Stramonium 30 Uses, Benefits – Stramonium Materia Medica

• There is no pain with most of the complaints
• Pupils dilated when child is reprimanded
• Frequently raises head from the pillow
• Paralysis of one side and convulsion of the other side of body
• Sight of water or anything glittering brings on spasm
• Desires light and company

Source: Vegetable kingdom
Synonyms: Thorn apple, Jamestown weed. Stinkweed
Family: Solanaceae
Prover: Dr. Samuel Hahnemann
Duration of Action: Short acting
Miasmatic Background: Psora
Temperament: Bilious
Thermal Relationship: Easily affected by cold in general

Introduction and History: According to Teste, the first to use Stramonium in medicine was Stoerck, who was one of Hahnemann’s predecessors. Stoerck first tried it in mental alienation, because it was supposed to produce ‘a marked and persistent disorder of the mental faculties.’ Dr Hahnemann proved it, and introduced it into the homeopathic materia medica. In his introduction to the remedy he points out that, though it produces many uncomfortable symptoms, it does not in its primary effects cause actual pain.

Habit and Habitat: It grows in the vicinity of cultivation on the rank soil where refuse is dumped. It grows in both the eastern and western hemisphere.

Preparation: Mother tincture is prepared from the fresh plant in flower and fruit. Higher potencies are prepared from the mother tincture.

Constitution and Physiognomy: It is adapted to ailments of young plethoric persons, especially children suffering from cholera; mania, fever and delirium.

Ailments From: Shock, fright, sun, childbirth, suppression.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): It acts mainly on the brain, nervous system, circulation, muscles, sexual organs, etc.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. Thorn apple expends its force of action on the brain, producing marked and persistent disorder of the mental faculties; hallucinations; fixed notions, terrifying delirium, etc.
2. Increases the mobility of the muscles of expression and of locomotion; the motions may be graceful, rhythmic or disorderly, of head and arms.
3. It acts on eyes producing extreme dilatation of pupils and inflammation; acts as a mydriatic.
4. It acts on the spine of the motor tract producing violent convulsions.
5. Acts on sexual organs as an aphrodisiac. It produces complete indecent and voluptuous sexual excitement followed by complete prostration of sexual desire and temporary impotency.
6. It acts on circulation, especially of heart and capillary blood vessels producing tonic capillary contractions and increased circulation.
7. Acts on digestive organs producing great dryness of the throat, spasm of throat, diarrhoea and obstinate constipation.
8. Acts on skin producing fiery redness of skin and vesicular erysipelas.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. DELIRIUM – patient is loquacious, talks all the time, sings, makes verses, raves; never approaching a true inflammation.
2. Patient is disposed to talk continually; incessant and incoherent talking and laughing; praying, beseeching, entreating; with suppressed menses.
3. Patient has desire to escape, in delirium. Imagines all sort of things; that is double, is lying crosswise, etc.
4. Patient desires light and company. Patient cannot bear to be alone, is worse in the dark and solitude; cannot walk in a darkroom. Patient awakens with a shrinking look, as if afraid of the first object seen.
5. Hallucinations; they terrify the patient, feels as if head is scattered.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Sensation: Feels head is scattered about.

Eyes: Patient feels as if eyes were wide open, prominent, brilliant. Pupils are widely dilated, insensible; contortion of eyes and eyelids when the child is reprimanded.

Face: It is hot and red with cold hands and feet; circumscribed redness of cheeks, blood rushes to face. It is a very useful medicine for risus sardonicus.

Stammering: Patient has to exert himself a long time before he can utter a word; makes a great effort to speak; distorts the face.

Vomiting: Vomiting as soon as he raises his hand from the pillow; from bright light.

Convulsions: Convulsions with consciousness renewed by the sight of bright light, of mirror, or water.

Twitching: Twitching of single muscles or a group of muscles, especially in the upper part of body; chorea.

Hydrophobia: Patient has fear of water, with an excessive aversion to liquids; spasmodic constriction of the throat.

Painlessness: There is no pain with most complaints.

Sleep: Patient is sleepy but cannot sleep.

Important Characteristic Features

Convulsions: A very valuable medicine for convulsions arising from ill-effects of shock, fright, sun, childbirth and suppressions. Convulsions with consciousness renewed by the sight of bright light, mirror, water. There is paralysis of one side, convulsions of the other side or unilateral paralysis; with twitching. Twitching of single muscles or a group of muscles, especially in the upper part of body. Chorea. Trembling of limbs. Parkinsonism. Hysteria, weeping, laughing, with sexual excitement. Catalepsy; limbs can be moved by others; tonic and clonic spasms alternately. Traumatic neuritis. Worse glistening things, after sleep.

General Modalities

Aggravation: Glistening objects like a mirror, surface of water, fright, after sleep, dark, cloudy days, Swallowing, Suppressions, intemperance, touch.

Amelioration: Light, company, warmth.

Remedy Relationships

Antidoted by: Lemon juice, vinegar, tobacco injections, Bell, Hyos, Nux-vom, Camph.

Antidote to: Merc, Plb.

Follows well: Cupr, Bell.

Incompatible: Coff.

Comparison

Aggravation from looking at bright, shining objects: Bell, Lyss, Stram.

Mental excitability with great loquacity: Agar, Lach, Stram.

Mania with lewd, lascivious talk, amorous or religious: Hyos, Stram, verat.

Ailments of young plethoric persons: Acon, Bell, Stram.

Disposed to talk continually: Cic, Lach, Stram.

Head feels as if scattered about: Bapt, Stram.

Painlessness: Op, Stram.

Dosage: Thirtieth potency and lower.

Repetition: May be repeated according to the pace of the disease, but once the response is observed no need to repeat the dose.

Therapeutic Value: Abscess, Convulsions, Delirium, Delusions, Hallucinations, Hydrophobia, Meningitis, Metrorrhagia, Tetanic convulsions, Typhoid fever..