HOMŒOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA
by
WILLIAM BOERICKE, M.D.

 

  
AESCULUS HIPPOCASTANUM
Horse Chestnut

The action of this drug is most marked on the lower bowel, producing engorged hæmorrhoidal veins, with characteristic backache, with absence of actual constipation. Much pain but little bleeding. Venous stasis general, varicose veins of purple color; everything is slowed down, digestion, heart, bowels, etc. Torpor and congestion of the liver and portal system, with constipation. The back aches and gives out and unfits the patient for business. Flying pains all over. Fullness in various parts, dry, swollen mucous membranes. Throat with hæmorrhoidal conditions.

Head.--Depressed and irritable. Head dull, confused, aching as from a cold. Pressure in forehead, with nausea, followed by stitches in right hypochondrium. Pain from occiput to frontal region, with bruised sensation of the scalp; worse in the morning. Neuralgic stitches from right to left through forehead, followed by flying pains in epigastrium. Vertigo when sitting and walking.

Eyes.--Heavy and hot, with lachrymation, with enlarged blood vessels. Eyeballs sore.

Nose.--Dry; inspired air feels cold, nasal passages sensitive to it. Coryza, sneezing. Pressure at root of nose. Membrane over turbinate bones distended and boggy, dependent upon hepatic disorders.

Mouth.--Scalded feeling. Metallic taste. Salivation. Tongue thickly coated, feels as if scalded.

Throat.--Hot, dry, raw, stitching pain into ears when swallowing. Follicular pharyngitis connected with hepatic congestion. Veins in pharynx distended and tortuous. Throat sensitive to inspired air; feels excoriated and constricted, burns like fire on swallowing, in afternoon. Early stages of atrophic pharyngitis in dried-up, bilious subjects. Hawking of ropy mucus of sweetish taste.

Stomach.--Weight of a stone, with gnawing, aching pain; most manifest about three hours after meals. Tenderness and fullness in region of liver.

Abdomen.--Dull aching in liver and epigastrium. Pain at umbilicus. Jaundice; throbbing in hypogastrium and pelvis.

Rectum.--Dry, aching. Feels full of small sticks. Anus raw, sore. Much pain after stool, with prolapse. Hæmorrhoids, with sharp shooting pains up the back; blind and bleeding; worse during climacteric. Large, hard, dry stools. Mucous membrane seems swollen and obstructs the passage. Irritation caused by ascarides and aids their expulsion. Burning in anus with chills up and down back.

Urinary.--Frequent, scant, dark, muddy, hot urine. Pain in kidneys, especially left and ureter.

Male.--Discharge of prostatic fluid at stool.

Female.--Constant throbbing behind symphysis pubis. Leucorrhœa, with lameness of back across the sacro-iliac articulation; dark yellow, sticky corroding; worse after menses.

Chest.--Feels constricted. Heart's action full and heavy, can feel pulsations all over. Laryngitis; coughs depending on hepatic disorders; hot feeling in chest; pain around heart in hæmorrhoidal subjects.

Extremities.--Aching and soreness in limbs, in left acromion process with shooting down arms; finger tips numb.

Back.--Lameness in neck; aching between shoulder blades; region of spine feels weak; back and legs give out. Backache affecting sacrum and hips; worse walking or stooping. When walking feet turn under. Soles feel sore, tired, and swell. Hands and feet swell, and become red after washing, feel full.

Fever.--Chill at 4 pm. Chilliness up and down back. Fever 7 to 12 pm. Evening fever, skin hot and dry. Sweat profuse and hot with the fever.

Modalities.--Worse, in morning on awaking, and from any motion, walking; from moving bowels; after eating, afternoon, standing. Better, cool open air.

Relationship.--Aesculus glabra-Ohio-Buckeye Proctitis. Very painful, dark purple, external hæmorrhoids, with constipation and vertigo and portal congestion. Speech thick, tickling in throat, impaired vision, paresis. Phytolacca (throat dry, more often in acute cases). Negundium Americanum--Box-elder--(Engorgements of rectum and piles with great pain, ten-drop doses of tincture every two hours). Compare also: Aloe, Collinson. Nux. Sulphur.

Dose.--Tincture, to third potency.

  
AETHUSA CYNAPIUM
Fool's Parsley

The characteristic symptoms relate mainly to the brain and nervous system, connected with gastro-intestinal disturbance. Anguish, crying, and expression of uneasiness and discontent, lead to this remedy most frequently in disease in children, during dentition, summer complaint, when, with the diarrhœa, there is marked inability to digest milk, and poor circulation. Symptoms set in with violence.

Mind.--Restless, anxious, crying. Sees rats, cats, dogs, etc. Unconscious, delirious. Inability to think, to fix the attention. Brain fag. Idiocy may alternate with furor and irritability.

Head.--Feels bound up, or in a vise. Occipital pain extending down spine; better lying down and by pressure. Head symptoms relieved by expelling flatus (Sanguin) and by stool. Hair feels pulled. Vertigo with drowsiness, with palpitation; head hot after vertigo ceases.

Eyes.--Photophobia; swelling of Meibomian glands. Rolling of eyes on falling asleep. Eyes drawn downward; pupils dilated.

Ears.--Feel obstructed. Sense of something hot from ears. Hissing sound.

Nose.--Stopped up with much thick mucus. Herpetic eruption on tip of nose. Frequent ineffectual desire to sneeze.

Face.--Puffed, red-spotted, collapsed. Expression anxious, full of pain; linea nasalis marked.

Mouth.--Dry. Aphthæ. Tongue seems too long. Burning and pustules in throat, with difficult swallowing.

Stomach.--Intolerance of milk; vomiting as soon as swallowed or in large curds. Hungry after vomiting. Regurgitation of food about an hour after eating. Violent vomiting of a white frothy matter. Nausea at sight of food. Painful contraction of stomach. Vomiting, with sweat and great weakness, accompanied by anguish and distress, followed by sleepiness. Stomach feels turned upside down, with burning feeling up to the chest. Tearing pains in the stomach extending to œsophagus.

Abdomen.--Cold, internal and external, with aching pain in bowels. Colic, followed by vomiting, vertigo, and weakness. Tense, inflated, and sensitive. Bubbling sensation around navel.

Stool.--Undigested, thin, greenish, preceded by colic, with tenesmus, and followed by exhaustion and drowsiness. Cholera infantum; child cold, clammy, stupid, with staring eyes and dilated pupils. Obstinate constipation; feels as if all bowel action is lost. Choleraic affections in old age.

Urinary.--Cutting pain in bladder, with frequent urging. Pain in kidneys.

Female.--Lancinating pains in sexual organs. Pimples; itching when warm. Menses watery. Swelling of mammary glands, with lancinating pains.

Respiratory.--Difficult, oppressed, anxious respiration; crampy constriction. Sufferings render patient speechless.

Heart.--Violent palpitation, with vertigo, headache and restlessness. Pulse rapid, hard and small.

Back and Extremities.--Want of power to stand up or hold head up. Back feels as if in a vise. Aching in small of back. Weakness of lower extremities. Fingers and thumbs clenched. Numbness of hands and feet. Violent spasms. Squinting of eyes downward.

Skin.--Excoriation of thighs in walking. Easy perspiration. Surface of body cold and covered with clammy sweat. Lymphatic glands swollen. Itching eruption around joints. Skin of hands dry and shrunken. Ecchymosis. Anasarca.

Fever.--Great heat; no thirst. Profuse, cold sweat. Must be covered during sweat.

Sleep.--Disturbed by violent startings; cold perspiration. Dozing after vomiting or stool. Child is so exhausted, it falls asleep at once.

Modalities.--Worse, 3 to 4 am, and evenings; warmth, summer. Better in open air and company.

Compare: Athamantha (confused head, vertigo better lying down, bitter taste and saliva. Hands and feet icy cold); Antimon; Calc; Ars; Cicuta. Complementary: Calc.

Dose.--Third to thirtieth potency.

  
AETHIOPS MINERALIS
Sulph and Quicksilver, or Black Sulphide Mercury
(AETHIOPS MERCURIALIS-MINERALIS)

This preparation is of use in scrofulous affections, ophthalmia, otorrhœa, painful, irritating, scabby eruptions, hereditary syphilis.

Skin.--Eruptions. Favus-like, scrofulous, herpetic and eczematous.

Relationship.--Aethiops Antimonalis--(Hydrargyrum stibiato sulfuratum).--(often more effective than the above in scrofulous eruptions, glandular swellings, otorrhœa and scrofulous eye affections, corneal ulcers. Third trituration). Compare: Calc; Sil; Psorin.

Dose.--The lower triturations, especially the second decimal.

  
AGARICUS MUSCARIUS
Toad Stool-Bug Agaric
(AGARICUS MUSCARIUS-AMANITA)

This fungus contains several toxic compounds, the best known of which is Muscarin. The symptoms of poisoning do not develop at once, usually twelve to fourteen hours elapse before the initial attack. There is no antidote, treatment, entirely symptomatic (Schneider). Agaricus acts as an intoxicant to the brain, producing more vertigo and delirium than alcohol, followed by profound sopor with lowered reflexes.

Jerking, twitching, trembling, and itching are strong indications. Incipient phthisis; is related to the tubercular diathesis, anæmia, chorea, twitching ceases during sleep. Various forms of neuralgia and spasmodic affections, and neurotic skin troubles are pictured in the symptomatology of this remedy. It corresponds to various forms of cerebral excitement rather than congestion. Thus, in delirium of fevers, alcoholism, etc. General paralysis. Sensation as if pierced by needles of ice. Sensitive to pressure and cold air. Violent bearing-down pains. Symptoms appear diagonally as right arm and left leg. Pains are accompanied by sensation of cold, numbness and tingling.

Mind.--Sings, talks, but does not answer. Loquacity. Aversion to work. Indifference. Fearlessness. Delirium characterized by singing, shouting, and muttering; rhymes and prophesies. Begins with paroxysm of yawning.

The provings bring out four phases of cerebral excitement.

1. Slight stimulation-shown by increased cheerfulness, courage, loquacity, exalted fancy.

2. More decided intoxication-great mental excitement and incoherent talking, immoderate gaity alternates with melancholy. Perception of relative size of objects is lost, takes long steps and jumps over small objects as if they were trunks of trees-a small hole appears as a frightful chasm, a spoonful of water an immense lake. Physical strength is increased, can lift heavy loads. With it much twitching.

3. Third stage produces a condition of furious or raging delirium, screaming, raving, wants to injure himself, etc.

4. Fourth stage-mental depression, languor, indifference, confusion, disinclination to work, etc. We do not get the active cerebral congestion of Belladonna, but a general nervous excitement such as is found in delirium tremens, delirium of fevers, etc.

Head.--Vertigo from sunlight, and on walking. Head in constant motion. Falling backward, as if a weight in occiput. Lateral headache, as if from a nail (Coff; Ignat). Dull headache from prolonged desk-work. Icy coldness, like icy needles, or splinters. Neuralgia with icy cold head. Desire to cover head warmly (Silica). Headache with nose-bleed or thick mucous discharge.

Eyes.--Reading difficult, as type seems to move, to swim. Vibrating specters. Double vision (Gels), dim and flickering. Asthenopia from prolonged strain, spasm of accommodation. Twitching of lids and eyeballs (Codein). Margins of lids red; itch and burn and agglutinate. Inner angles very red.

Ears.--Burn and itch, as if frozen. Twitching of muscles about the ear and noises.

Nose.--Nervous nasal disturbances. Itching internally and externally. Spasmodic sneezing after coughing; sensitiveness; watery non-inflammatory discharge. Inner angles very red. Fetid, dark, bloody discharge. Nosebleed in old people. Sensation of soreness in nose and mouth.

Face.--Facial muscles feel stiff; twitch; face itches and burns. Lancinating, tearing pain in cheeks, as of splinters. Neuralgia, as if cold needles ran through nerves or sharp ice touched them.

Mouth.--Burning and smarting on lips. Herpes on lips. Twitching. Taste sweet. Aphthæ on roof of mouth. Splinter like pains in tongue. Thirsty all the time. Tremulous tongue (Lach). Tongue white.

Throat.--Stitches along eustachian tube to ear. Feels contracted. Small solid balls of phlegm thrown up. Dryness of pharynx, swallowing difficult. Scratching in throat; cannot sing a note.

Stomach.--Empty eructations, tasting of apples. Nervous disturbances, with spasmodic contractions, hiccough. Unnatural hunger. Flatulent distention of stomach and abdomen. Profuse inodorous flatus. Burning in stomach about three hours after a meal, changing into a dull pressure. Gastric disturbance with sharp pains in liver region.

Abdomen.--Stitching pains in liver, spleen (Ceanothus) and abdomen. Stitches under short ribs, left side. Diarrhœa with much fetid flatus. Fetid stools.

Urinary.--Stitches in urethra. Sudden and violent urging to urinate. Frequent urination.

Female.--Menses, increased, earlier. Itching and tearing, pressive pains of genitals and back. Spasmodic dysmenorrhœa. Severe bearing-down pains, especially after menopause. Sexual excitement. Nipples itch, burn. Complaints following parturition and coitus. Leucorrhœa, with much itching.

Respiratory Organs.--Violent attacks of coughing that can be suppressed by effort of will, worse eating, pain in head while cough lasts. Spasmodic cough at night after falling asleep, with expectoration of little balls of mucus. Labored, oppressed breathing. Cough ends in a sneeze.

Heart.--Irregular, tumultuous palpitation, after tobacco. Pulse intermittent and irregular. Cardiac region oppressed, as if thorax were narrowed. Palpitation with redness of face.

Back.--Pain, with sensitiveness of spine to touch; worse in dorsal region. Lumbago; worse in open air. Crick in back. Twitching of cervical muscles.

Extremities.--Stiff all over. Pain over hips. Rheumatism better motion. Weakness in loins. Uncertain gait. Trembling. Itching of toes and feet as if frozen. Cramp in soles of feet. Pain in shin-bone. Neuralgia in locomotor ataxia. Paralysis of lower limbs, with spasmodic condition of arms. Numbness of legs on crossing them. Paralytic pain in left arm followed by palpitation. Tearing painful contractions in the calves.

Skin.--Burning, itching, redness, and swelling, as from frostbites. Pimples, hard, like flea-bites. Miliary eruption, with intolerable itching and burning. Chilblains. Angioneurotic œdema; rosacea. Swollen veins with cold skin. Circumscribed erythematous, papular and pustular and œdematous lesions.

Sleep.--Paroxysms of yawning. Restless from violent itching and burning. On falling asleep, starts, twitches, and awakes often. Vivid dreams. Drowsy in daytime. Yawning, followed by involuntary laughter.

Fever.--Very sensitive to cool air. Violent attacks of heat in evening. Copious sweat. Burning spots.

Modalities.--Worse, open cold air, after eating, after coitus. In cold weather, before a thunder-storm. Worse, pressure on dorsal spine, which causes involuntary laughter. Better, moving about slowly.

Relationship.--Compare: Muscarine, the alkaloid of Agaricus (has much power over secretions, increasing lachrymal, salivary, hepatic, etc, but diminishing renal; probably neurotic in origin, stimulating the terminal fibers of the secretory nerves of all these structures, hence salivation, lachrymation and excessive perspiration. Atropin exactly opposes Muscarine. Resembles Pilocarpin in action). Amanita vernus-spring mushroom-a variety of Agar Phalloides-Death cup-active principle is Phallin, active like Muscarine. Amanita phalloides (Death Cup-Deadly Agaric). The poison is a toxalbumin, resembling the poison in the rattle snake and the poison excreted by the cholera and diphtheria germs. It acts on the red blood corpuscles, dissolving them so that blood escapes into the alimentary canal and the whole system is drained. The amount of this toxic principle is small, even handling of specimens and breathing of spores affects some people unpleasantly. The poison is slow in development. Even 12 to 20 hours after taking it the patient feels all right, but vertigo violent choleraic symptoms with rapid loss of strength with death the second or third day, preceded by stupor and spasms. Fatty degeneration of liver, heart and kidneys, hæmorrhages in lungs, pleura and skin (Dr. J. Schier). Vomiting and purging. Continuous urging to stool, but no gastric, abdominal or rectal pain. Intense thirst for cold water, dry skin. Lethargic but mentally clear. Sharp changes from rapid to slow and from slow to rapid breathing, extreme collapse, suppressed urine, but no cold extremities or cramps. Agaric emet (severe vertigo; all symptoms better, cold water; longing for ice-water; gastritis cold sweat, vomiting sensation as if stomach was suspended on a string). Tamus (chilblains and freckles). Cimicif; Cann ind; Hyos; Tarantula.

Antidote: Absinth; Coffea; Camphor.

Dose.--Third to thirtieth and two hundredth potency. In skin affections and brain exhaustions give the lower attenuations.

  
AGAVE AMERICANA
Century Plant

Indicated in stomachache, and painful erections in gonorrhœa. Strangury. Hydrophobia. Scurvy; countenance pale, gums swollen and bleeding, legs covered with dark purple blotches, swollen, painful and hard. Appetite poor; bowels constipated.

Relationship.--Compare: Anhalonium; Lyssin; Lach.

Dose.--Tincture

  
AGNUS CASTUS
The Chaste Tree

The most effective point of attack of Agnus upon the organism is the sexual organism. It lowers sexual vitality, with corresponding mental depression and loss of nervous energy. It shows this distinctive influence in both sexes, but is more pronounced in men. Premature old age from abuse of sexual power. History of repeated gonorrhœa. A prominent remedy for sprains and strains. Gnawing itching in all parts, especially eyes. Tachycardia caused by tobacco in neurotic young men.

Mind.--Sexual melancholy. Fear of death. Sadness with impression of speedy death. Absentminded, forgetful, lack of courage. Illusion of smell-herrings, musk. Nervous depression and mental forebodings.

Eyes.--Pupils dilated (Bell). Itching about eyes; photophobia.

Nose.--Odor of herring or musk. Aching in dorsum better pressure.

Abdomen.--Spleen swollen, sore. Stools soft, recede, difficult. Deep fissures in anus. Nausea with sensation as if intestines were pressed downwards; wants to support bowels.

Male.--Yellow discharge from urethra. No erections. Impotence. Parts cold, relaxed. Desire gone (Selen; Con; Sabal). Scanty emission without ejaculation. Loss of prostatic fluid on straining. Gleety discharge. Testicles, cold, swollen, hard, and painful.

Female.--Scanty menses. Abhorrence of sexual intercourse. Relaxation of genitals, with leucorrhœa. Agalactia; with sadness. Sterility. Leucorrhœa staining yellow; transparent. Hysterical palpitation with nose bleed.

Relationship.--Compare: Selenium; Phosph ac; Camphor; Lycop.

Dose.--First to sixth potency.

  
AGRAPHIS NUTANS
Bluebell

A relaxed condition of the system generally and a proneness to take cold on exposure to cold winds.

Catarrhal conditions; obstruction of nostrils. Adenoids, throat deafness. Enlarged tonsils. Mucous diarrhœa from cold. Chill from cold winds. Throat and ear troubles with tendency to free discharge from mucous membranes. Mutinism of childhood unconnected with deafness.

Relationship.--Compare: Hydrast; Cepa; Calc phos; Sulph jod; Calc jod.

Dose.--Third potency. Single doses of tincture (Dr. Cooper).

  
AILANTHUS GLANDULOSA
Chinese Sumach

This remedy shows by its peculiar skin symptoms its pronounced power of disorganizing the blood, causing conditions we meet with in low fevers, low types of eruptive diseases, diphtheria, follicular tonsillitis, Streptococcus infection, Hæmorrhagic diathesis, etc. The skin appears livid or purplish; face dark as mahogany, hot; sordes; throat swollen, purple, livid; semi-conscious, delirious; weak pulse, general torpor and prostration. Symptoms remarkably alike to malignant scarlatina. Diarrhœa, dysentery and great weakness are very marked. Adynamia characterizes all its conditions. Lividity, stupor and malignancy. Mucous membranes hæmorrhagic and ulcerative (Lach. Ars).

Head.--General stupor, with sighing. Confused mind, mental depression. Headache, frontal, with drowsiness. Passive congestion headaches. Suffused, dilated eyes; photophobia. Face dusky. Thin, copious, ichorous, bloody nasal discharge.

Throat.--Inflamed, œdematous, dusky red. Much swelling, internal and external. Dry, rough, scraping, choking feeling. Neck tender and swollen. Hoarse, croupy voice. Tongue dry and brown. Teeth covered with sordes. Pain in swallowing extends to the ears.

Respiratory.--Hurried breathing; irregular. Dry, hacking cough. Lungs sore and tired.

Sleep.--Drowsy, restless. Heavy, disturbed, unrefreshing.

Skin.--Miliary, livid rash, returns annually. Large blisters filled with dark serum. Irregular, patchy, livid eruption, disappearing on pressure. Cold. Raynaud's disease.

Relationship.--Antidotes: Rhus; Nux.

Compare: Ammon carb; Bapt; Arn; Mur ac; Lach; Rhus.

Dose.--First to sixth potency.

 

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