• Involuntary, irregular, uncertain and exaggerated movements, better during sleep, worse after coition
• Touch to the back, makes patient laugh
• Frostbite and chilblains
• Angioneurotic oedema
• Sensation as if ice needles were piercing the skin
• Complaints appear diagonally, upper left and lower right side
• Cough ends in a sneeze. Sneezing in sunshine
• Yawning before all complaints

Source: Animal kingdom
Synonyms: Toadstool, Bug agaric, Champing flou
Family: Fungi
Prover: Dr Stapf, a disciple of Dr Hahnemann and two years later by Dr Hahnemann himself.
Duration of Action: 40 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora and syphilis in the background Temperament: Nervous
Thermal Relationship: Chilly patient

Introduction and History: Mushrooms are among the articles of diet forbidden to people having a hydrogenoid constitution as described by him, in which the patients are exceedingly sensitive to cold air. It can be thought of in different heart and heart related disorders.

Habit and Habitat: It is found in Europe, Asia and America; in dry places, especially in dry pinewoods.

Preparation and Parts Used: Triturating the carefully dried cap, or tincture is prepared from the fresh fungus.

Constitution and Physiognomy

• Suited to persons with light hair, skin and lax muscles.
• Also suited to old people with old, indolent circulation.
• Mushrooms are among the articles of diet forbidden by Grauvgol for persons having a hydrogenoid constitution.

Ailments From: Indolent circulation, bad effects of alcohol, debauch, blood poisoning, fright, frostbite, mental exertion.

Active Principles (Chemical Constituents): This fungus contains several toxic compounds, the best known of which is ‘muscarin’.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology): Muscarin excites the inhibitory nervous apparatus, slows the heart’s action and ultimately arrests the heart in diastole. It also produces an intermittent and irregular pulse.

It especially affects the cerebrospinal nervous system, and through it the blood.

• Upon the cerebrospinal system it produces giddiness and drunkenness, similar to that produced by alcohol; entire loss of consciousness also takes place.
• The chorea-like twitching shows its irritating influence upon the anterior spinal nerves but its special center of action is more upon the posterior spinal nerves.
• The most peculiar effect of Agaricus is its septic influence upon blood.
• Blood becomes fluid, the brain, lungs and liver being engorged with this fluid-blood.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Loquacity; patient sings, talks but does not answer.
2. Aversion to Work.
3. Delirium with constant raving or tries to get out of bed, especially in typhoid or typhus. Delirium is characterized by singing, shouting, muttering, singing rhymes and making prophecies.
4. There is an indifference.
5. Fearlessness is very marked.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

• Headache: It occurs especially in drunkards and as a bad effect of debauch; in fever from spinal affections, especially in persons subjected to chorea and twitching.
• Chilblains: Chilblains itch and burn intolerably; also frostbite due to exposure to cold, especially in the face. Burning, swelling and redness of various parts like ears, nose, face, hands and feet.
• Involuntary movements: Involuntary movements while awake which cease during sleep.
• Chorea: Chorea from simple motions and jerks of single muscles to dancing of the whole body; there is also trembling of the whole body.
• Sensations: There is a sensation as if ice touched or ice cold needles were piercing the skin; as from hot needles.
• Uncertain gait: Uncertainty in walking; stumbles over everything in the way, as if beaten when standing.
• Spine: Spine of the patient is sensitive to touch, worse in the morning; becomes irritable after sexual excesses.
• Pains: Sore aching in the lumbar and sacral region, and spine; worse during exertion, in the day time, while sitting.
• Epilepsy: Epilepsy from suppressed eruptions.
• Prolapse: Post-climacteric prolapse with bearing down pain, almost intolerable.
• Diagonal complaints: Complaints appear diagonally – upper left and lower
  right side.

Important Characteristic Features

Convulsions and delirium: It is a well suited remedy for bad effects of alcohol, appearing from intoxication of brain producing vertigo, delirium and convulsions. Jerking, twitching, trembling and itching are strong indications of the remedy. There is delirium characterized by singing, shouting and muttering rhymes and phrases. It begins with yawning. Patient is restless during sleep from violent itching and burning. On falling asleep, patient starts twitching and awakes again. There is yawning followed by involuntary laughter. Cerebral excitement occurs in the patient in four phases:

(i) During slight stimulation: There is increased cheerfulness, courage, loquacity and exalted fancy.

(ii) During more decided intoxication: There is great mental excitement and incoherent talking; immoderate gaiety alternates with melancholy. Perception of relative size of objects is lost; takes long steps and jumps over small objects as if they were trunks of trees. A small hole appears as a frightful chasm. Physical strength is increased, can lift a heavy load with much twitching.

(iii) Third stage: Produces a condition of furious or raging delirium, screaming, raving; wants to injure himself, etc.

(iv) Fourth stage: There is mental depression, languor, indifference, confusion, disinclination to work, etc; worse open cold air, after eating, after coition, in cold weather, before a thunderstorm, pressure on dorsal spine causing involuntary laughter. Better moving about slowly.

Skin complaints: indicated remedy for chilblains and frostbite due to exposure to cold weather. There is burning, itching, redness and swellings from frostbite. There are hard pimples like flea bites. Indicated in angioneurotic oedema; acne rosacea. There are circumscribed erythematous papular and pustular oedematous lesions. Miliary eruptions with intolerable itching and burning. Worse in open cold air, in cold weather. Better warmth.

General Modalities

Aggravation: In open cold air, after eating, after coition, in cold weather, before a thunderstorm, pressure on dorsal spine which causes involuntary laughter.

Amelioration: By moving about slowly.

Remedy Relationships

Follows well: Bell, Calc, Cupr. Merc, Op, Puls, Rhus-t, Sil, Tub.

Antidotes: Calc. Puls, Rhus-t.

Comparison

Itching chilblains: Abrot, Agar.

Chorea: Mygal, Tarent, Zinc.

Epilepsy, after suppressed eruption: Agar, Psor, Sulph.

Great loquacity, jumps from one idea to another: Agar, Lach, Stram.

Affects left shoulder and right hip joint: Ant-t, Stram, Led.

Burning in small spots: Agar, Phos, Ran-b.

Therapeutic value: Acne rosacea, Blepharospasm, Brain softening. Chilblains, Chorea, Coldness, Cramps, Delirium tremens, Epilepsy, Enteric fever, Facial twitching, Frostbite, Gangrene, Hyperpyrexia, Itching, Jaundice, Lachrymal fistula, Lichen, Lumbago, Meningitis, Menses painful, Myopia, Neuralgia, Numbness, Nystagmus, Paralysis, Rheumatism, Sacrum pains in, Sebaceous tumours, Sexual excess, Spinal irritation, Spleen disorders, Toothache, Tremors, Tuberculosis, Typhoid fever, Typhus, etc.