Eriodictyon californicum

Volume I — Appendix

( Yerba Santa. )

Description. — This plant is a native of California, somewhat branching, and attains a height of from two to four feet, presenting a most beautiful aspect to the eye. The leaves are petiolate, finely serrated, and oblong, the upper surface being a dark, glistening green.

Preparation. — Tincture made from the leaves.

Head.

Dizziness, like slight intoxication.

Head heavy and dull. Sense of pressure outwards on all sides in the head, greatest at cerebellum. Severe, oppressive headache.

Dull, frontal headache.

Sharp pain in right ear at intervals, or upon suddenly changing position of head to right or left. Shooting pains about external ear.

Face flushed. * Yellowish-green catarrhal discharge from the nose. Coryza and sneezing.

Throat.

Burning sensation in fauces and throat.

• Occasional small, jelly-like mucous discharge from posterior nares. Dryness of posterior nares. Irritation of posterior nares, sticky mucous discharge downward into throat, constant hawking, some irritation of fauces.

Stomach.

Deathly sickness at stomach, lasting one hour. Nausea, with looseness of bowels on taking the least food, followed by sense of repletion. Feeling of great distension of stomach and bowels, though no real distension is perceptible. Oppressive sensation in cardiac region.

Abdomen.

Sensation of great distension of the abdomen, continuing for thirty-six hours.

Very disagreeable relaxation of anus and rectum — prolapsus ani.

Sexual Organs.

Sore and tender feeling of left testis principally ; could not bear any pressure upon it, and dreaded to move because of its tenderness ; relieved by great pressure.

Respiratory Organs.

• Wheezing voice; asthmatic symptoms. Constriction of larynx; sensation as if something pressed on the trachea near the supra-sternal notch. Constriction and dryness of larynx. Irritation of larynx and trachea. Increased sensitiveness of larynx and trachea to changes of the atmosphere, and also to the use of the vocal cords ; either cause provokes a paroxysm of coughing. Expectoration of white mucus.

° Acute and chronic bronchial catarrh.

Chest.

Constant heavy feeling in chest behind sternum. Sensation of heavy weight on chest. Heaviness of chest, which occasionally requires a deep breath to relieve it. Sharp pain in right lung, occurring at short intervals, or upon sudden change of position.

Heart and Pulse. Slight pain in the precordial region.

Pulse accelerated 10 beats, accompanied with a peculiar nervous sensibility.

Extremities.

Pains in left forearm.

Severe pain in left knee, with difficulty in using leg.

Skin.

Covered with scarlet rash, which lasted four or five days.

Fever.

Slight fever. Cheeks flushed and burning.

Sleep.

Groaned much in sleep. Moaning during the night.

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

This plant, known in California under its Spanish name of “ Yerba Santa” (or Holy Plant), resembles in some points the Grindelia. In other respects it appears to be an analogue of Phosphorus, Hepar sulph., Rumex, Causticum, and other medicines which have a specific action on the larynx and bronchia. It causes a blennorrhagic condition similar to that of Grindelia and its analogues, but it differs in this respect, namely, that there is not much asthmatic dyspnoea, but instead we have a constant, irritating cough, with great soreness in the chest, a feeling of excoriation, rawness, and other symptoms denoting great hypersesthesia of the mucous surfaces. Like Grindelia it is primarily homoeopathic to inflammatory action, and when used for acute bronchitis or laryngitis should be used in the middle attenuations.

The higher the febrile irritation the more pain there is present, and the dryer the cough the higher should we go in the scale of dilution. But when the acute disease has passed into the chronic stage, and there is great weakness of voice, profuse muco-purulent expectoration, soreness, and cramp in the chest, loss of appetite, emaciation, etc., then will Eryodycton, in appreciable doses, act beautifully. Dr. G. M. Pease’s provings in Allen’s “ Encyclopedia ” show that it affects the right lung (bronchia) in preference. It is as useful in acute and chronic coryza as in bronchitis. Altogether, I predict that it will prove a valuable addition to our Materia Medica.

Later experience has satisfied me that it has powers which resemble Stannum, Copaiva, and Drosera, for I have cured several cases of chronic muco-purulent bronchitis and whooping-cough with the lowest dilutions.

EKYUGIUM AQUATICUM.

This endogenous-looking plant, resembling in its leaves the Yucca of our gardens, grows all over the West on the low prairies. It does not grow in swamps, in water, and therefore is not quite correctly named.

It has a peculiar taste (the root), somewhat like Senega, but more like Aralia racemosa.

In its action it resembles several medicines, more particularly Cubebs, Copaiva, Hepar sulph., Senega, and Spongia. It appears to have an affinity for the mucous membrane of the larynx, bronchia, bladder, and urethra.

The provings show that it is homoeopathic to catarrhal inflammation of the fauces, throat, larynx, and urinary organs.

It has cured catarrhal ophthalmia (conjunctivitis) in a scrofulous subject.

The head symptoms are very similar to those cases of rheumatic catarrhal headache which occur before a coryza breaks out, or when a catarrhal discharge from the head is suppressed.

I have found it a valuable remedy in some cases of epidemic influenza which were not readily controlled by Gelseminum and Sticta, when there were raw, smarting, burning sensations in the