Hamamelis Virginica - General symptoms

GENERAL

General

Nose began to bleed between 9 and 10 the next morning, and continued for and hour until I smelled Camphora ^Camphor.

with the epistaxis was a feeling of tightness of the bridge of the nose, and considerable crowding pressure in the forehead between the eyes, with a benumbed sensation over the whole os frontis.

I was at first somewhat surprised, as in the whole course of my juvenile and adult experience, I had never before been unfortunate enough to get a "Blood nose," and epistaxis is something I never knew occur in my family,.

Severe stinging and throbbing pain in right molar teeth, experienced before commencing the proving, has been much worse since taking the medicine (fourth day).

pain continued, aggravated by going into a warm room, or on getting warm in bed.

the pain became so intense that he took Belladonna ^Belladonna, to relieve it, without avail.

Pulsatilla ^Pulsatilla ameliorated the pain (fifth day),.

(When putting up medicine a great desire to urinate was felt, but if the prover sat down, or turned his attention to something else, the desire passed away, to return as soon as he again poured out medicine or anything liquid (eighth and ninth days); the desire to urinate caused by pouring water should not be attributed to the proving, as the prover was informed that his predecessor experienced the same feeling when dispensing medicine, but the desire was undoubtedly aggravated by the medicine),.

She had been flowing considerably for twenty-four hours and had lost over a quart of blood, bright and fresh, not coagulable, unlike her usual catamenia discharge, which was dark and coagulated generally (after two days).

this happened about midway between two menstrual periods.

gave Sacch. lac., and the haemorrhage ceased in a few hours,.

Venous congestion, hemorrhages, varicose veins, and hemorrhoids, with Bruised soreness of affected parts, seem to be the special sphere of Hamamelis Virginica. Acts upon the coats of the veins causing relaxation with consequent engorgement. Passive venous hemorrhages from any part. Great value in open, painful wounds, with weakness from loss of blood. After operations, super cedes the use of Morphia (Helmuth).

SORENESS, bruised; in blood-vessels; localized; abdominal, etc

Tense, bursting feeling; in piles, joints, or lower limbs

Piles

Congestive fulness

Veins, sore; cutting; swelled; inflamed

Painful varicoses

Haemorrhage; capillary; dark, fluid; relieves or causes undue weakness

Irritable and chilly

Hammering headache, worse l

temple

Blood-shot eyes

Taste of blood

Pain and heaviness back of stomach

Pain up along spermatic cord

Neuralgia of testes

Orchitis; worse touch

Varicocele

Breaking backache

Profuse, dark menses

Scapular pains

Dull ache about kidneys

Phlebitis

Ecchymoses

Varicose ulcers with bloody bases

H. macrophylla. H. dioica. H. virginica. Witch-hazel. N. O. Hamamelidaceae. (A shrub growing in all parts of U.S., in damp woods or along streams; flowers in autumn, flowers yellow, the seeds ripen the year following). Tincture of fresh bark of twigs and root. A resinoid, Hamamelin, is also prepared.

vicarious. Nipples, sore. Noises in the head. Nose, bleeding from. Ovaries, affections of. Pelvic haematocele. Phimosis. Phlegmasia alba dolens. Purpura. Rheumatism. Scapula, rheumatism of. Scurvy. Small-pox. Testicles, inflamed. Ulcers. Uterus, affections of. Vagina, spasm of. Varicocele. Veins, varicose. Wounds.

The deep red colour of the tincture of Hamamelis may be taken as the signature of its therapeutic action. No remedy has a wider sphere of usefulness in cases of haemorrhage and disordered blood-vessels. It has also a decided relation to the effects of mechanical injuries including burns of the first degree, and as a local application it takes rank with Arnica ^Arnica and Calendula Officinalis ^Calendula in the homoeopathic amamentarium. Hering, who learned its properties from Mr. Pond, of "Pond's Extract" fame (Pond was a patient of Hering's), made the first provings and introduced the remedy into homoeopathy. He defines its position as being between Aconite ^Acon. and Arnica ^Arn. "Pond's Extract" is an aqueous distillate prepared from the leaves. A number of interesting superstitions are associated with the shrub.

and shoots of it are used as "divining rods" for discovering water and metals. Hale has given a very full account of the remedy. Phlebitis.

varicosis. haemorrhoids.

venous haemorrhages.

these are the conditions likely to require Hamam. The local application of Hamam. to a sprained knee has been known to set up inflammation in the veins of the part, and the provers who had varicose veins experienced in them increased sensitiveness and unusual sensations, and a number were cured. In congestion, inflammation, and bleeding of haemorrhoidal vessels, Ham. has a great range of action.

and like that other great pile remedy, Aesculus Glabra ^Aesculus h., it has also a marked action in the throat. Ham. is called for in cases of "varicose angina," where the veins of the pharynx are large and blue. The haemorrhages in which Ham. is indicated are mostly dark. They may occur from any orifice. Metrorrhagia, menorrhagia, vicarious menstruation and haemorrhages between the periods are met by it. In this connection a case recorded by Dr. Ward (Pacif. Coast J. of H., November, 1899) is noteworthy. He cured a case of intermenstrual pain. Allen mentions in the provings an intermenstrual flow, and Dr. Ward acutely observes that if his patient has had the flow, the soreness so distinctly felt might not have been realised. "Intense soreness" is one of the notes of Hamamelis. The part from which the flow of blood proceeds feels sore and bruised. This distinguishes it from Chininum Sulphuricum ^Chi. in passive haemorrhages. It is a leading indication for it in cases of orchitis and ovarian affections.

and also in phlebitis and varicose veins. In piles there is much bleeding and marked soreness of the part.

the back feels as if it would break (Aesculus ^AEsc. h. has little or no bleeding). There is taste of blood in the mouth. The headache of Ham. is chiefly in the temples, throbbing, hammering.

especially over left eye. Hughes gave Ham. Ø to a young lady suffering from daily epistaxis and throbbing headache. The first dose was followed by a flushing of the face and most distressing throbbing-aching and sense of fulness in the head. The second dose brought back all the symptoms in the head, and a feeling as if it would burst. Some days later the 3x was given, and again the dilatation of the cerebral vessels occurred, though the symptoms were not so severe. The haemorrhage of Ham. causes great exhaustion (out of proportion to the amount of loss), but there is also a tired, aching feeling in the back and lower limbs, independently of haemorrhages. Many rheumatic symptoms occur, and with them always the characteristic soreness. A woman, thirty-five, to whom I gave Ham. 1 for varicosis with great advantage, developed marked loss of appetite and these additional symptoms "Pain all round lower abdomen, dreadful aching, rheumatic pain at top of left shoulder and under right shoulder-blade, also right side of chest under arm. Pains agg. during the day and when at rest, entirely absent during the night. Stupid feeling in head." This scapular pain bears on the experience of Dr. Koech, who cured with Ham. many cases of scapular rheumatism. He regards it as a specific in affections of the last five cervical nerves. There is a good deal of thirst in the Ham. pathogenesis, and Bree says (H. P., xii. 61) it will relieve the excessive thirst that most patients with heart troubles complain of. Motion and exertion in general agg. agg. In open air.

in rainy weather. Takes cold easily from every exposure, but especially to warm, moist air. Toothache agg. in warm room. agg. From touch.

Witch Hazel. Hering. Hamamelaceae.

Veins are distended in all parts, or only in single parts.

Varicose veins of many parts, marked soreness in the varices.

Bloody discharges from all mucous membranes.

Purpura hemorrhagica has often been cured with Hamamelis Virginica.

Dusky purplish appearance of the skin, with full veins.

Inflammation of veins of any part, especially lower limbs and anus.

Varicose veins about ulcers that bleed, a dark blood.

Ulcers are dark, even black, and discharge black blood.

Dark blood flows from any part.

Bright red fluid blood is the exception, but has been recorded.

Especially suitable in very nervous, sensitive, excitable patients.

Sore, bruised feeling as in Arnica ^Arnica, all through the body, not only in single parts.

Veins are especially sensitive to pressure.

Extremely sensitive to a jar as in Belladonna ^Belladonna, but only in the muscles and veins that are inflamed and swollen.

Much weakness with without bleeding out of proportion to the loss of blood.

Vicarious Hemorrhages are a strong indication.

The patient is tired, mentally and physically ; aversion to mental work ; he forgets the word when talking ; Irritable, depressed and stupid, with recurrent hemorrhages.

Pulsating pain over the left eye.

Feeling of a bolt from temple to temple.

Bursting headache in the morning when waking, worse when stooping.

Headaches are connected with venous congestion in other parts.

The strange part of these cases and conditions is that the patient is often sensitive to cold and to cold air.

Ecchymosis with extreme tenderness of head, eyes or face.

Headache from straining eyes.

Ecchymosis of eyeballs Sore pain in the eyes.

Congested veins of eyes with oozing blood.

Inflammation and ulceration of eyeballs.

Epistaxis of dark, blood recurring frequently.

With the menses, also when the menses fail.

Epistaxis sometimes copious and clotted and very dark.

Gums bleed easily and are very vascular.

Throat is dark red, chronically congested and covered with varicose veins.

Tonsils are covered with varices.

Suffers much from sore ness in the throat with oozing of dark blood.

No thirst and aversion to drink.

Nausea, vomiting blood, tenderness in the stomach.

Pulsating in the stomach.

Vomiting black clots. Over the abdomen are found varicose veins that are tender to touch.

Burning in stomach and abdomen.

Dysentery when the stool is much blood rather than the scanty, bloody, mucous stool that belongs to dysentery.

Copious dark blood from piles.

Constipation as usual condition.

Ulceration of intestine, rectum, and anus ; with copious dark blood.

Portal congestion and hemorrhoids, with much bleeding.

Hemorrhoids that protrude, pulsate, and bleed much ; also after confinement.

The anus contracts spasmodically with intense burning pain.

Itching of the anus. Urine ; much blood every day, for weeks, was cured at once.

Much urging to urinate.

Much sexual excitement (male).

With dreams and emissions ; pain down spermatic cord to testes.

Varices in spermatic cord.

Tenderness in ovaries and uterus.

Uterine hemorrhage with copious dark clots ; sometimes with bright red blood.

Active or passive uterine hemorrhage.

Paroxysmal pain in left ovary.

Vicarious menstruation from nose, stomach or lungs.

Subinvolution with much uterine tenderness, and occasional bleeding.

Menstrual flow copious, dark, clotted.

Acute vaginitis with contraction and bleeding.

Tenderness of vagina during coition.

Spasms of the vagina. Recurrent hemorrhages in pregnant women.

Hemorrhage occurring during parturition.

Varicose veins during pregnancy.

Has been useful in milk leg.

Most useful in the cough accompanied by expectoration of much dark blood.

Cough from varicose congestion of throat.

Scraping blood from larynx and trachea by the mouthful.

Haemoptysis in phthisis, especially recurrent.

Tenderness of spine, cervical region.

Breaking and tearing pain in lumbar region of spine.

Bruised pain in all the limbs.

Aching bruised feeling in thighs.

Soreness in veins of thighs and legs.

Varicose veins of legs ; with or without ulcers ; worse during pregnancy ; can neither walk nor stand, limbs so painful during pregnancy.

Pricking, stinging in the congested veins.

Venous haemorrhages (very dark and clotted); veins full, enlarged and sore to touch.

Hamamelis Virginica is another remedy having the symptom "soreness as if bruised" in a marked degree, and which I did not mention when writing of Arnica ^Arnica. This soreness is sometimes found in rheumatism and Hamamelis has cured when Arnica ^Arnica failed. But one of the chief distinctions between these two remedies is that Arnica ^Arnica acts more upon the capillaries, causing their relaxation, whereby suggillations take place, while Hamamelis acts more upon the veins, which are very full, enlarged and sore. One author says

"It is the Aconite ^Aconite of the veins."

From clinical use we know enough of the remedy to value it highly in varicosities of almost all kinds. (Fluoric acid.) It is here a powerful rival of Pulsatilla ^Pulsatilla, but except the soreness of the veins we do not know of guiding symptoms for its use.

Like Arnica ^Arnica and Calendula Officinalis ^Calendula, Hamamelis has often seemed to act well as a local application. I am not in favor, generally, of using remedies in this way, unless it be for external injuries, which are not diseases.

Region

VEINS Rectum

Genitals

Limbs

Throat

Liver

Abdominal and chest walls