Materia Medica de A a Z

SPIGELIA ANTHELMIA (ANTHELMINTICA) (spig)

"I do not propose to adopt the usual way by beginning with /Aconite/ and ending with /Zincum/, but to follow the bent of my inclinations, or, as it is sometimes expressed, the movings of the spirit; and may I not here invoke the aid of the spirits of the immortal Hahnemann, Boenninghausen and the galaxy of bright names that adorn the fair page of the history of Homoeopathy to help me."

First: NUX VOMICA (nux-v)

Previus: CACTUS GRANDIFLORUM (Cact)

Next: KALMIA LATIFOLIA (Kalm)

Violent beating of the heart, shakes the chest; sometimes audible several inches away.

Left-sided neuralgias of head, face and eyes; pains increase and decrease with the rising and setting sun; watering of the eye, on affected side.

Modalities:

agg. from motion, noise, inspiration, moving eyes, cold, damp, rainy weather; rising sun; amel. quiet; dry air, setting sun.

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In this we have another valuable, heart remedy. The pains in the heart in this remedy are as severe as those under Cactus (Cact) and the action is more violent than under either Cactus (Cact) or Digitalis (Dig). It is so violent as often to be visible to the eye through the clothes, shaking the whole chest, and the sounds are often audible several inches away. It is not only a very valuable remedy in acute attacks of the heart but in chronic valvular affections following the acute attack, where we have the loud blowing sounds and attacks of violent palpitation. I have seen the violent attacks of palpitation quickly relieved, and not only that, but the valvular troubles gradually and perfectly cured, under the action of this remedy. In these troubles the patient can often only lie on the right side [Phos, Nat. mur (Nat-m)], or with the head very high; least motion agg. (Naja). It is one of our best remedies for neuralgic affections of the head, face, and eyes.

The headaches are generally one-sided, beginning in the occiput and extending forward, and settling over the left eye [right, Sang and Silicea (Sil)]. They are aggravated by the least noise or jar. They increase with the rising of the sun and decrease with its going down [Natrum mur. (Nat-m), Tabacum (Tab)], and the eye on the affected side often runs clear water. [Chelidon. maj. (Chel)], right side with water gushing out).

Spigelia is very useful in ciliary neuralgia, the pain being of the same character as the headaches. The pains are also stabbing, running through into the back of the head, or like Actæa (Cimic), they press outward, as if the eyeballs were too large for the sockets [Comocladia (Com)].

In any or all of the above-named affections, for which Spigelia is so efficacious, the patient is made worse from motion, noise, inspiration or moving the eyes, and especially in cold, damp, rainy weather. It makes us think of Bryonia (Bry), Kalmia (Kalm) and Natrum mur (Nat-m), and Actæa (Cimic) (motion), Belladonna (Bell) (noise), and Chin (touch, especially light touch). It is certainly a very valuable remedy, though not one, so far as known, of very wide range of action.