Category: Materia Materica

Ergot
(CLAVICEPS PURPUREA)

Produces contraction of the unstriped muscular fibers; hence a constringent feeling throughout the whole body. This produces an anæmic condition, coldness, numbness, petechiæ, mortification, gangrene. A useful remedy for old people with shriveled skin-thin, scrawny old women. All the Secale conditions are better from cold; the whole body is pervaded by a sense of great heat. Hæmorrhages; continued oozing; thin, fetid, watery black blood. Debility, anxiety, emaciation, though appetite and thirst may be excessive. Facial and abdominal muscles twitch. Secale decreases the flow of pancreatic juice by raising the blood pressure (Hinsdale).

Head.–Passive, congestive pain (rises from back of head), with pale face. Head drawn back. Falling of hair; dry and gray. Nosebleed, dark, oozing.

Eyes.–Pupils dilated. Incipient cataract, senile especially in women. Eyes sunken and surrounded by a blue margin.

Face.–Pale, pinched, sunken. Cramps commence in face and spread over whole body. Livid spots on face. Spasmodic distortion.

Mouth.–Tongue dry, cracked; blood like ink exudes, coated thick; viscid, yellowish, cold livid. Tingling of tip of tongue, which is stiff. Tongue swollen, paralyzed.

Stomach.–Unnatural ravenous appetite; craves acids. Thirst unquenchable. Singultus, nausea; vomiting of blood and coffee-grounds fluid. Burning in stomach and abdomen; tympanites. Eructations of bad odor.

Stool.–Cholera-like stools, with coldness and cramps. Olivegreen, thin, putrid, bloody, with icy coldness and intolerance of being covered, with great exhaustion. Involuntary stools; no sensation of passing feces, anus wide open.

Urine.–Paralysis of bladder. Retention, with unsuccessful urging. Discharge of black blood from bladder. Enuresis in old people.

Female.–Menstrual colic, with coldness and intolerance of heat. Passive hæmorrhages in feeble, cachectic women. Burning pains in uterus. Brownish, offensive leucorrhœa. Menses irregular, copious, dark; continuous oozing of watery blood until next period. Threatened abortion about the third month (Sab). During labor no expulsive action, though everything is relaxed. After-pains. Suppression of milk; breasts do not fill properly. Dark, offensive lochia. Puerperal fever, putrid discharges, tympanitis, coldness, suppressed urine.

Chest.–Angina pectoris. Dyspnœa and oppression, with cramp in diaphragm. Boring pain in chest. Præcordial tenderness. Palpitation, with contracted and intermittent pulse.

Sleep.–Profound and long. Insomnia with restlessness, fever, anxious dreams. Insomnia of drug and liquor habitudes.

Back.–Spinal irritation, tingling of lower extremities; can bear only slightest covering. Locomotor ataxia. Formication and numbness. Myelitis.

Extremities.–Cold, dry hands and feet of excessive smokers with feeling of fuzziness in fingers. Trembling, staggering gait. Formication, pain and spasmodic movements. Numbness. Fingers and feet bluish, shriveled, spread apart or bent backwards, numb. Violent cramps. Icy coldness of extremities. Violent pain in finger-tips, tingling in toes.

Skin.–Shriveled, numb; mottled dusky-blue tinge. Scleræma and œdema neonatorum. Raynaud’s disease. Blue color. Dry gangrene, developing slowly. Varicose ulcers. Burning sensation; better by cold; wants parts uncovered, though cold to touch. Formication; petechiæ. Slight wounds continue to bleed. Livid spots. Boils, small, painful, with green contents; mature slowly. Skin feels cold to touch, yet covering is not tolerated. Great aversion to heat. Formication under skin.

Fever.–Coldness; cold, dry skin; cold, clammy sweat; excessive thirst. Sense of internal heat.

Modalities.–Worse, heat, warm covering. Better, cold, uncovering, rubbing, stretching out limbs.

Relationship.–Compare: Ergotin (Beginning arteriosclerosis progressing rather rapidly. Increased blood pressure: 2x trit. Œdema, gangrene and purpura hæmorrhagia: when Secale, though indicated, fails); Pedicularis Canadensis (Symptoms of locomotor ataxia; spinal irritation); Brassica napus-Rape-seed–(dropsical swellings, scorbutic mouth, voracious appetite, tympanitis, dropping of nails, gangrene); Cinnamon; Colch; Ars; Aurum mur. 2x (locomotor ataxia); Agrostema-Corn-cockle-active constituent is Saponin, which causes violent sneezing and sharp burning taste; burning in stomach, extends to œsophagus, neck and breast; (vertigo, headache, difficult locomotion, burning sensation); Ustilago; Carbo; Pituitrin (dilated os, little pain, no progress. Dose, 1/2 c, repeat in half hour, if necessary. Hypodermically contra-indicated in first stage of labor, valvular lesions or deformed pelvis).

Antidotes: Camph; Opium.

Dose.–First to thirtieth potency. Non-homeopathic use. In hæmorrhages of the puerperium, after the uterus in entirely emptied, when it fails to contract satisfactorily and in secondary puerperal hæmorrhage the result of incomplete involution of the uterus, give one-half to one dram of the fluid extract. Remember Pagot’s law. “As long as the uterus contains, anything, be it child, placenta, membranes, clots, never administer Ergot”.

Skullcap

This is a nervous sedative, where nervous fear predominates. Cardiac irritability. Chorea. Nervous irritation and spasms of children, during dentition. Twitching of muscles. Nervous weakness after influenza.

Mental.–Fear of some calamity. Inability to fix attention (Aethus). Confusion.

Head.–Dull, frontal headache. Eyes feel pressed outwards. Flushed face. Restless sleep and frightful dreams. Must move about. Night terrors. Migraine; worse, over right eye; aching in eyeballs. Explosive headaches of school teachers with frequent urination; headaches in front and base of brain. Nervous sick headaches, worse noise, odor light, better night; rest, 5 drops of tincture.

Stomach.–Nausea; sour eructations; hiccough; pain and distress.

Abdomen.–Gas, fullness and distention, colicky pain and uneasiness. Light colored diarrhœa.

Male.–Seminal emissions and impotency, with fear of never being better.

Sleep.–Night-terrors; sleeplessness; sudden wakefulness; frightful dreams.

Extremities.–Twitchings of muscles; must be moving. Chorea. Tremors. Sharp stinging pains in upper extremities. Nightly restlessness. Weakness and aching.

Relationship.–Compare: Cyprip; Lycopus.

Dose.–Tincture and lower potencies.

Knotted Figwort

A powerful medicine whenever enlarged glands are present. Hodgkin’s disease.

A valuable skin remedy. Has a specific affinity for the breast; very useful in the dissipation of breast tumors. Eczema of the ear. Pruritus vaginæ. Lupoid ulceration. Scrofulous swellings (Cistus). Painful hæmorrhoids. Tubercular testis. Epithelioma. Nodosities in the breasts (Scirrhinum). Pain in all flexor muscles.

Head.–Vertigo felt in vertex, greater when standing; drowsiness; pain from forehead to back of head. Eczema behind ear. Crusta lactea.

Eyes.–Distressing photophobia (Conium). Spots before eyes. Stitches in eyebrow. Sore eyeballs.

Ears.–Inflammation about auricle. Deep ulcerated auricle. Eczema around ear.

Abdomen.–Pain in liver on pressure. Colic below navel. Pain in sigmoid flexure and rectum. Painful, bleeding, protruding piles.

Respiratory.–Violent dyspnœa, oppression of chest with trembling. Pain about bifurcation of trachea. Asthma in scrofulous patients.

Skin.–Prickling itching, worse back of hand.

Sleep.–Great drowsiness; in morning and before and after meals with weariness.

Modalities.–Worse lying on right side.

Compare: Lobel erinus; Ruta; Carcinosin; Conium; Asterias.

Dose.–Tincture and first potency. Apply locally to cancerous glands also Semper viv.

Smilax
(SARSAPARILLA)

Renal colic; marasmus and periosteal pains due to venereal disease. Eruptions following hot weather and vaccinations; boils, and eczema. Urinary symptoms well marked.

Mind.–Despondent, sensitive, easily offended, ill humored and taciturn.

Head.–Pains cause depression. Shooting pain from above right temporal region. Pains from occiput to eyes. Words reverberate in ear to the root of nose. Periosteal pains due to venereal disease. Influenza. Scalp sensitive. Eruptions on face and upper lip. Moist eruption on scalp. Crusta lactea beginning in face.

Mouth.–Tongue white; aphthæ; salivation; metallic taste; no thirst. Fetid breath.

Abdomen.–Rumbling and fermentation. Colic and backache at same time. Much flatus; cholera infantum.

Urinary.–Urine scanty, slimy, flaky, sandy, bloody. Gravel. Renal colic. Severe pain at conclusion of urination. Urine dribbles while sitting. Bladder distended and tender. Child screams before and while passing urine. Sand on diaper. Renal colic and dysuria in infants. Pain from right kidney downward. Tenesmus of bladder; urine passes in thin, feeble stream. Pain at meatus.

Male.–Bloody, seminal emissions. Intolerable stench on genitals. Herpetic eruption on genitals. Itching on scrotum and perineum. Syphilis; squamous eruption and bone pains.

Female.–Nipples small, withered, retracted. Before menstruation, itching and humid eruption of forehead. Menses late and scanty. Moist eruption in right groin before menses.

Skin.–Emaciated, shriveled, lies in folds (Abrot; Sanic), dry, flabby. Herpetic eruptions; ulcers. Rash from exposure to open air; dry, itching; comes on in spring; becomes crusty. Rhagades; skin cracked on hands and feet. Skin hard, indurated. Summer cutaneous affections.

Extremities.–Paralytic, tearing pains. Trembling of hands and feet. Burning on sides of fingers and toes. Onychia, ulceration around ends of fingers, cutting sensation under nails. Rheumatism, bone pains; worse at night. Deep rhagades on fingers and toes; burn under nails. Tetter on hands; ulceration around ends of fingers (Psorin). Cutting sensation under nails (Petrol). Rheumatic pains after gonorrhœa.

Modalities.–Worse, dampness at night, after urinating, when yawning, in spring, before menses.

Relationship.–Complementary: Merc; Sep.

Compare: Berb; Lycop; Nat m; Petrol; Sassafras; Saururus-Lizard’s tail–(Irritation of kidneys, bladder, prostate and urinary passages. Painful and difficult micturition; cystitis with strangury). Cucurbita citrellus-Water-melon. Infusion of the seed acts promptly in painful urination with constriction and backache, relieves pain and stimulates flow

Antidote: Bell.

Dose.–First to sixth potency.

Pitcher-plant

A remedy for variola. Visual disorders. Congestion to head, with irregular heart action. Chlorosis. Contains a very active proteolytic enzyme. Sick headache; throbbing in various parts, especially in neck, shoulders and head, which feels full to bursting.

Eyes.–Photophobia. Eyes feel swollen and sore. Pain in orbits. Black objects move with the eye.

Stomach.–Hungry all the time, even after a meal. Sleepy during meals. Copious, painful vomiting.

Back.–Pains shooting in zig-zag course from lumbar region to middle of scapula.

Extremities.–Limbs weak; bruised pain in knees and hip-joints. Bones in arm pain. Weak between shoulders.

Skin.–Variola, aborts the disease, arrests pustulation.

Relationship.–Compare: Tartar em; Variol; Maland.

Dose.–Third to sixth potency.

Broom
(SPARTIUM SCOPARIUM – CYSTISUS SCOPARIUS)

Spartein sulphate increase the strength of the heart, slows it and reduces the blood pressure. It continues the good effects of Veratrum and Digitalis without any of the undesirable effects of either (Hinsdale).

The effect of spartein sulphate (the alkaloid of Broom) is to cause a lowering of the systolic and diastolic pressures of the provers. Sphygmograms also show a condition of lowered blood-pressure. It depresses the heart by poisonous action exerted on the myocardium and this, with the stimulating action of the drug upon the vagus, accounts for the lowered blood pressure and reduced pulse rate. It weakens the cardiac contraction. The total amount of urine is increased. The drug has, therefore, diuretic properties and is useful in dropsy.

Albuminuria. Cheyne-Stokes respiration. Irregular heart following grip and various infections. Hypotension used palliatively in physiological dosage to combat arterial hypertension, arterio-sclerosis. Very useful hypodermically 1/10 to 1/4 grain in sustaining heart after stopping habit of Morphia. Spartium is indicated when primarily the muscles of the heart and especially the nervous apparatus is affected. Acts rapidly and lasts three to four days. Does not disturb digestion. Nephritis.

Heart.–Tobacco heart. Angina pectoris. Irregular action, disturbed rhythm due to gas, etc, feeble in nervous hysterical patients. Myocardial degeneration, failing compensation. Hypotension. Spartein in 2 gr doses for water-logged cases, cannot lie down. Here it produces much comfort. Has specific action upon the kidneys, enabling them to eliminate and relieve the distress upon the heart.

Stomach.–Great accumulation of gas in gastro-intestinal canal, with mental depression.

Urinary.–Burning along urinary tract or in pudendum. Profuse flow of urine.

Dose.–For non-homeopathic use (palliative as above), one to two grains t.i.d by mouth, exerts a definite action upon the kidneys that will enable them to relieve the distress upon the heart. It is a safe drug and prompt in its action. Hypodermically, not less than 1/4 of a grain. Doses as high as 2 grains by mouth three times a day are safe (Hinsdale).

Homeopathically. First to third trituration.

(SARCOLACTIC ACID)

Is apparently formed in muscle tissue during the stage of muscle exhaustion. Differs from ordinary Lactic acid in its relation to polarized light. It represents a much broader and more profoundly acting drug and its pathogenesis is quite dissimilar from the normal acid. Proved by Wm. B. Griggs, M. D, who found it of great value in the most violent form of Epidemic influenza, especially with violent and retching and greatest prostration, when Arsenic had failed. Spinal neurasthenia, muscular weakness, dyspnœa with myocardial weakness.

General Symptoms.–Tired feeling with muscular prostration, worse any exertion. Sore feeling all over, worse in afternoon. Restless at night. Difficulty in getting to sleep. Tired feeling in morning on getting up.

Throat.–Constriction in pharynx. Sore throat with tightness in naso-pharynx. Tickling in throat.

Stomach.–Nausea. Uncontrollable vomiting even of water followed by extreme weakness.

Back and Extremities.–Tired feeling in back and neck and shoulders. Paralytic weakness. Wrist tires easily from writing. Extreme weakness from climbing stairs. Stiffness of thigh and calves. Arms feel as if no strength in them. Cramp in the calves.

Dose.–Sixth to 30th potency. The 15x most marked action (Griggs).

Soap Root
(SAPONARIA)

Of great use in the treatment of acute colds, coryza, sore throat, etc. Will often “break up” a cold.

Mind.–Utter indifference to pain or possible death. Apathetic, depressed, with sleepiness.

Head.–Stitching pain, supraorbital; worse, left side, evening, motion. Throbbing over orbits. Congestions to head; tired feeling in nape. Coryza. Sensation of drunkenness with constant endeavor to go left-wards. Left-sided trigeminal neuralgia, especially supraorbital. Stopped up feeling in nose, also itching and sneezing.

Eyes.–Violent eye pains. Hot stitches deep in eyeball. Ciliary neuralgia; worse, left side. Photophobia. Exophthalmos, worse reading and writing. Increased intraocular pressure. Glaucoma.

Stomach.–Difficult swallowing. Nausea, heartburn; full feeling not relieved by eructation.

Heart.–Impulse weak; pulse less frequent. Palpitation with anxiety.

Modalities.–Worse, at night, mental exertion, left side.

Relationship.–Compare: Saponin-a glucosidal principle found in Quillaya, Yucca, Senega, Dioscorea and other plants (Tired, indifferent. Pain in left temple, eye, photophobia, hot stitches deep in eye. Fifth nerve affections. Migraine. Much pain before the menstrual flow; severe sore throat, worse right side; tonsils swollen, worse in warm room. Sharp burning taste and violent sneezing).

Compare, also: Verbasc; Coccul (both containing Saponin). Quillaya; (Anagallis, Agrostema, Helonias, Sarsaparilla, Paris, Cyclamen and others contain Saponin).

Santonin

Is the active principle of Santonica, the unexpanded flower heads of Artemisia Maritima-Cina, which see.

The eye symptoms and those of the urinary tract are most prominent. It is of unquestioned value in the treatment of worm diseases, as gastro-intestinal irritation, itching of nose, restless sleep, twitching of muscles. Ascaris lumbricoides, and thread worms, but not tapeworms. Night cough of children. Chronic cystitis. Laryngeal crises and lightning pains of tabes.

Head.–Occipital headache, with chromatic hallucinations. Itching of nose. Bores into nostrils.

Eyes.–Sudden dimness of sight. Color blindness; Xanthopsia. Strabismus due to worms. Dark rings about eyes.

Mouth.–Fetid breath, depraved appetite; thirsty. Tongue deep-red. Grinding of teeth. Nausea; better after eating. Choking feeling.

Urinary.–Urine greenish if acid and reddish purple if alkaline. Incontinence and dysuria. Enuresis. Feeling of fullness of bladder. Nephritis.

Relationship.–Compare: Cina; Teucr; Napth; Nat phos; Spigel.

Dose.–Second to third trituration. Lower preparations are often toxic. Do not give to a child with fever or constipation.

The Water of Sanicula Springs, Ottawa, I11
(SANICULA)

Has been found a useful remedy in enuresis, seasickness, constipation, etc. Rickets.

Head.–Dread of downward motion (Borax). Profuse sweat on occiput and in nape of neck, during sleep (Calc; Sil). Photophobia. Lachrymation in cold air or from cold application. Profuse scaly dandruff. Soreness behind ears.

Throat.–Thick, ropy, tenacious mucus.

Mouth.–Tongue large, flabby, burning; must protrude it to keep cool. Ringworm on tongue.

Stomach.–Nausea and vomiting from car-riding. Thirst; drink little and often (Ars; Chin). Is vomited as soon as it reaches the stomach.

Rectum.–Stools large, heavy and painful. Pain in whole perineum. No desire until a large accumulation. After great straining only partially expelled; recedes, crumbles at verge of anus (Mag mur). Very offensive odor. Excoriation of skin about anus, perineum, and genitals. Diarrhœa; changeable in character and color; after eating.

Female.–Bearing-down, as if contents of pelvis would escape; better, rest. Desire to support parts. Soreness of uterus. Leucorrhœa with odor of fish-brine or cold cheese (Hepar). Vagina feels large.

Back.–Dislocated feeling in sacrum and better lying on right side.

Extremities.–Burning of soles of feet (Sulph; Lach). Offensive foot-sweat (Sil; Psor). Cold, clammy sweat of extremities.

Skin.–Dirty, greasy, brownish, wrinkled. Eczema, fissured hands and fingers (Petrol; Graph).

Modalities.–Worse, moving arms backward.

Relationship.–Compare: Abrot; Alum; Calc; Sil; Sulph. Sanicula Aqua must not be confounded with the Sanicle (pool-root or wood marsh), also called Sanicula. This is used in various nervous affections, resembling Valeriana. It is used as a vulnerary, resolvent for sanguineous extravasations, and as an astringent (Has not been proved).

Dose.–Thirtieth potency.