Apyrexia: Gastric and bilious symptoms are always present. Legs feel weak and paralytic, head heavy, dull, with vertigo and severe frontal headache, especially in morning, pains are pressive, pulsating, sticking, worse in temples and sinciput, face pale and waxy, as in chlorosis, debility, soreness of liver and spleen, which are sensitive to least pressure, loss of appetite and obstinate constipation, with frequent but ineffectual inclination (rarely canine hunger and diarrhea), great sensitiveness in and distention of the epigastrium. Vomiting of food or bitter fluids and sour mucus, emaciation, anxiety, and great weakness of the whole body. Chilly on the least movement, repugnance to cold, or cold air. Nightly paroxysm of dry cough. Many of the symptoms, after continuing with greater or less intensity, gradually pass into the succeeding prodrome.
Differences between Natrum mur and Nux vomica
Natrum mur.
Time 5 to 8 A.M., 10 to 11 A.M., and 4 to 7 P.M. Fever without chill, 10 or 11 A.M. Type: Anticipating, every other day. Every day paroxysm, regular. Prodrome: Dreads the chill. Languor, headache, thirst, nausea and vomiting. Chill: With thirst, drinking often and much at a time, with blue lips and nails, and bursting headache, tearing in bones and chattering of teeth. Heat: With thirst, increased headache, unconsciousness and excessive weakness. Sweat: With thirst, gradually relieving all pains except headache, which is not so severe. Profuse sweat breaks out easily on motion. Sour – smelling. Tongue: Mapped tongue, like herpes, on the side, yellow coat, salt taste.
Nux vomica.
Time: 6 to 7 A.M., 11 A.M., or 12 M., and 5 to 9 P.M., lasting all night. Fever, without chill, 6 or 7 P.M. Type: Anticipating. Paroxysm and stages usually irregular. Prodrome: Drawing pain in limbs, weak and paralyzed. Heat and sweat sometimes before the chill. Chill: Without thirst, shaking, with blue face and hands, pain in numbness of limbs, as if gone to sleep, relieved neither by warmth of stove nor covering in bed. Heat: With great thirst, violent and long-lasting. Cannot move or uncover in the least without feeling chilly Sweat: Without thirst, with chilliness from motion or allowing the air to touch him. Sweat on one side (right) or upper part of body. Relieves pains in limbs. Tongue: Heavily coated white or yellow, putrid taste, must rinse the mouth. Analysis – “Children’s intermittents, shaking chill, with blue – mottled skin, especially on covered parts. Morning chill, very severe, with skin blue – mottled, thirst very great during chill and fever, great tendency to spasms (and even convulsions), as the chill went off and sweat came on. Bowels constipated, with ineffectual urging to stool, especially in nursing children, appetite poor, urine red and fetid, and generally a dry, hacking cough (Crot., if right side was most mottled).” – Dr. Higgins, N.A.J., p. 182.
The anticipating chill always denotes increasing severity of the fever, and the remedies which correspond to it are among the most prominent and frequently called for, viz., Arsenic, Bryonia, Cinchona, Chininum s., Natrum mur., and Nux vomica. Ipecacuanha may anticipate. Ignatia anticipates and postpones.
By many professing homoeopaths Nux vomica is used in alternation with Ipecacuanha, and they boast of their success in the treatment of ague. However successful such treatment may be, it is routine practice, and, like the empiricism which leads the other school to the indiscriminate use of Quinine, must often fail. Nux vomica deserves, and will repay, a careful individualization.
