(Poison Hemlock)
An old remedy, rendered classical by Plato's
graphic description of its employment in the death of Socrates. The
ascending paralysis it produces, ending in death by failure of
respiration, show the ultimate tendency of many symptoms produced in the
provings, for which Conium is an excellent remedy, such as difficult gait,
trembling, sudden loss of strength while walking, painful stiffness of
legs, etc. Such a condition is often found in old age, a time of weakness,
languor, local congestions, and sluggishness. This is the special
environment that Conium chooses to manifest its action. It corresponds to
the debility, hypochondriasis, urinary troubles, weakened memory, sexual
debility found here. Troubles at the change of life, old maids and
bachelors. Growth of tumors invite it also. General feeling as if bruised
by blows. Great debility in the morning in bed. Weakness of body and
mind, trembling, and palpitation. Cancerous diathesis.
Arteriosclerosis. Caries of sternum. Enlarged glands. Acts on the glandular
system, engorging and indurating it, altering its structure like scrofulous
and cancerous conditions. Tonic after grippe. Insomnia of multiple
neuritis. | ||
| Mind.
Excitement causes mental depression. Depressed, timid, averse to society,
and afraid of being alone. No inclination for business or study; takes no
interest in anything. Memory weak; unable to sustain any mental
effort. | ||
| Head.
Vertigo, when lying down, and when turning over in bed, when turning
head sidewise, or turning eyes; worse, shaking head, slight noise or
conversation of others, especially towards the left. Headache, stupefying,
with nausea and vomiting of mucus, with a feeling as of foreign body under
the skull. Scorched feeling of top. Tightness as if both temples were
compressed; worse after a meal. [Gels.]
Bruised, semilateral pains. Dull occipital pain on rising in
morning. | ||
| Eyes.
Photophobia and excessive lachrymation. Corneal pustules.
Dim sighted; worse, artificial light. On closing eyes, he sweats. Paralysis
of ocular muscles. [Caust.] In superficial
inflammations, as in phlyctenular conjunctivitis and keratitis. The
slightest ulceration or abrasion will cause the intensest
photophobia. | ||
| Ears. Defective
hearing; discharge from ear blood colored. | ||
| Nose. Bleeds
easily: becomes sore. Polypus. | ||
| Stomach.
Soreness about the root of tongue. Terrible nausea, acrid heartburn,
and acid eructations; worse on going to bed. Painful spasms of the
stomach. Amelioration from eating and aggravation a few hours after meals;
acidity and burning; painful spot the level of the sternum. | ||
| Abdomen. Severe
aching in and around the liver. Chronic jaundice, and pains in right
hypochondrium. Sensitive, bruised, swollen, knife-like pains. Painful
tightness. | ||
| Stool. Frequent
urging; hard, with tenesmus. Tremulous weakness after every stool.
[Verat.; Ars.; Arg-n.] Heat and burning in rectum during
stool. | ||
| Urine. Much
difficulty in voiding. It flows and stops again. [Led.] Interrupted discharge. Dribbling in old
men. | ||
| Male. Desire
increased; power decreased. Sexual nervousness, with feeble erection.
Effects of suppressed sexual appetite. Testicles hard and
enlarged. | ||
| Female.
Dysmenorrhea, with drawing-down thighs. Mammae lax and shrunken, hard,
painful to touch. Stitches in nipples. Wants to press breast
hard with hand. Menses delayed and scanty; parts sensitive. Breasts
enlarge and become painful before and during menses. [Calc.] Rash before menses. Itching around pudenda.
Unready conception. Induration of os and cervix. Ovaritis; ovary enlarged,
indurated; lancinating pain. Ill effects of repressed sexual desire
or suppressed menses, or from excessive indulgence. Leucorrhea after
micturition. | ||
| Respiratory.
Dry cough, almost continuous, hacking; worse, evening and at night;
caused by dry spot in larynx with itching in chest and
throat, when lying down, talking or laughing, and during pregnancy.
Expectoration only after long coughing. Want of breath on taking the least
exercise; oppressed breathing, constriction of chest; pains in
chest. | ||
| Back. Dorsal
pain between shoulders. Ill effects of bruises and shocks to spine.
Coccygodinia. Dull aching in lumbar and sacral region. | ||
| Extremities.
Heavy, weary, paralyzed; trembling; hands unsteady; fingers and toes numb.
Muscular weakness, especially of lower extremities. Perspiration
of hands. Putting feet on chair relieves pain. | ||
| Skin.
Axillary glands pain, with numb feeling down arm. Induration after
contusions. Yellow skin, with papular eruption; yellow fingernails.
Glands enlarged and indurated, also mesenteric. Flying stitches
through the glands. Tumors; piercing pains; worse, at night. Chronic ulcers
with fetid discharge. Sweat as soon as one sleeps, or even when
closing eyes. Night and morning sweat, with offensive odor, and smarting in
skin. | ||
| Modalities.
Worse, lying down, turning or rising in bed; celibacy;
before and during menses, from taking cold, bodily or mental exertion.
Better, while fasting, in the dark, from letting limbs hand down,
motion and pressure. | ||
| Relationship.
Compare: Bar-c.; Kali-p. | ||
| Dose. Best in
higher potencies given infrequently, especially for growths, paretic
states, etc. Otherwise sixth to thirtieth. |