Apatient, TG, called on Thursday to say that he has had low back pain on the left side for the past three days (since Monday). It had started at 3:30 a.m. and then went away. But when it came back TG went to the emergency room that Monday. From the results of a urine analysis, an IVP and an X-ray, the attending physician diagnosed my patient as having a 0.3 cm kidney stone about an inch above the bladder and lodged in the left ureter. TG was given pain medication and sent home to wait to see if the stone would pass. By Thursday, in a great deal of pain in spite of the pain medication, my patient called to see if I could help him.
Eight months ago I had prescribed Natrum Sulphuricum for this patient whose main complaint then was a chronic sinus condition for the past 20 years. His sinus condition cleared up and we were both quite happy.
For this new condition, TG came in and I took his case. He was anxious and irritable. He was not thirsty even though the weather had been very hot and humid. He had to force himself to drink water because of the ER physician’s recommendation. TG described his urine as dark and concentrated. The pain was better if he walked around. When the pain became more intense he would vomit. This had not changed since the onset on Monday. He felt more chilly than usual. I asked TG if the pain radiated anywhere. He said that it radiated to his penis.
My final selection of remedies to consider were Nux Vomica, Ipomea Bona-nox (Convolvulus Duartinus) and Ocimum Canum. Nux Vomica has the pain radiation to the penis, irritability and vomiting, but not better by walking and more likely to be on the right side.
Ipomea Bona-nox has left ureter pain radiating from the kidneys.
Ocimum Canum has the vomiting and has pain more likely on the right side, but also has the sign that the patient wrings his hands from the pain. TG said that as he walked around to lessen his pain he also would wring his hands, and he made the gesture. And while he was irritable, he was still somewhat reserved even with all the pain.
I gave TG Ocimum Canum 200C to take once and placebo to take every hour.
TG called me back after four hours to say that his pain was immediately better after taking Ocimum Canum 200C, but that the pain had now returned. Also, he had stopped taking the pain medication which the physician had prescribed since he was so much better. I asked him to repeat the Oci. 200C. He called me the next day to tell me he had passed his stone and I suggested that he have it analyzed. It turned out to be primarily calcium.
Clarke’s Materia Medica mentions that Mure discovered that Ocimum Canum was used as a traditional herbal remedy in Brazil for kidney, bladder and urethra problems: “Renal colic, with violent vomiting…; one wrings one’s hands.”
Ocimum Canum then, to me, is a remedy that stands out among the remedies having pain radiating from the kidneys on either side where there is reoccurring vomiting and also wringing of the hands.