• Dull, stupid, slow of perception, apathetic
• Thinking of complaints aggravates or ameliorates
• Rolls head day and night, moaning, sudden screams
• Bores head into pillow, beats it with hands
• Chewing motion of mouth
• Urine suppressed, scanty, dark, with coffee ground sediments; albuminous during pregnancy, in brain troubles and dropsy
• Automatic motion of one arm and leg

Source: Vegetable kingdom
Synonyms: Christmas rose, Black hellebore, Snow rose
Family: Ranunculaceae
Prover: Dr Samuel Hahnemann
Duration of Action: As per Dr Clarke, 20-30 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora in the background
Diathesis: Tubercular
Temperament: Irritable
Thermal Relationship: Chilly patient

Introduction and History: It is called the Christmas rose because the flowers bloom in mid-winter near Christmas. If the abbreviation ‘hell’, and the adjective ‘black’ is remembered many of it’s typical symptoms can understood.

Preparation and Parts Used: It is prepared from the tincture of the dried
powdered root. Mother tincture is prepared from the rhizome gathered after flowering.

Constitution and Physiognomy: It is suited to weak, delicate, psoric children, prone to brain troubles with serous effusion. Also suited to melancholic, woeful, despairing people who are silent with anguish, after typhoid. In girls at puberty or when menses fail to return after appearing.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology): Through the cerebrospinal system it especially affects the serous membranes, striking down their functional power, resulting in various forms of dropsy of the brain, thorax, peritonium and cellular tissues. Also affects the mucous membrane of the digestive organs, kidneys and skin.

Ailments From: Dentitional period, pregnancy, from suppressed exanthema.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Brain, nervous system, meninges, kidney, serous membranes, urinary organs and gastrointestinal tract.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Patient is irritable, easily angered; consolation aggravates, does not want to be disturbed.
2. Patient is unconscious, stupid; answers slowly when questioned.
3. Patient constantly picks his lips, clothes or bores into his nose with his finger.
4. Patient bores head into pillows; rolling head from side to side; beats head with hands.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Keynote: Boring of head into pillow, rolling from side to side, beating head with hands.

Constitution: Weak, delicate, psoric children, prone to brain troubles with serous effusion.

Dentition: Brain symptoms during dentition, threatened effusion.

Eyes: There is vacant, thoughtless staring, eyes wide open, insensible to light, pupils dilated or alternately contracted and dilated.

Sleep: Soporous sleep with Soreness; shrinks and starts.

Hydrocephalus: Hydrocephalus, post-scarlatina or tubercular – develops rapidly. Automatic motion of one arm and one leg.

Convulsions: Convulsions with extreme coldness of the body, except of the head or occiput which maybe hot. Patient greedily swallows cold water, bites spoon but remains unconscious.

Mouth: Chewing motion of the mouth, corners of the mouth sore, cracked; nostrils dirty, sooty and dry.

Diarrhoea: Diarrhoea during acute hydrocephalus, dentition, pregnancy. Stools are watery, clear, tenacious, colourless and mucoid. The mucous is white, jelly-like; like frog spawn. Involuntary stools.

Urine: Urine is red, black, scanty, with coffee ground sediment. Suppressed in brain troubles and dropsy.

Dropsy: Dropsy of the brain, chest, abdomen, after scarlatina; intermits with fever, debility.

Important Characteristic Features

Brain troubles: It is indicated in acute cerebrospinal meningitis with or without exudation; post-scarlatina or tubercular hydrocephalus. Brain troubles during dentition. Shocks pass through the brain like electricity. Hydrocephalus which arises insidiously as a sequel of some other disease. Spasms during hydrocaphalus. Urine is dark, scanty with coffee ground sediments.

Face is pale and puffed. Forehead is drawn in folds and covered with cold perspiration. Squinting, dilated pupils. There is automatic motion of one arm and one leg. It is especially adapted to various forms of dropsy from simple paralysis of the functional power of the serous membrane, coming on suddenly. Worse from 4-8 pm.

General Modalities

Aggravation: From 4-8 pm, uncovering, from evening until morning, cold air, dentition, puberty, exertion, suppressed eruptions.

Amelioration: Attracting their attention.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Zinc.

Follows well: Bell, Bry, Chin, Lyc, Nux-v, Rhus-t, Sep, Spong, Sil, Sulph.

Antidotes: Camph, Chin.

Comparison

Patient tries to escape: Bell, Hell.

Constant motion of left arm and leg: Apoc, Bry, Hell.

Aggravation of disease from 4 to 8 pm: Hell, Lyc.

Screaming before or during a spasm: Apis, Hell, Op.

Dullness of senses: Hell, Nux-m, Op.

Dosage

1. Dr W. Boericke recommends tincture to 3c potency.
2. Dr Hughes recommends 10 to 15 drops of mother tincture in post-scarlatinal dropsy.

Repetition

1. Mother tincture to be repeated in drop doses.
2. Single dose of medium and high potency.

Therapeutic Value: Apoplexy, Brain affections, Cholera, Concussion, Convulsion, Diarrhoea, Dropsy, Headache, Hydrocephalus, Meningitis, Tetanus, Typhoid, Urinary affections, etc.