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].)

Historically: vesicant/rubefacient plasters; sternutatory snuffs; drastic hydragogue purgative (now obsolete for danger); veterinary “blistering” applications; all witnessing to its tissue-corroding power [Hughes], [Clarke]. These uses prefigure the homœopathic field of burning, corrosive inflammations, carbuncles, erysipelatous swellings, and malignant ulcers with fetor [Hering], [Farrington].

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].

• 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].

• Cold applications and cold air upon the burning part—primary keynote; patients hold the part to the window or apply ice (echo Skin/Face) [Hering], [Clarke].
• Gentle, continuous coolness rather than brief intense cold—steadies the burning without shock (Skin) [Clinical], [Boericke].
• Uncovering the affected part; avoiding wraps and heated rooms (Generalities) [Clarke].
• Absolute rest of inflamed parts; least motion renews burning/oozing (Skin/Generalities) [Hering].
• After free, bland discharge when acrid crusts loosen—palliative drainage (Nose/Skin) [Clarke].
• Quiet, darkened room in facial neuralgia—sensory reduction (Mind/Face) [Farrington].
• Mild astringent washes (locally) while constitutional remedy works—adjunct in ozaena/ulcers [Clarke].
• Sipping cool drinks in corrosive throat–stomach states (Throat/Stomach) [Allen].

• Warmth of bed or stove; warm applications—intolerable burning flares (grand modality) [Hering], [Boericke].
• Touch, pressure, or slightest handling—hyperalgesic tissues; ulcers and neuralgic bones resent touch (Skin/Face) [Hering], [Clarke].
• Night; after midnight—burning, restlessness, fetor and anxiety increase (Sleep/Generalities) [Allen], [Boericke].
• Approaching a fire; hot rooms; wrapping up (Generalities) [Clarke].
• Suppression of discharges (checked coryza/ulcer crusts torn off) — renewed deeper burning (Nose/Skin) [Clarke].
• Moist heat and damp, steaming rooms—skin and catarrh excoriate (Skin/Nose) [Hughes].
• Eating hot/spiced foods; alcohol—gastric burning and facial heat (Stomach/Face) [Hughes].
• Sudden changes from cold to warm (entering heated houses in winter) — chilblains and ozaena smart (Extremities/Nose) [Hering].

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].

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.

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.