Rhus aromatica

{Allen, Hering and Hahnemann). Worse in the house, relieved by walking in open air {Puls.). Sad, begins to weep without knowing why. Very restless mood. Great apprehension at night ; cannot remain in bed. On rising such dizziness, it seemed she was going to fall forward and backward. Inflammation of the Ey e s. Very sore around.the right eye. The eyes are closed, or greatly swollen and inflamed. Great swelling of the lids. Left eye closed from swollen lids. Inflammation of the lids. Eyes red and agglutinated with matter in a.m. Eyes agglutinated with purulent mucus in a.m. Heaviness and stiffness of lids, like a paralysis : difficult to move the lids. Nasal mucus runs in profusion out of nose, as in the most severe coryza in a.m., after rising from bed (Nux). Frequent, violent, spasmodic sneezing. Great swelling of the face. Yawning so violent and spasmodic : causes pain in maxillary joint which is in danger of being dislocated. Sore sensation with redness ut afex of tongue. Tongue dry. Salivation. Throat much swollen externally, maxillary and parotid glands greatly enlarged. Parotid and submaxillary glands hard and swollen. Great thirst. Thirst and dryness of throat. Acute diseases take on a typhoid form—dysentery. Peritonitis, Pneumonia, Scarlatina, Diphtheria. Typhoid fever : mild temperament ; mild delirium ; at times may try to jump out of bed or try to escape. . . . Mental and physical restlessness. Constantly tosses about bed, lies first on one side then the other, one moment sitting up, the next lying down. At beginning of disease wants to lie perfectly quiet on account of great weakness— prostrate—indifferent. Hallucinations : fears he will be poisoned ; refuses medicine and food. Short cough, from severe tickling and irritation behind the upper part of sternum, followed the feeling of discouragement and apprehension. Pneumonic cough, rust-coloured sputum. Stiffness in small of back, painful on motion. Small of bach feels bruised. While sitting the small of back aches, as after long stooping and bending the back. Pain as if bruised in small of back, whenever he lies quietly upon it or sits still : on moving about he feels nothing. Heaviness and pressure in small of back, as if one had received a blow, while sitting. The limbs tremble after exerting them. All the limbs feel stiff and paralysed, during and after walking ; with a sensation of a hundred-weight on nape of neck. Sensation of stiffness on first moving the limb'after rest. The limbs upon which he lies, especially the arm, fall asleep. A sensation as of trembling in arms and lower extremities, even while at rest. Drawing in all the limbs, while lying down. Trembling of arms after moderate exertion of them. Violent tearing pain in arm, most violent while lying still. Drawing and paralysed sensation left arm, at night. Sticking and drawing in left arm extending from above downward and out at tips of fingers. Pain in left upper arm as if muscles or tendons were unduly strained, when the limb is carried by them far upwards and backwards, at 2 and 3 p.m. Jerking tearing in elbow and wrist joints, during rest, better during motion. Loss of power and stiffness in forearms and fingers on moving them. A powerless sensation in upper right forearm, on motion, and pain as if sprained in wrist, when grasping anything. Sensation on upper surface left wrist on bending it, as if it had been sprained. When grasping, feeling as if pins were pricking tips and palmar surface of first phalanges of fingers . Great weakness of legs while walking in open air (afternoon), hardly able to proceed, because they are so heavy and weary {Gels.) : after sitting an hour, weariness disappears. Great heaviness in legs while sitting, disappeared on walking. Aching pains in legs, inability to rest in any position but for a moment. Pressive fain in both hip-joints on every step, and paralysed sensation in anterior muscles of thighs. Tension, left hip-joint, while sitting. When lying on the side the hips hurt, and when lying on the back, the small of the back hurts. Stiffness, especially knees and feet. Tension left knee joint, when rising from seat. Tension knee, as if it were too short. Uneasiness in foot {from pulling and tension in tendons.) Tearing in knee and ankle, worse during rest. Legs heavy and weary r as if he had walked a long distance. Pain like a tingling in tibia at night, when feet are crossed. Constantly obliged to move legs back and forth, and so unable to sleep. Heaviness and tension in feet while sitting, but only weariness when walking. Feet painful, as if sprained or wrenched on rising in a.m. A drawing, like paralysis, in whole foot, while sitting. Unusual weakness of limbs, mostly during rest. Very great weakness, especially walking in open air. Weariness, worse sitting, relieved while walking : decided stiff­ ness on rising from seat. Unusual restlessness at night. Great restlessness. Could not sit still on account of internal uneasiness, but was obliged to turn in every direction on the chair, and move all her limbs {Pyrogen). Great uneasiness at night. Stiff on rising from a seat. Soreness in every muscle, passes off during exercise. Skin : erysipelas, with numerous vesicles that burst, and secreted for eight days a slimy liquid. After 24 hours itching and burning commenced, lasting from half- an-hour to two hours. A fier 36 hours, swelling of the parts, with violent itching and burn­ ing, increased on touching or moving ; the parts affected as if pierced by hot needles {Ars.) White transparent vesicles appeared on the highly red and inflamed skin {Ran. bulb.). Covered from head to foot with a fine red vesicular rash, itching and burning terribly, especially in the joints ; worse at night causing constant scratching, with little or no relief, and which felt very hard when pressed with the finger : skin burning hot. The face became red, enormously swollen and (edematous, then also the hands and the skin of the whole body becatne covered with a scarlet-like exanthema, with intolerable itching biting ; on the fourth day, the backs of the hands and legs became covered with blisters, which burst and slowly desquamated. Violent vesicular erysipelas of the face and hands, attended with a high state of fever. Burning, itching eruptions. 7 1 5 Urticaria from gettihg wet : during rheumatism : with chills and fever. Worse in cold air. Eczema : raw, excoriated : thick crusts, oozing and offensive. Burning, itching, tingling fains. Incessant itching and scratch­ ing. The more they scratch, the greater the urgency to scratch. Acts on fibrous and muscular tissues. Flesh of affected parts sore to touch. Pain as if flesh torn loose from bones : or bones being scraped. Pains as if sprained : disposition to sprain a fart by lifting heavy weights, or stretching up to reach things. Inflammation of tendons and muscles from over-exertion, or sudden wrenching as in a sprain. Bad effects of getting wet, especially after being heated. Smooth red and shining swellings, the inflamed skin being covered with small painful, white vesicles. Glands swollen, hot, painful ; indurated : suppurating. Paralysis : after unwonted exertion : parturition : rheumatic, from getting wet or lying on damp ground : after ague or typhoid. Parts painless, or painfully stiff and lame, with tearing, tingling numbness. Twitchings of limbs and muscles. Restless at night, has to change position frequently. Bad consequences from getting wet, especially after being heated. Fever. Cough during chill : dry, teasing, fatiguing. Slow fevers : tongue dry and brown, or red as if skinned ; sordes on teeth ; bowels loose ; great weakness ; powerlessness of lower limbs, can hardly draw them up. Great restlessness after midnight ; must move often to get relief. * * * As we have seen, Rhus has very definite spheres of action. Sk in, to vesication and erysipelas ; glands throughout the body, enlarg­ ing arid inflaming them, including the parotids and Peyer’s patches (Dros.), which suggests its deep utility in typhoid. It “ depresses nutritional activity ; depresses the sensorium, and the capability of the mind for continuous thought ; thus a patient meaning to write the number 12 will write the figure 1, but cannot recollect the figure which should follow ” (Dunham). The Rhus powerless­ ness, approaching paralysis, is more pronounced in the lower extremities (Dunham). And Dunham sums up the action of Rhus, as follows : “ It produces a kind of rheumatic affection of muscles and ligaments, alleviated by motion ; a paralysis aggravated by motion ; an apparent passive congestion of head, relieved by repose ; a debility of the organs of nutrition marked by deficient and depraved appetite and by tympanitis ; a serous infiltration of the cellular tissue in various parts, as face, fauces, genital organs, feet ; a vesicular eruption generally ; an acrid state of the secretions generally, tears, nasal mucus, urine, men­ strual flow, contents of cutaneous vesicles ; general depression of sensorium.” But Rhus is practically only prescribed on its peculiar modali­ ties and that in arty disease : its restlessness : its temporary relief from motion ; its intolerance of damp and cold : and the etiology of most of the conditions it causes and cures—a cold w etting : a chill from dam p, especially when warm (Dulc.). * * * There are other species of Rhus used in homoeopathic medicine. Rhus radicans (Poison Ivy), which Jahr makes much of, and which has seemed to us a more potent remedy in lumbago, sciatica, and even headache, than Rhus tox. (Poison Oak), but which Hahnemann, as seen from our heading, has included in his provings with Rhus tox. Then there is Rhus aromatica (Fragrant Sumach), a non-poisonous shrub, which has a reputation, in the tincture, for diabètes. Rhus venenata (Poison Sumach), said to be more poisonous than Rhus tox. and which has to be handled with extreme ceuiion, and it is said to be more actively curative in skins. It seems to affect bones more than Rhus tox. especially where bones are near the surface, “ directly covered with skin ”. Rhus diversiloba, again, a remedy of eczema and erysipelas, and Rhus glabra—all to be found in Clarke’s Dictionary. “ Th er e’s Rue for you !” . . . An ancient herb of great virtue: “ Herb of Grace ” ;—“ Herb of repentance ” :—supposed to be a valuable defence against witches ;—and “ an antidote to all dangerous medicines and deadly poisons ”, so Culpepper tells us ; a “ Mithridate ” , i.e. one of the poisons on which the King of Pontus fed daily, to the intent that “ they should have no power, but be a kind of nutriment ”. He is said to have eaten, among the rest, by which he sought to render himself acclimatized, as it were, and so immune from poisonings, two of the tiny leaves of Rue daily. And Rue is a poison, and therefore a medicine. Used for purposes of abortion, it has encompassed its end in the most protracted and suffering way—at times ending with death : like other methods to the same intent. Rue is a dear friend among medicines ; One met with it first as a plant which our gardeners always kept in an odd corner of the kitchen garden, from which to make an ointment for the cows’ udders, should they get sore. As an ointment, it is also, a fine application for chilblains : one used to get appeals for some more Rue ointment for a young nephew's chilblains, which otherwise were bad enough to keep the poor schoolboy in bed. One discovered its virtues also in housemaid’s knee, and generally in inflammations of synovial membranes. But here it seems to do equally well internally in the 200th potency. It was proven by Hahnemann and some of his band, and has very definite spheres of action—as we shall see : viz. eyes—anus— ganglia and such-like—injuries to periosteum—sprains, especially of wrist and ankle. It is one of the great vulneraries (with A mica), helping in injuries not only of soft parts, but of bones and perios­ teum—and as said—sprains (with Rhus)—and skins, even to erysipelas. Like Rhus it has caused, in some persons who have handled it, severe skin troubles. Some persons !—not all, for one has handled it, from time to time, for years, and taken no hurt. In regard to Rue, hear Hahnemann (Materia Medica Pura). ” This powerful plant, hitherto almost only employed in haphazard fashions by common folk as a domestic remedy in indeterminate cases, acquires considerable importance from the following (all too meagre !) symptoms observed from its administration. The homoeopathic practitioner sees what peculiar serious cases of disease he is able to cure by its means. ” If Rosenstein cannot sufficiently commend the virtues of R ue in affections of the eye and dimness of vision from too much 7i8

Tincture, in rather material doses.