TABACUM

Every homeopathic remedy is explained in detail by William Boericke, M.D. in the Pocket Manual of Homeopathic Materia Medica and Repertory, a book which is highly respected by the homeopathy profession. The following text is excerpted from that book and explains the symptoms covered by this remedy:

TABACUM
Common name: Tobacco

The symptomatology of Tabacum is exceedingly well marked. The nausea, giddiness, death-like pallor, vomiting, icy coldness, and sweat, with the intermittent pulse, are all most characteristic. Has marked antiseptic qualities, antidotal to cholera germs. Complete prostration of the entire muscular system. Collapse. Gastralgia, enteralgia, seasickness, cholera infantum; cold, but wants abdomen uncovered. Vigorous peristaltic activity diarrhœa. Produces high tension and arteriosclerosis of the coronary arteries. Should prove the most homeopathic drug for angina pectoris, with coronaritis and high tension (Cartier). Constriction of throat, chest, bladder, rectum. Pallor, breathlessness, hard-cordlike pulse.

Mind: Sensation of excessive wretchedness. Very despondent. Forgetful. Discontented.

Head: Vertigo on opening eyes; sick headache, with deathly nausea; periodical. Tight feeling as from a band. Sudden pain, as if struck by a hammer. Nervous deafness. Secretion from eyes, nose and mouth increased.

Eyes: Dim sight; sees as through a veil; strabismus. Amaurosis; muscæ volitantes. Central scotoma. Rapid blindness without lesion, followed by venous hyperæmia and atrophy of optic nerve.

Face: Pale, blue, pinched, sunken, collapsed, covered with cold sweat (Ars; Verat). Freckles.

Throat: Nasopharyngitis and tracheitis, hemming, morning cough, sometimes with vomiting. Hoarseness of public speakers.

Stomach: Incessant nausea; worse, smell of tobacco smoke (Phos); vomiting on least motion, sometimes of fecal matter, during pregnancy with much spitting. Seasickness; terrible faint, sinking feeling at pit of stomach. Sense of relaxation of stomach, with nausea (Ipec). Gastralgia; pain from cardiac end extending to left arm.

Abdomen: Cold. Wants abdomen uncovered. It lessens the nausea and vomiting. Painful distension. Incarcerated hernia.

Rectum: Constipation; rectum paralyzed, prolapsed. Diarrhœa, sudden, watery, with nausea and vomiting, prostration, and cold sweat; discharges look like sour milk, thick, curdled, watery. Rectal tenesmus.

Urinary: Renal colic; violent pain along ureter, left side.

Heart: Palpitation when lying on left side. Pulse intermits, feeble, imperceptible. Angina pectoris, pain in præcordial region. Pain radiates from center of sternum. Tachycardia. Bradycardia. Acute dilatation caused by shock or violent physical exertion (Royal).

Respiratory: Difficult, violent constriction of chest. Præcordial oppression, with palpitation and pain between shoulders. Cough followed by hiccough. Cough dry, teasing, must take a swallow of cold water (Caust; Phos). Dyspnœa, with tingling down left arm when lying on left side.

Extremities: Legs and hands icy cold; limbs tremble. Paralysis following apoplexy (Plumb). Gait shuffling, unsteady. Feebleness of arms.

Sleep: Insomnia with dilated heart, with cold, clammy skin and anxiety.

Fever: Chills, with cold sweat.

Modalities: Worse, opening eyes; evening; extremes of heat and cold. Better, uncovering, open fresh air.

Relationship: Compare: Hydrobromic acid; Camph; Verat; Ars. Compare: Nicotinum (Alternate tonic and clonic spasms, followed by general relaxation and trembling; nausea, cold sweat, and speedy collapse; head drawn back, contraction of eyelids and masseter muscles; muscles of neck and back rigid; hissing respiration from spasm of laryngeal and bronchial muscles).

Antidotes: Vinegar; sour apples. Camphor in the physiological antagonist. Ars (chewing tobacco); Ign; (smoking); Sep (neuralgia and dyspepsia); Lycop (impotency); Nux (bad taste due to tobacco); Calad and Plantag (cause aversion to tobacco); Phosph (tobacco heart, sexual weakness).