Aloe Socotrina
By Constantine Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of our Materia Medica
Socotrine Aloes. Liliaceæ.
One of the oldest and most famous drugs, largely cultivated, and in use as a horse-medicine, hence rarely to be obtained pure from the shops. From the collection of the College of Pharmacy some of the genuine socrotine aloes was obtained. It was brought from the Sultan of Muscat, by a physician, in the service of the U. S. Navy, who made the Sultan's acquaintance while on an expedition from the United States. This was made the basis of all of Boericke & Tafel's preparations.
Aloe was most proved by Helbig in 1833, and several under his lead. The first publication of provings was made by Buchner, 1821. A complete monography, adding to all the former the provings made in this country with the genuine Socotrina, was given by C. Hg. in his American provings, 1856, pp. 764 to 862.
MIND [1]
Lassitude, alternating with great mental activity.
She knew she would die in a week. θ Hysteria.
Life is a burden. θ Colic.
Great disposition for desultory thinking.
Children chat and laugh.
Aversion to labor ; disinclination to mental labor ; it fatigues him ; general languor.
Disinclined to move.
Anxiety and ebullitions.
Restlessness and fear ; fear of men.
Ill-humored ; hypochondriacal, < in cloudy weather.
Dissatisfied and angry about himself, more so when he is constipated or suffers from pain.
An easily excited, angry, revengeful state of mind, could not brook opposition, wanted to destroy object of wrath, relief from tea or mild stimulants ; < in middle of day.
Attacks make her frantic, often loses consciousness. θ Colic.
Hates people, repels everyone.
When sitting in a chair or lying in bed, complains of persons stepping hard or quickly. θ Hysteria.
Restlessness with ebullitions of blood.
Fright at slight noises, after a nocturnal emission.
SENSORIUM [2]
Giddiness and starts.
Giddiness, with anxiety when moving ; he feels as if he was sitting too high (after dinner).
Dulness in forehead, with chilliness.
Vertigo : as if everything whirled with her, < on going upstairs or turning quickly ; everything seems insecure ; > after nasal catarrh sets in.
Loses consciousness, with frantic spells.
INNER HEAD [3]
Congestion to head, compelling one to sit up.
Headache across forehead, with heaviness of eyes and nausea.
Weight on vertex ; pressure in forehead and occiput.
Dull pressive pain : in supraorbital region ; in sinciput.
Pressing outward to temples, with periodic heat of face and flickering before eyes.
Stitches in temples aggravated by every footstep.
Headache after insufficient stool ; with abdominal pains.
Headaches < from heat, > from cold applications.
A pain in forehead which compels patient to close eyes, or, if he wishes to look at anything, he must make aperture of lids very small.
Headache alternating with lumbago.
OUTER HEAD [4]
Sensitiveness of scalp in spots.
Dryness of hair.
SIGHT AND EYES [5]
Yellow rings moving before eyes.
Unsteady, anxious look.
Dimness before eyes while writing.
Flickering.
Pain deep in orbits, as if in muscles, < on right side.
Congestion to eyes ; pressure in orbits.
Lachrymation.
Occasional attacks of twitching of left eyelids during day, and a spasmodic jerk of whole body just when falling asleep at night.
Heaviness of eyes, with frontal headache.
Has to close eyes, with pain in forehead.
HEARING AND EARS [6]
Hates musical sounds and noises, they set her all in a tremor. θ Hysteria.
Cracking in ears when moving jaw.
Sticking pain in left ear, later in right Internal and external heat of ears.
SMELL AND NOSE [7]
Nosebleed, in bed after waking.
Coryza, with burning and pain in nose ; on sneezing, stitches in umbilical region.
Redness of nose in open cold air.
Coldness of point of nose.
Dryness of nose in morning, in bed.
UPPER FACE [8]
Heat of face with headache or when excited.
Face pale, during cloudy weather.
Face sickly, sunken.
LOWER FACE [9]
Lips : redder than usual ; dry, cracked ; moist, soreness of borders ; white, scaly.
Pain when yawning or masticating solid food ; < in evening and in morning, when waking.
TEETH AND GUMS [10]
Sensitiveness in a hollow molar ; < when eating ; later a pustule appears on gum, near diseased tooth.
Concave edges of teeth seem sharp, they hurt the tongue.
TASTE, SPEECH, TONGUE [11]
Metallic taste, with dry, irritative hacking.
Taste : bitter, sour, like ink or iron.
Tongue : coated yellowish-white ; stiff ; dry, red.
Severe fine stitches, from behind forward, in under part of tongue when moving it.
Yellow ulcers on tongue.
Dry tongue and mouth, with increased thirst and greater redness of lips.
INNER MOUTH [12]
Inflamed, sore spot in the mouth, on tongue, inside of cheeks ; yellow ulcers on tongue.
Sickening smell from mouth.
Increase of saliva.
PALATE AND THROAT [13]
Fauces raw, hot, as if burnt.
Palate swollen ; arches of velum palati pain on chewing hard food, or on yawning, < in evening and in morning on awaking ; < on empty swallowing.
Hawking of thick jelly-like mucus, in lumps, from fauces and posterior nares ; rawness and swollen feeling in pharynx.
APPETITE, THIRST. DESIRES, AVERSIONS [14]
Appetite for salt food.
No appetite. θ Hysteria.
Thirst : with dryness of mouth ; awakens at night.
Longing for juicy articles ; fruits, especially apples.
Aversion to meat.
EATING AND DRINKING [15]
Soon after supper, growling in abdomen, as if griping of bowels would take place.
As soon as he eats anything, he must go to stool.
He has to hurry to closet immediately after eating and drinking. θ Colic.
After eating : flatulency, pulsations in rectum and sexual irritation.
After meals : distension of abdomen.
Hungry during diarrhœa ; hungry after morning stool.
Sour food does not agree.
Beer relieves pains in anus ; drinking vinegar, colic.
Water causes pains in stomach.
Thirst while eating, after eating, and during night.
Sweats after drinking.
HICCOUGH, BELCHING, NAUSEA AND VOMITING [16]
Belching, with oppression of stomach.
Eructations : bitter ; acrid ; sour or tasteless.
Rising of flatulence towards throat, with sensation as if vomiting were coming on.
Nausea : with frontal headache ; with empty feeling in stomach ; with pain at umbilicus.
Vomiting of blood.
SCROBICULUM AND STOMACH [17]
Painful pressure under sternum ; pressure through pit of stomach to back.
Pain in scrobiculum on making a false step.
Fulness in stomach, followed by distension of epigastrium.
Pain and fulness in stomach after drinking water.
HYPOCHONDRIA [18]
Painfulness in hypochondria, with chilliness and diarrhœa ; painful weakness of legs.
Hepatic region : burning, uneasiness, heat, pressure and tension ; dull pain, worse on standing, so that he bends forward.
Stitches from liver into chest, obstructing respiration.
Stitches in liver, when drawing a long breath.
Distension of hypochondria, better after passing flatus.
Increases the flow of bile.
Stitches from spleen into chest, or drawing into loins.
ABDOMEN AND LOINS [19]
Pulsation in region of navel.
Distension of abdomen, especially epigastrium, with flatus moving about ; worse after meals ; during menstruation ; on motion.
Congestion to abdomen (portal system) ; burning sensation.
Sensation of fulness, heaviness ; heat and inflammation.
Pelvis feels if filled with hot water.
Pain around navel, worse from pressure.
Stitches in umbilical region from sneezing.
Rumbling in abdomen.
Discharge of much flatulency, burning, smelling offensive, relieving pain in abdomen ; after each meal, in evening and morning, before stool.
Cutting across abdomen ; with ill humor, anthropophobia ; not disposed to got into open air, although it relieves.
Abdominal walls painful when rising, pressing to stool, when touched, and when standing erect.
Heaviness, fulness, and pressing downward in pelvis.
Left side of abdomen bloated, with gurgling in descending colon ; worse after eating.
A twisting and griping pain in upper abdomen and around navel, forcing him to sit bent up, which relieves ; therewith, repeated urging to stool, but only offensive burning flatus passes, with short relief of pain.
Griping in abdomen, before, with and after stool.
Feeling of weakness in abdomen as if diarrhœa would result ; but evacuation did not ensue for eight hours.
Shooting and boring in region of navel, < from pressure.
Painfulness in whole abdomen, especially in sides and along both sides of navel, which cannot endure being touched ; on making a false step on stone pavements it hurts very much in pit of stomach.
Dull abdominal pain, as after taking cold, morning and evening repeatedly, still without inclination to stool.
Great and cutting-griping pain in right and lower portion of abdomen, which was excruciating before and during stool ; after stool all pains ceased, leaving profuse sweating and extreme weakness. θ Colic.
Fulness, heat and heaviness in epigastrium ; labor-like pains in groins and loins, < when standing. θ Prolapsus uteri.
Feeling as if a plug was wedged in between symphysis pubis and os coccygis.
Dragging down in abdomen.
STOOLS AND RECTUM [20]
Urging to stool continuously ; worse immediately after eating ; feeling of fulness and weight in pelvis ; only flatus passes.
Urging to stool with passage of urine ; every time on passing urine, feeling as if stool would pass.
The not too hard feces cause a pricking in anus, later continuous pain in anus compelling him to draw it together frequently, whereby it becomes tense and achy.
Fulness and pressing out in anus.
Hemorrhoids : protrude like a bunch of grapes ; constant bearing down in rectum ; bleeding ; sore, tender, hot ; relieved by cold water.
Itching and burning in anus, preventing sleep.
Pain in left side down along ureter. θ Hysteria.
URINARY ORGANS [21]
Every time on passing urine, feeling as if some thin stool would escape with it.
Burning when urinating.
Frequent urging to urinate ; > at night ; or in afternoon.
Urine copious ; especially after stool.
Urine saffron-yellow, becoming cloudy ; scanty, hot.
Sediment yellowish, like bran, or slimy.
Incontinence of urine. θ In an old man with enlarged prostate (diarrhœa and urinary symptoms are present).
So urgent a desire that he can hardly retain urine.
Erections after urinating.
MALE SEXUAL ORGANS [22]
Semen comes too soon.
All the semen is not ejected.
Sexual desire increased : after awaking ; after eating ; in evening.
Seminal emissions ; strong desire afterwards.
Involuntary emissions during siesta.
Testicles cold ; penis small ; scrotum relaxed ; epididymis sensitive, especially to touch or while walking.
Offensive sweat on genitals.
Erections in morning and after passing water.
Gonorrhœa.
Itching of prepuce.
FEMALE SEXUAL ORGANS [23]
Pain in hypogastrium as if menses were coming on.
Fulness, heaviness in uterine region, with labor-like pains in loins and groin ; worse standing.
Labor-like pains extending down legs. θ Prolapsus uteri.
Uterine hemorrhage about climaxis. θ Prolapsus uteri.
Menses too early and too profuse ; with dragging down in rectum and fulness in pelvis. θ Prolapsus uteri.
Menses too early and last too long. θ Prolapsus uteri.
During menses : earache ; headache relieved by cold water ; distension of abdomen ; backache.
Leucorrhœa of bloody mucus preceded by colic. θ Prolapsus.
PREGNANCY. PARTURITION. LACTATION [24]
Lameness, which seems to arise from a sense of weight and pressure into pelvis.
After confinement, dysentery with faint feeling after each effort at stool.
VOICE AND LARYNX. TRACHEA AND BRONCHIA [25]
Voice husky. Hawking.
Scraping in larynx.
RESPIRATION [26]
Whistling in throat, as if something had fallen into trachea.
Difficult respiration.
Respiration impeded : by stitches through left side of chest ; by stitches from liver into chest.
When drawing a long breath : stitches in liver.
COUGH [27]
Cough with stitches in right side of larynx ; sputa of yellow, tenacious mucus.
Cough with scratching in throat.
When she would sit down after standing, or stand up after sitting down, she would cough and tears would flow. θ Hysteria.
Spitting blood.
INNER CHEST AND LUNGS [28]
Congestion to chest ; dry cough ; bloody expectoration.
Front of chest feels sore on deep inspiration.
Weakness of chest.
Stitches into chest from spleen.
HEART, PULSE AND CIRCULATION [29]
Strong beat of heart occasionally ; pain through to left scapula.
Pulse : accelerated ; weak, suppressed, after vomiting ; slow in afternoon.
Ebullitions, with anxiety ; restlessness.
NECK AND BACK [31]
Dull, steady pain on either side, just above innominata, running into rectum, later becomes a throbbing, itching sensation of fulness, always with a feeling as if prostate was swollen and sensitive ; < in wet weather. Sometimes there was twitching in perineum, at one time feeling as if "asleep," all ending with a slight pain and lameness in left thigh of short duration.
Backache. θ Prolapsus uteri.
Lumbago, alternating with headache.
Stitches through sacrum to loins.
Pressure and heaviness in sacral region while sitting ; better from motion.
Creeping beginning in sacrum, in bone, extending to coccyx, until it was a creeping in bones over whole body.
UPPER LIMBS [32]
Heaviness of right arm ; weakness of wrist joint.
LOWER LIMBS [33]
Extending down legs : labor-like pains. θ Prolapsus uteri.
Painful weakness of legs.
Painful weariness in calves.
Weakness of ankle joint.
Soles of feet pain when walking on pavement.
Great toe feels as if sprained.
LIMBS IN GENERAL [34]
Lameness, weariness in limbs ; weakness of joints ; often with abdominal disturbances.
Pains of short duration, as if bruised or dislocated (l. forearm, right scapula, left ribs).
Pricking, dull twitching, drawing pains in joints (fingers, knees, elbows).
Cold hands with warm feet.
REST. POSITION. MOTION [35]
Standing : dull pain in hepatic region, watery stools < ; causes involuntary stools ; labor-like pains <.
Sitting bent : relieves griping in abdomen.
Sitting : pulsating pains in rectum < ; backache ; congestion >.
Motion : causes giddiness, with anxiety ; nausea and pain in distended abdomen.
Walking : watery stools worse ; causes involuntary stools ; epididymis sensitive.
False step : causes pain in scrobiculum.
Stepping : aggravates stitches in temples.
Rising : abdominal walls painful.
Turning quickly : vertigo.
Ascending stairs : vertigo.
NERVES [36]
Debility. θ Prolapsus uteri.
General weakness, weariness.
Weakness inconsiderable, even when skin was golden color.
Lassitude alternating with mental activity.
Extreme prostration, with perspiration.
Paralytic drawing in muscles.
Faint feeling after stool. θ Dysentery.
Trembling from musical sounds or noises. θ Hysteria.
Hysteria from poisoning of blood with uric acid.
SLEEP [37]
Sleeps soundly for 8 hours, awakes very lazy and refreshed ; feels better in A. M.
Drowsy, dozing in morning.
Awakened : by thirst ; urgency to urinate ; pollutions and sexual desire ; pains in back ; chill.
Oppressive dreams of danger, could not cry out ; dreams of soiling himself.
Spasmodic jerks when falling asleep.
Cannot sleep : heat and a crowd of thoughts busy him ; itching and burning in anus ; cold hands and feet.
During siesta : seminal emission.
TIME [38]
Middle of day : angry, revengeful disposition.
Afternoon : frequent urging to urinate.
Night : urging to urinate worse ; sweat.
TEMPERATURE AND WEATHER [39]
Relieved by cold water : headache ; prolapsus uteri.
Heat : aggravates headache.
In cloudy weather : out of humor ; face pale.
Damp weather : causes diarrhœa ; flatulency worse.
Wet weather : pain in back.
Worse in hot, damp weather.
Cold applications : relieve headache and piles.
In open air : nose red ; raw voice ; averse to walk in wind ; not disposed to go into air although it relieves.
Better in cold weather ; but cannot take a cold-water bath as it acts as stimulus to genitals.
FEVER [40]
Chilly : with coryza, in cold open air ; at stool, shivering.
Cold hands and feet in bed, preventing sleep.
Cold hands, warm feet.
Heat in spots, on scalp or in face.
Ebullitions, with anxiety and restlessness.
Sweat : smells strong ; offensive on genitals ; at night, after drinking.
ATTACKS, PERIODICITY [41]
Twitching of eyelids.
Periodic heat of face, with headache.
Attacks preceded by obstinate constipation. θ Colic.
Sudden, quickly passing urging to stool.
Pains of short duration.
As Winter approaches each year itch manifests itself.
Alternate : headache and lumbago.
LOCALITY AND DIRECTION [42]
Locality and Direction
Right : eyes, nose, stitches in larynx ; scapula bruised ; arm heavy ; wrist joint weak.
Left : wind in descending colon ; stitches in chest ; pain through to left scapula ; ribs bruised ; pain along ureter ; pain and lameness in thigh.
Left to right : earache.
From behind forward : stitches in tongue.
In spots : sensitiveness of scalp.
SENSATIONS [43]
Feeling of vermin running over body. θ Hysteria.
Giddiness, feels as if he was sitting too high ; as if everything whirled with her ; musical sounds and noises set her in a tremor ; fauces as if burnt ; as if griping of bowels would take place ; as if vomiting was coming on ; empty feeling in stomach ; pelvis as if filled with hot water ; as if diarrhœa would result ; as if a plug was wedged between symphysis pubis and os coccygis ; as if stool would pass ; as if stool would escape with flatus ; as if rectum was full of fluid which feels heavy, as if it would fall out ; feeling as from fissures in rectum ; is compelled to contract anus, which makes it tense and achy ; as if stool would escape when passing urine ; can hardly retain urine ; faint feeling after effort at stool ; as if something had fallen into trachea causing whistling ; as if prostate was swollen and sensitive ; feeling as if asleep in perineum ; female organs feel as if torn ; as of hairs on back of hand and fingers.
Pain : in forehead ; deep in orbits ; at umbilicus ; in scrobiculum ; in stomach ; in hypochondria ; in left side along ureter ; in hypogastrium.
Boring : in region of navel ; in rectum.
Stitches : in temples ; in umbilical region ; in under part of tongue ; from liver into chest ; from spleen into chest ; through left chest ; in right side of larynx ; through sacrum to loins.
Pricking : caused by feces in anus ; in joints ; in fingers ; knees, elbows.
Sticking : in ears.
Shooting : in region of navel.
Cutting : across abdomen ; in right and lower portion of abdomen ; in anus.
Griping : in upper abdomen ; around navel ; in right and lower portion of abdomen.
Burning : in nose ; in hepatic region ; in abdomen ; in anus ; when urinating.
Scraping : in larynx.
Soreness : of borders of lips ; in mouth ; in front of chest.
Rawness : in pharynx.
Pressure : in forehead and occiput ; under sternum ; through pit of stomach to back ; in hepatic region ; in sacral region.
Pressing outward : to temples ; in anus.
Pressing downward : in pelvis ; in rectum.
Drawing : into loins ; in joints ; in fingers, knees, elbows.
Labor-like pains ; in groins and loins ; down legs.
Dragging : in abdomen ; in rectum.
Dull pressive pain : in supraorbital region ; in sinciput ; in hepatic region.
Painful weakness : of legs.
Bruised feeling : left forearm ; right scapula ; left ribs.
Dulness : in forehead.
Dull steady pain : on either side just above innominata, running into rectum.
Pulsations : in region of navel ; in rectum.
Sprained feeling : in great toe.
Dislocated feeling : left forearm ; right scapula ; left ribs.
Heaviness : of eyes ; in abdomen ; in hypogastrium ; in rectum ; in uterine region ; in sacral region.
Burning weight : in anus.
Fulness : in stomach ; in abdomen ; in anus ; in uterine region ; in pelvis.
Tensive : in hepatic region.
Swollen feeling : in pharynx.
Uneasiness : in hepatic region.
Lameness : from weight and pressure in pelvis ; in left thigh ; in limbs.
Heat : of face ; of ears ; in hepatic region ; in hypogastrium ; in rectum ; of right arm ; in spots on scalp or in face.
Coldness : of point of nose.
Creeping : from sacrum over whole body.
Weakness : of chest ; of wrist joint ; of ankle joint ; of joints.
Dryness : of hair ; of nose ; of mouth.
Itching : in rectum ; in anus ; of prepuce ; of legs.
TISSUES [44]
Congestion to head and chest, but especially to portal system.
Mucous membranes ; especially causes production of mucus in jelly-like lumps or cakes.
Acts mainly on rectal mucous lining.
TOUCH. PASSIVE MOTION. INJURIES [45]
Touch : muscles (especially of abdomen) sensitive ; scalp tender ; epididymis sensitive.
Pressure : aggravates pains in head ; abdominal pains.
SKIN [46]
Itching, especially of legs.
Pimples on abdomen.
Spots which, when scratched, pain and become sensitive.
STAGE OF LIFE, CONSTITUTION [47]
Old people. θ Colic and diarrhœa.
Man æt. 45 taken with dysentery confining him to his bed a month at a time.
Old men with enlarged prostate.
Women æt. 55 ; and 65 ; colic.
Climacteric years.
Phlegmatic, indolent.
Women of relaxed phlegmatic habit. θ Prolapsus uteri.
RELATIONS [48]
Aloe has many symptoms like Sulphur , and is equally important in chronic diseases, with abdominal plethora, etc.
Similar to Ailant . (dull frontal headache) ; Gum. gutt . (diarrhœa) ; Amm. mur . (abdominal and diarrheic symptoms) ; Nux vom . (gastric abdominal and uterine troubles ; bad effects of sedentary habits).
Antidotes to Aloe : Sulphur , mustard.
Camphor relieves for awhile.
Nux vom . and Lycop . relieve the earache.