Stramonium

Thorn Apple / Devil's-apple

Datura stramonium

A strong hallucinogen, thorn apple was used in the salves of medieval folk healers and in American Indian shamanistic rites. It relaxes the muscles of the bronchial tubes and digestive and urinary tracts, and reduces mucus secretions. Stramonium, proved by Hahnemann and published in his Materia Medica Pura (1821-34), is used for violent brain activity, often due to nervous disorders.

People who respond best to Stramonium may experience rage and violence, particularly sudden outbursts accompanied by strong fears. The anger may be rooted in profound fear, following abuse or an accident. The fear may take the form of terror of the dark or of water. Those affected may also manifest hyperactive or overt sexuality. They are prone to stammering, and may have religious delusions, praying and proselytizing incessantly. Sleep may exacerbate symptoms.

Stramonium is prescribed for fevers and chest complaints accompanied by the typical rages and terrors. Stramonium is also used, if the characteristic traits are evident, for delirium, tics, convulsions, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and other nervous-system disorders.

The remedy is sometimes prescribed to treat chorea and for some serious psychological problems, such as mania, manic depression, and schizophrenia, particularly if they are accompanied by hallucinations or violence.

Uses

This plant is strongly narcotic and its main use in medicine has been as a pain reliever for rheumatism, neuralgia, and sciatica. In  16th-century Europe it was eaten by soldiers to dull their emotions before a battle. It is poisonous and causes sedation and hallucinations.
The main use of Stramonium is for disorders of the nervous system with associated fears and violent muscle spasms, cramps, and even convulsions. Stramonium is used as a remedy for night terrors or for conditions that occur after a scare, especially in children. Children and adults needing the remedy often stammer due to nervousness. Other symptoms may include diminished urine or perspiration, and recurrent twitching and jerking as in restless legs, meningitis, and strokes, and great thirst, especially for acidic drinks.

Fever - high fever with a burning thirst. There may be night terrors, fear of the dark, hallucinations, delirium, or febrile convulsions. The limbs may twitch involuntarily, and the heart and pulse may be "in turmoil."

Violence and mania - excitability with disorientation, confusion, a tendency to violence, and fear of the dark. Writhing, bouts of garrulousness, and incoherent muttering are common, and there may be hallucinations, visions, and imaginary voices. Symptoms may be triggered by the trauma of childbirth, by alcoholism or drug addiction, or by more serious conditions such as schizophrenia.

Chorea - involuntary, jerky, twitches of the face, limbs, or trunk, often with stuttering. Symptoms may be caused by extreme fright, a head injury, a bad reaction to vaccination, or meningitis. In extreme cases there may be facial grimacing, convulsions, or epilepsy.

Asthma - breathlessness, tightness in the chest, or a dry, wheezy cough. Attacks occur with, or after, fits of intense rage or fear.

Bronchitis - wheezing that is associated with shortness of breath, or a cough that generates yellow or green phlegm. Strong fear or anger may trigger or exacerbate the symptoms.