Belladonna [Bell]
.. Convulsions in infants etc.; associated with violent cerebral congestion.
Skin burning. Hot, bright-red face.
Wild, staring eyes ( Cicuta, Ignatia, Mosch., Stramonium). spasm of glottis: clutches at throat.
Suddenly rigid: stiffens out.
Violent convulsions with distortion of limbs and eyes. May begin in arm: then body thrown backwards and forwards.Light ( Stramonium) motion and cold (rev. of Opium) will bring on a convulsion ( Causticum).
Convulsions re-excited by least touch ( Nux., Cicuta, Strych.) or draught ( Stramonium, Cicuta, etc.).
“Belladonna has great excitement: has twitching, jerking, trembling, spasms, convulsions.
Convulsions come on suddenly: unexpectedly.
Convulsions of scarlet fever, meningitis: in nervous, brainy children with biggish heads.
“Belladonna is sudden. It has no continuance, no periodicity.”
N.B.- Calcarea is the chronic of Belladonna, and its complementary remedy.
We are told that Belladonna is often given when Aconite would be more appropriate. Both are sudden: have dry, hot skin; startings and twitchings. Convulsions from teething.
But Aconite has anxiety, restlessness, fear: Belladonna, excitement.
Stramonium [Stram]
Violent convulsions involving every muscle.
Opisthotonos: violent distortions.
Contractions of limbs: biting of tongue.
Convulsions from bright light ( Lyss.), dazzling objects. Renewal of spasms from light. (Stramonium is less rigid-less angular than Belladonna, Cicuta, Cuprum). If a liquid touches lips spasms return with great violence. Shrieks.
Convulsions of head and arm with hiccough.
One side paralysed, the other convulsed.
Jerks head suddenly from pillow.
Very sensitive to light: fears the dark: yet convulsions, even cough, worse from light.
“An absolute stand-by in renal convulsions.”.
Hyoscyamus [Hyos]
Infants go into convulsions.
Convulsions of children, esp. after a fright ( Opium).
Convulsions after eating. Child becomes sick after eating, vomits and goes into convulsions. Shrieks and becomes insensible.
Convulsions from worms ( Cina, Art., Stann.).
Sudden starting and twitchings: one arm will twitch, then the other.
Motions angular: frothing at mouth. Patient seems wild.
Convulsions during deep, heavy sleep.
Convulsions not general, but wandering.
Convulsions followed by squinting and disturbances of vision.
Hyosc. is suspicious, and jealous ( Lachesis).
Ignatia [Ign]
Convulsions from fear, fright, after punishment – which will bring on a convulsion ( Cina.)
Children are convulsed in sleep after punishment. Sensitives.
Face pale (opp. of Belladonna, Stramonium, Opium, Nux), or flushed; usually deathly pale.
Convulsive twitchings. Twitches about eye lids and mouth, then stiffens out.
The child is cold and pale, has a fixed, staring look (stares Cicuta, Stramonium, Mosch., Aethusa).
Convulsions in first period of dentition.
Cina [Cina]
Child cannot stand any disturbance, cannot be punished ( Ignatia, Opium), because it goes into a convulsion.
Grits teeth and clenches thumbs.
Chewing motions, even before teeth erupt.
Jerking, twitching, convulsions with worms.
Sleeps on abdomen ( Medorrhinum).
Chamomilla [Cham]
Snappish. Complaints from contradiction.
Convulsions from anger ( Nux), teething ( Calcarea).
Worse 9 p.m., and often 9 a.m.
Convulsions after every emotion.
Petulant and angry child.
One cheek red, one pale.
Hot sweat face and head.
Thumbs in palms of hands. ( Cuprum and Gloninum).
Nux vomica [Nux-v]
Infantile convulsions from indigestion (Ipecac.) or bad temper.
Convulsions with consciousness ( Cina, Stramonium).
Conscious or semi-conscious during spasm.
Convulsions of all the muscles of the body, with teeth clenched; with purple face and loss of breath.
The most violent convulsions with opisthotonos ( Cicuta, Opium, Strych.).
Twitchings, spasms; convulsions worse from the slightest touch, noise, jar Week ending in the country one summer, there was a luckless hen cooped up by herself. “Why?” – “Because at the slightest touch, or if another hen bumped into her, or even if the coop was shaken, she went down in a violent convulsion.” Fresh from testing Strychnine on frog-muscle, and having no Strych. at hand, except as Nux vomica, the latter was administered. Next Saturday the hen was found “running about the rest: Nux had promptly cured.. The consciousness of Power, after prescribing the “like” medicine and seeing it act, is one of the joys of life ( Cicuta, etc.), from slightest draught of air (Lyss.). After anger.
Patient is nervous and chilly. Oversensitive and irritable.
Oenanthe [Oena]
Involuntary stool during convulsions.
Violent convulsions: with eyeballs turned up: lockjaw ( Nux vomica, Strych.).
Fell back foaming at mouth, and black in face.
Spasms in rapid succession: choking noise in throat.
Complete unconsciousness.
Convulsions followed by deep sleep or coma.
Lyssin [Lyss]
Spasms and convulsions. “Always associated with throat symptoms, i.e. always affects muscles of deglutition” (of jaw, Nux vomica, Oen.).
Convulsions from reflex causes: i.e. attempts to swallow: to speak: a draught of air: sight or sound of running water: bright light ( Stramonium), or shining object: a loud noise: strong odours.
Convulsions with exalted state of sense of smell, taste and touch.
Violent epileptic attacks in quick succession.
Exquisite sensibility prevails over the whole body, esp. in organs of sense.
Cicuta [Cic]
Excessively violent convulsions. Patient is thrown into all sorts of odd shapes and violent contortions; but one of the most invariable is the bending of head, neck and spine backwards- opisthotonos. ( Belladonna, Cuprum, Hyoscyamus, Nux., Opium, Stramonium, Strych., etc.)
Convulsions spread from above downwards.
Begin in head and go downwards. (Opp. of Cuprum, where they start in fingers and toes.)
Head drawn back ( Opium); limbs convulsed, rigid.
Great difficulty of breathing form spasm ( Belladonna).
Touch and draughts bring on convulsions ( Nux vomica, Belladonna, Lyssin, Stramonium, Strych., etc.).
Head hot, and extremities cold.
“More staring than in any other remedy” ( Ignatia, Mosch., Aethusa).
Between attacks, patient mild, gentle, placid, yielding (opp. of Cuprum which is spiteful and violent between fits; and Nux and Chamomilla, which are very irritable).
Opium [Op]
“Is full of convulsions.”
Wants cool air; open air; to be uncovered.
Convulsions if room is too warm. ( Belladonna form cold, Causticum). Worse hot bath.
Opisthotonos: head drawn back nearly to heels ( Cicuta, Opium, Strych.), or legs and arms spread out. (See Gloninum, Platina)
Kicks covers off: skin red; face red, mottled.
Pupils contracted.
“Now if the mother puts that child into a hot bath to relieve the convulsions it will become unconscious and cold as death. If called to see such a case, be sure to give Opium” (Kent).
Convulsions from fright: “the object of the fright comes up before the eyes, before attack comes on.”
“Sudden effect of emotions; punishment ( Ignatia, Cina), fright.
“Body stiffens, mouth and face twitch, exactly like Ignatia: only with Opium the face is dark red and bloated. Loud screams.”
Wakes frightened, screams and cries till spasms.
Cuprum [Cupr]
Convulsions of every degree of violence.
Earliest threatenings are drawings in fingers, clenchings of thumbs, or twitching of muscles.
Thumbs first drawn into palms ( Chamomilla, Gloninum, Aethusa), fingers close over them with great violence.
Rigidity of muscles of Jaw: bites spoon if attempt to give medicine.
Spasms followed by appearance as if patient were dead.
Between attacks spiteful, violent, weeping, crying out and shrieking (opp. of Cicuta).
In epilepsy, clenching of fingers: falls with a shriek; and passes urine and faeces.
Eyes jerk, twitch, roll: rotate under closed lids.
Face and lips blue.
When eruptions fail to appear ( zinc.).
Zincum [Zinc]
Convulsions during acute infective fevers ( Cuprum).
Feeble children: eruption does not come out: tendency to convulsions: suppression of urine: rolling of head from side to side.
Seems as if not strength for a violent spasm (opposite of Cuprum).
Restless-especially feet: “nervous feet.”
Cerebral epilepsy : worse during rest.
Whole body jerks during sleep.
Cross before attack.
Bufo [Bufo]
Pupils largely dilated and unaffected by light before attack ( Argentum nit.).
Eyeballs rolled upwards and to left before attack.
( Eyes rolled to left before attack, led to curative use in fingers of Bufo in a recent case.)
Head drawn to one side, then back, before attack.
Eyes sunken during spasm.
Twitching of face muscles, extends to body.
Face bathed in sweat during convulsions.
Lapping motion of tongue: feels face, and rubs nose before attack.
Epilepsy following onanism.
Aethusa [Aeth]
Convulsions with clenched thumbs ( Cuprum), red face ( Belladonna, Gloninum): staring (Cicuta, Ignatia, Stramonium, etc.), dilated immovable pupils; teeth set.
“Dozing of the child after vomiting, after stool, with convulsions.” Great weakness and prostration, with sleepiness.
Convulsions in cholera infantum.
Ipecacuanha [Ip]
