Coccus Cacti - General symptoms

GENERAL

General

(Morning), Confusion of head, etc.

on rising, confusion in forehead, etc.

on waking, dizzy confusion of the head.

on waking, headache. after waking, headache.

on waking, headache above right eye.

soon after rising, pain in temporal region.

on waking, pressure, etc.

in vertex. while lying in bed, headache in parietal bone.

on waking, biting between eyeballs and lids.

sensitiveness of teeth to cold water.

after waking, worse on inspiring air, or holding a cigar with the teeth, toothache.

on waking, pain in right molars.

irritation in throat. burning in fauces.

irritation in palate. thirst.

nausea, etc. on waking, sensation of nausea.

on waking, retching, etc.

immediately after rising, distension in the stomach, etc.

on waking, griping in abdomen.

at 5 o'clock, pain beginning in right kidney.

urging to urinate. at 4 o'clock, frequent micturition.

on waking, sexual desire.

lasciviousness, etc. at 5 o'clock, emission.

hoarseness. dry cough.

after waking, cough. at 6 o'clock, cough.

after rising, short, etc.

cough. immediately after rising, especially on deep inspiration, pain in right lung.

on waking, pain in clavicular region.

on waking, tension in cervical muscles.

after waking, pain in sacro-iliac region.

after rising, sensation in limbs.

weakness, etc. on rising, itching of scrotum.

coldness of feet, etc.

at 3 o'clock, dry heat, etc.

on waking, heat in cheeks.

general sweat. perspiration on lower legs, etc.

(Afternoon), Towards evening, confusion of head.

at 6 o'clock, in a warm room, pressure, etc., in occiput.

the symptoms are most frequent and most violent.

hawking of mucus. heartburn.

lying down, pain in stomach.

frequent micturition. towards evening, hoarseness.

voice hoarse, etc. towards evening, stitches in left chest.

pain in loins, etc. pain in small of back.

while sitting quietly, pain in region of kidneys.

while sitting, pain in tibia.

weariness. itching on legs, etc.

sleepiness. chilliness.

between 3 and 5 o'clock, chilliness.

thirst. towards evening, febrile symptoms.

at 5 o'clock, heat in cheeks.

(Evening), Apprehensiveness.

confusion of head, etc.

after walking, confusion of the head.

pressive headache. after lying down, pain from eyebrow into forehead.

difficulty in swallowing.

great thirst. eructations of air.

itching at orifice of urethra.

strangury. at 9 o'clock, urine thinner, etc.

irritation to cough. short hoarseness.

cough. pressure upon chest.

pain in the loins. in bed, pain in lumbar region.

pain in small of back.

sensation in lower legs.

after a short walk, weariness of the feet.

weariness, etc. in warm bed, tearing, etc.

chilliness. on going to bed, chilliness.

chill. at 9 o'clock, shivering.

in bed, sensation of heat.

(Walking), After smacking, heartburn.

deep respiration. difficult respiration.

soreness in apices of lungs.

pains in rectum. copious stools.

pain in left chest. stitches at left ribs.

stitches in left thorax.

sensation in heart. pain in tendo Achillis.

pain in foot. sensation on surface of thigh.

sensation of heart of chest, etc.

sensation of heat of lungs..

Sensation as though a hot constricting band extended from one mastoid process across the occiput to the other.

this region seemed tense and constricted.

the condition became worse, until at last it affected the whole skull, in which the pain seemed to fix itself, and it seemed as though the bones became drawn closer and closer together, also involving the whole scalp (in which the pain appeared to be seated), and which seemed to be drawn tighter and tighter about the skull (second day),.

Violent, pressive, throbbing pain in the left mastoid process, which at times increases to a burrowing from within outward, when warm in bed before midnight.

when most severe it extends into the left ear, in the left occipital region, the last back teeth of the lower jaw, and along the sterno-cleido-mastoid muscle to the left claviculo-pectoral region.

on touch the parts pain as if suppurating,.

Jerking toothache, especially severe in the left upper incisors and eye tooth, in the morning after waking, with a sensation as if cold air were blowing upon the teeth.

this sensation continued the next day, increasing in severity, aggravated by inspiring air, or holding a cigar with the teeth.

on the third day the teeth became very painful on biting them firmly together,.

Tickling in the throat, in the morning, not allowing him to lie in bed, causing loud violent paroxysms of cough without expectoration, although there seemed to be considerable mucus collected in the throat.

only after warm drinks the mucus was loosened and expectorated in large loose masses.

the irritation to cough seemed to be especially in the uvula, the soft palate, and the mucous membrane covering the posterior wall of the fauces, and was characterized by only occurring in the morning, in bed, and being loosened after breakfast (consisting of weak coffee and milk), so that throughout the forenoon there was only a slight hawking, with expectoration of loose mucus (second day),.

After the throat symptoms had lasted eleven days, I was obliged to take Lachesis ^Lachesis as an antidote.

within five minutes after the 7th dil., I experienced relief.

with the paroxysms of coughing, easy expectoration of lumpy mucus, followed by relief, quiet night.

swallowing was quite free.

the next morning the roughness of the throat had disappeared,.

Awoke at 6 A.M., cough intermitting for several minutes, at first barking, clear, and dry, afterwards becoming looser, with expectoration of some tenacious mucus, the hawking of which provoked vomiting several times.

with sensation of soreness in the throat and pressive frontal headache.

the cough was relieved on rinsing the mouth with cold water and drinking a few swallows, which was very refreshing to the sensation of heat in the throat.

this latter, however, returned after half a cup of warm milk, but was not as severe as before.

although the weather was very unpleasant, yet did not cough in the street, and only a few times on going into a very hot room (fourth day),.

Cough returned punctually at 6 A.M., as yesterday.

it troubled him through the day and about 3 P.M. (an hour after eating), vomiting resulted in consequence of incessant coughing.

previous to this he had drunk a glass of cold water without relief.

after this renewed vomiting, followed by relief.

there was considerable tenacious expectoration (fifth day),.

Sudden, extremely violent pain in the region of the kidneys, in the afternoon while sitting quietly, it streamed out from both sides.

this pain was distinguished from the other kidney pains by its spasmodic character and its extent, as well as its drawing or pressive nature, and could only be compared to the cramplike pain which is experienced after an injury of the testicles.

he endeavored to ameliorate the pain by springing from his seat, by sudden motion, by bending up, and by rubbing the abdomen, but it only disappeared after a few minutes, on the passage of much flatus,.

Great appetite for dinner, which, however, was eaten without relish and with speedy satiety.

the food, though light and easily digested, caused discomfort and pressure in the stomach, and frequent eructations, which did not relieve.

the stomach was only somewhat relieved after repeated uprisings of food, whereby portions of it were thrown off (second day),.

Stool normal, first and second days.

hard, third day. much pasty stool, fourth day.

one normal, another thin, after four hours, fifth day.

an unsatisfactory hard stool in the afternoon, sixth day.

the same, seventh day.

no stool, eighth day. very copious pasty stool, ninth day.

scanty hard stool, tenth day.

no stool, eleventh day.

the stools before the proving were very irregular, sometimes hard, sometimes thin pasty.

(normally they occurred twice a day),.

The quantity of urine during the proving was diminished, indeed soon after taking 15 to 20 drops in a day and a half.

the diminution remained the same, even with the largest doses, from 100 to 400 drops and more in one day.

(fourth day) there was relative increase in the quantity of urine (45 ounces).

the diminution amounted to half the normal quantity,.

Pain in the right patella, during a long walk, especially marked in its inner margin, and so much aggravated by motion and pressure that, in the evening, walking was impossible.

in the night, both knees and toes were swollen and hot to touch, the pain was pressive and prevented any motion, he was obliged to go to bed.

this gradually disappeared during the next three days,.

Slight drawing-pressive pain in the left tendo Achillis, only when walking, and then noticed when stretching out the foot.

touch of the painful part (about an inch above the insertion of the tendon into the os calcis) showed no morbid change, the tendon could be pressed or pulled here and there, or stretched without pain.

when the foot was quiet in any position, the pain immediately disappeared, but returned on walking, and then only on stretching out the foot (twentieth day),.

The pain in the tendo Achillis did not appear through the whole night, was only slightly felt on walking about the room.

walking in the street was very difficult, so that he limped.

he was obliged to turn the foot outward, frequently stop and hold it up in order to moderate the pain, was only able to walk slowly and with short steps.

the next day the pain continued so that he was unable to go out.

pressure upon the tendon was somewhat sensitive.

ascending steps was especially painful.

the following day the pain became somewhat less.

after this it gradually improved until the twenty-seventh day, when he noticed very decided cracking in the tendon on moving the foot up and down.

it seemed as though the tendons were dry.

he was unable to stretch out the foot completely, and walking for some time caused pain.

the trouble lasted some days and gradually disappeared,.

GENERAL SYMPTOMS.

Objective.

General excitement on waking in the morning; the pulses beat so violently that it seems as though he himself hears them,

General mental and physical excitement first four days, followed by a half-stupid condition,

Great indolence (fifth day),

Disinclined to all exertion, indolent, exhausted and tired, but to-day not ill-humored (ninth day),

Disinclination to rise, and after rising weariness and lassitude (second day),

Great weakness, so that it was impossible to take the usual morning walk (first day),

Great weakness and sleepiness, in the morning,

Prostration,

Prostration of the whole body,

An attack of uneasiness; even in bad weather he was forced to go into the open air, while usually he preferred to be quiet,

Subjective.

Weariness, prostration, and fretful mood, with great irritability after a short nap after dinner,

Great weariness the whole afternoon (seventh day),

Great weariness the whole afternoon, without cause (seventh day),

Great weariness, with yawning, in the evening (sixth day),

Great weariness and much yawning (sixth day),

Sensation of weariness (first day),

Fulness and heaviness of the whole body, as if he were stuffed (first day),

Sensation as if the whole body were swollen while half awake at night; it seems as if his body were adherent to a woollen sack; everything that he touched seemed to be thicker than natural,

Sudden sensation, as though something were distending within me, together with a severe sticking, apparently in the rectum (?); after the sensation of distension increased, warmth extended over the whole abdomen (ninth day),

Drawings and tearings, here and there in the body, especially in the neck, between the shoulders and in the forearms,

Painful tensive-pressive sensation in the bones, just above and behind the left ear, especially in the mastoid process, coincident with accumulation of tasteless saliva in the mouth,

Sticking-tearing pains, here and there in the muscles, especially violent in the right hip-joint; often intolerable on rising or on sudden motion,

Tearing or drawing sticking as from splinters, especially in the warm bed, in the evening and at night when at rest, sometimes from slight exertion of certain muscles, as for example, holding a book in the hand caused them in the upper arm,

Frequent biting stitches in various places in the body, in the scalp, concha, right side of the neck and throat, on the margin of both rami of the lower jaw, near the nipples, in the back, pit of the stomach, axillae, bends of the thighs (inguinal region).

all of which symptoms were completely relieved as soon as he left the warm bed,.

Chilliness all over, on going to bed, especially in the back, with thirst.

the accustomed bed coverings seemed too cool for him.

after half an hour dry heat of the head, with red face, while the rest of the body was chilly.

after a while this dry heat became general and lasted till midnight, when sweat broke out, but only on the upper part of the body, which lasted till 5 A.M. (third night),.

Great swelling of the pudenda, especially towards the front.

they are very sensitive.

it seems as though there were a swelling in these parts, for the orifice of the urethra seems so contracted that the urine flows slowly over the sore parts, often with very severe burning.

frequent discharge of fluid which is very painful.

it, however, does not seem to be leucorrhoea, since the discharge is very thin (first day),.

The clinical application of the symptoms of Coccus Cacti, place it among the medicines for spasmodic and whooping coughs, and catarrhal conditions of the bladder; spasmodic pains in kidneys, with visceral tenesmus. Anuria, anasarca, ascites.

Catarrh Spasms Haemorrhage Uric acid Gouty-rheumatic

STRINGY DISCHARGES, EXPECTORATION, hanging from mouth, urine, feeling in throat, black menses, etc

Sensitive, fauces, vulva, skin, etc

Intolerable internal tickle Pulsations; in glans; as of a fluid forcing its way

Dark blood

Sad; on waking at 2-3 AM

Hawking, brushing teeth, etc, , excites cough, retching or vomiting

Profuse post-nasal discharge

Constricted throat

Violent kidney pain, with dysuria

Nephritic colic

Irritated bladder

Sticking along ureters

Urging to urinate; better bloody clots from vagina

Urine scanty, thick, heavy, sour; sediment; sandy, dark red, brown or white; bloody mucus

Nephritis

REGULAR PAROXYSMS OF VIOLENT TICKLING, RACKING COUGH, ENDING IN VOMITING OR RAISING MUCH CLEAR, ROPY MUCUS (Kali Bich ^Kali-bi---- ); with a purple, red face and internal heat; periodically; with kidney symptoms; slowly increasing, then gradually declining; better cold air or drinks

Whooping cough

Soreness or stitches in apices of lungs

Coldness in back

Burning; as of pepper in nostrils, at tip of tongue, etc

(Lachesis ^Lach)

Cochineal. N. O. Hemiptera. An insect infesting Cactus Grandiflorus ^cactus plants. The dried bodies of the female insects are used for making a tincture or trituration. They also constitute a well-known dye. (Coccus Cacti has sometimes been confounded with Coccinella Septempunctata ^Coccinella septempunctata, both insects being known as "Cochenille" in French.)

Coccus cacti acts more especially on mucous membranes.

It compares with Cantharis ^Cantharis in its action on the renal organs, and with Cactus Grandiflorus ^Cactus in causing haemorrhages, in disturbing the heart and in causing lancinating, stitching, and pricking sensations.

Itching, sticking and biting in various parts of the skin; red spots and itching pimples.

Sensations of irritation predominate, especially in throat and respiratory organs, eyes and urino-genital organs.

In the throat there is a sensation as if a hair or crumb were lodged behind larynx, and as if a thread were hanging down the back of the throat causing a cough.

Haemorrhages are apt to be in large black clots, especially haemorrhages from kidneys and uterus.

Lancinating pains and itching of glans penis, symptoms of the passage of small calculi.

The cough exactly corresponds to the whooping-cough type, there is no remedy which has a wider range in this affection. "Cough agg. in morning; the child awakens and is immediately seized with a paroxysm of coughing ending in vomiting clear, ropy mucus hanging in long strings from the mouth," Hoarseness.

Fatigue of vocal organs.

Violent tickling in larynx.

Stitching and ulcerating pains below clavicles, especially left.

Peculiar sensations are As if a ball or stone lying in stomach; raging pain as though a fluid were injected into a small blood-vessel; as if something ascending towards stomach; as of mucus ascending and descending trachea; as of a plug of mucus moving in chest; as if head would split.

Kunkel records the case of a man, 75, an who had suffered from nocturnal enuresis up to the age of seven.

When almost 20 he frequently passed large quantities of uric acid, and at the same time he began to have symptoms of chronic catarrh of the colon, frequent scanty stools, much mucus, cross humour, itching anus, threatening of piles but no bleeding.

Insomnia soon followed.

Coc. c. 2 and 3 was given without benefit. Aqua Marina ^Aqua calcis did some good but not much.

In three successive years he was sent to Carlsbad with good result to the intestinal catarrh, but the sleeplessness was untouched.

Gradually all kinds of arthritic symptoms developed, especially in knees.

There was occasionally considerable flow of urine, and the more copious it was the better the patient slept, and the less pain in the joints.

The same relief followed an attack of diarrhoea.

Four weeks at Assmanhausen caused the excretion of large quantities of uric acid one year, but had no effect the next, and the knee got worse. Wiesbaden did good one year and none the next.

Half a tumbler of Kronenquelle water drunk every morning did good to the knee and enabled him to walk better than he had done for a long time.

In three or four years the excretions of uric acid had ceased and the patient's state grew worse insomnia recurred, diarrhoea became much more frequent.

A fortnight previous to such attack, patient noticed he had great aversion to butcher's meat.

Coc. c. 30 gtt. i. morning and evening was given.

Gradually sleep returned.

There was almost daily excretion of uric acid, sometimes in the form of large shot; the diarrhoea ceased and the patient went about his work with pleasure.

Berridge cured with Coc. c. a case of gonorrhoea, guided by the symptom "Excruciating pain in left iliac region extending to groin and halfway down thigh, as if a fluid were forcing its way there." There is general sensitiveness to touch and pressure; rinsing mouth or brushing teeth causes cough and vomiting.

Warmth agg. most symptoms; cough agg. entering warm room; throat agg. by warmth of bed.

Tickling in trachea and cough amel. open air.

Teeth very sensitive to cold.

Catarrh agg. on slightest exposure.

Catarrh from autumn till warm weather.

Symptoms agg. night and early morning; cough agg. on waking.

Symptoms are often periodic.

The symptoms are agg. lying down.

But the least exertion causes lassitude and tendency to perspire or cough, agg. during exercise.

Mental exertion agg. pain in occiput.

Rising up = haemorrhage with passage of large clots from uterus.

Sensation as though a hot constricting band extended from one mastoid process across occiput to the other.

this region seemed tense and constricted.

the condition became worse, until at last it affected the whole skull, in which the pain seemed to fix itself, and it seemed as though the bones became drawn closer and closer together.

the whole scalp was also involved and seemed to be drawn tighter about the skull.

There is a little remedy and will be a relief after the study of so many difficult ones. With fuller proving it will doubtless show itself a deep-acting constitutional remedy.

Although it has cured some deep-seated chronic troubles, it has been used chiefly in acute affections. This is only because of the scantiness of its provings and our lack of knowledge concerning it in a general way.

Very few mental symptoms have been brought out. Coccus Cacti's use, so far as demonstrated, is mostly in catarrhal conditions of the air passages, and whooping cough, with copious, ropy, jelly-like mucus.

Great quantities of this mucus form in the nose, in the throat, in the air passages generally, and in the vagina. The routine practitioner, whenever be sees thick, ropy, gelatinous mucus, thinks only of Kali Bich ^{Kali bi}.

That comes from the study of key-notes. But it must be remembered that other remedies besides Kali Bich ^{Kali bi} have this.

The patient is cold, and his complaints come on in cold weather. He is sensitive to cold, easily takes cold. But you must distinguish between the patient himself and his complaints, because they are entirely opposite to each other.

When he once becomes sick from exposure to cold, he is always worse in a warm room and better in the cold air. His cough is brought on in a warm room.

from being too warm in bed.

from drinking warm things. It is better from drinking cold things in a cold room.

worse from exertion. from getting heated up.

from becoming warm. that is, after the complaint has once set in, it reverses itself.

Coccus Cacti is not unlike many other remedies. I have received many letters from doctors, saying

"Why is it that in your repertory and in Boenninghausen's, certain remedies are put down as better from cold and worse from cold?

They certainly cannot have both."

But they do have both, sometimes under different conditions and sometimes under the same conditions. Sometimes these are primary, sometimes they are secondary symptoms. A remedy must be examined to ascertain how it is that these circumstances can be the very opposite of each other.

But commonly Boenninghausen registers both those things that belong to particulars and those things that belong to generals, and if the symptom, in his judgment, is strikingly worse by a certain circumstance, even if it is the very opposite of the general, he had that symptom in boldfaced type. Phosphorus ^Phos. is a good illustration of what we have been talking about.

If you make a careful study of Phosphorus ^Phos you will see that the complaints of the chest are all worse from cold, from cold air and from being cold. He catches cold and it settles in the chest, and the cough and irritation in the chest are worse from cold and being exposed to cold air.

But he wants cold things in the stomach. His stomach feels better from cold things. Let him have head trouble and his head is better from cold, he wants cold things in his stomach. If he has stomach trouble, it is made worse by anything hot.

he wants cold water to, drink, and as soon as it gets warm, he vomits it up. You see Phosphorus ^Phos is worse from cold and worse from heat. The pains in the extremities are better from heat.

The chronic cough, as has been said, is likely to begin with cold weather and last all winter, with a copious formation of mucus in the chest. It is a spasmodic cough, forcing the patient into the most violent efforts. The face becomes purple. Finally he retches and vomits long strings of tough, ropy mucus filling the mouth and throat and causing him to choke.

Coccus Cacti is due to the fact that the mucus is so tenacious that it cannot be ejected from the pharynx in the usual way, therefore he must vomit. Now, there is a striking feature of Coccus Cacti. Anything coming in contact with the pharynx, the inside of the mouth, or even the gums, produces gagging and retching and will bring on the cough.

There is a general hyperesthesia of the skin and mucous membranes. Sensitive to the pressure of the clothing.

With the chest troubles there is much dyspnoea. He cannot walk without bringing on difficult breathing. He cannot ascend a height without suffocation. After the quantities of mucus are cleared out the cough is better and he goes on for two, three or four hours, when another one of these awful attacks comes on.

They are apt to be worse at night when he becomes warm in bed. If he can lie in a cool room without much covering he will go longer without coughing.

The whooping cough is of a similar character. You will see the child lying in bed with the covers off. It wants the room cold, and the mother will tell you that if she can get to it quickly enough with a drink of cold water she can ward off the paroxysm.

The chest fills up with mucus until respiration cannot be carried on any longer and it must be cleared out, yet the child will resist and hold its breath to prevent coughing. You will be astonished to see how speedily Coccus cacti will change the character of that cough.

One of the earliest signs of improvement will be observed in the easier respiration. The cough becomes less violent, the retching passes away, and in a week or ten, days the cough will go, too. Cough worse after eating, worse on waking, worse in a warm room.

In the early stages of whooping cough Carbo Veg ^{Carbo veg} will develop and. bring out the symptoms and furnish a good picture for a second prescription, even if it does not cure.

Discharge of thick yellow mucus from the nose.

nose stopped up, with inclination to sneeze. Great dryness of the nose. The air passages burn after the mucus has been cleared away. The chest burns from the mere exhaling of air. Sore throat with redness. Tickling in the throat. Sensation of a hair or crumb lodged in the throat behind the larynx. Fauces very sensitive.

Arch of palate and fauces, as far as visible, very red. Burning in the throat worse in the warmth, especially when warmed up in bed, worse from warm drinks, though hot drinks are not so bad. Better from cold drinks. If the patient gets warm in bed or the room gets warm he commences to clutch the larynx and cough. The slightest touch on the palate or even the gums in examination of the throat will cause gagging sometimes when the parts look normal. He cannot hawk without gagging. On swallowing food sometimes it will come right back again and cause gagging and retching.

Great thirst; wants water often and in large quantities. Nauseous taste in the mouth; never rid of it. Nausea in the throat. Vomiting of white, bitter tasting froth. Toothache; sudden drawing pains in the teeth, worse from cold and from touch.

Apprehensiveness. especially at 2 to 4 A.M. This state may alternate with loquacity and liveliness, like Lachesis ^Lachesis There are other symptoms worse after sleep.

wakes in the morning with basilar headache, or with headache in the forehead.

worse mental exertion.

after lying down. sometimes better from slow motion.

worse on coughing and from exertion.

better after sleep.

Kidneys A strong feature is its action on the kidneys, resembling acute parenchymatous nephritis. Albumen in the urine. Dark red sediment in the urine. Pain shooting from the kidney to the bladder and down the legs; worse from motion.

Renal colic. Urging to urinate, but inability to pass urine until a large clot of blood has been passed. In Coccus cacti the right side of the heart is affected, the vessels become friable and there is haemorrhage, oozing of blood, forming great black clots.

The above symptom suggests a woman with uterine hemorrhage. There are haemorrhages of the uterus where the blood flows freely, coagulates slowly and does not form much of any clot in the vagina. But in Coccus Cacti the clots form very rapidly and the vagina becomes packed, and the bladder cannot be emptied until the clot is expelled. Uterine hemorrhage is a strong feature of Coccus Cacti. Copious, frequent, prolonged menstrual flow. Large, hard, black clots fill the uterus, are expelled by labor-like pains, and form again. Inflammation of uterus and vagina, with copious, thick, white, jelly-like, ropy mucus. Soreness of the vulva.

cannot bear the pressure of the clothing.

Haemoptysis, dark, clotted worse from exertion.

In the male there is impotence with dull pain in the loins. Dull pains in the region of the kidneys, with albuminuria; heavy sediment in the urine, etc., just such a state as you would find in a child that had taken cold after scarlet fever.

Dose

Lower triturations.

Clinical

Asthma. Backache. Catarrh. Gonorrhoea. Gravel. Haemorrhages. Heart, affections of. Impotence. Irritation. Labia, inflammation of. Menorrhagia. Nephritis. Phthisis. Spasms. Tinnitus. Uric acid diathesis. Whooping-cough.

Region

MUCOUS MEMBRANES FAUCES

Throat

Larynx Chest

Genito-urinary

Left side