ( Chelidonium).
Stabbing pains from base right lung to back.
Bloody, thick-green expectoration.
Suppuration of lungs: large quantities of pus.
More Advanced Cases.
Bryonia [Bry]
Takes the place of Aconite when hepatization has begun.
Cough hard, painful. Expectoration thicker.
Anguish from oppressed breathing ( Aconite from fever).
Lies perfectly still. (Opp. to Rhus.)
Every breath causes intense pain, in pneumonia or pleuro- pneumonia ( Kali carb.).
Breath short, rapid, as deep breathing means great pain.
Lies on painful side, to keep it still. (Opp. of Belladonna)
Stitching pains, better pressure: ( Belladonna, has throbbing pains, worse pressure.)
Lips dry. Tongue coated:dry.
Thirst for large quantities.
Constipation; dry, dark, hard stools.
Probably our most frequently-useful medicine in pneumonia.
Kali carb. [Kali-c]
Pneumonia, or pleuro-pneumonia with stabbing pains (chest) worse motion, worse respiration ( Bryonia) but (unlike Bryonia) also independently of respiration.
Hepatization of lungs, with much rattling of mucus during cough.
Affects especially lower, right chest ( Phosphorus, Mercurius).
Hepatization right lung, cannot lie right side: ( Bryonia lie on affected side-or back).
Infantile pneumonia, or broncho-pneumonia, with intense dyspnoea, much mucus, raised with difficulty, through constantly coughing.
Child oppressed, can neither sleep nor drink.
Wheezing, whistling, choking cough ( Ant t.).
Worse 2,3 or 5 a.m.
Natrum sulph [Nat-s]
Pneumonia of left lung, and left lower lobe.
Pneumonia with asthma.
“Humid asthma of children.”
Important time aggravation, 4 or 5 a.m.
Nat sul. is worse in damp weather; from damp dwellings.
Phosphorus [Phos]
“Great weight on chest.” Constriction. Pneumonia with anxiety, oppression.
Expectoration of bright-red blood: or sputum rust-coloured; purulent; saltish, sweat, cold.
Especially right lower lobe ( Kali carb., Mercurius) but Phosphorus lies on right side, Mercurius on left.
Stitching pains in chest: in left chest, better lying on right side. ( Bryonia better lying on and steadying sore side, opp. to Kali carb.)
Pleurisy, pleuro – or broncho-pneumonia, typhoid pneumonia- with Phosphorus symptoms to clear up hepatization ( Tub bov., Sulphur, etc.).
Dryness of air passages.
Hard, dry tight cough; racks him. Trembles with cough. Suppressed cough, it hurts so.
Bronchitis with yellow, blood- streaked sputum.
Thirsty for cold water ( Bryonia).
Better for sleep (opp. to Lachesis).
Wants company: fear alone.
Typical Phosphorus is tall, slender, “artistic” type.
Ranunculus bulbosus [Ran-b]
Acute, stabbing pains chest, with effusion.
Anxiety, dyspnoea and distress.
Sore spots left in chest after pneumonia.
Sensation of sub-cutaneous ulceration.
Everything sore, bruised, very sensitive to touch.
Bring red cheeks with clean tongue. ( Ipecac.).
Short, very oppressed breathing.
Dry heat: prostration from the start.
Small, very rapid pulse.
Cardiac and vascular excitement: nausea, even faintness, on motion ( Bryonia).
Rhus tox [Rhus-t]
Pneumonia has taken a typhoid form. ( Baptisia)
Pleuro-pneumonia, with stitching pain. ( Bryonia, Kali carb., etc.)
Much fever: aching bones: marked prostration. Dry hot skin.
Restlessness; relieved by motion.
Pain and dyspnoea worse at rest. (opp. Bryonia)
Bloody expectoration: or cold, green putrid-smelling sputum.
Tongue, red tip:dry. (Red line, centre, Verat v.)? Incontinence of stool and urine.
Lachesis [Lach]
Worse after sleep. Sleep into an aggravation.
Throat sensitive to touch.
Cyanosis.
Fits of suffocation; must sit up: or worse sitting erect, much bend forward ( Kali carb.).
Least thing near mouth produces suffocative dyspnoea.
Oppression of chest: construction ( Phosphorus) worse afternoon: worse after sleep. Worse lying on left side ( Phosphorus). Worse covering mouth or nose.
Asthma during sleep ( Sulph).
Dry hacking cough: worse touching throat; after sleep.
Tickling cough.
Cough “as if some food had gone into wrong passage”.
Hepatization, esp. of left lung.
Threatened paralysis of lungs with much dyspnoea, and long- lasting, suffocating paroxysms. ((<) Pressure, Lach: (>) pressure Bryonia)
Left side, may go over to right.
Face puffy, purple, mottled. ( Baptisia, Ant t.).
Lycopodium [Lyc]
Unresolved pneumonia.
Fever worse 4-8 p.m.
Frowning forehead, in chest troubles.
Fan-like motions of alae nasi.
