Carduus Benedictus

The proving of Card. ben. shows a strong action on the eyes: twitchings, and

disturbance of vision; flickerings; musce volitantes. The prover had "blackness before eyes for a

• ▸short time.
• ▸" Eyeballs feel larger.
• ▸"Burning" is a symptom which runs through the proving.
• ▸There

is a "bitter burning" in the stomach, as if it were much deranged; burning in hands after sweat;

• ▸burning in the arms on exerting them.
• ▸The gastro-abdominal disturbances of Card.
• ▸mar.
• ▸are

observed, in less degree, in Card. ben. There is disordered taste, dysphagia; yawning and

hiccough; cutting pains in abdomen, vomiting and diarrhoea. The respiratory sphere is strongly

affected and there is pain and contractive sensation in the trachea with hoarseness. Inspired air

feels cold. Other symptoms are: Feeling as if buccal cavity were contracted. Tension in tendons.

Aching and cracking in joints. Aching, cutting pain, slight swelling of veins. Red and afterwards

yellow spots on skin. The most prominent of all the symptoms in the proving is the sensation of

contraction which occurs in many parts. Symptoms are < by motion, by touch, by walking, by

stretching the limbs.

[In two fatal cases of poisoning, of a boy and a girl, from eating the root of the Carline Thistle

(Carlina gummifera, Atractylis gummifera), which has an enormous root, purple composite

flowers, surrounded by radical spinous leaves, there was stertorous breathing, drowsiness,

retching without actual vomiting, asphyxia and coma. After death the tongue protruded slightly

between the lips; pupils were greatly dilated; there was evidence of general venous congestion.

In one case (that of the boy) the veins of the brain were extremely congested. ]

Anxiety, fear, starting at every noise, frequently breaking into cold sweat.—Fretful;

during fever —Cross humour.

Confusion of the head, interrupted stitches in temples, four times in succession (more

• ▸|.
• ▸than r.
• ▸).
• ▸—Vertigo on raising head, < on stooping.
• ▸—Pressure in occiput from crown; for several

days pressure on eyeball as if it would come out.—Pressure on forehead esp. when

stooping.—Heaviness in head.

Sensation as if (1.) eyeball would be pressed outwards, rather a pleasant than a painful

• ▸sensation.
• ▸—Quivering movement in |.
• ▸canthus, tickling in 1.
• ▸eye, very painful, with flow of tears;

stitches in inner canthus.—Eyeballs feel larger —Dimness and whirling before eyes.—Grey spots

• ▸pass before eyes.
• ▸—Blackness before eyes, for a short time.
• ▸—Flickering before |.
• ▸eye as if small

fiery stars passed in front of it, removed by winking.

• ▸Ringing in ears.
• ▸—Roaring in r.
• ▸ear, soon going off.
• ▸—Feeling as if something were in

ear., also as if something burst like a bladder, and then humming.

Continued feeling, lasting for 8 to 10 days, as if buccal cavity contracted and

narrowed, beginning and declining slowly; > after eating —Much mucus in mouth.—Constant

overflow of saliva.—Sour taste for six days, always getting worse and almost sulphurous, > for

awhile by eating.—Mouth dry, morning and evening, with thirst—Tickling on surface of tongue

near root, lasts five minutes and changes to shoots like electric sparks; toothache r. side in

periods, drawing more than shooting. —Flat taste, tongue sensitive as if swollen; much furred.

Bitter burning, as though stomach very much deranged.—A fter eating,

eructation.—Constant yawning and hiccough.—Though stomach is full it feels empty—Appetite

bad; nausea.—Vomiting.

Constant drawing, cutting pain in abdomen.—Slight pinching in abdomen;

curious sounds r. side of navel.

Hoarseness.—Pain in trachea as if inflamed; as if fatigued by long

coughing; inspired air feels cold; coughs frequently, it sounds rough, like

hissing.—Dyspnoea.—Breathes quickly, must draw in air with an effort, as the trachea feels closed

up, each inspiration is like a low whistle, esp. evenings.—Feels as if too tightly laced; unable to

sing or talk long for several days.—Constant dry cough.

Throbbing below I. breast.

• ▸20.
• ▸Neck, Back, and Trunk.
• ▸—Dull shooting in sides over hip, now r.
• ▸now L.
• ▸, at first only on

stooping or moving, but afterwards at all times.

When leaning on arms burning in them, but they are not hot to the

touch.—Contraction in elbows; and arms.—Feeling in forearm, as if in the blood-vessels, like a

long knife-stab, with continued burning.—Trembling of hands.

Weakness and giving way of knees when walking, esp. during the

fever.—Feet weak after sitting, soles feel sore when treading.

24. Generalities—Aching and slight swelling of veins.—Long, knife-like stab in veins of

forearm.

Painless rash, like nettle-rash; a goose-skin, rather pointed, hard, preceded by cold

creeping over the whole body, accompanied by feverish symptoms, lasting several days and

slowly disappearing. —Small red spots on the finger, lasting several days, followed by a yellow

spot lasting a long time.

Febrile chill with goose-flesh several days from noon to evening, at times appearing

earlier.—Fever consisting of flushes of heat in face; after eating, over whole body, without thirst,

with dimness of vision and pressure in the eyes, hot breath, hot lips, hands, and feet—Burning on

exerting arms.—Burning under skin on face, afterwards in other parts of body.—Slight general

sweat.—Sweat followed by burning heat in hands.

• ▸Amaurosis.
• ▸Diarrhoea.
• ▸Eyes, affections of.
• ▸Fever.
• ▸Headache.
• ▸Joints, cracking of.

(Esophagus, stricture of. Varicosis. Vision, affections of.

• ▸Compare: Card.
• ▸mar.
• ▸; Bell.
• ▸, Atrop.
• ▸(vision); Chi.
• ▸and Salicyl.
• ▸ac.
• ▸(noises in ears);

Agar. (twitching of eyelids).

Cracking in joints, motion difficult—Limbs heavy as if paralysed; < during the

fever.—Sensation when touching the limbs as if there were bruised spots (veins painful and

• ▸prominent).
• ▸—Pains in all the bones, esp.
• ▸when the limbs have been stretched.
• ▸—Tension in

tendons.