Bryonia Alba

Introduction of Bryonia Alba

Hi Friends, Now we describing Drug picture of Bryonia Alba

Common name :

• Wild hop, White bryony, Vitis alba

Family / Group / Class / Order :

• Vegetable kingdom, Cucurbitaceae family

Habit and habitat / Description :

• It is found in central and southern Europe. It is a perennial climbing herb with a fusiform, branched root, alternate leaves, bright green in colour.
• Flowers are small, greenish-yellow and appear in axillary racemes. They bloom in June and July.
• The berries are globular and black. (1)

Name of prover : 

• Dr Hahnemann in 1816 and reproved by the Austrian Society of Homoeopaths.

Introduction and history :

• It is a right sided, short acting, acute polychrest remedy.
• It is so important and useful, without which, as Dudgeon says; ‘We might indeed shut up our shops.’ It is a domestic medicine for the treatment of various kinds of ailments.
• The word Bryonia alba comes from a Latin word.
• Bryonia means ‘growing rapidly’. This remedy was mentioned by Dioscoroides and was introduced into homeopathic practice in 1816 by Dr Hahnemann. (1)

Active principles :

• It contains different alkaloids. The main alkaloid is ‘bryonin’ which is intensely bitter and amorphous with a dark brown resin, both having purgative properties. It also contains various fatty acids. (1)

Preparation & Parts used :

• • Mother tincture is prepared from fresh roots before the tree is in flowering condition. (1)

Constitution of Bryonia Alba

Physical make up :

• It is best suited to people who are tall, slender, dry, lean with dark hair, complexion and strong fleshy muscular fibers.
• The patient has a gouty tendency. (1)

Temperament :

• Choleric 3, Phlegmatic 2, Nervous 1 (7)

Diathesis :

• Rheumatic and gouty

Relation with heat & cold :

• Hot patient

Miasm :

• • Psora (1)

Clinical conditions of Bryonia Alba

In Homeopathy Bryonia Alba medicine use by Homeopathic Doctors in treatment of following Disease Conditions

• Appendicitis, Arthritis, Asthma, Bronchitis, Bursitis, Constipation, Coma, Diarrhoea, Epistaxis, Headache, Hepatitis, Influenza, Lumbago, Mastitis, Meningitis, Migraines, Pleurisy, Pneumonia, Sciatica, Tendonitis, Toothache, Vertigo. (2)

Sites of action / Pharmacodynamics

• Blood circulation, serous membranes, pleura, pericardium, brain, meninges, synovial membrane, peritoneum, nerves, muscles, right side, cellular tissues, liver, fibrous tissues and respiratory system. (1)

Causation (Causes / Ailments from)

• Mortification, anger, fright, chagrin, iced or cold drinks in hot weather, cold dry wind, draught, overeating, suppressed eruptions and discharges, alcohol, etc. (1)

Physiological action

• When applied to the skin, it causes blisters.
• When taken internally in poisonous doses, it causes gastrointestinal inflammation with profuse vomiting and uncontrollable diarrhoea, dilated pupils, reduced temperature, colic, collapse and death.
• In some cases, the serous membranes are inflamed and covered with an exudate.
• The lower portion of the lungs shows hepatization without bronchitis.
• The mucous membrane of the large bronchial tubes is irritated, resulting in cough with pain and distress in this region.
• The muscles are intensely irritated and congested. (1)

Patho-physiological changes / Pathogenesis

• It acts upon the mucous and serous membranes causing inflammation and dryness with lack of secretion.
• It acts on blood and circulation, increasing the flow and power of heart’s action.
• It acts on synovial membranes and viscera, producing an ache in every muscle.
• Delirium or drowsiness, worse at night. Desire to escape from bed, wants to go home although the patient is at home.
• Weakness of mind, ideas disappear; fainting at the time of rising from bed.
• Patient is very ill-humoured and morose without any cause, apprehension about the future.
• Obstinate and passionate; bad effects of violence and anger.
• Vertigo as though all objects were reeling. (1)

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (psychology) of Bryonia Alba

• Very irritable and ugly in behaviour.
• Determined
• Taciturn
• Delirium-wants to go home, thinking he is not there < night, constant motion of left leg and left hand.
• Talks of business. Fear of poverty.
• Wants to be let alone. Averse to being disturbed.
• Desire for things, which are rejected, when offered.
• Apprehension, dread of future.
• Despair of being cured, with fear of death.
• Children dislike to be carried or raised.
• Easily angered and irritated.
• Reserved. (2)

Guiding Symptoms of Bryonia Alba

1.Generalities 

• Sharp pains, often with a feeling of tension, (<) motion also touch.
• The pains, as a rule, while (<) motion, are (>) continued moderate pressure, but (<) sudden, hard pressure or jerking; there is also general relief from warmth, or warm applications.
• Pains nearly always sharp, sticking or tearing, sometimes bruised, or like suppurating, or like a stiffness.
• General weariness, especially in the morning, also on rising; (<)in the forenoon while walking, can scarcely drag himself about.
• Faintness on rising from bed, with cold perspiration.
• Besides this, The weakness is generally accompanied by easy perspiration from a little effort.
• Lastly; Symptoms are usually (>) rest in bed; are frequently worse in the evening.

2.Head 

• Vertigo, nausea, faintness on rising, confusion.
• BURSTING, SPLITTING HEADACHE, as if everything would be pressed out; as if hit by a hammer from within; wore from motion, stooping, opening eyes.
• Headache becomes seated in occiput.
• Drawing in bones towards zygoma.
• Headache; worse on motion, even of eyeballs. Generally, Frontal headache, frontal sinuses involved.

3.Eye 

• Pressing, crushing, aching pain. Glaucoma.
• Sore to touch also when moving them.

4.Ears 

• Aural vertigo. [Aur.; Nat. sal.; Sil.; Chin.]
• Roaring, buzzing.

5.Nose 

• FREQUENT BLEEDING OF NOSE WHEN MENSES SHOULD APPEAR. Also in the morning, relieving the headache.
• Coryza with shooting also aching in the forehead.
• Swelling of tip of nose, feels as if it would ulcerate when touched.

6.Face

• Red, hot, puffy, especially over the malar bones.
• Yellowish paleness. (Small nodules and indurations, like abortive boils, on the face.)
• Upper lips swollen, cracked, like erysipelas, bleeding. Crackling of the lower lip, also an eruption upon it.

7.Mouth 

• Jerking toothache, (>) warmth, also (>) lying on the painful side.
• The toothache is a sticking, tearing, sometimes temporarily (>) cold water, or on walking, in the open air.
• The gums are sore about the painful teeth.
• Tongue sometimes dry during fever, usually with a thick, white coat.
• Aphthae on the tip of the tongue. A general bitter taste.
• Salivation; at times soapy, frothy, rarely bloody.

8.Throat 

• Dryness, sticking on swallowing, scraped and constricted. [Bell.]
• Tough mucus in larynx also  trachea, loosened only after much hawking; additionally worse coming into warm room. 

9.Stomach 

• NAUSEA AND FAINTNESS WHEN RISING UP.
• Abnormal hunger, loss of taste.
• Thirst for large draughts. Vomiting of bile also water immediately after eating. Worse, warm drinks, which are vomited.
• STOMACH SENSITIVE TO TOUCH. PRESSURE IN STOMACH AFTER EATING, AS OF A STONE.
• Soreness in stomach when coughing.
• Dyspeptic ailments during summer heat. Sensitiveness of epigastrium to touch.

10.Abdomen 

• Liver region swollen, sore, tensive.
• Burning pain, STITCHES; WORSE, PRESSURE, COUGHING, BREATHING. Tenderness of abdominal walls.

11.Rectum & Anus 

• Diarrhoea, putrid, followed by burning in the anus and cutting in the abdomen.

12.Stool 

• Constipation; stools hard, dry, as if burnt; seem too large.
• Stools brown, thick, bloody; furthermore WORSE IN MORNING, FROM MOVING, in hot weather, after being heated, from cold drinks, every spell of hot weather.

13.Urinary Organ

• Red, brown, like beer; scanty, hot.

14.Sexual Organ 

Female:

• Menses too early, too profuse; worse from motion with tearing pains in legs; SUPPRESSED, WITH VICARIOUS DISCHARGE OR SPLITTING HEADACHE.
• Stitching pains in ovaries on taking a deep inspiration; very sensitive to touch. Additionally, Pain in right ovary as if torn, extending to thigh. [Lilium; Croc.] In detail,  Milk fever Pain in breasts at menstrual period.
• BREASTS HOT AND PAINFUL, HARD. Abscess of mammae. Besides this, Frequent bleeding of nose at appearance of menses.
• Menstrual irregularities, with gastric symptoms. Ovaritis.
• INTERMENSTRUAL PAIN, WITH GREAT ABDOMINAL ALSO PELVIC SORENESS. [Ham.].

15.Respiratory System 

• Soreness in larynx also trachea. Hoarseness; worse in open air. Furthermore, Dry, hacking cough from irritation in upper trachea.
• Cough, dry, at night; MUST SIT UP; WORSE AFTER EATING OR DRINKING, with vomiting, WITH STITCHES IN CHEST, also expectoration of rust- coloured sputa.
• Frequent desire to take a long breath; MUST expand lungs.
• Difficult, quick respiration; worse every movement; caused specifically by stitches in chest.
• Cough, with feeling as if chest would fly to pieces; presses his head on sternum; must support chest.
• Croupous also pleuro-pneumonia.
• Expectoration brick shade, tough, and falls like lumps of jelly. In detail, Tough mucus in trachea, loosened only with much hawking.
• COMING INTO WARM ROOM EXCITES COUGH. [Nat. carb.]
• Besides thus, Heaviness beneath the sternum extending towards the right shoulder.
• All in all, Cough worse by going into warm room. Stitches in cardiac region. Angina pectoris (use tincture).

16.Heart & Pulse 

• Palpitation, with Dyspnoea. Stitches. Pulse full, hard also rapid.

17.Neck & Back 

• Painful stiffness in nape of neck.
• STITCHES AND STIFFNESS IN SMALL OF BACK. From hard water also sudden changes of weather.

18.Extremities 

• Knees stiff also painful. Hot swelling of feet.
• JOINTS RED, SWOLLEN, HOT, with stitches and tearing; additionally, worse on least movement. Every spot is painful on pressure.
• Constant motion of left arm also leg. [Helleb.].

19.Skin 

• Yellow, pale, swollen, dropsical; hot also painful.
• HAIR VERY GREASY.

20.Sleep 

• Drowsy; starting when falling asleep.
• Delirium; busy with business matters and what he had read.

21.Fever 

• Pulse full, hard, tense, and quick.
• Chill with external coldness, dry cough, stitches. Internal heat.
• Sour sweat after slight exertion.
• Easy, profuse perspiration.
• Rheumatic and typhoid marked especially by gastro-hepatic complications. (3)(4)

Important characteristic features of Bryonia Alba

Keynotes / Redline symptoms

• Pains-stitching, tearing, < slightest motion, night, > absolute rest, pressure, lying on painful side.
• Excessive dryness of all the mucus membranes of entire body.
• Great thirst for large quantities of cold water at long intervals.
• Mammae-heavy, very painful, stony hard, hot < least motion > support.
• Dry spasmodic cough with stitching pain in chest > pressure.
• Headache- severe, bursting, heavy, fronto-occipital headaches < ironing, when constipated.
• Painful part pale, swollen, < least motion > rest, pressure, > hot fomentation. (2)

Guiding symptoms 

Dryness:

• Dryness everywhere; dryness of mucous membranes, especially of mouth, stomach and alimentary tract.
• Thirst: Excessive thirst, thirst for large quantities of water at along intervals, mouth is always dry.

Constipation:

• Excessive dryness of alimentary tract, rectum; thereby produces dry, hard also  knotty stool, as if burnt.

Right-sidedness:

• It is purely a right sided remedy. Symptoms always start on the right side and then go to the left side.

Hardness:

• Breasts are heavy, of stony hardness, additionally must support them with hand to prevent least motion which causes pain.

Swelling:

• Dropsical swellings, swelling of legs and abdomen, joints are red, swollen and stiff.

Fever:

• It is useful in almost all kinds of fever; for example, typhoid and remittent fevers, also intermittent fever with great thirst during chill.

Sluggishness:

• In acute conditions, complaints develop very slowly. Additionally, Delirium is mild, all complaints advance very slowly.

Rheumatic pains:

• Muscular rheumatism, muscles sore to touch, swollen, worse especially from least motion, with sticking, tearing pains.

Aversion:

• Aversion to rich and fatty foods, milk, greasy food also vegetables.

Desire:

• Desire for oysters, coffee, cold acid drinks, sweets, etc.

Vicarious menstruation:

• Nose bleed, haemoptysis or blood spitting instead of menses.

Metastasis:

• Of rheumatism to the eyes. In detail, Shooting pains through eyeballs into the back of head.

Headache:

• Bursting headache, soreness of distant parts. Heaviness in the head as if everything would be pressed out, worse form stooping also motion.

Hastiness:

• Hastiness in breathing, very rapid in typhoid conditions. Besides this, Drinks water hastily. Speech is hasty.

Diarrhoea: 

• Diarrhoea in hot weather, bilious, acrid with soreness of anus, stool like dirty water, of undigested food.

Cough:

•  Cough is dry, spasmodic with gagging also vomiting, with stitches in the side of the chest. (1)

PQRS symptoms:

• Business oriented, fear of poverty. Irritability, wants to be left alone.
• Averse to be disturbed.
• Affects the serous also mucous membranes.
• Worse specifically from slightest motion.
• Dryness
• Extremely thirsty for large quantities of water, at infrequent intervals.
• Tongue coated either white or yellowish-brown at center.
• Injury, trauma, sprains, fractures. (2)

 Confirmatory symptoms :

• Right sided complaints.
• Dryness of all mucous membranes.
• Stitching pains < slightest motion > rest, pressure, lying on painful side.
• Great thirst for large quantities of cold water.
• Constipation, no desire for a number of days, or dry, large, hard, as if burnt stools. (2)

 Nucleus symptoms :

• • Dry, spare, nervous slender persons, with dark complexion also hair, of irritable disposition and rheumatic tendency.
  • < Slightest movement > Rest, pressure, lying on affected side.
  • Swelling.
  • Stitching pains. (2)

Therapeutic Value of Bryonia Alba

• Alcoholism,
• Asthma,
• Bilious attack,
• Brain affections,
• Bronchitis,
• Constipation,
• Dropsy,
• Dysentery,
• Enteric fever,
• Epistaxis,
• Gastric disorders,
• Headache,
• Heart affections,
• Influenza,
• Measles,
• Meningitis,
• Myalgia,
• Pleurisy,
• Rheumatic fever,
• Toothache,
• Vertigo,
• Vicarious menstruation,
• Whooping cough, etc. (1)

Modalities of Bryonia Alba

Aggravation:

• Evening, warmth, before falling asleep, stooping down, from slightest motion, touch, warm food and drink, exertion, warm room, at 9 pm, by suppression of discharges, in summer, lying on the painful side, etc.

Amelioration:

• Ongoing down, lying on the painless side, complete rest, eating cold food and cold drink, by pressure, when sitting, in a dark room, etc. (1)

Remedy Relationship of Bryonia Alba

Complimentary

• Alum, Rhus-t.

Follows Well

• Acon, Alum, Bell, Calc, Con, Kali-c, Lyc, Merc, Nux-v, Op, Phos, Puls, Rhus-t, Sep, Sulph.

Antidoted By

• Acon, Alum, Calc, Camph, Cham, Chel, Chlr, Cinch, Clem, Coff, Frag, Ign, Merc, Mur-ac, Nux-v, Puls, Rhus-t, Seneg.

It Antidotes

• Alum, Chin, Chlor, Frag, Merc, Rhus-t.

Comparison

• Acon, Am-m, Ant-c, Arn, Ars, Bell, Calc, Carb-v, Caust, Cham, Cimx, Cinch, Dulc, Ham, Ign, Ip, Kali-c, Kreos, Lach, Lyc, Merc, Mill, Nat-m, Nat-s, Nit-ac, Nux-m, Nux-v, Op, Petr, Podo, Puls, Ran-b, Rhus-t, Rumx, Sep, Sil, Spig, Squil, Sulph. (2)

Dosage of Bryonia Alba

• It acts in lower as well as in higher potencies. Lower potencies are indicated in gout, rheumatism, and inflammatory troubles. Besides this, Higher potencies are indicated in diseases of gastrointestinal tract also in cases where its constitutional symptoms are present.

Potency

• 6x, 12x, 30, 200, 1000

Repetition

• It is a short acting remedy also bears frequent repetition.

Duration of action

• 7 to 21 days. (1)

References of Bryonia Alba

1. D. Patil MM 2013, Section -II, Chap >Bryonia alb
2. Zomeo Lane Chap > Bryonia alb
3. MM by Boericke Chap > Bryonia alb
4. MM by T.F.Allen Chap > Bryonia alb
5. Synoptic memorizer of MM by Dr.S.K.Banerjea 2001, Vol II, Part-1, Chap> Bryonia alb
6. Synoptic memorizer of MM by Dr.S.K.Banerjea 2001, Vol I, Chap 2, > Bryonia alb
7. Tempraz MM by Dr.Parinaz Humranwala Chap>Bryonia alba

Terminology 

Also Search As