• Glandular remedy. Glands hardened like stone. Mammary glands mainly affected, enlarged with a sore feeling. Hard and painful nodosities.
• Cannot drink hot fluids in sore throat
• Pains flying like electric shocks, rapidly shifting, shooting, lancinating
• Discharges are shreddy, stringy

Source: Vegetable kingdom
Synonyms: Poke root
Family: Phytolaccaceae
Prover: Dr Halle
Duration of Action: Short
Miasmatic Background: Syphilis, sycosis
Diathesis: Rheumatic and gouty
Thermal Relationship: Chilly patient

Introduction and History: We can get the most useful data on this drug from Dr Hale’s New Remedies. Phytolacca comes to us from America by observation of the domestic or native places, but they have been rendered very useful as therapeutic tools on precise indications, obtained by proving on healthy human beings. According to Kent, Phytolacca can be called ‘VEGETABLE MERCURY’ like Podophyllum and Mezereum.

Habit and Habitat: It is indigenous to USA.

Preparation and Parts Used: Mother tincture is prepared from the fresh roots dug during winters or from the ripe berries or fresh leaves of the phytolacca plant. Higher potencies are prepared from the mother tincture.

Constitution and Physiognomy: This drug is suited to persons of rheumatic diathesis.

Ailments From: Exposure to COLD AND DAMP, abuse of mercury, syphilitic affections.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Phytolacca acts chiefly on the glandular system, particularly on the throat and mammary glands. It also affects the serous, fibrous and mucous tissues.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Loss of personal delicacy; complete shamelessness and indifference to exposure of her person.
2. Melancholy, gloom, indifference to life; is sure she will die.
3. Desires death in the morning on waking.
4. Disgust for business.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

1. Pains – flying like electric shock, shooting, lancinating and rapidly shifting. Worse from motion and at night.
2. Hastens suppuration.
3. Emaciation, chlorosis, loss of fat.
4. Rheumatism and neuralgia after diphtheria, gonorrhoea, mercury or syphilis.

General Modalities

Aggravation: Raising up, motion, lying on abdomen or left side, swallowing hot drinks, cold nights, during menses, rains, exposure to damp, hot fluids, hot applications, cold weather or changes of weather, sensitive to electric charges, effects of getting wet, in the morning 3, 4, 5 am, AT NIGHT.

Amelioration: Right side, dry weather, stepping down from a height, cold drinks, rest.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Sil.

Antidotes: Bell, Ign, Mez, Op, Sulph.

Comparison

Mammae heavy, with stony hardness: Bry.

Nipples inflamed, tender to touch: Cham, Helon.

Potency: Tincture to 200c.

Repetition: Can be repeated frequently. Bears repetition well.

Therapeutic Value: Arthritis, Breast abscess, Bursitis, Diphtheria, Fibrocystic breast disease, Iritis, Mastitis, Mumps, Obesity, Orchitis, Pharyngitis, Plantar fascitis, Psoriasis, Sciatica, Sprains, Tendonitis, Tonsillitis.