Baptisia Tinctoria
von E. B. Nash — Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics
Mind confused; as if drunk; cannot collect himself; feels scattered about, cannot get pieces together.
Face dark, dusky; eyes bleared, besotted expression.
Mouth ulcerated with foul smell; or, dry, tongue dry in a streak down the centre.
Abdomen sensitive in right iliac region, with rumbling.
Stool loose, and urine with all other discharges; very offensive.
Awakes with oppressed feeling, must have more air.
Great prostration with aching and soreness all over. Great typhoid remedy.
Can swallow liquids only; least solid food gags.
In whatever position the patient lies the parts rested upon feel sore and bruised. (Lach., Pyr.)
Baptisia tinctoria will quite naturally come in here, as it is often indicated after the Gelsemium stage is over in fevers. Typhoid fever can be aborted under proper homœopathic treatment, no matter what the old-school says to the contrary. I have had but one case of typhoid fever run its full course in seven years, and that was a case of a young lady whose mother tried to treat her, until the disease was fully established. The symptoms indicating Baptisia are, in the first stage, great nervousness, chilliness, aching pains all over, but especially in head, back and limbs, and a sensation of soreness all over; feels as if bruised. Then the patient grows weak, prostrated, drowsy, becomes confused, the face and eyes suffused so as to give it a “besotted appearance;” the sensorium is so blunted that the patient falls asleep even before he can answer a question, or while he is in the middle of an answer. Then the tongue becomes streaked down the middle, at first white, then becomes brown in a well-defined streak down the middle, and as he comes more fully under the typhoid influence he mutters and reaches about the bed, tossing to and fro, and if he says anything he says he feels “scattered around the bed and is trying to get the pieces together.” Now the bowels begin to rumble, especially in the ilio-cœcal region, which is also sensitive to touch; later still the bowels begin to discharge, and all the discharges (stool, urine and sweat) are extremely offensive. This is a true picture of a Baptisia typhoid, and I have aborted in the first stage many cases and even checked their progress (in other cases) and cured them when they had been running eight to twelve days. I have used both the low and high preparations with equal success, but now use the 30th potency.