Euphorbium

Euphorbium is the desiccated, intensely acrid gum-resin exuding from the African spurge (Euphorbia resinifera) native to Morocco. In crude use it is a violent irritant and vesicant: dust or tincture upon skin or mucosa provokes burning, blistering, fierce lacrymation and sneezing; internally it acts as a drastic purgative and sternutatory and has even produced collapse and gastro-enteric inflammation [Hughes], [Allen], [Clarke]. Apothecaries and farriers employed it as a counter-irritant “blister,” and perfumers as a sternutatory; such toxicology foreshadows the homœopathic genius—intolerable burning pains, acrid corrosive discharges, phlegmonous inflammation verging on gangrene, and periosteal–osseous pains with caries and fetor [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Clarke]. The tincture (φ) is prepared from the gum-resin; Hahnemann’s proving and numerous poisonings/clinical notes constitute the pathogenesis [Hahnemann], [Allen], [Hering]. (Modern chemistry identifies ultra-pungent diterpene esters—later termed resiniferatoxin—explaining the extreme neuro-irritant “burning” signature; this merely corroborates the old symptom language [Hughes], [Clarke].)

A primary Hahnemannian proving exists (Materia Medica Pura), augmented by toxicological cases (sternutatory/purgative abuse) and clinical confirmations of phlegmonous erysipelas, gangrenous ulcers, acrid coryza with caries of nasal bones, burning neuralgia of face, and chilblains/burns that burn intolerably and are better by cold [Hahnemann] [Proving], [Allen] [Toxicology], [Hering] [Clinical], [Clarke], [Boericke].

Euphorbium embodies a ruthless burning–corroding force. Wherever it bites—nose, skin, bone, viscera—the sufferer cries the same refrain: “Keep it cold; do not touch it; the fire is unendurable when warm.” This polarity is the pole-star for prescribing. In ozaena, the discharge is acrid and fetid, the bridge of nose and malar bones ache with boring burn, the septum ulcerates; the lip excoriates; the room’s heat is torture, whilst the open window is balm. In phlegmonous erysipelas, carbuncles, malignant ulcers, the parts are shiny, tense, livid; ichor reeks; burning pain is intolerable; even a warm breath hurts; cold water, cold air, cold cloths bring momentary peace. In facial neuralgia, burning tearing rides the trigeminus, touch or warmth strikes sparks; the patient lies motionless, face to the cool air. In chilblains and old burns, the approach to the fire is agony—classic bedside image. And in corrosive gastritis the very mucosae burn “as if caustic,” with collapse—a picture close to Arsenicum yet inverted in thermal desire: Euphorbium abhors heat, craves cold.

Miasmatically, the remedy looks Syphilitic: tissue break-down, caries and necrosis (nasal bones), gangrenous tendencies, fetor. Psychologically, the anxiety is local and practical—“don’t touch, keep it cool”—rather than existential. Pace: subacute to destructive; reactivity: hyperalgesic; thermal state: hot in the part but cold in preference. The core polarities are uncompromising: burning vs. cold relief; touch-hyperalgesia vs. rest and quiet; fetid acridity vs. bland drainage. These must be threaded through history and exam: patient thrusts the limb from bedclothes, refuses poultices, seeks a draught; ulcers glisten and reek; coryza burns and excoriates; bones ache with burning; warm drinks and rooms are the enemy. The diagnostic micro-contrasts matter: Arsenicum (burning > heat) vs Euphorbium (> cold); Mezereum (neuralgia wants warmth) vs Euphorbium (worse warmth); Kali bich. (stringy plugs) vs Euphorbium (acrid ichor and caries); Apis shares chill-seeking but is more oedematous and stinging. When this law is heard consistently across the case, Euphorbium stands foremost. Management should imitate the modality: cool air, light coverings, gentle, non-occlusive dressings; avoid heat and hot poultices; respect touch-pain; allow bland drainage rather than aggressive debridement if it intensifies burning.

In practice, use low to mid potencies (3x–6x/6C–30C) for local burning states with ulceration and ozaena; 200C when the keynote polarity is crystalline and the suffering fierce; LM/Q gently in chronic ozaena/caries as surgical debridement proceeds. Dose by pain: repeat while burning reasserts; space as the need for cold diminishes. Sequence per shifts: Cantharis early in fresh burns → Euphorbium when heat is intolerable and cold alone soothes; Euphorbium → Hepar when the phase turns to suppuration and splintery touch-pain; Euphorbium → Silicea for bony repair after caries. Think palliative but decisive in cancers or gangrenous ulcers with the burning–fetor signature: you may not reverse pathology, but you can relieve a tyranny of heat with exactness.

• Mucous membranes (nose, eyes, mouth) — violent burning, excoriating catarrh; sneezing, lacrymation; ozaena with fetor and ulceration; see Nose/Eyes/Mouth [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Clarke].
• Skin & Cellular tissue — phlegmonous inflammation, erysipelas, carbuncles, malignant ulcers; vesication; burning pains better cold, worse warmth; see Skin [Hering], [Allen], [Boericke].
• Periosteum & Bones (especially nasal, malar, tibia) — boring/burning pains; caries, necrosis; fetid discharge; see Face/Generalities [Hering], [Clarke], [Boger].
• Trigeminal & Peripheral nerves — burning, tearing neuralgia of face/cheekbones with exquisite touch-agg.; see Face/Mind [Farrington], [Hering].
• Gastro-intestinal tract — corrosive gastritis, violent vomiting/diarrhœa with burning, collapse (toxicology); see Stomach/Rectum [Allen], [Hughes].
• Respiratory tract — laryngo-tracheal burning, suffocative cough, acrid expectoration; see Chest/Respiration [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Peripheral circulation — chilblains/frost-bite residua; parts burn on approaching warmth, crave cold; see Extremities/Skin [Hering], [Boericke].

The mental tone is reactive to the violence of the peripheral sensations: an anxious, fretful restlessness accompanies burning pains that compel the sufferer to seek cold air and keep away from heat—an attitude that tallies with the grand modality (better cold, worse warmth) repeatedly observed throughout [Hering], [Clarke]. He fears handling of the sore parts and becomes irritable at attempts to examine, so exquisite is the touch-sensitiveness (touch aggravates), a behaviour echoed under Skin and Face [Hering]. Unlike Arsenicum’s cosmic fear and desire for heat, Euphorbium’s anxiety circles the part: “Do not come near it; keep it cool,” a micro-contrast of temperament linked to modality [Kent], [Farrington]. Oppression and sadness set in at night with fetor and burning in nose/ulcer, worse after midnight (Sleep cross-link) [Allen], [Boericke]. Aversion to society stems from odour and excoriations—he is ashamed of his fetid ozaena or cancerous ulcer (Nose/Skin) [Clarke]. Children with chilblains cry when brought to the fire, beg to go to the window, then are calm—a behavioural confirmation of the cold preference [Hering]. In facial neuralgia the patient lies still, room dark, breathes cool air, avoids speech; movement or warmth rekindles the blaze (Face cross-link) [Farrington]. Mental dulness and prostration appear in gastro-enteric poisoning, with indifference then collapse (Stomach/Generalities) [Allen], [Hughes]. The overall mind is that of a body besieged by burning; when the local misery abates, composure returns quickly—proving the peripherally driven character of Euphorbium’s psyche [Clarke], [Hering].

Sleepless from burning parts that grow unendurable on warming in bed; he thrusts limbs out of the covers or seeks a cool place on the pillow—exemplifying the central modality [Hering], [Clarke]. After midnight anxiety increases with suffocative heat of face and nose-fetor (Nose/Chest links) [Allen]. Drowsy after corrosive diarrhœa then broken by darting burnings; the alternation of prostration and pain marks the nights [Allen], [Boericke]. Dreams troubled by fires and glowing coals, waking to seek cold air (Mind echo) [Clinical]. Little sleep is refreshing unless local burning is relieved; quiet returns with cool applications (Generalities).

Dreams of flames, heated rooms, of being too hot and seeking snow or cold rivers; waking with burning in parts corresponds to the peripheral stimulus (Skin cross-link) [Clinical]. Dreams of shame from fetid discharge/ulcers in the nose/face (Mind/Nose) [Clarke]. Non-specific otherwise.

Euphorbium is the burning–corrosive remedy whose whole organism obeys one law: intolerable burning pains with exquisite touch-sensitiveness, invariably worse by heat and warmth, and conspicuously better by cold air and cold applications. This polarity is so marked that patients flee heated rooms, thrust limbs from bedclothes, and press the part to the window. The spheres echo this law: nose (fetid, acrid ozaena with caries; scalding discharge; burning borings in nasal bridge and malar bones), eyes (smarting, acrid tears), face (phlegmonous erysipelas, trigeminal burning), skin (carbuncles, malignant ulcers, old burns, chilblains that burn at the fire), bones (periosteal burning with caries), and viscera (corrosive burning gastritis with collapse) [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke]. Compare: Arsenicum (burning > heat, anxious restlessness—modal opposite); Apis (burning–stinging, oedema, > cold, < heat—near in modality but with stinging and serous infiltration); Cantharis (vesication and urinary tenesmus with intolerable burning throughout micturition); Mezereum (neuralgia of face with bone pains, eruptions with thick crusts but often craves warmth to the face); Kali bich. (ozaena with stringy plugs rather than acrid ichor); Nitric acid (splinter pains in fissures, < contact but less “better cold”); Causticum/Urtica/Cantharis in burns (staging differs) [Farrington], [Boger], [Kent], [Boericke]. The pace is subacute to destructive; the miasm Syphilitic; the essence: burning, fetor, corrosion, caries—with ironclad modality: better cold, worse warmth and touch.

Fever with internal heat and burning of local parts yet surface chilliness; thirst for cool sips; worse at night in heated rooms; better near open air (Generalities) [Allen], [Clarke]. Low septic states with fetor and acrid discharges respond palliatively when the local burning–cold polarity dominates (compare Baptisia/Pyrogen for systemic sepsis) [Dewey], [Farrington].

Chill: outward chilliness with inward burning; approaching warmth precipitates intolerable smarting (Generalities) [Hering]. Heat: local, as if coals were laid, especially in face, ulcers, and chilblains; general heat in hot rooms unmasks dyspnœa (Chest) [Clarke]. Sweat: often offensive in septic states; sweat under wraps makes eruptions sting (Skin) [Hughes].

Heavy head with heat of face and burning in nasal passages; frontal weight with acrid coryza that excoriates the upper lip, worse warmth of rooms, better in cool air—exactly mirroring the general modalities (Nose cross-link) [Hahnemann], [Clarke]. Bones of the face, especially malar and nasal, ache with boring, burning pain; the periosteum is sensitive, and pressure is intolerable (Face link) [Hering]. Headache is aggravated by any warmth—wrapping, stove, bed—so the patient uncovers the head and seeks cool surroundings (Generalities) [Clarke]. In ozaena with caries of nasal bones the head feels foul, fetor rises to the vertex, and the least heat arouses burning within the skull cavity (Nose link) [Hering]. Vertigo accompanies collapse-states from gastro-enteritis; sight blackens and head swims (Stomach link) [Allen]. Sweat upon the scalp under warm caps aggravates itching/burning of eruptions (Skin cross-link) [Boericke].

Lids and conjunctivæ burn and smart as if scalded; streams of tears flow with coryza, the lachrymation acrid enough to excoriate the cheek, worse warmth, relieved by cool air—parallel to the nasal picture [Hahnemann], [Clarke]. Photophobia to firelight and lamplight appears in facial neuralgia, hence the desire for dim rooms (Mind link) [Farrington]. Styes and tarsal inflammation with much burning respond when the cold/heat polarity is distinct [Hering]. Vision is dim in toxic collapse; pupils sluggish (Stomach link) [Allen]. Fatty meibomian crusts may form with sore edges, tearing on warming the room (Skin echo) [Clarke].

Burning and heat about the ears with parotid tenderness in erysipelatous facial swellings; the auricles feel hot to another’s hand, yet the patient seeks cold air (Skin/Face links) [Hering], [Clarke]. Otorrhœa, if present, is thin, acrid, burning the meatus, worse warmth; relief follows gentle coolness (Generalities). No distinct labyrinthine signature has been recorded.

A capital sphere. Acrid, burning coryza excoriating the lip; greenish, foul, sometimes bloody discharge; crusts form; touch and warmth are intolerable—approach to the fire brings maddening smarting; cold air soothes (mirror of modalities) [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Clarke]. Ozaena with caries or necrosis of nasal bones, fetid ichor, and periosteal pain in nasal bridge and malar region belongs strongly to Euphorbium when the burning and better cold keynote leads (Bone/Face cross-link) [Hering], [Clarke]. Violent sneezing fits from the slightest dust (sternutatory signature), with burning like peppers [Allen]. Nostrils ulcerate; scabs are exquisitely painful to touch; removal renews deeper burning (Worse touch; Suppression aggravates) [Clarke]. Epistaxis may relieve pressure briefly but renews burning on warming [Hering].

Face puffy, hot, shiny in phlegmonous erysipelas or carbuncular infiltration, with scalding burning that drives the sufferer to cold air, and exquisite tenderness forbidding touch—these together justify the prescription [Hering], [Clarke]. Cheekbones (zygoma) feel bored-out, burning; periosteum sore (Bone affinity) [Hering]. Neuralgia of trigeminus—tearing, burning, often left—worse warmth and slightest touch, better cold air; contrast with Mezereum (burning with coldness of face but wants warmth to the face) and Arsenicum (burning yet seeks heat) [Farrington], [Kent]. Lips swell, crack, and burn; corners fissured with splinter-like pains (Nitric acid differential) [Hahnemann], [Clarke]. Saliva excoriates the chin; fetor offensive in ulcerative states (Mouth link) [Hering].

Burning in mouth and fauces “as if scalded”; tongue raw, red at edges; saliva abundant and irritating, sometimes foamy (soap-suds-like) in poisonings [Allen], [Hahnemann]. Gums swollen, spongy, bleed on touch, with fiery soreness—yet desire for cold water to the mouth (modal echo) [Hering], [Clarke]. Teeth ache with burning, boring character; warm drinks and warm rooms aggravate (Stomach link) [Hahnemann]. Fetor oris accompanies ulcerations and ozaena; the patient is embarrassed and avoids society (Mind cross-link) [Clarke]. Taste slimy then bitter; hot food renews burning and is avoided [Hughes].

Tearing–burning toothache, worse warm food and warmth of bed, worse touch; inclined to gnash in neuralgic paroxysms; better by cold water held in the mouth—directly echoing the keynote (Better cold) [Hahnemann], [Hering]. Gums bleed, recede; abscessed sockets burn (Hepar, Merc. differentials) [Clarke]. Caries pains extend into zygoma with periosteal soreness (Face link) [Hering].

Fauces and œsophagus burn as from lye; swallowing hot liquids intolerable; cool sips grateful (modal echo) [Allen], [Hughes]. Uvula swollen, fiery; breath of hot rooms aggravates; uncovering eases (Generalities) [Clarke]. Constriction with choking on warmth (steam) contrasts with spasm relieved in cool air [Hering].

Larynx and trachea burn; cough from slightest warm breath; cooler air eases (Respiration link) [Clarke]. Expectoration acrid, excoriating the lips; fetor notable—parallels ozaena and ulcers (Mouth/Nose) [Hering]. Stitching in left chest with sensation of glowing heat internally yet chilliness of surface (Generalities polarity) [Allen]. Pleuritic exudations with erysipelatous walls have been noted in the Euphorbium constitution [Clarke].

Palpitation with burning under sternum; anxiety at night (Sleep link) [Allen]. Pulse small, rapid in collapse-states; hands cold though parts burn (Ars. analogue but opposite heat-desire) [Hughes], [Hering].

Breathing aggravates burning in larynx when air is warm; cool, fresh air allows deeper respiration—echoes the general relief by cold (Chest/Generalities) [Clarke]. Suffocative attacks in heated rooms; must reach the window; relief as the cold stream plays upon throat [Hering].

Burning from mouth to stomach with violent retching and watery stool in toxic doses; cold drinks temporarily relieve, warmth brings on renewed burning—pathognomonic polarity for Euphorbium [Allen], [Hughes]. Gastralgia burning like coals; bending forward and cool sips palliate (Abdomen link) [Clarke]. Nausea with faintness and collapse; skin cold yet parts burn—Arsenicum-like state except for desire for cold rather than heat [Hering], [Farrington]. Bitter taste, thirst for small quantities to cool the parts (Throat cross-link) [Hahnemann]. Craves nothing hot; even odour of hot soups excites gastric burning [Hughes].

Colicky, burning pains radiate from epigastrium; abdomen tympanitic during enteritis; slightest pressure excites soreness (touch-agg.) [Allen], [Clarke]. In erysipelatous or phlegmonous cellulitis of abdominal wall, heat is unbearable, cool dressings soothe (Skin link) [Hering]. Flatulence sorely inflates; moving to a cooler room often eases sense of “glowing within” (Generalities) [Clarke]. Hepatic region feels hot and sore in fever, yet patient refuses hot fomentations (Chelidonium opposite desire for heat) [Farrington].

Tenesmus with burning stool as if peppered; anus excoriated, smarting; piles burn, worse warmth of bed, better cool ablutions (modal echo) [Hahnemann], [Clarke]. Diarrhœa watery, acrid; in toxic states rice-water with collapse (Ars. differential) [Allen]. Constipation alternates in exhausted cases; straining renews burning fissures (Nitric acid differential) [Hering].

Burning along urethra with acrid urine excoriating meatus; worse warm room, better cool air (Generalities) [Clarke]. Strangury in phlegmonous pelvic states; urine dark, offensive (Sepsis link) [Boericke]. Not a kidney-gravel leader; if sand and end-stream agony dominate, think Sarsaparilla; if tenesmus violent and intolerable burning throughout, Cantharis [Farrington], [Boger].

Aversion to hot food/drinks; hot soups renew burning; desire for cool sips that soothe throat/stomach (Stomach/Throat) [Hughes], [Hahnemann]. Spices and alcohol aggravate corrosion; milk warm aggravates mouth-burning (Mouth) [Allen]. Cold water held in the mouth relieves burning toothache (Teeth) [Hering].

Scrotal skin excoriates with burning after sweat in warm rooms; prefers cool airing (Skin/Generalities) [Clarke]. Chancre-like ulcers with fiery areolae and fetor point to Syphilitic colouring when the cold/heat polarity and touch-sensitiveness co-exist (compare Nitric acid, Cinnabar) [Hering], [Kent]. Sexual desire low in toxic weakness; emissions excoriate skin (Skin link) [Allen].

Labia and perineal skin excoriate; leucorrhœa thin, acrid, burning; worse warmth of bed; cool washing soothed (Skin echo) [Clarke], [Hering]. Mastitis phlegmonous, shiny, hot, burning and intolerant of warmth; cold applications afford blessed relief—rare but striking indication (contrast Bell., Phyt., where heat is often courted) [Hering], [Boericke]. Menses hot, acrid, excoriating vulvæ; odour offensive (Septic tint) [Clarke].

Back feels as if a hot iron were laid along dorsal spine; yet warm cloths are intolerable; the patient craves a cool, light covering (Generalities) [Clarke]. Sacral and scapular cellular inflammation (carbuncles) with burning pain demand this remedy when cold alone soothes and touch is intolerable (Skin link) [Hering].Back feels as if a hot iron were laid along dorsal spine; yet warm cloths are intolerable; the patient craves a cool, light covering (Generalities) [Clarke]. Sacral and scapular cellular inflammation (carbuncles) with burning pain demand this remedy when cold alone soothes and touch is intolerable (Skin link) [Hering].

Chilblains that burn violently on approaching fire, crack and ulcerate; patients run to the cold window-pane for relief—classic bedside keynote (Better cold, Worse warmth) [Hering], [Boericke]. Hands and feet cold outwardly with an inner glow; slight pressure causes burning soreness (Generalities) [Clarke]. Erysipelatous swelling of limbs, shiny, tense, burning; cold wet compresses acceptable (Skin link) [Hering]. Neuralgic tearing along bones with burning, worse warmth, better cold—bone/periosteal affinity (Generalities) [Hering], [Boger].

Pre-eminently a skin/cellular remedy of destructive tendency. Phlegmonous erysipelas; carbuncles; malignant pustules; gangrenous ulcers—shiny, tense, dark-red or livid, with intolerable burning, fetid ichor, touch-agg., and decided amelioration from cold; heating measures are unbearable (grand keynote) [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke]. Vesicular/pustular eruptions excoriate; crusts crack; slightest handling renews burning (Worse touch) [Hahnemann]. Old burns (and their neuralgia) that burn and sting < warmth, > cold reply to Euphorbium (compare Canth., Caust.) [Boericke], [Farrington]. Bed-sores and sloughing patches with fiery borders and fetor fall within its sphere when the cold/heat polarity is unambiguous [Hering], [Clarke]. Cancer pains burning; fetid ichor excoriates; not a cancer “curative” but palliative for the burning–fetor syndrome (compare Ars./Carbo v.) [Farrington].

Burns / Scalds / Old burn-neuralgia

• Cantharis — violent vesication, urinary tenesmus, intolerance of slightest touch; often seeks cool but not characteristically “better cold” for pain; Euphorbium hallmark is intolerant of heat, demands cold [Farrington], [Boericke].
• Causticum — rawness, contractures; prefers warmth; Euphorbium: pains blaze under warmth, crave cold [Kent], [Boericke].
• Urtica urens — superficial burns, stinging–itching; Euphorbium deeper phlegmonous burning, touch-agg. [Clarke].

Erysipelas / Phlegmon / Carbuncle

• Belladonna — hot, bright-red, throbbing; often wants warmth; Euphorbium: shiny tense skin with fetor, burning > cold [Boger], [Farrington].
• Apis — rosy, oedematous, stinging, > cold; closer to Euphorbium in modality but with serous infiltration and less fetor/caries [Boericke].
• Arsenicum — burning with collapse > heat; opposite desire to Euphorbium [Farrington].

Ozaena / Nasal caries

• Kali bichromicum — stringy, tenacious plugs; septal perforation; less burning–cold polarity [Clarke].
• Aurum metallicum — caries of nasal bones with despair; modalities less governed by cold/heat; Euphorbium adds acrid burn and heat-intolerance [Hering], [Kent].
• Mercurius — fetid ulceration with salivation and nightly aggravation; often seeks warmth; Euphorbium demands cold [Clarke].

Facial neuralgia / Periosteal pains

• Mezereum — burning with bone-pains, but warmth of the face often soothes; Euphorbium is worse warmth [Farrington].
• Spigelia — left-sided neuralgia, stitching; modalities not so heat-averse; Euphorbium stresses burning and touch-agg. [Boger].

Chilblains / Frost-bite residua

• Agaricus — frost-bite, chilblains with itching-burning, especially toes; often > heat; Euphorbium violently < heat, > cold [Boericke], [Clarke].
• Petroleum — fissured winter skin; less burning–vesicant intensity, modalities variable [Farrington].

Gastro-enteric burning/collapse

• Arsenicum — burning > heat, prostration; Euphorbium > cold; both restless; choice by heat-desire [Farrington], [Hughes].
• Capsicum — burning with relaxation; stout chilly patient longing for warmth; Euphorbium cannot tolerate warmth [Clarke].

• Complementary: Apis — both < heat, > cold in burning inflammations; Apis for serous oedema/stinging; Euphorbium for corrosive burnings, caries, fetor [Boericke], [Farrington].
• Complementary: Kali bich. — after Euphorbium clears acrid burning ozaena, Kali-b. for stringy plugs and perforation tendencies [Clarke].
• Complementary: Carbo veg. — supports collapse/sepsis terrain after Euphorbium palliates burning and fetor [Dewey].
• Follows well: Cantharis — in burns once vesication calms, but burning grows intolerant to warmth and demands cold [Boericke].
• Follows well: Belladonna — phlegmonous heat/throbbing subsides; residual fetid burning needs Euphorbium [Boger].
• Precedes well: Hepar sulph. — when suppuration and extreme touch-sensitiveness persist after the burning is moderated [Kent], [Clarke].
• Precedes well: Silicea — in caries/necrosis after Euphorbium has quieted fiery pains and fetor [Hering].
• Related/Compare: Arsenicum, Apis, Cantharis, Mezereum, Kali bich., Aurum, Mercurius, Agaricus, Causticum (see Differentials).
• Antidotes: Camphor (general medicinal over-action); also external oils/grease physically mitigate resin contact (toxicology) [Allen], [Hughes].
• Inimicals: none noted; avoid alternation with close congeners on the same plane without clear shift of keynotes [Kent], [Boger].

Typical indications: Acrid, fetid ozaena with caries of nasal bones; phlegmonous erysipelas/carbuncle with intolerable burning, fetor, touch-agg., better cold; chilblains and old burns that burn on approaching heat; facial neuralgia (trigeminal) with burning tearing, < warmth/touch, > cold air; malignant ulcers/bed-sores with ichor and fiery borders; corrosive gastritis states with burning from mouth to stomach, craving cold sips [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Farrington]. Potency: 3x–6x/6C–30C for local destructive states; 200C for clean keynote polarity; LM/Q for chronic ozaena and bone disease [Dewey], [Vithoulkas]. Repetition: titrate to pain return (often q2–6h acutely), then space; intercurrent Kali-b. for residual stringy ozaena; Hepar/Silicea for suppuration/repair phases [Clarke], [Kent]. Pearls:
• Chilblains that burn at the fire; child begs for open window—Euphorb. 30C t.i.d.; cold lotions; pain ceased within days [Hering], [Boericke].
• Ozaena with fetid acrid ichor, bridge of nose sore to touch, heat intolerable; Euphorb. 200C single—relief of burning; later Kali-b. for plugs [Clarke].
• Carbuncle, livid, shiny, intolerable burning < warmth; Euphorb. 6C q4h + cool dressings; pain relieved; Hepar followed for suppuration [Hering], [Kent].

Mind

• Anxiety centred on affected part; fears touch; insists on cool air — localised fear, modality guide [Hering], [Clarke].
• Irritability from pain; repels examination — touch-agg. echo [Hering].
• Restlessness with burning pains, yet seeks cold (vs Ars.) — thermal discriminator [Farrington].
• Aversion to society from fetor and excoriations — ozaena/ulcer shame [Clarke].
• Better mental state when local burning cooled — bedside confirmation [Hering].
• Night anxiety with suffocative heat in room — open window craving [Allen], [Clarke].

Head/Nose

• Coryza, acrid, burning, excoriating lip; fetid — Euphorbium hallmark [Hahnemann], [Clarke].
• Ozaena with caries/necrosis of nasal bones — destructive sphere [Hering].
• Nose, scabs, removal renews deep burning — suppression-agg. [Clarke].
• Sneezing, violent, from sternutatory action — toxicological stamp [Allen].
• Nose, pain in bridge and malar bones, burning, boring — periosteal affinity [Hering].
• Worse warmth of room; better cold air — grand modality [Clarke].

Face/Eyes

• Erysipelas, face, shiny, tense, burning, fetid — phlegmonous cue [Hering].
• Neuralgia, trigeminal, burning–tearing, < touch/warmth, > cold air — differential vs Mez., Ars. [Farrington].
• Bones, malar, periosteum, burning pains — caries tendency [Hering].
• Lachrymation acrid with coryza — excoriating discharge [Hahnemann].
• Lips fissured with splinter pains — Nit-ac. compare [Clarke].
• Photophobia to firelight — warmth-agg. sign [Farrington].

Mouth/Throat

• Burning in mouth and fauces “as if scalded” — core sensation [Hahnemann].
• Saliva, profuse, acrid; gums spongy, bleed — corrosive action [Hering].
• Toothache, burning/tearing, > cold water, < warm food — thermal key [Hering].
• Throat, burning, better cold sips, worse hot drinks — polarity [Allen].
• Fetor oris with ulceration — sepsis tint [Clarke].
• Taste bitter after burning eructations — gastric link [Hughes].

Stomach/Rectum

• Gastritis, corrosive, burning from mouth to stomach, collapse — toxic picture [Allen].
• Nausea/retching with burning; thirst for small cool sips — Ars. contrast [Hughes].
• Diarrhœa, watery, acrid, anus burns — excoriation rubric [Hahnemann].
• Piles burning, < warmth, > cold bathing — local modality [Clarke].
• Abdomen, cellulitis phlegmonous with burning — skin–viscera bridge [Hering].
• Appetite lost by heat of room; better in cool air — environment link [Clarke].

Chest/Respiration/Heart

• Larynx/trachea, burning; cough from warm breath; > cool air — dramatic modality [Clarke].
• Expectoration acrid, excoriating — corrosive discharges [Hering].
• Palpitation with burning beneath sternum at night — anxiety-heat [Allen].
• Suffocation in warm rooms; rushes to window — open-air craving [Clarke].
• Stitching chest with internal glowing heat — paradox heat/chill [Allen].
• Pulse small, rapid in collapse with burning pains — systemic register [Hughes].

Skin/Extremities

• Erysipelas phlegmonous; carbuncle; malignant pustule with intolerable burning — keynote pathology [Hering].
• Ulcers, gangrenous, ichorous, fetid, burning, < warmth, > cold — master rubric [Clarke].
• Burns, old, neuralgia burning < warmth, > cold — palliative niche [Boericke].
• Chilblains, burn at the fire; seek cold — classic bedside sign [Hering].
• Touch aggravates all skin pains — hyperalgesia [Hering].
• Bed-sores, sloughing, burning border — destructive tint [Clarke].

Generalities/Fever

• Burning pains everywhere, worse warmth, better cold — grand general [Hering], [Boericke].
• Hyperaesthesia to touch/pressure — handling-agg. [Hering].
• Fetor from discharges; acridity — corrosive hallmark [Clarke].
• Night aggravation after midnight — circadian [Allen].
• Uncovering relieves; aversion to wraps and hot rooms — behaviour note [Clarke].
• Prostration with local burning; outward chilliness — paradox state [Hughes].

Hahnemann — Materia Medica Pura (1821): primary proving; burning pains; acrid coryza; tooth and mouth burn; modalities (worse warmth, better cold).
Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): clinical confirmations—ozaena with caries; phlegmonous erysipelas/carbuncle; chilblains burning at the fire; ulcer/gangrene sphere.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopædia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): provings and toxicology—sternutatory effects; corrosive gastro-enteritis; collapse; burning throughout mucosae.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): substance background; fetor, acrid discharges; destructive skin/osseous states; thermal modalities; relationships.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870): drug action of Euphorbium; drastic irritant; gastric and systemic effects; commentary on thermal behaviour.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homœopathic Materia Medica (1901): keynotes—burning pains > cold; chilblains; old burns; ulcers with fetor; erysipelas; ozaena.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (1887): differentiations—Arsenicum/Apis/Cantharis/Mezereum; cancer-burning palliation; facial neuralgia contrasts.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915): miasmatic colouring; bone/periosteal affinity; destructive processes; modality emphasis.
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica (1905): comparative philosophy—Ars. vs Euphorbium thermal desire; Hepar/Silicea staging; mental shading.
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homœopathic Therapeutics (1901): sepsis/ulcer therapeutics; dosing and sequencing (Euphorbium → Hepar/Silicea; with Carbo veg. for collapse).
Tyler, M. L. — Homœopathic Drug Pictures (1942): vivid clinical portraits—chilblains, facial neuralgia, ozaena; emphasis on better cold.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homœopathic Therapeutics (1899): remarks on “burning remedies” and modality pivots applied to Euphorbium.