Rhus Toxicodendron is better known by its short name, Rhus
Tox. It is
prepared from a wild plant called ‘bichhoo booti’ (poison ivy). Its poison
produces severe intractable itching. The patient contracts high fever.
The appetite is lost. There is nausea and severe headache. The glands
become enlarged inside and out. Sores develop inside the mouth and on the
tongue. In 1798, a French doctor accidentally found out that this
particular poison cured a serious skin disease of a patient. The doctor subsequently tried this in the treatment
of various skin diseases, paralyses and joint pains
and found it very useful. For homoeopathic use, the leaves of the
plant are ground in the humid season.
Rhus Tox is indispensable for homoeopathic doctors. It is
used in the treatment of many diseases. The most important symptom of Rhus Tox is burning and inflammation leading
to the formation of large
blisters. In fact, the largest blisters associated with skin
disease are found only in Rhus Tox. In Anacardium and Cantharis,
blisters are also found but they are relatively small. Rhus Tox
benefits the burn’s patients immensely.
It must be given at once and in high potency. Besides this, Rhus Tox is
highly beneficial in the treatment
of paralyses. Right-sided
paralysis (hemiplegia) gets better with Rhus Tox and Sulphur used
alternately. Even if the patient does not show the whole spectrum of Rhus
Tox symptoms, he could still benefit to some extent. When the vision
of one eye is being affected as a result of severe physical
strain or continuous mental overlay and the heart is also under stress, a
dose or two of Rhus Tox benefits immediately. In this condition, either
there are dancing shadows before the right eye or the right half of the
field of vision is lost.
Rhus Tox is very beneficial in the treatment of neuralgias that become worse with rest and get better on movement. The
severe burning sensation does not let the patient rest. He remains
restless and does not find comfort in any position. Movement seems to
offer comfort to begin with but the pain soon returns. Light
movement and light exercise are comforting while
strenuous exercise can be dangerous. If the symptoms match completely, Rhus Tox can relieve headache as well as all other
body aches. Whenever Rhus Tox is the constitutional
homoeopathic remedy, the patient will enjoy sound sleep in no time,
with no anguish or restlessness any more. I have observed it so
many times. Some patients will even ‘complain’ that the night was too
short since they previously used to toss and turn all night! Another symptom of
Rhus Tox is mild chronic inflammation of the bladder or the kidneys resulting
in the frequent passing of urine at night. The patient cannot sleep much. He remains restless.
Frequency
of urination is not always due to diabetes. Similar symptoms are
also found
in Phosphorus. The patient wakes up at night for no apparent reason. Even if
the patient looks healthy he does not feel like going to sleep. He may wet
himself unknowingly at night. Unexplained frequency of
urination associated with restlessness will most probably benefit from Rhus
Tox.
If skin diseases are forcefully suppressed with allopathic
medicines,
then the disease process may affect the lining of the uterus,
mucous membranes
or the glands. Sometimes, the condition may become very serious. If the
pancreas is afflicted, then the patient can develop severe diabetes. A single dose of
Rhus Tox in high potency may immediately cure the patient. No
doubt, it will forcefully surface the suppressed eczema on the skin. Once,
in view of some resemblance of the symptoms, I treated a diabetic
patient with Rhus Tox in high potency. All of a sudden, his entire
body became riddled with eczema but his diabetes was cured. On
further questioning, it was found that the patient had suffered from a
serious kind of eczema in the past that had been
suppressed with strong medication and the diabetes had come on later. In
this patient, Rhus Tox cured the diabetes, but the eczema returned.
Unfortunately, some of these patients do not feel happy to be rid of
diabetes but rather take the recurrence of the eczema too
seriously. In fact, if they continue their treatment patiently using
Rhus Tox, their skin disease would also be cured. No doubt, the eczema
would flare up in the beginning but eventually disappear
gradually.
In Rhus Tox, the eczema is of the weeping type. Once an
afflicted
lady came to me. She suffered from severe weeping eczema. She was
even unable to cook food. Her husband and children were also dismayed. I treated
her with Rhus Tox 1000. With the first dose, the eczema flared up
and then in a few days, the watery discharge started becoming less. On
the second dose, after a week, the reaction was less pronounced.
In three to four weeks, her hands were looking completely
healthy, devoid of any signs of eczema. In my experience, I have found it
surprisingly effective and beneficial. To my knowledge, there
is no substitute for Rhus Tox. If the symptoms are of Rhus Tox, then
Rhus Tox and nothing else will have to be administered. Rhus
Tox symptoms are very closely related to humidity. In the
rainy season, when it is also hot, its symptoms become aggravated.
Rhus Tox is also very useful in the treatment of malarial fever.
It becomes
even more effective if used alternately with Bryonia right at the
onset of symptoms. Prevantative use of Arnica 1000 will induce the
natural body response against malaria. I invite the readers to study Arnica,
Arsenic and Natrum Mur also, with reference to malaria. Rhus Tox is also useful in the treatment of fevers other than malaria
such as fevers of remittent nature or continuous ones. Such fevers
make the patient physically exhausted. The patient feels restless, chills
and dryness of the tongue. He is sensitive to cold. The pivotal symptom,
is still the persistent restlessness and aching of the entire body Rhus
Tox is very useful in the treatment
of cellulitis. This inflammatory process involves the glands,
the outer surface of the skin and the inner linings (mucous
membranes). The patient feels pain and tightness. Rhus Tox should also be
used in the treatment of endometritis
i.e. the inflammation of the inner lining of the uterus. It may
possibly treat the underlying condition of the uterus and surface it to
the skin. Sulphur 200 and Pyrogenium 200 can significantly overcome the
disease. When given alternately with Rhus Tox, they offer complete
cure, by the grace of God. Rhus Tox can be useful in the treatment of
all skin conditions associated with the formation of blisters filled
with clear fluid, blood or even pus, provided the burning sensation is
prominent.
Rhus Tox works extremely well in the treatment of infantile paralysis
(Polio). At first, the child contracts a high fever, which is followed
by the gradual onset of paralysis.
If someone has previously suffered from polio in early
childhood or his leg starts becoming weak, then Rhus Tox should be started
without any delay. Rhus Tox works much better when used
alternately with Sulphur. Sulphur is also very effective in the treatment
of paralytic conditions. Thus, a combination of the two is obviously
much more useful. Some polio patients
have actually been completely cured with this prescription. Sometimes, the whole body becomes numb for a short
while then the numbness disappears automatically.
However, if there is any sign of associated weakness, Rhus Tox must be
given immediately. It seems to work very well. The gradually progressive paralysis of
chronic and
profound nature may be treated with Causticum. Causticum is not a
remedy for immediate effect only. In Causticum, the process of paralysis
sets in early, soon after exposure to the cold. When noticed, the
patient feels that the paralysis happened suddenly. Partial or localized
paralysis of a few muscles responds better to Causticum. In particular, it has
no match with regards to its effectiveness against right-sided facial
palsy. Traditionally, Causticum is famous as the ideal remedy for paralysis of the face.
In Rhus Tox, the paralysis affects mostly the right side,
though its use is not restricted only to the diseases
of the right side. Nevertheless, there are some other remedies much
stronger and more effective than Rhus Tox for conditions affecting the
left side of the body, such as Lachesis and Ledum, which work
wonders when given along with Arnica. Additional use of Cadmium
Sulph 30, three times a day, makes the prescription even more
effective. If there is still no favourable response, then Sulphur and
Rhus Tox should be used alternately.
The Rhus Tox headache
resembles very much the headache accompanying fevers.
If the symptoms of the patient resemble one particular remedy,
then that remedy alone should be used. If the symptoms are
non-specific, then Rhus Tox may often be found useful. Generally speaking, in Rhus Tox the head feels
heavy. The headache begins at the forehead and then
spreads backwards to the nape.
In Rhus Tox, blood flow to the face and head increases.
The skin becomes red, swollen and tender, associated with intense
itching. Thick scabs form all over the area of eczema. Out of the lists of eczemas, the one most responsive to Rhus
Tox is the eczema in
children affecting their scalp. However,
it must be remembered that the body may react to Rhus Tox violently.
Once it gets
better, then Rhus Tox may be repeated in a few days. If the eczema does not
respond, then some other homoeopathic remedy should be sought.
This is not an easy task. Such a condition may in fact be cancer of
the skin, which should be treated with Carcinocin 1000 and Radium
Bromatum 1000, once a week for one to two months. Similarly,
Graphites and Psorinum given alternately may prove very useful
in the treatment of resistant forms of eczema. Rhus Tox is also very useful in the treatment of eye infections i.e. redness with the discharge of
pus (pink eyes) especially in the humid weather. The pain
gets worse on moving the eye or by pressure. Warm tears flow out of the eyes.
The sores and
blisters inside the mouth that look raw
and red can be treated with Rhus Tox, if the symptoms match completely with
Rhus Tox. The taste of the mouth is metallic as if one is tasting
torch batteries. The tongue
becomes red and looks bruised. Blisters
form at the mouth and the chin. The tonsils become inflamed and enlarged.
The throat hurts and swallowing becomes obviously difficult. Rhus Tox is very useful in the treatment of inflammation of the oesophagus with the above symptoms (oesophagitis).
Rhus Tox is also useful in the treatment of typhoid. The fever affects
the mouth adversely. The gas produces rumbling sounds in the abdomen. The
abdomen becomes distended with gas. The patient tries to belch the air out
unsuccessfully, nor can he pass flatus naturally. It is an extremely
troublesome situation. Rhus Tox and Colchicum both may prove useful in
easing this situation.
Sometimes, as a result of lifting or carrying heavy weight, the
muscles of the pelvis
and the muscles at the back may become badly
stretched or strained. Women can develop the tendency of the uterus to prolapse. Rhus Tox happens to be the ideal and
indeed the best remedy for this. However its beneficial effect is
not limited to only the uterus. Severe muscular strain or sprain in any
part of the body can be effectively treated with Rhus Tox and
Millefolium. Another
symptom of Rhus Tox is that the voice
becomes hoarse due to severe soreness of the throat. The
voice improves on starting to talk. The more the person talks, the
better the voice gets. In fact, such persons can make long speeches
although they suffer later.
In Rhus Tox, the cough is very troublesome and severe. There is a
constant irritation inside the throat and trachea. Rhus Tox can offer quick relief. Rhus Tox is very effective in the treatment of a failing heart resulting from the overstretching and enlargement of the heart.
A
similar condition in athletes responds only to Rhus Tox. The
patient has the feeling
of numbness and increasing weakness of the left upper
extremity, secondary to the weakness and dysfunction of the heart.
Rhus Tox once again is the number one remedy for this condition.
Lachesis and Arnica should be given for a few days. If these are not
effective, then a few doses of Rhus Tox must be given. After that, Lachesis and Arnica combined should be
started again. Rhus
Tox is also very useful in the treatment
of severe strains and sprains of the back due to
faltered muscles and ligaments of the back. It may also be very useful in
the treatment of chronic
sprains of
the ankles if other remedies have not been of avail. In women especially,
restlessness and constant movement of the legs during sleep may
be due to suppressed eczema or itchiness. Treatment with Rhus Tox will offer immediate relief
of the discomfort though the suppressed skin disease
may surface to the skin. Urticaria may be found in
many kinds of fevers. The Rhus Tox type of patients, tend
to develop urticaria during a malarial attack. Rhus Tox is also very effective in the treatment of shingles (Herpes Zoster).
One type of Herpes is the result of sexual promiscuity. The Herpes Zoster is
related to the inflammation of the nerves. Rhus Tox can be of
significant avail if the skin lesions of the patient exude lot of warm
watery fluid.