Anhalonium lewinii
Alias: Anh., Anhalonium
Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica, William Boericke
Mescal Button (ANHALONIUM)
Mescal is a strong intoxicating spirit distilled from Pulque fuerte. Pulque is made from the Agave Americana of Mexico, locally known as Maguey and is the national beverage of Mexico. Indians call it Peyote. It weakens the heart, produces insanity. Its most striking effects appear in the auditory nerve for it makes each note upon the piano a center of melody which seems to be surrounded by a halo of color pulsating to the rhythm of the music" (Hom. World).
Causes a form of intoxication accompanied by wonderful visions, remarkably beautiful and varied kaleidoscopic changes, and a sensation of increased physical ability. Also visions of monsters and various gruesome forms. A cardiac tonic and respiratory stimulant. Hysteria and insomnia. A remedy for brainfag, delirium, megrim, hallucinations, with colored brilliant visions. Motor inco-ordination. Extreme muscular depression; increased patellar reflex. Paraplegia.
Mind.--Loss of conception of time. Difficult enunciation. Distrust and resentment. Lazy contentment.
Head.--Aches, with disturbed vision. Fantastic, brilliant, moving colored objects. Affected by beating time. Pupils dilated, vertigo, brain tired. Polychrome spectra. Exaggerated reverberation of ordinary sounds.
Dose.--Tincture.
Relationship.--Compare Agave. The intoxication of Anhalonium is similar to that of Cannabis Indica and Oenanthe.
A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke
Mescal buttons. N. O. Cactaceae. Tincture, extract, or infusion. Havelock Ellis says: "I first cut up the buttons into small fragments and poured on boiling water twice; a single infusion is inactive."
Clinical.─Brain-fag. Delirium. Headache. Hallucinations. Megrim. Mental weakness. Neurasthenia. Paraplegia. Senses, disordered. Visions, disordered, of; coloured.
Characteristics.─The plant from which the mescal buttons are obtained grows in barren and rocky soil in the valley of the Rio Grande. It is used by some Indian tribes in their religious ceremonies. It has been recently tested scientifically, a notable proving having been made by Dr. Wier Mitchell. Dr. E. M. Hale has collected the facts about the drug in an article published in the Hahnemannian Monthly. The chief feature of the drug's action is the production of coloured visions of most over-powering brilliancy, associated with moving shapes of fantastic design, the motion being regulated somewhat in time by music. In the Indian ceremonies the constant beating of tom-toms is an essential feature. Other symptoms are loss of conception of time, occipital headache, tired feeling in head, nausea. Tremor of muscles, increased knee-jerk, and loss of power of co-ordination. One prover, Havelock Ellis, noted distinct slowing of the pulse, slight faintness and shallow breathing; but there were none of the terrible heart symptoms of the other Cacti. The most prominent condition is < on closing eyes. The nausea and faintness were < on movement. There is great disinclination to move. > Lying down.
Relations.─Compare: Can. ind. (time sense disordered; fantastic visions); Gelsem. (paralysis of accommodation); Bell., Stram., Op., Pic. ac., Piper methyst., Coffea, Coca; Plat. (objects seem small and distant); Pso. (> lying down).
SYMPTOMS.
1. Mind.─Reverie.─Time seems long; intervals between words and sentences seem inordinately long.─Cannot find the right word, with difficulty of enunciation.─Seems to have a double personality.─Distrust and resentment; thinks companions are laughing at him; wants to do them violence.─Consciousness of unusual energy and intellectual power (which, when tested, was found not to actually exist).─Sense of superiority and well-being.─Sense of depression and inferiority.
2. Head.─Frontal (l.) headache with visual zigzags.─Occipital headache, with disturbed vision.─Persistent ache and tired feeling in occipital region (lasting several days and making work impossible).─(It rapidly removed headache in one prover.)
3. Eyes.─Visions in all colours, moving, fantastic, of surpassing brilliance, in designs (sometimes grotesque), moving scenes, dances; affected by beating time; dissipated or modified by opening the eyes; partly under control by an effort of thought.─Natural objects seem more brilliant, shadows deepened, flickering of lights greatly exaggerated.─Pupils dilated.─Accommodation impaired.─Ptosis.
4. Ears.─Impressions of sound and visions heightened by any marked stimulation of skin.─Exaggerated reverberation of ordinary sounds.
5. Nose.─The air seemed filled with vague perfume.─Smell blunted; could not tell whether or not tincture of asafoetida was a perfume.
6. Face.─Disinclined to make the slightest movement; eyelids droop; they scarcely move the lips and jaws in articulating.
8. Mouth.─Great difficulty in talking, partly from paralysis of the tongue, partly from slowness of thought.
11. Stomach.─Nausea; < on movement; entirely > on lying down.
19. Heart and Pulse.─Pulse slowed.─Respiration shallow.─Faintness.
23. Lower Limbs.─A fine tremor in lower extremities.
24. Generalities.─Motor inco-ordination.─Extreme muscular depression; don't want to stir; whole body feels relaxed.─Lazy contentment; "a land where it is always after noon.".─Fine tremor in lower extremities preluding the visions; unable to walk without assistance; can with difficulty sit up.
26. Sleep.─Drowsiness; followed by consciousness of unusual energy.