- The Cactus plant grows in the desert .
- Although it is considered as an unattractive plant, in the desert it exhibits its own unique beauty.
- Blooming in full all around, it is pleasing to the ey e.
- The fruit of the Cactus is very nice and looks good too, while its juice is also quite tasty, though it leaves an unpleasant odour.
- Excessive use of its fruit affects the kidneys adversely.
- Urination becomes very painful .
- A burning sensation is also associated with cramping of the bladder.
- In Cantharis also, there is severe burning sensation on passing urine.
- The urine dribbles with severe sc alding.
- In Cactus, along with the burning sensation, there is also cram ping at the bladder.
- The special feature of the cactus is that wherev er there is pain, there must be spasms/cramps also.
- Cactus adversely affects the circular muscle fibres and valves.
- Its ailments come on suddenly.
- The heart also gets afflicted suddenly as if somebody has been caught in a powerful vice.
- Cactus proves to be very effective in the treatment of those diseases of the heart in which there is dilatationStretching or widening of a vessel or organThe state of being dilated or stretched beyond normal dimensions (e.g., dilatation of the heart). of the muscles and the damage to the valves.
- The spasm of the muscles at the throat can cause the sensation of tightness.
- The blood tends to accumulate everywhere.
- The congestion of the heart, kidneys, intestines and face with accumulation of blood is also found in Belladonna.
- PalpitationsSensation of rapid or irregular heartbeatA noticeably rapid, strong, or irregular heartbeat due to agitation, exertion, or physical conditions. and cramps are also present in both.
- But in Cactus, there is no fever.
- In Belladonna, the affected part of the body becomes wa rm.
- Warmth is a special sign of Belladonna.
- In Cactus, the affected part gets congested with blood, but there is no feeling of warmth and there is no fever.
- Cactus patients become extremely terrified with sudden attacks of the disease, and symptoms resembling t hose of Aconite appear.
- In view of the sudden onset of the illness and the specific nature of Cactus, it is only natural to have a fear of death.
- The severe muscular cramps of the affected part of the body resembles the feeling of being tied up in steel wires.
- There is f eeling of tightness and generalized suffocation.
- The patient cannot even tolerate a buttoned-up collar.
- This symptom, to some extent, is also found in Lachesis and Glonoine.
- In Cactus, the affected part becomes badly hurt due to severe muscular contraction.
- A similar situation develops inside the uterus.
- Cactus is a very important remedy for the treatment in newly wed women for severe pa in due to spasm (Vaginismus).
- The feeling of tightness and cramps in that part of the body which does not usually suffer from actual cramps, is a salient feature of Cactus.
- Violent muscle spasms are well known in rheumatoid arthritisJoint inflammation causing pain and stiffnessPainful inflammation and stiffness of the joints, often worsening with age. and rheumatismJoint, muscle, or tissue painInflammatory pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints, muscles, or surrounding connective tissues..
- Blood accumulates locally.
- In Colchicum and Benzoic Acid, the big toe swells but does not show any cramping.
- In Cactus such an afflicted part also has cramps.
- Cactus will be of use for the heart.
- If the ailment is confined to the heart and there is the feeling of tightness, the pain over the central bone of the chest called sternum, is anginaChest pain from reduced heart blood flowA condition marked by severe pain in the chest, often also spreading to the shoulders, arms, and neck, caused by an inadequate blood supply to the heart..
- When the heart becomes enlarged and beats irregularly, there is a piercing pain in the chest, along with hissing.
- Such a patient is not only relieved by Cactus but by the grace of God can be cured permanently.
- When the diseases of the kidneys become chronic, soft pitting edemaSwelling caused by excess fluid in tissuesA condition characterized by an excess of watery fluid collecting in the cavities or tissues of the body. develops in the body, especially at the feet and the legs.
- If other symptoms of Cactus are also evident, Cactus can offer cure of the whole body by God’s grace.
- Sometimes, even if the salient symptoms of Cactus are not present, sudden tightness and its extreme severity may be indicative enough of Cactus .
- In these kinds of symptoms, Cactus should be administered without any hesita tion.
- If the symptoms of the patient match that of Cactus, the relief will be prompt and if the patient is not of Cactus, no harm will be done.
- So Cactus should always be kept in the emergency kit for use.
- RheumaticRelating to joint or muscle painDescribe pain, stiffness, or inflammation affecting joints, muscles, or connective tissues. pains indicative of Cactus do not present signs of tightness and spasms in the arm and thigh muscles because Cactus is related only to circular (smooth) muscle fibres .
- It does not have an effect on long (skeletal) muscles.
- Colocynth is an important remedy which works on the long muscles.
- Belladonna also is useful whereas Cactus has no effect on the long musc le fibres.
- In Belladonna, when there is an excessive flow of blood towards the brain, there will be a feeling of severe tightness at the h ead as in Cuprum.
- But in the case of Cactus, there is no such feeling at the brain because there are no circular muscle fibres within the brain substance.
- In Cactus, when the brain is afflicted, the patient becomes unconscious or semi-conscious but exhibits no convulsions.
- In Be lladonna, the tension in the brain can show its effect and even reach the big toe which may present severe cramps or spasms.
- In Cactus, giddiness is very common which gets worse with physical labour and fatigue, and is relieved by rest.
- Movement makes it worse.
- The headache is on the right side, and is aggravated by noise and bright light.
- In Cactus, palpitationRapid or irregular heartbeatA noticeably rapid, strong, or irregular heartbeat due to agitation, exertion, or illness. is also present.
- Sometimes, the entire bod y throbs.
- This also happens in Belladonna, where the body is warm a nd feverish, but is absent in Cactus.
- The tendency of numbness of the left arm along with the feeling of pull demands the use of Cactus.
- These symptoms sometimes develop in the beginning of a heart problem.
- However, it is not necessary that the pain in the left arm should always be due to a heart ailment.
- This can be caused by acidity of the stomach.
- In case there is tightness and sensation of suffocation (as if somebody has strongly squeezed the chest) or there is palpitation and numbness, the obvious treatment should be Cactus.
- In Cactus, if at all there is fever, it starts at 11 o’ clock in the morning.
- Before noon, the patient feels seve re chill.
- Al ong with thirst, headache and the feeling of warmth at the time of contracting fever, there is difficulty in breathing.
- Th e feeling of warmth on the head on mental exertion is a characteristic of Cactus.
- The head feels as if caught in a vice.
- There is a fear of having apoplexy.
- The eyes are red.
- The hearing is affected due to congestion of ears with blood.
- The feeling of warmth and buzzing in the ear, spasm at the gullet (oesophagus), dryness of the tongue and difficulty in swallowing food without water, the feeling of tightness and twitching of the stomach, with the sensation of heaviness, blood-mixed vomiting, hard and dark stools, morning diarrhoea, painful swelling of pilesHemorrhoids or swollen rectal veinsSwollen, inflamed blood vessels around the anus or lower rectum, causing pain, itching, or bleeding. and heaviness at the anal verge, are all the symptoms of Cactus.
- In malarial fever, as well as during heart trouble, the intestines may also bleed.
- In Cactus, there is contracti on of the bladde r neck, causing difficulty in passing urine.
- Sometimes, there is bleeding in the bladder and the blood may clot in the urethra, maki ng the suffering still more grave.
- Swollen hands and feet , soft ice-cold hands a nd the feeling of feet being big, with restlessness in the legs, are all symptoms of Cactus which aggravate at night and on ly ing on the left si de, along with noise light heat sun and hard work.
- Antidotes: Camphor, Aconite, China PotencyStrength level of a remedyThe dilution and succussion scale of a remedy (e.g., 6C, 30C, 200C, 1M), indicating its energetic concentration.: 30