Leptandra virginica

Leptandra virginica is a drug which acts prominently upon the liver. Locally, we find dull aching in the right hypochondrium in the region of the gall-bladder, and also posteriorly in the posterior portion of the liver. This aching is often accompanied by soreness. At other times the congestion is great enough to produce burning distress in and about the liver. This often spreads to the stomach and abdomen. As accompanying symptoms, we find drowsiness and despondency, which belong to liver affections of this character, and also diarrhoea, in which the stools are black, almost as black as pitch. These stools are accompanied by burning, distressing, colicky pain at the umbilicus. In other cases we have vomiting of bile with this burning distress, and occasionally clay-colored stools. The tongue is coated yellow or more frequently black, or dark brown and black down the middle. With these symptoms present, it may be indicated in bilious and typhoid fevers.

The main distinction between Leptandra and Mercurius is this: Mercurius almost always has, characteristically, tenesmus continuing after stool. Leptandra has not this symptom, although it may have griping colicky pains after stool.