Application Homoeopathic remedy menyanthes trifoliata in clinical practice

Dr Natarajan M

ABSTRACT:  In the era, where the world is moving so fast, the arrival and evolution of newer diseases is not unexpected. The modern science emphasis much on research to find different remedial measures for treatment of such presently existing diseases and prevention of such diseases, which has surely not adequately matched the need for the hour, for curing or palliating the disease, which has surely made the population to look towards homeopathy as a best alternative and it is now the time for the homeopaths to explore himself within his subject of interest  and be aware of  even least of even lesser known medicines to enable himself and empower himself in the service of treating the mankind.

Introduction:
Menyanthes trifoliata is a medicine prepared from buck bean, which is also called bitterklee of natural order gentianaceae. It is a water plant, abounding in fen districts mostly seen in America, Europe  and was used successfully in treating ague fever next to cinchona.  The flowers bloom in the month of May and June and are rose colored or white colour.

Preparation: Tincture is prepared from fresh plants just coming in to the bloom.  

Clinical: It is clinically indicated in treating headaches, chest pain, angina, intermittent fevers.

Literature: The first literature to include this medicine is Materia Medica pura, vol 5, page 15. 

Mind: Anxiety as if something evil or bad would happen, indifference to everything, taciturn and excessive gaiety.

Head: Constant heaviness of head with painful dullness of head, compressive headache in vertex > pressure on vertex, pressive stupefying headache < ascending steps, sensation of weight pressed upon brain with every step. Tensive headaches (J.H.CLARKE). 

Eyes: everything blanking out sensation with cloudiness and spasmodic stiffness of eyelids and pressing in eyes .

Ears: stitches with feeling of coldness in ears with cracking of ears during mastication 

Nose: Nauseous smell before nose, like that of rotten eggs, tension in the root of nose. 

Face: redness and heat of face with flushing and twitching of muscles of face and eyelids.

Mouth and throat: sensation of paralysis of left side of palate, when yawning with dryness and roughness of palate which impede deglutition of saliva.

Stomach: desire of meat with contractive cramps in stomach and continual rumbling in stomach with coldness up the esophagus.

Stool and anus: constipation with hard stools and pinching in abdomen and bleeding haemorrhoidal tendencies 

Male sexual organs: increase of sexual desire, without excitement of imagination with testicles drawn up and spermatic cord painful to touch.

Respiratory organs: Hoarseness while speaking and rough with obstruction of ears, dyspnoea and spasmodic contraction of larynx when drawing breath.

Heart: stitches in the region of heart with anxiety about heart region as if evil was impending < after eating 

Upper extremities: rigidity and heaviness in muscles of back and neck, troublesome contusive pain in loins when seated, extremely painful tearing between scapulae extending downwards on breathing and immediately returning on walking 

Lower extremities: icy coldness of hands and feet with cramp like pain and legs jerk and twitch > when standing or when drawing up leg.

Sleep: agitated sleep, with vivid unremembered dreams 

Fever : Pulse slow during cold stage and accelerated during fever with icy coldness of hands and fever , chill > by heat of stove remaining in back – intermittent fever with coldness in abdomen , heat in evening mostly on head , with cold feet and perspiration in evening as soon as he lies down , all night .

Modalities: worse rest, ascending stairs better: pressure on affected part .

Antidotes : bad effects of  quinine 

Relationship: compare: caps, puls, calc, phos ac, sang.

Case: (opd no: 154/18)
A 41 year old female visited our thumbay peripheral opd on 25/03/2018 with the complaints of headache of pressing type in the frontal region and more heaviness in the vertex region with binding sensation on head since 06 months. There was no nausea or vomiting. On further enquiry, she said the headache was more on thinking about her son who was irresponsible and her husband who was a drunkard and never went to work properly and because of which there was little financial distress in the family. 

Past history: malaria attack one year back, was admitted in an allopathic hospital.

Family history: mother 69 years old is asthmatic and she is on inhalers since 03 years.

Father: 74 years old,    hypertensive and on htn medications since 03 years. Brother: 01 younger brother 35 years old living healthy.

Menstrual history: flow : 03 days , normal flow  no clots, no abnormal discharges slight  back ache on first day   

  • Appetite: normal
  • Thirst: 2-3 litres of water, (larger at larger quantities)
  • Desires: nothing specific
  • Aversion: nothing specific 
  • Bowels: regular, once a day
  • Bladder habits: 3-4/times a day 
  • Perspiration: generalized
  • Sleep:  good, 09:30 pm to 05:30 am
  • Dreams: not remembering 
  • Thermals:  ambithermal 

Life space investigation:  Patient was born in a middle social economic class family; father was a business man and also a farmer who had 1.5 acres of land where he used to do farming. Patient has a brother who was 06 years younger to her and she used to go to school nearby her house, childhood was uneventful. 

Patient graduated up to BA (ARTS) in Mangalore university and was working in a small agency, she got married at the age of 25 years to a man who was literate and working as a clerk in a small company, it was a arranged marriage and marriage life was good and she is blessed with 02 children, 01 son and 01 daughter.

Patient says her life was good till her husband lost his job 03 years back because her husband’s colleague made false allegations against her husband to the boss and the boss started torturing her husband , which made her husband resign the job, later on her husband joined an another job with her friend’s recommendation which her husband is not doing properly as he started drinking heavily which has now led to financial burden on her, on other hand her son who is in degree (BA 1ST YEAR) is not going to college and telling the patient  that he wants to go to job to foreign as he is not interested in studies and asking patient for money.  

The symptoms taken in to consideration are:

  • Head – aching, frontal region 
  • Head ache – pressing type, frontal region 
  • Headache < mental exertion 
  • Headache <exerting physically 
  • Headache > rest
  • Headache at vertex region 
  • Thirst – increased for larger quantities at larger intervals 
  • Fear of financial ruin 
  • Insecurity 
  • Ailments from financial constraints.

Based on the above details, the case was interpreted as the patient was suffering because of financial constraints and insecurity due to husband’s behavior from skipping the job which again lead to fear of financial ruin and bryonia was thought to be the remedy   and bryonia 200 / 1p was prescribed on 25/03/2018 pt was asked to come after 15 days for follow up.

1st Follow up on 12/04/2018: 

No change in the SYMPTOMS 

Patient feels pressure upon the vertex which was better by pressing and pressure and binding type of headache ++, > rest and < mental exertion.

On close questioning, patient said she had malaria 08 months back, before which she never had this type of headaches.

Symptoms considered for medicine prescription:  

  • Headache –frontal region
  • Headache – pressing type
  • Headache – vertex region 
  • Headache > pressing, hard pressure 
  • Headache < ascending steps 
  • Headache – sensation of band in head > pressure, tight bandaging
  • Headache after abuse of quinine, 

Prescription:  Menyanthes trifoliata 200/1p

No 2 pills 4-0-4 for 02 weeks

Follow up 2: 

Patient feels 40 to 50 % better 

Pressing type of pain >>

Pressure on vertex >>

Headache on ascending stairs – not there     

Patient is able to do her work with more concentration and efficacy.

Prescription: 

Sl/1p

No 2 pills 4-0-4 for 02 weeks.  

Dr Natarajan M
PG Schoar Materia Medica
Father Muller Homeopathic Medical College Mangalore 

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