• Swelling of joints from slight fatigue
• Violent tearing pains, worse by touch, movement
• Wrist rheumatism

Source: Vegetable kingdom

Synonyms: Baneberry, Herb Christopher

Family: Ranunculaceae

Prover: Dr. Petroz

Introduction and History: Actaea spicata is a rheumatic remedy, especially of the small joints.

Habit and Habitat: Europe and Asia.

Preparation and Parts Used: Tincture of root obtained in autumn.

Constitution and Physiognomy: For rheumatism, especially of the wrist joint.

Ailments. From: Draughts of cold air, overeating, fright and fatigue.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): It mainly acts on the wrist joint, ankle joint, extremities, respiratory system, kidney, liver, stomach, teeth, abdomen, central nervous system, etc.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology): It acts more on the wrist and small joints causing swelling of joints and rheumatism.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Keynote: Rheumatic pain in small joints, in wrists, fingers, ankles, toes and swelling of joints from slight fatigue.

Generalities: Feeling of paralytic weakness in hands and lame feeling in the arms.

• Respiration: Short, irregular breathing at night, while lying; also on exposure to cold air.
• Headache: Vertigo, tearing headache, throbbing in brain, pain from crown to between eyebrows, pain in left frontal eminence as if bone were crushed.
• Gastralgia: There is tearing, darting pain in the epigastric region with difficult breathing; sense of suffocation.
• Face: There is violent, tearing pain, from decayed tooth to temples.
• Kidneys: Throbbing in the region of kidneys and liver. Urinary calculi.
• Heart: Urging sensation in heart towards the abdomen and region of liver with great anxiety at night.

Important Characteristic Features of Actaea Spicata

Rheumatism: It is an excellent remedy for rheumatism. Rheumatic pains in small joints, in wrists, fingers, ankles, toes and swelling of joints from slight fatigue. Feeling of paralytic weakness in hands and lame feeling in arms. Wrists are swollen, red, worse on motion. Right wrist pains intolerably, is swollen, red; touch is intolerable, motion impossible; and pressure on palm intolerable.

General Modalities

Aggravation: From touch, motion, draughts of cold air, change of weather or temperature, slight exertion, at night, touch, mental exertion.

Amelioration: In open air.

Remedy Relationships

Follows well: Nux-v.

Complementary: Caul, Coloc, Sabin, Stict, Viol-o.

Dosage: Dr Boericke recommends the third potency.

Therapeutic Value: Cance of stomach, Dyspnoea, Headache, Hepatitis, Pleurisy, Rheumatism, Toothache, Urinary calculi, vertigo, Pomiting.