Nymphaea odorata

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(White Pond Lily.) Botanical Description. — The white pond-lily has a blackish, large, fleshy perennial root or rhizoma, growing in mud where the water is from three to ten feet deep, and is often as thick as a man's arm, sending up leaves and flowers to the surface. The petioles are long, somewhat semi-circular, and perforated throughout by long tubes or air vessels which serve to float them. The leaves are floating, orbicular, sometimes almost kidney -shaped, peltate, cordate-cleft at the base, quite to the insertion of the petiole, the lobes, one each side, prolonged into an acute point, entire, reddish, with prominent veins beneath, dark, shining green above and five or six inches in diameter. The flowers are large white, or rose-colored, and fragrant. A western species, the N. tuberosa, is odorless. The sepals are four, lanceolate, green without, and white within. The petals are numerous, lanceolate, from an inch to two and a half inches long, of the most delicate texture, white, sometimes tinged with purple on the outside. Stamens numerous, yellow in several rows. Filaments dilated gradually from the inner to the outer series so as to pass insensibly into petals. Anthers in two longitudinal cells growing to the filaments, and opening inwardly. Stigma with, from twelve to twenty-four rays, very much resembling abortive anthers* at first incurved, afterward spreading. The pericarp is berry-like, many, celled, many seeded.

This plant grows in ponds, marshes, and sluggish streams, flowering from J-une to September.

Officinal Preparations— Tincture of the fresh root; with strong

alcohol.

Analogues. — Asarum, Agnus castus) Baptisia; Calendula; Eryn- ■gium, Hamamelis ; Nuphar; Phytolacca (?)

We have but one proving, which was made by Dr. Edwin Cowles, at Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, in 1865. One object of the proving was to ascertain whether its ancient reputation, as an aphrodisiac, could be substantiated. The only noteworthy symptoms related to the urinary organs, lumbar region, and throat. It caused, apparently, some soreness of the throat, in both experiments. This proving, however, needs to be substantiated by others before its symptoms will possess much value.

Head.

Lascivious dreams. Feeling of dullness.

Headache, through the temples, with severe coryza.

Throat.

Sore throat, with roughness and tingling.

Frequent desire to swallow, with painful deglutition.

Bowels. Pain in hypogastric region. Pain in the bowels and back. Thin stools, with slight burning.

Urine.

Sensation on urinating, as if the urine had not all passed.

Increased flow of urine.

Slight involuntary passing of urine.

Back and Lower Extremities. Pain in the back and lower limbs. Great weakness in the lower lumbar region.

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

It is not strange that this beautiful and odorous flower should have been selected as an emblem of purity, and that the ancient physicians supposed it to have the power of repressing and entirely dissipating venereal desires and sexual power. It is said that the priestesses and vestals in temples devoted to the worship of Diana used to sleep on beds made of the odorous water-lily, in order to keep themselves chaste and pure. In later times, an infusion, syrup, or distilled water of the root was given internally for excited sexual desires. Even as late as the time of Culpepper it was advised in “ nocturnal pollutions and amorous dreams.”

Allopathic physicians have not made much use of this plant, except where they have borrowed its use in diarrhoea, leucorrhoea, etc., from domestic practice. Eclectics have used it to a greater extent, but their knowledge of its qualities is quite meagre.

King mentions its use in ulcers of the mouth and throat. He says:

I recollect a lady who, several years since, was pronounced by several physicians to have uterine cancer, and which resisted all their treatment. She was permanently cured by a squaw, who gave her to drink freely of the decoction of a root, as well as to inject it into the vagina, which proved to be that of the white pond lily.

Nothing is said by any American writer in relation to its action on the functions of the sexual organs.

Dr. P. H. Hale informs me that he has prescribed an infusion of the root as an enema in many cases of acrid, corrosive leucorrhoea, supposed to be caused by ulceration. The tincture was given at the same time internally, and leucorrhoea was cured with surprising rapidity.

I have been informed by many women that they have cured themselves of an obstinate leucorrhoea by the use of an injection of an infusion of the fresh root.

If the root will act as a rubefacient when applied externally, it requires no stretch of imagination to believe it acts homoeopathically as a topical application in chronic inflammation, erosion or abrasion of the vagina and cervix uteri. I conjecture that it acts

very similar to the lotions so popular in such cases with our school, namely, a mixture of the tincture, or Aqua calendula with Glycerin ; or more nearly still, to Hamamelis, Calendula, and Glycerin.

In order to ascertain whether it had any influence in repressing unnatural sexual desires, I once administered the tincture of Nymphaea to an hysterical woman who was much troubled by amorous dreams, voluptuous sensations in the genitals, and uncontrollable flow of sensual thoughts. She took ten drops every three hours for a week, with no perceptible effect on those symptoms.

In the winter of 1865-6, one of the class in Hahnemann Medical College proved it under my direction, but no symptoms of sexual depression were induced during the experiment. If the drug had any effect it was to slightly excite the genital organs. The only noteworthy symptoms related to the urinary organs, lumbar region, and throat. It caused, apparently, some soreness of the throat in both experiments. This proving, however, needs to be substantiated by others before its symptoms will possess much value.