Balsamum peruvianum

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

{Balsam of Peru.)

Botanical Description. — The proper botanical name is Myrospermum perutferum. It is the myroxylon peruiferum of Linnaeus. It is known by the natives of Peru under the name of Quinquino, its bark and fruit as Quinquina, by the Mexicans Iloitziloxitl, and by the Brazilians Cabureiba.

It is a large tree, with a thick, straight, smooth trunk, and a coarse gray, compact, heavy, granulated bark, of a pale straw color, filled with resin which, according to its quantity, changes the color to citron, yellow, red, or dark chestnut.

It is found in low, warm, sunny situations in Peru, especially near the river Maranon; also in other parts of South America, and flowers from July to October.

The balsam met with in the markets is not constant either in quality or appearance, owing probably to its being procured from different species. That used for Homoeopathic preparations should be procured from this species. It is prepared by incising the bark and collecting the juice upon rags, which, when saturated are placed in water. Upon boiling, the balsam rises to the surface, and is removed and put into vessels for purification and exportation.

It has a dark reddish-brown color in thin layers, is black in bulk, is of

the consistence of ordinary molasses, an agreeable balsamic odor, a hot, acrid, somewhat bitter taste, and a specific gravity of 1.15.

The purity of Balsam of Peru may be ascertained by mixing ten drops of it with twenty drops of concentrated sulphuric acid, in a watch glass, and then diluting with water. If it is pure, a brittle resin is obtained ; if not, a soft resin.

Officinal Preparations. — A tincture may be made by dissolving in nine parts alcohol, and dilutions made as in other cases. Triturations from the balsam with coarse sugar of milk.

Analogues.— Aurum mur, Copaiva, Cubeba, Chimaphila, Kali Jiypophos, Iodine, Myosotis, Stannum, Sulphur, Thuja, ITva ursi.

Head.

Heat and fullness in the head.

• Profuse thick discharge from the nose. ° Chronic, muco-purulent nasal catarrh. 0 Ozsena — with ulceration.

Gastro-Intestinal Sphere. Increase of appetite and digestion. Heat and oppression of the stomach.

• Vomiting of food and mucus. Nausea, with colic and diarrhoea.

• Catarrhal state of the stomach. 0 Chronic mucous diarrhoea.

0 Chronic dysentery, with bloody mucus and tenesmus. ° Irritable bowels after typhoid fever.

Respiratory Organs. Heat and burning in the larynx. Irritating short cough, dry.

• Cough, with copious expectoration of thick yellow, green,

and foetid muco-pus. ° Chronic inflammation of the larynx. 0 Laryngeal phthisis — not tuberculous. ° Chronic bronchial catarrh — especially of old people. ° Loose, rattling cough, with thick, yellow, or green and foetid

expectoration — after pneumonia. (l-10th dil.) ° Suppression of the accustomed expectoration in bronchial

affections. (6th dil.) ° Chronic bronchitis with purulent expectoration and hectic

fever. (Hale.)

• I have seen persons laboring under perfectly formed phthisis.

and seriously affected for several years, happily restored by the use of this balsam. {Hoffman.)

° Purulent, foetid expectoration from vomicae in the lungs, (lb.)

(In affections of the bronchia and lungs, with scanty expectoration and fever, use the 6th dilution. If profuse purulent expectoration, and absence of fever, use the l-10th dilution.) (Hale.)

Urinary Organs.

Increased secretion of urine.

• Scanty urine with mucus sediment.

° Chronic catarrh of the bladder.

° Chronic uterine and vaginal leucorrhoea. (?)

Fever.

General heat, with excited circulation and quickened pulse, but moist skin.

° Hectic fever in suppurations, phthisis, and chronic bronchitis.

Generalities. ° Debility, with slow, feeble circulation. ° Indolent ulcers, (the cerate?)

° Cracks in the nipples, fingers and hands, (the cerate.)

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

The scientific name of this tree is Myrospermum Peruiferum ; the substance used is the resinous juice which exudes from the tree when cut. It is strange that this agent should be now nearly obsolete with the allopathic school, for when it was first introduced into Europe by the Spanish Jesuits it was lauded as highly for the cure of consumption and kindred complaints as is now the cod-liver oil. It remains for homoeopathy to take up these neglected medicines and make of them valuable curative agents.

Although no systematic provings have been made of it, we know enough of it to assert that it is an analogue of Copaiva, Cubeba, Chimaphila, Stannum, Thuja, and Uva ursi.

Its sphere of action is upon the mucous membranes, especially those of the respiratory tract. Its special indication is for mucopurulent discharges — yellow, green, a/nd fetid. The pathological condition calling for its use is doubtless torpid indolent ulceration, or purulent catarrh.

For many years I have made extensive use of this balsam, and have seen most gratifying results in the following affections :

Chronic , purulent, fetid anterior or posterior nasal catarrh, with or without ulceration.

Coughs, with copious expectoration of thick, yellow, green, and fetid pus.

This condition occurs commonly in old people, and scrofulous subjects, and may arise from laryngitis or bronchitis, or neglected catarrh of those organs. It will not cure tubercular phthisis, but may act as a useful palliative.

My usual dose is the 1st or 2X dilution, or trituration of the crude balsam. (It seems to act best in trituration.) But I do not confine myself to its internal administration. The most brilliant results are obtained from its inhalation by means of the steam atomizer. By this means the finely divided atoms come in direct contact with the diseased surface. If triturated with equal parts of Carbonate of magnesia and sugar, or pulverized Glycyrrhiza, it will mix with water, otherwise it clogs the instrument. Make of the lx trit., thus prepared, a solution representing in strength the 2X dil ., and have its spray inhaled three times a day, each inhalation lasting for five minutes.

Dr. Iloffman, in some French homoeopathic journal, reports as to his use of the balsam. He praises it highly in cases of

Cough after pneumonia, when it is loose, thick, yellow, and fetid (one-tenth dil.); also in

Suppression of the accustomed expectoration in bronchial affections. (6th dil.)

(In very large doses the Bal. Peru, has been known to check copious expectoration, but with resulting fever, dry cough, and oppression, a primary effect of the drug.)

Hoffman says : “ I have seen persons laboring under perfectly formed phthisis, and seriously affected for several years, happily restored by the use of the balsam.”

I doubt if these persons had tuberculous phthisis. They may have had vomicce, for there are many authenticated cases of vomiece, with offensive expectoration, cured by this balsam.

It formerly had a high reputation for

Hectic fever, which it doubtless cured by removing the suppuration upon which it depended.

Not only in purulent discharges from the bronchia is it useful, but I have cured cases of gastric catarrh with obstinate vomiting of food mixed with mucus, chronic mucous catarrh of the bowels (sometimes called chronic dysentery), catarrh of the bladder, and even obstinate leucorrhoea, uterine and vaginal, in which last disease I advise injections of the Aqua bal. Peru., such as above recommended for inhalation.

A cerate of the balsam is the best application, next to Glycerole de aloes, for indolent ulcers, cracked nipples, cracks in the fingers and palmar surfaces of the hands, or fissured and chapped lips.

It is said that the most inveterate case of itch is cured promptly by one application of the pure balsam, warmed and rubbed all over the surface of the affected skin.

BAPTISIA TINOTORIA.

This indigenous plant has proved to be one of the most valuable additions to our Materia Medica. It has become an indispensable agent in the treatment of adynamic fevers and similar disorders.

There are thirteen species in the United States, and all of them probably have similar medicinal action. I have used — besides the officinal species — the B. australis (blue-flowered), B. leucophoea (cream-colored flowers), and B. leucantha (white-flowered),