Belladonna can always be given with success where a condition is the result of poisoning, whether from an internal or external cause, and where it manifests itself in the nervous system and the brain, for example through headaches, a rush of blood to the head accompanied by a racing pulse, delirium and where every movement of the body, even a simple movement of the eyes, aggravates the condition. Belladonna 4x is indicated when an illness reaches a sudden crisis; when the patient is sensitive to light and his pupils are dilated; when the mucous membranes are dry, hot and inflamed — and when any one of these symptoms is accompanied by a high temperature. For the intellectually alert, the vivacious person, young people who have to concentrate mentally and draw heavily on their brains, or for those who lead an intellectual life, Belladonna 4x is a wonder medicine.
Belladonna 4x is a quick and reliable help in cases of infectious diseases such as measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough, conjunctivitis, whitlows and even pneumonia, especially in its early stages.
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The child’s face was suffused by a bluish-red colour and Hahnemann realised immediately what had happened when the father showed him the pretty black berries he had snatched from the child’s hands – belladonna poisoning! By chance, the physician noticed that there was an extraordinary similarity in the appearance of the women and the child; both had a bluish-red flush on the face. The causes were different but the results were the same. The doctor suddenly realised what he must do, the significance of which has only become fully recognised and appreciated in our time: ‘Similia simi-libus curantuf, the ancient Hippocratic teaching and principle of similarity.
As soon as Hahnemann had given the child something to make it vomit, he went out with the father, broke off a branch of the belladonna with flowers and fruit, and squeezed the whole thing into some water. By diluting it to about 4x he prepared the yellowish-green liquid into a medicine, which he then gave to the sick woman. Noting her reaction, the doctor followed this up with a second dose, and a few more, until the woman was finally out of danger. Thus, the child’s belladonna poisoning saved the woman’s life and at the same time brought about a deeper understanding and knowledge of another law of nature.
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This attractive plant with its thick stems or branches and leaves is somewhat similar to the tobacco plant. However, its axillary flowers, dull brown to dark purple in colour, indicate that it is neither the tobacco plant nor the ground-cherry (Chinese lantern), but belladonna, the medicinal as well as deadly nightshade.
The ripe, shiny black berries often entice children to pick and eat them – with fatal results. Many a child has had to pay with his young life because of being tempted. On the other hand, in considering this plant we cannot overlook its many benefits, even though we are aware of its poisonous properties. As is true of people, plants can have good and bad characteristics, and this is the case with belladonna. It is known to have killed people, but it is also famed as a life-saver.
Belladonna is partly responsible for the rediscovery of the homoeopathic principle of similarity. Dr Hahnemann once found himself completely at a loss as to what remedy to prescribe for a sick woman, until an unconscious child was carried in to him.
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Homoeopathic Aconitum and Belladonna should be in everyone’s medicine chest, for they are more frequently used than any other remedy for first aid. However, we do not recommend Aconitum tincture as it is dangerous, even though some doctors prescribe it for neuralgia caused by a cold, for gout and for rheumatism. There are other, safer remedies available that are just as effective. Aconitum is a mydriatic, that is, it dilates the pupil if it is put in the eye. Belladonna has the same property due to its atropine content. To achieve the best results, Aconitum should be given in the fourth decimal potency (4x), for stronger persons perhaps in the third (3x); five drops in a glass of water taken at hourly intervals will be enough.
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Aconitum is the best first aid in cases of inflammations that tend to become febrile. In infectious diseases, especially when the skin is hot and dry, Aconitum in the third and fourth decimal potency (3x or 4x) has a rapid and highly beneficial effect. It diverts the toxins from the blood and the tissues to the skin and encourages perspiration. A rush of blood to the head (hot flushes), such as many women experience during the change of life, is best dealt with by Aconitum Wx; for even better results this should be taken together with Ovarium 3x. It is helpful to take Aconitum 4x in alternation with Belladonna 4x at the onset of an acute illness when fever, a feeling of unrest, hot flushes, palpitations, uneasiness and a state of anxiety are present. When perspiration breaks out and the patient has calmed down, the treatment with Aconitum can be stopped and only Belladonna 4x or some other indicated remedy need be taken.
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The erect and splendid aconite, with its hood-like, blue-purple flowers, can be as poisonous as it is medicinal. This beautiful plant is known by many names, for example monkshood, friar’s cap, wolfbane and mousebane, and is native to the Swiss Alps. There you will find it on the alpine meadows, where the ground is rich, in damp hollows between low shrubs and in thinning woods right up to the highest elevation where the conifers grow.
Every part of the plant is highly poisonous. The whole plant, including the subsidiary tuber, which is developed from the root for the following year’s growth, is used to make a tincture for homoeopathic purposes. If this tincture was to be taken pure, it would result in certain death caused by cardiac paralysis and damage to the spinal cord. But diluted a thousand or one hundred thousand times, aconite becomes one of the best and most reliable homoeopathic medicines.
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Sea buckthorn has even more to offer us than its high vitamin content. Its berries also contain other vitamins, for example, water-soluble vitamin B, fat-soluble provitamin A and even vitamin E. These natural, biological vitamins are vital for keeping the body healthy, fit and efficient. Various acids, such as malic and tartaric acids, have also been identified in these berries. The sea buckthorn berry seeds can also be used to produce an oil of which the dietary value is unquestionable.
If you suffer from constant infections and bleeding of the gums and mucous membranes, you would do well to take sea buckthorn products as a dietary supplement. Sea buckthorn berries being rich in many vitamins and trace elements, it is obvious that the products based on them are recommended for children and adults alike as food supplements and a tonic.
In Switzerland, sea buckthorn grows abundantly in the upper Inn valley and in Ticino, especially in the Maggia valley. When ripe, the orange-coloured berries nestling between olive-green leaves are quite conspicuous, and in the wintertime birds can be seen enjoying them to the full. We use sea buckthorn extract as one of the ingredients in our vitamin preparation called Bio-C-Lozenges.
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Vitamin Ñ has to be taken daily since the body can store only minute quantities. It is found in the endocrine glands, the suprarenal and pituitary glands, and there is no doubt that it is essential to the normal functioning of these important glands.
As a rule, cancer patients show a definite lack of this vitamin. It is therefore recommended that people with a predisposition to cancer and those who are victims already, increase their intake of foods that are rich in vitamin C.
To ensure good health, the daily intake of vitamin Ñ should not be less than 50 mg, and it is better if it can be obtained from such natural sources as sea buckthorn, raspberries, lemon juice and rose hip and barberry puree.
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There is hardly another shrub with edible berries that is so widely distributed as sea buckthorn. It can be found growing from the north of Portugal to the Pyrenees, across the Alps, then south in the Balkans, over in Turkey, and to the east in central Russia, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. If all the berries could be gathered and processed, they would be more than enough to cater for the vitamin Ñ requirement of all humankind.
Once our bodies have become deficient in vitamin C, we are much more liable to succumb to infectious diseases. That is why we should see to it that the deficiency is rectified, especially in springtime. Although barberrry and rose hip purees no doubt play an important part in correcting vitamin Ñ deficiencies, sea buckthorn berries are no less valuable in terms of their extremely high content of vitamin C. During the time of year when a wide selection of fresh vegetables are difficult to obtain, or very expensive, and fruits have lost part of their vitamin content because of long storage, the need for vitamins is even greater and many people like to tide themselves over the vitamin-poor period by eating Bio-Buckthorn-Conserve.
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Having made the conserve, you will have the seeds, skin and some pulp left over. These can be dried and used for making tea, especially in winter. Rose hip tea is most beneficial. It has a delicate flavour and can be served with lemon or milk, according to taste. It is rich in silica and, perhaps for this reason, is an excellent kidney remedy. Seriously ill people who cannot take any other herbal infusion are quite safe with rose hip tea.
In the autumn, the rowan tree (European mountain ash) produces beautiful red berries. If you spread these berries out in a shady place and dry them, you will have a reliable remedy for hoarseness. Just chew them and the problem will quickly disappear. Also, some people in rural areas still make jam from the ripe berries.
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