Mercurialis Perennis – Dog’s Mercury

The mother tincture is prepared from the whole fresh plant, gathered when coming into flower, of Mercurialis perennis (L.), which is frequently found growing in fairly damp, shady woodlands in Europe. N.O. Euphorbiaceae.

The active constituents are methylamine, volatile oil, bitter principle, saponin and flavonol glycoside.

This remedy embraces exhaustion, tiredness and sluggishness, as well as a gener- al indisposition, with pulsating, twitching and stitching sensations in a wide variety of regions of the body. There is also restless sleep with drowsiness during the day,

melancholia, irritability and a violent manner, as well as itching, prickling and pus- tules on the face and on the skin generally.

The symptoms of colds and catarrh are evident in stabbing, tearing headaches with a feeling of tension, a flushed, hot face, red-rimmed eyes and conjunctival irri- tation with lachrymation, photophobia and seeing as if through a gauze. Stabbing and tearing pains in the auditory canal, and itching, crawling and burning in the nose followed by coryza. Likewise there is a dry cough, difficult respiration, palpi- tations, and hot flushes with thirst, hot palms and soles.

There may also be inflammatory conditions with a feeling of great dryness in the oral mucosa, heat and burning, the tongue having a white, mucous coating; quanti- ties of mucus accumulate on the palate and there are difficulties in swallowing.

The taste is abnormally bitter or sour. There may also be heartburn, eructations and nausea, with stomach pains, sensation of pressure and susceptibility to cold, cutting pains in the intestines with growling and rumbling, and frequent discharge of flatus.

There may also be frequent urging for urination with only small quantities passed, strangury and burning in the urethra, as well as crawling in the prepuce, whilst in the female sex the menses are of short duration, but in the pelvic organs cramping com- plaints set in (regressive effect).

Mercurialis Perennis is used in rheumatic illnesses of an acute or chronic nature, especially when the pericardium or endocardium is involved, or when influenzal states are present, with “gastric flu” and bladder-complaints. Headaches are mostly associated with disturbances of vision or with melancholic and hypochondriacal moods.

Whilst Mercurialis Perennis has a typical therapeutic scope, in practice it has not come into such prominence as the great polychrests, and is mostly employed only as a supporting remedy in combination with others.

The German Monograph-Preparation Commission for the Homoeopathic Field of Therapy has, under the Preparation Monograph for Mercurialis perennis, published the following indication(s) in the German Bundesanzeiger (German Federal Gazette) for mercurialis perennis: infrequent menstruation; amenorrhoea.