Elaterium officinarum
Ecballium elaterium · Plant · Cucurbitaceae
Elaterium Officinarum suits individuals in choleraic states with violent, forceful, watery, olive-green diarrhea combined with vomiting and great weakness. It is effective in certain dropsies and in beriberi. Mental disorders and urticaria coming on as a consequence of suppressed malaria are characteristic indications.
Key symptoms
- Violent vomiting and purging with copious watery evacuations
- Squirting diarrhea: watery, frothy, olive green, with cutting in abdomen
- Much yawning and stretching throughout the chill
- Chills and fever with spurting diarrhea
- Sharp pains in fingers, thumbs, knees, toes, and instep
- Urticaria from suppressed intermittent malaria
- Dropsical conditions
Worse (aggravation)
- Exposure on damp ground
Squirting Cucumber (ELATERIUM - ECBALIUM)
This is an invaluable remedy in violent vomiting and purging, especially if the evacuations are copious and watery. It is a very efficient remedy in certain forms of dropsy. Much yawning and stretching. Beriberi; choleraic conditions; urticaria and mental disorders coming on as a consequence of suppressed malaria. Irresistible desire to wander from home at night. Effects of damp weather.
Stomach
Nausea and vomiting, with great weakness. Griping pains in bowels.
Stool
Watery, copious, forceful. Squirting diarrhœa; frothy, olive green, with cutting in abdomen.
Extremities
Sharp pains in fingers and thumbs, knees, toes, and instep. Gouty pain in great toes. Pain extends down extremities; pain in hip-joints with diarrhœa. Arthritic nodules.
Skin
Smarts, stings, and burns. Dropsical. Urticaria from suppressed intermittent. Skin, orange color.
Fever
Chill comes on with much yawning and stretching, lasting all through chill. Pain in extremities, darting into fingers and toes. Chills and fever, with spurting diarrhœa.
Modalities
Worse, from exposure on damp ground.
Relationship
Compare: Bry; Croton; Gambogia.
Dose
Third to thirtieth potency. As a hydragogue cathartic to produce free discharge in dropsies, Elaterin 1-20 of a grain. Palliative only.
Ecballium elaterium. Momordica elaterium. Squirting Cucumber. N. O. Cucurbitaceæ. Tincture of unripe fruit. Trituration of Elaterinum, C20 H28 O5.
Clinical
Abscesses. Bilious fever. Bladder, affections of. Boils. Cholera. Colic. Cramps. Diarrhœa. Dropsy. Dysentery. Erysipelas. Intermittent fever. Jaundice. Measles. Nettle-rash. Neuralgia. Rheumatism. Sciatica. Scurvy. Vomiting. Yawning.
Characteristics
The "signature" of Elat. is too obvious to be missed: Profuse watery stools, coming out with a gush, which is the main characteristic of the drug, is plainly typified in the explosion by means of which the ripe fruit scatters its seeds. Elat. has been used with good effect in scurvy of which gushing diarrhœa is a marked symptom. Beriberi, also a scurvy disease, has been greatly helped by Elat. according to Cooper. Dull olive green discharges; and frothy stools are also characteristic. Many cases of cholera, cholerine, and infantile diarrhœa are met by Elat.; also the jaundice of the new-born with bilious …
Phatak's chapter on Elaterium officinarum is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
