Hyoscyamus niger is a remedy for the more passive psychoses.
There certainly can be outbursts of violent aggression, but usually
the patient is mainly occupied with him- or herself. These people
are talking nonsense to themselves or to unseen people, often making
automatic gestures like picking at their clothes. This is the
behaviour you often see in old senile persons.
The Indian homoeopath Sankaran states that the underlying basic
emotion in Hyoscyamus is the idea that something injust has been
done to him, as if he is sold or betrayed. Such an idea can result
from a disappointed love affair, what makes understandable that one
of Hyoscyamus' delusions is that "men are swine". The underlying
disturbance in this remedy picture is a severe jealousy and
suspicion. Hyoscyamus projects things upon others, holds them
responsible for the wrongs in his life (it is possible that they
prepare in cold blood a murder on the lover of their ex). Their
tendency to blame everybody else is the seed for an ever growing
suspicion and paranoia. It can possibly start with the idea that
others are badmouthing him and end with the idea that every stranger
behind a window is trying to kill them. In this great fear they
refuse to take medicines or eat food because it might be poisoned.
This fear is accompanied by great nervous restlessness, resulting in
spasms, trembling, twitching, convulsions and constantly repeated
movements like picking at bedclothes or making involuntary gestures
in the air.
Another thing is being obsessed with controlling certain things,
like guiding imaginary walking insects on the wall. Or by sitting on
the floor while firmly pressing the feet against a bathroom door,
because the devil and his army would hide behind it - as one of my
patients feared.
When the insanity grows stronger the attention gets focused on
the instinctive sphere. Here comes the erotic mania in, so
characteristic for Hyoscyamus. They are very loquatious and like to
talk dirty. Patients undress and expose their genitals to anyone;
they constantly play with their genitals (it can be a good remedy
for exhibitionists). At the same time they get very interested in
urination and defaecation. It can work out in the way that they
continiously speak and joke about sex, urination and stool. Or they
play for hours with their genitals or their stool. Or they suffer
from involuntary loss of urination and stool and sit or lie in it
without conscious notion. (Please note that Hyoscyamus might also be
the right remedy for a child who involuntarily looses urine or stool
without any particular reason! In that case the child does not need
to show any of the mental characteristics of this remedy.)
Swallowing can be difficult because of a spasm of the throat
muscles. The tongue and mucous membranes are dry.
They feel worse by lying down, emotions, touch, jealousy, cold
and sleep. They ameliorate by sitting straight up, by movement and
warmth.
