ABRUS PRECATORIUS

(Crab's Eye Vine)

PHARMACY - abr. Abrus precatorius. Crab's eye vine. Jcquirity. Indian liquorice.

N.0. Lcguminosae. Papilionoideae. India. Tincture of trituration of the seeds.

Historical dose: Tincture and all potencies.

CLINICAL - Cancer. Conjunctivitis. Epithelioma. Fever. Granuler lids. Kerautis. Lupus. Malaise. Ophthalmia. Ulcers. Tumors.

HERBAL - Abrus precatoris, 1s a climbing plant. a native of India, but has been introduced to the Western tropics. It was discovered by the natives of Brazil, who gave II the name Jcquirity.

The Treasure of Botany notes that Abrus has small nearly globose seeds, which are of a brilliant scarlet color with a black scar indicating where they were attached to the pods. The seeds are used for necklaces and as a standard of weight under the name of Rate.

Abrus was the plant employed by Professor Nowack to extreme weather and telluric forecasts owing to the extreme sensitiveness of its leaves to atmospheric disturbances.

HOMEOPATHIC - Abr. acts chiefly on the eyes. Skin and mucus membranes. The general effects are headache. pain in the limbs fever and high pulse. Malaise. The roots are used in the same manner as licorice roots.

Head - Headache.

Limbs - Pain in limbs.

Skin - Erysipelatous inflammation of skin. Lupus. Indolent ulcers.

Temperature - High temperature and high pulse. Useful remedy for nervousness, rest-lessness, excitement and sleeplessness in children. Cerebral irritation, hysterical and infantile spasms come within range of this remedy. This remedy has been used for mushroom poisonings. Opisthotonos. Intoxication. Chorea. Paralysis of inner organs.

MIND - Loss of memory. Forgets what has recently happened after and before convulsion. Wants nothing to do with anybody. Foolish look on face. Hallucinations. Frightful visions. Kleptomania. Insanity. Patient walks about in distress, seeing all sorts of demons. There is exhilaration followed by horrible delirium (Bell.), patient obliged to walk about (Art-v., Cham. and Cina. are better moving about).

Abdomen - Nausea, apparently in region of gallbladder. Bloated around waist and in abdomen, as after ague. Immense accumulation of flatulence in abdomen, wind colic. Liver feels swollen. Pain in spleen, it feels swollen.

Chest - Sensation of weight on chest. Irregular, tumultuous action of heart can be heard in back.

Constitutions - Younger and elderly patients. Chlorosis.

Ears- Discharge from ears after headaches. Otorrhea, especially after hemicrania.

Eyes - Pupils dilated unequally. injected conjunctiva. Pain in eyes. Itching. Heavy lids. Epithelioma. lupus, ulcers. Granular lids. Purulent conjunctivitis inflammation spreads to face and neck. Granular ophthalmia. Keratitis.

Face - Foolish look. Rush. of blood to the face. Spasmodic facial twitching. Makes grimaces and foams at the mouth in epilepsy. Face blue.

Female - Darting pain in right ovary. Premature menopause. Pains in uterus. Chlorosis. Promotes menses.

Food - Loss of appetite, loathing of food.

Head - Confusion in head. Dull occipital headaches (Gels. Pic-ac.). Wants to lie with the head low. Congestion of the brain and spinal cord.

Heart - Tumultuous action. heartbeats can be heard in back. Tremors of the heartfelt toward the back.

Kidneys - Constant desire to urinate. Very strong odor, like horse's urine, deep yellow orange color (Kali-p.).

Limbs - Spasms of the body and limbs. Pain in limbs. Paralytic symptoms. Feet very cold.

Lungs - Cough with liver complaints.

Male - Spermatorrhea with relaxed, enfeebled parts. Impotency.

Mouth - Jaws firmly fixed. Bites his tongue in epilepsy. Tongue trembles, feels as if swollen and too large. Tongue thick, protruding, can scarcely talk. Tongue trembling, feels paralyzed.

Nerves - Falling down, as in epilepsy. Unconsciousness with distortion of the features, followed by spasms of the body and limbs. Bloody foam at mouth and biting of the tongue. Stupidity and the loss of memory afterwards. Opisthotonos, with grinding teeth, followed by stupor. Paralysis of inner organs.

Sleep - Sleeplessness, typhoid with congestion of base of brain. Nervous excitement and sleeplessness in children.

Stomach - Uncomfortable, irritated feeling of stomach. Food lies heavy. Stomach feels cold and oppressed. Nausea, retching, eructation.

Throat - Scalded feeling in the thr9at. Sensation as if a lump.

Vertigo- Vertigo on rising, with the tendency to fall backward.

COMMENTS - Clarke wrote about a case of epileptic vertigo with signs of constant cerebral and spinal congestion, nausea and tendency to frequent vomiting, persistent tremors, epileptic attacks of hysterical character and opisthotonos. Absinth. first in the tincture and later in 3c, completely cured.

Halbert regarded Absin. as of special service in cases of epilepsy where consciousness is not entirely lost. The characteristic symptoms include a sudden and severe giddiness, epileptiform seizures, delirium with delusions and loss of consciousness. For some time after the attack there is a loss of memory.

RELATIONS- Compare:

(I) Alcohol, Agar., Artemisia, Hydrocy. acid, Cina, Cicuta.

REFERENCES - Boericke. Clarke. Phatak.