Mercurialis Perennis
By Constantine Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of our Materia Medica
Dog Mercury. Euphorbiaceæ.
A plant indigenous to Europe, where it grows in shaded, mountainous forests, on stony, moist ground.
The tincture is prepared from the fresh plant in flower.
Introduced and carefully proved, upon fifteen provers, by Hesse, published in Stapf's Archives, 1844, reprinted by Trinks in 1847, extracted by Possart in 1851. Suggestions were published by Russell and Duncan, but not a cure was heard of until 1860, when Coxe, Jr., reported a case of tumor, MSS. In 1875 Berridge reported cures of headaches corroborating symptoms of Hesse.
CLINICAL AUTHORITIES.
- Headache (two cases), Berridge, Raue's Rec., 1872, pp. 214, 215 ; Hyperæmia of conjunctiva ; Conjunctivitis trachomatosa with pannus ; Asthenopia, Norton's Ophthal. Therap., p. 113 ; Tumor in epigastrium , Coxe, MSS. ; Intermittent fever , Price, Med. Inv., vol. 2, p. 322.
SENSORIUM [2]
Head confused as if inflated.
Near fainting, with dysmenorrhœa ; dulness and stupefying sensation.
Vertigo : on going down stairs ; after walking some time ; succeeding headache, as if intoxicated, and obliging her when stooping to hold on to something to prevent falling ; towards left when sitting, standing or even lying, feeling as if body would fall to that side.
INNER HEAD [3]
Tension and heaviness of head, with sensation of heat.
Heaviness in head, as if pressed down by a weight.
Heat in head : with dysmenorrhœa ; with vertigo.
Tearing in left temple.
Shooting in left forehead and temple, < on coming indoors ; only by day, till last night, when it prevented sleep ; vertigo on stooping, as if she did not know where she was ; the shooting goes obliquely downwards and somewhat backwards ; vomits food as soon as eaten. θ Headache.
Aching in forehead, > by cold and pressure ; aching in nape ; numbness of occiput and vertex ; weakness of arms and legs, as if she would fall to left, without vertigo ; after a blow upon head. θ Headache.
Violent headache and fainting weakness, with dysmenorrhœa.
OUTER HEAD [4]
Burning on vertex.
Scalp feels tense and numb, is moved with difficulty.
Numbness of occiput and vertex after a blow on head.
SIGHT AND EYES [5]
Dilated pupils with great sensitiveness of eyes to light.
Blinking of eyes, in open air and sunlight ; snow makes her blind.
Pain in eyes reading and writing, letters run together.
Dryness of eyes.
Hyperemia of conjunctiva after using eyes, with heaviness of lids.
Conjunctivitis trachomatosa with pannus ; pannus slight ; felt very sleepy ; lachrymation and blurring of vision in morning.
Asthenopia ; sensation of dryness in eyes and heaviness of lids ; sensation as of a mist before eyes in morning ; burning pain in left eye, < in evening and after using.
Twitching of upper lids, especially of left eye.
On waking at night unable to open lids immediately ; they seemed paralyzed and could not be opened until she rubbed them.
Weakness of upper lids, so that at times she could not completely raise them.
Lids heavy and dry.
Watery eyes.
HEARING AND EARS [6]
Ears as if stopped up.
Pressing and tearing in ears ; earache.
SMELL AND NOSE [7]
Breath from nose first hot, then cold.
Crawling and burning of nose.
UPPER FACE [8]
Feeling of tension in face and head.
Face feels cold, later warm and puffed.
Dark red cheeks.
LOWER FACE [9]
Lips very dry and parched, with increased thirst.
TEETH AND GUMS [10]
Tearing toothache.
TASTE, SPEECH, TONGUE [11]
Tongue : feels paralyzed, heavy and thick ; numb, insensible, as if unable to taste.
Burning and smarting on tongue.
Sticking burning on tongue, as from a blister.
Tongue painful if it touches palate, as if there were blisters on it.
INNER MOUTH [12]
Great dryness of mouth ; want of saliva so great that a piece of sugar does not dissolve.
Burning in mouth and tongue.
PALATE AND THROAT [13]
Burning dryness in throat.
Ulcers on palate, tonsils and back wall of pharynx.
APPETITE, THIRST. DESIRES, AVERSIONS [14]
Increased thirst, with dry lips and mouth.
EATING AND DRINKING [15]
While eating, great dryness in mouth.
After eating : bread and butter, biting burning on tongue ; increasing nausea ; vomiting.
HICCOUGH, BELCHING, NAUSEA AND VOMITING [16]
Nausea and heartburn, with bitter taste.
Belching relieves complaints of stomach and abdomen.
Vomits food as soon as eaten. θ Headache.
SCROBICULUM AND STOMACH [17]
Chilly feeling in stomach, followed by warmth and sweat.
Tumor inside of pit of stomach, size of hen's egg, sensitive to pressure, cannot bear clothing.
ABDOMEN AND LOINS [19]
Abdominal pulsation.
STOOLS AND RECTUM [20]
Urging or burning in anus, with aching in small of back.
Crawling in anus and bearing down in sacrum.
FEMALE SEXUAL ORGANS [23]
Menses shorter, with abdominal cramps ; too late.
Dysmenorrhœa.
PREGNANCY. PARTURITION. LACTATION [24]
Mamma swollen and sore to touch, a few days before retarded catamenia.
RESPIRATION [26]
Breathing : difficult, with dysmenorrhœa ; with chilliness.
INNER CHEST AND LUNGS [28]
Violent orgasm and heat in chest, with dysmenorrhœa.
HEART, PULSE AND CIRCULATION [29]
Confused undulating sensation in cardiac region, with fulness and feeling of anxiety in left chest.
Oppressive contraction in cardiac region.
Peculiarly undulating and throbbing motion in cardiac region, in precordia and upper part of abdomen.
Remarkable rolling and throbbing, with trembling and undulating in all bloodvessels, without heat.
Repeated palpitation of heart, with oppression after having stooped, or as if heart was tightly laced.
Orgasm in region of heart.
Pulse frequent and full.
NECK AND BACK [31]
Aching in nape. θ Headache.
Flashes of heat in back.
UPPER LIMBS [32]
Veins of hands distended. θ Ague.
LOWER LIMBS [33]
Painful ache in knees.
LIMBS IN GENERAL [34]
Tearing pains in limbs, with weariness.
Weakness of arms and legs as if she would fall to left, without vertigo. θ Headache.
Heaviness in limbs, with dysmenorrhœa.
REST. POSITION. MOTION [35]
Lying, sitting or standing : vertigo towards left.
Stooping : must hold on to something to prevent falling ; oppression of heart.
Walking : vertigo.
Going down stairs : vertigo.
NERVES [36]
Trembling, with dysmenorrhœa.
As if she would fall, without vertigo.
TIME [38]
Only by day, for a week, then all night preventing sleep : headache.
More coldness and chilliness in evening ; heat < at night and in morning.
In evening sight more affected, in morning eyes.
Morning : lachrymation and blurring of vision ; as of a mist before eyes ; perspiration.
Evening : burning pain in left eye ; on going to bed, chill.
At 9 P. M. : chill in stomach.
Night : headache ; on waking, unable to open eyes ; heat with thirst.
After midnight : offensive perspiration on both sides.
TEMPERATURE AND WEATHER [39]
Indoors : shooting in forehead and temple.
In open air : blinking of eyes.
Cold : aching in forehead >.
FEVER [40]
Chill in stomach at 9 P. M., which extends to right arm, right side of chest, abdomen and right hip, with difficulty of breathing.
Cold over whole body, emanating from right side, particularly from right arm ; shuddering, great debility, sleepiness.
Gooseflesh on cold right arm, extending over whole body ; after midnight offensive perspiration on both sides, particularly on arms.
Cold over whole body, with hot flush in face ; must be warmly covered, then sleeps and perspires.
On going to bed in evening, chill ; during night and towards morning heat, with intense thirst ; perspiration in morning.
Heat, with distended veins on hands.
Heat in whole body, anxious sweat breaks out from time to time, with dysmenorrhœa.
Perspiration over whole body, from 3 A. M. till towards morning, after good sleep.
Chill, beginning in right arm and right side of chest (had taken quantities of quinine). θ Intermittent fever.
ATTACKS, PERIODICITY [41]
From 3 A. M. till towards morning : perspiration over whole body.
LOCALITY AND DIRECTION [42]
Right : chill from stomach to side of chest and hip ; coldness over whole body emanating from side, particularly arm ; gooseflesh ; chill beginning in arm and side of chest.
Left : vertigo towards that side ; tearing in temple ; shooting in forehead and temple ; burning pain in eye ; twitching of upper lid ; anxiety in chest.
Obliquely downwards and upwards : shooting in head.
SENSATIONS [43]
Head confused as if inflated ; as if intoxicated ; as if body would fall to left side ; as if head was pressed down by a weight ; as if she did not know where she was ; as of a mist before eyes ; ears as if stopped up ; burning as from a blister on tongue ; as if heart was tightly laced.
Pain : in eyes ; in ear.
Violent pain : in head.
Tearing : in left temple ; in ears ; in teeth ; in limbs.
Shooting : in left forehead and temple.
Aching : in forehead ; in nape ; in small of back ; in knees.
Cramps : in abdomen.
Bearing down : in sacrum.
Rheumatic pains : in head and limbs.
Burning pain : in left eye.
Sticking burning : on tongue.
Biting burning : on tongue.
Smarting : on tongue.
Burning : on vertex ; of nose ; on tongue ; in mouth ; in anus.
Burning dryness : in throat.
Heat : in head ; in chest ; in hands ; in whole body.
Flashes of heat : in back.
Painfulness : of tongue.
Pressing : in ears.
Oppressive contraction : in cardiac region.
Twitching : of upper lids.
Remarkable rolling and throbbing, with trembling and undulating : in all bloodvessels.
Confused, undulating sensation : in cardiac region.
Anxiety : in left chest.
Tension : in head ; in scalp ; in face.
Heaviness : in head ; of lids ; of tongue ; in limbs.
Fulness : in left chest.
Dulness : in head.
Stupefying sensation : in head.
Numbness : of occiput and vertex ; in scalp.
Weakness : of arms and legs ; of upper lids.
Dryness : of eyes ; of lips ; of mouth.
Crawling : of nose ; in anus.
Chilly feeling : in stomach.
Cold feeling : in face.
TISSUES [44]
Rheumatic affections, acute, subacute or chronic, particularly when pericardium or heart are sympathetically affected ; rheumatic affection of muscular coats of stomach, of intestinal canal and bladder ; rheumatic pains in head and limbs, accompanied by disturbance of vision or with a melancholic or hypochondriacal mood.
TOUCH. PASSIVE MOTION. INJURIES [45]
Forehead, temple and upper part of face and stomach sensitive to touch.
Touch : mamma sore.
Pressure : aching in forehead > ; tumor in pit of stomach sensitive.
Rubbing : made it possible to open eyes.
After a blow upon head : headache ; numbness of occiput and vertex.
RELATIONS [48]
Antidoted by : Acon., Bellad .
Compare : Other Euphorbiaceæ and Alum ., Ant. crud ., Asaf., Bar. carb., Berber ., Borax , Cannab ., Caps ., Caust ., Cinchona , Kali bich ., Kreos ., Lach., Ledum , Lyc., Mag. carb ., Magn. mur ., Merc. sol ., Mur. ac ., Natr. mur ., Nitr. ac ., Nux mosch ., Nux vom., Olnd., Opium, Phosph. ac., Platina, Rhod., Rhus tox., Senega, Sepia, Spigel ., Stramon ., Sulphur , Sulph. ac., Tarax., Thuja, Veratr .