Chamomilla

Lecture XXIII — Cina and Chamomilla

Chamomilla } pale with one red cheek. The Bryonia tongue is coated white, that of Chamomilla yellow.

Colocynth has vomiting, diarrhoea and violent colicky pains from a fit of anger, but may easily be distinguished by the fact that the pains are relieved by bending double and from firm pressure. Continuing the nervous symptoms of Chamomilla, we find the drug useful for insomnia in children, when they start during sleep and the muscles of the face and hands twitch. With these symptoms there is apt to be colic ; the face is red, especially one cheek, and the head and scalp are bathed in a hot sweat. A word of explanation is here necessary. Sometimes, during an attack of fever in a child, the cheek on which it lies becomes red ; now that is not a Chamomilla symptom. These nervous symptoms of Chamomilla are generally reflex from the abdomen. There is very little evidence of delirium in these cases. When brain complications are present Chamomilla ceases to be the remedy, and Belladomia comes in.

When, during dentition, Chamomilla fails, Belladonna is the remedy, because it is suited to a more advanced state.

This same nervous state of Cha?nomilla may be applied to the use of the drug in rheumatism. Rheumatic pains drive the patient out of bed and compel him to walk about. He is thirsty, hot, with red cheeks and almost beside himself with anguish. Stitching pains jump from place to place, but unlike Pulsatilla, they leave a sense of weakness and numbness. Sweat does not relieve him, but his pains are better after sweat.

The analogous remedies here are Rhustox., which lacks the excitement of Chamomilla ; Ferrum metallicum , which has rheumatism better from moving about slowly ; Veratrtcm album, which has maddening pains, compelling the patient to walk about. With the latter remedy there is not the feverishness and excitement which characterize Chamom ilia .

Chamomilla also acts on mucous membranes, causing symptoms of catarrh. It is indicated in the catarrhs of children, when the nose is " stopped up," and yet there is a dropping of hot, watery mucus from the nostrils ; there are sneezing and inability to sleep; and with these a dry, teasing cough, which keeps the child awake, or may even occur during sleep; or there is rattling cough, as though the bronchi were full of mucus Especially is Chamomilla useful in colds brought on by cold windy days.

Nux vomica is also indicated in catarrhs, when there is a " stoppedup" feeling in the nose, but there is no secretion whatever. Sambucus is indicated in catarrh, when the child starts up suddenly as if suffocating.

Sticta suits a hard, drj^ barking cough; the nose is "stuffed up" and dry ; the real condition is this, the nasal secretion dries so rapidly that it cannot be discharged.

Chamomilla has a number of gastric symptoms. It is useful in biliousness produced by anger. We find it also indicated in gastralgia, especially when the food eaten seems to lie like a load in the stomach. There is distension of the hypochondria, the tongue is coated yellowish-white, and there is a bitter taste in the mouth ; there are colicky pains in the abdomen, which are relieved by drinking a cup of coffee. Cha??i07?iilla produces a diarrhoea with hot, yellowish-green stool, looking like chopped eggs, and often mixed with bile, causing soreness at the anus, and having an odor of sulphuretted hydrogen ; it is especially worse toward evening ; it is apt to occur during dentition. Chamomilla is here frequently followed by Sulphur, because both remedies produce the same stools with soreness of the stomach. If there is much tenesmus with these symptoms Mercurius is the remedy. If the stool is worse in the morning, and comes with a gush, we should think of Podophyllum and Sulphur.

Chamomilla is an invaluable remedy in the lying-in room ; it is indicated when labor pains begin in the back and pass off down the inner side of the thighs. There is great nervous excitement ; the labor seems exceedingly painful. After the labor is over, the lochial flow is dark and too profuse, and the after-pains are violent and intolerable. Chamomilla may be used in threatening abortion caused by anger, when the pains are of the character just described, and there is a flow of dark blood.

Viburnum is useful in threatening miscarriage when these pains come down the lower part of the abdomen and go into the thighs. It will stop the pains even if it cannot prevent the miscarriage.