From vol. iii, 2nd edit., 1825.

It will be seen from the following symptoms, though they are not complete, that this powerful plant was not created merely for the purpose of causing a forcible evacuation of the stomach by vomiting (which in most cases is to be reckoned as one of the useless cruelties of ordinary practice), but that far higher and more important curative objects are attainable by its means. It was originally brought to Europe as a remedy for autumnal dysenteries, and hence it received the name of the dysentery-root. One hundred and twenty years have elapsed since it was, on Leibnitz's recommendation, misused for this purpose, on the false indication that because it relieves some kinds of diarrhea it must therefore cure dysenteries, for these maladies are the exact opposite of diarrhea, i.e. of too frequent loose motions. It is only quite lately that this practice has been abandoned, because an extensive employment of it for many years in dysenteries has shown that it is of no use in these affections. All these unfortunate trials, whereby many lives have been sacrificed, might have been spared if the pure peculiar action of this root had first been ascertained, and it had been learnt what morbid states it was capable of originating in the healthy subject, and consequently what similar states in the naturally sick it could remove and cure. It would have been seen, as is now seen from the following symptoms of ipecacuanha, that it, by similarity of action, can only diminish the excess of blood in the dysenteric stools and allay some kinds of abdominal pains in dysentery, but that it cannot remove the other far more important phenomena of this disease, because it cannot produce anything similar.

On the other hand, we may learn from its symptoms that, as it can relieve some cases of tendency to vomit similar to its own, so it must, as experience has shown, exert a specific curative action more particularly in hemorrhages, in paroxysmal, spasmodic dyspnea and suffocative spasms, and also in some kinds of tetanus (provided that in all these affections the other symptoms of the patient are met with of a similar character among those of ipecacuanha).

Certain kinds of agues are so constituted that this root is their appropriate remedy, as is to be inferred from its own symptoms, in so far as they present a greater homeopathic similarity to those of the case of ague than do those of other medicines. If the selection has not been quite suitable for this purpose it generally leaves the fever in a state in which arnica (in other cases china, ignatia, or cocculus) is the remedy.

Some after-sufferings from the unsuitable employment of arsenic and from the long- continued abuse of cinchona bark may be removed by a few doses of ipecacuanha.

In all these cases of the homeopathic therapeutic employment of this root only very small doses are indicated. Hitherto I have employed the diluted tincture in the dose of a drop containing the millionth part of a grain of ipecacuanha, but I have seen, from the often unnecessarily strong action of this dose in many cases, that for homeopathic employment the dose should be still further diminished, care being, of course, taken that all other foreign and medicinal influences are avoided.

It is only when we have to treat serious poisoning by a large dose of opium that we must administer a large dose of ipecacuanha (30, 40, 60 drops of the strong tincture)-when the circumstances do not rather demand the administration of strong coffee (or camphor).

Ipecacuanha acts for but a short time; in large doses hardly a couple of days, in quite small doses about a couple of hours.

HAHNEMANN was assisted in this proving by: LANGHAMMER, J.G.LEHMANN, STAPF.

The following old-school authorities are cited:

CLARK, in Murray's Apparat. Med., i.

CLEGHORN, Diseases of Minorca.

FOTHERGILL, Medic. Obs. and Inqu., vi.

GEOFFROY, Trait‚ de la Mat. Med., ii.

GMELIN, EBERH., Untersuch. ub. d. Thier. Magnetismus, Heilbr., 1793.

HALLER, in Hufel. Journ., xxvii, I.

HILLARY, Air and Diseases of Barbadoes.

LEMERY, Trait‚ univ. des Drog. simpl.

MURRAY, Medic. pr. Biblioth., iii.

PYE, S., in Medic. Bemerk. und Unters., i.

SCOTT, W., in Edinb. Med. Comment., iv.

In the Fragmenta. de Viribus, Ipecacuanha has 83 symptoms, in the 1st edit.231; only two more symptoms are added to this 2nd edit.

Ipecacuanha

Vertigo when walking.
Vertigo as if he would stagger hither and thither, with vanishing of thoughts for instants, only when walking, and especially when turning round (aft. 2 h.). [Stf. ]
(In the evening) when walking in the open air a swaying of the body to and fro towards both sides, as from intoxication, with stupefaction of the head (aft. 10 h.). [Lr.]
Severe shooting pain in the crown of the head.
In short fits a fine and severe shooting headache, which in an hour changes to an aching (aft. 8 h.).
Fine shooting pain in the forehead, which is excited and increased by touching.
A violent tearing pain in the forehead, increased by stooping (aft. 31 h.). [Ln.]
External pain on the parietal bone of the head as from a blow with a blunt point (aft. 1/2 h.).
Painful heaviness in the head (aft. 2 h.). [Stf. ]
Heaviness in the head with drowsiness. [Ln.]
Headache: shooting and heaviness.
Tearing pain in the forehead which is excited and aggravated by touching the part.
In the morning after rising from bed tearing headache till noon, less in the afternoon (aft. 31 h.). [Ln.]
Headache as if the brain and skull were bruised, which penetrates through all the bones of the head down to the root of the tongue, with nausea.
Aching pain in the head.
Tensive headache.
A dull drawing here and there in the head (immediately). [Ln.]
(Constrictive pain in the left temple and above the orbit) (aft. 1 h.).
An outpressing and almost boring pain, sometimes in the temples, sometimes over the orbit on a small spot, which goes off by external pressure, and is alleviated by shutting the eyes (aft. 1 h.).
Tensive aching pain in the occiput and nape, which extends to the shoulders (aft. 3 h.). [Stf. ]
Painfulness of the occiput and nape, excited by moving the head (aft. 2 1/2 h.). [Stf. ]
On stooping severe stitches above the eye, with a feeling as if it were swollen (aft. 20 h.).
Pale face with blue rings round the eyes and great weakness, as after recovery from a severe illness.
(Miliary rash on the forehead up in among the hair and on the cheeks.)
Pupils more readily dilatable (aft. 8 h.).
Dilatation of the pupils (aft. 2 1/2 h.). [Lr.]
Dryness of the eyelids with drowsiness (aft. 8 h.).
Eye-gum in the outer canthi of the eyes (aft. 7 1/2 and 12 h.). [Lr.]
Red, inflamed eyes. [W. Scott, in Edinb. Med. Comment., iv, p.74.]
Inflammation of the eyes. [Geoffroy, Trait‚ de la Mat. Med., ii, p.157.]
Aching pain from the concha of the ear to the membrana tympani, which extends to the protuberance of the occiput (aft. 28 h.). [Ln.]
Dulness of hearing of the right ear, with aching in it. [Ln.]
Effects of emanations in a sensitive woman. The original is ‘eyes a little inflamed.’
Accidents liable to happen to those who powder the drug.
Epistaxis. [Murray, Medic. pr. Biblioth., iii, p.237.-Geoffroy, l.c. Lemery, Trait‚ univ. des drog. simpl., p.438.]
Sensation of heat in the cheeks, also perceptible externally, but without redness (aft. 3 h.). [Stf. ]
Lips externally covered with eruption. [Heller, in Hufel. Journal, xxvii, i, p.51.]
Lips covered with aphta and eruption. [Heller, l.c.]
Smarting on the borders of the lips, the tip of the tongue, and the sides of the tongue, with flow of watery saliva into the mouth and some pain in the abdomen (aft. 1/2 h.). [Stf. ]
A smarting sensation on the lips.
In the corners of the lips sensation as if they were excoriated, on touching and moving the lips.
Very violent pain in the hollow tooth when biting, immediately, as if it were pulled out, causing loud howling and crying out, and thereafter constant tearing in it (aft. 1 h.).
A pain in the teeth as if they were pulled out, in fits (aft. 8 h.).
Excessive and almost painful sensitiveness of all parts in the mouth.
A smarting sensation on the border of the tongue.
On the back part of the tongue and on the palate a sensation as from chewing hepatica or tarragon, which excites great secretion of saliva.
He must constantly swallow the saliva (aft. 1 h.).
Great flow of saliva for some hours.
When lying the saliva pours from the mouth.
Flow of saliva. [S. Pye, in Med. Bemerk. und Unters., i, p.244.-Heller, l.c.]
Great collection of saliva in the mouth (aft. 2 1/2 h.). [Ln.]
Obtuse stitches across the throat into the inner ear.
Spasmodic contractive sensation in the throat and on the chest. [Scott, l.c.]
Sore throat. [Geoffroy, l.c.]
A fine pricking in the esophagus (aft. 1/2, 1 h.).
Pain on swallowing as if there were a swelling at the top of the gullet (aft. 1 h.).
Dryness and roughness in the mouth, especially in the top of the gullet (aft. 1/2 h.).

Not accessible.

From taking I. in large doses of powder, obviated by moistening it, i.e. local irritation.

Effects when given in chronic agues. The subject of nearly all the symptoms extracted by Hahnemann had had six paroxysms already; his face was yellow, and the praecordia tender.

After ineffectual attempts at vomiting. The work Hahnemann quotes from is a German translation of the Medical Observations and Enquiries. The symptoms have been compared with the English original.

Difficulty of swallowing, as from paralysis of the tongue and gullet (aft. 8 h.).
Pain in the gullet, as if it were too dry and rough and sore, which is allayed for a short time only by swallowing the saliva or ordinary liquids (aft. 1 h.).
Adipsia.
Flat taste in the mouth.
Whilst swallowing a taste in the throat as from rancid oil (aft. 1/4 h.).
Beer tastes flat (aft. 2 h.).
The (accustomed) tobacco tastes nauseous when smoked and excites vomiting. [Ln.]
Immediately after the (accustomed) tobacco-smoking a nausea arising from the stomach, with hiccup, which only went off after several stools, the last of which were pappy (aft. 14 h.). [Lr.]
After eating yawning and stretching.
He is sick, qualmish, squeamish. [Stf. ]
Loathing, nausea and heaving as if he would vomit (aft. 1 1/4 h.). [Ln.]
Troublesome nausea. [Clark, in Murray's Appar. Med., i, p.814.]
Sickness and vomiting.
(Nausea and heaviness in the abdomen.)
Nausea as from the stomach, with empty eructation and great flow of saliva (aft. 1/2 h.). [Lr.]
Eructation every eight or ten minutes, also the following day, with grumbling in the abdomen. [Ln.]
On stooping vomiting and sensation as if he must fall down. [Ln.]
On stooping vomiting of the food he had eaten, without previous eructation (aft. 1 1/2 h.). [Ln.]
Vomiting of a yellow slimy mass. [Heller, l.c., p.54.]
Vomiting of large masses of mucus. [Heller, l.c., p.57.]
Vomiting of large fetid lumps of mucus. [Heller, l.c., p.54.]
Vomiting of green gelatinous mucus. [Heller, l.c., p.51.]
Vomiting of grass-green mucus. [Heller, p.52.]
Sensation as if the stomach hung down loosely, with want of appetite (aft. 1 h.).
Sensation of emptiness and relaxation of the stomach.
Most violent pain in the stomach. [Heller, l.c., p.53.]
Horrible pains in the stomach. [Heller, l.c., p.57.]
Indescribable pain about the heart (scrobiculus cordis?). [Heller, l.c., p.54.]
An obtuse shooting pain in the scrobiculus cordis, as with a pointed piece of wood. [Ln.]
Qualmishness in the abdomen, with commencing bellyache. [Ln.]
Uneasiness in the abdomen (aft. 1/2 h.).
Contractive sensation under the short ribs.
Severe stitches in the left hypochondrium (aft. 1/2 h.).
Feeling of extreme distension and swelling of the abdomen.
Flatulent colic.
A clutching pinching in the abdomen, as if grasped by the hand, so that each extended finger made a sharp impression on the bowels, alleviated by bodily rest, but aggravated to the highest degree by the slightest movement.
Pinching pain in both hypochondria and in the region of the scrobiculus cordis (aft. 3 h.).
Cutting pain about the navel, with shivering.
Cutting pain at the side in the umbilical region, which is aggravated by the touch and by external pressure, with white, frothy saliva in the mouth and dilated pupils (aft. 1/8 h.).
Cutting pain about the navel, as if the menses were about to come on, with chilliness and coldness of the body, whilst internal heat rises to the head (aft. 2 h.).
Tearing pains above the navel.
Violent shooting in the right flank of the abdomen for some minutes. [Ln.]
(Shooting pains in the abdomen, and burning and shooting in the rectum, with urging to stool.)
(Leek-green stools.)
Grass-green stools. [Heller, l.c., p.53.]
(Lemon-coloured stools.)
(Thin stool, with burning shooting pain in the rectum and anus.)
Frequent fluid stools, with qualmish feeling in the abdomen. [Ln.]
Purging. [Murray, l.c.]
Diarrheic and, as it were, fermented stools (aft. 1 h.).
Putrid smelling stools.
Feces covered with red, bloody mucus.
Bloody stool. [Scott, l.c.]
Crawling in the anus, as if thread-worms would come out. [Ln.]
Shooting, cutting, burning pain on the border of the anus, as in obstinate hemorrhoids (aft. 3/4 h.).

See symptom 149.

Severe stitches in the anus.
Frequent call to urinate with scanty discharge of urine (aft. 2, 2 1/2 h.). [Lr.]
(Frequent micturition of straw-coloured urine, which, before the discharge, is preceded by great urging and burning, not followed by urinary tenesmus) (aft. 2 h.). [Stf. ]
Scanty red urine.
Bloody urine. [Scott, l.c.]
Urine cloudy, with sediment like brick dust. [Heller, l.c., pp.51, 65.]
(From the child's urethra there flows for several days a purulent fluid, with smarting pain.)
When standing a voluptuous itching on the glans penis, compelling scratching (aft. 3 1/2 h.). [Lr.]
A twisting, drawing pain in the testicles (aft. 8, 10 h.).
On crossing the thighs a shooting in the testicles (aft. 2 h.). [Lr.]
An urging and pressing towards the womb and anus.
Metrorrhagia-recurrence of the catamenia that had ceased fourteen days previously. [Scott, l.c.]
The blood coming away at the end of the catamenia was suppressed.
Violent, repeated sneezing. [Ln.]
Like dry coryza in the nose, as if the nasal cavity were too dry (aft. 3 h.).
Sensation of dryness in the nose and frontal sinuses (aft. 3 h.).
Coryza, with drawing pains in all the limbs.
Rattling noise in the bronchial tubes on drawing breath.
In the forenoon an oppression on the chest and short breath, as if he were in much dust, on account of which he could not breathe.
Tightness of the chest. [Murray, l.c.]
Tightness of the chest.
Tightness of the chest for several hours.
Tightness of the chest in the evening.
Spasmodic asthma with great contraction in the throat and chest, during which a peculiar kind of wheezing noise was heard. [Scott, l.c.]
Sudden attacks of troublesome dyspnea, with a wheezing noise in the air-tubes. [Scott, l.c.]
Contraction in the chest, with dyspnea and wheezing respiration; she must go to the open window and gasp for air, with paleness of face, scarcely perceptible pulse, and danger of suffocation, from the evening until 9 a.m. [Scott, l.c.]
Recurrence of the tightness of chest after twenty-four hours, from 10 p.m. until 10 a.m., for eight days. [Scott, l.c.]
Attack of suffocation for two or three days. [Scott, l.c.]
Oppression of the chest after eating.
The chest is painful internally, as if sore.
A cough, that impedes the breathing to suffocation.

* By the secondary action or antagonistic reaction of the organism; for the primary action of ipecacuanha causes haemorrhage from all the outlets of the body, and it particularly produces metrorrhagia, and cures the former as well as the latter homoeopathically, when the other symptoms of the patient resemble those of ipecacuanha (see 95, 121, &c.).
† In two women from the exhalation from the powder in a distant room; the illness lasted fourteen days.

Literally, ‘a show of the menses fourteen days before their time.’
‘Apparent danger,’ Scott says.
Suffocative cough, during which the child becomes quite stiff and blue in the face (aft. 10 h.).
Towards evening a suffocative, fatiguing, very debilitating cough, lasting an hour. [Eberh. Gmelin, Untersuch. üb. d. Thier. Magnetismus, Heilbr., 1793.]
In the evening, between 6 and 7 o'clock, extremely violent, convulsive cough. [Gmelin, l.c.]
About 7 p.m. a suffocative, extremely debilitating cough for half an hour, with coldness of the extremities. [Gmelin, l.c.]
Dry cough, from a tickle in the upper part of the larynx (aft. 2, 3, 5 h.).
Cough which arises from a contractive tickling sensation, extending from the upper part of the larynx to the lowest extremities of the bronchial tubes (aft. 4, 6, 7 h.).
A cough which, after walking in cold air and on lying down, in the morning and evening, continues incessantly, excited by deep inspiration; at the same time with a pain in the abdomen, as if the navel would be torn out, and heat in the (head) face, and sweat on the forehead.
On coughing pain in the abdomen, as if he had an urging to urinate and the urine could not pass, as in retention of urine.
Inclination to vomit without nausea is caused by coughing (aft. 1 h.).
After coughing throbbing pain in the head and scrobiculus cordis.
Cough with expectoration of a thick, disagreeably metallic tasting mucus. [Scott, l.c.]
Hemoptysis. [Geoffroy, -Murray, -Scott, l.c.]
(Pinching [twitching tearing?] pains of short duration in the right side of the chest, under the shoulder.)
(Cramp-pain between the scapulae on moving.)
Pinching pains in the right arm (aft. 3 h.).
One hand is cold.
(Tettery eruption on the wrist and anus, which itches most in the evening after lying down; after scratching red lumps appear on the skin, but the itching does not cease.)
Pain in the knee, as if the tendons and ligaments were fatigued by over-exertion.
In the left knee a pain as if from a sprain, especially when walking, seldomer and less noticed when sitting (aft. 1 h.). [Stf. ]
Weariness of the thighs and lower extremities (aft. 8, 9 h.).
In the muscles of the calf a quivering and formication, as if the limb had gone to sleep.
Pinching pain in the right foot (aft. 4 h.).
A drawing pain in the bone of the upper arm and thigh, in the evening after lying down (aft. 5 h.).
This edition not accessible. That of 1787 has no observations regarding ipecacuanha.
* As the asthmatic paroxysm of symptom 136 passed off.
Cracking and creaking in the joints.
(Here and there on the body shooting pains excited by movement, which end in burning.)
Pain in all the bones, as if bruised (aft. 3 h.).
Pain in the joints, such as usually occurs when the limbs go to sleep (aft. 3 h.).
Drowsiness and lassitude in all the limbs (aft. 2 h.). [Ln.]
Debility. [Scott, l.c.]
Drowsiness.
Drowsiness, weariness (aft. 2 h.). [Stf. ]
Sleep (immediately).
Sleep with half-open eyes (aft. 6 h.).
Restless sleep. [Scott, l.c.]
Sleep full of restlessness and moaning.
When about to go to sleep she has shocks in all the limbs.
He starts up his sleep.
Sleep broken by frequent waking and frightful dreams (aft. 10 h.).
Vivid, unremembered dreams, with frequent waking, as from watchfulness, at night. [Lr.]
In the morning on awaking anxiety in the blood, as if he had great heat or had perspired profusely, or were wakened up out of anxious dreams, though he is neither hot nor perspiring to the touch; at the same time a heaviness in the head, as if the brain were pressed.

See symptoms 142, 184, 185.

Moaning fearfulness in sleep.
Symptoms of emprosthotonos and opisthotonos. (aft. 10 h.).
The body of the child is stretched out stiffly.
Stiff extension of the whole body, followed by a spasmodic clapping together of the arms (aft. 1/4 h.).
Sudden spasmodic jerking together of the arms.
Palpitation of the heart.
Palpitation, almost without anxiety.
Shivering with yawning (aft. 1/2 h.).
Shivering with eructation.
He has no warmth in the body.
Chilliness; he cannot bear the slightest cold.
Always chilliness under the skin, and all the more when she sits near the warmth.
Over-sensitiveness to cold and heat.
He was cold all night in bed, and could not sleep for chilliness.
He becomes cold on the body.
(About 4 p.m.) first shivering, then chilliness with coldness without thirst (aft. 5 h.).
Shuddering coldness in the limbs just as when one is terrified at something. [Ln.]
Hands and feet are icy cold and dripping with cold perspiration, at the same time one cheek is red, the other pale, and he feels miserable in disposition and exhausted in body, with dilated pupils (aft. 10 h.).
External cold and internal heat.
(External, not internal heat) (aft. several h.).
(Heat and redness in the face, without thirst.)
In the evening heat of the whole body.
Great increasing, almost burning heat (feeling of heat) in the head and the whole body, but with cold hands and feet; when the heat increased to the highest degree, there occurred on the trunk and head some perspiration with a smarting itching, especially on the neck (aft. 1 h.). [Ln.]
In the afternoon and evening feeling of heat, almost burning in the head, forehead and cheeks, without thirst (aft. 6 h.). [Stf. ]
In the afternoon (about 4 o'clock) sudden general heat, with sweat on the arms and back (aft. 16 h.).
Sweat. [Fothergill, Medic. Obs. and Inqu., vi, art.18.]
Sweat about midnight (aft. 12 h.).
Night sweat. [Cleghorn, Diseases of Minorca, p.230.]
Sweat for some hours. [Hillary, Air and Diseases of Barbadoes.]
Sour-smelling sweat. [Heller, l.c., pp.51, 54.]
Profuse, sour sweat, with cloudy urine. [Heller, l.c., p.74.]
He will not speak a word.
The flow of his ideas is very slow.
He has pleasure in nothing, nothing is agreeable to him.
Everything is repugnant to him.
Dislike to work. [Ln.]
Repugnance to literary work; thoughts fail him (aft. 29 h.). [Ln.]
Sudden unsociable moroseness, that makes him disdain everything.
All day long ill-humour; he had no inclination to talk and was disposed to weep. [Lr.]
Sulky humour, that despises everything, and he desires that others also should not esteem or care for anything.
Moroseness: he considers himself unfortunate.
He is scrupulous, apprehensive, and thinks trifles of importance (aft. 6 h.).
He is morose and vexed that his business is not performed quick enough.
He is clumsy and awkward and knocks against everything.
Extreme impatience.
He lets his courage sink, and is greatly given to be vexed and to get angry.
His disposition is full of wishes and longing he knows not for what.
He very often gets angry about the merest trifle, and can just a easily and quickly become calm (aft. 5 h.).
He is irritated the slightest noise.
He is much inclined to become cross and angry.
The child cries and howls violently and uninterruptedly, at shoves its fists into its mouth; the face is pale and the body rather cool (aft. 1 h.).
Cheerful humour: he likes to talk and even to joke [Lr.] (*Curative secondary action after a previous opposite state of the disposition).

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