Hahnemann’s proving symptoms of homeopathy remedy Cocculus from Materia Medica Pura, which Samuel Hahnemann wrote between 1811 to 1821…

(Menispermum cocculus.)

(From vol. I, 3rd edit., 1830.)

(The tincture prepared by macerating the powdered seeds at a moderate temperature in twenty parts of spirits of wine.)

This vegetable substance, hitherto only used for the purpose of destroying some noxious vermin and for stupefying fish so that they may be taken by the hand, was (like staphisagria) first employed by myself as a medicine after I had ascertained its dynamic effects on the healthy human body. It possesses many curative virtues, as the following symptoms produced by it show, and the tincture prescribed according to the similarity of effect in high attenuation and potency is indispensible for the cure in many cases of common human diseases, more especially in some kinds of lingering nervous fevers, in several so-called spasms in the abdomen, and so-called spasmodic pains of other parts, where the mental state is one of extreme sadness, particularly in the female sex, in not a few attacks of paralysis of the limbs, and in the emotional derangements resembling those that cocculus can itself produce.

Camphor is its principal antidote.

The duration of its action depends on the nature of the disease in which it is used; it quickly passes in acute, but lasts many days in chronic diseases.


The old-school authorities quoted are:


JOHN HILL, Hist. of the Mat. Medorrhinum

RUMPF, Ambcin., v.

In the Fragmenta there are 162 symptoms of cocculus, in the 1st edit. Of the R.A.M.L.

230, in the 2nd edit. 554, and in this last edition 557.]


Vertigo as of intoxication and stupid feeling in the forehead, as if he had a board before the head. [Gss.]

Attack of vertigo as from intoxication (when sitting) (aft. 1.3/4 h.). [Lr.]

Tendency to vertigo (the 8th d.). [Hnl.]

Vertigo for six hours.

5. When he rises up in bed, there occur whirling vertigo and sickness, which compel him to lie down again.

A sick headache, just as if he had taken an emetic, with nausea.

Stupid in the head.

Stupidity in the head with cold sweat on the forehead and hands and aversion from food and drink.

Distraction (want of memory); he easily forgets something he had just thought of. (This S. occurs almost identically in Hb. And Ts. ‘R.A.M.L.’ [Gss.]

10. Stupidity and confusion of the head, increased by reading, so that he must read a passage several times over in order to understand it. [Hnl.]

Heaviness in the head. [Hnl.]

Feeling as if something heavy lay on the head, but without pain. [We.]

Thinking tries his head much. [Hnl.]

In the morning confusion of the head; there is a humming in it, as after a debauch the previous night.

15. Heaviness and confusion of the head, as after a debauch the day before.

Cloudiness of the head, chiefly aggravated by eating and drinking.

Pain in the head as if it were bound up.

Headache as if the brain were constricted.

Headache in the temples, as if the head were screwed in.

20. (Painful shock in the brain when walking, moving the head and speaking.)

A headache compounded of constriction, burning, tearing, digging and boring.

A violent aching through the whole head, chiefly in the forehead (in the forenoon), which increases to unconsciousness by reading and thinking (aft. 60 h.).

Aching headache in the sinciput. [We.]

Aching headache in the vertex (aft. 10 h.). [Hbg.]

25. Dull compression in the right half of the forehead. [Gss.]

Pressive pain in the head, as if the brain were compressed (aft. 5 h.). [Lr.]

In the right temple a pressing inwards as from a blunt body slowly pressed deep into the brain. [Gss.]

In the left temple, a pressing inwards. [Gss.]

Violent pressing downwards in the whole head, especially in the forehead, increased by walking (aft. 6.1/2 h.). [Lr.]

30. In the left half of the forehead, a dull undulating compression. [Gss.]

Tearing throbbing headache in the forehead in the evening (from 7 to 9 o’clock) (aft. 38 h.)

Frequent attacks of headache lasting some minutes on a small spot in the left frontal protuberance, at first if raging, throbbing shooting pain, which then spreads to the right frontal protuberance as a formication and there goes off.

A fine shooting in the temples.

A severe stitch in the head above the right eye (aft. 12 h.).

35. Several stitches in the right side of the brain. (aft. 24 h.). [Hnl.]

Intermitting boring needle-pricks in the right frontal region.[Lr.]

Fine needle-pricks in the left temple (aft. 6 h.). [Lr.]

Headache as if the eyes would be torn out.

Cramp-like pain in the left temporal muscle (aft. 1.1/2 h.). [Lr.]

40. Headache as if something closed the eyes forcibly.

Convulsive trembling of the head.

Shuddering on the left side of the occiput as if the hair would stand in end. (This S. is also in Hb. And Ts. ‘R.A.M.L.’ [Gss.]

On the outer border of the orbit obtuse pressure (immediately). [Gss.]

Aching in both eyes, as if dust had got into them (aft. 7 h.). [Lr.]

45. Aching pain in the eyes with inability to open the eyelids, at night.

Bruised pain in the eyes with inability to open the eyelids, at night (aft. 5 h.).

Stitches in the eyes from within outwards (aft. 24 h.).

(After severe nocturnal headache, in the morning swelling of one eye and of half of the nose.)

Dryness of the eyelids.

50. Dimness of sight.

Flies and dark spots float before the eyes, as if amaurosis were coming on.

She sees a black figure before the eyes that receded from her; when she turns it turns along with her, and yet she saw everything clearly.

Contracted pupils (aft. 5 h.). [Lr.]

Blue rings round the eyes. [Bhr.]

55. A kind of pressive sensation, more stupefying than painful, in the left zygomatic process. [Gss.]

Cramp in the zygomatic process, in the masseter muscles (aft. 2 h.).

Cramp-like pain in the masseter muscles per se, but increased by opening the jaws (aft. 3 h.).

(Heat in the right ear externally and internally, in the morning in bed).

A sensation alternately in either ear, as if they were stopped up and deaf.

60. Rushing sound in the ear, as when hearing through a tube. [Hbg.]

Noise in the ears like the rushing of water, with hardness of hearing. (aft. 1 h.).

It seems to him as if he were hard of hearing in the right ear.

Swelling of the right half of the nose.

Stitches externally in the skin and muscles of the cheek.

65. Flying heat of the cheeks, without thirst (aft. 27 h.). [Lr.]

Redness of the cheeks and heat in the face, without thirst, in a cold room. [Hbg.]

A pustule under the right outer angle of the mouth, with a red areola, with tensive pain on touching it (aft. 24 h.). [Lr.]

Swelling of the parotid gland.

Fine stitches in the external parts of the throat. (aft. 1 h.).

70. Swollen hard glands under the lower jaw and lumps on the forearm, which are painful when stroked.

Painless glandular swellings under the chin (aft. 8 h.). [Lr.]

Paralytic drawing on the side of the neck and other parts, sometimes almost like intermittent paralytic pressure. [Gss.]

When moving the neck and yawning stiff pain in the cervical muscles. [Gss.]

Fine stitch externally on the right side of the neck. [Hnl.]

75. Pulsating stitches externally on the left side of the neck. [Hnl.]

Weakness of the cervical muscles with heaviness of the head for several days; the cervical muscles seemed unable to support the head; he must lean his head in one direction to another, otherwise the cervical muscles were painful; what gave him most ease was leaning backwards. [Hnl.]

Tearing digging pain in the lower jaw.

Smarting sensation in the upper and lower molars, as after taking a quantity of sea-salt; biting the teeth together causes an agreeable sensation. [We.]

The incisors are as if lifted out and seem to her to be so heavy they must fall out. [Bhr.]

80. The decayed tooth seems to have become longer; it is loose; the gum around it is swollen (aft. 12 h.).

The hollow tooth is painful only when eating even soft food, as if it were quite loose, and yet not on merely closing the teeth wnot eating.

(The gums are sensitive and as if sore.)

(When speaking she has a sort of contraction in the mouth and must speak more slowly.)

In the morning, rough tongue.

85. Dryness in the mouth, at night, without thirst. (This S., without “at night,” is also in Hb. And Ts. ‘R.A.M.L.’)

Dryness of the tongue, with whitish-yellow fur, without thirst (aft. ¼ h.). [We.]

Dry feeling in the mouth with frothy saliva and violent thirst. [Bhr.]

Water runs into his mouth without sickness (aft. 1.1/2 h.). [Hnl.]

Sensation as if water collected in the mouth for a long time, without sickness. [Hnl.]

90. If he puts out his tongue far, he feels pain at the back of it as if bruised. [Gss.]

Dryness and roughness in the fauces and oesophagus; especially observed when swallowing, without thirst.(aft. 2 h.). [Lr.]

In the throat scraping, scratching, which goes off on swallowing. [Ts. Hb.]

Great sensitiveness in the interior of the throat; all the food seems sharp and stinging, as if it contained too much salt and pepper. [Bhr.]

Dryness at the back and upper part of the throat, as if it and the tongue were rough.

95. Dryness in the oesophagus.

Dryness in the throat, with hot sensation in the oesophagus and stomach (aft. 2 h.).

Burning in the palate.

Burning like fire in the oesophagus up to the palate, in the evening, and at the same time shuddering round about the head.

Pain at top of the oesophagus with sensation of swelling at the root of the tongue, which is painful on swallowing.

100. Aching pain in the tonsils, much worse on swallowing the saliva than on swallowing food.

A kind of choking constriction in the top of the oesophagus, which impedes respiration and at the same time excites coughing (aft. 1 h.).

A kind of paralysis of the gullet; the oesophagus is unable to swallow.

Taste in the mouth as if he had fasted a long time.

Metallic taste posteriorly on the root of the tongue.

105. Coppery taste in the mouth.

Metallic taste in the mouth, with loss of appetite. [Gss.]

After eating sourish taste in the mouth. [Gss.]

When coughing he has a sour taste in the mouth. [Bhr.]

Tobacco tastes bitter when smoking. [Hbg.]

110. Slimy tastes in the mouth; the food however has the right taste. [We.]

The food has not its right taste, as if tasteless and unsalted. [Bhr.]

Sensation in the mouth as if he smelt badly from his mouth (aft. 6 h.).

A bitter taste comes on the root of the tongue.

Frequent empty eructation (aft. 3.1/2 h.). [Lr.]

115. Bitter eructation (aft. ¼ h.). [Hnl.]

Very bitter eructation (immediately). [Hnl.]

Acrid, scraping eructation, especially in the evening. [Ts. Hb.]

Empty eructation, which leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and throat (aft. 24 h.).

Eructation, which leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and throat. (aft. 24 h.).

Eructation with taste of food.(aft. 18 h.).

120. In the forenoon he has putrid eructation.

Eructation of musty, foul air (aft. 8 h.).

Attempts to eructate, which cause pain in the stomach (aft. ½ h.).

At every eructation a pain in the scrobiculus cordis, as if he had got a blow or knock there.

When eructating a pain in the scrobiculus cordis, almost like a stitch. [Fz.]

125. When she eructates, she has a pressure on the chest.

First attempts to eructate, and imperfect, baulked eructation, causing hiccup, that lasts for an hour (aft. 3 h.).

Hiccup (aft. 10 m.). [Hbg.]

Hiccup (immediately) [AMATUS LUSITANUS, (Poisoning of a m n by four grains.) Cent. iv, Curat. 79.]

Inclination to hiccup.

130. Hiccup (aft. 1/8 h.).

No appetite for breakfast; he feels quite full.

Extreme loathing at food, the very smell of food irritates him, and yet he is hungry. [Bhr.]

Feeling of hunger in the scrobiculus cordis, little relieved by eating, almost all day. [Hnl.]

Great thirst at all times of the day, but especially when eating. [Bhr.]

135. Aversion from food and drink.

Want of appetite, and what he eats has no taste.

When smoking the tobacco tastes bitter (aft. 2 h.).

He is very sensitive to sour things; he has an aversion for sour things; bread tastes sour (aft. 3 h.).

In the stomach a feeling as if a worm moved therein. [Bhr.]

140. Nausea as from over-eating. [Hbg.]

Nausea while smoking tobacco (to which he os accustomed), going the length of vomiting (aft. 4 h.). [Lr.]

Nausea (immediately) [AMATUS LUSITANUS, l. c. – JOHN HILL, (General accounts of effects of C.) Hist. of the MAT. Medorrhinum, p. 504.]

Excitation to vomit. [Hbg.]

When she eats, she becomes sick and inclined to vomit.

145. After each time she drinks, in the afternoon, nausea, that seems to be chiefly in the mouth.

Frequent inclination to vomit (aft. several h.).

When driving in a carriage unusual nausea and inclination to vomit (aft. 48 h.).

In the morning she cannot raise herself up in bed on account of feeling poorly and inclined to vomit (aft. 48 h.).

When he becomes cold, or catches cold, there occurs an inclination to vomit, causing a copious flow of saliva.

150. Inclination to vomit in connexion with headache, and a pain as if bruised in the bowels (aft. ½ h.).

(Vomiting about midnight with attacks of suffocation, he vomits food and mucus, during which he has a bitter and sour taste in the throat.)

Sensation in the stomach as if he had eaten nothing for a long time and his hunger had gone off.

Immediately after eating pain under the stomach.

Gurgling under (in) the scrobiculus cordis. [Gss.]

155. Pecking and gnawing under the scrobiculus cordis. [Gss.]

After eating, aching in the stomach. [Hbg.]

Aching in the scrobiculus cordis. [Hbg.]

Aching pain in the stomach, scrobiculus cordis, and hypochondria some hours after a meal or at night in bed.

A pressure in the scrobiculus cordis, that takes away the breath (aft. 1 h.).

160. Squeezing and tension in the scrobiculus cordis when walking.

Violent spasm in the stomach, clutching in the stomach.

Spasm in the stomach, squeezing in the stomach.

Constrictive pain in the stomach, that prevents him sleeping.

A pinching together in the epigastrium, that takes away the breath.

165. Squeezing, constrictive pain in the epigastrium after a meal, which extends to the left side of the abdomen and the chest (aft. 100 h.).

Aching in the epigastrium.

Under the last true rib of the right side an extremely violent aching pain, increased by bending the body forwards, by coughing and on inspiration, but not by external touch.

(Pain in the hypochondria as if bruised (aft. 12 h.).

Continued fine stitch in the skin of the left gastric region, that went off on rubbing. [Hnl.]

170. On the left, near the navel, intermittent obtuse stitches. [Gss.]

On the right, above the navel, fine nipping. [Gss.]

Pinching pain in the abdominal muscles of the left side. [We.]

She feels empty and hollow in the abdomen, as if she had no intestines. [Bhr.]

Squeezing in the abdomen (aft. ¾ h.). [Hbg.]

175. Audible rumbling in the abdomen. [Hnl.]

Drawing pain in the bowels.

Drawing pain in the abdomen after dinner while walking, with feeling of cold and vertigo (8th d.). [Hnl.]

Cutting in the hypogastrium up to the epigstrium, alleviated by standing. (In the original “stechen,” evidently a misprint of stehen.”) [Hnl.]

180. Continued stitch in the right side of the abdomen. [Hnl.]

In the left side of the abdomen, several needle-pricks. [We.]

Stitches in several parts of the abdomen, only when stooping (aft. 15 h.). [Hnl.]

Tearing in the bowels.

Burning in the abdomen.

185. Great distension of the abdomen.

Soon after supper, flatulent sufferings; the flatus distends sometimes one, sometimes another part of the bowels, and is expelled with difficulty (aft. 5 h.).

Flatulent colic about midnight; he awakes and flatus is incessantly generated, which which distends the abdomen, causing aching pain here and there and passing off singly without much relief, whilst new flatus continues to form again for several hours; he must turn in bed from side to side in order to obtain ease (aft. 20 h.).

In the lumbar and renal regions, in the morning in bed, whilst lying, a sharp hard pressure, that goes off after getting up.

The flatulence presses upwards.

1. A constrictive pain in the abdomen with pressing towards the genital organs (female), and at the sane time a qualmishness in the scrobiculus cordis with tendency to water-brash.

Nausea (without inclination to vomit) spreading up from the right side of the abdomen towards the navel (immediately). [Gss.]

Constipation for several days.

A hard stool only every day, that comes away with great effort, causing faintness.

195. The occur tendency to and premonitory signs of inguinal hernia (aft. 8 h.).

Dilatation of he left inguinal ring and tendency to the protrusion of inguinal hernia, with sore-pain (aft. 14 h.). Continued stitch in the right inguinal region. [Hnl.]

Painful tendency to inguinal hernia, especially on rising up from a seat. [Gss.]

In the right inguinal ring paralytic pain, as if something would be forced out there, a rupture-pain only whilst sitting, going off by rising up. [Gss.]

200. Forcing pain in the flanks, as if the catamenia were coming on. [Ts. Hb.]

In the flanks internally all is full and swollen as if stuffed full; only in both sides, not in front; especially when stepping forwards, when it feels as if the swelling was pushed along and as if everything came asunder (aft. some h.). [Ts. Hb]

Soft stool, diarrhoea (aft. ½ h.).

Frequent small evacuations by stool (aft. several h.).

(Every day several bright coloured, pale motions.)

205. (Slimy stools.)

Discharge of hot flatus before the faeculent diarrhoea. [Gss.]

Urging to stool, thin faeculent diarrhoea of a foetid odour. [Gss.]

Soft, thin motion (aft. 1 h.). [Hbg.]

Urging to pass a motion and break wind at the same time, and with the latter rapidly occurs in short fits diarrhoeic faecal evacuations in small quantities. [Gss.]

210. Ineffectual urging to stool with constipation for three days; the fourth day hard stool passed with effort. [Hnl.]

Excitation to stool in the rectum; but the peristaltic movement is deficient in the upper intestines; hence the stool is delayed for 36 hours (aft. ½ h.). [We.]

Creeping and itching in the rectum, as from ascarides.

Contractive pain in the anus, that prevents him sitting, in the afternoon (aft. 20 h.).

Burning itching in the anus.

215. (Retention of the urine for 10 minutes.)

Watery urine (aft. 2.1/3 h.).

(He passes at very short intervals a great quantity of watery urine and the urging is constantly renewed, on account of fulness of the bladder.) [Gss.]

Frequent urging to urinate, every quarter of an hour, with discharge of very little urine, for 30 hours (aft. 4 h.). [Lr.]

During the urging to pass water, pain in the urethra. [Hbg.]

220. Pricking itching in the forepart of the urethra (aft. 13 h.0. [We.]

Tensive aching pain in the urethral orifice when not urinating (aft. 1 h.).

Shooting pain in the urethra (aft. 12 h.).

Shooting pain at the end of the prepuce.

Itching on the scrotum.

225. Itching in the scrotum.

Itching burning in the scrotum. [Hnl.]

Violent pains in both testicles as if bruised, especially when touched (8th d.). [Hnl.]

Shooting pain in one of the testicles.

Drawing pains in the testicles.

230. Catamenia seven days too soon, with distension of the abdomen, and cutting contractive pain in the abdomen at every movement and every breath; at the same time a contraction in the rectum (aft. 48 h.).

Catamenia eight days too soon with distension of the abdomen and a pain in the epigastrium, not only at every movement – every step gives pain – but also while sitting, as if the internal pats suffered a sharp pressure from a stone; the parts are painful on external pressure as if there was an ulcer internally.



The catamenia, which had ceased for a year, come on immediately in 2 cases. [Ts. Hb.]

235. Excitation of the genitals and inclination for coitus.

Increased sensitiveness of the genital organs. [Hnl.]

Nocturnal emission of semen (aft. 6 h.).

In the night relaxed genital organs and prepuce retracted behind the glans (aft. 12 h.).

Sneezing. [Gss.-We.]

240. Sneezing.

When walking in the open air, he cannot sneeze.

(She blows bloody mucus from the nose.)

Pain in the anterior angle of the nostril at the point of the nose, especially on touching it.

Severe coryza all day. [Lr.]

245. In the left nostril pain as from an ulcer, when not touched.

Violent coryza for four days.

Viscid mucus adheres to the larynx and compels him to cough and hawk.

Irritation to cough in the upper part of the larynx.

Cough that strains him much on account of an oppression of the chest, that comes on every time when he begins to cough (in 48 h.) [Fg.]

250. In the evening in bed irritation to cough in the back of the larynx; the cough always consists of two impulses.

In a quartan type, every four night, about 12 o’clock, also at coughing it feels as if the glottis were not wide enough.

Samuel Hahnemann
Samuel Hahnemann