# Phytolacca Decandra ## Remedy Classification - **Type:** Herbal Remedy - **Miasm:** Psoric Miasm - **Temperament:** Chilly - **Aggravation Time:** Morning ## Keynote Indications Source: Derived from the root of Phytolacca decandra, commonly known as poke root or. American pokeweed, a perennial plant native to North America, prepared for homeopathic use. through trituration and serial dilution to enhance therapeutic action while eliminating material. toxicity, in accordance with homeopathic pharmacopeia standards. Traditional Context: Historically employed in homeopathy for glandular, musculoskeletal,. respiratory, psychological, and dermatological disorders , particularly those involving swollen. glands, rheumatic pains, and sore throat. It is noted for symptoms such as glandular swelling,. aching soreness, restlessness, and burning eruptions, often aggravated by cold, damp weather,. motion, or night, and ameliorated by warmth, rest, or dry weather. Modern Context : Indicated for glandular conditions (e.g., lymphadenitis, mastitis),. musculoskeletal conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia), respiratory conditions (e.g.,. tonsillitis, laryngitis), psychological conditions (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder, adjustment. disorder), and dermatological conditions (e.g., eczema, psoriasis). It suits patients with acute or. chronic symptoms characterized by glandular swelling, rheumatic pains, sore throat,. restlessness, or burning eruptions, typically exacerbated by cold, damp weather, motion, or night,. and often seen in individuals with sensitive, irritable constitutions. The remedy is particularly. relevant for those with glandular or musculoskeletal conditions, often presenting with symptoms. like swollen lymph nodes or aching joints, commonly observed in patients with lymphadenitis,. rheumatoid arthritis, or tonsillitis triggered by cold, stress, or infection. ## Modalities (Aggravations / Ameliorations) Worse from: Cold (weather, air, drinks), damp weather, motion, night, pressure,. swallowing, emotional stress, rest (in musculoskeletal symptoms), talking, scratching,. morning, solitude. ## Symptoms by System ### Mind - Irritable and nervous. - Restlessness. - Indisposition to mental exertion. - Disgustfor business. - Feels faint on rising. - Stupefaction with vertigo and dimness of vision. - Refuses food in spite of continuous insisten ce. - Irresistible compulsion to clench the teeth. - Melancholy, gloom, indifference to life. - Depression of spirits with headache. - Weeping at night during menses. - Great fear, sure she will die. - Predicts death, with mastitis. - Desires death in morning on wakin g. - Confusion while sitting, better open air. - Delirium. - Loss of personal delicacy, com plete shamelessness and indifference to exposure of her person. - Oversensitiveness to pain. - Cannot endure pain, it is intolerable. - Unconsciousness from pain. - Irritable and nervous. - Restlessness. - Indisposition to mental exertion. - Disgustfor business. - Feels faint on rising. - Stupefaction with vertigo and dimness of vision. - Refuses food in spite of continuous insisten ce. - Irresistible compulsion to clench the teeth. - Melancholy, gloom, indifference to life. - Depression of spirits with headache. - Weeping at night during menses. - Great fear, sure she will die. - Predicts death, with mastitis. - Desires death in morning on wakin g. - Confusion while sitting, better open air. - Delirium. - Loss of personal delicacy, com plete shamelessness and indifference to exposure of her person. - Oversensitiveness to pain. - Cannot endure pain, it is intolerable. - Unconsciousness from pain. ### Vertigo - Vertigo on rising, feels faint. - Vertigo, staggering with danger of falling. - Vertigo with dim vision. - COMMENTS - Closely related to Merc, and Kali-i., especially in syphilitic rheumatism. - General action of tissue absorption, especially new growths. - Tumors and indurations of the glands. - Muscles, joints, bones, brain and spinal cord, as well as the special senses, were all more or less disordered. - In cases of poisoning, the most com mon symptoms were vomiting, diarrhea, frontal headache and a sore throat. - Irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, a severe headache and diarrhea have occurred after inhaling the dust of the powdered dried root, or from the odor of the fresh root when it is sliced. - Phyt. - has caused convulsive symptoms, vomiting and vomiting of worms when given to animals. - Wild pigeons and other birds that eat the berries acquire a red color and lose fat. - This observation has led to the use of a tincture of Phyt. - berries as an anti-fat remedy, and successful results have been reported. - Hale tells us that among American dairymen the root is used to regulate any abnormality in cows' milk, whether it is scanty, thick, watery, curdy, or containing blood or pus. - Its chief repute is for caked udders. - One boy, who drank two or three drachms of a tincture of the root, developed complete tetanus in which his limbs were stiff, hands firmly shut, feet extended toes flexed, lower lids drawn down, teeth clenched, lips everted and firm, general opisthotonos. - Respiration was difficult, rales were heard all over the room. - For an hour muscular rigidity increased with convulsive action of muscles of face and neck, chin drawn close on sternum. - This condition lasted five or ten minutes, followed by perfect relaxation and return in twenty minutes more with the same violence. - After cold-water infusion, cupping, and mustard plasters, the boy slept about twenty -five minutes. - On waking he had some twitchings, especially of lower limbs, pain in back o f head and stomach. - The next day he was quite recovered. - A boy, 8, who ate a quantity of the berries, was found in great agony, complaining that his stomach was “inched together.” He had nausea, violent vomiting, his throat was sore and dry, fauces dark re d, tonsils swollen. - After his vomiting ceased, purging set in, stools dark brown and thin, severe pain in stomach on pressure, extorting a cry. - Later he had burning griping in umbilical region, dim vision, tongue coated white, and spasmodic jerkings in his arms and legs. - In a woman, 45, who took Phyt. - as a “blood purifier,” a general rash in appearance not unlike the rash of secondary syphilis was set up. - A family of four was poisoned by eating the root with their food by mistake. - They had a dread of moveme nt. - Seemed stupid, fell asleep after a paroxysm of cramping pain had ceased. - Pain in the forehead, worse after eating. - Vomited clotted blood and slime. - Copious discharge of blood and mucus that looked like scrapings of the intestines. - Involuntary stools from straining, which occurred even in sleep. - In the mother of the family, who was seven months pregnant, it nearly produced miscarriage. - The uterus could be felt contracting under the hand, and there was involuntary straining and hemorrhage from the vagina . - Intense griping pain in small of back and cramps in legs coming and going suddenly. - Coldness and withered appearance of limbs, the whole body cold. - Phyt., used externally, produces good results in cases of ulceration. - Clarke found that a gargle of a few drops of the tincture in a tumbler of water was useful in many throat cases. - Hundall successfully used a preparation of the leaves as an external application for cancerous growths in dogs. - An ointment prepared with a strong tincture of the leave, as well as the juice of the leaves, has been used for malignant ulcers in humans. - A case of cancer of the rectum was cured with Phyt. - 3x. - Nash removed many breast tumors by giving a single dose of Phyt. - 100,000c during the wane of the moon. - The tincture may take a way nondescript lumps in the breast when there are few symptoms. - Breast cancer, especially with axillary involvement, especially right sided. - Breast cancer that suppurates with horrible burn ing pains in the breasts. - Advanced cases of cancer or tumors. - Har d nodules with a bluish appearance and enlarged axillary glands. - Scirrhus tumors, hard like cement (Con.). - Scars of the breast, cicatrix (Graph., Sil.). - Sharp pain from the breast. - Breast neu ralgias, painful nerve irritation. - Swollen glands, indurated (Br om.). - Paget's disease of the breast. - Breast induration and abscesses in nursing women. - Mastitis with a hot, painful, congested and sensitive breast, worse cold and damp. - Breasts are hard and lumpy, heavy with mastitis (Bry.). - Cracks and fissures in the nip ples. - Blocked ducts in the breast. - Prob lems with nursing, if the milk dries up, bad milk, thick or lumpy milk. - Painful, sore nipples in nursing women. - Pain radiates all over the body when the child is put to the breast. - Rheumatic swellings are hard, tende r and intensely hot. - Arthritis, particularly of the shoulder (Rhus -t.), the joints swell before a storm or when damp. - Worse at night, change of weather. - Wandering pains, migratory arthritis. - Sciatica with sharp, cutting pains in the hip and down the thigh. - Stiff neck. - Generally swollen, stiff and sore, worse on the right side. - Electric shocks, sharp pain in the joints with the stiffness (Ruta.). - Very restless, but worse from motion. - The tendons feel too short (Ruta.). - When pain in intestines disappears, pain in limbs comes on. - Pain leaves heart and appears in right arm. - Pains in head and chest go from before backward. - Pains run down spine from nape, from sacrum down outer aspect of thighs to toes. - The outer aspects of the limbs are chiefly affected. - Frontal headaches, pressive, involving the eyes, worse right side. - Headache associated with increased sense of hearing. - Apathetic, gloomy. - Restless with a fear of dying (Ars.). - Generally self -centered (Ars.). - Nervous irritability. - Disorders of dentition. - Teething, better pressure. - Teething with bad breath and sores in the mouth. - Irresistible inclination to bite the teeth or gums together. - Toothache with digging in pain, shooting pain. - Sensation as if the teeth are too long. - Jaw problems, with or without swollen gl ands. - The tongue feels burnt and rough, may be blistered, with a red tip (Rhus-t.). - Influenza with general body ache, back pain and wandering joint pains. - Swollen, tender glands with throat symptoms. - Stiffness. - Bone ache. - Fevers with pain and vertigo (Gel s.). - Apathetic, internal shivering (Gels.). - Feels sore and bruised (Bapt., Eup., Arn.). - Delirium. - Diphtheria (Lac-c.). - Sore throat, strep throat, tonsillitis. - Burning in the throat with a stiff neck (Rhus -t.), worse from warmth. - Dry, raw, rough sore throats. - Throat appears dark and purplish. - Very swollen and tender glands, particularly on right side of the throat. - Great pain at root of tongue when swallowing, pains shooting from throat into ears on swallowing, worse on right side. - Hot feeling as if a red -hot ball in throat, burning worse by hot drinks. - As if a red -hot iron in the throat (Kali -c., in the rectum; Alum., in the spine). - Throat feels plugged (Caust.). - Dark redness of fauces. - White or gray patches on the tonsils, with offensive breath. - Tonsils ma y appear ulcerated, with crypts. - Tenacious, thick mucus in the throat, especially in the morning. - Burning of the tongue. - Ulcers of the mouth. - The Eclectics gave the expressed juice of the berries in “spasmodic or membranous croup or diphtheria.” Clarke used Phyt. - 30c for the so-called “diphtheria sore throat.” With the throat symptoms there are generally headache, backache, wandering rheumatic pains and fever. - Nash relieved chronic follicular pharyngitis in public speakers when there was much burning, as if a hot substance in throat. - Rapid and profound prostration. - Diphtheriaparalysis. - Faint and dizzy when standing. - Soreness of the muscles. - Restlessness, but he fears to move because motion worse the pains. - Stiff neck, especially right side. - Angina. - Sense of constriction in the chest. - Radiating pains down the right arm (Lil -t.). - Heart palpitations followed by severe aching down the right arm. - Sensation of the heart beating in the throat. - The right side is most affected. - Many symptoms were experienced in the liver and the spleen. - Liver pains were worse lying on right (painful) side. - The spleen pain was better lying on left (painful) side. - Hepatitis with an enlarged, indurated liver. - Sensation in the stomach as if something is being pinched with violent vomiting attacks and pains in the pit of the stomach. - Colic during teething, clenching their teeth with severe stomach or abdominal cramps, diarrhea. - One characteristic pain, noted in a case of constipation, is a shooting pain from anus to lower part of rectum, along perineum to middle of penis. - “Gurgling sensation in the prostate gland, repeatedly in the afternoon,” was noted by one prover along with pains in spermatic cords. - Suspension of sexual appetite with relaxation of the genitals. - Syphilis, with bone pains, ulcers on the genitals and sore throats, worse at night. - Discharges are tough, stringy, difficult to detach. - Generally offensive and acrid. - Clin kers. - Shreddy discharge in certain forms of intestinal catarrh and dysmenorrhea. - Hemor rhagic and hemorrhoida l, acting strongly on rectum and anus, curing tenesmus, bloody discharges and heat. - Psoriasis, ringworm and barber's itch. - Chronic eczematous eruptions of the face. - Old scars that never heal, and when the weather changes the scars flare up and become painful (Graph.). ### Head - Pain from frontal region backwards. - Pressure in temples and over eyes. - Brain feels sore, head as if beaten. - Violent headache, with stupid expression of face and enlarged pupils. - Headache with vertigo and dim vision. - Nausea and headache better eating, but returns soon with vomiting. - Rheumatism of scalp, pains come on every time it rains. - Cold sweat on forehead. - Scaly eruption on scalp. - Tinea capitis. - Pain from frontal region backwards. - Pressure in temples and over eyes. - Brain feels sore, head as if beaten. - Violent headache, with stupid expression of face and enlarged pupils. - Headache with vertigo and dim vision. - Nausea and headache better eating, but returns soon with vomiting. - Rheumatism of scalp, pains come on every time it rains. - Cold sweat on forehead. - Scaly eruption on scalp. - Tinea capitis. ### Eyes - Dull aching in eyes, worse motion, light or exercise. - Orbital cellulitis. - Burning, smarting, tingling in eyes. - Feeling of sand under lids. - Profuse hot lachryma tion. - Fistula lachrymalis (Fl -ac.). - Lids agglutinated and edematous. - Lids as if on fire. - Tarsal edges feel hot. - Photophobia. - Green vision. - Eyeballs ache on reading and writing. - Diplopia. - Motion of one eye only, independent of the other. ### Ears - Shooting pains in both the ears, worse swallowing. - Obstruction in left Eustachian tube. - Irritation in one Eustachian tube. - Increased sense of hearing with pain in forehead. ### Face - Face very pale, hippocratic. - Yellowish, sickly. - Blotches in face, worse evening, after washing and eating. - Blueness around eyes. - Chin drawn closely to sternum. - Glands swollen at the angle of jaw. - Jaws ache, as in mumps. - Aching malar bones. - Mumps. - Tension and pressure in parotid gland. ### Mouth - Dry sensation in mouth, from cough. - Metallic taste in mouth. - Much stringy saliva. - Profuse saliva, sometimes yellowish, often thick, ropy, tenacious. - Bleeding from mouth. - Very painful small ulcers on side of cheek, cannot chew on that side. - Jaws firmly set, chi n drawn down on sternum. - Ulcers on lips. - Upper lip excoriated. - Lower lip drawn down. - Lips everted and firm. - Nose - Coryza with lachrymation and pho tophobia. - Acrid coryza. - Coryza, flow of mucus from one nostril and from poste riorsinuses. - Thin watery disch arge from nose. - Feels congested and heavy. - Pain at root of nose, with stoppage. - Obstruction of nose while riding. - Mucus hangs down in strings from posterior nares, hawked with difficulty. - Cancerous affection of nose, lupus. ### Throat - Aphonia. - Dark red or bluish red. - Much pain at root of tongue , soft palate and tonsils swollen. - Sensation of a lump in throat (Bell., Lach.). - Throat feels rough, narrow, hot. - Ulcerated sore throat and diphtheria, throat feels very hot, pain at root of tongue extending to ear. - Pseudo-membranous exudation, grayish- white, thick, tenacious yellowish mucus. - Shooting pain into ears on swallowing. - Cannot swallow anything hot (Lach.). - Tension and pressure in parotid gland. - Tonsils swollen, especially right, dark- Phytolacca decandra red appearance. - Tonsillitis with fauces s wollen with burning pain, cannot swal low even water. - Uvula large, dropsical. - Follicular pharyngitis. - Tongue - Tongue thickly coated, yellow at base, fiery red at tip. - Tongue mapped, indented, fissured, with yellow patch down center. - Tongue feels rough and scalded, burnt on back of tongue. - Pains at root. - Tongue protruded. ### Chest - Sore throat or burning pain, with a sensation of rawness or tightness, resembling. - tonsillitis, worse with cold, swallowing, damp weather, or night, often with. - hoarseness or difficulty speaking. - Hoarseness or laryngitis, with a tendency to dryness or irritation, resembling. - laryngitis, aggravated by cold, talking, or evening, often with cough or mucus. - Cough or respiratory oppression, with a sensation of tickling or burning, resembling. - pharyngitis, worse with cold, damp weather, or motion. - Tendency to respiratory sensitivity, with aggravation in cold or irritated states. - Psychological:. - Restlessness or anxiety, with a sensation of nervousness or unease, resembling. - generalized anxiety disorder, worse with cold, night, emotional stress, or solitude,. - often with fear of failure or illness. - Irritability or mood swings, with a tendency to impatience or sadness, resembling. - adjustment disorder, aggravated by cold, damp weather, or morning, often with. - mental fatigue. - Phytolacca decandra (Poke Root) 1547. - Depression or apathy, with a sensation of heaviness or disconnection, resembling. - dysthymia, worse with cold, night, or stress. - Tendency to psychological hypersensitivity, with aggravation in stressed or cold. - states. - Dermatological:. - Burning, itching eruptions, with a sensation of heat or stinging, resembling eczema,. - worse with cold, damp weather, scratching, or night, often with scaling or oozing. - Psoriatic plaques or ulcers, with a tendency to soreness or cracking, resembling. - psoriasis, aggravated by cold, stress, or motion, often with redness or discharge. - Skin sensitivity or rashes, with a sensation of irritation or burning, resembling. - contact dermatitis, worse with cold, damp weather, or pressure. - Tendency to dermatological inflammation, with aggravation in cold or stressed. - states. ### Stomach & Abdomen - Hunger soon after eating. - Heat in stomach. - Stomach cramps and coldness. - Pain in region of pylorus. - Pains, worse deep breathing. - Nausea, eructations of flatus and sour fluids, with severe pain in umbilical region. - Easy vomiting without nausea. - Violent vomiting with retching, desires death to relieve vomiting. - Vomiting of clotted blood and mucus. - Vomit ing and diarrhea, with griping pains and cramps in abdomen. - Teeth - Difficult dentition, better biting on something hard. - Teething children with irresistible desire to bite the teeth together. - Teeth and jaws clenched. - Teeth feel sore and elongated. - Inflamed gums and teeth, with mercurial ptyalism. - Temperature - Chills at night and every morning. - Cold hands and feet. - High fe ver, alternating with chilliness and great prostration. - Mastitis. - Mumps. - Great rumbling in abdomen and pain in umbilicus. - Heavy aching pain in the hypochondrium, worse lying on affected side. - Sore spot in right hypochondrium. - Soreness and pain in right hypochon drium during pregnancy. - Rheumatism of abdominal muscles. - Bruised feeli ng through the epigastrium and abdomen. - Colic at navel, with burning griping pains. - Bearing down pains. - Intense vomiting and purging with griping pains and cramps in abdomen. - Ulceration of mucus membrane of upper part of digestive tract. - Intense thirst. - Hunger, soon after eating. - Loss of appetite. - Can't swallow any hot food ordrinks (Lach.), causes choking. - Diarrhea after lemonade. - Vomiting of food and milk, in teething children. - Glands - Swelling and induration of glands. - Swollen glands and burning pains, worse at night. - Glands swollen at the angle of jaw. - Glandular abscesses. - Venereal buboes. - Hardness of glands in right side of neck. - Swelling of axillary glands. ### Urinary & Genital - Shooting along perineum to penis. - Painful induration of the testicles. - Orchi tis, acute and chronic, with suppuration and fistulous ulcer. - Spermatic cord sore. - Gonorrhea and gleet. - Venereal buboes. - Ulcers on genitals. - Impotency. - Amenorrhea, with ovarian ir ritation or disease. - Menses too copious and frequent, followed by leucorrhea. - Menses with salivation and lachrymation. - Dysmenorrhea in barren women with ero sion of cervix membranous. - Leucorrhea, thick, tenacious and irritating. - Leucorrhea profuse, thick, tenacious. - Ovarian neural- gia of right side. - Ovaritis with rheumatic complications. - Venereal buboes. - Swollen nabothian cysts. - Glandular swellings and abscesses. - Suppression of lochia. ### Extremities - Rheumatic pains or aching, with a sensation of soreness or bruising, resembling. - rheumatoid arthritis, worse with cold, motion, night, or damp weather, often with. - stiffness or swelling. - Stiffness or heaviness, with a tendency to rigidity or fatigue, resembling. - fibromyalgia, aggravated by cold, rest, or morning, often with burning or wandering. - pains. - Bone pains or periostitis, with a sensation of deep aching or soreness, resembling. - osteomyelitis-like symptoms, worse with cold, night, or pressure. - Tendency to musculoskeletal irritability, with aggravation in cold or damp states. - Respiratory:. - Sore throat or burning pain, with a sensation of rawness or tightness, resembling. - tonsillitis, worse with cold, swallowing, damp weather, or night, often with. - hoarseness or difficulty speaking. - Hoarseness or laryngitis, with a tendency to dryness or irritation, resembling. - laryngitis, aggravated by cold, talking, or evening, often with cough or mucus. - Cough or respiratory oppression, with a sensation of tickling or burning, resembling. - pharyngitis, worse with cold, damp weather, or motion. - Tendency to respiratory sensitivity, with aggravation in cold or irritated states. - Psychological:. - Restlessness or anxiety, with a sensation of nervousness or unease, resembling. - generalized anxiety disorder, worse with cold, night, emotional stress, or solitude,. - often with fear of failure or illness. - Irritability or mood swings, with a tendency to impatience or sadness, resembling. - adjustment disorder, aggravated by cold, damp weather, or morning, often with. - mental fatigue. - Phytolacca decandra (Poke Root) 1547. - Depression or apathy, with a sensation of heaviness or disconnection, resembling. - dysthymia, worse with cold, night, or stress. - Tendency to psychological hypersensitivity, with aggravation in stressed or cold. - states. - Dermatological:. - Burning, itching eruptions, with a sensation of heat or stinging, resembling eczema,. - worse with cold, damp weather, scratching, or night, often with scaling or oozing. - Psoriatic plaques or ulcers, with a tendency to soreness or cracking, resembling. - psoriasis, aggravated by cold, stress, or motion, often with redness or discharge. - Skin sensitivity or rashes, with a sensation of irritation or burning, resembling. - contact dermatitis, worse with cold, damp weather, or pressure. - Tendency to dermatological inflammation, with aggravation in cold or stressed. - states. ### Neck & Back - Pains streaking up and down the spine. - Back stiff, especially in morning on rising and during damp weather. - Aching pain in lumbar and sacral region. - Shooting pain in sacrum. - Weakness and dull pain in region of kidneys. - Hardness of glands in right side of neck. - Neck s tiff in morning on waking. - Pale red spots on neck and arms. - Both scapulae ache continually. - Breasts - Heavy, stony, hard swollen or tender breasts. - Severe stinging pains, throughout breasts, with oozing out of milk, better pressure with hands. - Swollen breast. - Irritable breasts, before and during menses. - Tender and sore breasts, before and during menses. - Mastitis, with breasts hard and very sensitive. - Mastitis from taking cold. - Mastitis during pregnancy. - Galactorrhea (Calc.), causes great exhaustion. - When child nurses, pain goes from nipple all over body. - Milk thick, scanty and unhealthy, dries up too soon. - Breast hard as a stone, after weaning. - Cracks and small ulcers about nipples. - Nipples, cracked, very sensitive inverted. - Tumors or hard nodes of the brea sts with enlarged axillary glands. - Breast is hard, painful and of purple hue. - Breast cancer, with shooting, lancinating pains, great exhaustion and prostration. - Breast abscess. - Bloody, watery discharge from breasts. - Affection of old scars in breasts. - Causations - Emotions, grief, injuries, blows, bathing, and exposure to cold, damp weather. ### Skin - Dry, harsh, shriveled. - S kin becomes dry, shrunken, pale. - Itching. - Papular and pustular lesions. - Erythematous blotches, irregular, slightly raised, pale red, ending in dark red or purple spots. - Disposition to boils and carbuncles, with swollen glands and burning pains, worse at night. - Painful boils on back and behind ears. - Squamous eruptions. - Syphilitic eruptions. - Swelling and induration of glands. - Scarlatina -like rash. - Warts and moles. - Lipoma. - Corns. - Barber’s itch. - Lipoma. - Pityriasis. - Ring worm. - Ulcer, chronic, surrounded by boils . - Cancerous ulcers. ### Sleep - Frequent yawning and drowsiness. - Restlessness at night. - Pains drive him out of bed. - On awaking, feels wretched. ### Generalities - Brain as if bruised. - Right side of head as if pressed firmly. - As if sand in eyes. - As if eyes too large. - As if lids granulated. - As if tarsal edges raw. - As if lids on fire. - As i f lump in throat. - As if apple core in throat. - Throat so full it felt choked. - Pharynx feels like a cavern, chest as if it were a big empty cask. - Body as if bruised, pounded all over. - As if joint were being chopped with an ax.