Nux moschata

Nux moschata is prepared from the dried seed of Myristica fragrans, a tropical evergreen tree native to the Banda Islands of Indonesia. Nutmeg has been used for centuries as a culinary spice, a mild hallucinogen in high doses, and a traditional remedy for digestive complaints. In homeopathy, its action centres on the nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, and female reproductive system, creating a state of profound dryness, mental confusion, and hypersensitivity.

Culinary spice, natural preservative, traditional remedy for flatulence and diarrhoea; in large doses, used as a psychoactive intoxicant

Nux moschata expresses the collapse of inner cohesion—the self seems lost, dissociated, and enveloped in a fog. The body is dry, the mind is disoriented, and life is experienced at a remove. In this drifting state, extremes of hypersensitivity and cataleptic stupor coexist. It is a remedy of dreamers, those who float rather than fight, who are easily overwhelmed by sensation or emotion, and respond by detaching entirely.

• Nervous system – drowsiness, absent-mindedness, cataleptic states
• Mind – confusion, hallucinations, dual perception, emotional instability
• Mucous membranes – profound dryness of mouth, throat, and rectum
• Stomach and bowels – bloating, flatulence, colic
• Female reproductive system – menses, hysteria, uterine symptoms
• Circulation – fluctuations in pulse, fainting tendencies
• Sensorium – dreamy, detached, dissociated sensations

The Nux moschata mental state is defined by extreme confusion, absent-mindedness, and dream-like detachment. Patients feel as if they are living in a dream or watching themselves from afar. Time feels suspended or distorted; minutes seem like hours. Thoughts vanish mid-sentence, and memory fails utterly—especially for recent events [Kent]. A sense of duality is common, feeling as though the body and mind are separate. Hallucinations may occur, often of people or things not present. Emotional states alternate: laughter gives way to tears or panic. Patient feels spacey, sleepy, even cataleptic, with staring, slow blinking, and no response to stimuli. May feel “not all there”, as if floating or intoxicated. Sensitivity to impressions is heightened, yet responses are dulled—creating a paradox of hypersensitive detachment. Children stare blankly or appear intoxicated. In hysteria, fits of laughter may dominate.

Profound sleepiness even during the day. Sleeps easily after meals. Yawning constant. Sleep unrefreshing. Somnolence with confusion. Sleeps into apathy. Dreams vague, confused, often pleasant.

Dreams of floating, flying, or detachment. Dreams may feel more real than waking life. Erotic, bizarre, or emotional dreams common. Recalls nothing on waking. Dreams leave strong emotional residue.

Profound dryness in all mucous membranes. Faintness, sleepiness, and confusion dominate the case. Worse from exertion, cold air, emotional stress. Better from warmth, pressure, and sleep. Suited to delicate, nervous, oversensitive individuals, especially women and children. Reactions slow or absent. Disassociation between body and mind is a central theme.

Dry fever without sweat. Heat with extreme drowsiness. No thirst. Face hot, limbs cold. Fever from emotional causes or digestive disorders. Fever may mimic typhoid in dullness.

Chill with internal heat. Aversion to uncovering. Heat without sweat. Sweat absent or delayed. Sweats only on exertion. Alternating cold and heat. Cold extremities with flushed face.

Heavy, stupefying headache with dullness and pressure. Head feels large, as if full of cotton. Vertigo with a tendency to fall backward, especially when rising. Pain often localised to the forehead or temples, worse from mental effort or emotional disturbance. Sensation of lightness or floating of the head. Headaches may follow excitement, grief, or eating. Temples throb, or head feels squeezed. Eyelids droop with mental stupor.

Lids heavy, drooping; expression vacant. Vision dim, as though in a fog. Double vision or flickering. Objects seem too far away or unreal. Lachrymation scanty; dryness of eyes pronounced. Pupils sluggish or dilated. Sensation of sand in eyes. Cannot fix gaze. Hypersensitivity to light despite dulled responses.

Sounds seem far off or distorted. Sensation of wind or buzzing. Hearing dull, with occasional sensitivity to noise. Earaches with dryness of surrounding skin. Ears feel stopped or echoing, especially during digestive complaints. Music may cause emotional weeping or detachment.

Dryness of nostrils without discharge. Anosmia or reduced smell perception. Nosebleeds rare but profuse when they occur. Smell of food nauseates. Coryza rare; if present, is dry or scabby. Nose cold, pale, and dry.

Pale, cold, and expressionless, especially during faintness. Redness in emotional states. Trembling or twitching of muscles. Lips dry, cracked, and colourless. Facial neuralgia may alternate with dull numbness. Bluish hue during weakness or collapse. Looks intoxicated or dazed.

A keynote of Nux moschata: profound dryness, so severe the tongue sticks to the roof of the mouth or teeth [Boericke, Clarke]. No desire to drink despite the dryness. Tongue coated, white or yellow, feels swollen or numb. Saliva absent or thick, ropey. Speech slurred from dryness. Metallic or bitter taste. Cannot speak from dry throat.

Toothache with dry gums or during menses. Teeth feel loose or elongated. Gums may bleed slightly. Cold air increases sensitivity. Pain alternating sides or shifting rapidly.

Dry, burning, with difficulty swallowing, especially dry food. Sensation of a plug or foreign body. Ulcerated feeling without redness. Tickling cough from dryness. Choking sensation, especially when lying down. Worse at night. Mucus difficult to expectorate due to dryness.

Chest tight, respiration shallow. Cough dry, tickling, worse in warm room. Palpitation with weakness. Oppression without wheezing. Sensation of weight or hollowness in chest. Speech weak and feeble.

Palpitations with fainting, especially after eating. Irregular pulse with sensations of collapse. Cold sweat on chest. Feeling of impending syncope. Fluttering heart during emotional excitement.

Breathing slow, shallow, sighing. Desire to sigh but unable to. Feels smothered, especially in warm room. Faintness on exertion. Unable to take deep breath. Yawning and sighing alternating.

Bloating and flatulence dominate. Sensation as if stomach were inflated like a balloon. Colic relieved by pressure or bending forward. Belching ineffectual. Nausea without vomiting. Vomiting rare, but when present is sour or of undigested food. Appetite variable. Craving for sweets or spicy food. Easily disturbed digestion; even small meals cause drowsiness or faintness. Aversion to rich food after overindulgence.

Distended, rumbling, colicky. Pain better from warm compress or lying still. Gurgling as if fluid were moving inside. Constipation frequent with total inactivity of rectum. Sensation as if intestines were asleep. Dryness so pronounced that no urge to evacuate is felt. Abdomen cold to touch, especially after meals.

Constipation is a leading indication—dry, hard, crumbly stools passed with great effort. Total absence of desire to defecate; rectum feels paralysed [Kent]. Stools may be large but dry as if charred. Haemorrhoids possible with soreness and dryness. Pruritus ani. Spasm of anus without passage.

Urine scanty, dark, and strong-smelling. Urging may be absent even when bladder is full. Difficulty initiating urination. Burning or soreness in urethra post-micturition. Incontinence during faintness or drowsiness.

Desires sweets, spicy food. Aversion to meat or warm food. Nausea after small amounts. Thirstless despite dryness. Symptoms follow overindulgence or emotional eating. Worse after rich food.

Erections slow, weak, or absent. Libido diminished. Emissions rare and unsatisfying. Genitals may feel numb or cold. Prostatic weakness. Weakness post-coitus. Coldness in scrotum or perineum.

Useful in hysterical states, dysmenorrhoea with faintness, or excessive dryness. Menses too early or delayed; flow scanty and dark. Dryness of vagina with painful coitus. Faintness or sleepiness during menstruation. Uterine spasms with bloating and loss of consciousness. In pregnancy: nausea, bloating, and somnolence. Suited to delicate, highly sensitive women prone to fainting.

Back weak, especially lumbar region. Neck stiff. Sensation of cold down spine. Tingling between shoulders. Lumbago with faintness or sleepiness. Pain better lying flat. Spine overly sensitive to pressure.

Trembling of hands, especially during emotional upset. Limbs feel heavy, sleepy, or paralysed. Fingers numb and cold. Cramps in calves at night. Feet cold and damp. Hands dry and hot. Uncoordinated movement.

Dryness is extreme—skin cracks easily, especially hands and lips. No perspiration even during fever. Skin pale or bluish. Eruptions dry, scaly. Skin feels too tight. Coldness of extremities. Itching in cold weather.

• Opium – Profound sleepiness and confusion, but more congestive and torpid
• Phosphoric acid – Mental fatigue, but less dreaminess or dryness
• Pulsatilla – Faintness and changeability, but more weepy and warm-blooded
• Gelsemium – Drowsiness and weakness, but more trembling and fear
• Ambra grisea – Nervousness and forgetfulness, but more bashfulness

• Complementary: Pulsatilla, Sepia
• Antidotes: Camphora, Coffea
• Follows well: Gelsemium, Ignatia
• Inimical: Bryonia (too dry and opposing dynamics)

• Excellent in post-anaesthetic stupor
• First remedy to consider in extreme dryness without thirst
• Useful for pregnancy faintness or menses-related sleepiness
• Suitable for hysterical or cataleptic states in women
• Flatulence, bloating, and somnolence following indulgence

Mind

• Delusion: in a dream
• Absent-minded
• Sleepiness with confusion
• Forgetful, loses thread of conversation
• Laughing alternating with sadness

Mouth and Throat

• Dryness, extreme
• Tongue sticks to palate
• No thirst with dryness
• Speech difficult from dry mouth

Stomach and Abdomen

• Bloating after eating
• Colic better from pressure
• Constipation with no urging

Generalities

• Dryness, internal
• Sleepiness
• Fainting spells

Worse from emotion

• Samuel Hahnemann – Materia Medica Pura: Original proving, especially dryness, confusion, and constipation
• Allen – Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica: Mental symptoms and digestive disturbances
• Boericke – Pocket Manual: Clinical use and keynote modalities
• Kent – Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica: Mental fogginess and sleepiness
• Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Gastrointestinal and female complaints
• Hering – Guiding Symptoms: Absent-mindedness, dryness, and hysteria