Rumex Crispus is extremely useful in the treatment of cough arising from
the irritation and itching in the throat. There is one continuous stream
of phlegm from the nose and throat down to the larynx, trachea and
chest. The phlegm may either be thin, or very thick and tenacious. Rumex
is commonly stated to be associated with a cough producing a lot of
phlegm, although, sometimes, it may be associated with a dry cough.
It is not right to only consider phlegm to reach the diagnosis of
Rumex. In fact, Rumex can work very well in a dry cough that becomes
persistent. According to Dr. Kent, Rumex is associated with a
severe, dry cough. The cough is of a spasmodic type. There is a
feeling of rawness inside the throat and trachea (windpipe)
provoking cough. The cough is associated with pain at the breast bone
(sternum). The patient gets severe spasmodic coughing shortly after
going to sleep. He may sometimes not be able to sleep. The patient may unknowingly wet himself during a
severe bout of coughing.
Sometimes, inflammation or infection results in the
production of a copious amount of phlegm. Such a
patient is described of phlegmatic nature. In Greek medicine, patients
are ascribed to be of various natures, including bilious,
phlegmatic, asthmatic and melancholic. The
Rumex patient will produce a lot of phlegm, if he is of phlegmatic nature.
But another patient showing symptoms of Rumex who is not of phlegmatic
nature may not produce any phlegm at all. The nature of the patient
works as a guideline for arriving at the correct diagnosis. This should be understood with reference to the
classical medical definition, otherwise one may be
confused. Rumex is also useful in the treatment of many abdominal problems,
such as excessive gas and rumbling in the abdomen.
Usually severe diarrhoea follows nasal catarrh. The patient
contracts sudden, severe and painless morning diarrhoea,
making him
leave the bed abruptly. The stools are copious, watery and of dark colour.
The stomach feels heavy up to the throat after taking food. There is pain in the left side of the chest. The
patient cannot eat meat.The belly aches more on movement and on talking.thick, yellowish crust. There is itching over various parts
of the body,
especially the legs. Small pimples form over the legs. On exposure to the
cold air and while changing one’s clothes, the itching becomes more
severe.
A Rumex patient is very weak. He is extremely irritable
and not able to comprehend very much. He suffers
from a light continuous type of headache, affecting the forehead and
the right side of the head. The headache becomes worse on sneezing.
The patient is extremely sensitive to the cold air. He sneezes
a lot. The nose runs profusely. Symptoms
become worse in the evening and at night. The cough begins usually at
11p.m. whether the patient is awake or asleep. Another symptom of Rumex is the hoarseness of voice.
Excessive
amounts of thick phlegm make speaking difficult. There is a
feeling of
a lump sticking in the throat, which does not get better even on swallowing
and hawking. Joint
pains are also not uncommon in Rumex. The joint pains of Rumex
get worse from the cold. In Calcarea Phos also, the cold aggravates the
joint symptoms. Rumex symptoms aggravate on movement, as in Bryonia.
However,
in Bryonia (unlike Rumex), the patient is not very sensitive to
the cold
air.