# Bryonia Alba (HMT)

## Remedy Classification
- **Type:** Remedy
- **Miasm:** Tubercular Miasm
- **Temperament:** Neutral
- **Aggravation Time:** Neutral/Anytime

## Keynote Indications
Bryonia Alba is a wild creeper plant, found on forest trees and bushes.
Its root is very poisonous and bitter.  The root is ground in the form of
a powder and then homoeopathic potencies are made from it.  Bryonia
is related to most of the vital or gans of the body in cluding the lungs,
liver and heart.  It acts more eff ectively over the outer linings of these
organs (pleura and pericardium) but its effect on the liver is much
more pronounced.  Similarly, it proves  very effective in the treatment
of deep-seated illne sses of the lungs like pneumonia and its
aftereffects.  Although it is not of  much use in the treatment of
tuberculosis and other chronic illnesses of  the lungs, it enhances the
action of other profoundly acting remedies.

In addition to its effects on the muscles, it also works on the lining of
the intestines.   A Bryoni a patient is generally constipated, but
sometimes blood-mixed dysentery also occurs.  Due to the dryness of
the intestines, the lining ulcerates leading to a painful type of severe
dysentery.  Bryonia will be immediat ely effective in this type of
dysentery, provided other signs and symptoms of Bryonia are present.

Some homoeopathic doctors beli eve that Bryonia Alba is the
homoeopathic remedy of flail, flaccid and easily fatigable muscles,
but this is not right.  In fact, Bryonia is also the best remedy for strong
and toned-up muscles.  For the proper functioning of Bryonia, the
weakness of the muscle fibres is  not a precondition.  In Bryonia,
generalised body ache is, as in malaria, a salient feature.

Some people are afflicted with such illnesses that as a result they do
not have the strength to move around.  The weakness is not
generalised.  But after walking for some time, the body starts feeling
heavy and this heaviness turn s into severe pain.  The legs become
lifeless.  Bryonia is very useful in such patients, but it has to be given
over a long period.  Before going for a long walk or resorting to
intense physical activity, admini stration of Bryonia 200 combined
with Arnica proves to be very beneficial.

Some women develop swelling of the leg after childbirth called white
leg.  This is probably due to clotting of the blood and slowing down of
the circulation.  When the conditio n becomes chronic and disables

them, and blue and black spots develop on the legs along with the
development of varicose veins, it is  already too late for the treatment
of this condition with Arnica and Br yonia.  However if in addition,
Aesculus 30 is administered, a better response will be expected.  If the
condition affects the left side, Arnica 200 should be combined with
Lachesis 200 as well as Aesculus 30.

When given alternately with long-acting remedies such as Sulphur and
Lycopodium, Bryonia can cure chroni c illnesses as well.  In the deep
intrinsic illnesses of the liver , the following formula is very
effective: Bryonia 200 once or twic e a day, Sulphur 30 three times a
day and a few drops of Mother Tinc ture of Carduus Marianus mixed
in water, three times a day.

This prescription has proven very effective in Hepatitis B, as well as
in cancer of the liver .  In my experience, I have seen patients with
cancer of the liver who, following tr eatment with radiation and other
medicines, the doctors had declared  untreatable. Thinking that the
patient’s end is very near, they had discharged the patient home.
When the particular prescription mentioned above was used, instead
of dying in three days, the patient started showing signs of recovery to
health.  The first hopeful sign noted in  such patients was that the thirst
and appetite that had completely disappeared returned.  Many other
patients of liver diseases have also benefited from this treatment and
are still alive.

Sometimes the liver diseases shift to the spleen, especially in chronic
malaria.  First, there is liver disorder and then the spleen enlarges.
Such patients should be given Carduus Marianus as well as Ceanothus
in the form of Mother Tincture.  Ceanothus is the best treatment for
the spleen.  Sometimes these pa tients develop distension of the
abdomen.  There is painful swelling and induration over the spleen
and the liver .  When treated with the above combination and
Ceanothus, such patients recover re markably in a period of two to
three months, so much so that their abdomen reverts to normal size
and there is no pain on pressure.  In areas where malaria is common
and such ailments prevail, this prescription must be put to use.

The development of pain on every movement  and worsening of the
affected part of the bo dy is typical of Bryonia.   This resembles Rhus
Tox somewhat.  Commonly, it is thought that rest increases the pain of

Rhus Tox and movement relieves it; this  is not exactly right.  In Rhus
Tox, when the patient walks, this  increases his pain which gets
somewhat better after walking a little.  However, the pain never
disappears completely.  In fact, it becomes worse when one stops
walking or resorts to rest.  The Bryonia patient feels much relieved on
resting for a few days continuously, but the pain of a Rhus Tox patient
becomes worse on resting.

For most conditions that develop in the beginning of the summer after
the winter is over, Bryoni a is of great use.  In this changing weather,
pneumonia is very common.  With the sudden onset of hot weather,
the outer body feels discomfort but th e inside of the body is not ready
for this change.  Therefore when the warm clothes are taken off,
various kinds of ailments overtake wh ich are not the direct result of
the heat but are due to e xposure to the cold in warm weather.  For this
kind of seasonal pneumonia , Bryonia is the best.  The kind of
pneumonia that occurs in Bryonia usually affects the right lung and
does not shift from the right to  the left.  The pneumonia in
Lycopodium starts on the right side and then also affects the left
where it settles.  In Bryonia, th e symptoms travel from above
downwards and gradually settle in the lower part of the lungs.
Bryonia is not a chronic remedy as suc h. Therefore, in such an illness
other remedies need to be given.  Kali Carb is an important remedy in
this condition, acting on the lower pa rt of the lungs.  Arsenic Iodide
and Kali Iodide are also useful.

If due to tuberculosis, spots a nd cavities develop in the lungs , the
combination of Merc sol and Kali Carb is very useful.  Once a woman
had developed cavities in the lungs and in the view of the doctors it
was incurable.  When she was treated with Merc sol 200 and Kali
Carb 30, she completely recovered within a few months.  When the x-
rays on the chest were done in the hospital, no cavities were found.
The doctors did not believe that the x-rays belonged to the same
patient who previously had the cavities in their lungs!

Homoeopathic remedies can work miraculously, showing that Allah
Almighty has blessed our body with great defensive power that the
doctors of today do not fully unders tand in spite of their extensive
research.  This great defensive power is deeply related to the
chemistry of the body.  For example,  the liver is given a message to
produce an appropriate chemical for a particular ailment and so it

happens.  This can never happen due to a blind evolutionary type of
reaction.  How is it possible that  this profound mechanism could
develop by sheer chance, as a result  of long evolutionary process in
the form of a strong interrelated defence mechanism of the body and
then work with such precision, and this effect remain in the body
indelibly?  If the general health of  a person is good, there is no need
for any kind of formal treatment because the defence mechanism of
the body will automatically overcome the illnesses, but when the body
defences are at fault they have to be activated by homoeopathic
treatment.  Simple, hard-working people usually do not suffer from
the complicated illnesses of the rich, because their body has a sound
defence system against those diseases.  This is in spite of the fact that
they live in the same environment and area where other people are
overcome by many diseases.  The defence system of the body points
vividly to the existence of God a nd His magnificence.  This system
must be well remembered by homoeopa thic physicians.  It is this
system which makes the working of  homoeopathic remedies more
conspicuous, bringing it to the limelight.

The joint pains of the Bryonia patient subside by heat.  The cough
becomes aggravated generally by movement and noise, resembling
Belladonna with one difference, that in Bryonia there is no suddenness
of the symptoms.  The Bryonia symp toms start gradually and then
become more and more severe, till every movement sound and noise
becomes troublesome, so much so that the patient does not even like
people visiting him, and in fact is vexed on their arrival.  The reason
for the anger and vexation is that every movement bothers him.  The
movement of his own lips to talk also bothers him and he does not like
to speak.  He feels weak.  If su ch a patient develops pneumonia or
headache, he should not even be asked to talk.  He remains in the state
of drowsiness.  When the ailment prolongs, he may become
permanently unconscious.  Movement and speaking are of no avail to
him at all.

The headache of a Bryonia patient feels better in cold.  The headache
is usually on the back of the head or on the forehead.  Intense thirst is
a characteristic symptom of Bryonia.  The patient likes to have very
cold water as it offers him relief.   Soon afterwards he feels awfully
thirsty again.  Intense thirst remi nds one of Bryonia.  But in certain
situations, the thirst may be to tally absent.  The stomach gets
inflamed, the mouth becomes dry and the tongue is dry hard, but there

is no thirst.  There are yellow depos its on the tongue.  Primarily, this
is the particular symptom of Gelsemium, which occasionally may
appear in Bryonia.  In his book, Dr. Kent has also written that in
Bryonia, sometimes the thirst may be totally absent.

Feeling dizzy in a Bryonia patient may be due to some problem in
the ear or with movement .  Dizziness and associated nausea are
commonly present in motion sickness, in a motor car or a ship.  For
such patients, some ready prescrip tions may be put into use and are
very useful.  Generally, it is not possible to ask everybody
individually about the symptoms.  This prescription includes Bryonia,
Cocculus, Nux Vomica and Ipecac.  Co cculus is also related to the
vertigo associated with ear problems.  In fact, this is the most effective
remedy for this purpose.  As a ma tter of fact, Bryonia and Cocculus
are very similar in this respect.  In the tubes of the middle ear (semi-
circular canals), there is a fluid. When  one’s head is tilted, it sends an
impulse through the nerve giving the sensation of balance or
imbalance.  Rapid change in the position can cause vertigo.  When the
vertigo is due to rapid movement or an ailment of the ear causing
hypersensitivity of the internal ear,  this can be tr eated with Bryonia
and Cocculus.  There is a slight di fference.  In Bryonia, it is the
inflammation of the ears that causes vertigo, whereas in Cocculus, it is
the irritability of the nerves that causes vertigo.  When there is vertigo
but no apparent problem in the ear, Cocculus is useful.  In the case
where there is infectio n of the ear causing vertigo, Bryonia would be
better.

Bryonia is also useful in the treatment of glaucoma, but if there is no
associated thirst, Gelsemium would be the most appropriate treatment.
Gelsemium is also a good remedy for vertigo due to irritation of the
nerves.  But Bryonia is more widely e ffective, as it is able to work on
the internal membrane of the ear as  well as the nerves.  Glaucoma is
mostly related to the nerves.  When  Calcaria Phos 6X and Kali Phos
6X are given along with Bryonia and Gelsemium, the effect is more
pronounced.  Sometimes after the admi nistration of Bryonia, the thirst
disappears.  At that time Gelsem ium may be given and both Bryonia
and Gelsemium may be used altern atively.  These remedies are good
for headaches also.  A Gelsemium headache gets worse in cold air
and a Bryonia headache feels relieved in the cold.  However, the effect
of cold or heat does not always  hold good in Gelsemium, because
when the headache becomes severe, neither cold nor heat has any

effect.  A Bryonia headache essentially settles in the nape, forehead or
the eyes.  When it settles in the eyes , the headache becomes very
severe in the form of waves and undulations .  Sometimes, when
joint pains are controlled with a strong medication, the eyes may
become the centre of severe pain.  The slightest movement of the eye
feels as if somebody is being poked with a knif e.  This particular
feeling may be related to Bryonia as  well as Berberis.  Gelsemium
headaches radiate down the back of th e head, in addition to the entire
head, neck and then along the arms.  Gelsemium headaches may also
be related to a change in the daily routine of a person.  If the planning
for retiring to bed or taking th e food gets disturbed, the person
develops headache which will respond to Gelsemium.  A Bryonia
headache is more closely related to the generalised joint pains,
stomach upset or fever.

Bryonia is very effective in the treatment of both malaria and
typhoid.  In Bryonia, when the body hurts headache must also be
present.  In the state of fever, sometimes the headache may lead to
delirium and the patient becomes absu rd and meaningless in his
conversation.  Otherwise, the Bryo nia patient does not talk much in
simple delirium i.e. without fever.  The delirium associated with
Hyoscyamus, Stramonium, Sulphur and Belladonna is much more
severe and results from the toxic or poisonous products of the feverish
conditions.  By making a proper dia gnosis of the headache, one may
easily diagnose the nature of the sickness.  The Belladonna kind of
headache caused by typhoid or some  other sickness would be of
sudden onset.  In addition to the headache, the face would be flushed,
even if the patient were anaemic.  The patient is not frightened but
tends to be aggressive instead .  In spite of physical weakness, the
patient reacts with unusual strength and it becomes difficult to control
him.  In Hyoscyamus, when the patient is delirious, his talk is so
obviously obscene that not only the fa mily but also the doctor feels
embarrassed.  This does not reflect immorality on the part of the
patient but is simply due to the inflammation of the sexual organs
which disturbs the mind also.  All these symptoms together produce a
state of severe delirium.  Anot her point of recognition for the
Hyoscyamus patient is that he keeps on pinching his body and picking
his clothes.  This does not happen in the case of Bryonia.

One sign of Bryonia is that there is fissuring at the corners of the
mouth, scabs form on the lips which when attempted to be removed

by the patient, start bleeding.  This  also happens in Natrum Mur.
Natrum Mur is chronic of Bryonia.

When the excretions or discharges of a Bryonia patient get blocked,
they cause significant discomfort.  The sweating becomes a source of
blessing to the patient.  In the Bryonia cough, the expectoration is
very dry, sticky and difficult to expel .  To help get rid of dry and
sticky sputum, Hepar Sulph and Coccus are also very important
remedies in addition to Bryonia and Ipecac.  In Bryonia, when the
lungs get diseased, the inner linings  of the lungs tear and ulcerate
causing light bleeding, which mixes up in the sputum.  The sputum
appears rusty. This is typical of Br yonia.  Bryonia works as a useful
adjuvant to Phosphorus in the treatment of can cer of the bone.  It
should be used in potency 30, alternating with Phosphorus.

In women, Bryonia can be useful in the treatment of diseases of the
right ovary.  For the lumps in the breast glands which are firm and
hurt on movement, due to cancer or otherwise, the first remedy to be
used should be Bryonia.  The Bryonia patient with pneumonia of the
right lung usually sleeps  on the right side, because lying down on the
same side helps minimise the movement of the chest wall during
breathing.

Sometimes during sleep, the patient wa kes up with sudden jerking
of the body.  In homoeopathy, there are th ree terms used for fever, as
follows:
1. Continuous fever which once it starts, will either prove fatal, or
when it subsides will never return.
2. Remittent fever is the one which shows peaks.  Sometimes it is
low and sometimes high, but does not subside completely.
3. Intermittent fever which can totally subside but returns.  Malaria is
one such example.

Typhoid fever is of remittent type which may subside but does not go.
Bryonia may be useful in the treatme nt of remittent and intermittent
fevers but not in continuous fever.  Often it is needed in the treatment
of malaria but is also useful in the treatment of typhoid.

The diseases of the glands  in Bryonia begin very slowly and then
intensify to become chronic, like in  Causticum.  In Causticum too, the
illnesses progress gradually but cont inuously, and involve the fibrous

and glandular tissues.  Th e toxic material settles in the glands.  When
the glands become chronically inflamed and their appearance changes,
Bryonia may be the remedy.  Bryoni a should be remembered in
relation to Arnica as well.

In regard to the diseases of the glands , Bryonia also resembles
Phytolacca.  In both, the glands swe ll.  Phytolacca should be used if
Bryonia does not work to satisfaction.  In the chronic diseases of the
glands, the effective prescription is  Kali Mur, Silicea, Ferrum Phos,
Calcarea Phos, Calcarea Flour, et c., mixed together and given
repeatedly.  An infectious fever originating from the infection of the
throat may prove to be very chr onic and dangerous because the
infection settles in the deeper pa rt of the glands not effectively
accessible to the blood circulation, so  the protective materials cannot
reach the affected part either.  If the above combination does not show
beneficial effect in the first two to  three days of the sickness, more
effective, appropriate remedies should be considered.

Sometimes, there is high fever due to  infection of the tonsils and it
keeps on increasing everyday, and in particular shows a high peak in
the latter part of the night.  One should not take its relative subsiding
in the morning as a sign of recovery.  The family or the doctor would
become somewhat carefree towards the treatment.  The next evening,
the fever becomes still more elevated  and so on.  Two to three such
episodes of high fever may even prove fatal.  Therefore, the high fever
of infection of the tonsils must not  be taken lightly.  The allopaths
commonly prescribe antibiotics for it.  The fever subsides but tends to
recur again and again.  In  fact, a new bout of feve r sets in right after
the previous one subsid es.  More and much stronger antibiotics have
to be used. These destroy the liver  function, resulting in the loss of
appetite.  The sick child becomes a skeleton devoid of flesh.  The
tonsils enlarge in size with every su ccessive episode of fever.  As a
word of caution, antibiotics should be avoided as much and as long as
safely possible.  Sulphur and Pyrogenium 200 are generally very
beneficial in controlling infection.  Similarly, Silicea in high potency
may also prove very useful at times.   If all these prove ineffective, a
combination of Belladonna, Phytolac ca, Calcarea Flour, Ferrum Phos
and Baptisia in potency 30 repeat ed frequently may control the
sickness in one night.  In add ition, the mixture of Ferrum Phos,
Silicea, Kali Mur, Calcarea Phos, Mag Phos 6X may be administered

6 to 7 times a day to a significant benefit.  The fever will gradually
subside in two to three nights if not on the first.

Like Nux Vomica, if Bryonia is used  more than necessary, it causes
headaches.  The antidote for both is Gelsemium.  In Bryonia, the
illness presents two patterns.  Firstly, when the discharges or sweating
stop, the suffering worsens.  With the treatment the excretions begin
again.  The inner linings of the organ become moist and the normal
perspiration starts from the skin.  Secondly, when there is cessation of
periods in women, they suffer nosebleeds .  By administering
Bryonia, the condition is relieved.

The thick sticky expectoration may block the main air passages
temporarily causing a state of asthma .  Repeated coughing is needed
to expel it out of the air passages.  If the sputum is like a thread,
Coccus definitely is the best remedy.  If the cold deteriorates and deep
infection sets in, the expectoratio n becomes greenish, showing further
deterioration.

In Bryonia, the symptoms progress gradually but it does not mean that
they take many days to become ev ident.  If the Bryonia patient is
exposed to cold in the morning, by  the evening he will start showing
symptoms of cold, and by the next morning the sickness is in full
swing.  The pain in the joints and muscles becomes severe and
chronic.  Bryonia behaves the same way in acute illnesses also.  The
Bryonia symptoms become more inte nse by 9 o’clock in the evening
and persist all night.  The symptoms of Chamomilla and Natrum Mur
are at their peak at 9 o’clock in the morning.  There is no definite
explanation of the periodicity and punctuality of these symptoms, but
this is how it has been designed by nature.

Like Chelidonium, Bryonia is the remedy for the illnesses of the right
side.  It is deeply related to liver disorders .  Its discharges are
yellowish in colour, including the sputum from the lung.  In
Chelidonium, the liver pain radiates towards the back like the pain of
the gall bladder, getting wo rse on movement.  When a pregnant
woman becomes exhausted or there is danger of aborting
following heat stroke , Bryonia should be administered.  If combined
with Arnica 200, this will also pr event against the aftereffects of
physical exhaustion.  In the cas e of trauma, Bryonia and Arnica
together prevent the danger of abortion.  It is very useful for this

purpose and should be administered at once and better still with
Aconite.

Adjuvants: Rhus Tox, Alumina
Antidotes: Aconite, Chamomilla, Nux Vomica
Potency: 30 to 1000

## Symptoms by System