VERATRUM VIRIDE
Green Hellebore BURT Melanthaceae
INTRODUCTION –
Veratrum viride is a small but powerful drug. It is mostly used in severe
acute cases, such as severe form of headache, sunstroke, basilar meningitis,
convulsion, acute rheumatism, etc. It has direct action over heart, causing
depression of heartbeat and low pulse rate. So never misuse it and never repeat it
very frequently just to control the heart's action or brjng down the pulse. Like any
other remedy it can only be given for the totality of symptoms.
Hale was chifly instrumental in introducing Veratrum viride into Homoeopathy,
using it particularly in pneumonia.
Belladonna has got muchsimilarity with Veratrum viride. So, never substitute it
when Veratrum viride is indicated. Individual and comparative study of these two
drugs are necessary for a correct prescription.
Clinical –
Apoplexy, Asthma, Brain affection. Chorea, Convulsion, Erysipelas,
Headache, Heart affection, Hyperpyrexia, Fever, Meningitis, Pneumonia,
Rheumatism, Sunstroke, etc.
Spheres of action-
Veraturm viride acts on (heart, blood vessels, pneumo-gastric nerve, lungs
and joints. It particularly acts on the cervical portion of spinal cord and the base of
the brain.
Pathogenesis –
Acting on the heart, it lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. It
also acts on the internal organs such as the base of brain, chest, spine, stomach, etc.
and produces congestion.
Constitution –
Since Veratrum viride is mostly an acute drug, consideration of constitution
is not of much importance. The patient is, however, full blooded, plethoric, with
bloated and livid face.
Guiding symptoms.
1. A narrow, well developed red streak right through the middle of the toungue,
is the red-strand symptom of thisUrug.
2. Sudden onset of all the troubles as in Aconite and Belladonna, is a great
indicator of Veratrum viride.
3. Congestion is yet another leading keynote of Veraturm viride, especially
congestion in the base of brain, spine, lung and stomach.
4. Sensation of fulness in the head causing a heavy headache.
5. Pulse Suddenly increases and gradually decreases below normal; slow, soft,
weak, irregular and intermittent pulse (Digitalis); low tension. ,
6. Beating of pulse throughout the body, especially in the right thigh.
7. Everything tastes sweet.
8. Ailments from. Going into sun's rays, going from hot to cold, after
suppression of menses and lochia.
Particulars
Meningitis
Causation: Meningitis may be caused by exposure to heat.
Onset: Sudden and violent.
Character: Basilar meningitis; convulsion, dim vision, HEAD RETRACTED,
PUPILS DILATED, tetanic convulsion, cold and clammy perspiration. Pain in the
nape of neck, cannot hold the head up; opisthotonos.
Modalities:
Aggravation: By motion, raising the head, exposure to heat or cold and sitting
erect.
Amelioration: By remaining quiet, lying down and rubbing.
Apoplexy. Congestive apoplexy, head hot; blood-shot eyes, thick speech, pulse
full and hard as iron. Bloated livid face. Hippocratic face, with red streak down the
middle of the tongue.
Sunstroke Face is flushed; head full; throbbing of arteries, bearing of pulse
throughout the body; vertigo with nausea. Convulsive twitching of the facial
muscles. Sensitive to sound; double vision or partial vision (Glon., Gels).
Headache. Causation: Exposure to sun's rays, heat and extreme cold, suppression
of menses and lochia.
Onset: Sudden and violent Onset.
Character: Violent nervous sick headache: Congestion from suppressed menses.
Intense, almost apopletic headache; throbbing ©f arteries; head hot and face
flushed.
Modalities: Aggravation: By motion, raising the head, warmth.
Amelioration: By remaining quiet, lying down and tight bandaging.
Concomitants: Nausea and vomiting, with blood-shot eyes.
Blood pressure
Veratrum viride is a very good medicine for high bipod pressure whenever
symptoms correspond i.e.its peculiar pulse, characteristic tongue and face,
throbbibng of carotids, BLOOD-SHOT EYES AND HEAD, ETC. point to this
drug.
Tongue
The key-note of Veratrum viride is its peculiar and most characteristic
tongue. The tongue is white or yellow, but with RED STREAK DOWN THE
MIDDLE. Tongue may be, dry, moist, with white or yetlow coating or no coating on
either side, feels scalded (Sanguinaria) with increased saliva.
Pneumonia
Causation: Exposure to cold or heat and sun's rays.
Mode of Onset: Sudden and violent onset.
Stage: Veratrum viride is indicated in the congestive stage or early stage and
hepatisation stage of pneumnonia-.
Character: There is difficult breathing. Sensation of a heavy load on chest, Faint
feeling in STOMACH.
High fever with full hard pulse. Severe occipital headache. Livid Or flushed face,
cold, and clammy perspiration. White or yellow tongue with red streak down the
middle. Everything tastes sweet.
Modalities: Aggravation: YSy motion and being uncovered.
Amelioration: By keeping quiet and lying down.
N.B. Veratrum viride will raise the opsonic index against the, Diplococcus
pneumonae from 70 to 109 per cent.
Rheumatism-
Acute rheumatism with high fever; fafl hard and rapid pulse. Severe pain in
joints and muscles with scanty red urine.
Fever-
Veratrum viride may be frequently required for purerperal fever or milk
fever or enteric fever or pneumonia or suppurative fevers, or any other condition
where the following symptoms are present :-
Causation: Fever may come due to exposure to cold or sun's rays or extreme heat,
or even after suppression of lochia.
Mode of onset: The onset is very sudden and violent.
Character: There is unusually high rise of temperature, i.e, hyperthermia in the
evening and hypothermia in the morning.
Chill is more prominent: Patient feels cold, extremely cold with clammy
perspiration. Face is flaccid with congestive headache during heat stage. There
may also be great weakness.
Pulse is full and hard.
The tongue may be coated white or yellow, but always with a red streak down the
middle.
General Modalities.
Aggravation: By motion,-rising from bed, going from a hot to a cold place, sitting
erect, being uncovered and in winter.
Amelioration: By keeping head perfectly still, lying down, rubbing and massaging.
