• Icy coldness of the whole body with sudden exhaustion
• External coldness; internally copious discharges
• Internally, a sense of burning without heat
• Coldness relieved by cold
• Covering intolerable
• Pain better when thinking of it
• Effects of shocks or injury.

Source: Vegetable kingdom
Synonyms: Camphor
Family: Lauraceae
Miasmatic Background: Psora in the background
Temperament: Nervous, irritable
Diathesis: Scrofulous
Thermal Relationship: Extremely chilly patients

Introduction and History: Cinnamomum camphora (commonly known as Camphor tree, Camphor wood or Camphor laurel) is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 20-30 metres tall. The leaves have a glossy, waxy appearance and smell of camphor when crushed. In spring it produces bright green foliage with masses of small white flowers. It produces clusters of black berry-like fruits around one centimeter in diameter. It has a pale bark that is very rough and fissured vertically.

Camphor is a white crystalline substance, obtained from the tree – Cinnamomum camphora. Camphor has been used for many centuries as a culinary spice, a component of incense and as a medicine. Camphor is also a bug repellent and a flea killing substance.

Habit and Habitat: Cinnamomum camphora is native to Taiwan, southern Japan, southeast China and Indochina, where it is also cultivated for camphor and timber production. The production and shipment of camphor in a solid, waxy form was a major industry in Taiwan prior to and during the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945). It was used medicinally and was also an important ingredient in the production of smokeless gunpowder and celluloid. Primitive stills were set up in the mountainous areas in which the tree is usually found. The wood was chipped; these chips were steamed in a retort, allowing the camphor to crystallize on the inside of a crystallization box, after the vapour had passed through a cooling chamber. It was then scraped off and packed out to government run factories for processing and sale. Camphor was one of the most lucrative of the several important government monopolies under the Japanese.

Preparation: Its solution is prepared in rectified spirit.

General Uses: Camphor is widely planted as a shade tree, screen or windbreaker. In China and Japan, it is grown commercially for its medicinal oil. Camphor oil has a strong penetrating fragrance, a pungent bitter flavour, and feels cool on the skin like menthol, though it also has irritating qualities as well as a numbing effect. Camphor has been used to treat ailments ranging from parasitic infections to toothaches. Scientific evidence has confirmed that chemicals in the plant have value in antiseptics and medications for treating diarrhoea, inflammation, itching and nervous conditions. Camphor wood is prized for its attractive red and yellow striping, amenability to woodworking, and insect repelling properties. It is light to medium in weight and soft to medium in hardness. Wood from the Camphor tree is not especially strong, but it takes polishing well. It is commonly used for chests, closets, coffins, instruments and sculptures. Camphor veneer is used in fine cabinetry. Camphor is also used in perfume.

Constitution and Physiognomy: Especially suited to scrofulous children; irritable, weak, blond people who have a cool and dry body. Extremely sensitive to cold; cold and chilly. Old, withered people.

Ailments From: Shock from injury, suppressed eruptions, cold air, sunstroke, vexation.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Camphor is an anodyne, stimulant, refrigerant, diuretic and diaphoretic. It increases the action of the heart and arteries, and renders the pulse softer and fuller; but such effects are very transitory and are followed by depression. In large, but not over doses, it allays pain and spasm, and induces sleep. In over doses, it excites narcotic symptoms like those of an irritant poison, and has proved fatal. It acts chiefly on the mind, cerebrospinal system, nervous system, mucous tissues, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary system and extremities.

Physiological Action: Applied externally, camphor is an irritant. It stimulates local circulation. It has feeble antiseptic power and is sedative to the nerves after first stimulating them. Internally, it acts as a carminative and antispasmodic, gives increased force and fullness to the pulse, and stimulates the cerebrospinal nerves. When large doses (grain xx.-xxx.) are given, the pulse falls and a feeling of lassitude and giddiness is produced.

Symptoms of Poisoning: After poisonous doses (grain xxx.-1x.), there is faintness, headache, vertigo, confused ideas, burning pain in the stomach, delirium, convulsions and insensibility. The pulse is small, sometimes slow followed by acceleration. The skin is pale, cold and covered with perspiration. No death of an adult has occurred with camphor.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. Acts powerfully upon the cerebrospinal system, depressing both the motor and intellectual centers, causing a general prostration of the system, giddiness and cerebral oppression.
2. The mucous tissues are involved in catarrhal irritation, giving rise to coryza and diarrhoea, though the primary effects of Camphora upon the mucous lining of the stomach and bowels are manifested by extreme coldness and torpor of these parts, and a similar condition is also found upon the skin.
3. The genitourinary system is involved. Genital organs become cold and relaxed; and in the urinary tract a condition of strangury is established.
4. Action of Camphora is rapid and intense, though comparatively evanescent. Its chief sphere of usefulness is in the treatment of choleric conditions, and the effects of cold.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Anxiety with fretfulness.
2. Great anguish and discouragement.
3. Quarrelsome and combative humour.
4. Mania to dispute.
5. Dullness of senses.
6. Loss of memory.
7. Indescribable wretchedness.
8. Extreme anxiety and restlessness.
9. Great lethargy.
10. Complete loss of consciousness.
11. Better when thinking about the present troubles.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Sensitiveness: Entire body painfully sensitive to slightest touch.

Tongue: Tongue cold, flabby, trembling.

Suddenness: Sudden attacks of vomiting and diarrhoea; nose cold and pointed; anxious and restless; skin and breath cold (Verat, Jatr).

Cholera: In first stage of cholera morbus and Asiatic cholera; severe, long lasting chill (Verat). Great coldness of the surface with sudden and complete prostration of the vital force

Eruptions: Measles and scarlatina when eruption does not appear; with pale or cold blue, hippocratic face; child will not be covered (Sec). All sequelae of measles.

Convulsions: Convulsions and cramps of different kinds. Tetanus with loss of consciousness and vomiting. Attacks of epilepsy with rattling in the throat; face, red and puffed; convulsive movements of the limbs, even of the tongue, of the eyes and of the muscles of the face. Hot and viscid perspiration on the scalp and on the forehead after a fit. Comatose drowsiness; he falls down insensible.

Circulation: Diminished circulation of the blood to the parts most distant from the heart.

Prostration: Uneasiness, relaxation and heaviness over the whole body. Sinking of all strength. Fainting fits. Cracking in the joints.

Pains: Rheumatic lancinations in the muscles.

Important Characteristic Features

Head: VIOLENT THROBBING; particularly in the occiput, with frontal headache, general coldness, burning and stinging (sunstroke).

Eyes: Hollow, surrounded by blue rings. Staring flickerings.

Nose: Cold and pointed (during diarrhoea).

Face: Pale and anxious. Cold, blue, shrivelled. Collapsed expression, with cold sweat, blue lips; cold and pointed nose. Blue lips, lock jaw, tetanus.

Mouth: Tongue, mouth, breath and saliva cold; heat in pharynx and stomach.

Abdomen: Colic, insatiable thirst, vomiting with cold sweat, great exhaustion, internal burning in the abdomen and external coldness. Even ice water is not sufficiently cold; he drinks in large quantities and vomits it soon.

Stool: Scanty stools and suppressed urine, ordinary sweat and SUDDEN sinking of strength appears along with coldness and dryness of the surface of the body and restlessness. ASIATIC CHOLERA, primary stage, when the stools are loose and contain feacal matter, with suppression of urine; when prostration occurs SUDDENLY and INCREASES RAPIDLY.

Urine: Strangury, with a full bladder.

Male sexual organs: Painful erection after sudden suppression of gonorrhoeal discharge. Coldness of the parts and strangury. Impotence with coldness of the parts after sexual excesses.

Female sexual organs: Puerperal mania with suppressed discharges; dryness and coldness of the surface of the body.

Respiratory organs: Violent dry cough, especially in measles, with suppressed eruptions and congestion of lung. Pleuro-pneumonia, emphysema of lungs. Dry, hacking, suffocative cough with dyspnoea. Asphyxia of the new born.

Extremities: Cold, numb with tingling. CRAMPS IN CALVES. Staggering gait, as if drunk.

Skin: Icy coldness over the whole body. Sensation as if cold wind were blowing over the body. Cold, clammy and exhausting sweat.

General Modalities

Aggravation: During movement, at night, from cold open air and contact.

Amelioration: When thinking of the existing complaints, in warm air, drinking cold water.

Remedy Relationships

Antidote to: Camphora antidotes nearly every vegetable medicine and should not be allowed in the sick room in its crude form. It also antidotes so-called Worm medicines, poisonous mushrooms, bitter almonds and other fruits containing prussic acid; also the secondary affections remaining after poisoning with acids, salts, metals, etc.

Antidoted by: Op, Nit-s-d, Dulc, and Phos.

Incompatible: Kali-n, tea, coffee and lemonade. As a rule, do not interfere, but sometimes coffee Worse.

Comparison

Aloe Socotrina, Carbo vegetabilis (coldness from undeveloped exanthema; collapse; epistaxis, dark, persistent, low haemorrhages generally).

Cantharis vesicatoria, Cuprum metallicum, Dulcamara, Secale cornutum (skin cold with desire to uncover).

Opium sempervirens (narcotism, heart affections).

Phosphorus (anguish and burning in cholera).

Potency: 3, 12, 30, 200.

Camphora Officinalis Dosage: Low to medium potencies act best when given frequently. Low potencies also act best in cases of poisoning or in cases which require antidotal effects.

Repetition: Camphora in rapidly repeated doses will very likely prove to be curative.

Quotations:

All our progress as school depends on the right view of the symptoms obtained by proving with Camphora and Opium – Hering

Therapeutic Value: Angina pectoris, Bedsores, Cholera Asiatica, Chordee, Cold Convulsions, Disorders of taste, Epilepsy, Erysipelas, Gonorrhoea, Heart affections, Hyperpyrexia, Influenza, Loss of memory, Measles, Priapism, Rheumatism, Sexual mania, Shivering, Sleeplessness, Snake bites, Spasmodic stricture of urethra, Spasms, Strangury, Suppressed eruptions, Suppression of urine, Sunstroke, Tetanus, Tobacco habit, Twitching.

Note: Teste puts Camphora in his Belladonna group, with Agar, Lach, Cedr, Stram, Tab, and others. He notes that it acts much more powerfully on carnivorous animals than on herbivores.

Hahnemann says: ‘The action of this substance is very puzzling and difficult of investigation, even in the healthy Organism because its primary action, more frequently than with any other remedy, alternates and becomes intermixed with the vital reactions (after effects) of the organism. On this account it is often difficult to determine what belongs to the vital reactions of the body and what to the alternating effects due to the primary action of Camphora officinalis.’