• Remedy for bachelors, old maids
• Vertigo on lying down or turning head sidewise
• Breasts enlarged, painful before and during menses
• After effects of suppressed sexual desire
• Glands enlarged and indurated

Source: Vegetable kingdom
Synonyms: Poison hemlock
Family: Umbelliferae
Prover: Dr Samuel Hahnemann
Duration of Action: 30 to 50 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora in the background
Temperament: Melancholic and irritable
Diathesis: Cancerous

Introduction and History: An ancient remedy, rendered classical by Plato’s graphic description of this poison which was given to Greek philosopher Socrates for causing his death. The ascending paralysis it produces, ending in death by failure of respiration, shows the ultimate tendency of many symptoms produced in the provings.

Preparation and Parts Used: The tincture is prepared from the whole plant.

Constitution and Physiognomy

Conium corresponds to elderly persons; old, feeble men, old maids and bachelors.

Indicated in people of strong, sedentary habit. People who are easily intoxicated with stimulants; those with cancerous diathesis, scrofulous constitutions, cancers and glandular enlargements. Slender people and
children.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): It mainly acts on the cerebrospinal nervous system, glandular system, brain, mammae, female sexual organs, etc.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. Irritates the cerebrospinal system, especially affecting the motor tract of the spinal cord and the glandular system.
2. Acts upon the brain. According to Dr Harley, it acts especially upon the motor centre within the cranium, and of these the corpora striata is the chief affected part.
3. It’s chief action is that of a paralyzer of cranial motor centres, and of the peripheral motor nerves.
4. It has a profound effect upon the glandular system, as shown by the wasting away of mammae.

Ailments From: Grief, ill-effects of contusions, blow, overwork, shock to spine, sexual excess, sexual abstinence, overstraining, etc.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Difficult understanding, slow grasp.
2. Discouraged. Tired of life. Broken down woman.
3. Unable to sustain mental effort. Indifference.
4. Weak memory. No inclination towards study or business.
5. Difficulty in understanding and reading.
6. Timid, depressed, fears being alone.
7. Aversion to society. Sad. Superstitious. Trifles seem important.
8. Thinks that animals are jumping on his bed.
9. Dread of strangers or company during menses.
10. Cannot think after using eyes; cares for little things; makes useless
    purchases.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Vertigo: When lying down or turning in bed, moving the head slightly. Must keep head at one place.

Debility: Debility of old people caused by a fall or blow.

Cough: Spasmodic paroxysms caused by a dry spot in the larynx.

Photophobia: Aversion to light, worse from using eyes in artificial light.

Menses: Suppressed, feeble, scanty, of short duration and too late. Menses stop by putting hands in cold water or by taking cold.

Urine: Difficulty in passing urine, intermittent flow.

Leucorrhoea: Acrid, milky, profuse, thick, bloody and intermittent, especially ten days after menses.

Perspiration: Day and night, Sweating as soon as one sleeps or after closing the eyes.

Testicles: Stony hard induration of testicles.

Distention: Distention of abdomen, worse after taking milk. Hypogastric pain goes down the legs.

Cravings: Craving for salt, coffee and sour things.

Aversions: Aversion to bread.

Palpitation: Palpitation, worse by exertion, by drinking and at the time of stool.

Speech: Difficult speech from paralysis of tongue or cancer of tongue.

Involuntary stool: Involuntary stool while sleeping; weakness after every stool; constipation on alternate days; burning or coldness in rectum during stool.

Sensation: Sensation as if a band or something tight was around the parts.

Important Characteristic Features

Glandular affections: From every little cold the glands become hard and sore. Infiltration in deep seated disease, in the region of ulcer, in the gland, in the region of the inflamed part and along the course of lymphatics – that why we get a chain of knots. The glands under the arms are inflamed, ulcerated. The glands in the neck, groin and abdomen become enlarged.

Ulcerated part indurates and abscess of the breast becomes surrounded by lumps and nodules. Induration and enlarged glands form under the skin, all over the body. That’s why Conium has been used extensively for malignant affections of glands. Glands gradually grow to a stony harness.

General Modalities

Aggravation: From seeing moving objects, alcohol, raising arms after exertion, bodily or mental injury, by celibacy or sexual abuse, turning in bed, from pressure of tight clothing, jar, night, standing, before and during menses, hot and dry air, etc.

Amelioration: While fasting, in the dark, from letting limbs hang down, by motion and pressure, stooping and walking, better in Sun, on sitting down.

Remedy Relationships

Follows well: Psor in tumours of mammae with the fear of malignancy.

Compare: Bar-c, Hydr, Iod, Kali-p, Hyos.

Comparison

Takes cold from exposure of feet to cold: Con, Cupr, Sil.

Nipples painful and tender: Con, Helon, Lac-c.

Sweats as soon as he closes his eyes to sleep: Chin, Con.

Sweats during waking hours: Samb.

Styes on upper eyelids leaving hard nodosities in their wake: Con, Staph, Thuj.

Aggravation from drinking even a small quantity of wine: Alum, Con, Zinc.

Therapeutic Value: Asthma, Bladder disorders, Bronchitis, Cancer of breast, Cataract, Chorea, Debility, Diphtheria, Dysmenorrhoea, Eye disorders, Jaundice, Ovarian disorders, Peritonitis, Prostate disorders, Ptosis, Scrofula, Stomach disorders, Tuberculosis, Tumours, Ulcers, Vertigo, Vision disorders, etc.