CARDIAC SYNDROME —————– The tendency to collapse explains the persistent palpitation with alarming fright about the heart, the rapid, thready, intermittent pulse and dyspnoea. Symptoms as burning in the chest, pressure, oppression, heaviness and soreness in the chest, fullness of chest, labored and short breathing, rales, refer to the stasis in the respiratory organs. Asthma of old people with cyanotic skin is regarded as a good indication. Throughout carbo vegetablis is a good indication. Throughout carbo vegetablis is a passive hyperemia of the respiratory organs which often goes gradually and insidiously from the nose to the larynx and bronchi, especially
in old people. The persistent hoarseness is aggravated by speaking and at night. The cough of chronic bronchitis withy or without emphysema or lung stasis is spasmodic, in single cases dry in spite of audible rales in the lungs, but often a slimy purulent sputum is evacuated; foul expectoration and breath indicate the progressive suppurative process. With the spasmodic cough the sputum may be bloody and a sensation of weakness and burning develops in the chest, the painful stitches going to the head. In general the cough is worse at evening and in bed, from cold, from evening air, after eating and talking. Chilling, bronchitic and asthmatic states appear especially in damp warm weather. This is comprehensible because humid weather particularly embarrasses gas exchange and for this reason the general modality has special significance for carbo vegetablis. Desire for open air stands in accord with this. Because of the spasmodic cough in which nausea and vomiting can occur, carbo vegetabilis is also recommended in whooping cough. That carbo vegetabilis is also recommended in whooping cough. That carbo vegetabilis is an important remedy in cough and dyspnoea of cardiac origin is probably due to the admixture and participation of kali carbonicum.
DIGESTIVE ORGANS
Of the symptoms from the digestive canal we have on the externally visible exit and entrance lesions, aphthous oral ulceration already been mentioned. The abundant development of gas is associated with the venous stasis in the intestine. The abdomen is distended and tense. One half to one hour after eating the stomach is full of gas, tense like a drum, each article of food is converted into gas, the hypochondrial region is sensitive where the clothes touch. The gaseous collection produces a burning, pressing gastric spasm with great sensitivity in the pit of the stomach, moreover, sticking or sore pains in the hypochondria and the picture of retention of gas and decomposition of gas can be combined with a considerable grade of dyspnoea. The crampy pain radiates into the chest, the burning in the stomach extends to the back and along the vertebral column; recumbency aggravates the flatulence. Characteristic is the relief from eructation and emission of flatus. Likewise other complaints than merely those of the stomach and intestine are thereby relived. In the abdominal plethora characteristic for carbo vegetablis in which the increased gas tension of the venous blood contributes to the increased collection of gas conditioned by the sluggish digestive process, there is excessive flatulence with offensive foul flatus. Such conditions develop especially readily after prolonged rich living; dull morning headache, white or yellow brown coated tongue, morning nausea, vomiting and gastric weakness, burning in the stomach, offensive rancid eructations, disgust for meat; aggravation from fat, which causes rancid eructations, increased flatulence and acid eructations after eating, particularly after the use of milk, desire for acids. The simplest diet causes distress, flatulence naturally being outstanding. The typical symptoms which indicate complete depression of the normal digestive activity can also indicate carbo vegetabilis even if it has other causes; even if it involves a persistent state of this kind and a carcinoma of the gastro- intestinal canal is present, carbo vegetabilis comes into consideration. Alcohol in any form is said to be borne badly in the typical state of carbo vegetabilis, particularly provoking rush of blood to the head. One gastric symptom seems especially noteworthy in carbo vegetabilis, namely: rising of fluid from the stomach into the mouth. In the atonic stomach it does good service. A feeling of sinking in the stomach, which is relieved by eating belongs here. The atony of the intestine makes itself obvious in constipation, difficult stool with strong urging or thin slimy stool; the last is excoriating and foul, and may be comprehended as resulting from the decomposition of the intestinal content and the influence of abnormal split products due to the impaired digestion. The discharge of acrid, sticky moisture from the rectum has been mentioned in discussing the hemorrhoids. But the symptom also refers to other affections of the rectum, namely carcinoma, just as the discharge of blood. For carcinoma of the rectum there is also the characteristic frequent, involuntary putrified stools with subsequent burning.
RARE INDICATIONS
On the urinary and male sexual organs carbo vegetabilis has no characteristic symptoms. In skin eruptions it comes much less into consideration than the related drugs. Itching and moisture on the scrotum and thigh and similar skin affections are the suitable trends of action here. It is much less applicable in otosclerosis than graphite; deficiency of cerumen, occlusion of the ears, ringing and noises in the ears have also been reported from it.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
By way of repetition the character of the pains is burning. But at the same time general or partial sensation of cold is characteristic. The pains in carbo vegetabilis are dependent mostly upon venous stasis and inflammation and often are associated with anxiety particularly at night.
The type of patient suitable for carbo vegetabilis determined by the weakness with defective oxidation and venous stasis. Old, decrepit people, weakened by disease, are particulary susceptible to its action. The tendency to “decomposition of the blood,” of the transition of inflammation into foul septic and gangrenous forms, reflect themselves in the general report: all secretions are offensive and acrid. The failure in the venous part of the circulation readily leads to faintness, weakness and collapse. The drug picture is a sub-form and type of the carbo-nitrogenous constitution in itself.
SUMMARY
Chief Trends:
1. Depression of oxidative metabolism. Venous stasis, faint-like weakness, cyanosis, collapse.
(Marked desire for fresh air. Aggravation from damp warm weather.) chilliness, cold from the kness down.
Relaxed veins (relief from elevation of the legs) Chronic ulcera cruris.
Tendency to passive dark bleeding.
Oral aphthae. Alveolar pyorrhoea.
Transition to septic and gangrenous states.
Carcinoma and malignant parotid metastasis.
2. Stasis catarrh of the respiratory passages, worse at evening and from speaking. Dry cough with rales in the chest, attacks of spasmodic coughing; putrefactive processes, foul sputum and breath. Asthma and dyspnoea of old people with cyanosis.
3. Abdominal plethora. Complaints of meteorism. Improvement from eructation and discharge of flatus. Atony of stomach and intestine.
Dyspepsia with putrefactive processes. Eructation of water into the mouth. Aggravation from fat. Intolerance of alcohol. Hemorrhoids, carcinoma.
Type:
Carbo-nitrogenous. Venous.
Chronic stasis in old decrepit people.
Psychic: nocturnal anxiety; slow.
Leading Symptoms:
Burning pain; internal burning but external coldness (especially from knee downward.) Faintness.
Desire for fresh air.
Acrid offensive secretions.
Eructation of water into the mouth.
Aphthae on the tongue.
Modalities:
Aggravation in damp air.
Aggravation in evening and at night.
Aggravation from fat (and alcohol).
Relief from eructations and emission of flatus.
Relief from elevation of the legs.
DOSE —- Carbo vegetabilis has proven itself in the D 6 and D 30.
CARBO ANIMALIS
Provings:
1. Hahnemann: Reine A.M.L., 2 Aufl., Bd. 6, p. 161, and Chron. Krankh., 1 Aufl., Bd. 4, p. 68.
2. Weise: Rust’s Magazine, Bd. 22, I, p. 198, 1926. The greater effectiveness of carbo animals on the lymph glands is stressed fairly uniformly. Hard painful glandular swellings in which suppuration impends are said to be favorably influenced, also ve- nereal buboes. In ulcus molle, carbo animalis promotes healing after too early incision. In tumors of glandular organs, tumors of the parotid and testes and mammary gland and uterine carcinoma, it has been emphasized as well as plant charcoal. The cachexia and the marked reduction of vitality makes carbo animals even more suitable for the senile marasmus than carbo vegetabilis.
Carbo animalis is also preferred in the states of weakness which are dependent upon lactation as well as great exhaustion after the menses.
A report: copper colored eruption (especially on the face) has given occasion for the use of carbo animals in syphilis.
Leeser, a Consultant Physician at the Stuttgart Homeopathic Hospital and a member of the German Central Society of Homeopathic Physicians, fled Germany in 1933 after being expelled by the German Medical Association. In England Otto Leeser joined the staff of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. He returned to Germany in the 1950s to run the Robert Bosch Homeopathic Hospital in Stuttgart, but died shortly after.
Otto Leeser wrote Textbook of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Leesers Lehrbuch der Homöopathie, Actionsand Medicinal use of Snake Venoms, Solanaceae, The Contribution of Homeopathy to the Development of Medicine, Homeopathy and chemotherapy, and many articles submitted to The British Homeopathic Journal,