HOMEOPATHIC RESEARCH

-GEORGE VITHOULKAS
Generalities
Asarum is basically very chilly, worse from dry, clear, cold weather and better in wet weather; this is in accord with an amelioration that is sometimes afforded by cold, wet applications locally. Cold hands, feet, knees or abdomen; even hottest weather does not relieve. Nervous chilliness, single parts icy cold. By covering or in a warm room the cold feeling is no better. Great want of vital heat; feels cold continually, but in damp weather the symptoms improve. Thus, one can see a contradiction -- locally there is an amelioration from cold applications while generally there is an aggravation from cold, accompanied by strong chills. Fresh air ameliorates many of the mental and physical symptoms whereas closed, stuffy places cause aggravation (Puls ). Tremendous weakness, with nausea and constant yawning, is seen in the afternoon and towards evening.
Asarum patients can be exquisitely sensitive to various chemicals. They are the sort of patients who will say, "I'm allergic to almost everything!" There is also great sensitivity to a good number of different foods. These people will very often suffer allergic reactions from having eaten only a small amount of these foods. Eventually, through a process of elimination, they reduce their diet to a very small number of tolerated foods.
It is important to remember that to justify the prescription of Asarum a wide range of the remedy's symptomatology should be present; it would be improper to give Asarum to everyone who is sensitive to chemicals. The nervous hypersensitivity must be present, especially of the auditory nerve. Excessive sensibility of all the nerves when merely thinking (and this he must continually) that some one might with the finger tip or nail scratch even lightly on linen or similar material; a most disagreeable sensation thrills through him, arresting momentarily all his thoughts and actions. So weak he staggers, unless his mind is on his walking. Sweats easily, particularly on upper part of body.
Head
Headaches that feel as if the whole head is compressed, as if under tension. There is also tension felt in the scalp, which feels sensitive when combing the hair. Confusion in the head, better on walking. The brain feels as if pressed in certain areas with a heavy object, preventing thinking. Pressure in forehead affecting the eyes (Gels ). Warm feeling in the face, ameliorated by washing with cold water. By washing the pain in head also is better.
Feels pulsation of arteries in occiput. Intense, compressive headache in left temple, and behind ears; more violent when walking or shaking head; better when sitting. Throbbing headache in morning, early, when rising. Headache, with pain in both eyes, and nausea. Pain externally on sides of head. Itching, beginning with fine stitches, below left temple.
Eyes
Another common state is that of inflammation of the eyes -- chronic inflammation of eyelids, chronic conjunctivitis with lachrymation and burning. Such inflammations may go on and on, refractory to such remedies as Clematis, Euphrasia, Graphites, etc. In such conditions, when the special state of sensitivity exists which has been described, think of Asarum.
Cannot read with left eye, aggravated by bright light. The cold air is pleasant to eyes; sunshine, light and wind are intolerable. Thickening of cornea.
Sharp pain over left eye, with running of tears and sensitiveness of sight.
Stinging pains in the eyes, especially after operations. Also, one may see twitchings, especially of the left upper eyelid when holding the eyelid still, better by blinking the eyes. A feeling as if the eyes are forced outward toward the sides, especially when reading. There is a local, and even general, amelioration from cold bathing, especially of the face.
Ears
Painfully sensitive hearing or, in cases of coryza, a sensation of the ears being plugged up. Nervous deafness with catarrh. Oversensitiveness of nerves, scratching of linen or silk is insupportable. Dull roaring in left ear like a distant tornado; in right distinct singing. Sensation as if ears were closed or plugged up with some foreign substance. Deafness in one or both ears. Pressure and tension in region of orifice of meatus externus with many symptoms.
Nose
Sharp aching above roots of nose. Some coryza and sneezing, with sensation as if ears were closed or plugged up with some foreign substance, with deafness. Discharge of bloody mucus from nose; streak of pure blood. Violent sneezing.
Face
Fine stinging on right cheek; burning stinging pain in left. Dryness of inner side of lower lip. Cutting pain with cramp at articulation of lower jaw.
Mouth
Teeth of left side feel as if hollow. Cold feeling in upper incisors as from a cold breath. Smarting sensation in gums. Most disgusting taste in mouth, at first sour, later bitter. Burning sensation across tongue. Tongue clean, with choleralike symptoms. Tongue somewhat whitish and thickly furred. Cold, watery saliva accumulates in mouth.
Bread tastes bitter. Brown coating of the tongue with fetid breath and bitter taste. Chronic inflammation and bleeding of the gums with a consequent swelling of submaxillary glands. Root abscesses in teeth with general chilliness, excessive sensitivity to touch locally, and dizziness. Saliva feels cold. Disgusting taste in the mouth.
Throat
Dryness in throat, with stitches. Swallowing difficult, as from swelling of glands of throat. Accumulation of tough phlegm in throat.
Stomach
Desire for alcoholic drinks. Unconquerable longing for alcohol. Another desire that I have noted in Asarum is for nuts of all kinds -- almonds, cashews, peanuts, etc. They also have quite a strong desire for milk, and milk ameliorates the pains in the stomach considerably. At times one will see an aversion to onions, garlic, fish and fat.
Violent spasmodic vomiting with diarrhea. Loud eructations which come with extreme force. Nausea during pregnancy. During the first month of pregnancy, the stomach rejects everything; constant nausea with loathing of food with clear tongue. Violent, empty retching which increases all the symptoms, only relieving the stupid feeling about the head. Want of appetite, even nauseated by food. After dinner, great lassitude. Heartburn, with sour belching, setting teeth on edge. Nausea, with disinclination to attend to business. Attacks of nausea; worse after eating but the tongue is clean. Nausea and vomiting. Vomiting of whitish or greenish phlegm. Vomiting, with great anguish, under violent exertion, with chilliness. Pressing, digging and feeling of discomfort in pit of stomach. Horrible sensation at epigastrium when getting awake in morning.
Abdomen
These patients may be incapacitated from abdominal cramps before menses -- severe cramps that may put them to bed for two or three days. Often in Asarum the pains will be in the sacral region instead of the abdomen -- very severe sacral pains which extend upward and can reach almost to the cervical region. Constipated with dry, hard stools which are difficult to expel.
Oppression around navel, three or four hours after each meal, lasting one hour.
Cutting bellyache, with vomiting. Pain in region of descending colon with discharges of stringy mucus. Smarting soreness in region of spleen.
Rectum
Gelatinous or shreddy mucus in stool. A long yellow twisted string of inodorous mucus in three or four stools, with pain in abdomen.
Diarrhoea, passes shaggy masses of mucus, inodorous and full of ascarides.
An hour and a half after stool he has another pressing desire, with cutting in abdomen and rectum before and during stool, which is softer than the former.
Yellowish brownish diarrhoea. Lientery; watery stools after a meal, very weakening. Scanty, yellow, mucous stool. Diarrhoea; in chilly, nervous persons; from debility; during hectic or slow fever. Before stool, cutting in abdomen and sharp stitches in rectum, from above downward. During stool: discharge of thick, black blood; prolapsus ani. After stool: pressing and straining, and discharge of white, viscid, bloody mucus.
Urinary organs
Constant desire to urinate. Pressure on bladder during and after emission of urine.
Genitalia - male
Impotence. Violent pain in left groin, darting through urethra to glans, in which a violent smarting, contracted pain remains for a long time.
Genitalia - female
Severe pains of the lower back the first day of menses, worse from any motion -- even breathing makes her worse. Threatened abortion in sensitive, nervous woman. Menses too early and long lasting, blood black. At appearance of menses violent pain in small of back, which scarcely permits her to breathe. Tenacious yellow leucorrhoea. Vaginal fistula. Excessive sickness during first months of pregnancy, stomach rejecting everything. Threatened abortion from excessive sensibility of nerves; even imagining something unpleasant causes thrills to pass through her, momentarily arresting thought.
Chest
Asthmatic breathing, worse from odors and dry cold weather. A feeling as if the lungs are constricted by wires. Constant, short, hacking cough of consumptives. Cough relieves constriction of larynx. Stitches in right or both lungs during inhalation. Sharp pressure in region of last ribs, as with back of a knife. Pain around both lungs, as if they were constricted by a thin wire. Pulse: quick and strong; full and accelerated. The arterial beat is felt through whole body. Burning sensation, right chest, more external than internal.
Back
Violent backache, worse from motion. Violent pain in sacral area, extending to the dorsal region, preventing breathing. Paralytic pain as if bruised when standing or sitting. Stiff neck, with thirst, early in morning. Dull stitches under scapulae. Laming pain as if bruised in one of cervical muscles, when moving head. Sensation in muscles of neck as from a tight cravat, or as if pressed upon by a dull edge. Burning pain, with stitches in small of back, while sitting. Tearing pain from crest of one ilium to the other. Violent pain in small of back, she can hardly breathe; beginning of menses.
Extremities
A feeling of lightness of the extremities, as if they are separating from the body, floating. Weakness of the legs with staggering. Chilliness in single parts. A feeling of contraction in different parts of the body which may be described as pressure or tension. Muscular cramps. Muscular fibrillations. Knees stiff, hurt on sudden motion. Violent stitch in both shoulders during motion or rest.
Contractive tensive pain in deltoid muscle, when laying hand on table, and while it lies there. Drawing laming pain in left wrist. Sudden drawing burning pain from wrist through thumb and index finger. Chronic sciatica. Dull pressure in right hip. Drawing tensive pain in head of left femur. Severe pain in hip joint and middle of thigh when stepping; the foot feels as if paralyzed, he cannot step properly thereon. Severe rheumatic tearing stitches in knees, during motion and at rest. Lassitude in knees. Drawing in hamstrings when lying in bed; in knee.
Stitches in ankles and soles. The little toes pain as if frozen. Lightness of all limbs; he does not perceive that he has a body. Rheumatism worse in dry, cold weather. Sweat in axillae smelling sour.
Sleep
Evening in bed, agitation in blood, prevents sleep for two hours. After lying down in evening, sweat. Great drowsiness by day. Frequent yawning. Short breath at night. Nightly vexatious dreams about humiliations.
Skin
Discharge of bloody and slimy matter from ulcers.
Clinical
MENTAL AND NERVOUS DISEASES
Anorexia nervosa. Alcoholism. Nervous breakdown from overexertion.
Paralytic weakness of lower legs with severe vertigo. Multiple sclerosis. Myalgic encephalomyelitis. Alcoholic polyneuritis. Hysteria.
DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS
Spastic colitis with a lot of mucus in stool. Diarrhea, prolapse of anus.
EAR DISEASES
Nervous deafness.
OTHER AFFECTIONS
Dysmenorrhea. Eructations. Eye affections (opthalmia, amblyopia, amaurosis); operations on eyes. Intermittent fevers. Fidgets. Flatulence. Headache. Helminthiasis (when ascarides are present). Sensation of levitation. Loss of appetite. Nausea. Nervous, hacking cough. Typhus. Vomiting (especially during pregnancy).
Relationships
Followed well by: Bismuth, Sulphuricum acidum, Causticum, Pulsatilla, Silica.
Complementary to: Causticum, Pulsatilla, Silica.
Allies: Piper methysticum and ingrum, Nux moschata, Moschus.
Compare: Aloes (stringy stools); Camphor (cholera like conditions), Hepar, Ipec. (cholera like conditions); Mercur. (stringy stools); Phosphor., Podoph. (stringy stools); Sepia,, Sulph. ac. (stringy stools); Tabac., Veratr.
Antidote
Antidotes: Acetic acid, Camphor, coffee, vinegar and vegetable acids.
Inimical to it: Alcoholic stimulants, warm food.
Dosage
From 12c to CM.