Belladonna

 

Belladonna

• Source : Vegetable Kingdom
• Common Name : Deadly Nightshade
• Family : Solanaceae
• Prover : Dr.Hahnemann
• Miasm : Psora
• Temperament : Billious , Lymphatic & Nervous
• Diathesis : Tubercular
• Thermal : Chilly
• Side Affinity : Right Side

Belladonna 

Guiding symptoms + keynotes 

1. A/F : Exposure to drafts of air & heat of sun, taking cold, from haircut, uncovering the head.
2. Acute, sudden & violent onset of every disease condition (aco). 
3. Congestion – Keynote of belladonna. It causes furious excitement, convulsion, delirium & pain. 
4. Congestion with flushed face, throbbing of carotids, hard & bounding pulse with rush of blood to head with delirium.
5. Redness - due to congestion, skin is very red & shiny all over the body mainly on inflamed part.
6. Heat – radiating heat all over the body due to congestion especially at inflamed part.
7. Burning – intense burning sensation everywhere in the body, both internal & external such as skin, mouth, brain, tonsils, stomach, liver etc.
8. Sensitiveness to affected part, can't bear to be touched anywhere.
9. Dryness of mouth & throat with aversion to water.
10. Violent mania. 

Mind

• Delirious condition of patient due to cerebral congestion.
• Patient has furious rage & anger, he spits, bites, strikes & tear the things.
• He breaks into fits of laughter & gnashes his teeth.
• Pt imagines seeing ghosts, hideous faces, various insects, black animals, dogs & wolves.
• Wants to escape from unusual & imaginary things. 
• Strange delusion, illusion & hallucination with loss of consciousness.

Headache

• Causation: Exposure to cold, heat of sun, hair cut, congestion, suppression of catarrhal flow.
• Onset : sudden & violent.
• Location : right side especially in forehead, also in occiput & temples.
• Sensation : as if brain were pushed through forehead, Sensation of stabbing as by knife from one temple to other.
• Character : congestive & throbbing headache, rush of blood to head & face, pain in head with eyeballs as if eye would be pushed out from sockets.
• Jerking headache as if weight were put in occiput.
• Vertigo : from stopping or rising after stopping, change of position.
• Vertigo with falling to left side or backwards (Falling side wise- Arg.nit)
• Feeling as if objects turn in a circle with much throbbing & heat. 
• Concomitants : Pain in eyeballs, constant moaning, double vision, dim vision, objects appear upside down.

Respiratory system

Cough :

• Causation - Exposure to cold, hair cut, getting wet.
• Sensation : soreness of larynx, as if larynx were inflamed, swollen & constricted.
• Character : dry, ticking, short, spasmodic, barking, whooping & hoarse cough with expectoration of blood.
• Shortness of breath & moaning at every breath.
• Aggravation : night, lying down, least motion, draught of cold air.
• Amelioration : standing or sitting in erect position, rest, warm room, open air & wrapping up.
• Concomitants : Cough with pain in left hip, pain in stomach before attack, stitches in chest while coughing.

Fever

• A/F : Exposure to draft of cold wind, uncovering head, haircut, heat of sun. 
• Onset : sudden & violent.
• Symptoms of fever : severe chill in evening especially on arms with heat of head.
• Natural chill with external burning heat.
• Heat & chill alternates with each other, feet are icy cold.
• High fever with sudden rise of temperature, flushed face, wild eyes, dilated pupils, full & bounding pulse, throbbing of Carotids.
• No thirst in fever, dry Perspiration only on  head.
• Aggravation : at 3 PM, touch, draft of air, while drinking, lying down.
• Amelioration : rest, warm room, erect position.

Circulatory affection

• Throbbing in carotid & temporal arteries
• Violent palpitation with laboured breathing.
• Pulse are full, hard & tense.
• Heart seems too large, Bubbling at region of heart.

Female

• Bearing down sensation as if contents of abdomen would push out through vulva.
• Dryness & heat of vagina.
• Menses : bright red, too early, too profuse, very offensive & hot gushing.
• Labour pain comes & go suddenly. 
• Breast : hard, red & streaks radiate from nipples.
• Aggravation from lying down.
• Amelioration in erect position.

Boils

• Indicated in first stage of boils before the pus formation takes place.
• Redness, swelling & heat of part.
• Throbbing pain & sensitive to touch.
• Aggravation from touch.
• Amelioration from application of heat.

Modalities

• Aggravation : from slight motion, jar, light, noise, lying down, afternoon.
• Amelioration : from pressure, setting or standing in semi erect position.

Relation

• Belladonna plant grows in soil rich in caco3, from this we get the relation that cal. Carb. Complements the action of Belladonna very well.