China officinalis
Hahnemann's first proving remedy. Great debility from loss of vital fluids — blood, diarrhea, excessive lactation. Periodicity. Bloated abdomen not relieved by eructation. Hypersensitivity to touch, noise, odors. Bitter taste.
Source
Prepared from the dried bark of Cinchona officinalis (Rubiaceae), the source of quinine.
Available Potencies
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Keynote Symptoms
Debility from loss of vital fluids: blood, diarrhea, suppuration, lactation, seminal emissions. Periodicity — every other day, every seven days. Bloating of whole abdomen, not relieved by eructation. Hypersensitivity to every external impression. Ringing in ears. Desire for sour, highly seasoned food.
Mind & Emotional Symptoms
Apathetic, indifferent, taciturn. Plans great things at night. Imagines being persecuted, that enemies obstruct every effort. Oversensitive to noise, touch, pain. Disposition to hurt other people's feelings. Ailments from loss of vital fluids.
General Symptoms
Complaints from loss of vital fluids. Periodicity. Worse from slightest touch (but better from hard pressure), cold, drafts, every other day, after eating, fruit, milk, beer, at night. Better from hard pressure, bending double, warmth, open air.
Physical Symptoms
Head
As if skull would burst. Intense throbbing. Scalp tender. Headache from loss of fluids. Worse from slightest touch, better from hard pressure.
Ears
Ringing in ears. Deafness. Hearing oversensitive to noise.
Face
Sallow, earthy complexion. Dark circles under eyes. Neuralgia, worse from touch.
Mouth
Bitter taste, everything tastes bitter. Tongue coated thick dirty yellow. Toothache while nursing.
Stomach
Slow digestion, food feels like a weight. Hungry without appetite. Sour, bitter eructations. Flatulence, bloating not relieved by belching.
Abdomen
Enormously distended, whole abdomen tympanitic. Painful, better from bending double and hard pressure. Flatulence, rumbling. Gallstone colic.
Rectum
Diarrhea with much flatulence, undigested, painless, debilitating. Stools dark, watery. Worse from fruit, milk, beer.
Female Genitalia
Menses too early and profuse with dark clots. Debility from nursing. Bloody leucorrhoea.
Skin
Extreme sensitivity to touch. Anaesthesia. Jaundiced skin.
Fever / Chill / Perspiration
Paroxysms clearly defined: chill, fever, sweat in distinct stages. Periodicity. Sweats profusely, exhausting. Anticipation of chill with anxiety.
Sleep & Dreams
Unrefreshing sleep. Drowsy during day. Vivid dreams. Snoring.
Modalities
Better From
Hard pressure, bending double, warmth, open air, loosening clothing
Worse From
Slightest touch, loss of vital fluids, every other day, cold, drafts, after eating, fruit, milk, beer, night
Constitutional Type
Debilitated, anaemic, pale, sallow individuals. Dark circles under eyes. Weakened by loss of fluids (haemorrhage, diarrhea, lactation). Artistic, idealistic temperament.
Clinical Indications
Debility after haemorrhage, intermittent fever/malaria, diarrhea, flatulence, anaemia, neuralgia, tinnitus, gallstone colic, effects of quinine abuse
Comparative Materia Medica
Ferrum metallicum shares anaemia and debility but flushes easily and is better from gentle motion. Carbo vegetabilis shares debility but has more collapse and desire for fanning. Arsenicum album has periodicity and weakness but more restless and anxious.
Safety Information
Arnica, Arsenicum, Belladonna, Calcarea, Carbo veg, Ferrum, Ipecac, Lachesis, Mercurius, Natrum mur, Nux vomica, Pulsatilla, Sepia, Sulphur, Veratrum album.
Cinchona bark contains quinine and cinchonine. Chronic use can cause cinchonism: tinnitus, headache, nausea, visual disturbances, cardiac arrhythmias. Potentised forms are safe.
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