The descriptions which characterise Bryonia are LONELINESS and INSECURITY. Bryonia patients are withdrawn into themselves, purposely isolated from social contact. Always in the background is a deep feeling of insecurity, a sense of vulnerability and weakness. It is this that leads them to seek isolation. They do not want to be intruded upon, and they are quite content to live alone.
Bryonia patients are very sensitive to any intrusions; they are quick to feel irritability, anger and resentment. Inside, they feel great unhappiness and despondency. Especially during acute ailments, they feel dull in the mind and despondency on the emotional level. They do not ant to show this however. They just want to be left alone.
The most well-known major keynote of Bryonia, or course, if AGGRAVATION FROM ANY MOTION, applies on all three levels. The mind is dull; it cannot take any exertion at all, even that of the simplest conversation. In acute conditions, this dullness of mind is a very prominent characteristic which must be emphasised. Emotionally, any imposition - even consolation or well-meaning attempt to help - is met with immediate irritation and resentment. And of course the physical body suffers from every motion. The Bryonia patient wants to lie perfectly still in a dark room, being left completely alone. Even turning on a light will set up a reaction because even the very slight movement of the iris will cause an aggravation; the Bryonia patient cannot even take that!
A Bryonia man who is suffering from the flu will isolate himself, turn out the light, and lie in bed without the slightest movement. If his wife quietly slip into the room and asks if he wants some warm tea, he will feel irritated by even this question, in spite of its loving intent. He will automatically and emphatically say "No"! If she persists and brings the tea anyway, he may drink it and feel ameliorated, because Bryonia is very thirsty. In spite of this thirst, however, his initial response will usually be negative because he doesn't want to be bothered by anything.
the irritability of Bryonia patients is such that they seem to hold other people responsible for their suffering. They are aggressive in a manner which makes others feel uneasy.
In spite of the outward aggressiveness, Bryonia patients feel very insecure inside - especially about their financial well-being. When they feel ill, the first thing they want to do is go home, where they feel secure from any stress. In a delirium, they talk mostly of business because they fear for their financial security. This is most dramatically demonstrated by the fact that Bryonia is the most prominent remedy listed under Fear of Poverty.
Bryonia patients, then are quite materialistically-minded (although not as much as Arsenicum). Even idealistic people will have a deep sense of insecurity regarding their financial future. In actual fact, they may be quite secure financially, but they have an irritational fear that they are headed toward bankruptcy. Of course, this refers to a pathological fear of poverty, not one which is based in actual reality.
It seems to me that this insecurity arises out of the lack of social contact in Bryonia patients. They do not allow themselves the sense of security that can be derived from family, friends, community etc. Bryonia patients are responsible people; they usually take the greatest share of responsibility for their families, for instance, but then they wonder who will take care of THEM in case of financial disaster. They feel unsupported and insecure. The suffering of Bryonia patients, of course, is very great - whether in acute ailments, migraine headaches, or chronic arthritic pains. Every movement aggravates them greatly. This suffering can lead to a fear that they are going to die, but more commonly they fall into a despondent state. They seem to give up and simply accept the apparent inevitability that they are going to die. This is a despair of recovery, but it is not full of the agony that is found in Arsenicum or Calc. carb. It is a resignation to what seems to be inevitable.
On the physical level, of course, there are many symptoms for which Bryonia is quite famous. The aggravation from motion is the most prominent. You must remember, however, that if the pains become too severe in Bryonia, they may become very restless. The suffering becomes so intense that they feel compelled to do something and then they start moving about. In this situation, Bryonia can be mistaken for Rhus tox or Arsenicum. However, despite the restlessness, the Bryonia pains are still not ameliorated by motion.
Another keynote of Bryonia is amelioration from pressure. They want to hold the painful part, to tie up the head, or to lie on the painful side. This amelioration from pressure, coupled with aggravation from motion, explains why Bryonia is considered virtually a specific remedy in appendicitis. Physicians everywhere know the classic clinical sign by which appendicitis is diagnosed - rebound tenderness. Slowly and gently pressure is applied over the appendix, but no pain is felt until the pressure is let up with a snap-amelioration from pressure but aggravation from motion. Of course, appendicitis can present itself in other ways, but most commonly fits these two main keynotes of Bryonia. I recall one appendicitis case that was seen by one of the doctors in our centre. It was so obvious that he felt compelled to send the boy to the hospital. I told him to give a dose of Bryonia first, and by the time he was examined at the hospital, the doctor could find no evidence for appendicitis.
Generally Bryonia is a left-sided remedy, particularly in migraine headache. Migraines are usually one-sided at first, and Bryonia most often fits those on the left side which are better from pressure and the application of a cold wet towel. These headaches are congestive in nature, sometimes with flushing and may eventually involve the whole head.
Another characteristic symptom on the physical level is the great dryness of the mucous membranes. This dryness is a general symptom; it even applies to the emotional level. Bryonia patients are emotionally dry; there is not much happening on the emotional dry; there is not much happening on the emotional plane. Naturally, dryness of the mucous membranes lead to great thirst - frequently, and or large quantities. It does not matter in Bryonia whether the water is arm or cold. Even if the desire is for cold water, it will never be as greatly stressed as in Phosphorus (again emphasising the importance of underlining in a written case). Whenever there is stomach trouble (gastritis, duodenal ulcer, etc.) however, Bryonia wants warm drinks, which ameliorate;
It must be remembered, however, that Bryonia is also one of the main remedies for dryness with thirstlessness, along with Belladonna, Nux moschata, and Natrum mur.
Bryonia often has an afternoon time aggravation - around 3 or 4 or even 7 p.m. Most characteristic, though is a 9 p.m. aggravation lasting until sleep. This can be a strong confirmatory symptom for Bryonia whenever it is present, just as 9 a.m. aggravation can suggest Chamomilla.
There are not many strong symptoms in Bryonia regarding desires and aversions. Many times there may be a desire for oysters, but that is all. As mentioned, warm drinks ameliorate the stomach troubles.
Bryonia patients suffer from vertigo, especially on turning the head to look backward. Turning in bed also creates vertigo, as one might expect. Usually Bryonia patients want to lie on the left side and are aggravated by lying on the right side.
Bryonia is a remedy which is slow to develop in its pathology and slow in its action once given. In chronic Bryonia cases, you will see a long history of gradual development - say, over a period of five years. In arthritis, first one joint will be mildly affected, then another. By contrast, arthritic pains in Formica rupha erupt dramatically in several joints at once. Over the year, though, the inflammations increase in number and intensity until the patient becomes a total wreck - and even full of anxiety and restlessness because of the intensity of the pains. At this point Bryonia can be confused with Rhus tox because the rheumatic pains are ameliorated by warmth (congestive pains in Bryonia are ameliorated by cold).
Acute Bryonia cases develop over a period of days. Perhaps there is an exposure to cold, but few symptoms occur for the first few days. A fever may appear by the third day or so, and then a full-blown illness is apparent by the fourth day. This same progress is true of Gelsemium. By contrast, Belladonna or Aconite erupt like volcanoes in their symptomatology.
Once you have seen an acute Bryonia case you are not likely to forget it. I remember the first acute case I ever treated - a man with bronchitis. I visited him in his home, where he lived with another single man. As I entered his room, he was sitting on the bed facing the wall, his back turned to me. I asked "How are you? How do you feel? He would not answer me, nor would he turn to face me.
Throughout the entire interview I was unable to get him to turn around. His fever was very high and he had such a painful cough that he had to hold his chest and let out weak little coughs. When I asked what he ate, his friend replied that he only took water. Obviously, this was a perfect Bryonia case, and he rapidly recovered.
