Cactus grandiflorus

Cactus grandiflorus
(night-blooming cereus)
* Acts on circular muscular fibers, hence constrictions.
* It is the heart and arteries especially that at once respond to the influence of Cactus,
producing very characteristic constrictions as of an iron band.
* This sensation is found in various places, oesophagus, bladder, etc.
* The mental symptoms produced correspond to thosefound when there are heart affections,
sadness, and melancholy.
* Haemorrhage, constrictions, periodicity, and spasmodic pains.
* Whole body feels as if caged, each wire being twisted tighter.
* Atheromatous arteries and weak heart.
* Congestions; irregular distribution of blood.
* Favors formation of clots speedily.
* Great periodicity.
* Toxic goitre with cardiac symptoms.
* Cactus is pulseless, panting and prostrated.
Mind
- Melancholy, taciturn, sad, ill-humored.
- Fear of death.
- Screams with pain.
- Anxiety.
Head
- Headache if obliged to pass dinner hour. [Ars.; Lach.; Lyc.]
- Sensation as of a weight on vertex.
- Right-sided pulsating pain.
- Congestive headaches, periodical, threatening apoplexy.
- Blood-vessels to the head distended.
- Feels as if head were compressed in a vise.
- Pulsation in ears.
- Dim sight.
- Right sided prosopalgia, constricting pains, returns at same hour daily. [Cedron.]
Nose
- Profuse bleeding from nose.
- Fluent coryza.
Throat
- Constriction of oesophagus.
- Dryness of tongue, as if burnt; needs much liquid to get food down.
- Suffocative constriction at throat, with full, throbbing carotids in angina pectoris.
Stomach
- Constriction, pulsation, or heaviness in stomach.
- Vomiting of blood.
Stool
- Hard, black stools.
- Diarrhoea in morning.
- Haemorrhoids swollen and painful.
- Sensation of great weight in anus.
- Haemorrhage from bowels in malarial fevers and with heart symptoms.
Urine
- Constriction of neck of bladder, causing retention of urine.
- Haemorrhage from bladder.
- Clots of blood in urethra.
- Constant urination.
Female
- Constriction in uterine region and ovaries.
- Dysmenorrhoea; pulsating pain in uterus and ovaries.
- Vaginismus.
- Menses early, dark, pitch-like. [Cocc.; Mag.c. ]
- ; cease on lying down, with heart symptoms.
Chest
- Oppressed breathing as from a weight on chest.
- Constriction in chest, as if bound, hindering respiration.
- Inflammation of diaphragm.
- Heart-constriction, as from an iron band.
- Angina pectoris.
- Palpitation; pain shooting down left arm.
- Haemoptysis, with convulsive, spasmodic cough.
- Diaphragmitis, with great difficulty of breathing.
Heart
- Endocarditis with mitral insufficiency together with violent and rapid action.
- Acts best in the incipiency of cardiac incompetence.
- Heart weakness of arterio-sclerosis.
- Tobacco heart.
- Violent palpitation; worse lying on left side, at approach of menses.
- Angina pectoris, with suffocation, cold sweat, and ever-present iron band feeling.
- Pain in apex, shooting down left arm.
- Palpitation, with vertigo; dyspnoea, flatulence.
- Constriction; very acute pains and stitches in heart; pulse feeble, irregular, quick, without
strength.
- Endocardial murmurs, excessive impulse, increased praecordial dullness, enlarged ventricle.
- Low blood pressure.
Extremities
- Oedema of hands and feet.
- Hands soft; feet enlarged.
- Numbness of left arm.
- Icy-cold hands.
- Restless legs.
Sleep
- Sleepless on account of pulsation in different parts of body.
- Frightful dreams.
Fever
- Fever every day at same hour.
- Coldness in back and icy-cold hands.
- Intermittent; paroxysms about midday (11 a.m. )incomplete in their stages, accompanied
by haemorrhages.
- Coldness predominates; cold sweat, with great anguish.
- Persistent subnormal temperature.
Modalities
- Worse, about noon, lying on left side; walking, going upstairs, 11 a.m. and 11 p.m.
- Better, open air.
Relationship
- Antidotes : Acon.; Camph.; China.
- Compare : Digital.; Spigel.; Convallar.; Kalmia;Naja; Magnol.
Dose
- Tincture (best made from flowers), to third attenuation.
- Higher in nervous palpitation.