BELLADONNA

 BELLADONNA

Common name Deadly Nightshade

 Family Solanaceae

Constitution 

• Adapted to bilious, lymphatic, plethoric constitutions; persons who are lively and entertaining when well, but violent and often delirious when sick.

• Women and children with light hair and blue eyes, fine complexion, delicate skin; sensitive, nervous, threatened with convulsions; tubercular patients.

Mental Generals

•Imagines he sees ghosts, hideous faces, and various insects (Stram.); black animals, dogs, wolves.

• Fear of imaginary things, wants to run away from them; hallucinations. • Violent delirium; disposition to bite, spit, strike and tear things; breaks into fits of laughter and gnashes the teeth; wants to bite and strike the attendants (Stram.); tries to escape (Hell.).

Physical Generals 

• Great liability to take cold; sensitive to drafts of air, especially when uncovering the head; from having the hair cut; tonsils become inflammedafter riding in a cold wind (Acon., Hep., Rhus-t. takes cold from

exposure of feet, Con., Cupr., Sil.).

• Quick sensation and motion; eyes snap and move quickly; pains come

suddenly, last indefinitely and cease suddenly (Mag-p.).

• Pains usually in short attacks; cause redness of face and eyes; fullness

of head and throbbing of carotids.

Head

• Vertigo when stooping, or when rising after stooping (Bry.); on every

change of position.

• Rush of blood to head and face (Aml-ns., Glon., Meli.).

• Headache, congestive, with red face, throbbing of brain and carotids

(Meli.); < from slight noise, jar, motion, light, lying down, least exertion;

> pressure, tight bandaging, wrapping up, during menses.

• Boring the head into the pillow (Apis, Hell., Podo.).

Gastro-intestinal System

• Abdomen tender, distended < by least jar, even of the bed. obliged to

walk with great care for fear of a jar.

• Pain in right ileo-caecal region, < by slightest touch, even of the bed

cover.

• The transverse colon protrudes like a pad.

Female Reproductive System

• Pressing downwards as if the contents of abdomen would issue from the

vulva; > standing and sitting erect; worse mornings (Lil-t., Murx., Sep.).

Nervous System

• Convulsions during teething, with fever (without fever, Mag-p.); comes

on suddenly, head hot, feet cold.

Fever

• Head hot and painful; face flushed; eyes wild, staring, pupils dilated;

pulse full and bounding, globular, like buckshot striking the finger;

mucous membrane of mouth dry; stool tardy and urine suppressed;sleepy, but cannot sleep (Cham., Op.).

Skin

 • Skin: Of a uniform, smooth, shining scarlet redness; dry, hot, burning; imparts a burning sensation to examining hand; the true Sydenham scarlet fever, where eruption is perfectly smooth and truly scarlet.

Modalities 

• Aggravation: From touch, motion, noise, draft of air, looking at bright shining objects (Lys., Stram.); after 3 p.m., night, after midnight; while drinking; uncovering the head; summer sun; lying down.

• Amelioration: Rest; standing or sitting erect; warm room. 

Relation

• Complementary; Calcarea. • Belladonna is the acute of Calcarea, which is often required to complete a cure.

• Similar: To, Acon., Bry., Cic., Gels., Glon., Hyos., Meli., Op., Stram.