Boericke on Stramonium (Stram.)

Stramonium (Thorn-Apple)

The entire force of this drug seems to be expended on the brain, through the skin and throat show some disturbance. Suppressed secretions and excretions. Sensation as if limbs were separated from body. Delirium tremens. Absence of pain and muscular mobility especially of muscles of expression and of locomotion. Gyratory and graceful motions. Parkinsonism.

Mind.–Devout, earnest, beseeching and ceaseless talking. Loquacious, garrulous, laughing, singing, swearing, praying, rhyming. Sees ghosts, hears voices, talks with spirits. Rapid changes from joy to sadness. Violent and lewd. Delusions about his identity; thinks himself tall, double, a part missing. Religious mania. Cannot bear solitude or darkness; must have light and company. Sight of water or anything glittering brings on spasms. Delirium, with desire to escape (Bell; Bry; Rhus).

Head.–Raises head frequently from the pillow. Pain in forehead and over eyebrows, beginning at 9 am; worse until noon. Boring pain, preceded by obscure vision. Rush of blood to head; staggers, with tendency to fall forward and to the left. Auditory hallucinations.

Eyes.–Seem prominent, staring wide open; pupils dilated. Loss of vision; complains that it is dark, and calls for light. Small objects look large. Parts of the body seem enormously swollen. Strabismus. All objects look black.

Face.–Hot, red; circumscribed redness of cheeks. Blood rushes to face; distorted. Expression of terror. Pale face.

Mouth.–Dry; dribbling of viscid saliva. Aversion to water. Stammering. Risus sardonicus. Cannot swallow on account of spasm. Chewing motion.

Stomach.–Food tastes like straw. Violent thirst. Vomiting of mucus and green bile.

Urine.–Suppression, bladder empty.

Male.–Sexual erethism, with indecent speech and action. Hands constantly kept on genitals.

Female.–Metrorrhagia, with loquacity, singing, praying. Puerperal mania, with characteristic mental symptoms and profuse sweatings. Convulsions after labor.

Sleep.–Awaken terrified; screams with fright. Deep snoring sleep. Sleepy, but cannot sleep (Bell).

Extremities.–Graceful, rhythmic motions. Convulsions of upper extremities and of isolated groups of muscles. Chorea; spasms partial, constantly changing. Violent pain in left hip. Trembling, twitching of tendons, staggering gait.

Skin.–Shining red flash. Effects of suppressed eruption in scarlatina, with delirium, etc.

Fever.–Profuse sweat, which does not relieve. Violent fever.

Modalities.–Worse, in dark room, when alone, looking at bright or shining objects, after sleep, on swallowing. Better, from bright light, company, warmth.

Relationship.–Compare especially: Hyoscy and Bellad. It has less fever than Bellad, but more than Hyos. It causes more functional excitement of the brain, but never approaches the true inflammatory condition of Bellad.

Antidotes: Bellad; Tabac; Nux.

Dose.–Thirtieth potency and lower.

(Extracted from Materia Medica by William Boericke MD (1901). This materia medica is a condensed and concise list of remedy symptoms from provings and clinical usage. Later editions include a repertory at the back of the book. The focus of this materia medica, unlike some modern materia medicas, is on physical symptoms and pathology more than mental-emotional symptoms)