Anacardium Orientale - General symptoms - Nash

GENERAL

General

Pain in stomach when it is empty, better by eating.

Frequent ineffectual desire for stool, from insufficiency or paralytic state of rectum; with sense of lump or plug in anus; with the effort the desire vanishes.

Loss of memory; irresistible desire to curse and swear; feels as if he had two wills, one commanding, the other forbidding, to do things.

Pain and sensation as of a blunt plug in different parts.

Suspects every one and everything around him; when walking he felt anxious, as if some one were pursuing him; weakness of all the senses.

Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium orientale is a very valuable remedy, but is not, I think, generally appreciated by our school. It ought often to be used in that hydraheaded complaint called dyspepsia, for which Nux Vomica ^{Nux vomica} is so indiscriminately used. Both are excellent remedies, and it is only necessary to know the difference to make the choice between them easy. Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium has a pain in the stomach, which comes on only when the stomach is empty and is relieved by eating, while Nux Vomica ^{Nux vomica} is relieved after the process of digestion is over. The pain of Nux Vomica ^{Nux vomica} is worst two or three hours after meals, but lasts only until digestion is accomplished, and then comes relief, whereas, with Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium, this is the time when the suffering is worst. I have cured many cases (some of them of quite long standing) of this description with Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium, and find almost as many of them as I do Nux Vomica ^{Nux vomica} cases. I have found the 200th here more efficacious than the lower potencies. The potency here as well as elsewhere and with all remedies has more to do with success in curing than some imagine.

Case. In the fall of 1899 I was called to a lady, married, 35 years of age, mother of three children.

She was quite emaciated, with a yellowish cachectic look of the face. A couple of years before I treated her when she had an attack of vomiting, in which she vomited coffee-ground substances.

She was relieved at that time by a dose of Arsenicum Album ^Arsenicum alb., 40m., but had more or less trouble with her digestion up to this time. This last attack was more persistent and did not yield to Arsenicum Album ^Arsenicum and some other remedies.

Both these remedies have frequent ineffectual urging to stool, but Nux Vomica ^{Nux vomica} is the result of irregular peristaltic action as observed by Carroll Dunham, while Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium has an insufficiency or paralytic state of the rectum which does not appear under Nux Vomica ^{Nux vomica}. In other words, Nux Vomica ^{Nux vomica} has desire, but with irregular or over-action. Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium has the desire, but with not sufficient action to carry it out. Then Anacardium has a sense of a lump or plug in the anus which ought to come away, which does not appear under Nux Vomica ^{Nux vomica}.

Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium is also one of our leading remedies for loss of memory, especially in old people of broken down constitutions.

Of course, if the characteristic stomach or bowel symptoms were present, or had been suffered from, during former years as a concomitant, or the exciting cause of the mental trouble, the indication would be strengthened.

There are many remedies having loss of memory as a leading symptom, but none stronger than this one. Of course, the whole case must be taken into the account. Anacardium Orientale has two other peculiar mind symptoms. First "Irresistible desire to curse and swear." This symptom, queer as it may seem, is no more so than the other symptom found under Stramonium ^Stramonium, and often verified, "patient wants to pray continually." Some of the most remarkable and convincing cures have been made on just such symptoms. Another symptom is, "the patient feels as if he had two wills," each commanding or moving him to do opposite things, or one commanding him to do a thing and the other commanding him not to do it. Such symptoms are often found in dementia, and are valuable guides to the curative remedy. See my case reported under Platinum Metallicum ^Platina. Then, again, Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium has two other peculiar symptoms. One as of a hoop around parts, and the other as of a plug in inner parts. This may be found in head, chest, abdomen or anus. The sensation of a hoop around parts may be found in spinal troubles and Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium will be the remedy. Other remedies have a general characteristic sensation, as Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium has the sensation of a plug; for instance, the feeling of fullness as if too full of blood of Aesculus ^{Aesculus hippocastanum}. and the sensation of constriction of Cactus Grandiflorus ^{Cactus grandiflorus}. Anacardium Occidentale ^Anacardium is also said to be a good antidote for Rhus Tox ^Rhus poisoning. I have never used it for this.