Veratrum Album: Homeopathic Medicine – Its Use, Indications And Dosage

The homeopathic medicine ‘Veratrum Album’ is prepared from the plant ‘white hellebore’. It belongs to family Melanthacea of the Liliaceae. The rootstocks of this plant collected early in June before flowering are used to prepare homeopathic medicine via potentization. This process extracts and intensifies its medicinal properties and converts it into an important homeopathic medicine Veratrum Album. It is a highly effective medicine to treat certain brain related concerns, especially, mania and some gastric issues mainly cholera, vomiting and diarrhea.

The ‘Veratrum Album’ Constitution

Though, it can be used among people of any age-group, it is most suitable for children, and elderly persons. People needing it are very sensitive to cold. Generally, they have a happy, joyful nature.

Drug Action

This medicine acts best on the brain and the gastric system. Other than this, its action is best felt on head, face, female genitals, limbs, and respiratory system.

Clinical Indications

Cholera, vomiting, diarrhea, mania, colic, meningitis, dysmenorrhoea, menstruation problems, nymphomania, headache, neuralgia, cough, bronchitis, asthma, cramps, sciatica.

Scope As A Homeopathic Remedy

1. Brain Related Complaints (Mania, Delirium, Meningitis)

Veratrum Album acts magnificently on the brain and helps in a certain type of complaints. It is a well-indicated medicine for managing cases of mania. Mania is a psychological condition in which a person becomes hyperactive, have high-energy levels, elevated mood and may experience delusions (fixed, false beliefs even when there is supporting evidence that these are not real). The most prominent feature for using it is mania with desire to cut and tear things. There is a desire to hit those in the vicinity. The person runs from place to place, sings, laughs and is violent in nature. There also occurs urge to indulge in sexually overt conversations. The violent mania may alternate with silent behaviour and aversion to talk. Those who indulge in religious mania are also examples of such cases. Those who need require such medication are always praying, and cursing. It is attended with bouts of shrieks. Such people have fear that they will not be protected from a harmful situation.

This medicine is also used to treat those patients who alternately feel sad, and maniacal. Such patients wish to remain alone, sit in silence, brood, and are unaware of what’s happening around them. This is followed by mania accompanied with restlessness, they get a delusion of imminent misfortunes, and there is a desire to cut things. It can be given in cases of nymphomania (excessive sexual desire among women). In such cases, women keep on hugging everybody. Before periods, they have a desire to kiss everybody. Its use is highly suited to those suffering from delirium (sudden change in brain function resulting in confusion of mind, disorientation and reduced awareness of surrounding). Here, it is administered when a person shows violence, tears clothes, bites shoes, curses and has a desire to run away. Besides these, it is of great service in meningitis (inflammation of meninges surrounding brain and spinal cord) cases. Here, it is used when the person rolls his head from side to side in pain or bores head in the pillow, intense headache and delirium. The neck muscles are also weak to hold the head. Vomiting, weakness, and cold sweat all over the body may also occur.

Key Indicating Features

Mania with running from place to place, singing, laughing and desire to cut and tear things

Religious mania with constant praying, and cursing

Nymphomania with desire to hug everybody

Meningitis with rolling of head from side to side, boring of head in pillow, headache, delirium, weak neck muscles

2. Gastric Issues (Cholera, Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea)

Veratrum Album acts magnificently on the gastric system to settle numerous gastric issues. This medicine is highly recommended to manage cholera (infection of intestines caused by bacteria vibrio cholerae) cases. There is constant nausea, vomiting, watery stool followed by cold sweating and exhaustion. Cramps in abdomen and in legs and feet are also prominent .  There is excessive thirst. It is a superb medicine to manage vomiting. This complaint gets worse from the slightest motion and drinking any liquid. After vomiting, excessive weakness is felt. Next, it works effectively to manage diarrhea. There is watery stool gushing out with force attended with cold sweat all over the body and marked weakness. It is also well indicated when diarrhea occurs as a result of fright, in summers, and after eating potatoes. Lastly, it is used to manage cutting pain in abdomen with sensation as if bowels are twisted in knots with cramps in limbs.

Key Indicating Features

Cholera with constant nausea, vomiting, watery stool, cramps in abdomen, legs followed by cold sweating and exhaustion

Excessive vomiting and nausea

Diarrhea with watery stool gushing out with force attended with cold sweat on entire body and weakness

3. Female Problems (Painful Menses, Heavy Periods, Nymphomania)

Clinically, this medicine has been found to be effective in managing some women-related problems. Firstly, it is useful in managing painful menses (dysmenorrhoea). With this, there is coldness, cold sweating, vomiting, and loose stool. It also benefits women who undergo heavy menses. It is accompanied by loose stool, nausea and vomiting. Next, it is an important medicine for managing nymphomania (excessive sexual desire in women), worse before menses.

Key Indicating Features

Painful menses with coldness, cold sweating, vomiting, and loose stool

Heavy periods with loose stool, nausea, and vomiting

Nymphomania worse before menses

4. Head (Headache)

It helps manage headache quite well. The characteristic use of it is headache attended with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and frequent urination. Vomiting is of greenish mucus. Urination is profuse. Headache gets worse from movement and stooping. A unique feature that occurs with this is feeling of ice lump on top of the head. There is also cold sweating on the forehead.

Key Indicating Features

Headache attended with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and frequent urination

Sensation of ice lump on top of the head

Cold sweating on the forehead

5. Face (Trigeminal Neuralgia)

This medicine acts well on the face. Its use is preferred for trigeminal neuralgia (intense facial pain resulting from compression, damage or injury to trigeminal nerve). It is suitable when there is facial pain with pale, sunken face, and vomiting. There is tearing pain in face located in cheeks, temple of head, and eyes. It gets worse in damp weather. There is icy coldness felt on the face, and the tip of the nose. Blue circle around the eyes can be seen. Lastly, it helps in managing cramping pain in jaw upon chewing.

Key Indicating Features

Trigeminal neuralgia when attended with pale, sunken face and vomiting

Tearing pain in in cheeks, temple of head and eyes, worse in damp weather

Icy coldness felt on face, and the tip of the nose

6. Limbs (Sciatica, Brachial Neuralgia, Leg Pain)

With it action on limbs, it can successfully manage sciatica (pain along sciatic nerve starting in lower back radiating down the hip, back of thigh, leg up to the feet). Those who need it feel electric flashes like pain in the leg. They have to sit and hang the legs down for relief. It can also handle well cases of cramps in calves (muscles in the back of legs) felt during the passing of stool. Other than this, it gives good results in cases of tingling in hands and fingers. Another important complaint where it proves effective is brachial neuralgia which is a condition characterised by severe pain in shoulder and upper arm along with weakness in upper arm. Here it can be used when there is pain in the shoulder that can extend to wrist. With this there is difficulty in moving the arm. Pain gets worse upon lying and gets better upon getting up and moving about. Lastly, it is beneficial in managing leg pain in wet weather. It gets worse from the warmth of the bed. It also gets better after walking up and down.

Key Indicating Features

Sciatica with electric flashes like pain in the leg better when sitting and hanging down the legs

Brachial neuralgia with shoulder pain extending to wrist, worse upon lying, better from getting up and moving about

  7. Respiratory Complaints (Asthma, Cough, Bronchitis)

If we talk of respiratory issues, Veratrum Album can take care of complaints including cough, bronchitis and asthma. One may take it if cough gets worse from cold drinks or when cough gets worse on entering a warm room from a relatively cold place. Involuntary leakage of urine may occur while coughing. Veratrum suits asthma patients when it gets worse in damp cold weather. Relief in asthma attack is felt by bending head backward. There is marked rattling in chest. It is known to be helpful for bronchitis (inflammation of mucus membrane of bronchial tubes that carry air to and from lungs) in aged people. There is excessive mucus in bronchial tubes which is difficult to be coughed out.

Key Indicating Features

Cough gets worse from cold drinks and on entering a warm room

Asthma gets worse in damp cold weather

Asthma attack gets better by bending head back

Bronchitis in elderly people

Modalities

Worsening factors: Complaints get worse from cold drinks, exertion, wet cold weather, fright, tobacco chewing

Relieving factors: Complaints get better from hot drinks, warmth, covering and from lying

Dosage

Both low and high potency of this medicine can be used. In low potency, its frequent repetition can be done but in high potency, it should not be taken often.

Relationship with Other Remedies

Antidoted by: Aconite, Arsenic Album, China and Coffea Cruda

It antidotes:  Cuprum Met, Opium and Tabacum

Followed well by:  Belladonna, Chamomilla, Pulsatilla, Rhus Tox, Sepia and Sulphur

It follows well: Arnica, Camphor, Carbo Veg and Ipecac