Agaricus Muscarius is commonly known as Toad Stool, Bug Agaric, Fly agaric, etc. It is a poisonous fungus growing all over the Northern Hemisphere in dry places and in summer. It looks very attractive with a bright red cap flecked with pale to dark orange marks. This fungus contains several toxic compounds, the well-known is Muscarin. It acts as an intoxicant to the brain, producing more vertigo and delirium than alcohol, followed by profound sopor with lowered reflexes.
Fly agaric contains hallucinogens that were used by Siberian shamans to induce visionary states, and it may have formed the basis of the ancient Hindu soma drink and the Zoroastrian haoma drink, due to its ability to increase strength and stamina. This fungus has the power to induce sleep in small doses but is highly toxic in large doses to such an extent that overdose can be fatal, while a mild overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, breathing problems, and confusion, although recovery usually takes place within 24 hours.
In Homeopathy, it is used in Parkinson’s disease, chilblains, and alcoholism. The most salient sign of Agaricus Muscarius is shaking of the body, secondary to mental stress and weakness of the muscles. The hands are tremulous, the limbs display jerky movements, and the whole-body quivers.
In Agaricus, eye symptoms are very prominent, such as double vision, black spots dancing before the eyes, squinting, burning and irritation of the eyes, and a feeling of fatigue. It is difficult to focus the eye on one particular point. Reading becomes difficult, the eyeballs swing like a pendulum, and the discharge of the eye is yellowish and sticky.
Synonym: Agaricus muscarius syn. Amanita muscaria
Background: Has been used throughout history as a hallucinogen, as a method of contacting the spirit world, and as a means of increasing human strength and endurance.
Origin: Grows in dry pastures and woods during summer in Scotland, Scandinavia, and other parts of Europe, as well as in Asia and the US.
Preparation: The whole, fresh fungus or the dried cap is washed thoroughly and ground into a mash. It is then steeped in alcohol before being strained, diluted, and successful.
Dose: Third to thirtieth and two hundredth potency.
Potency: 30 to 200
Antidotes: Cinthium, Coffea, Camphor
Symptoms of Remedy Agaricus
Mental makeup of the patient
The patient sings, talks, but does not answer. The patient is very talkative. There is great aversion to work. The patient is fearless. He has special delirium which is characterized by singing, shouting, and muttering. This type of delirium starts with a paroxysm of yawning.
Other symptoms are as follows:
Head– Patient has vertigo from exposure to sunlight, and on walking. There is the constant motion of the head. The sensation of falling backward, as if a weight was put on the back of the head. There is a dull headache from prolonged desk work. Pain is along nerves with an icy cold head. There is a desire to cover the head warmly. The patient has a headache with bleeding from the nose of at times there is a thick mucus discharge from the nose.
Eyes– The patient feels reading difficult because he feels as if words are in constant motion. There is weakness from the prolonged strain. There is the involuntary twitching of lids and eyeballs
Ears– There is itching and burning as if frozen There is constant twitching of muscles in ears.
Nose -There is itching internally and externally. Spasmodic sneezing after coughing. Sensitiveness of nose with watery discharge from the nose. At times there is a fetid, dark, bloody discharge from the nose. Blood from the nose (which is known as epistaxis) is generally seen in old people.
Face– There is tearing pain in cheeks, as of splinters. Pain is seen along nerves. as if cold needles ran through the nerves or sharp pieces of ice touched them.
Mouth – There is burning and smarting of lips. There is a sweet taste in the mouth. There are splinter-like pains in the tongue. The patient feels thirsty all the time. There is apathy at the roof of the mouth.
Throat-There is stitches along the Eustachian tube to the ear. Very small solid balls of phlegm thrown up. There is dryness of the pharynx. Difficulty in swallowing.
Stomach– There are empty eructations, which tastes like apples. There is unnatural hunger. Flatulent distension of the stomach and abdomen. It is profuse in odorous flatus. There is burning in the stomach, about three hours after a meal. followed by dull pressure. All of these symptoms are associated with sharp pains in the liver region.
Urinary complaints– Sudden and violent urge to pass urine. There is frequent passage of urine.
Female complaints– Menses are profuse and early. There is itching and tearing, pressing pains in the genitals and back. There are severe bearing down pains, especially after menopause. There is great itching and burning in the nipples. Leucorrhoea(White discharge) is associated with severe itching.
Respiratory complaints– Violent attacks of cough that can be suppressed by the effort of will, worse eating, There is a pain in the head while cough lasts. There is spasmodic cough at night falling asleep, with expectoration of little balls of mucus. The cough ends in a sneeze.
Heart– There are irregular, palpitations are soon seen after tobacco. Pulse intermittent and irregular. Cardiac region oppressed
Back– Pain in the back with sensitiveness of spine to touch and in the open air. Hands and feet complaints-There is stiffness all over. Pain over the hips. It is a very good remedy for rheumatism, which is better by motion. The weakness of hands and feet. There is great trembling. There is itching of toes and feet frozen. Paralysis is seen in patients of lower limbs. There is numbness of legs on crossing them.
Sleep– There is a frequent paroxysm of yawning. The patient is restless from violent itching and burning. The patient wakes from sleep, starts twitches, and wakes up. He feels drowsy during the day.
Fever-Patient is very sensitive to cool air. There are violent attacks of heat in the evening
Skin-There is burning, itching, and swelling, as from frostbites. The face has pimples, which are hard like flew bites. Eruption with intolerable itching and burning. Swelling of veins with cold skin.
Worse
- Open cold air,
- after eating
- In cold weather
- Before thunderstorm
Better
Moving about slowly.
Indications of Remedy AGARICUS
The most striking things running through this medicine are twitchings and tremblings. Jerkings of the muscles and trembling of the limbs; quivering and tremors, everywhere these two features are present in all parts of the body and limbs. Twitching and jerking of the eyes. You will observe this about the Agaricus eyes; as the patient looks at you there is a pendulum-like action of the eyes, they go back and forth all the time; they oscillate, though he tries his best to fix his look on you. This stops only during sleep; all the motions subside during sleep.
People for whom Agaricus is most suitable are particularly sensitive to the cold, anxious, insecure, or fearful, and have morbid thoughts about death. Anxiety about health may lead to an obsessive fear of having conditions such as cancer. Symptoms typically include great lethargy and an aversion to the conversation, or delirium and loquacity to the point of ecstasy, elation, or hypomania, and a disturbing sense of perspective.
Agaricus can be prescribed for the treatment of the delirium tremens associated with alcoholism, and for the effects of senile dementia. It is also used to treat chilblains.
- Chilblains
- Complaints that are worse after sexual intercourse
- Depression or overexcitement
- Fear of cancer
- Twitching and spasms
In Agaricus, the symptoms aggravate after taking food, in the open and in cold weather. Sleep fails to improve the symptoms. The patient feels drowsy all day. Itching and burning are conspicuously present. It is a common feature for the headaches of this remedy to be associated with the spinal symptoms, the quivering, and the jerking.
Agaricus has cured many cases of epileptiform convulsions, more commonly the hysteria-epileptic type with frothing of the mouth, opisthotonos, drawing of the muscles of the face. The Agaricus patient has spells in which a little muscle of the face or a few fibers of a muscle quiver for a few minutes and stop, and then in another part of the face the same thing, an eyelid will quiver, and then another set of fibers, sometimes so bad as to nearly driving him crazy.
Dosage of Agaricus muscarius
- For skin, affections give 30 potencies.
- Adults and children over 6 years: Dissolve under the tongue.
- Children under 6 years: dissolve the granules in some water and give.
- In skin affections and the brain, exhaustions give lower attenuations.
Warning About Toad stool-bug agaric fungus
- This fungus contains several toxic compounds, the best known of which is Muscarin.
- The symptoms of poisoning do not develop at once, usually, twelve to fourteen hours elapse
- before the initial attack.
- There is no antidote, treatment, entirely symptomatic (Schneider).
- Agaricus acts as an intoxicant to the brain, producing more vertigo and delirium than
- alcohol, followed by profound sopor with lowered reflexes.