Mezereum
Daphne mezereum · Mezereon, spurge olive,Daphne mezereum · Plant · Thymelaeaceae
Mezereum is most appropriate for people who are prone to despondency, apathy, and detachment. They have a tendency toward hypochondria.
Key conditions associated with this remedy are suppurating skin complaints that form a thick crust or cause cracking. Skin symptoms typically affect the scalp, usually manifesting as eczema or psoriasis with oozing discharge that smells offensive and causes the hair to mat. Eruptions on the face are usually around the hairline or eyebrows. The skin is intensely itchy, and may feel cold and clammy. The remedy is also used for shingles affecting the chest.
Neuralgic pains around the teeth or face, and bone pains in the long bones, are also usually linked with Mezereum. Symptoms include erratic, jerking, sharp pains, and a sensation of lightness or enlargement in the body.
In addition Mezereum is prescribed for digestive system disorders that are anxiety-related and involve symptoms such as diarrhea and a discharge from the anus.
Key symptoms
- Bone pains with great sensitivity to cold air
- Head covered with thick leathery crusts under which pus collects
- Violent facial neuralgia running toward ear, worse at night and eating
- Eruptions after vaccination with burning, darting sensations in muscles
- Skin symptoms, bone affections, and neuralgias most prominent
- Ears feel too open as if tympanum exposed to cold air
Worse (aggravation)
Better (amelioration)
Spurge Olive
Skin symptoms, affections of bones, and neuralgias most important, especially about teeth and face. Bruised, weary feeling in joints, with drawing and stiffness. Pains of various kinds, with chilliness and sensitiveness to cold air. Bone pains. Eruptions after vaccination. Burning, darting sensation in the muscles; subsultus tendinum. Pains shoot upward and seem to draw patient up out of bed. Semi-lateral complaints. Patient is very sensitive to cold air.
Head
Hard work to talk. Headache; worse from talking. Stupefying headache in right side. Affections of external head; scaly eruption, white scabs. Head covered with thick, leathery crusts, under which pus collects, Violent neuralgia about face and teeth, running towards ear, at night; worse, eating; better near hot stove. Roots of teeth decay. Teeth feel elongated.
Nose
Sneezing, coryza, interior of nose, excoriated. Post-nasal adenoids.
Ears
Feel too much open, as if tympanum was exposed to the cold air and it blew into the ear. Desire to bore fingers in.
Eyes
Ciliary neuralgia after operations. Especially after removal of eyeball. Pains radiate and shoot downward, with cold feeling and stiffness of bone.
Face
Red. Eruption around mouth, with coryza.
Stomach
Desire for ham-fat. Burning in tongue, extending to stomach. Mouth waters. Nausea felt in throat; better, eating. Chronic gastritis; burning, corroding pain; nausea, vomiting, chocolate color. Gastric ulcer with much burning.
Abdomen
Swelling of glands with large abdomen in children. Pressure in inguinal ring. Flatulent colic, with shivering and difficult respiration.
Rectum
Constipation after confinement. Prolapse of rectum. Diarrhœa, with small, white particles. Green discharges. Constipation, with hepatic and uterine inertia. Constriction of anus; stitches and prolapse of rectum.
Urine
Red flakes float on top of urine. Hot, bloody Biting, burning in forepart of urethra at the close of micturition. Hæmaturia preceded by cramp pain in the bladder, After urinating, a few drops of blood are passed.
Female
Menses too frequent, soon, profuse. Leucorrhœa like albumen; very corroding.
Male
Enlargement of testicles. Violent sexual desire. Gonorrhœa, with hæmaturia.
Respiratory
Soreness and burning in bones of thorax. Constriction across chest. Cough; worse; eating, irritation lower than can be reached, on taking a warm drink.
Extremities
Pain in neck and back; worse, motion and at night; intolerant of all touch. Pain and burning in tibia and long bones. Legs and feet go to sleep. Pain in hip and knee.
Skin
Eczema; intolerable itching; chilliness with pruritus; worse in bed. Ulcers itch and burn, surrounded by vesicles and shining, fiery-red areola. Zona, with burning pain. Bones, especially long bones, inflamed and swollen; caries, exostosis; pain worse night, touch, damp weather (Merc; Syph). Eruptions ulcerate and form thick scabs under purulent matter exudes (Chrysophanic acid).
Modalities
Worse, cold air; night, evening until midnight, warm food, touch, motion. Better, open air.
Relationship
Compare: Dirca palustris-Leather wood--(a gastro-intestinal irritant inducing salivation, emesis and purgation; cerebral hyperæmia; neuralgic pains, with depression, palpitation, and dyspnœa); Merc; Phyt; Rhus; Guaiac; Syph.
Antidotes: Kali hyd; Merc.
Dose
Sixth to thirtieth potency.
The principal use of this remedy is in eruptions and ulcerations.
The most violent and important of its symptoms are those of mucous membranes, skin and periosteum. The outer surfaces of the body are in a constant state of irritation; nervous feelings, biting, tingling, itching, changing place from scratching. Even when there is nothing to be seen, there is violent itching and the patient rubs and scratches until the part becomes raw and then burns; itching changes place; the part becomes cold after scratching, cold in spots. Itching changing place after scratching, especially when associated with no visible cause.
As soon as he gets warm in bed or as soon as he goes into a warm room, the itching begins. Formication, itching, biting. The patient is so nervous that he is compelled to move, to change positions.
Daphne mezereum. Chamælia germanica. Mezereon, Spurge Olive. (Hilly woods over nearly whole of Europe and Russian Asia.) N. O. Thymelaceæ. Tincture of fresh bark gathered just before the plant flowers in February and March.
Clinical
Bones, affections of. Coccygodynia. Constipation. Contraction of tendons. Crusta lactea. Ear, affections of; sensitive to air. Erythema. Exostoses. Eyes, affections of. Glands enlarged. Gleet. Gonorrhœa. Hæmaturia. Hernia. Herpes zoster. Impetigo. Irritation. Leucorrhœa. Mercury, effects of. Neuralgia. Osteoma. Pediculosis. Pityriasis. Prolapsus ani. Pruritus senilis. Rheumatism. Scrofula. Syphilis. Teeth, affections of. Tinea capitis. Tinea versicolor. Tongue, affections of; swelling of. Ulcers. Vaccination.
Daphne Mezereum. (Thymelaceae.)
For light-haired, irresolute persons of a phelgmatic temperament. Eczema and itching eruptions after vaccinations. Hypochondriacal and despondent; indifferent to everything and every one; angry at trifles and perfectly harmless things, but is soon sorry for it. Toothache: in carious teeth (Kreos.); feel elongated, dull pain when biting on them and when touched with tongue, < at night; > with mouth open and drawing in air; roots decay (rev. or Mer.). Headache, violent after slight vexation; painful on the slightest touch; right sided. The head is covered with thick, leather-like crust, under which thick and white pus collects here and there; hair is glued and matted together; pus after a time is ichorous, becomes offensive and breeds vermin. Ulcers with thick, yellowish-white scabs, under which thick, yellow pus collects. Vesicles appear around the ulcers, itch violently, burn like fire (Hep.); shining, fiery-red areola around. Linen or charpie sticks to the ulcers, they bleed when …
Head
Head covered with a thick, leathery crust, under which pus collects and mats the hair.
General Face
Child scratches the face continuously, which becomes covered with blood; itching worse at night, tears of the scabs leaving raw spots, on which fat pustules form.
Hearing and Ears
Sensation as if the ears were too open and air were pouring into them.
Extremities
Pains in the periosteum of the long bones, especially the tibia; worse at night and in bed; least touch intolerable; worse in wet weather.
Skin
Ulcers easily bleeding, sensitive, painful at night; thick, whitish, yellow scabs, under which thick yellow pus collects; burning, itching vesicles around the ulcers.
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Head covered with a thick, leathery crust, under which pus collects and mats the hair.
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Child scratches the face continually, which becomes covered with blood, Itching worse at night, tears off the scales, leaving raw spots on which fat pustules form. The ichor from the scratched face excoriates other parts.
Phatak's chapter on Mezereum is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
