Agaricus Muscarius
Clarke - Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica · John Henry Clarke · 16,017 chars · source ↗
General
Agaricus Muscarius.
Amanita muscaria. Agaricus muscarius. Fly Agaric. Bug Agaric. Champignon fou. (Europe, Asia, and America; in dry places, especially in dry pine woods.) N. O. Fungi. Trituration of the carefully dried-up cap (pileus); or tincture of the fresh fungus.
Clinical
Acne rosacea. Blepharospasm. Brain, softening of. Bunion.
Chilblains. Chorea. Coldness. Cough.
Cramp. Delirium tremens. Dysmenorrhoea. Enteric fever.
Epilepsy (with great exertion of strength). Gangrene. General paralysis. Hyperpyrexia.
Itching. Jaundice. Lachrymal fistula. Lichen.
Lumbago. Meningitis. Myopia. Neuralgia.
Numbness. Nystagmus. Phthisis. Rheumatism.
Sacrum, pains in. Sebaceous tumours. Sexual excess, effects of. Spinal Irritation.
Spleen, affections of. Starting. Stitch in side. Tic Convulsif.
Toothache. Tremors. Typhoid fever. Typhus.
Characteristics
As Agaricus is used in many parts for making an intoxicating drink, we find in alcoholism a sphere for its action, and also in all states of delirium, mania, and even idiocy. A peculiarity of the delirium is to make verses and prophesy; also silly merriness, and incoherent talk, with mania; kisses companions. Talcott considers Agaric. gives the nearest approach to general paralysis of all remedies; exalted notions of grandeur and power, hilarity, and excitement followed by depression, confusion, imbecility.
Accompanying bodily symptoms are vertigo (marked and persistent), with constant impulse to fall backward; twitching about eyes and face, redness without heat, puffy and distorted. Ravenous appetite, with bolting of food. Sexual appetite enormous and enthusiastic, with relaxed penis and impotence. Throughout the body there are spasmodic twitchings, followed by waning tremulousness; finally relaxation and exhaustion.
In all these respects the drug accurately corresponds with the disease. Typhoid states often call for it, and also epilepsy. Rolling of the head is a leading indication for it in brain affections and fever. Peculiar headaches are: "Throbbing headache, with sensation of stiffness of muscles of face." "Dull, drawing headache in the morning, extending into root of nose, with nose-bleed or thick mucous discharge." "Pain as from a nail in right side of head." One of the most characteristic of the Agaricus effects is the muscular jerking and twitching it sets up.
This renders it appropriate in large numbers of cases of chorea. Twitchings are especially marked in the eyes, eyelids, and facial muscles; and Agaricus has cured many cases of blepharospasm and tic convulsif. Pain as if touched or pierced by needles of ice is very characteristic. Belonging to a low order of vegetation Agar. produces fetidity of breath, eructations, and stools.
Sweat may be oily but is not offensive. Agar. is a spleen medicine, causing stitch in the side, and it has cured stitch in runners, enabling them to run further. The symptoms of Agaricus are apt to appear at the same time on opposite sides of the body but diagonally (right upper and left lower, or vice versâ). The nervous patients requiring Agar. pass little urine (opp.
Ign.), though the bladder may be irritable.
Mushrooms are among the articles of diet forbidden by Grauvogl to persons having the "hydrogenoid constitution," as described by him, in which the patients are exceedingly sensitive to cold and damp. Agreebly with this we find in the provings of Agaricus great sensitiveness to cold air. All symptoms are < in cold weather, especially headache. Looking out of an open window causes toothache and pains in the limbs.
Drinking cold water < Symptoms are < before a thunderstorm. At the same time many symptoms of intense coldness are produced: cold and blue; sensations as if touched with ice, or ice-cold needles. All the symptoms of frostbite and chilblains (itching, redness, and burning). Somewhat allied to chilblains is bunion, for which Agar. has been found specific by many practitioners.
Many symptoms appear when walking in the open air; this is a very general and characteristic aggravation. On the other hand, all symptoms are < indoors and at rest, except vertigo, which may be either < or > in a room. Conversely to sensitiveness to cold there is sensitiveness to the rays of the sun, and sunstroke is within the curative range of Agaric. < After moving, and by pressure from without.
Relations
Compare: Bovista; Sticta pulmon.; Act. r.; Can. ind.;
Op.; Stram. (alcoholism, chorea); Coff.
(ecstasy); Cicut. (spasm of eyes); Codein (spasm of eyelids);
Mygale; Tarent.; Verat. alb. (icy-cold feeling in head);
Ars. (hot needles; Agar. ice-cold needles) Agar. stands between Stram. and Lach. It is antidoted by: Charcoal; coffee; wine; brandy; camphor; fat or oil (relieves stomach);
Calc. c. (relieves icy coldness); Puls.; Rhus (nightly backache).
It follows well: Bell., Calc. c., Merc., Op., Puls., Rhus, Sil. Is followed by: Tarent. (typhoid with "rolling of the head"). Teste includes Agar. in his Belladonna group.
Causation
Coitus, subjective symptoms arising after. Frost. Sun. Fright. Mental application or excitement. Over-exertion. Sexual excess. Alcoholism. Blood poisoning.
Mind
Aversion to conversation
Indisposed to perform any kind of labour, esp. mental
Exuberant fancy
Ecstasy
Inclination to make verses and to prophesy
Mania, timid, or furious, with great display of strength
Embraces companions and kisses their hands; alternately with vexation
Silly merriness
Great loquacity; sings, talks, but does not answer questions
Delirium, tries to get out of bed
Delirium constant, knows no one, throws things at the nurse
Delirium tremens
Morose, self-willed, stubborn, slow in learning to walk and talk.
Head
Dizziness, as from intoxication, principally in the open air, in the morning, and on reflecting
Vertigo, with impulse to fall backward
The bright light of the sun instantly produces a dizziness, so as to occasion falling
Piercing pains in the head when seated
Dull pain, chiefly in the forehead, with drawing of the eyelids
Drawing pains in the head, extending to the eyes and root of nose, principally on waking in the morning
Pain, as if a nail were driven into the head;
< when sitting quietly;
> by slowly moving about
Digging pain and sensation as from a bruise in the brain
Semilateral cephalalgia; pulling and pressing with confusion in the head
Beating in the vertex, with almost furious despair
Pressure in the head to the bottom of the brain, increased by pressure or contact of the hair, and accompanied by a complete loss of energy
Sensation of icy coldness in the head; on the scalp, r. side of frontal bone
A jerking sensation in the forehead and in the temple
Great sensitiveness of the scalp, as from subcutaneous ulceration
Itching of the hairy scalp, esp. early in the morning.
Eyes
Itching in the eyes
Burning sensation in the internal corners of the eyelids, which are painful on being touched
Pressure in the eyes
Humour in the corners of the eyes, and agglutination of the lids
Twitching of the eyelids and eyeballs
The cleft of the eyelids growing narrower
Canthi itch, burn, are red;
< from touch; stick together (lachrymal fistula)
A viscid yellow humour glues the eyelids together
Weakness and confusion of vision, as from a mist before the eyes
Brownish spots (like flies) before the eyes
Black motes before the eyes
Myopia
Diplopia.
Muscular asthenopia; nystagmus; squint
Clonic spasms.
Ears
Otalgia excited and aggravated on the admission of free air
Itching in the ears, with redness and burning pain, as from chilblains
Buzzing in the ears.
Nose
Excoriation and inflammation of the nostrils, with painful sensibility
Itching in the interior and on the exterior of the nose
Blood on blowing the nose, and bleeding at the nose
Increased acuteness of smell
Frequent sneezing without coryza.
Dryness of the nose
Flow of clear water from the nose, without coryza.
Face
Tearing in the face and jaw bones
Twitching in the (r.) cheek
On waking, pain in l. jaw-joint, so violent, he can scarcely open his mouth
Itching, redness, and burning in the cheeks, as if from chilblains
Palpitations and pulsations in the cheeks
Bluish lips
Burning fissures in the upper lip
Herpetic eruption, principally on upper lip
Spasmodic drawing in the chin and in the lower jaw
Needle-like prickings in chin; chin covered with minute blisters.
Teeth
Tearing pains in the teeth, aggravated by cold
Tearing in the lower molar teeth, < from cold air
Shooting from r. lower teeth up to r. side of head
Gums swollen, painful, and readily bleeding.
Mouth
Pain, as from excoriation in the mouth and in the palate
Excoriation of the tongue
Tongue, after a meal, covered with aphthae of a dirty yellow, with a sensation as if the skin were being taken off
Tongue coated white
Neuralgic splinter-like pains in tongue with salivation
Ulcer on the fraenum of the tongue
Offensive smell of the mouth, as after eating horse-radish
Foam about the mouth
Flow of bitter saliva
Speech inarticulate.
Throat
Dry fauces and pharynx, causing contraction and difficulty of swallowing; with ravenous appetite
Pressure in fauces as though a foreign body stuck there which could not be removed by swallowing
Induration of tonsils
Tension in thyroid gland;
< towards evening; feels cravat too tight
Throws up small floculi or solid lumps of phlegm almost without any cough.
Appetite
Insipid and fetid taste in the mouth
Want of appetite for bread
Hunger, with want of appetite
Attacks of bulimy, chiefly in the evening
After a meal, pressure in the stomach and the abdomen, with fulness
Very drowsy after dinner.
Stomach
Eructations alternately with hiccough
Eructations, with the taste of the food that has been taken
Frequent empty eructations; or with the taste of apples; or with the taste of rotten eggs
Nausea, with cutting pains
Inclination to vomit immediately after a meal
Pressure on the stomach, and in the precordial region, after a meal
Pain resembling cramp and oppressive heaviness in the stomach.
Abdomen
Shootings (sharp needle-like pains) in the hepatic region
Prickings in the region of the spleen during and after inspiration
Stitch in side from running
Cutting and pinching pains in the abdomen as from diarrhoea
Moving about and rumbling noise in the abdomen
Abundant expulsion of flatulency of a fetid odour, like that of garlic.
Stool And Anus
Hard stools of a dark colour after a period of constipation
Loose stools in the form of pap, with flatulency and severe colic
Loose stools, a painful drawing in the stomach and in the abdomen
Tingling in the anus
Itching in the anus, as from worms
Dysenteric flux
Diarrhoea of children, with grass-green, bilious stools
Fetid stools.
Urinary Organs
Urine scanty and infrequent
Urine clear, and of a yellow (lemon) colour
Flow of viscous mucus from the urethra.
Male Sexual Organs
Increase of sexual desire, with flaccidity of the penis
Scanty emission in coition
After coition great weakness and nocturnal sweat
Itching in the genitals
A sensation of drawing in the testes.
Female Sexual Organs
Awfully bearing-down pains almost intolerable
Menses too profuse and early, with tearing, pressive pains in back and abdomen
Itching and irritation of the parts with strong desire for an embrace
During menses: headache, toothache, pain and itching in l. ear, > by boring; labour-like pains; pains in l. arm; itching; palpitation; salivation
Leucorrhoea, with much itching internally and externally.
Respiratory Organs
Expectoration of small globules of mucus, almost without cough.—Spasmodic, convulsive, nervous cough, which may provoke secondary haemorrhage.
Chest
Respiration short and laboured, with difficulty of walking, even slowly
Respiration difficult, as if the chest were full of blood
Oppressive constriction of the chest, with a necessity for frequent and deep inspirations.
Pain principally in the lower part of the chest, as if its contents were compressed
Prickings in the chest
Copious nocturnal sweat upon the chest
Itching of the nipples.
Heart
Stitches; burning, shooting pains in region of heart, extending to l. shoulder-blade;
< by coughing, sneezing, or deep inspiration
Oppression in cardiac region as if thorax narrowed
Painful palpitations of the heart
With heart symptoms, paralysed feeling in l. arm and hand
Pulse weak, dicrotic, intermittent.
Neck And Back
Pain as from fatigue and dislocation in the back, at the nape of the neck and in the loins, esp. when sitting or lying down
Painful weakness in the muscles of the back
Sensation of soreness and great weakness in the back
Paralytic pain in the loins, increased by walking or by standing.
Limbs
Limbs affected diagonally; l. forearm, r. thigh; r. knee, l. hand
Tearing in limbs, < in rest or sitting, > moving
Cracking in joints
Subsultus tendinum
Feels as if her limbs did not belong to her.
Upper Limbs
Arms weak and without vigour
Burning pain in the arms, followed by an eruption of small pimples with scaling of the epidermis
Irregular and hurried movements of arm
Upper arms shaken as from an electric shock
Prostration, weariness, and paralytic feeling in l. arm
Tearing in both hands; on l. wrist
Trembling of hands; and coldness
Tearing in the fingers
Cramp-like pain in the thumb
Paleness and numbness of the fingers, which are, at the same time, very sensitive to cold
Itching, burning pain, and redness in the fingers, as if from chilblains.
Lower Limbs
Legs heavy and fatigued, esp. in the thighs
Twitching, quicksilver sensation, in gluteal muscles
Pains in legs like electric shocks
On crossing thighs feels a violent pain in them
Drawing in the legs, as if in the interior of the bone, esp. when sitting or standing, > by motion
Painful sensation in the hip on walking
Drawing in the legs
Darting pain in the feet and in the toes
Drawing pressure in the malleolae
Burning itching and redness in the toes, as if from chilblains
Bunion.
Generalities
Painful cramps in the muscles when seated Sensation of tearing in the limbs, principally during repose, whether seated or standing, and which disappears on movement Twitchings in the eyeballs, eyelids, cheeks, posteriorly in the chest, in the abdomen Symptoms which exhibit themselves transversely (for instance, in the r. arm and in the l. leg), > by walking slowly
Great sensibility in the whole body; the softest pressure produces continued pains Pains, as from a bruise in the limbs and in all the joints, after even moderate exercise Soreness and sensation of rawness (nose and mouth) Piercing pains in different parts of the body, chiefly in the head, with desire for sleep, and faintness when seated
Tearing pains (face, legs) continuous while at rest, disappearing While moving about Great weakness and heaviness in all the limbs Trembling Convulsions
Epileptic fits Epilepsy (with great exertions of strength) Great sensibility to cool air Great sensitiveness of the body to pressure and cold air.
Skin
Itching and titillation, which force the sufferer to scratch himself
Itching, burning pain, and redness as from chilblains in different parts of the body
Miliary eruption, whitish and close-grained, with excessive itching.
Sleep
Desire to sleep in the day, particularly after a meal
Violent yawning, followed by dizziness
In the morning, a sense of dizziness, and great difficulty in rising
As a rule sleeps badly and unrefreshingly.
Fever
Disposition exceedingly chilly, and shiverings in the open air, or on raising the bed-clothes, although the limbs may be warm
Shivering through the body from above downwards
Easy chilliness on slight movement
Violent shivering and trembling over the whole body, with heat in the face and cold in the hands
Sweat from even a moderate walk and slight exertion.