Pulsatilla is one of the polychrest remedies in homoeopathy and acts mostly on the blood vessels, mucous and synovial membranes and organs. Puls., Ignatia and Sepia form a trio in homoeopathy known as the womans remedy, i.e., they are most commonly indicated in women.
Farrington says : “The relation of Puls. or Sulphuric acid calls for particular notice. The latter remedy follows the former in gastric troubles. Puls is also antidotal to Sulphuric acid. When this acid has been used for the cure of the appetite for liquor, Puls has been proposed as the remedy best suited for the diarrhoea which ensues.”.
“It is one of those remedies which we are apt of selected by the predominance of the mental symptoms,” viz, mild, yielding, tearful disposition, “Puls. patients are never irascible although at times peevish.” “Thus in the case of child with gastric troubles Puls. may be used when it is peevish, pale, chilly and satisfied with nothing. This is not Nux vomica or Chamomilla condition as both these remedies have decidedly more violence with their anger.”.
It would not be out of place if we compare some important remedies which have mental symptoms in common.
1. Sepia :- “Differs from Puls. in the presence of irritability and anger.” “There is also indifference to her household affairs, to which she was formerly attentive.” Puls. cries when telling her symptoms and Sepia when asked her symptom.
2. Nat. mur. :- Also has a tearful disposition but under Nat.mur. consolation aggravates, while under Puls. the patient seeks consolation.
3. Ignatia :- Here the patient is “said and hides her grief from others.”.
4. Stannum metallicum :- “Likewise has this tearful disposition. The patient is very much discouraged or is tearful over his chest symptoms. He fears that he will go into a decline.”.
“Puls. is especially suitable for chlorotic, anaemic women when they complain constantly of a feeling of dullness, but inspite of this find relief for many of their symptoms in the open air.” “It acts on the right heart more than on the left, consequently despite the chilliness which arises from the anaemia, the open air acts as stimulus to the venous circulation and this improves the symptoms depending upon the sluggish flow of blood.”
So Puls. is of great use when there is this sort of disturbance in the venous circulation. Puls. patients is easily led and persuaded and is touchy ; is relieved by slow gentle motion (Ferrum-reverse of Arsenic) ; is better by lying on painful side, like Bryonia ; by cool place and drinks (although patent is not thirsty); aggravated in a warm room ; also aggravated by lying on left side like Phos. and p.m. ; aggravated at the beginning of motion (Rhus., but Rhus. wants motion in warm dry air while Puls. is ameliorated in cool open air).
Dr. Nash describes it as a “changeable remedy, pains travel from one joint to another ; haemorrhages flow, and stop, and flow again, no two stools alike, no two chills alike, no head nor tail to the case mixed.”.
“Many of the complaints are associated with weakness of the stomach and indigestion, or with menstrual disorders.” “Puls. like Nux vomica is a great remedy for disorders of digestion.” There is “bad taste in the mouth, especially in the morning, or nothing tastes good, or no taste at all.” “Great dryness of the mouth in the morning without thirst.” “The stomach symptoms are worse in the morning and the mental symptoms in the evening.” “Stomach disordered from cakes, pastry, rich food, particularly fat pork”-fat meats generally, fats. The stomach symptoms are ameliorated by walking slowly in open air. In dyspepsias Puls. has to be studied with other important remedies.
1. Nux vomica :- In Nux vomica heart-burn is more characteristic, while in Puls. waterbrash predominates. With Nux vomica warm food agrees best ; with Puls cold things. The mental symptoms of the two remedies differ widely.
2. Bryonia :- bad taste with coated tongue and thirst. Puls. on thirst.
3. Antimonium Crudum :- here the tongue is very characteristic. It “is coated white as though it had been white-washed. Vomiting predominates over the others symptoms.”.
4. Ipecac :- “is a first class remedy in these gastric catarrhs caused by chilling the stomach with ice water, or by eating pastry or other indigestible substances. The tongue is clean. It seldom has the thick coating belonging to Puls. or Ant.cr. and nausea predominates over every others symptoms.”.
5. Arsenic :- is complimentary to Puls. when gastric catarrh arises from “chilling the stomach with ice cream or ice water.” It is peculiar while Mercurius should have characteristically moist mouth with intense thirst.
“Headache in school-girls who are about to menstruate. Headache accompanying menstruation,” or “associated with suppressed menses”. “not caused from them but associated with them.” “One sided headaches and one sided complaints are peculiar to Pulsatilla.” Headaches ameliorated by cold applications and pressure.
There is no remedy like Puls to antidote Sulphur when Sulphur has been used every spring to “cleanse the blood.” A great remedy for affections consequent on the abuse of Iron. When inflamed parts look bluish like Lachesis, Puls. will promptly bring the condition under control provided Puls. temperament is present.
In fevers Puls. has been found very effective. Patient is chilly (afternoon 2 p.m. ; Nat.-mur., chilly forenoon.) ; hands and feet numbed (Cedron, whole body numb), heat in the afternoon and no thirst. But thirst may sometimes be present during heat (Ignatia has thirst only during chill). The sweat in Puls. is one sided and usually on the left side. It is also used after abuses of quinine.
THREE CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS Puls. are.
1. chilly.
2. aggravated by heat and.
3. thirstless.
Patient feel chilly, covers himself, in a short time begins to perspire, removes the blankets, wants the windows open and after a little while he again feels chilly and covers himself. This is the type of chill seen in Puls. patient. (Nux Vomica : the least uncovering aggravates).
It has been greatly used for after-effects and mistreated cases of meals and according to Pulford, as a preventive of measles, three times daily. In the initial stages of measles other remedies as Aconite, Gelsemium, Bryonia, Ferrum phos. should be taken into consideration as Puls will not help the condition. In its action on mucous membranes Puls. gives rise to “thick, green, yellow catarrhal discharges.” “The catarrhal discharges are bland except the leucorrhoea which is excoriating. Remember, however that Puls. has a bland leucorrhoea in keeping with the general state.”.
Puls. is more useful in nasal catarrh when the cold is ripe than when it is acute. In nasal catarrhs (chronic) Puls. vies with Cyclamen which has good many symptoms in common with Puls., e.g., loss of taste and smell is common to both. But the differentiating point this that in Cyclamen there is spasmodic sneezing and aversion to open air. But Puls. is sometimes indicated in acute nasal catarrh. (Arsenic, Carb.v., Cepa, Euphrasia). In Arsenic and Cepa the nasal discharge is acrid. In Euphrasia there is acrid discharge from the eyes and bland, watery from the nose.
In Nat.mur. there is loss of taste and smell like Puls. but in the case of Nat mur. the aggravation is in A.M. while in Puls it is in P.M. The characteristic discharges of Puls are found from every mucous outlet of the body. Puls is therefore our sheet-anchor in old catarrhs with thick yellow discharge and amelioration in open air. It is said that Puls. prevents whooping cough. Loose cough is more liable to be amenable to Puls. than dry cough. The expectoration of Puls. taste bitter while that of Stannum is sweet and, that of Kali- Hydriodicum and Sepia, salty.
Invaluable in purulent ophthalmia when Argent. nitr.fails. Also in cases of otorrhoea after measles. In suppressed gonorrhoea Puls is indicated Puls. will restore gonorrhoea Puls is indicated if orchitis or epididymitis ensues. In such cases Puls. will restore the discharge and reduce pain. Here it has to be compared with the following remedies.
1. Clematis :- “an excellent remedy for gonorrhoeal orchitis when the testicle is indurated and is as hard as stone.”.
2. Mercury :- “is called for when the glands are swollen and when what little discharge remains is greenish, and when there is phimosis.”.
3. Rhododendron :- under this remedy the testicle tends to atrophy, sensation as if it were being crushed.
Puls. is the common remedy for enormously swollen testicles from mumps in a boy (a form of metastasis). Here Puls, is to be studied along with Carbo veg., Abrotanum and Rhus tox. In the case of Carbo veg., you have a carbo vegetabilis patient. In the case of Puls. it changes location but not the disease, while Abrotanum changes both, e.g. arthritis developing after acute dysentery.
“Puls. has complaints from exposure to rain ; getting feet wet (Dulcamara)” ; a prominent wet weather remedy ; tooth- ache types of ear-ache (Chamomilla.). Puls is indicated in girls in derangements at the age of puberty when menstrual flow has not established itself normally. “Catamenia too late and scanty, or suppressed, particularly by getting feet wet.” “The changeable characteristics in the flow of menses, viz., they stop, and flow, stop and flow again, etc.” should be borne in mind.
