EUPATORIUM PERFOLIATUM - a 'flu remedy

EUPATORIUM PERFOLIATUM
A plant for the 'flu season

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At this time of year this plant comes into its own as an important influenza remedy. Indeed it appears to be one of the main ones for this season of "Aussie" 'flu.

I have had many cases this winter especially with the onset of the cold weather. The onset is with chills and tremendous bone and muscle aches , all over the body. Then high fever ensues.
There is a curious desire for  VERY COLD WATER during the chill stage. This is a characteristic symptom in prescribing this remedy.
Sore skin and even soreness of the eyeballs on moving them.
There can be a gastric element often with coated tongue, bitter taste and can be vomiting.

Accompanying symptoms of heavy catarrh, sneezing, hoarseness and cough. Cough is painful and they need to support or hold the chest when coughing. Cough is worse at night and causes spot of soreness of the chest. 
This along with the great thirst is similar to Bryonia - another great 'flu remedy. However Bryonia is often thirsty for warm drinks. 

There is a periodicity to the picture of this remedy and indeed it was used a lot in malarial areas for this purpose. Malaria being a disease with not dissimilar symptoms to some kinds of 'flu. With intermittent chills and fever, cramps and pains etc

So 'flu that behaves in a periodic fashion i.e. the child or fever return at roughly the sam time each day and then subside. The chill tends to come at around 7 - 9am preceded by thirst and great aching of bones. In the proving it was noted that the provers knew the chill was coming because they could not drink enough cold water!

Once the sweats come then the patient is relieved. 

In other conditions this can be another useful remedy in Gout ( see Feb post) with swelling of LEFT big toe and gouty soreness with inflamed nodosities of the joints.

To compare with Rhus-tox and Bryonia and Nux-vom:

Rhus-tox is generally much more restless than Eupatorium and much more intolerant of the cold.
However Eupatorium can be restless with the bone pains. Bryan will want to remain still as motion aggravates.
The pains in Eupatorium are much stronger and deeper but not as relieved by motion.
We can say that Eupatorium is somewhere between Rhus-tox and Bryonia.
It is worse for motion and thirsty. Rhus-tox is often thirstless. 
Bryonia is not so painful in the skeletal or muscular system as Eupatorium.
Mentally we see a state of "sadness and despair" as if they will not recover. Bryonia tends to irritability as does Nux-vom, another great 'flu remedy with sensitivity to cold , desire for covers and warm, and severe bone pains.