Aristolochia - Clematis
Kasivishwanathan T K.
Materia Medica.
` Clem.
Though this is one of the oldest of medicinal herbs, it does not find a place in our materia medica. Systematic provings were made by Julius Mezger of Stuttgart, Germany. Dr. Edward C Whitmont feels that it "deserves a place foremost among our polychrests". He also consider it as a hybrid of Sepia, Pulsatilla and Arnica. The physical symptoms bear a strong resemblance to Pulsatilla nd the mental symptoms and personality type nearer to Sepia.
The following drug picture and case illustration are extracted from Dr. Edward C. Whitmonts book - Psyche and Substance (pages 150-153 and 175-176).
Mind: Anxiety about future; aversion to company, presence of other people aggravates symptoms desire for solitude. Sensation as if forsaken. Isolation. Industrious; mania for work. Restlessness in bed and before menses. Sadness and despondency. Dejection and gloom during climaxis. Weeping, tearful mood. Extremes of moods. Either a marked depression or unreasonable exhilaration and cheerfulness; emotional unstability of the manic depressive kind, easily offended. Hypersensitiveness. Lacks self confidence. Complaints from anticipation. Unlike Pulsatilla not easily consolable but not aggravated by consolation like Sepia.
Head: Headache better in open air, cold application. Worse before and after menses. Worse bending forward but better with the onset of coryza.
Eyes: Burning with lachrymation. Worse strong light and reading.
Ears: Tinnitus with otalgia and headaches. Acute otitis media.
Nose: Coryza with stuffy nose and headaches. Better in cool open air. Watery coryza with
sneezing. Nasal polyps with congestion. Hay fever.
Face: Neuralgia
Mouth: Cracked corners. toothache worse from cold food and better from warmth.
Throat: Sore throat. Hoarseness.
GIT: Ravenous appetite or loss of appetite. Squeamishness in a empty stomach. Faintness
and dizziness forcing him to lie down. Severe nausea with chilliness. Sour and bitter
vomiting better after milk. Gastritis. Ineffectual desire for stool. Diarrhoea - sudden
and after each meal. Tenesmus causes rectal prolapse.
Chronic entero-colitis after emotions with flatulence. Bleeding haemorrhoids. Intestinal
symptoms caused by freezing and chilliness.
Respiratory tract: Asthma and bronchitis.
Urinary: Irritation, inflammation. Cystitis, pyelitis, polyuria. Painful frequent
urination, worse at night. Involuntary dribbling of urine. Sudden pain in the kidney with
albuminuria. White sediments in urine.
Male Genitalia: Prostatitis. Epididymitis (like Pulsatilla) worse cold.
Female Genitalia: Abdominal cramps before menses. Heavy dysmenorrhoea, amenorrhoea,
oligo-menorrhoea, delayed menarche. Restores menstruation which is too weak or suppressed.
Too early menopause. Leucorrhoea mucous, brownish before menses. Pain and hardness in left
breast. Itching, voluptuous of vulva and rectum. Eczema.
Extremities: Swelling of feet and ankles before menses, better after onset of menses.
Tearing pains of joints better with onset of menses. Menopausal arthrosis. Upper arms
painful on pressure. Legs feel heavy like lead. Cold extremities. Varicose veins.
Skin: Pimples worse before menses. Furunculosis. Extensive dry eczema on neck, arms with
itching, burning crusty eczema of scalp. Labia vulva around the navel with intensive
itching. Weeping eczema; poor healing wounds; chronic ulcers and suppuration of hands and
feet. Prevents infection of fresh wounds and promotes granulation. For external
application it is superior to Calendula.
General: Chilliness of the whole body with excessive flushes of heat with perspiration.
CASE: A virtuous spinster had to take care of a boisterous niece addicted to drinking and sex. Though worried about her niece, she vicariously enjoyed what her own life had denied her. As she approached her change of life, her niece suddenly left her and moved out. The patients life thus became empty and a serious emotional imbalance ensued. She became depressed. Had an accident resulting in lameness. Pains were better by warmth and continued motion. Worse on rising. It responded to Sepia slowly. As her menstrual cycle dwindled an annoying cystopathy developed with painful micturition. Worse before menses but better with the onset of menses. She developed an irritable disposition. General chilliness better with warmth or continued motion especially in open air. Emotional and sexual repression, complaints of menopause. Traumatic arthritis.
Though several symptoms match those of Lachesis and Pulsatilla, neither completely fits the picture. The totality of symptoms - depressed, irritability, menopause, amenorrhoea, urinary complaints, traumatic pathology worse before menses and better after onset with better by heat motion and open air - is to be found in Aristolochia-clematis as the remedy which cured her.
