Abrotanum the barbarian.

I have had occasion to use this wonderful short drug on several occasions. One was a patient who had undergone endoscopic drainage of a Pleural effusion after which he suffered constant chest pain and weakness with diarrhea. A couple of children with marasmus also comes to mind. But the most remarkable was a case of Rheumatism. The lady was in her thirties and turned RA +ve with severe joint pains. The rheumatism followed a bout of diarrhea which lasted several days and was ultimately controlled by higher antibiotics. I also had occasion to use it in a case of Insanity where the patient- a farmer would get so out of control that he beat his own buffalo to death. Fellow villagers avoided walking past his house out of fear. This after Belladonna failed to help.

 

ABROTANUM – Southern wood Family: Compositae
AILMENTS FROM	Checked diarrhea; Operations on chest; defective nutrition, malnutrition.
MIND	Mental symptoms alternate with physical. Anxiety from pain in stomach. Irritability,  Sadness, despondency, dejection, depression -Delusion that he hears voices in bed,  cease when listening intently. Cruelty, brutality.
HEAD/NECK	Cannot hold head up from weakness of neck
STOMACH	Food undigested. Craves bread boiled in milk. Gastralgia< night. Milk aversion.
ABDOMEN	Hard lumps. Sinking. Piles prolapsed. Desire for stool- only blood passes.
MALE CHILD	Hydrocele
RESPIRATORY	Dry cough after diarrhea
BACK	Sudden pain<night>motion. Pain sacrum from piles/ ovarian pain
EXTREMITIES	Rheumatism from checked diarrhea- alternating with various complaints. Contraction from cramps, after colic.
SKIN	Purplish after suppression of eruptions.  Itching chillblains
GENERALS	Emaciation despite hunger. Ascending dropsy
PECULIAR SYMPTOMS	Mental sympts alternate with physical Cruel, Brutal. Craves bread boiled in milk but averse to milk. Rheumatism alternates with other complaints. Marasmus, ascending dropsy