Rhus toxicodendron

English patient information. Some clinical wording may still reflect the German source text. Not for self-prescription.

The symptoms of this medicine develop due to exposure to cold, damp weather (rain), especially if the patient has previously been hot and sweating. If a cold, flu or fever occurs, patients feel pain in their limbs, as if they were lame, bruised or bruised. The symptoms typically improve with continued movement, although this may initially be uncomfortable. This improvement through exercise means that the patient is constantly on the move. This creates the impression of great unrest, but not with the anxious restlessness of Ars. or Acon. may be confused. If the patient also has back pain, he wants to lie on a hard surface. The symptoms are also improved by heat and worsened by cold. The time of deterioration is the evening and night.

The cold is severe and the patient has to sneeze frequently (real attacks). The discharge from the nose is thick, yellow and foul-smelling.

In a fever, the patient may have the sensation of cold water being splashed or poured over him.

The cough is dry, painful and particularly bad at night (so that the patient cannot fall asleep or at least sleep is disturbed). It is worse in feverish chills or when the patient covers himself or even sticks out one hand from under the bedclothes.

Rhus-t. also affects the joints, tendons and ligaments. This is why it is particularly useful for sprains and strains. As with the other diseases, the symptoms are relieved by warm applications and continued exercise (although the exercise is not initially good). The symptoms become worse with cold applications. It is well suited to the consequences of overlifting, for example when it causes back pain or sciatica. Like Arn. it is suitable for conditions after physical overexertion. Arn. has in contrast to Rhus-t. but aggravated by exercise and improved in the open air.