Naja

Lecture

The use of Naja has extended far beyond its proving. So many of the Ophidian family present symptoms in common with it, that much has been presumed — truly so. Many characteristics run through these remedies, each remedy having its own peculiar sphere. Taken together the family presents a wide range of curative action.

Mure, of Brazil, thought that the snake family presented curative powers for the healing of the nations.

In the mineral kingdom, man may find his remedy when sick, so in the vegetable and animal kingdom. It is possible that the product of the serpent may be everything needed for the healing of man. Extend this to the whole animal kingdom and it is probably so. There seems to be everything existing in one kingdom that exists in another. The lowest is the mineral, the next the vegetable, and last the animal kingdom. If we had a perfect knowledge of any one kingdom, we could probably cover the entire scope of curative possibilities. But we have only a knowledge of a few remedies in each kingdom.

Another idea has been advanced that in any particular region, the vegetable kingdom provides all that is necessary for curing in that region. If we were acquainted with all the vegetable growths, how much we would know in comparison with what we do know! It is highly probable that there is a throwing off from the sick human race of something that is absorbed by the plants. The evils that are thrown off by man may be absorbed by the vegetable kingdom. Plants will correspond to men in the region in which they grow, if there is anything in this. In two thousand years there might be a necessity for some kind of a check upon the growth of plants. The absorption of these evils may cause them to vary in species, and if they continue to grow and each to absorb the evils from the human race, they will com tinue to differ. This favors evolution and explains it in a sense.

It is important to compare the symptoms of Naja wide those of the other snakes. The patient is disturbed by closeness of the collar, < after sleep. There are exhaustion and trembling, trembling of the muscles. Its direction is somewhat like Lach., from left to right, i. e., the ovarian pains, the diphtheria, the joint affections go from left to right. Naja, like Lach., is < in damp weather. On inflamed surfaces it produces grayish exudations. It does not partake so extensively of this character as do Lach, and Crotalus, There is only a shadow of the septic in Naja, but it is extensive in Lach, and extremely marked in Crotalus. Naja is not a subject to haemorrhage as either Lach, or Crotalus.

There is trembling of the muscles, a rheumatic diathesis, and tendency of all complaints to settle about the heart. It is used in valvular troubles of the heart, in young persons who grow up with cardiac valvular diseases. The whole trouble settled about the heart. This suggests Naja, and Naja has often cured. If the valvular trouble is congenital it can not be cured ; but if not, it shows that all the disturbing forces have settled about the heart. All the symptoms have settled about the heart ; Naja has this. In school boys and girls who have no symptoms this is the generic remedy for this kind of complaint. Always prescribe Naja unless guided away from it by some specific symptom.

Naja has more nervous, Lach, more septic symptoms. Naja, marked agitation without sepsis. Lach., all the nervousness with a tendency to haemorrhage and sepsis ; black blood, like charred straw ; dark clotted blood.

Naja has surging of the blood upwards, like Lack — a distressing symptom. There is marked dyspnoea, cardiac or otherwise. There is stuffing up of the chest ; great rawness of the trachea and larynx the whole passage is raw as if excoriated.

There is much sneezing, with running of water from the nose ; inability to lie down at night ; dryness of the air passages of the nose, hay fever. The patient has suffocative attacks in Angust.

The whole chest is in a state of congestion ; emptiness of the left side of the chest ; low pulse or intermittent pulse. With all the complaints of the chest there is inability to lie on the left side. Numbness of the left arm. There is dyspnoea ; if he goes to sleep, he wakes up suffocating, gasping, choking, or he starts from sleep as if from a dream. In most complaints there is inability to lie on the left side.

There is a dry, hacking cough with sweating in the palms of the hands that is cur by Naja. These cardiac cases are often attended by a dry, hacking cough, a cough with every litre exertion. It k not a catarrhal state, nor is it tubercular. The heart beats rfoisly ai will not be urged to work, and a cough comes on from exertion. Cactus also has a cardiac cough.

The extremities are cold and blue and the head hot. The head symptoms are < in a warm room ; the head feels warm, fevered, yet the feet and limb do not become warm. There is copious sweating of the hands and feet, causing the gloves and shoes to rot out ; but the sweat is not offensive. There is a sense of fullness and puffiness of the hands and feet, showing a slow circulation in the veins which we might expect.

We might naturally expect that this patient would be intense and excitable, which is the case. There is a suicidal tendency.

The headaches are nondescript ; of a congestive character all over the head, especially in the occiput. Headaches accompanied by a quick and nervous pulse.

Profound sleep is consistent with all the snakes. There is deep, profound sleep with stertorous breathing.

She wakes with a headache every morning. It is natural for the Naja headache to be present in the morning and wear off with exertion. The other complains are < exertion. The mind symptoms are < exertion of the mind.

These are symptoms in connection with hay fever; The rawness in the throat and larynx ; dreadful aching in the throat extending to the larynx, which swallowing does not relieve. The Lach, state is expressed more by a lump in the throat ; grasping of the throat with a sense of choking.

The Naja patient is subject to severe attacks of bronchitis. There is rawness between the larynx jmd trachea, < after coughing.

This is a great remedy in asthma, especially cardiac asthma. The breathing is so bad that he cannot lie down.

Useful in chronic nervous palpitation ; palpitation after exertion of any kind. Chronic nervous palpitation with inability to speak on account of choking.

There is a continued, dull, aching pain through the back between the shoulders, associated with cardiac affections. Sometimes there is little beside this sensation of heat, of aching, to indicate the remedy ; he is so tired in that spot that he wants to lie down or lean backwards to rest his back. The palpitation is < lying on the left side, < walking.

This is the most useful of all the remedies we have in a cardiac state with very few symptoms. It is true that this region is particularly singled out by Naja to produce its symptoms. the morning on waking. Burning in the eyes ; in the evening, in the open air, while reading. Pressing pain in the eyes ; smarting as from smoke ; sore and tender when reading ; stitching pains in the eyes. Paralysis of the upper lids ; of the optic nerve. Photophobia in daylight. Pupils dilated: left eye larger than right. Redness of the VEINS. Staring eyes ; stiffness of the lids ; of the eyeballs. Strabismus. Swollen eyes ; uds ; oedematous lids ; supra-orbital oedema. Ulceration of the cornea. Weak eyes and vision ; vision blurred ; tires out when reading. Dark colors before the eyes. Vision dim, on looking long ; wipes eyes for relief. Flickering, foggy vision. Hemiopia. Myopia. Sparks before the eyes.

The ears are hot ; itching in the ears. Noises : morning, evening, with vertigo, humming, ringing, roaring, rushing in the right ear ; singing. Pain in ears: morning, stitching, tearing, behind the ears. The ears feel stopped. Hearing acute ; for noises ; impaired.

Catarrh with pain in forehead and root of nose, post-nasal with viscid mucus. Coryza: worse in open air, with cough, fluent or dry, fluent alternating with dry ; discharge : copious, crusts, dry bloody crusts, hard bluish mucus, offensive, purulent, suppressed, thick, viscid, WATERY, yellow. Dryness in nose. Epistaxis after removing crusts from nose ; bright red blood. Obstruction of nose at night (right) ; morning on waking ; mucous membrane thickened and it is difficult to breathe through the nose. Ozaena. The nose is red. Pain in the nose, in the roof of nose ; burning, pressing at root of nose ; rawness in nose. Smell acute at first, later wanting. Frequent, violent sneezing.

Corners of lips cracked and indurated. Discoloration of the face ; bluish, around eyes ; earthy ; pale ; red ; yellow ; liver spots. Face is drawn. Eruptions on the face ; forehead and lips ; around the MOUTH ; on the nose ; comedones ; herpes on lips ; moist eruptions ; pimples ; vesicles. The face is hot and itching. Pain on moving the jaw. The face feels puffed. Stiffness of muscles of mastication. Swelling in the morning on waking ; molar bones feel swollen ; oedematous ; swollen parotids. Twitching of face. Ulcer on the lips. Aphthae in the mouth ; bleeding gums ; cracked and corrugated tongue. Discoloration : redness of mouth and tongue ; white tongue ; yellow tongue. Dryness of mouth ; tongue ; flabby tongue. Inflammation of mouth and tongue. Salivation and saliva is viscid. Stammering speech. Taste bitter in the morning ; metallic, saltish, sour, sweetish. Ulceration in mouth. Vesicles in mouth and on tongue ; burning. The teeth become loose. Pain in the teeth ; night ; pulsating ; warmth ameliorates ; jerking pains, tearing pains.

Ch(A:ing ; constriction of oesophagus ; dryness in throat ; worse in the morning ; after a cold. Throat red and glossy, purple red ; hawks frequently to raise white mucus, worse in the open air. Inflammation ; dark red, covered with yellow mucus. Sensation of a lump in the throat; gray exudation in the throat. It is said to have cured diphtheria. Mucus in the throat ; tough gelatinous, greyish, yellow, white, from posterior nares. Pain in throat on swallowing, on empty swallowing, but no pain on swallowing food or drink ; burning, sore, stitching. Roughness in the throat ; scraping in the throat. Swallowing difficult. Swollen pharynx, uvula and tonsils ; oedematous : uvula hangs down like a water bag. Constriction in the region of the thyroid gland. Stiffness in the sides of the neck.

Appetite increased, ravenous, wanting ; aversion to fats, to meat, to his cigar ; sensation of constriction in the stomach. Desires beer, bread, cold drinks, sweet things. Disordered stomach ; by milk. Stomach is distended ; sensation of emptiness ; eructations afternoon, after eating ; empty, tasting of food, sour after eating, waterbrash. Fulness in the stomach after eating. Heartburn. Flushes of heat, heaviness after eating. Hiccough after eating, indigestion is Very marked. Loathing of food. Nausea ; after eating ; constant ; during cough ; after cold drinks ; with headache ; during menses. Pain in. the stomach : after eating ; burning after warm things ; cramping ; CUTTING ; gnawing ; pressing after eating ; soreness ; stitching. Pulsation in the stomach. Retching when raising mucus from the throat. Sinking sensation. Sensation of a stone in the stomach. Tension in the stomach. Thirst : morning ; evening ; night ; burning thirst ; extreme thirst ; unquenchable thirst ; drinks often but small drinks. Thirstlessness. Vomiting : on coughing ; after eating ; bile ; bitter ; blood; mucus; sour; watery.

Distension of abdomen after eating ; flatulence ; fulness, gurgling, hardness. Heavy feeling in abdomen. Inflammation of liver ; spleen. Liver affections. Pain in the abdomen ; at night ; after eating ; from, flatus ; before a diarrhoea ; before stool ; better after stool and after passing flatus : in hypochondria ; hypogastrium ; in region of umbilicus. Cramping ; before stool, better by passing flatus and stool. Cutting ; before stool. Drawing in abdomen ; in hypochondria. Sore, tender abdomen ; in hypochondria. Stitching in abdomen ; in hypochondria ; in inguinal region ; in spleen. Nervous feeling in abdomen. Rumbling in abdomen ; as if a diarrhoea would come on. Affections of the spleen. Swollen inguinal glands. Tension in abdomen, in hypochondria.

Constipation, alternating with diarrhoea ; stool hard. Diarrhoea : evening ; daytime ; morning ; drives him out of bed ; night ; after midnight ; frequent stool during daytime ; from becoming cold ; from cold drinks ; front taking cold ; worse after eating ; during menses ; after .MILK ; after vegetable ; stool : bloody, copious, frequent, mucous, painless, pasty, scanty soft, thin, watery, yellow\ Excoriation of anus. Flatus copious and offensive. Itching of anus. Pain : burning during and after stool ; cramping, better after stool ; cutting, during stool and in the hypogastrium ; before stool ; soreness and stitching ; tearing during stool ; tenesmus during stool. Urging to stool ; ineffectual ; after stool.

Sore pain in bladder relieved by urging ; urging to urinate at night ; constant ; frequent. Urination difficult ; frequent ; involuntary at night in sleep ; unsatisfactory. Burning and aching in the kidneys. Burning in the urethra when passing urine. Urine : albuminous ; burning ; dark ; pale ; copious at night ; clear as water ; offensive , scanty ; with mucus and phosphate. Specific gravity decreased ; loco.

Morning erections ; incomplete. Inflammation of glans penis, prepuce and testes. Stitching of the genitals, penis, scrotum. Soreness left testes. Seminal emissions. Swollen penis and testes.

In the female the desire is increased. Leucorrhoea ; copious ; offensive ; thick ; yellow. Menses : copious ; too soon ; protracted ; scanty. Metrorrhagia. Pain in the uterus.

Dryness and constriction in the larynx ; scraping slate-colored mucus from the larynx ; mucus is detached with difficulty ; burning and soreness in the larynx ; roughness in larynx. The symptoms of the larynx are worse from dust, smoke or cold air. Voice: hoarseness with coryza ; lost ; weak. Respiration is fast and deep ; miner's asthma from coal dust ; difficult on ascending, short.

Cough : morning ; afternoon ; evening ; night ; from deep breathing , dry at night ; in the morning and from exertion ; dry teasing cough all day ; exhausting ; hacking ; from Irritation in larynx and trachea ; loose ; racking, short, spasmodic ; from tickling in larynx and trachea ; violent ; worse in a warm room. Expectoration : morning, evening, bloody, difficult, mucous, offensive, purulent, tasting bitter, flat, putrid, viscid, yellow.

Anxiety and constriction of the chest. Eruptions, pimples. Sensation of fulness in the chest. Hemorrhage from the lungs. Pneumonia and phthisis in miners from dust of coal. Irritation in the bronchial tubes in the morning. Oppression of chest on exertion and deep breathing ; heart. Pain in the chest, during cough ; in the heart ; burning, cutting below the seventh rib ; pressing ; rawness ; sore from coughing ; stitching. Palpitation of the heart ; night ; anxious ; ascending steps ; exertion ; tumultuous. Sensation as if he had inhaled smoke.

Coldness of the back at night. Stitching of the cervical region. Pain in the back, evening ; night ; worse walking ; in the scapulae ; between the scapulae ; on bending forward and on breathing ; in the lumbar region when stooping and walking ; in the sacrum both when walking and sitting ; aching in the back ; drawing pain in the back ; sore pain in the back ; sore pain in the sacrum when walking and stooping ; sore pain in cervical region ; sore pain under scapulae ; sore pain in spine on pressure. Stiffness in the cervical region, weakness in the back.

Awkwardness of the limbs ; cold hands and feet ; cramps in calf ; in soles. Eruptions on limbs ; thin white scales ; vesicles. Excoriation between the thighs. Formication of the feet. Heaviness, a tired feeling in lower limbs, in feet. Itching of all the limbs. Jerking in the lower limbs. Lameness in the limbs. Numbness in the feet. Pain in the limbs ; in the joints, during chill ; neuralgic pain in limbs ; RiiEUMATtc ; gouty pains ; upper limbs ; right arm rheumatic ; shoulder ; rheumatic pain in shoulder and elbow ; palms painful ; pain in fingers. Pain in lower limbs ; sciatica worse walking ; in the hip ; thigh when walking ; knee. Aching down front of legs ; bruised pain in limbs from continued motion ; burning feet and soles, crampy pain in calf ; flying pains in fingers, palms and forearms ; drawing pains in lower limbs, thigh, knees, calf ; neuralgic pain from axilla to little finger ; stitching pain in hip, thigh, hip to knee on motion ; knee, leg ; tearing pains in upper limbs, in lower limbs, in thigh, legs ankles, foot. Perspiration of hands, of feet. Pulsation of limbs. Restlessness of the limbs, upper limbs, lower limbs, legs. Stiffness of limbs, joints wrists. Swelling of limbs: dropsical; legs; feet. Trembling hands; lower limbs. Twitching upper limbs ; thighs. Weakness of the limbs ; upper limbs ; hands ; lower limbs ; thighs ; legs ; ankles ; feet.

The sleep is deep. Dreams : amorous ; anxious; frightful; of murder ; nightmare ; pleasant ; vexaous ; vivid. Late falling asleep; restless sleep. Sleepiness in the afternoon. Sleeplessness before midnight ; after midnight ; with sleepiness. Unrefreshing sleep. Waking early frequently.

Chill morning ; forenoon ; evening in bed ; in cold air ; coldness comes on at night in bed ; chilliness, internal chill, shaking chill in the morning ; chill at 2 a. m. ; i p. m. ; 2 p. m. ; the chill is relieved in a warm room. Fever at night ; dry heat, flushes of heat, perspiration absent.

Perspiration : morning ; nights ; from anxiety ; in bed ; cold ; on coughing ; on slight exertion ; following the fever ; on motion ; profuse at night ; symptoms worse while perspiring ; aversion to uncovering while perspiring.

Burning skin ; cold skin ; desquamation. Liver spots, red spots, yellow skin ; dryness of the skin. Eruptions : blisters ; boils ; burning ; moist ; herpes ; itching in warmth ; painful ; pimples ; scaly ; thin white scales ; stinging, suppurating tubercles ; urticaria ; nodules ; vesicular erysipelas, with swelling, worse after scratching ; formication of skin ; itching, crawling, verse after scratching. Swelling of skin mth burning. Ulcers : burning ; deep ; yellow discharge ; spreading ; stinging.