Cactus grandiflorus
Selenicereus grandiflorus · Plant · Cactaceae
Cactus Grandiflorus is suited to patients with intense cardiac symptoms, particularly the sensation of iron-band constriction around the heart accompanied by fear of death and great anxiety. The remedy is indicated in atheromatous arterial disease, angina pectoris, and haemorrhagic conditions with marked periodicity of symptoms returning at the same hour.
Key symptoms
- Sensation of constriction as if an iron band around the heart
- Whole body feels as if caged, each wire being twisted tighter
- Haemorrhage, constrictions, periodicity, and spasmodic pains
- Pulseless, panting, and prostrated state
- Constriction of oesophagus; suffocative constriction at throat
- Congestive headaches threatening apoplexy; head compressed in a vise
- Melancholy, fear of death, screams with pain, great anxiety
- Great periodicity of symptoms
- Atheromatous arteries with weak heart; rapid clot formation
Worse (aggravation)
- About noon; at 11 am and 11 pm
- Lying on left side
- Walking
- Going upstairs
Better (amelioration)
- Open air
Night-blooming Cereus (SELENICEREUS SPINULOSUS)
Acts on circular muscular fibers, hence constrictions. It is the heart and arteries especially that at once respond to the influence of Cactus, producing very characteristic constrictions as of an iron band. This sensation is found in various places, œsophagus, bladder, etc. The mental symptoms produced correspond to those found when there are heart affections, sadness, and melancholy. Hæmorrhage, constrictions, periodicity, and spasmodic pains. Whole body feels as if caged, each wire being twisted tighter. Atheromatous arteries and weak heart. Congestions; irregular distribution of blood. Favors formation of clots speedily. Great periodicity. Toxic goitre with cardiac symptoms. Cactus is pulseless, panting and prostrated.
Mind
Melancholy, taciturn, sad, ill-humored. Fear of death. Screams with pain. Anxiety.
Head
Headache if obliged to pass dinner hour (Ars; Lach; Lyc). Sensation as of a weight on vertex. Right-sided pulsating pain. Congestive headaches, periodical, threatening apoplexy. Blood-vessels to the head distended. Feels as if head were compressed in a vise. Pulsation in ears. Dim sight. Right sided prosopalgia, constricting pains, returns at same hour daily (Cedron).
Nose
Profuse bleeding from nose. Fluent coryza.
Throat
Constriction of œsophagus. Dryness of tongue, as if burnt; needs much liquid to get food down. Suffocative constriction at throat, with full, throbbing carotids in angina pectoris.
Stomach
Constriction, pulsation, or heaviness in stomach. Vomiting of blood.
Stool
Hard, black stools. Diarrhœa in morning. Hæmorrhoids swollen and painful. Sensation of great weight in anus. Hæmorrhage from bowels in malarial fevers and with heart symptoms.
Urine
Constriction of neck of bladder, causing retention of urine. Hæmorrhage from bladder. Clots of blood in urethra. Constant urination.
Female
Constriction in uterine region and ovaries. Dysmenorrhœa; pulsating pain in uterus and ovaries. Vaginismus. Menses early, dark, pitch-like (Cocc; Mag c); cease on lying down, with heart symptoms.
Chest
Oppressed breathing as from a weight on chest. Constriction in chest, as if bound, hindering respiration. Inflammation of diaphragm. Heart-constriction, as from an iron band. Angina pectoris. Palpitation; pain shooting down left arm. Hæmoptysis, with convulsive, spasmodic cough. Diaphragmitis, with great difficulty of breathing.
Heart
Endocarditis with mitral insufficiency together with violent and rapid action. Acts best in the incipiency of cardiac incompetence. Heart weakness of arterio-sclerosis. Tobacco heart. Violent palpitation; worse lying on left side, at approach of menses. Angina pectoris, with suffocation, cold sweat, and ever-present iron band feeling. Pain in apex, shooting down left arm. Palpitation, with vertigo; dyspnœa, flatulence. Constriction; very acute pains and stitches in heart; pulse feeble, irregular, quick, without strength. Endocardial murmurs, excessive impulse, increased præcordial dullness, enlarged ventricle. Low blood pressure.
Extremities
Œdema of hands and feet. Hands soft; feet enlarged. Numbness of left arm. Icy-cold hands. Restless legs.
Sleep
Sleepless on account of pulsation in different parts of body. Frightful dreams.
Fever
Fever every day at same hour. Coldness in back and icy-cold hands. Intermittent; paroxysms about midday (11 am) incomplete in their stages, accompanied by hæmorrhages. Coldness predominates; cold sweat, with great anguish. Persistent subnormal temperature.
Modalities
Worse, about noon, lying on left side; walking, going upstairs, 11 am and 11 pm. Better, open air.
Relationship
Antidotes: Acon; Camph; China.
Compare: Digital; Spigel; Convallar; Kalmia; Naja; Magnol.
Dose
Tincture (best made from flowers), to third attenuation. Higher in nervous palpitation.
Generalities
Constrictions, contractions and congestions run through Cactus.
Determination of blood to the head, and coldness of the extremities. Or determination of blood to an organ, the chest, or the heart. There is never an equal circulation of blood in the body; it is spasmodic and irregular. Disturbed by contractions of circular fibres everywhere. When this comes in places where it can be felt; and realized by the senses, it is felt as contractions, as if caged in wires, and this gives us the key to Cactus.
Where contractions cannot be felt, where there is no sense of feeling, we know that it goes on as a spasmodic condition of circular fibres; but these contractions that are felt are more upon the surface of the body, and in organs having circular fibers tubes and canals.
Cereus grandiflorus. Night-blooming Cereus. (Mexico and the West Indies.) N. O. Cactaceæ. Tincture of youngest and tenderest stems and flowers collected in summer.
Clinical
Aneurism. Angina pectoris. Apoplexy. Arteries, atheroma of. Asthma. Bladder, paralysis of. Brain, congestion of. Bronchitis. Diaphragm, rheumatism of. Dropsies. Ear, inflammation of. Fistula. Goître, exophthalmic. Hæmaturia. Hæmorrhages. Headache. Heart, affections of; hypertrophy of. Indigestion. Intermittent fevers. Lungs, hæmorrhage from. Melancholy. Menstruation, painful. Miliaria. Neuralgia. Otitis. Ovaritis. Pneumonia. Prostate, affections of. Rheumatism. Sun, effects of. Sunstroke. Traumatic fever. Vaginismus.
Night-blooming Cereus. (Cactaceae)
Sanguineous congestions in persons of plethoric habit (Acon.); often resulting in haemorrhage; sanguineous apoplexy. Fear of death; believes disease incurable (Ars.). Haemorrhage: from nose, lungs, stomach, rectum, bladder (Crot., Mill., Phos.). Headache, pressing like a heavy weight on vertex ( > by pressure, Meny.); climacteric (Glon., Lach.). Headache and neuralgia; congestive, periodic, right-sided; severe, throbbing, pulsating pain. Whole body feels as if caged, each wire being twisted tighter and tighter. Constriction: of throat, chest, heart, bladder, rectum, uterus, vagina; often caused or brought on by the slightest contact. Oppression of chest, as from a great weight; as if an iron band prevented normal motion. Sensation of a cord tightly tied around lower part of chest, marking attachment of diaphragm. Heart feels as if clasped and unclasped rapidly by an iron hand; as if bound, "had no room to beat.". Pains everywhere; darting, springing like chain …
Nose
Profuse nose-bleed with organic heart disease.
Heart and Pulse
Sensation of constriction in the heart as if an iron hand prevented its normal movement.
Heart and Pulse
Palpitation of the heart; worse when walking, and when lying on the left side; at night.
Generalities
Hemorrhages from nose, lungs, rectum, stomach or anywhere, in connection with heart disease.
Generalities
Whole body feels as if caged, each wire being twisted tight.
Generalities
Sense of constriction of throat, chest, heart, bladder, rectum, uterus, vagina (Caps.).
- Sensation of constriction in the heart, as if an iron band prevented its normal movement.
Phatak's chapter on Cactus grandiflorus is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
