The Bryonia fever is especially suitable to two great types, the rheumatic and the typhoid. The fever is marked by gastrohepatic complications, such as the coated tongue, the foul and bitter taste, nausea, vomiting, soreness, tension and stitches in the hypochondria, together with dizziness, faintness on sitting up and the splitting headache through the temples and in the occiput, weakness, fatigue from the least exertion and inclination to absolute rest and quiet. Pains are worse on moving the affected parts.
The pulse is tense, hard and frequent. Cold and chilliness predominate. If it is a case of typhoid fever you will have more dizziness, nosebleed at 3 a.m., dreams of the business of the day, delirium-thinks he is away from home and wants to run away. The provers of Bryonia complained much of general and internal oppression of the brain, indicating affections of a serious character. The giddiness, the suspension of the thinking faculty, the confusion, the vanishing thoughts, the dull pains point to just such involvement of the sensorium. Beginning blood deterioration and blood poisonings, such as are usual in organic disease, in typhoid, in milk fever congestions, in pyaemia and in other nervous conditions due to the absorption of irritating matter into the blood offer a great filed for the action of Bryonia. The fever of Bryonia resembles that of Baptisia and Eupatorium,but Baptisia has more of a besotted look, fetor more marked, more evidence of disorganization of the blood, sordes, putrid ulceration, prostration, feel himself in pieces, sordes, putrid ulceration, prostration, feel himself in pieces, while Eupatorium has more marked bone pains, intense aching in limbs as if bones were broken. The Eupatorium sweat is scanty or wanting, that of Bryonia profuse.
As the disease advances Bryonia may still be indicated, provided there is not diarrhoea, but when this occurs Bryonia will probably give place to some other drug. In addition to these symptoms the patient becomes exceedingly irritable and loses strength very rapidly, is hasty in his manner, speaks hastily, eats and drinks as if he were in a hurry and has also a nervous quaking.
In the rheumatic fever Bryonia follows Aconite. Remember the stitching, tearing pains, the affected parts soon become red, a shiny redness, swollen and sore, worse from the slightest motion. Effusion into synovial sacs follows with great tension and exquisite sensitiveness to touch. Affected parts are hot, tense and swollen. Bryonia is especially indicated when the synovial membranes of the joints are the seat of the inflammation rather than the tendons, fascia and ligaments around them. There is more local swelling and less general fever and the pains worse morning and evening are relieved by warmth.
BACK AND EXTREMITIES. Besides the above uses in rheumatic fever it is useful in cases of rheumatic pain in particular muscles after cold drafts, when there is tensive, painful stiffness. Lumbago or muscular rheumatism in the large muscles of the back, the quiet type, with great aggravation on moving.
Rhus. Lumbago with stiff strained feeling. The patient is aggravated on first rising or moving off, obtains relief from continued motion and is worse from damp or cold weather. Strains, over-exertion of the back. Rhus attacks the fibrous tissues of the sheaths of the muscles while Bryonia attacks the muscular tissue itself.
Rhododendron. Lumbago worse before a storm, immediate and continued relief from motion.
Colchicum. Dark red swellings, tearing pains as if in the periosteum, superficial in summer, deeper in winter. The Colchicum patient is weak and has general vital atony. Hence it is particularly suited to the debilitated. The stomach is generally affected, nausea, cannot bear the smell of the food.
Bryonia is rarely yet sometimes indicated in gout.
Ledum. This remedy has a rheumatic or gouty inflammation of the great toe joint with scanty effusion, hardening into nodosities. In hot swelling of the hip and shoulder Ledum is to be preferred to Bryonia.
SKIN. The Bryonia skin is yellow, we would expect that from its action on the hepatic system, its biliousness, its jaundiced look and mood. Itching may accompany. It is pale and swollen as in dropsy. It is hot and painful to the touch. Again, it has nodules and vesicles, bullae which open and leave a raw surface exuding an ichorous fluid. Erysipelatous inflammation especially of the joints. Slow development of rash is tardy in making its appearance, with the hard, severe cough or the rash runs as irregular or balky course or disappears and cerebral symptoms develop. The child becomes drowsy, the face is pale, twitching. Any motion causes the child to scream with pain, In such cases bryonia is the remedy. It may also be indicated in scarlet fever which does not run a smooth course but is interspersed with miliary rash, the rash comes out imperfectly and chest symptoms develop.
Cuprum is the remedy when the eruptions are suppressed and the symptoms are violent with spasms, etc.
Remember, then, the general characteristics that will easily
distinguish Bryonia from other remedies. The irritability of the patient, the vertigo from raising the head, the pressive headache, the dry, parched lips, mouth. etc., the excessive thirst, the bitter taste, the feeling of a stone in the stomach, the sensitive epigastrium, the large, dry, hard stools, the stitching pains, the dry cough as if coming from the stomach, the rheumatic pains and swellings worse by motion and tough, the dropsical effusions, into serous and synovial membranes.
It is complementary to Alumina which is similar in gastric and abdominal symptoms, constipation, throbbing headache, dry cough with stitches in the chest and dryness of mucous surfaces. Alumina often follows in constipation. With alumina there is neither desire nor ability to pass the stool. Even a soft stool requires much straining. Alumina is worse from potatoes. The constipation of Veratrum is similar to that of Bryonia.
Rhus and Bryonia follow each other well but they are antidotal if given together.
The value of our remedies cannot be measured by pathological anatomy. Natural and drug diseases are two entirely different conditions; the laws of one have no power in the other, nor can they have any, because those conditions, are not only different from, but totally opposed to one another.
It is for this reason that even as early as 1834 I told my pupils as Allentown: In studying a disease, think that all remedies may help in the case; in studying a remedy, think that it may help in every disease. This proposition, which I think comes from Fechner disease. This proposition, which I think comes from Fechner or Helbig, has been made a cornerstone by me. Disease does not mean a single case. I know very well that there is such a thing as classification of disease; but pathological anatomy does not reveal the boundaries of disease; it exhibits extreme points, but points are no lines.- C. HERING, M.D., 1847.
Professor of Materia Medica in the University of Michigan Homeopathic Medical College. Member of American Institute of Homeopathy. In addition to his editoral work he authored or collaborated on: Boericke and Dewey's Twelve Tissue Remedies, Essentials of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Essentials of Homeopathic Therapeutics and Practical Homeopathic Therapeutics.