By Valerie Sadovsky, RSHom(NA), CCH
Remedy chart
Opium is prepared from the unripe buds of opium poppy, a plant belonging to the Papaveraceae family (also Chelidonium and Sanguinaria). Opium contains an array of active alkaloids, including morphine (from Morpheus, god of sleep) and codeine.
In small doses Opium is analgesic, hypnotic, diaphoretic, antispasmodic and narcotic. In medium doses it dries mucous membranes, impairs gastric secretion and stimulates the brain by increasing the blood supply. The action of the heart is increased; the mind, at first stimulated, becomes calm and sleep follows. In large doses it causes nausea and vomiting, depresses the heart and circulation, which are followed profound stupor. Toxic doses cause coma and death by asphyxiation due to the direct action on the respiratory centers in the brain.
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ESSENCE: Isolation, lost in their own world. Comes from a state of great suffering, a great threat and fright, so much that the person becomes numb, insensitive and indifferent in order to survive because the situation is too much for him to bear. MENTAL SYMPTOMS: - Loss of consciousness … stupor … deep sleep or coma … total relaxation … calmness and tranquility .. don’t feel anything, completely numb … delirium (will tell that they’re perfectly well & fine & have no pain, Arn.) … in delirium "want to go home" (Bry) … insensitive to pain (both physical & emotional) - Blissful, peaceful, drowsy, dream-like state. - Hyperactive … anxious … restless … extremely sensitive, esp. to light and noises … wide awake and heightened … insomnia (sometimes feel they don’t need sleep and can go without sleep for weeks) … workaholics ... mental obtuseness - Ailments from FRIGHT (Acon., Gels.) … reoccurring or remaining image of trauma or fright, they re-experience it again, and again, and again, as if it’s just happened. - Feel isolated, forsaken. - Fear of impending death with terror and fright, esp. with stroke and heart problems - Pathologically courageous … drawn to horror movies (this is typical for remedies that are easily terrified.) - Visions: horrific faces, animals; beautiful, celestial - Lying … stealing … cheating … have no conscience - Delirium tremens, esp. with horror visions. GENERAL SYMPTOMS: - Warm-blooded and < heat. - Coma, near death-like state (Carb-v, Ant-t, Arn) … lack of pain in typically painful complaints. - General aggravation from fright, excitement, even joy.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: Head: Ailments from injury to head (Nat-s, Arn) … concussion … specific for STROKE (with characteristic face and drowsiness; give Apis if Op fails) Eyes: PPP (pin-point pupils), "frozen" or unequal pupils … pupils abnormal to the situation (dilated when bright, PPP when dark) … glassy look Face: DARK red, swollen, hot, sweaty; or red and pale alternately … jaw hanging down GI: Complete inactivity of the bowels, absolutely no desire or urging to stool, fecal impaction … stool consists of little, hard, dry, black balls ... intestinal obstruction with fecal vomiting and violent colic … diarrhea from excitement or fright. Neurological: Epilepsy, esp. after a fright, main remedy… NARCOLEPSY … convulsions, < fright … coma & delirium with high fever, flushed face, hot perspiration … meningitis … encephalitis. Urogenital: Retention or enuresis after a fright … arrested labor, after a fright, woman becomes stupefied. Sleep: wake up with fright and confusion (Stram.; Aco. is more fear and shaking) … moan and whine in sleep … snoring respiration … sleep heavy, stuporous, difficult to disturb … sleep apnea … wakes suddenly with a sensation of suffocation … sleeplessness, < slight noise … inability to sleep, can go weeks without sleeping. Skin: HOT PERSPIRATION is a concomitant to many complaints. Dreams: Vivid, pleasant or horror. |
ETIOLOGIES: Disappointment … embarrassment … fear … fright … FRIGHT from SIGHT of an ACCIDENT … grief … mortification … REPROACH … shame … mental shock ŕ WITHDRAWAL into an inner world AFFINITIES: MIND … SENSES … NERVOUS SYSTEM … brain MODALITIES: <: EMOTIONS ... FEAR ... fright … ALCOHOL … >: COLD … constant walking … open air. SENSATIONS: Absence of sensations. PAINS: Absence of pain where it’s expected DISCHARGES: All discharges [stool, urine, menses] DIMINISHED, except perspiration. NOTES: - Antidoted by strong coffee, Nux-v, Cham. - "Absence" is the word: of pain where pain is expected; of secretions, causing dryness in general (except on the skin), of reaction (to stimuli, of pupils to light, etc.), of suffering, of moral sense (tendency to lie and steal), of discharges (suppression, retention etc.), of eruptions in eruptive fevers. DIFFERENTIALS: Arnica: In an accident they will feel pain and then move into a numb state. Op. doesn’t even feel the pain. Arn. doesn’t have drowsiness and feels beaten. In Arn. numbness is mostly physical, in Op. mostly emotional. Op. is more severe response to trauma than Arn. Like Op., in brain affections, Arn. has stupor, with lower jaw dropped and eyes fixed, but, even in stupor, as if the bed was too hot and hard. The face is dark red (Op. almost brown), and stool and urine are passed involuntarily (Op. suppressed). In addition, Arn. has irregular blue and black spots on the body. Fever: Op. fever characterized by intense thirst and great sleepiness and is without the anguish, fear and restlessness of the Aconite fever. It resembles fever of Gels., but Gels. is thirstless. Constipation: Bry. has constipation, with inertia of the rectum, and lack of intestinal secretion; the stools are large and dry. Plum. closely resembles Op., but there is some spasmodic constriction of the anus; the stools of hard, black balls. Alumina has inertia of the rectum, with hard, dry, knotty stools, but often attended with soft feces. PRIME INDICATIONS: 1. Withdrawal, esp. after emotional or physical shocks [fright, shame, sight of an accident, reproaches, head injury, surgery]. 2. Unaffected by external impressions; or boldness and fearlessness. 3. Somnolence. Snoring respiration. 4. Worse heat; better cold. 5. All secretions suppressed, except perspiration. SOURCES: Murphy, Fundamentals of MM Cowperthwaite, Textbook (RW) Morrison, Desktop Guide |
Roger notes
I don’t know all the things that should be known about Opium, so I’m just going to give you a few sketches about it that I know so far. The places I have seen it used where in narcolepsy or in stuporous conditions: comas, and when there was anesthesia of normally painful parts, right? You use Opium to numb people up. Therefore, if a condition that should be painful isn’t painful, then you can think of Opium. Of course, it will be the main remedy to use in head injuries, acutely after a head injury where the person develops what? Not fright, after the head injury, if they develop great sleepiness and they are drowsy and you sort of can rouse them up and then they fall back asleep, that kind of thing. You use Opium then acutely. There is also an anxious look in the Helleborus face, a frightened look. If you see the Q or Q sign, in people after strokes, after head injuries, after surgery where they don’t come out of the anesthesia the way that they should, especially when they are stridulous, you know, labored heavy snoring, respiration, you know. This kind of extreme case. Obviously we aren’t going to treat cases like that every day. If you come across that or if you called into a hospital to treat something like that that will be a remedy that you will use. I have seen it work in a couple of in hospital patients that George prescribed on them and it brought them out of comas. Or, if you find somebody, an old person, of course I don’t know how appropriate this always is, but in an old person, maybe they have come out of surgery and they are not doing well after surgery and they are still in a little bit of a comatose state and they are sleeping all of the time, you will think of Opium then. Opium can be worse from frights, especially if neurological type symptoms develop after a strong fright, like convulsions or chorea, you can think of Opium, although you will also think of other remedies especially Causticum. The convulsions are generally worse from heat like what other remedy? Or worse during fever when the fever goes up? What is the remedy that Kent talks about, you put the baby next to the fire - Apis, right. Now, because it is an opiate, it has a strong action on smooth muscle, so it affects very strongly the colon, the rectum, and the bladder. There can be severe constipation. On the hand, there can be also diarrhea. Diarrhea from fright and also retained urine. Urinary retention, you can think of this remedy. I have never actually prescribed it in a newborn or baby, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all. I would want to see something of the appearance, you know how they talk about Opium being dusky red in appearance and bothered by heat? I would want to see something of that and have perspiration on the face, but what is the other main remedy that has perspiration on the face a lot in depleted, comatose kinds of situations? Of course, perspiration on the face is only what? Ignatia, but the other remedy that has cold perspiration on the face? Veratrum. Cold perspiration. You will be led to Veratrum when you see perspiration on the face. Very strong if it is cold, but Opium has hot perspiration and the perspiration feels hot. So, if you see those kinds of things in a baby with constipation, then definitely, or that kind of look.
We mentioned also the anesthesia of a normally painful part? There is another remedy that has that. Platinum. Platinum especially if there is numbness where? Around the lips or of the face or of the genitalia. The vagina being number or extremely hypersensitive. Now, there is a lat little tidbit that George has mentioned to me about this remedy — that is a look of bliss in the face. I saw that. It’s not saying that they are necessarily non-reactive people, but there is this look of ecstasy or sort of a bloated and sublime, the way you would imagine Opium smoker sort of in this state of blissed out. That look to a certain degree - a fullness in the face. That’s the only way I can put it. It’s not as though somebody just ate a huge meal and is satiated, but it is like ecstasy. But not looking excited, looking satiated and ecstatic at the same time. It is subtle sometimes.
Memory card
Opium
1. Children and old people of lax fiber; fair complexioned; also indicated in drunkards.
2. Ailments from fright especially where fear still remains; fear of impending death.
3. All complaints with great sopor; no pain, no complaint, no desires.
4. Low types of fever; mild delirium, constant talking, eyes wide open, face red and puffed; thinks he is not at home; later-unconscious, eyes glassy, half closed, pupils contracted, face pale.
5. Cerebral congestions (especially in drunkards); heavy, stupid sleep; bloated, red face; eyes blood-shot and half closed; stertorous breathing; skin covered with hot sweat.
6. Partial or complete local paralysis; paralysis of brain from sudden retrocession of acute exanthema.
7. Inactivity of all organs especially alimentary tract; e.g. constipation, no desire for stool; impacted feces, incarcerated flatus; stools hard, round, black; after long use of purgatives and enemas; also involuntary. Black, offensive stools. Retention of urine with full bladder.
8. No vital reaction; want of susceptibility to well chosen remedies.
9. Insomnia, bed feels so hot patient cannot lie upon it.
10. Modalities: < heat; during and after sleep; stimulants; while sweating.
Keynote: inertia.
© 2003-2004 Valerie Sadovsky, http://www.homeopathyplanet.com/AudeSapere
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