Belladonna

 
 The Belladonna plant grows in dense, shady areas, in most of Europe.It blossoms in July and by September bears a red-coloured fruit.  Belladonna is a very poisonous plant. Herbalists use it in the treatment of many diseases. The ointment made out of it is applied to wounds. During its full bloom season, the extract is made out of the whole plant for Homoeopathic use.

Belladonna acts on the circulatory system as well as on the heart, lungs, brain and nervous system. Like Aconite, a sudden onset of the disease typifies Belladonna, though the disease process is more prolonged. The salient feature of Belladonna is the inflammation especially affecting the brain, lungs, heart and intestines.  Although the acuteness of the symptoms is like that of Aconite, there is no associated fear. The patient expresses his suffering in the form of a groan or remains silent. He does not like to talk much except for crying out on having a nightmare during sleep. He usually remains quiet with the body covered. The slightest sound of somebody walking, and light also, intensify his suffering. His skin is so sensitive that even the touch of a cloth at the site of pain is unbearable. The afflicted part is red, with a severe burning sensation. Due to the rise of blood pressure, the patient may experience spasms or convulsions.  Jerky movements of the body during sleep, secondary to stomach upset or disorder of the nervous system, are very responsive to Grindelia. In Grindelia, the jerky movements do not affect the whole body, though may be perceived as the jerking sensation at the heart.  In Belladonna, the whole body gets jolted waking the person up.  This happens repeatedly and the patient is unable to sleep. A single dose of Belladonna may relieve the symptoms in no time.  Photophobia associated with the diseases of the eye or headache, is also a Belladonna symptom.

When Belladonna symptoms and the symptoms of the patient match exactly, Belladonna works instantaneously. In fact, the patient is amazed with the prompt efficacy of the treatment rendered.In Belladonna, the symptoms pertaining to the nervous system are much more pronounced than in Aconite. Belladonna affects the mind and may even cause severe frenzy. When an insane person gets too excited and is ready to kill somebody or himself, if he is extremely enraged and starts hitting even his carer, then Belladonna should be administered at once. If the condition becomes chronic, then Belladonna will not work. Belladonna is certainly effective in sudden cases of insanity such as in Meningitis and other delirious states, but Sulphur and Stramonium are more effective in chronic insanity. A severe state of frenzy requiring the patient to be chained typifies Belladonna. After Belladonna has relieved the acute problem, one should look for an appropriate, long-acting constitutional remedy to prevent recurrence of insanity. Aconite and Belladonna are not longacting remedies. Sometimes, the attack of madness is only shortlived.  However, a chronic form of madness, despite having subsided temporarily, can recur again and again. Stramonium works for a much longer period than Belladonna.

In typhoid too, sometimes the symptoms may be similar to those of Belladonna. High fever affects the mind causing delirium.  Belladonna may temporarily relieve the symptoms, but its effect will not be long lasting because typhoid and Belladonna are not alike in their characteristics. Stramonium is relatively more similar to typhoid and it works for a relatively longer duration. Thus, it may not only control the delirium of typhoid, but it will also cure the typhoid.  Stramonium and Sulphur are very beneficial in mental patients, whether the madness is due to typhoid or something else. Sometimes an insane person is not only aggressive but may also talk obscenely.  This is due to inflammation of the internal reproductive organs, and will also need to be attended to. Some people may become insane due to an old calamity affecting their mind, while others become insane due to intense grief or a big financial loss. Proper diagnosis of insanity needs an in-depth study of the case. Unfortunately, physicians do not always have enough time to go into details and thus make use of the everyday prescription of Stramonium and Sulphur to some benefit at least. One peculiar feature of Belladonna is that its fever is a continuous one. Once it is down, it does not recur. On the contrary, the typhoid fever is high at night and relatively low in the morning. It returns the following day higher than on the previous day. Sometimes it is so high that it may even kill the patient. The Belladonna fever typically comes down suddenly. A fever that is suppressed by some strong medication and then recurs suddenly may very well be controlled by Belladonna.  However, Belladonna is not the remedy for fevers which come on slowly.
In Belladonna patients, pimples and affected lymph glands show visible sign of inflammation. The throat gets swollen suddenly due to severe inflammation causing difficulty in swallowing. Belladonna is very useful for this condition. Another characteristic feature is that red spots form over the surface of inflamed glands. The redness lasts a while, and then becomes discoloured. The joint pains are associated with redness and swelling. The red spots also appear on the joints, which later discolour, but do not lead to pus formation.  Belladonna can also offer instant relief from a severe, acute pain of the gall bladder, if the pain gets worse by application of heat. After that, Sulphur, Natrum Sulph, Lycopodium and Chelidonium can be used for permanent cure.

Belladonna is also very useful in the colicky pain of the kidneys in addition to gall bladder colic (Biliary colic). Belladonna along with Aconite will work better still. Both Belladonna and Aconite 1000 should be given together every ten to fifteen minutes for two to three doses. If still ineffective and the pain seems to be getting better by heat, Colocynthis CM or Mag Phos 6X mixed in water should be administered repeatedly. The spasmodicity of the pain may apparently be the same, but the constitutional difference dictates the type of remedy required.

Swelling is a manifestation of Belladonna. When Belladonna is combined with Arnica for the treatment of injuries, it enhances its effect. In the case of an injury, the blood is rushed to the affected part for which doctors usually prescribe cold packs. Belladonna is more effective than cold packs and also fast acting. Belladonna given with Arnica is the best initial treatment for any kind of injury. Belladonna ailments get worse with heat but cold compresses, applied locally, offer relief. If liver and the gut are inflamed, the body becomes cold.  In this condition, even if the patient is of Belladonna nature, external application of heat offers relief.

In Belladonna, each affected part of the body pulsates. Sometimes the whole body throbs. Belladonna will relieve any acute pain of a spasmodic nature with associated throbbing, which gets worse with jolting and noise, and is associated with the sensation of warmth. Belladonna acts on the small circular fibres in the walls of the blood vessels (veins and arteries). Whenever these fibres contract violently due to heat, Belladonna will relieve this spasm. Belladonna works instantaneously in spasmodic tightness of the mouth of the uterus
at the time of labour, provided other symptoms of Belladonna are also present. Otherwise, Colophylum has the capability of relieving this severe spasm. Calcaria Carb is the long-term remedy for the diseases of children who have initially responded well to Belladonna.

Any convulsions which get worse on the movement of the body or

jolting, will respond to Belladonna. One strange feature of Belladonna is that during the illness, the patient feels better by taking food. Even if the patient is in a state of madness, he will calm down if fed. This symptom is also found in Phosphorus and Psorinum. An insane person feels hungry but he does not ask for food. If he is provided with some food his desire to eat, and the anguish will subside while the Phosphorus patient is usually very hungry and feels hungry soon after having food.  When the blood circulation towards the brain increases, the patient will envision demons and ghosts. Nightmares where objects are on fire disturb the patient during sleep. If such a patient is given Belladonna, he will stop dreaming about fire. In Belladonna, there is a tendency of deep unconsciousness. One pupil of the eye gets dilated. This particular symptom makes it similar to Opium, however Opium is different from Belladonna in other symptoms.  Belladonna should be the first medicine to be given when a child has high fever affecting mostly his head, but his feet are ice cold. It is a dangerous situation when, during a fever, the body becomes cold but the head is very hot. The mothers may believe that the fever has subsided but actually, it is the fever caused by the severity of the disease. If a proper homoeopathic remedy is administered, the body will start warming up. Otherwise, dangerous illnesses like meningitis and epilepsy can develop. In such conditions, Belladonna is one of those remedies which will work promptly. If the proper remedy is not provided, the child may die.

Belladonna will offer immediate relief when the patient has severe vertigo and is restless. This symptom is also present in Phosphorus.  When there is a headache, the scalp starts hurting. Combing the hair or even touching it with the hand is very bothersome. The hypersensitivity of the scalp is also found in Hepar Sulph, which is so saliently present that some women may actually become unconscious. When there is lack of sleep due to preoccupation of thoughts and restlessness, Belladonna, Coffea and Phosphorus are all useful. When the sleeplessness is due to the mental perturbance, any slight noise or bump against the bed becomes unbearable and the ailment becomes aggravated at once. In Nux Vomica also, noise makes the symptoms worse. Many symptoms of Nux Vomica resemble those of Belladonna because Belladonna is a natural element of Nux Vomica.

Some patients react to the treatment very slowly and will likewise respond to slow acting remedies, but the patients whose symptoms progress rapidly will find the faster acting remedies work better.  Some patients are very sensitive in reacting to the treatment. In such patients, instead of improving the patient’s condition, the Homoeopathic remedies can actually produce the poisonous effects of the substance from which they are derived. Whatever medicine is given, it will produce corresponding symptoms. For this reason, one should prescribe the medicine with great care and should give it in low potency. At the same time, it is important that the hypersensitivity of the patient should also be treated.

There are three possible remedies to decrease hypersensitivity:Belladonna, Nux Vomica and Zincum Metallicum. Zincum Metallicum is the most sensitive type of medication. It can be so sensitive that the patient may not even tolerate a low potency. For this reason, such a patient should first be given Zinc which will then make the body react to other medicines in a proper way. Zinc should be started in a low potency of 30.
One symptom of Belladonna is similar to Gelsemium. The headache becomes better when the head is tilted backwards but if the head is tilted forwards, it makes the headache worse, (there are certain exceptions however). Such a patient should be treated with Belladonna or Gelsemium. Many a time when discharges accumulate in the nose or in the sinuses, the headache becomes worse when the head is tilted forwards.
Generally, Belladonna is a treatment of sudden short-lived illnesses.

An ailment which comes on suddenly will also disappear suddenly.  But sometimes, when the headache disappears, it may leave a heaviness of the head for many days along with the sensation of being tired. In Belladonna, having the hair cut or getting the beard shaved can provoke headache.
In Belladonna ailments, rest brings about relief, but movement exaggerates the symptoms. Most of the ailments of Belladonna start in the upper part of the body and migrate downwards. When the headache becomes better, the joints and the muscles start hurting starting from the upper part of the body to the lower part. Ledum is famous for the treatment of diseases that start in the lower part of the body and migrate upwards.

Belladonna is also very useful in the diseases of the eye. The eyes are unusually red, and the eyelids are swollen. The patient experiences flashes of light before their eyes. One peculiar sign is that the eyes remain completely dry while in Euphrasia, the eyes water in addition to the redness. In Belladonna and Euphrasia, the symptoms of redness and the intensity are similar. In Euphrasia, the redness is not that pronounced, but the eyes water a lot.

Belladonna is very useful in glaucoma (the rise of pressure inside the eye). There was a patient who had severe glaucoma who the doctors had labelled as incurable. The patient was told that due to the high pressure in the eye, the interior of the eye could burst open which might result in permanent blindness. The prescription that I gave to the patient mainly contained Belladonna. Surprisingly, within a week, the pressure inside the eye started returning to normal and the patient completely recovered. Gelsemium is also useful in decreasing the intra-ocular pressure in glaucoma. It is better to give Calcaria Phos 6X also.
Nux Vomica and Belladonna both have the element of Cuprum and Cuprum is one of the best remedies for convulsive states.

When the body becomes tremulous or blood pressure rises due to mental irritability, Belladonna will lower the pressure very effectively and quickly. The thirst associated with Belladonna ailment resembles that of Bryonia. The thirst is intense but is not relieved by drinking water. Sometimes the patient’s mouth is dry as in Arsenic and the patient frequently sips water to quench his thirst.  Arsenic and Bryonia have different symptoms of their own, but regarding the dryness of the mouth, all three, i.e. Bryonia, Arsenic and Belladonna are similar. 

The women of the Belladonna type love to eat sour things. Diarrhoea of Belladonna is characterized by frequent, scanty stools.  In Belladonna, the patient also develops piles. Belladonna is very useful in frequent urination if it is due to the infection of kidneys or the bladder. Otherwise, frequent urination is not a typical symptom of Belladonna.

If the urethra is injured by the passage of broken stones due to some medication, Belladonna will relieve the inflammation of the urinary passage. Belladonna will also offer immediate relief of the spasms of the uterus, especially if the condition worsens by heat.  At the time of delivery, Belladonna is a very good treatment if the bleeding becomes severe. The trouble is mostly on the right side, and gets worse by heat. Belladonna can be very useful in preventing an abortion or miscarriage in those pregnant women who are very sensitive in nature, to the extent that they cannot tolerate noise or even the sound of footsteps. The sound of cough of the Belladonna patient is usually very forceful. Belladonna is a temporary initial treatment but if administered at the outset of making a proper diagnosis, it prevents further complications.

One of the symptoms of Belladonna is cramping of the calf muscles.  During a convulsion, the head is pushed backwards. In Apis, like Belladonna, there is an element of excessive heat and swelling. The difference between Belladonna and Apis is that in Belladonna, the body is cold except for the affected part. Therefore, the patient wants to be kept warm and likes to wrap himself in warm clothing. In Apis, the entire body feels burning hot, and no external heat can be tolerated. In fact, if such a patient is made to sit close to fire, he may go into a state of convulsion.

In Belladonna and Apis both, the patient develops urticaria due to exposure to heat. This also happens in Pulsatilla. In such a condition, Pulsatilla and Belladonna given together are useful. Sometimes, the urticaria can be due to gastric upset. For this, Pulsatilla and Nux Vomica are more useful.

In Belladonna, red spots and pustules develop on the skin. There is also inflammation, as in Apis. The appearance of pimples and blisters on the skin can help in diagnosis, though the presence of other additional symptoms is also helpful. Aurum Triphyllum is also very useful in the treatment for urticaria. In Aurum Triphyllum however, the itching is at the nose and around the lips.  Belladonna is also related to Calcaria Carb, especially in sub-acute diseases. Calcaria Carb proves very useful where Belladonna has failed. Sometimes the symptoms of Belladonna transform into those of Sulphur, which in turn produces the symptom complex of Calcaria Carb. Calcaria Carb is a meeting point of many Homoeopathic remedies but Sulphur should not be administered after having given Calcaria Carb. If so desired, Lycopodium will have to be given in between. However, Calcaria Carb can be given directly after having used Sulphur. Belladonna symptoms get worse on touch, jolting, noise and the passing of wind (emitting gas). The patient feels better when lying half-stretched.