Datura Stramonium

by Ute Seebauer, DSHom Med

Remedy Source

Datura Stramonium, common names “Thorn Apple” or “Jamestown Weed”, belongs to the natural order of Solonaceae (nightshades). For the preparation of the homeopathic remedy, the tincture of the fresh plant in flower and fruit is used.

Stramonium is a native of India but also found in cultivated and disturbed areas, on rank soil, where refuse is deposited, throughout the south-eastern United States and in all temperate and tropical areas of the world. It was imported to Europe and then to temperate parts of North America.

The name Jamestown weed (also Jimsonweed) derives from the town in Virginia to which it is first believed to have been imported from England to the USA.

The poisonous plant itself is a 5-15 cm tall annual. Some others, especially the cultivated species, are deciduous shrubs. The stems are smooth, green, hollow and branching. The leaves alternate on stout leaf stalks, and are large, ovate and 7-15 cm long, with margins irregularly cut and toothed. The flowers are white or purplish, trumpet shaped and solitary on short stalks in the forks of the branches: the corolla is trumpet shaped, 7-10 cm long, 5 cm wide at the mouth, and 5-lobed. The fruit is a large, dry, prickly capsule, ovate, half 4-celled, with 4 valves and numerous black seeds, wrinkled and pitted on the surface. The fruit develops rapidly, splitting open at the top when mature. It’s thorny appearance lead to the name “thorn apple”. (The cultivated species of Genus Datura, known as Angel's Trumpet, look slightly different, but are just as poisonous.) The taste of this plant is mawkish, oily, bitter and nauseous; the smell is heavy, unpleasant, fetid (so are the discharges and secretions in Stramonium patients) and narcotic, but diminishes upon drying.

While all parts of the plant are toxic, the seeds, fruit, and leaves contain the highest level of the alkaloids daturine, which Von Planta (1850) pronounced to be identical with atropine, the principal Belladonna alkaloid.

The primary psychoactive substances in Stramonium are the alkaloids atropine and scopolamine (also found in Belladonna).

Atropine has been used in treating Parkinson's disease, peptic ulcers, diarrhea, and bronchial asthma. It is also used to treat nerve gas poisoning.

Scopolamine is available by prescription primarily for treating motion sickness and has also been used as an adulterant with heroin. During a 24-hour period in December 1995, at least 60 heroin users in Newark, New Jersey, died after using heroin tainted with scopolamine.

On ingestion, Stramonium alkaloids can lead to seizures, coma, and death, even if taken in small quantities. Symptoms of Stramonium poisoning can include intense thirst, headaches, nausea, fever, high blood pressure, dry mucous membranes, difficulty

swallowing and speaking, blurred vision, photophobia, hyperthermia, confusion, agitation, combative behavior, and hallucinations. These effects can occur within 30 to 60 minutes after ingestion. Symptoms can continue for 24 to 48 hours because the alkaloids present in the plant retard the digestive process. Even prolonged breathing of the fragrance from Stramonium flowers can produce mild symptoms, and less than 5 grams of leaves or seeds eaten by a child will be fatal.

In ancient herbal medicine, Stramonium was used internally to treat madness, epilepsy, and melancholy. Externally, it formed the basis of ointments for burns and rheumatism.

More recently, preparations from the plant have been used as ingredients in some asthma medicines. With this exception however, the plant is generally considered too toxic for medical applications nowadays.

Some scholars believe that vapors obtained by boiling this plant may have been used by the Delphic oracles to induce their legendary visions. More recently, in 1968, the use of Stramonium as a hallucinogenic drug prompted the US government to ban over-the-counter sales of products prepared from it.

The generic name Datura is taken from the Arabic name of this plant, “Dhatura”. The Latin species name “Stramonium” is the old generic name for this genus. The word is thought to come from “struma” which means swollen.

Historic use of Stramonium has occurred for many purposes throughout time:

In Europe the plant was used for witch craft, in salves or ointments. Throughout most European countries the seeds were used to brew beer.

In Mexico various tribes used ‘Toloache’ ritually for divination. The weed was dried and smoked; the users were left on a high which consisted of hallucinations and total

relaxation. Stramonium was thought to cure those with deafness, soothe insomniacs, and release the heat of those with a fever.

It is thought to be one of two plants identified in 4,000-year-old rock paintings throughout the Pecos river region of Texas and northern Mexico, used by the Huichol indians along with peyote to commune with the spirit world.

The Aztecs applied a decoction of leaves to the body for fever or administered as a suppository. The fruit and leaves were considered good for pain in the chest. If too much was taken, it was believed to cause insanity.

Datura is employed in India by a brotherhood of thieves and murderers — the Daturiahs, successors of the Thugs, or Phansigars, who formerly waylaid and strangled their victims. The powdered seeds are mixed with flour and given with food.

The native names (Datura, Toloache and Taguaro ) applied by ethnic groups appear to be based upon the deliriant effects produced by the plant on the nervous system.

As intoxication with Stramonium suggests, an individual in need of this remedy suffers a great deal of delusions and hallucinations. Like for Anacardium, for Stramonium, too, “angel & devil” or “good & evil” are one of the main themes. But whereas Anacardium is torn between good and bad, Stramonium never has this conflict. Alternating it takes on either the bad or the evil personality. This may be the reason, why the plant sometimes is called Devil's Apple or Devil's Trumpet and sometimes it is referred to as Angel trumpet.

Like Anacardium and Hyoscyamus, Belladonna etc, Stramonium characteristically has a lot of anger and aggression in it. In fact, of all remedies in the Materia Medica,

Stramonium is the most aggressive and according to Philip Bailey the most dramatic of the remedies that correspond to states of insanity - Some people call Stramonium “Mad-apple”.

Mentals

Stramonium displays all degrees, nuances and facets of manic reactions, up to insane raving – up to destructive franticness. It is enormous active and very creative. This creativity can be expressed in a destructive or vicious way, if the patient is driven by certain agitations.

Fear & Anxiety

Stramonium has a fractured personality of good and evil. Unlike Anacardium, however, which constantly is in conflict with his good and his bad side, Stramonium is either good or evil. There never is a conflict, but a switch between personalities, which I will discuss in detail later. During his ‘good’ phases, Stramonium is terrified of several things or occurrences, but at the same time fascinated of these, as they are part of him, respective his ‘bad’ side. In other words, all that Stramonium fears are these things that are in him and that trigger his ‘evil’ side in any way. Indeed, facing an object of his fears can easily bring on a Stramonium state.

·          Mind – Fear (= apprehension, dread) (3)

Stramonium fears to be alone, especially at night. Alone means being alone with oneself and might lead to having to face oneself, ones thoughts and one’s dark sides, hence Stramonium appreciates company. Darkness and the color black are generally associated with the ‘dark” side, the ‘evil’ that hides in the nightly shadows and therefore is feared by Stramonium as it strikes his evil side and may arouse it to life.

·          Mind – Fear – alone, of being • night (4)

·          Mind – Fear – black, of everything (3)

·          Mind – Fear – dark, of (4)

·          Mind – Fear – evil, fear of (1)

Dogs have been domesticated by humankind for thousands of years and are considered a man’s best friend. On the other hand, the dog is descendent from the wolf, who symbolically stands for the animal instincts, wildness and often appears in myths as the keeper of hell’s gate and the companion of vampires.

·          Mind – Fear – dogs, of (3)

·          Mind – Fear – dogs, of (1)

The first thing that comes to our mind when thinking of the evil is probably hell. The definitions for hell are various: Some people imagine hell being a place down below in the depth of mother earth, where there is fire and the smell of sulphur and where they have to be the devil’s slave forever. Stramonium is the only remedy in the repertory that is afraid of being roasted.

A more spiritual definition for hell would be the state of mind that keeps a spirit captured and prevents it from moving to the other side, the heavenly realm, to forever be caught in its own nightmares and illusions.

Either way – hell seems to be a place or a state of mind that keeps the individual in a very uncomfortable way as a prisoner and it doesn’t surprise that Stramonium is afraid of any place he cannot immediately escape from, just like a little bit of hell on earth.

·          Mind – Fear – roasted, to be (3)

·          Mind – Fear – narrow place, in (3)

·          Mind – Fear – tunnels, of (4)

·          Mind – Fear – processions, in (1)

·          Mind – Fear – escape; with desire to (1)

Stramonium patients often suffer from various eye symptoms e.g. dilated or contracted pupils, which indicate a lack of reaction of the eye. With contracted pupils, he can’t see properly and desires light, when the pupils are dilated, the bright light hurts the eyes and also causes convulsions as a result of the stimulus it has on the brain.

·          Mind – Light, desire for (3)

·          Mind – Light, shuns (1)

·          Generals – Convulsions – bright light, from (3)

Whenever we look into something bright, into a reflection, we are blinded for a moment and can’t see clear anymore. Stramonium fears what he can’t see clearly and therefore is “wild” and potential dangerous for him and might injure him. Stramonium fears the dark and desires light. He wants to see, what’s going on around him. A blinding light source makes him feel blind.

·          Mind – Fear – injury, being injured (3)

·          Mind – Fear – brilliant objects or cannot endure them; fear of  (1)

·          Mind – Light, desire for (3)

·          Mind – Anxiety – dark, in (4)

·          Mind – Delusions – dark (3)

·          Mind – Delusions – blind, he is (1)

Stramonium fears shiny objects.

Physically, this can be explained by the cerebral irritation, Stramonium often suffers from. The stimulating effect, a reflection causes on the brain, may lead to convulsions. “General – Convulsions – bright light, from (3)”, “Generals – Convulsions – shining objects, from (3)”

Blinding light or the reflections of shining objects not only remind people of the light of the sun, but often of the light on the end of the tunnel, a soul moves through on its way to heaven. The uncertainty of where this journey leads, that may cause fear.

It sometimes is the awareness of finiteness that comes to people’s mind, when they see a light on the end of the tunnel: like a signal from the other world or a reminder on the existence of the afterlife. The vague idea that this “end” could mean going straight to hell

and not to heaven, the feeling of having seen and maybe even undeserved being touched by the angelic realm (the light) and the idea that everything evil loves the dark, might make Stramonium aware of not only his good sides, but also of the evil inside, on being blinded by a light or on sight of a light on the end of a tunnel.

An engineer recently talked on the radio about the construction of tunnels: The reasons, tunnels are built slightly curved are firstly to keep the driver from getting tired, as the curving forces him to pay more attention while steering, secondly, so the driver is not being blinded all the time he is driving by the light on the end of the tunnel and thirdly – interestingly – because the fear of the light at the end of the tunnel is fairly common in people. By taking away the impression of going straight to this light, the driver is calmer and the rate of accidents is lowered.

·          Mind – Fear – tunnels, of (4)

·          Mind – Fear – happen, something will (2)

Another thought arises on considering Stramonium’s fear of mirrors, which however is only speculative: What happens, when we look into a mirror is that we see ourselves. Not only may we see a reflection of our physical body, but sometimes we recognize ourselves as well. We may see all these things that are hidden inside. We may become aware of everything good or bad and everything we did in the past. For many people, being confronted with the darkness of their souls, this is a painful experience.

It is said, especially in the Native American culture and in European ideas of witchcraft, that black entities, demonic creatures and ‘bare walkers’ (bare naked creatures that have to walk around on earth and feed of innocent people’s souls) don’t like the sight of

their own physical appearance and hide in the dark. They shun the light and even more so, they shun mirrors. A foolproof way, to keep them out of the bedroom and away from the sleeper supposedly is to place mirrors around the bed and leave the lights on. Whatever black creature appears in the night will leave immediately.

·          Mind – Fear – mirrors in room, of (2)

Like the most other psychotic remedies, Stramonium has a fear of water, too. This fear applies to water in any way, be that the sound of water, water as a drink or water in contact with the skin. Rabies in its symptoms comes close to poisoning with Belladonna, Stramonium or Hyoscyamus and the other name it is known under is “hydrophobia”, marked by the great fear of water.

·          Mind – Fear – noise, rushing water, of (3)

·          Mind – Fear – water, of (3)

·          Mind – Fear – head • to have the head under  (1)

·          Generals – Foods & Drinks – Water • aversion (3)

·          Mind – Hydrophobia (=rabies) (3)

Stramonium also has a relation to fire, which he fears. Partly may that be, because fire once more is something that has a blinding effect, but fire is also wild, uncontrollable and  the element of the devil. Fire - the everything burning, destroying eternal purgatory and its opponent, the holy water, which cleanses everything of sin, evil and dirt. Both elements are contrary and can be ascribed to heaven respective hell, which both exist sequentially in Stramonium’s soul.

·          Mind – Fear – fire, things will catch (1)

·          Mind – Fear, roasted, to be (1) (only remedy in this rubric)

·          Mind – Delusions – fire • house on •room is on • visions of • world is on (1)

Multiple Personality

Stramonium is prone to hearing voices of totally own personality. This often leads to that the patient believes, he is possessed by one ore several entities and causes a shaky sense of himself. The voices, Stramonium hears, often give order or advice are mocking or abusing (P.M. Bailey).

·          Mind – Delusions – voices, hearing (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – voices, dead people, of (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – possessed, being (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – devil • possessed of a devil, he is (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – identity • errors of personal identity (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – influence, one is under a powerful (2)

Unlike Anacardium, which is torn between good and evil, Stramonium either IS good or evil. He adopts a certain personality. Like Anacardium, he may feel like a superhuman or like god and on a mission to ‘save the world’ but never does he at the same time feel like he is the evil himself. Whereas Anacardium struggles between 2 halves, Stramonium experiences sequentially fearing dark or being it. (or fearing light or being it)

·          Mind – Delusions – God • he is God, then he is the devil (3) (only remedy in this rubric)

·          Mind – Delusions – devil • he is a devil (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – Mary, virgin • she is (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – God • communication with God, he is in (1)

·          Mind – Insanity (3)

·          Mind – Delusions – distinguished, he is (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – beautiful • she is beautiful and wants to be (1)  single

·          Mind – Delusions – divine, being (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – great person, is a (1)

Sometimes the sense of being very special, chosen or divine doesn’t become that clear to the observer but instead is expressed more on a physical level and the patient feels “great” (as god) or “light” (like an angel).

·          Mind – Delusions – enlarged (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – enlarged • body; parts of body (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – tall • he or she is tall (3)

·          Mind – Delusions – light • is light; he (= incorporeal) (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – proud (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – small • things appear small, things (1)

·         Mind – Delusions – statue  admired, poses as a statue to be (2) (only remedy in this rubric)

Even though Stramonium does not consciously or unconsciously feel torn apart, but rather acts and defines himself as a personality of one certain character, his subconscious apparently feels different – expressing this in several physical “feeling split” sensations.

Stramonium always denies either the good or the bad part of himself, deciding on just one side. This naturally brings with it an imbalance, as there is no good without a bad,

no light without the dark. Everything in the universe is bipolar, has two sides. Stramonium isn’t aware of this, but his subconscious is and makes the patient try to reunite his halves back together:

·          Mind – Delusions – body • cut through, he is (2)  (only remedy in this rubric)

·          Mind – Delusions – body • divided, is (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – body • scattered about, body was, tossed about to get pieces together, (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – divided • two parts, into (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – limbs • separated, limbs are (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – separated • body, feet are separated from the body (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – separated • body, hand is separated from the body (1)

Religiosity

As mentioned above, Stramonium feels either “evil” or “good” and sometimes even like God or Satan in person and religiosity is definitely a theme in Stramonium.

The Stramonium patient clings to sanity and keeps the terror at bay by praying fervently. Religion becomes an anchor for Stramonium, which he holds on to, that may save his soul, soothes his mind and prevents being punished by god.

·         Mind – Religious affections – too occupied with religion (4)

·         Mind – Religious affections – too occupied with religion • bible all day, wants to read the (1)

·         Mind – Praying (3)

·         Mind – Delusions - religious (2)

·         Mind – Delusions – sinned • day of grace, sinned away his (1)

·          Mind – Insanity, religious (3)

Violence & Self-Control

When Stramonium switches personalities, which can occur very quickly, the patient looses any control over himself whatsoever. He suddenly transforms from a victim of terrifying, evil visions into a being that is controlled by them. His anger is not necessarily directed to something or somebody in particular, but more like truly being possessed by some evil force. This is, what makes some Stramonium individuals so dangerous, that they have to be kept in an institution.

Stramonium is known to be the most destructive and violent remedy in the Materia Medica. It’s fits of anger might go as far as having a desire to kill. During such an anger attack, Stramonium might bite, hit or kick, scream or curse – the main idea is the one of destruction. The self - control, a healthy individual learned, growing up, by their parents or from society, becomes totally blocked.

·         Mind – Violent (= vehement) (3)

·         Mind – Destructiveness (4)

·         Mind – Abusive (3)

·         Mind – Striking / - Kicking (2)

·         Mind – Rage / - Malicious (3)

·         Mind – Kill, desire to(2)

·         Mind – Mania – rage (2)

·          Mind – Shrieking (3)

·          Mind – Delirium – maniacal (3)

·          Mind – Delirium – bite, desire to (3)

·          Mind – Delirium – rabid (2)

·          Mind – Delirium – exaltation of strength, with (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – scream • with screaming (2)

Later then, when Stramonium calms down, he might show remorse but he also might talk emotionless about his rage, as if nothing ever happened or as if it wasn’t him that acted violent. He might then even switch to another different emotion and now everything revolves around sex or religion.

·         Mind – Remorse (3)

·         Mind – (no repenting) hatred (1)

·         Mind – Mood – changeable (2)

Erotic

As most psychotic remedies are, Stramonium, too is prone to intense sexual desire. According to P.M. Bailey not as perverted as Hyoscyamus, but out of pure overwhelming lust. It might go back to Stramonium’s lack of self-control that he portrays shamelessness and lewdness in word as well as in action.

·         Mind – Amorous /  lascivious, lustful (2)

·         Mind – Shameless – (3)

·         Mind – Lewdness - songs / – talk lewd (2)

·         Mind – Naked, wants to be (2)

·         Mind – Naked – constantly (2) (only remedy in this rubric)

·         Mind – Delirium, erotic (2)

·         Mind – Nymphomania (3)

·         Male / Female Genitalia – sexual desire increased (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – lascivious (2)

Integration / Stramonium & People

To the same degree, Stramonium is fascinated but terrified by the evil; he experiences fear of people as well as longing for company. This is not, because he associates people with evil, but he sees somewhat a sheet-anchor in them, when he gets haunted by his fears and delusions. People are the contact to the ‘real’ world. With their presence, they might scare the evil away.

·          Mind - Fear – solitude (1)

·          Mind – Fear – alone, of being • night (4)

·          Mind – Fear – People • being alone yet, fear of (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – forsaken, is (2)

On the other hand, Stramonium characteristically is suspicious and sees enemies everywhere. He cannot trust anybody, as he is just different than everybody else.

·          Mind – suspicious (3)

·          Mind – Fear – strangers (1)

·          Mind – Fear – murdered, of being / - poisoned, of being (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – murdered • roasted and eaten, he was murdered (1)  (only remedy in this rubric)

·          Mind – Delusions – murdered • will be murdered, he (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – persecuted • he is persecuted (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – poisoned • he has been (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – injury • being injured, is (3)

Naturally, he feels forsaken: he needs people around him, but he cannot trust them. They are different than him and he feels alone in his own world that haunts him with the evil shadows of his deepest unconscious.

·          Mind – Forsaken feeling (3)

·          Mind – Delirium – shy, hides himself (3) (only remedy in this rubric)

·          Mind – Delusions – alone, being • wilderness, alone in a (1) (only remedy in this rubric)

·          Mind – Delusions – alone, being • always alone, she is (1)

The Delusions of Stramonium hence often revolve around people and can be quite bizarre: he talks to imaginary persons, even in foreign languages, sees phantoms or even dead people and sometimes, he is dead himself – being in the world of the deaths.

·          Mind – Delirium – foreign • language, talk in a (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – dead • he himself was (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – dead • persons, sees (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – fighting, people are (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – figures • seeing figures (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – people • conversing with absent people (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – people • seeing people (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – calls • someone calls (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – corners • people coming out of, sees (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – house • people, house is full of (1)

Delirium & Delusions

Stramonium has a tendency for delirium and delusions, which occur prevalently at night and in the dark and often are of the same wild, violent, hyperactive character as is so characteristic for Stramonium..

·          Mind – Delirium –  (3)

·          Mind – Delusions (= imaginations) (4)

·           Mind – Delusions – vivid (2)

·          Mind – Delirium – delusions, with (2)

·          Mind – Delirium –  night / – dark, in (2)

·          Mind – Delirium – raging / – violent / – wild / – maniacal (3)

·          Mind – Delirium – restless (2)

·          Mind – Delirium – vivid (2)

·          Mind – Delirium – noisy (3)

Stramonium’s delusions often revolve around the ‘dark side’ – the one of the world as well the one of him himself. Delusions of everything that is associated with the Evil haunt Stramonium: Black, darkness, fire, devil, wild animals, critters and insects….

·          Mind – Delusions – images • black /  • dark, in the (3)

·          Mind – Delusions – images • frightful (2)

·          Mind – Delirium – frightful (3)

·         Mind – Delusions – specters, ghosts, spirits • seeing (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – churchyard • dancing in, he is  /  • visits a (1)

·          Mind – Delusions – executioner, visions of an (1) single

·          Mind – Delusions – animals / – beetles, worms / – cats, sees  (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – dogs • attack him (3)  single

·          Mind – Delusions – devil • sees (1)

·         Mind – Delusions – visions, has • horrible /  • of monsters (2)

As much Stramonium fears all these things he associates with the evil, as much is he attracted and fascinated by them. This fascination might express itself by just staring at what triggers Stramonium’s fear / attraction. Like a rabbit staring at the snake that is going to eat it in a moment. This fascination is, what causes the impression of a mild, calm delirium

·         Mind – Delirium – look fixed on one point (=staring) (1)

·          Mind – Delirium – look fixed on one point • wrinkled face, with (1) (only remedy in this rubric)

·          Mind – Delirium – mild (3)  

·          Mind – Delirium – stupid (2) single

Interestingly, Stramonium has many delusions about assembled things or creatures that usually come in ‘packs’.

·         Mind – Delusions – assembled things, swarms, crowds etc (3)

·         Mind – Delusions – cockroaches swarmed about the room (1)

·         Mind – Delusions – dogs • swarm about him (1)

·         Mind – Delusions – fishes, flies, etc, sees (2)

·         Mind – Delusions – insects, sees (2)

·          Mind – Delusions – wolves, of (1)

Another object of Stramonium’s delusions is horses. “talks about horses in a barn that he has to feed, etc” “imagined he was driving a horse“ (Hering).

Greek writer Theocrastus called Stramonium “Hippomanes”, because it was thought to drive horses mad. It is speculative to ascribe Stramonium’s delusions of horses to the fact that the plant drives the animals mad, but a connection might exist.

(Just as) Hyoscyamus is afraid of poisoning – while it has classical poisoning symptoms. Stramonium acts maddening on horses – people that need Stramonium because they are insane, think of horses.

Explained by the theory of a collective subconscious, this would mean, there is a connection between horses and Stramonium for ages. An individual in need of Stramonium is in need of horses as well – as both belong together and so the individual create horses in his mind.

·         Mind – Delirium – horses, talks about (2) (Allen)

·         Mind – Delusions – fowls, sees (1)  (Hoyne)

·         Mind – Delusions – horses • riding a horse (1)  (Kent)

Stramoniums can be manic – depressive.  During their energetic, euphoric phase, they feel close to god, close to the light. It can be assumed, that they have company then and

enough light. In other words: It is then, when there is nothing that triggers Stramonium’s, dark side, that the may feel good and energetic.

·         Mind – Mania (3)

·         Mind – mania – alternating • depression

·         Mind – Sadness (3)

·         Mind – Excited (2)

Sometimes, the delirium of Stramonium is quite joyful for the patient, which is exactly when the above described circumstances are present and when the patient is in a manic phase.

·         Mind – Delirium – comical (2)

·         Mind – Delirium – fantastic (2)

·         Mind – Delirium – gay, cheerful (2)

·         Mind – Delirium – gay, cheerful  • alternating with: laughing / singing / weeping / whistling (1) 

·         Mind – Delirium – laughing (2)

·         Mind – Delirium – singing (1)

·         Mind – Delusions – laughter, with (2)

·         Mind – Delusions – loquacity, with (2)

·         Mind – Delusions – music • thinks, he hears (2)

·         Mind – Delusions – pleasing delusions (1)

·         Mind – Delusions – whistling, with (1)

Overall it can be said that Stramonium is a plant of contrasts – from smelly weeds to lovely ornamentals and so is the individual in need of this remedy. It has all the facets of a human mind – between being divine and being diabolic – but never at the same time but sequentially; and this is what distinguishes it from Anacardium Orientale, which has just same as many contrasting facets, though it isn’t as violent.

Modalities

The Symptoms of Stramonium are

Motions, Positions & Touch

Walking, pressure and motion often have a negative effect on stomach- and digestive disorders in Stramonium. Touch, pressure and motion can aggravate all symptoms.

Secretion

Stramonium not only is < suppressed secretion of any kind and > secretion, suppression also can be cause for a Stramonium state.

Temperatures & Weather conditions

Stramonium is very sensitive to draft and feels in general better indoors: > warmth, < cold, < wind especially the cough, the chest-, neck- and head symptoms like tearing pains and neuralgia. Notable is that though neuralgia of the cheek first is ameliorated by warmth, it later gets worse. The > warmth in case of neuralgias of the cheek is only temporary!

Foods & eating

Stupor and anxiety in Stramonium are < coffee, > vinegar and the patient has great desire for acids. The trembling of hands can be < eating and in general the symptoms are < swallowing liquids, which doesn’t surprise, considering Stramonium’s affinity to hydrophobia. Especially does < drinks apply to the cough. Swallowing in general can cause spasms of the throat.

Light & shadow

As much Stramonium fears solitude, he fears darkness because he has the desire to see what’s going on around him. Especially the mental symptoms are < darkness and > light, as long as the light source isn’t too strong. Bright lights, reflections and being blinded can cause convulsions. < Looking at shining objects, water, etc, < sun, < light of a lamp.

Daytimes & Seasons

There are no significant changes of Stramonium’s symptoms at different times of the day. Generally, symptoms are < forenoon, most authors however describe a general

 < after sleep (E.g. Boericke, Wiesenauer) and < morning.

Emotions

Stramonium has great desire for company and fears solitude. All symptoms are
< solitude, > company.

Etiology

Stramonium cases can be brought on by negative emotions like

·          Fright (2)                 

·          Reproaches (2)

·          Violence (2)

·          Anger (fright, with) (3)

Especially when Stramonium’s fear gets triggered by

·          Cemeteries

·          Water, great lakes or the sea

·          Dogs

·          Bright, shining objects

·          Closed rooms

·          On driving through a tunnel

·          Elevators

Some other, more physical causes for Stramonium states are:

·          Sun 

·          Childbirth 

·          Suppression of any secretions

Locality

Stramonium acts to a great extent on the brain and the Central Nervous System and is one of the great psychotic remedies in the Materia Medica. This becomes obvious when we look at all the mental symptoms of Stramonium and the convulsive or spasmodic character of many complaints in this remedy .

Furthermore Stramonium acts well on the respiratory system as in asthma, pneumonia and whooping cough and is useful for complaints of the  female genitalia. Here again it often is through spasms and convulsions, the proper functions of respiration and the genital tract are disturbed.

The tongue in Stramonium looks swollen, stiff, red and dry and can only moved with difficulties or may tremble with every movement or when protruded.

Hering and Allen describe “feels as if edges rolled up as hard and stiff as sole-leather”. There may be sores in the mouth and on the tongue which probably go on the account of biting.

Acute disease in Chronic Remedies

In acute disease, Stramonium can be of great value in

·          Hallucinations & Delirium

·          Headache (esp. congestive or neuralgic)

·          Meningitis

·          Otalgia

·          Toothache (pulsating character)

·          Trigeminal neuralgia

·          Diaphragmitis

·          Puerperal convulsions

·          Bronchitis / Pneumonia

·          Whooping Cough

·          Typhoid fever

·          Measles

·          Tetanus & Hydrophobia

In emergencies Stramonium is most often used for

·          Epilepsy, hysterical Convulsions

·          Affections of the Heart

·          Apoplexy

·          Asthma

·          Malignant Scarlatina

·         Sunstroke

Bodily Functions and Discharges

Menses

The menstrual flow in Stramonium can be excessive with drawing pains in thighs, abdomen and upper limbs (Dysmenorrhea). It may be too profuse, lasting longer than usual or appearing to frequent (every three weeks), consisting of black blood and large masses of coagulated clots or sometimes of watery character.

The menses might be accompanied by loquacity, convulsions, trembling and restlessness as well as fetid smell from the body.

Metrorrhagia occurs and is just like the menstruation accompanied by the typical mental symptoms, convulsive or spasmodic complaints and pains.

Pregnancy

The mental and physical symptoms during pregnancy, childbed and lochia are of the same convulsive, spasmodic character as the ones during menses:

·         Loss of consciousness and sensibility

·         Spasms & convulsions – especially during confinement

·         Copious perspiration

·         Cadaverous odour of lochia

·         Puerperal convulsions

·         Too profuse secretion of milk in nursing women

Male reproductive system

The male Stramonium patient may suffer from Priapism, oedematous scrotum or retracted testes. Excessive onanism  causes epilepsy and impotency is common.

Digestion

There is nausea, aggravated by pressure on epigastrium or eating, that leads to a great deal of vomiting and retching with violent  pains of cutting or burning character, especially at the pit of the stomach, which make the patient cry out. The vomiting might be accompanied by convulsions or choking – again the symptoms hysterical character becomes obvious.

The patient vomits food, mucus and deep red blood and suffers from bitter, empty or incomplete eructations and frequent hiccough, though his appetite is usually great.

Due to the dryness of mouth and tongue, the patient usually is excessively thirsty, though he has the fear of water and aversion to all fluids. Commonly there is a great desire for sour or acid drinks.

Loss of taste, bitter taste or a taste of sand or straw on eating has been observed and might be caused by the affection (dryness) of the mucous membranes of the mouth.

The abdomen may be bloated, distended, but seldom hard though painful to touch.  Painful spasms occur, lots of rumbling or the feeling of living animals in the abdomen and lots of flatus is expelled.

Not surprisingly, Stramonium that has a lot of spasmodic complaints, also has violent, spasmodic hiccough, especially in children.

Stramonium has nausea with inability to vomit with profuse flow of – sometimes salty – saliva. The more the tonic character of the disease is expressed, the less is the ability to vomit. Is it the clonic character that prevails, the patient suffers from sour eructations, watery vomiting or vomiting of sour smelling mucous or greenish substances.

In Stool an urine again there is the opposites of spasmodic and convulsive complaints. Stool and urine may be suppressed, the patient suffers from tenesmus or constipation and urine might be expelled only drop by drop or only after a several days - due to spasmodic cramps. The more convulsive / clonic reaction would be all day lasting diarrhoea or sudden, profuse or involuntary emission of urine.

Excretions (skin, bowels, urinary tract)

In general, the Stramonium patient is “dry” everywhere on the external and internal mucus membranes. This is due to the tonic spasms that cause the bodily functions more or less being arrested, but Stramonium also has a great deal of convulsions continuously causing ups and downs: a certain function gets stopped and the next moment gets triggered, which may lead to an over-function. The following states the oppositional states between clonic and tonic complaints regarding excretions in Stramonium.

- Nose

·          Nose obstructed and dry

·          Yellow, bad smelling discharge

·          Nosebleed (dark lumps) in Whooping cough

- Mouth

·          Dry mouth, parched tongue

·          Foam from the mouth (sometimes bloody)

·          Profuse salivation

·         Saliva decreased

- Throat and air passages

·          Constriction & dryness of the throat

·          Dryness of fauces

·          Spasms of throat

·          Dry cough

·          Brings up yellow and bloody mucous

- Stomach

·          Burning in stomach

·          Inability to vomit

·          Sour eructations

·          Vomiting of every food

·          Watery vomiting

·          Vomiting of sour smelling mucous or greenish substances

- Urine

·          Urination suppressed

·          Dribbling of urine

·          Sudden profuse involuntary emission of urine

·         Bloody urine

- Stool

·          Profuse diarrhoea (lasting all day)

·          Constipation, ineffectual urging

·          Black or dark brown stool

·          Foul smelling stools

·          Bloody stools (in diarrhoea)

- Haemorrhoids / Rectum

·          Painful, bleeding haemorrhoids

·          Coagulated blood passes from the anus

- Skin

·          Scarlet fever like rash that turns white on pressure

·          Suppressed eruptions (eruptions fail; to come out)

·          Abscesses, tumours , ulcers

·          Petechiæ on face, neck and breast

- Perspiration

·          Skin red, hot & dry

·          Skin cold (in fever)

·          Profuse perspiration

·          Putrid smelling sweat

·          Cold sweat

Sleep & Dreams

Stramonium usually is sleepy but either can’t get to sleep or sleeps restless, full of dreams and tosses about in sleep. The limbs are twitching and the patient awakes often startled and shrieks. The eyes may be half open.

More often however the sleep is deep with much snoring.

·         Sleep – Comatose (2)

·         Sleep – Comatose - snoring, with (2)

·         Sleep – Deep (2)

·         Sleep – Interrupted (2)

·         Sleep – Light (2)

·         Sleep – Restless (2)

·         Sleep – Sleepiness (2)

The dreams of Stramonium usually are vivid, amorous, agreeable, though sometimes they may be anxious and frightful and the patient may wake from his dream with a scream.

Characteristic Sensations

In Stramonium, most sensations, especially the pains are of spasmodic or convulsive character. This includes constriction (especially throat), tightness (chest), oppression (stomach & limbs), heaviness (head) or lameness.

Many pains are of convulsive or clonic character: twitching, jerking and drawing (in limbs and abdomen), contracting (throat) or tearing (neck, head, abdomen, chest); other pains are more of a neuralgic kind, like stabbing, shooting, stitching or cutting – in other words sharp pains.

In Stramonium we have a remedy of oppositional phases of sensibility. Pains can be felt as overwhelming, hardly bearable or might be completely absent, just lie his definition of himself might be ‘the good’ or ‘the bad’, the patient is either victim of his pain or totally insensible towards it. Hahnemann emphasizes that this absence of pain is “a prominent symptom” in Stramonium.

Appearance

Stramonium is said by Hering to be suited especially to children or young plethoric persons.

The mentally manic or physical convulsive phase will be seen more often than the physical or mental depressed phase.

In acute disease, Stramonium’s face might be swollen, red and puffy and  most likely it has a staring, bewildered expression, forehead wrinkled which causes a concerned look and the pupils may very well be dilated.

Stramonium is said to move graceful and with rhythm. Clarke refers this to the absence of pain that gives Stramonium’s locomotor muscles an extreme mobility, which he finds can be seen best in the arms.

Physical Symptoms

Alternating Symptoms

·          Headache with heaviness of head alternating with lightness of head

·          Staring look of the eyes alternating with unsteady, wavering look

·          General convulsions, alternating with opisthotonos

·          Strong convulsion, alternating with great excitement of mind or rage

·          Constipation alternating with diarrhoea

·          Alternating  paralytic and spasmodic symptoms

·          Spasms : alternation of clonic and tonic

·          Severe spasms, opisthotonos or emprosthotonos, alternating somnambulism

·          Heat of face, alternating with coldness of body

Concomitant Symptoms

·         Vertigo with colicky pains and diarrhoea

·          Vertigo < lying on the side with excessive sleepiness

·          Stupefaction with vanishing vision & hearing and convulsive movements of head

·          Fainting, with paleness of face, dryness in throat and subsequent red face

·          Violent affections of brain, during or after vesicular erysipelas

·          Meningitis accompanied by delirium & dilated pupils

·          Complaints accompanied by drawn-back head

·          Hydrocephalus with great loquacity, staring look & dark-coloured stools.

·          Apoplectic seizures with bloody froth at mouth & dark-brown face

·          Swollen tongue with difficult swallowing and talking

·          Unusual dryness of throat accompanied by difficulty of swallowing

·          Throbbing headache with diarrhoea or nausea

·          Otalgia with headache & profuse lachrymation

·          Nosebleed in whooping cough

·          White circles around the mouth in diarrhoea

·          Bloody froth from mouth in Scarlatina, hysteria or apoplexy

·          Temporary muscular paralysis, accompanied by retention of urine

·          Cold body with hot face

·          Drawing pains in the middle of the spine, with drawing pain opposite, in the posterior portion of the stomach

·          Abscesses and tumours, with intolerable pain

·          Typhus with total blindness

Characteristic Symptoms

·          Voluntary muscles in a state of great relaxation or stiffness of the whole body

·          Spasmodic twitching, jerking, convulsions, tremulous movements

·          Constant restless movements of the limbs

·          Restless & nervous beyond description

·          Complaints attended by total inability to articulate or very high pitched voice (spasm) or attended by difficulty of swallowing

·          Glowing heat and redness of head & face, with coldness & paleness of the body

·          Eyes half open in sleep

·          Vomiting on even raising the head from the pillow

·          Sensation as if spinning or weaving

·          red rash on skin, resembling scarlet fever, but having a more shining appearance

·          Prefers to lie on his back or on the stomach, boring the head into the pillow

·          Absence of pain

Peculiar Symptoms

·          Convulsions from the sight of bright light, brilliant objects or water

·          Convulsions < being load spoken to or by touch

·          Distressing dryness of mouth and throat but aversion to liquids

·          Shivering sensation on the chin in fever

·          Pupils contracted after vinegar or lemonade

·          Sensation as of wind rushing out of ears

·          Sensation as if objects were smaller than they really are.

Antidotes

Stramonium is antidoted by camphor, lemon juice, vinegar, tobacco and Belladonna, Hyoscyamus and Nux Vomica. It antidotes Mercurius and Plumbum, follows well Cuprum and Belladonna and is not compatible to Coffea.