Sticta pulmonaria

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Lung-wort.)

Botanical Description. — Thrallous, coriaceous, lax, lacunose. reticu late, dark green, and olive colored on the upper side; the under side tomentose, with naked white spots; lobes elongated, separate, sinuatelobed, retuse truncate; apothecia (fruit-caps) submarginal, reddish. This lichen is common, fertile, on trunks, in mountains and forests, also on rocks, where it varies and is oftener sterile. It is found in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Officinal Preparations. — Tincture of the lichen; dilutions.

Analogues. — Asclepias tuberosa, Oalcarea carb., Causticum, Copaiwi. Dulcamara, Eryngium aq., Gelseminum, Hepar sulphur, Mercurius, Bumex, Sangui/iaria, Sulphur.

Mind.

• General confusion of ideas — inability to concentrate them

on any subject.

• Her legs felt as if floating in the air; she felt light and airy,

without any sensation of resting on the bed. ° Hysteria, after loss of blood; as soon as it came night her feet and legs would dance and jump round in spite of her; she had to hold them or have them held down. (Burdick.)

0 Strange sensation about the heart, after which she felt as if floating in the air. {Ib.)

Head.

• Dull sensation in the head, with sharp pains in the vertex,

side of the face and lower jaw.

• Dull, heavy pressure in the forehead and root of the nose.

0 Migraine — a kind of sick headache. She has to lie down; light and noise aggravate; nausea and vomiting nearly to faintness. (Lilienthal.)

° Catarrhal headache before the discharge sets in; a very successful remedy.

Eyes.

• Burning in the eyelids, with soreness of the ball in closing

the lids, or turning the eyes. ° Catarrhal conjunctivitis, with profuse but mild discharge.

Face.

Darting pains in the side of the face.

Jaws.

Darting pains in the lower jaw.

Nose.

• Feeling of fullness and heavy pressure at root of the nose; with tingling in right side of nose. (Burdicle.)

0 Acute catarrh of the nasal passages. (Ib.)

0 Chronic catarrh of the head, (lb.)

0 Acute coryza with fever, (many cases.) (lb.)

0 Epidemic influenza, after the usual remedies failed. (Petitt.)

0 Influenza: excessive and painful dryness of mucous membrane; the secretions rapidly dried and formed scabby concretions, requiring great effort to discharge them; the soft palate felt like dried leather, making deglutition painful; irritation in the chest, more in evening and night. Sticta was the only remedy that relieved. (Boyce.) Throat.

° Excessive dryness of the soft palate, with painful deglutition. ° Dropping of mucus down the posterior nares, and the throat

feels and looks raw.

Respiratory Organs. 0 Catarrhal affections of the respiratory tract. (Hale.) ° Loose cough in mornings, less free during the day; pain in

the left side below the scapula; tickling in the larynx and

bronchia. (Dr. Silas Jones.)

[It relieves continuous racking cough — in consumption — which lasts for hours, and causes great exhaustion; also, "incessant wearing cough."]

° Whooping cough in the early stages. (Ib.)

° Croupy coughs — during catarrh or influenza. (Ib.)

° Bronchial catarrh with oppression of the chest; hard racking coughs, excited by inspiration. (Ib.)

° Pain reaching through the chest, from sternum to spinal column; arms powerless from extreme pain; difficult breathing and speaking. Cured in three days. (Chase.) Rheumatism.

• Darting pains in the arms, legs, shoulders, fingers, joints,

thighs, knees, toes, etc.

• General feeling of dullness and malaise, as when a catarrh is

coming on.

° Rheumatism of all the large and small joints, with swelling and pain. [Cured by Sticta 1st.]

D Rheumatism of the wrist joints, with pain and swelling. (Ib.)

° Swelling and stiffness of the hands and feet.

° Rheumatism in right shoulder joint, deltoid and biceps muscles, extending into the forearm; worse in the morning, better during the day. (Chase.)

° Rheumatism in the right ankle joint. (Ib.)

Sleep.

0 Sleeplessness — one of the most efficient remedies. (Burdick.)

Nerves.

° It ought to cure hysterical chorea. [See Mind.]

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

This lichen has attained great popularity in severe catarrhal affections.

It was first used for severe, harassing cough, and such good results accrued that provings were made to ascertain its full value. It was found to cause severe coryza with violent sneezing, intense headache, and conjunctivitis. These attacks were preceded or followed by rheumatic pains and swellings of the small joints.

Thus you see it gives a fair picture of the worst forms of the catarrhal malady.

It is almost specific for “hay fever,” and those distressing attacks of influenza which are epidemic in the winter and spring. At first nothing but hot, irritating, watery mucus isdischarged ; afterwards it becomes thick, bloody, green or yellow. These discharges sometimes dry up, the mucous surfaces are like dry leather, scabs form in the nose and throat, and cause painful hawking and cough. In this stage, owing to the suppression of the discharge, rheumatic inflammation of the joints occurs.

Ozcma in its worst forms may be benefited by Sticta. although it may have to be followed by Aurum, Kali bich., or Mercurius iodatus.

It greatly relieves the cough of phthisis, laryngitis, bronchitis. The cough is “racking,” “incessant and wearing,” lasting hours, and causing great exhaustion.

It is said to have cured whooping-cough, croupy-cough, and catarrhal asthma.

Dr. Lilienthal reports “ sick headache ” cured with it.

Miss A. M., eighteen years of age, delicate from childhood up . She

menstruated for the first time when thirteen years old, and since then she has suffered continually from sick headache. When these dreadful attacks come on, she has to lie down ; light and noise aggravating it ; perfectly impossible to swallow anything; nausea and vomiting, nearly to faintness. These paroxysms commonly last several days, and leave great debility in their train. She never was a good eater, as her stomach seems deranged, but enjoys, otherwise, pretty fair health. No cough whatever, although she looks like a phthisical patient. Allopathy and homoeopathy have, until now, tried in vain to alleviate these attacks. Being on a visit to an aunt here in the city, she had one of her migraines. Sticta being a great favorite in that family, the young lady was prevailed on to try the new remedy, and for a wonder she appeared that evening at dinner free from headache and enjoying the meal. She took a bottle of Sticta home with her, and we hope her joyful anticipation of eradicating her troubles with it may be verified.

It has some singular nervous symptoms, like those of Ambergris, and Dr. Burdick, of New York, says he has cured hysteria by its use.

It is one of those remedies that you will find indispensable during the months of February, March, and April, in this climate.

I usually prescribe the 1* dil., and the general testimony appears to be that the lowest dilution, or the tincture, is the most efficacious.

The cases of rheumatism cured by Sticta are of sufficient interest to warrant me in quoting a few of them:

Case I. — Male ; aged forty-five. During the latter part of last winter and the forepart of spring, suffered severely with rheumatism in the right shoulder-joint, deltoid and triceps muscles, extending at times to the forearm, commencing to pain me in the night. Towards morning, my arm becoming nearly helpless ; could not put on my coat without help; during the day lameness nearly disappearing; this condition lasting nearly two months ; no heat or swelling. Cimicifuga racemosa, Phytolacca decandra, and Colchicum were used in succession in small and larger doses, with but temporary relief. I now resolved to try Sticta, first dilution, four

drops, four or five times per day. Improvement commenced at once. Discontinued medicine in a few days ; difficulty permanently removed.

Case II. — Edward P., aged forty-eight; rheumatism in the right ankle-joint; swollen and very painful ; could only get around with the help of a cane ; had applied domestic treatment for several days ; without benefit. Gave him a drachm vial of Sticta 1st, dose four drops four times a day ; cured in four days. Says he used no other medicine.

Case III. — Mrs. C., aged forty-one ; taken very suddenly with pain, reaching through the chest from sternum to spinal column ; constant, worse on movement ; the arms powerless, from extreme pain, if an attempt was made to move them. Gave Sticta 1st, three drops, five times a day. The first dose gave relief; well in three days. Together with the above symptoms, there was difficult breathing and speaking for some time. Treatment commenced about twelve hours after attack. In these cases no other medicine was used to my knowledge.

Case IV. — Mr. F., aged fifty years, came to me, saying he had rheumatism all over him, and could get no relief; said he had tried everything, had been to two or three allopathic physicians, but was getting worse every day. His troubles commenced about six months ago, with sharp, darting, lancinating pain, first in the knee-joints, then in the elbow and shoulder. The finger-joints were next involved, and it gradually extended to every joint in the body; the pain in the neck and head was intense. At the present time the joints are all swollen and stiff. He cannot sleep for the pain, and can scarcely walk. By comparing the above with the provings of Sticta pulmonaria, I found a perfect type of the disease before me in this drug, and I at once determined to test its curative power. The following are the results : I gave Sticta 1st, five drops to a tumbler of water, a tablespoonful to be taken every hour. August 23d. Mr. F. reports himself greatly improved ; pains not so severe ; has slept better. Sticta 1st, as before. August 26th. Reports a great deal better; can walk better than at any time during the past five months; pain in the head and neck gone; all the pains are less severe, and .the joints are not so much swollen. Continued Sticta 1st, as before. August 28th. Reports himself entirely well ; has no pain ; swelling all gone ; says he feels better than at any time during the past nine months ; stiffness of the joints all gone ; he is getting young again, and walks as sprightly as a young man.

Case V. — Mrs. G., aged about forty ; rheumatism of the wrist-joints. She had been under treatment for nearly three months, with very little if any improvement. The wrists and hands with but little redness ; very painful on moving them. I had given her nearly all the remedies that are usually given in rheumatic troubles ; none of them had afforded relief to any extent. After the results procured in the last case by Sticta, I determined to try it in the case of Mrs. G. I accordingly gave her five drops, 1st, in a tumbler of water, a teaspoonful every two hours. On the day after I called, and on entering the room she exclaimed : “ Doctor, you have done it this time ! ” To my great surprise I found her sewing. The pain and swelling were nearly gone. Sticta 1st was continued for a few days, and the cure was permanent.