Juglans Regia

Juglans Regia.

Nux juglans. Walnut. Juglandaceae. Tincture of leaves and of rind of green fruit.

Acne. Anus, burning in. Axillary glands, suppuration of. Chancre. Ecthyma. Eyes, pain over. Favus. Flatulence. Headache. Herpes. Herpes preputialis. Levitation, sensation of. Menorrhagia. Purpura. Ringworm. Scurvy. Spleen, pain in. Syphilis.

"It was said that in the golden age, when men lived upon acorns, the gods lived upon Walnuts, and hence the name of juglans, Jovis glans, or Jupiter's nuts" (Treasury of Botany). From many points of view the walnut-tree is of very great importance, and well deserves its lofty name. Besides providing food, at any rate fit for the gods, and wood at once light and strong, a sap that yields sugar, a fruit that yields a dye and an oil, and serves for pickles, the Royal Nut has a place in medicine which deserves to be better known.

The Treasury of Botany gives a hint to homoeopaths in this remark: "Its plantation should not be too near dwellings, as some persons are affected by the powerful aroma of its foliage." The remarkably brain-like appearance of the nut has given rise to the notion that it is a "brain-food." I cannot say that there is any other ground for it; but in Clotar Müller, who was the first to prove Jug. r., it produced this curious symptom: "Excited, as if intoxicated, in the evening in bed, and a feeling as if the head were floating in the air"; showing a decided brain action, such as we generally associate with the "wine" rather than the "walnuts" of dessert.

Peevishness and mental indolence were other mental symptoms noted. The head symptoms are as marked as those of Jug. c., but the lancinating pains were not noted in the occiput as with that remedy, but in the forehead. There are few remedies which cause flatulence and bloating of the abdomen more markedly than Jug. r. It appears to affect the spleen more than the liver (opposite of Jug. c.).

There is diarrhoea, and many rectal and anal symptoms; but the diarrhoea is not so distinctly bilious as that of Jug. c. Like Carya alba and Jug. c., Jug. r. is haemorrhagic, the blood being black and clotted (uterine). Remarkable symptoms of inflammation and ulceration appeared in the male sexual organs. This to a large extent belongs to the general integumatary action of the remedy.

It was Clotar Müller who made the observation that "In the digestive organs it causes derangement and irritation, which simultaneously call forth abnormal symptoms in other organs, especially in the head. After this action, which is brief, appear various exanthematous symptoms, which appear late and run a chronic course." The skin symptoms of the Regia are more pronounced and varied than those of Cinerea. This has led to its more frequent use in scrofula, as skin and gland affections go much together.

Farrington says Jug. r. is one of the best remedies in "tinea favosa, especially in the scalp behind the ear, itching is intense at night so that the patient has difficulty in sleeping." Scabs appear on arms and in axillae. In the proving of Jug. r. the symptoms went from the right axilla to left. In a patient of mine, a nurse who had poisoned her left arm some years before from a septic and possibly syphilitic case, inflammation of the axillary glands ensued, first of left then of right, leaving an eczematous itching condition.

The glands of the groin also became affected. Elaps. 200 had relieved the bulk of the conditions, but there was still a little irritation occasionally in the axillae, and I thought I might expedite matters by giving Jug. r. 12 three times a day. This is what happened: Five days after beginning the Jug. r. an eruption of minute vesicles appeared on her back, itching much. It extended all up the centre of the back from sacrum to mid-dorsal region, spreading out below, tapering above.

She had scratched holes in two places. The rash was < after washing. But all soreness and irritation had gone from the arms and axillae. I antidoted with Rhus 12.

Four years later she had had no more trouble with the glands. Cl. Müller, who experienced the axillary skin symptoms in his own person, had never suffered from a skin affection before. One of the provers was cured of an itching eruption of the legs from which he had suffered in winter for four years, the itching commencing as soon as he began to undress.

Many of the symptoms closely resembled syphilis, and the affection of the cheek in one of the provers was actually diagnosed as syphilitic by a medical man who saw him in Cl. Müller's absence. The left side of head, face, and abdomen mostly affected. Axillary symptoms proceed from right to left.

The symptoms generally are < by motion; migraine < by speaking; pain in abdomen < by laughing. There is < after fat food. < Evening at 9 p.m., and after 9. The itching is < at night.

Warmth of bed < toothache. It removed a winter rash < by undressing. Rash caused in my case was < by washing.

Antidoted by: Rhus. Compare: jug. c., Carya alb. (botan); Rhus (skin); Graph. (tinea favosa behind ears); Rumex (rash < undressing); Mezer., Merc.; Cean. (spleen); Lyc. (flatulence). Follows well: Elaps. (axillary affections; black haemorrhages); Sulph. (head, hot, cold extremities); Grind. (pain over l. eye).

Aching and fulness in r., then l. ear, then discharge of pus from both ears, external ear inflamed and two painful sores on it.—Burning in l. ear, then redness and swelling, then pimple on inside, then discharge of pus from both ears, < l., with burning and redness of l. external ear, and feeling as if something dropped inside of ear at every step, and soreness preventing lying on l. side of head.

Swelling of l. cheek and upper lip, with swelling of gum over l. upper incisors, without previous toothache, then a hard, reddish painful swelling in l. cheek, in the middle of which was a sharply-defined, depressed dark red, yielding circle, pus could be seen through the thin skin, the apparently sound tooth was drawn, and ichorous pus (from an abscess) was discharged through the opening, then the swelling disappeared.

Hawking of much mucus.

Frequent erections day and night.—Burning in penis after coition with his wife, with abrasion where prepuce joins penis, afterwards a suppurating streak half-way around between glans and prepuce, then the ulcer became larger, margins hard, base lardaceous, bleeding on slight pressure, often there was a small scab, from beneath which pus oozed and which often came off and left a suppurating ulcer, afterwards a healthy scab formed in the middle and fell off, leaving healthy skin, so that instead of one long narrow there were two small round ulcers; these healed and left no scar.

Menstruation too early and too profuse; discharge of a large quantity of black clots; preceded by pressive drawing pains in abdomen, < by motion; accompanied with general exhaustion and loss of appetite.

Aphonia or great hoarseness.

Pulse rapid and full.

Stitches in sacral region.—Violent stitches in the small of the back, causing one to tremble.

Muscles relaxed.—Exhaustion and disinclination for the usual business.—Intoxicated sensation; as if flying.

Eruption behind ears of children Itching eruption over the whole body Pimples on face; red pimples on face, neck, shoulders, and back, some containing thickish fluid; pimples on nape, discharging moisture when scratched (like acne) Itching: here and there; on sternum; on hands; r. hand; dorsum of r. hand, then on feet, forehead, scalp and abdomen; r. fingers in afternoon; legs, arms and abdomen at night, with tossing about and inability to sleep; here and there causing restless sleep, with dreams and erections; on flexor surface of r. forearm, near elbow, with burning and red spot, in the middle of which was a pimple, the redness disappeared, but the pimple was painful and pus formed

Painful, large blood-boils on the shoulder and in the region of the liver Glandular swellings (scrofulous swellings) Pustules as in eczema, with burning-itching, red, cracked skin, discharging a greenish fluid stiffening the linen Syphilitic, scrofulous and mercurial ulcers and herpes

Itching in r. axilla, with burning, skin sore and cracked then red and scaly, it became moist, on margin of tetter burning vesicles, the tetter < after perspiring much, the perspiration, with the secretion from the eruption, stiffened the linen and stained it greenish-yellow, the pain sometimes so great that violent motion of the arms was impossible, there were always new vesicles and larger extent of redness after increased burning and itching, the same trouble in l. axilla, then a furuncle on shoulder, on coracoid process, then a painful furuncle over biceps, with circumscribed redness and induration, discharging bloody matter, then two red itching spots on r. elbow, upon which a yellow pustule formed, a furuncle, with induration and pain, between 9th and 10th ribs, with thick, bloody discharge, leaving an induration, about this time a red spot near seat of second furuncle, becoming like an indurated gland, at this time on l. instep, then on r. redness, with itching and vesicles, leaving hard scurf, whereby the whole place became elevated and painful, the scabs were pressed in by the boots and rubbed off so that the part was raw, after healing the spot was bluish red and swollen.