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Schwabe News Volume 4 | Issue 9 | September 2013
Bryonia alba
Introduction
Bryonia alba is covered by almost all materia medicas like Allen TF, Blackwood, Boericke, Boger, Clarke, Hering, Phatak, etc. It therapeutic areas include musculo-skeletal, mucous membranes, right side, etc. Its keynote symptom in pain is worse by any motion and better by rest in contrary to Rhus toxicodendron. To elicit the proving symptoms in the present generation, a placebo controlled pathogenetic trial was conducted by David Riley with the support from the homoeopathic division of Dr. Willmar Schwabe, Germany, called Deutsche Homöopathie-Union (DHU) using 12CH with 16 female and 6 male provers. Important symptoms found during proving are reported here along with old symptoms. For the complete details of the proving, readers are requested to refer the original proving and materia medicas.
Main key symptoms found in the recent proving of bryonia alba in homeopathy: Irritability, impatience and many varied dreams are prominent mental symptoms. Increased energy is noted in the evening. Many dull headaches that are in the forehead or behind the eyes and especially on waking. Dryness of the throat that is not ameliorated by drinking. Feeling of urinary obstruction as if stream is slow or hard to start. Constipation with straining. Stiffness especially of the cervical region of the spine or aching in the joints. Pain turning eyes to the left with a left-sided nasal discharge.
Mind
Anger, impatience, and irritability but better humor when ill. Forgetful. Wants to be quiet. Difficult concentration. Confusion especially on waking. Changeable moods. Frequent tears. Unsympathetic. Biting the nails. Awkwardness and incoordination. Lack of confidence. Despair of being cured, with fear of death. Detached. Fearful of being injured. Anxiety and inquietude, with fear of the future. Restlessness, with fear of the future; fear of death, which he thinks is near. Fear, with desire to run away. Aversion to conversation. Exceedingly irritable and inclined to be angry. Irascibility and passion. Want of memory. Momentary absence of mind. Desire for things which are rejected when obtained.
Head
Headaches, worse in the forehead and worse on waking. Bursting headaches. Dull head pain in the forehead, behind the eyes, above the eyes or between the eyes. Headache in the area of the vertex. Constriction of the head. Burning heat of the head, externally. Heat of the head with dark-red face; with coldness of the rest of the body; with much thirst and pain in the limbs when moving them. Cold sweat on the forehead. Hair very greasy. Oily, greasy, sour-smelling perspiration on the head (and the whole body) during sleep; at night, esp. towards morning.
Eye
Sore eye, pain worse from motion of the eye. Burning heat of the head, externally. Heat of the head with dark-red face; with coldness of the rest of the body; with much thirst and pain in the limbs when moving them. Cold sweat on the forehead. Hair very greasy. Oily, greasy, sour-smelling perspiration on the head (and the whole body) during sleep; at night, esp. towards morning.
Ear
Pain in the left ear. Pressure in the right ear. Contractive pains in the ears, with diminution of hearing. Shootings in the ears, while walking in the open air, and afterwards. Swelling, like a knob, before and behind the ear (parotitis). Bleeding from the ears. Sensation in the ears, as if they were stopped. Buzzing in the ears. All noise is insupportable to the ears.
Nose
Swelling of the nose, with painful sensibility to the touch, and obstruction of the nose. Inflammation and ulceration of the nostrils. Ulcer in the nostrils, with gnawing pain. Frequent bleeding of the nose, sometimes in the morning, or when the catamenia are suppressed, or even when sleeping. Coryza that is clear, or thin discharge worse on the left side. Watery discharge. Burning pain. Sneezing in the morning. Congestion.
Face
Red, hot, puffy, especially over the malar bones. Yellowish paleness. Small nodules and indurations, like abortive boils, on the face. Upper lips swollen, cracked, like erysipelas, bleeding.Clenching of the jaw. Jaw pain at the left articulation.
Mouth
Jerking toothache, amel. warmth, also amel. lying on the painful side. The toothache is a sticking, tearing, sometimes temporarily amel. cold water, or on walking in the open air. The gums are sore about the painful teeth. Tongue sometimes dry during fever, usually with a thick, white coat. Aphthae on the tip of the tongue. Yellow-coated tongue or yellow spots on the tongue. Metallic or sweet taste in the mouth. Sensitive to cold air or pressure, especially the right upper teeth.
Throat
Sticking pains on swallowing. Soreness temporarily amel. drinking, but returning, with dryness, rawness on empty swallowing. Great dryness of the throat, unrelieved by drinking anything. Pain that is scratching, sore, sharp, or pinching. Swelling in the throat, particularly in the left cervical glands. Pain extending to the ear or worse on swallowing. Mucus. Heat. Throat-clearing.
Stomach
Excessive thirst; he does not drink frequently, but much at a time. Frequent pain or empty eructations after taking food. Regurgitation of food, without any effort to vomit. At times, an unnatural hunger, but does not wish food when brought. Nausea in the morning on waking, with vomiting. Increased appetite in the morning. Gurgling or rumbling. Nausea with constipation. Cramping pain. Acid stomach.
Abdomen
Sticking pains in the region of the liver on touch, coughing or breathing. Symptoms of inflammation of the liver and of the diaphragm. Abdomen distended. A feeling of something heavy lying in the abdomen. Movements, loud rumbling or a gurgling and soreness and dragging downward. Abdominal pain and cramping especially from flatulence. Abdominal pains that extend to the bladder. Twitching or burning pain.
Rectum and stool
Burning during evacuations. Stools large and dry. Stools becoming pasty and loose. Diarrhoea, putrid, followed by burning in the anus and cutting in the abdomen. Diarrhoea generally of a brown color and very disagreeable. Constipation with straining . Diarrhea. Ineffectual urging at night. Hemorrhoids. Rectal itching. Pain during stool that is burning. Urging in the evening or at night that wakes her or is ineffectual. Offensive flatus. Itching. Hard stools with straining. Frequent stools. Loose, mushy, or watery stools. Offensive odor. Stools like balls, large stools, or sticky stools.
Urinary
Urine diminished in quantity, red and hot, or brown. Urine whitish, turbid. Sometimes the urine is increased in quantity and retained with difficulty. Slow flow of urine or difficulty starting the urine to flow. Frequent urination at night. Burning pain at the meatus. Strong odor.
Male
Burning pain in the penis. Itching of the penis that is painful.
Female
Metrorrhagia with dark blood. Short menses. Vaginal itching.
Respiration
Cough generally dry, from tickling in the pit of the stomach, or from the throat; finally, with some expectoration of mucus. Cough on coming into a warm room, caused by sensation of a suffocating vapor, or as if he could not breathe enough air. Cough agg. talking or smoking, followed by a soreness in the trachea. Spasmodic cough after eating and drinking, followed by vomiting of food. Cough causes bursting headache, and stitches in the sides of the chest. Yellow or red-brown phlegm in a.m. Pulsations on top of the sternum.
Back
Aching between the shoulders, in the sacrum. Sore pain in the lumbar region or pinching pain in the cervical neck improves. Stiffness and pain on the left side of the neck, pinching pain, or extends to the jaw, or improvement of this symptom. Neck pain that extends to the shoulder or the jaw improves. Stiffness on the left side of neck extends to the jaw articulation. Cervical pain extending to the occiput, or improvement of pain that extends to the shoulders.
Extremities
A feeling of tension and sticking; drawing pains in the shoulder joints and upper arms. Swelling of the elbow joints and hands, especially of the back of the hand. In the right elbow a feeling as though the arm were broken, with drawing pains, extending upward; similar pain in the wrist on motion. Sticking pains in the fingers and finger joints, which are swollen. Awkwardness and drops things. Aching in the hip, knee, or wrist. Twinges of pain in fingers and wrist. Dry, red, itchy eczema on the hip. Itching of the hip or shins of the leg. Stinging skin of the shins. Tingling of the hips. Sore pain of the left thigh or of the wrist. Stitching pain in the left patella or the upper arms. Sticking pains and cracking in the hip joints when walking. Pains in the hip, extending along the anterior surface of the thigh to the knee. Weakness of the knees when walking. Tension in the bend of the knee, the pain extending along the tibia. Painful stiffness in the knee.
Sleep
Much yawning, and sleepiness during the day. Sleeps with eyes half open. Sleeplessness before midnight, on account of frequent shivering over one arm and leg, followed by perspiration, warmth and anxiety in the blood. Sleeplessness on account of orgasm of blood, heat and thirst. Deep sleep. Dreaming during daytime naps.
Generalities
Sharp pains, often with a feeling of tension, agg. motion and touch. The pains, as a rule, while agg. motion, are amel. continued moderate pressure, but agg. sudden, hard pressure or jerking; there is also general relief from warmth, or warm applications. Pains nearly always sharp, sticking or tearing, sometimes bruised, or like suppurating, or like a stiffness. Weariness. Wandering and aching joint pain. Increased desire for sweet drinks, hot dogs, and pickles. Worse in the evening. Increased energy at night in bed.
Bibliography
- Riley, David S. Materia Medica of New and Old Homoeopathic Medicines, Springer-Verlag GmbH, 2012.
- Boericke, W., New Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica & Repertory [with Relationship of Remedies], Second Re-Augmented & Revised Edition Based on Ninth Edition, Reprint Edition 2002, B. Jain Publishers, New Delhi.
- Clarcke, J. H., Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, Reprint Edition 1992, B. Jain Publishers, New Delhi.
- Allen, T. F., Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica, B. Jain Publishers, New Delhi.
