• Cystospasm after operation of orifices
• Urinous odour of perspiration
• It is a left sided drug, except sciatica which is on the right side. All symptoms are worse from 4-9 pm

Source: Vegetable kingdom
Synonyms: Colocynthis vulgaris, Citrullus colocynthis, Bitter cucumber, Squirting cucumber, Bitter gourd
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Prover: Dr Hahnemann in 1821
Duration of Action: 1 to 7 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora
Temperament: Irritable
Thermal Relationship: Neither hot nor chilly

Introduction and History: This remedy is a real boon given to humanity by nature. It is a traditional medicine and has been used as a purgative since long ago. It has a broad range of action among the remedies for colic. According to Dr Nash, ‘No remedy produces more severe colic than this remedy. In the allopathic pharmacopoeia it is used in small doses in combination with other cathartics as an excellent laxative and as a dinner pill, in chronic constipation. Citrullus colocynthis is from the latin word ‘Citrus’ meaning ‘an orange’, named after the colour of the fruit when cut. It was known as early as the eleventh century to the Greek, Roman and Arabian physicians. In the Arabian desert, a resinous extract of the fruit is painted upon the Water bags to protect them against the attacks of thirsty camels.

Habit and Habitat: It belongs to southern and western Asia and southern Africa. It grows in Warm and dry climate, cultivated in Greece, Spain, Turkey and Japan. It is a perennial plant. The flowers are large, yellow, solitary and axillary. They appear from May to August. The fruit is globular, Smooth and greenish resembling the common watermelon. It consists of dried pulp and embedded seeds. It has an intensely bitter taste.

Preparation and Parts Used: Mother tincture is prepared from the dried fruit, after rejecting the seeds.

Constitution and Physiognomy: It is best suited to people who are inclined to be angry, irritable and mentally out of balance. They are easily offended. Indicated in women with copious menstruation and sedentary habits.

Ailments From: Anger, vexation, indignation, eating indigestible things, mortification, exposure to cold, eating potatoes, high living, Suppressed perspiration, drinking ice Water when heated.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Nerves, digestive tract, colon, rectum, abdominal plexus, sciatic and trigeminal nerves.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. It acts through the ganglionic nerves more upon the trigeminal, the solar plexus, the lumbar and the sacral nerves. It produces irritation resulting in neuralgia and true inflammation.
2. It acts upon the colon and rectum causing colic and evacuation of blood and mucous.
3. Acts on the female genital organs causing ovarian neuralgia.
4. Acts upon the peritoneum and produces peritonitis.
5. It acts upon nerves causing neuralgia, lumbago and sciatica.
6. It acts upon the alimentary tract through the solar plexus giving rise to severe Vomiting, purging and intense griping colic.
7. Through the trigeminal nerve it causes neuralgic affections of the eyes and head.
8. Due to its action upon muscles and nerves it produces cramps, twitching and shortening of muscles with constrictions and contractions.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Aversion to talk, disinclined to answer the questions.
2. Extremely irritable, impatient, becomes angry when questioned.
3. Peculiar type of irritability in which things are thrown out of one’s hands.
4. Mortification caused by offending. Anger with indignation.
5. Vertigo when turning head to the left.
6. Greatly affected by the misfortunes of others as well as her own.
7. Depressed, joyless, nothing seems right to him.
8. Anger with indignation, also bad effects from vomiting and diarrhoea.
9. Dullness of head and giddiness, at the beginning of colic.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Sudden pain: Pains which are often of neuralgic character, coming on suddenly and after a while disappearing as suddenly as they had come. Sudden, atrocious, cramping, griping, tearing and cutting pains.

Vertigo: Vertigo when turning head to the left with confusion and pressing pain in the orbit. Dullness and giddiness at the beginning of colic.

Left-sidedness: It is a left sided medicine. Affects the left side generally and then the right side.

Headache: Violent periodical or intermittent headache.

Dysmenorrhoea: In colic, intestines feel squeezed between stones. Dysmenorrhoea with violent paroxysmal pain, better from hard pressure and heat.

Rheumatic troubles: Neuralgic affections and rheumatic troubles affecting the joints aggravated by motion and better by rest and pressure.

Colic: Agonizing pain in abdomen causing patient to bend double, with restlessness, twisting and turning.

Sciatica: Crampy pain in hip, as though screwed in a vise; lies upon the affected side.

Shooting pain: Shooting pains are like lightening shocks, radiating down the entire limb – left hip, left thigh, left knee, into the popliteal fossa.

Affections: Affections from anger, with indignation – colic, vomiting, diarrhoea and suppression of menses.

Important Characteristic Features

Colic: Colic is generally caused due to anger, vexation, exposure to cold, indignation and suppression of menses. Vomiting without nausea; nausea arising from the stomach; griping pain and cramps in the stomach at night, relieved by eructations. Colicky pain is felt in the whole abdomen. Colicky pains are very terrible, agonising in nature, compelling the patient to bend double. Abdomen is very sensitive to touch.

Pains come in intermittent attacks; abdomen very sensitive to touch. Pain becomes Very severe every few minutes. Colicky pain may be attended with neuralgia.

Headache of a violent nature with cutting and boring pain in the head. The patient twists and turns to get relief from abdominal colic. Pain worse from 4-9 pm. This is the characteristic of Colocynthis.

General Modalities

Aggravation: From touch, by motion, indignation, anger, at night and in the evening, mortification, by eating and drinking.

Amelioration: From hard pressure, by heat, bending double, discharge of flatus, warmth, violent exercise.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Merc.

Follows well: Bell, Bry, Caust, Cham, Merc, Nux-v, Puls, Staph.

Antidotes: Camph, Cham, Coff, Caust, Op, Staph.

Compare: Mag-p, Cham, Graph.

Comparison

Ailments after anger with indignation: Coloc, Staph, Bry.

Abdominal colic better by bending double: Chin, Coloc.

Vertigo on turning the head to the left: Coloc, Con.

Spasmodic affection of stomach and intestines: Coloc, Mag-p, Plb.

Potency: 12x, 30, 100, 200, 1000.

Colocynth Dosage

1. Boericke – 3 to 200 potency.
2. Nash – 200 acts best in insomnia.

Repetition: Bears repetition bears very well.

Therapeutic Value: Biliary colic, Colic, Diarrhoea, Dysentery, Dysmenorrhoea, Glaucoma, Headache, Iritis, Menstrual complaints, Neuralgia, Rheumatism, Sciatica, Vertigo, etc.

Note: Its action in colic is instantaneous. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most quick acting remedies.