Understanding Gelsemium semp.

Dr. Claudio C. Araujo, M.D. F.F. Hom. (Lon.) et al.

What are Gelsemium’s first impressions coming from the world and from himself?

We know, from reading the MM symptoms, that there is mainly just one strong and single tendency: muscular weakness, drowsiness, paralysis and disinclination to any sort of exertion, physical and mental.

Is there any relationship between mental and physical symptoms, due to Gelsemium’s own way to perceive himself and the world?

We believe that there is. And it is present in a combination of two groups of symptoms, the first one related to his own way of feeling his “weak” body:

 (…) it was as if the whole left side from the neck along the chest, trunk, and thigh, as far as the knee were a kind of soft muscle, spasmodically jerking up and down, somewhat with the elasticity of a mass of jelly; this motion extended deep into the interior of the chest, and the center of this motion seemed to be in the region of the heart; it was, indeed, one great motion which concerned the whole left side as a mass, with the exception of the head and foot; this whole half of the body seemed to me to be going up and down, while the right side of the back, on which I lay, was quiet; I wondered in my mind at this turmoil going on in my body, but was unable to stir; when I wake up from this condition, I was well aware of what had happened, and found myself quietly lying on the same spot where I had fallen asleep, and the pulse, with everything else, was quiet; I certainly had not moved, and all, then, was my imagination; (…)

Fears that unless constantly on move, her heart will cease beating, with fear of death.

After a violent fit of anger and a quick run, the beating of the heart omits every tenth beat; with the intermission he feels faint, sinks backwards, feels as if he would die, without fear. 

His muscles are made from jelly. He has this very striking sensation along many symptoms, and there is this tendency to focus his muscular weakness towards his heart. How can someone face the struggle for survival with a weak and gelatinous heart? It seems to him that he will not make it, he’s afraid and easily frightened.

Solicitude about the present and the future.

Fear of death; has no courage. 

Great lack of courage. 

Nervous dread of appearing in public; singers and speakers.

Nervous chills, with shivering and chattering of teeth, depending upon some irritation of nerves of motion, in very sensitive subjects; from fear or fright; they often attend relaxation of os uteri in labor, or occur after labor has just been completed.

Even his fears from thunderstorms, through a close look, are related to fright, to something that had happened before, some sort of shock and fear from a past traumatically experience.

Great distress and apprehensive feeling at approach of thunderstorm, after having seen a house struck by lightning in a previous storm. 

Combined with his impression of muscular weakness there’s this sensation of mistiness in his brain:

The sensorial modification consisted of a mistiness within the brain, not much affecting the lucidity of thought, but somewhat confusing the perceptions, so that I experienced some difficulty in attending to the physical details connected with my practice, [12].

Unconnected ideas, cannot follow any idea for any length of time; if he attempts to think consecutively, he is attacked by a painful, vacant feeling of the mind. θ Yellow fever. 


Mental exertions cause a sense of helplessness from brain-weakness; inability to attend to anything requiring thought. 

Severe pains in abdomen, which run directly upward, or backward and upward; feeling as if muscular power was weakened, which arises from a weakness of will power. θ False labor pains.

It must be pointed out that his cleanness of though is preserved. This mistiness is described as “confused perceptions” but other symptoms confirmed that his thoughts are kept undisturbed.

In a case of long-standing diarrhea, child fell without power to raise her arms or legs, mind, however, remained bright and clear. 

She seemed to know all that was going on; described her symptoms,. 

Symptoms lasted several hours, but all the while I retained a clear state of mental activity, 

During pregnancy: dimness of sight; double vision, headache, drowsiness, vertigo, pulsating carotids, small, slow pulse; cannot walk, for muscles will not obey the will; cramps in abdomen and legs; convulsions, with complete unconsciousness. 

We have this combination arising from the two groups of symptoms: his own perception of muscular weakness, that his muscles don’t obey his will, associated with this mistiness of perceptions. How can someone walk in this world weak and confused? As if he was involved in a mist, with no power to defend himself, to fight for his life, to even extend his arms to reach for food?

We can now understand all those fears attributed to Gels. Most of them are not described in the proving but are present in our repertories. 

Is important to understand why he is afraid. Otherwise, we will miss the point, fear will be just one more symptom in the patient’s case that should be taken to the repertory. What must be considered, in a final analysis, is why he is afraid.

And we know now that he feels himself weak at the heart and his perceptions are in a mist.

How can he walk on earth and made his own judgments, choose between the options? How can he face his quests, or the general audience and the school exams? He believes that he has no physical resources and that his brain in involved in a cloud.

Unconnected ideas, cannot follow any idea for any length of time; if he attempts to think consecutively, he is attacked by a painful, vacant feeling of the mind. θ Yellow fever. 

Confusion of mind,

Inability to concentrate the mind, 

Found it to affect the power of concentration very materially; I could not fix my mind on the contents of a newspaper, although the matter was of an exciting character; I could not pursue one train of thought for any time, the ideas would vanish and leave a vacancy of mind which was quite annoying,

Dullness of all the mental faculties. 

For several days, rather dull and stupid, with disinclination to conversation, which was remarked by friends, who knew nothing of my taking medicine (fifth day), 

From dullness and incapacity of reasoning, then comes drowsiness and many of his neurological symptoms. One follows the other and now we have someone given us many known diseases that are related to alterations of our nervous system, considering the brain itself.

We can extend our analysis as far as Gelsemium’s sexual life goes. We can imagine someone afraid of his physical performance as a male towards a woman. And then comes onanism and all the sexual exhaustion that comes altogether, those cases found in Hering’s MM, belonging both to male and female subjects.

 

Grups em Gelsemium semp.

Hahnemann, Allen & Hering & Kent

Dr. Claudio C. Araujo M.D. F.F. Hom. (Lon.)

Humor

General vivacity after rising (second morning),

In one case (it is not said at what stage), great and almost uncontrollable mirthfulness, 

Nervous excitement of hysterical patients. 

Loquacity; brilliant eyes; shooting through temples and nasal sinuses; fever. 

Anxiety; incoherency of thought, aversion to study. 

Anxiety.

Desires to be let alone; irritable, sensitive. 

Great irritability does not wish to be spoken to. 

Nervous, irritable, easily angered. 

 Irritable, impatient, [5]. 

Excessive irritability of mind and body; vascular excitement. 

Great irritability, does not wish to be spoken to. 

Nervous, irritable, easily angered. 

Depression of spirits; anxiety following a somewhat cheerful, careless mood. 

There was at first a cheerful, careless morale, afterwards depression of spirits, [12].

Great depression of spirits in onanists, with confusion of mind and excessive languor. Melancholy and desponding mood. 

Depression of spirits, with dull, uncertain pains in the head, in the afternoon (fourth day)

Depression of spirits, [11]. 

Melancholy, desponding mood (first day); worse (third day), [1]. 

Gloomy and disinclined to exertion of any kind, [3]. 

Hypochondriac mood all day, dull, stupid (fourteenth day), [2]. 

Paroxysms of frenzy; eyes red, protruding and ghastly, hair dishevelled and wild demeanor; talking and singing alternately; hands, feet and head alternately hot and cold; tongue much coated; constipation; appetite capricious. θ Acute mania after melancholia. 

Very restless during night, especially towards morning; unpleasant dreams after midnight. 

Very restless night (first night), 

Very restless during the night, especially towards morning (forty-third night),

 Had a very restless night, with unpleasant dreams after midnight (first night), [2].

Nervous chills in very sensitive subjects. 

With Oneself

Paralysis or debility of lungs of nervous origin. 


Hysteria

Pain from occiput through to forehead, as if a knife were thrust through; pain across root of nose; pain in eyes as if they were jumping out of head; pain through chest below heart, from left side to right: complete blindness. θ Hysteria, from grief. Hysterical women, with spasms; feeling as of a lump in throat which cannot be swallowed; general numbness of extremities. 

Hysteria, with spasms, palpitation of heart, great nervous excitability, a copious flow of nervous urine.

Hysterical convulsions, with spasms of glottis; hysterical epilepsy; excessive irritability of mind and body, with vascular excitement; semi-stupor, with languor and prostration; nervous headache, commencing in neck and spreading over whole head; migraine; dysmenorrhea of a neuralgic or spasmodic character. 

Hysterical epilepsy, after suppressed menses, lasting an hour or two; so severe was the spasm of glottis that asphyxia seemed inevitable. 

Hysterical condition in plethoric subjects. 

Sudden hysterical spasms. 

Sudden sensation of suffocation, as in hysteria; respiration almost imperceptible; sighing respiration. 

Convulsive, spasmodic cough, especially in hysterical women; irritative cough without expectoration. 

Mental exertions cause a sense of helplessness from brain-weakness; inability to attend to anything requiring thought. 

Fear

Fears that unless constantly on move, her heart will cease beating, with fear of death.

Overpowering fear, with fatigue; tendency to diarrhea; exhaustion, drowsiness; anxious, unconscious muttering; pale and languid face; aching in back and limbs; fear of injury. θ Traumatic shock. 

Starts up screaming. 

Night terrors, on account of his nose being stopped up and dry. 

Could not get asleep for a long time; on falling asleep, a sort of nightmare awoke me again, so that no sleep came; at last it was like falling asleep, when a second time a kind of nightmare came on, never experienced before; it was as if the whole left side from the neck along the chest, trunk, and thigh, as far as the knee were a kind of soft muscle, spasmodically jerking up and down, somewhat with the elasticity of a mass of jelly; this motion extended deep into the interior of the chest, and the center of this motion seemed to be in the region of the heart; it was, indeed, one great motion which concerned the whole left side as a mass, with the exception of the head and foot; this whole half of the body seemed to me to be going up and down, while the right side of the back, on which I lay, was quiet; I wondered in my mind at this turmoil going on in my body, but was unable to stir; when I wake up from this condition, I was well aware of what had happened, and found myself quietly lying on the same spot where I had fallen asleep, and the pulse, with everything else, was quiet; I certainly had not moved, and all, then, was my imagination; I only felt a drawing pain in the lower third of my left thigh, which was repeated the next day,.

Solicitude about the present and the future. 

Fear of death; has no courage. 

Great lack of courage. 

Nervous dread of appearing in public; singers and speakers.

Nervous chills, with shivering and chattering of teeth, depending upon some irritation of nerves of motion, in very sensitive subjects; from fear or fright; they often attend relaxation of os uteri in labor, or occur after labor has just been completed.

After a violent fit of anger and a quick run, the beating of the heart omits every tenth beat; with the intermission he feels faint, sinks backwards, feels as if he would die, without fear. 

Effects from grief

After losing son, inclined to brood over her loss; at times becomes unconscious, or, rather, "rapt", in imagination thinks herself at the grave; smothered pressure on chest after the spell. 

Effects of grief; cannot cry; < when thinking of his symptoms, also when spoken to of his loss; > from diverting talk; oppression and palpitation of heart; feels a sense of peril; face flushed; sleeplessness; subdued manner; sensation of soreness about heart.

Oppression and palpitation of heart, < when thinking of it, or when spoken to of his loss; sensation of soreness about heart. θ Effects of grief.

Bad news

Every exciting news causes diarrhea, bad effects from fright and fear. 

Bad effects from suddenly hearing bad news; from fright; diarrhea, abortion, etc. 

Complaints: from exciting or bad news; sudden emotions; the anticipation of any unusual ordeal; general depression from heat of sun or summer. 

She seemed to know all that was going on; described her symptoms. 

Symptoms lasted several hours, but all the while I retained a clear state of mental activity. 

With the others

A convulsion every fifteen minutes, lasting from one to ten minutes; during intervals rational, knew every one but her child; did not know she had been confined, and when questioned, insisted angrily to the contrary; would have every one in the house with her; rather disposed to expose herself; very anxious to know what was the matter with her; burning heat in head with flushed face; palms of hands very hot, bathing them in cold water somewhat modified a convulsion; would cry if not talked to constantly; could not endure gaslight. θ Puerperal convulsions. 

Desires to be quiet, does not wish to speak, nor have any one near her for company, even if the person be silent. 

Desires to be let alone; irritable, sensitive. 

Violent pains in limbs, back and head; wants to be quiet and let alone; does not want to talk or have persons about her in the room. θ Febrile conditions. 

Nervous chill yet skin is warm; wants to be held that she may not shake so. 

With the environment

Great distress and apprehensive feeling at approach of thunderstorm, after having seen a house struck by lightning in a previous storm. 

A nervous young lady, uneasy before a thunderstorm, set up a terrific scream after a heavy thunderbolt, and continued it without cessation in spite of all efforts to quiet her. 

MALE SEXUALITY

Sexual organs irritable, weak; involuntary emissions without erections; spermatorrhœa; emissions of semen during stool. 

Seminal emissions from excessive irritation of organs of generation, either from emotional or local congestive causes, with a condition similar to satyriasis. 

Involuntary emissions of semen without an erection. 

Seminal weakness from irritability of seminal vesicles. 

Spermatorrhœa from relaxation and debility. 

Flaccidity and coldness of genitals, with great languor and depression of spirits; nocturnal emissions, with sexual dreams, followed next day by great languor and irritability, with pain in base of brain. 

Excitable sexual desire; depression of spirits; heavy dragging gait; pale face, sunken eyes. θ Spermatorrhœa. 

Blue rings around eyes; discharge of liquor seminis with micturition; during coition too early discharge of semen. 

In connection with the general prostration, accompanied by diuresis, there was always much flaccidity, with coldness of the genital organs. 

Emission of semen without erection (twelfth night) 

Onanism

Sexual power completely exhausted, so that most powerful stimuli fail to cause an erection; after marriage, slightest caress produced an emission; face pale and emaciated, dark circles around eyes; mind weak, memory defective, haunted by thoughts of suicide; emission while straining at stool; penis flaccid; both testicles had become small. θ Spermatorrhœa due to onanism. 

FEMALE SEXUALITY

Sensation of heaviness in uterine region, with increase of white leucorrhea discharge; nervous, excitable, hysterical females, given to masturbation, with great depression of spirits and excessive languor; feeling of fullness in hypogastrium, and aching across sacrum. 

Vaginismus of purely nervous character with uterine irritation.

White leucorrhea with fullness in uterine region, in nervous, excitable, hysterical females, old maids and students. 

PREGNANCY. PARTURITION. LACTATION

During pregnancy: dimness of sight; double vision, headache, drowsiness, vertigo, pulsating carotids, small, slow pulse; cannot walk, for muscles will not obey the will; cramps in abdomen and legs; convulsions, with complete unconsciousness. 

Threatened abortion from sudden depressing emotions. 

Severe vomiting; pain in uterus; severe pain across small of back, and a burning pain up the spine to head, which ached; confused feeling in head affecting mental operations. θ Threatened abortion from fright. 

False pains

False pains before parturition. 

Severe pains in abdomen, which run directly upward, or backward and upward; feeling as if muscular power was weakened, which arises from a weakness of will power. θ False labor pains. 

False labor pain, so severe as to interrupt true pains which seems utterly inefficient; sometimes cramping pain in various parts of abdomen; os rounded and hard, and feels as if it would not dilate. 

Cutting pains in abdomen from before backward and upward, rendering labor pain useless; these come on with every pain, are very distressing, and may be felt throughout body.

Nervous chills, "chatters", in first stage of labor. 

With every pain child seems to ascend instead of descend. 

Pains leave uterus and fly all over body. 

Sensation like a wave, from uterus to throat, ending with a choking feeling; this seems to impede labor; impending spasms. 

Hysterical women, with rigid unyielding os during labor, attended with much nervous excitement. 

Albumen in urine during pregnancy; at beginning of labor patient sank into a semi-stupid state, out of which she could be aroused by shaking, but would soon relapse; if an answer could be forced from her, it was spoken with a thick tongue like one intoxicated; no labor pains, but os dilated and membranes protruding; face pinkish as if uniformly flushed; pulse slow, full. 

Threatened convulsions during confinement; pulse large and soft; face puffed and expression heavy. 

Convulsions (apoplectic form) during labor. 

Childhood

In a case of long-standing diarrhea, child fell down without power to raise her arms or legs, mind, however, remained bright and clear. 

Infantile paralysis, complete relaxation of whole muscular system, with enteric motor paralysis; giddiness and faintness, with pain in neck; great drowsiness; loss of sight; muscles weak and will not obey the will, feel bruised; tingling, pricking, crawling; limbs cold; locomotor ataxia; paraplegia, unsteady gait; trembling of hands when lifting them up; mental exertions cause a sense of helplessness from brain weakness; no loss of sensation.

Stupor in beginning of fevers; especially with children. 

Irritable, sensitive children, sometimes wakeful; nervous, even threatened with convulsions, or drowsy; eyelids heavy; want to remain perfectly quiet; chills up and down back; followed by fever, with increased drowsiness; pulse full, soft; sweat moderate, with relief. 

Sleeplessness during dentition. 

Fevers of children during dentition. 

Child frantic at times, especially when gums are examined. 

Dentition; child frantic, awakens with fierce and sudden screams; face deep red; fontanelle pulsates too strongly; pain about ear.

Work

Very little inclination to go to sleep, and when it does come on, he dreams much about business, etc., [3]. 

Dreams of working and of many people (first, second, and third nights), [7]. 

Many dreams of hard work (seventh night), [7]. 

Intellectual

She seemed to know all that was going on; described her symptoms, [19]. 

Symptoms lasted several hours, but all the while I retained a clear state of mental activity, [16]. 

Dullness

Dullness of all the mental faculties, [5]. 

For several days, rather dull and stupid, with disinclination to conversation, which was remarked by friends, who knew nothing of my taking medicine (fifth day), [2]. 

Very dull and stupid, with aversion to study (fourth day), [2].

 Dullness of mind, alleviated on profuse emission of watery urine, [10]. 

Incapacity to think or fix the attention, [5]. 

Dullness of all the mental faculties. 

Dullness of mind, > after profuse emission of watery urine. 

Incapacity to think or fix the attention. 

Mind listless and incapable of reflection, as after ague, with a not severe, dull headache all day, and digging in the right ear all the afternoon (seventh day), [6]. 

The sensorial modification consisted of a mistiness within the brain, not much affecting the lucidity of thought, but somewhat confusing the perceptions, so that I experienced some difficulty in attending to the physical details connected with my practice,

Inability to concentrate the mind,

Found it to affect the power of concentration very materially; I could not fix my mind on the contents of a newspaper, although the matter was of an exciting character; I could not pursue one train of thought for any time, the ideas would vanish and leave a vacancy of mind which was quite annoying,

Unconnected ideas, cannot follow up any idea; painful vacant feeling in mind on attempting to think; giddiness with loss of sight; indistinctness of vision, or double vision; fullness of head, with heat in face, and cold feet; pain in back of neck; heavy, dull expression of countenance and yellow face, or nausea and paleness; sticky feeling in mouth; fetid breath; tongue whitish or yellow; dryness and burning in throat; sour eructation; pulse frequent, full, but soft; as soon as he goes to sleep, is oblivious. θ Yellow fever.

Unconnected ideas cannot follow any idea for any length of time; if he attempts to think consecutively, he is attacked by a painful, vacant feeling of the mind. θ Yellow fever. 

Confusion of mind, [5]. 

Incoherency of thought, [11]. 

Stupid, intoxicated feeling, [5]. 

Mental exertions cause a sense of helplessness from brain-weakness; inability to attend to anything requiring thought. 

Neurological

Unconsciousness, [29]. 

He threw himself upon the floor and soon became unconscious (after half an hour), [28].

Totally unconscious, [23], [26]. 

Totally unconscious, and could not be aroused (after three hours)

Cataleptic immobility, with dilated pupils, closed eyes, but conscious. 

Stupid, comatose condition attending typhoid fever. 

Unconsciousness.

After losing son, inclined to brood over her loss; at times becomes unconscious, or, rather, "rapt", in imagination thinks herself at the grave; smothered pressure on chest after the spell. 

Coma and apoplexy, sub-arachnoid, arising from passive congestion with nervous exhaustion.

Torpor, sleepiness, and dread of movement. 

Stupor, cannot open the eyes. 

Delirium in sleep, half waking, with incoherent talk. 

Sensation of intoxication with diarrhea. 

Confusion: when attempting to move, the muscles refuse to obey the will; head giddy. 

Convulsions

Jactitation of muscles. 

Convulsions from reflex irritation; spasms of one leg. 

To prevent convulsions, before development of eruptive disorders. 

Puerperal spasms, preceded by great lassitude, dull feeling in forehead and vertex, fullness in region of medulla; head feels "big," heavy, with half stupid look; face deep red; speech thick; pulse slow, full; from protracted labor; rigid os uteri; albuminuria. 

Epilepsy of ten years' standing, preceded by dull feeling in head and vertex, and some pain and fullness in region of medulla oblongata. 

Epileptiform convulsions after suppressed menses, with severe spasm of glottis. 

Tetanic spasms: jaws locked.

Hydrophobia.

Acute, sudden, darting pains, evidently along single nerve branches, in almost any part of body or limbs, sometimes so sudden and acute as to cause starting. 


Neuralgia; shooting, tearing along tracks of nerves, especially if < by changes in weather. 

Neuralgia; absence of organic lesion, with indistinct or double periodicity.

Paralytic symptoms throughout entire muscular system.

Paralytic symptoms in throat, in limbs; spasms from reflex irritation; cataleptic immobility, with dilated pupils, closed eyes, but consciousness.

Delirium in sleep, half waking, with incoherent talk; delirium as soon as he falls asleep. 

Weakness

Listless and languid. 

Great lassitude; general fatigue. 

Feeling of relaxation of whole body, especially of hands and feet, with indisposition to move. 

Becomes easily tired and exhausted; especially lower limbs. 

Curious sensation of falling. θ Ague. 

Weakness and trembling through whole system. 

Great weakness, with paleness of face, nausea, and trembling of lower extremities. Tremulousness with profuse urination. 

Intense prostration of whole muscular system. 

Great feebleness; complete loss of muscular power. 

Complete relaxation and prostration of whole muscular system, with entire motor paralysis. 

Paralysis of motion; muscles will not obey will; feel bruised; tingling, pricking, crawling. 

Muscles lose power to contract at will of patient, without loss of sensation or slightest change in temperature. 

Numbness and coldness of right hand, right side of face, and right half of tongue; speech thick as if drunk. 

Insulation; feels "played out;" hot, damp, stifling weather. 

(Isolado; se sente jogado fora; clima sufocante, úmido, quente)

Coup de soleil.

Periodic aphonia; loss of voice only during menses. 

Suddenly an inability to raise eyelid which increased until eye was completely closed. 

Drowsiness

Languor and drowsiness when trying to study. 

Peculiar stupor or sleepiness in students, or persons of sedentary life, especially in hot weather. 

Disposition to sleep, a sort of stupor. 

Drowsiness and long, sound sleep. 

Unusually sound morning sleep, with difficult, weary waking. 

Drowsy; dim sight; a kind of drunken stupor. 

Cannot get to sleep on going to bed at night, on account of thinking, which she cannot control. 

Languid, drowsy, but cannot compose mind for sleep. 

Disposition to yawn; a sort of stupor; cannot keep the eyes open; is obliged to lie down and sleep, [5]. 

Drowsiness in the forenoon, [9]. 

Drowsiness, with dimness of vision; a kind of drunken stupor, [11]. 

At first it seemed to cause drowsiness, afterwards aggravated the habitual sleeplessness, [12]. 

Slightly drowsy (half an hour after first dose); increasing (forty minutes after third dose), [34]. 

Sleepiness, like a lethargy, came on after 2 P.M., lasting all the afternoon and evening (seventh day), 

 Inclined to sleep, with deep respiration and numbness of the whole body, [24]. 

Sleeplessness from nervous irritation. 

Sleeplessness; a wide-awake feeling. 

Wakeful or lies in a half awake state, incoherent talk. 

Sleepless from violent itching of face, head and shoulders; also from exhaustion.