The Helleborus niger, also called Black Hellebore or Christmas Rose is known in medical matters to represent the patient more insensibility.

Dioscorides made a curious observation: the vines that grow where many hellebores produce a wine with purgative properties. In the past, black hellebore was considered a sovereign remedy against mental illness. The city of Phocis in the Hellenistic period had resonance and prosperity only because there was hellebore and many patients stayed there for treatment. It is with hellebore that Hercules recovered from the madness, and the pastor Melampo from the milk of goats that eaten hellebore, treated the daughters of Preto of Argo, became furious.

Its large flower shines in full cold forces of flowering appear at Christmas, hence the name; flower resists until the spring season as more leaf-like flower.

This plant contains cardiac steroids and its therapeutic properties were characterized allopathic a time for use as a purgative and anthelmintic, energetic, emmenagogue, but caused many deaths due to the extremely high toxicity.

The therapeutic properties of homeopathic are linked to nervous disorders in connection with an affection meningeal or brain.

The aggravation is at night, from 16 to 20, uncovering, the improvement is with the heat, staying perfectly still.

It is irresponsible, stupid, responds slowly when it is uncertain. Stupor or sleep with involuntary cries and moans. The state melancholic is with sadness and despair, after typhoid fever or when menses do not return after a first appearance. Irritable, easily enters angry, do not want to be disturbed, worsens if the consulate (like Natrum mur).

Congestive headache, heavy head, the patient rotates the head from side to side on pillow, sinks his head on the pillow (as Podophyllum, Zincum), turns his head backward. Pale face with eyes, unstressed, wide open, insensitive to light. Dilated pupils or alternately contracted and dilated. Gurgling in the belly. Watery diarrhoea, with mucus whitish like jelly. Involuntary stools.

Relations: Apis (shouts), Zincum (agitation), Lachesis (black urine and diarrhoea). The drug is more akin Apis, Apis but has a very high sensitivity contact, symptoms are worse with the heat and the state it is much more acute.

Complementary: Natrum mur, Zincum.

(From “Homeopathy Science of the Individual” Di Paolo and Sponzilli, Ed Mediterranee)