Euphorbium officinarum
Plant · Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbium Officinarum suits patients with severe burning pains in bones and skin, particularly in cancerous and ulcerative conditions. The remedy is indicated in erysipelas, vesicular eruptions, gangrene, and chronic torpid ulcers with a tendency toward carcinomatous degeneration.
Key symptoms
- Terrible burning pains especially in bones
- Pains of cancer; ulcerating carcinoma and epithelioma of skin
- Everything appears larger than it really is
- Erysipelatous inflammation of cheek with yellow blisters
- Dry spasmodic cough with asthma day and night
- Carbuncle and old torpid indolent ulcers with biting lancinating pain
- Paralytic pains and weakness in limbs and joints
- Vesicular erysipelas and gangrene of skin
Spurge-The resinous Juice of Euphorbia Resinifera (EUPHORBIUM)
An irritant to the skin and mucous membranes. Burning pain in bones. Pains in limbs and paralytic weakness in the joints. Important respiratory and skin symptoms. Terrible burning pains. Pains of cancer. Everything appears larger than it really is.
Head
Acute mania. Violent, pressive headache.
Face
Erysipelas; yellow blisters. Burning in cheek; worse, left. Eyes inflamed and agglutinated in morning; Red swelling of cheeks. Nasal pruritus with mucous secretions from naso-pharynx.
Stomach
Great hunger. Sialorrhea (profuse salty saliva). Waterbrash. Thirst for cold drinks.
Abdomen
Sunken; spasmodic, flatulent colic. Stools fermented, profuse, clayey. Feels hollow.
Respiratory
Breathing oppressed, as if chest were not wide enough. Spasmodic, dry cough, day and night, with asthma. Violent, fluent coryza, with burning and cough. Constant cough, with stitches from pit of stomach to sides of chest. Croup, dry, hollow, cough. Warm feeling in chest, as if hot food had been swallowed.
Extremities
Paralytic pains. Pain in hip-joint and coccyx.
Skin
Erysipelatous inflammation, especially of the cheek. Biting and stinging, red, swollen. Vesicular erysipelas. Carbuncle; old, torpid, indolent ulcers with biting, lancinating pain. Old torpid ulcer, pustules; gangrene (Echinac; Secale). Ulcerating carcinoma and epithelioma of the skin.
Relationship
Compare: Euphorbia amygdaloides-Wood Spurge (in pain in antrum, illusion of smell, odor of mice. Sense of taste blunted. Diarrhœa; stools difficult, with painful anal spasm).
Euphorbia corollata-Large Flowering Spurge--(a diaphoretic expectorant and cathartic of the old school in gastro-enteric disturbance, with deathly nausea. Vomiting of food, water, and mucus and copious evacuations. Attacks recur after short intermissions. Feeling of clawing in stomach; cold sweat) (Verat alb).
Euphorbia marginata-Snow on the mountain--(Honey from the flowers is poisonous, detected by the hot, acrid taste. The milky juice produces skin symptoms like Rhus).
Euphorbia pilulifera-Pillbearing Spurge--(Humid asthma, cardiac dyspnœa, hay-fever, and bronchitis. Urethritis, with intense pain on urinating, and much urging. Acrid leucorrhœa; worse least movement. Hæmorrhages from sunstroke and traumatism).
Compare, also: Psoralea-A Columbian plant--(Pain of cancer, ulcers. Leucorrhœa fetid. Pruritus. Uterine tumors). Croton; Jatropha; Colchic.
Antidotes: Camph; Opium.
Dose
Third to sixth potency.
Euphorbium officinarum. Gum Euphorbium. The resinous exudation or juice of Euphorbia resinifera. exported from Morocco. Euphorbia resinifera is a cactus-like plant of the Euphorbiaceæ.
Clinical
Bone, diseases of. Cancer. Cataract. Coccygodynia. Cough. Crusta lactea. Erysipelas. Eyes, inflammation of. Gangrene. Hay-fever. Headache. Heartburn. Influenza. Peritonitis. Sciatica. Syphilis. Teeth, affections of. Toothache. Ulcers. Vision, disorders of. Warts. Writer's cramp.
Characteristics
Gum euphorbium is one of the remedies of Hahnemann's chronic diseases. It is the principal member of the group of Euphorbian drugs, and should be studied with Croton tiglium and Ricinus. Like these it produces gastro-intestinal irritation and all degrees of irritation of the skin. It also affects the eyes, teeth, and bones. Burning pains in the bones is an indication, and along with Euphorb. heterodoxa it is a remedy for the pains of cancer. (In a desperate case of sarcoma of the pelvic bones under my care nothing gave …
Phatak's chapter on Euphorbium officinarum is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
