Bryonia alba

Bryonia alba

Materia Medica - A Complete Drug Picture of Bryonia Alba - for homeopathic students

Origin & Meaning
bryony - climbing plant (latin)
alba - white

Source
Plant Kingdom

Common name/Synonyms
Bryonia alba vulg.
Vitis Alba
Vitis nigris
White Bryony
Wild Hops

Family
Cucurbitaceae

Habitat/Geographical Distribution
North of Europe, Germany, some parts of France, Spain, and north of Italy.

Description/Morphology
Perennial plant, herbaceous climbers, with simple tendrils, and stalked, alternate leaves
Leaves cordate, five - lobed, dentate, calloso - scabrous
Flowers racemose, corymbose, monoecious
Calyx, in fertile flowers, as long as corolla
Stigma smooth
Berry black

Active Constituents
an alkaloid - bryonicin, and
two glycosides - bryonin and bryonidin

Part used
Fresh roots

Preparation
A tincture is prepared from the fresh root of Bryonia alba, procured before flowering, therefore the month of June.
(a) Mother Tincture Q
Drug strength 1/10
Bryonia Alba in coarse powder 100g
Purified Water 400 ml
Strong Alcohol 635 ml
To make one thousand millilitres of the tincture.
(b) Potencies
2x to contain one part tincture, four parts Purified Water and five parts Strong Alcohol. 3x with dilute alcohol, 4x and higher with dispensing alcohol.

Proved by
The plant proved by Hahnemann is the Bryonia alba
Published in 1816 in 2nd part of MMP
Reproved by Austrian Society of Homoeopaths, and Berridge

Source/Authority
Hahnemann's MMP
Allen's Encyclopedia
Hering's Guiding Sx
Hughes' Cyclopedia

Spheres of Action
serous membranes
mucous membranes
fibrous tissue
respiratory system
right sided affections

Constitution
Tall slender persons with black hair, dark complexion, tendency to constipation.
Rheumatic diathesis.
People with choleric temperament, bilious tendency - irritable temperament
Hot, generally agg. by warmth

Mind/Mental
Irritable, inclined to be angry
< when disturbed; wants to be left alone

anxiety, sad
Fear of poverty
Talks continuously about his business
Constant worrying about money

desires to escape - desires to get out of bed - wants to go home
desire for things which are refused when offered

Chracteristics/Guiding Sx
All complaints develop slowly - insiduous onset
Worse from motion, movements
Dryness of mucous membranes
Thirst for large quantities of cold water
Stitching pains
Right Sided
Worse motion, worse morning on rising,
Better rest, better pressure

Ailments
warm weather after cold days
summer
from chilling when overheated
from draft of cold wind
suppressed discharges

Aggravation
Motion [rising - from lying; stooping; exertion; coughing; deep breathing; jar; sneezing; swallowing; motion of eyes]
Exertion
Sitting up
Hot [becoming; room; weather; summer]. Warmth
Touch.
Suppression of eruptions or discharges
Lying on painless side.
Morning.

Amelioration
Absolute Rest
Pressure
Lying on painful side; bandage, etc.
Lying still
Cold - air, eating cold things

Particulars

Head
Headache: when stooping, as if brain would burst through forehead; from ironing; on coughing; in morning after rising or when first opening the eyes; commencing in the morning, gradually increasing until evening; from constipation.

Vertigo
< motion
Patient cannot sit up from nausea and faintness.

Mouth
Lips and tongue dry, parched, cracked.
Great thirst.
Dry white coating on tongue

Stomach
Great thirst for large quantities at long intervals.
Patient cannot sit up from nausea and faintness.
Pressure as from stone at pit of the stomach, relieved by eructation

Rectum
Constipation: inactive no inclination; stool large, hard, dark, dry, as if burnt; on going to sea
Diarrhoea: during a spell of hot weather; bilious, acrid with soreness of anus; like dirty water; of undigested food; from cold drinks when overheated, from fruit or sour krout; agg. in morning, on moving, even a hand or foot.

Nose
Epistaxis; ; nosebleed when menses should appear

Cough
Cough, dry, hard, racking, with scanty expectoration
Cough: dry, spasmodic, with gagging and vomiting; with stitches in side of chest; with head ache, as if head would fly to pieces; agg. after eating drinking, entering a warm room, a deep inspiration.
Cough hurts head and chest, holds them with hands

Extremities
Constant motion of left arm and leg
Pains; stitching, tearing, worse at night; agg. by motion, inspiration, coughing; amel. by absolute rest, and lying on painful side
Rheumatism of joints; with pale swelling, great pain, worse on touch or least motion.

Urine
Urine, dark and scanty

Female
Vicarious menstruation; nosebleed when menses should appear
Mammae heavy, of a stony hardness; pale but hard; hot and painful; must support the breasts
Mastitis; breasts pale, hot, hard, heavy and painful.

Children
Desires things immediately which are not to be had, or which when offered are refused.
Children dislike to be carried, or to be raised.

Fever
Onset
Mouth
Cough
Stomach
Constipation

Relations
Complementary: Alumina, Rhus.
Acute of Alumina. Alumina is chronic of Bryonia.
Antidoted by: Alumina, Rhus-t.
Similar: Bell., Hep.
Follows After Bryonia: Alum., Kali c., Nux, Phos., Rhus, Sulph.