Viburnum opulus

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(High Cranberry.)

Botanical Description. — This is a shrub, growing from three to ten feet high, with smooth, gray, spreading branches. Leaves three to five inches in diameter, the lobe often somewhat falcate, nearly smooth above, sparsely hairy underneath ; petiole about an inch long, with four to six glands on the upper part; stipular appendages, one or two pairs at or near the base of the petiole, subulate, often tipped, with a gland ; cyme, three to four inches in diameter; the sterile flowers few or numerous, nearly an inch in diameter; calyx, teeth nearly obsolete; drupes, nearly half an inch long, juicy, intensely acid, and slightly bitter — translucent when dry. The common snow-ball bush of our gardens is a cultivated variety of this species. The two plants do not differ sufficiently to be consideied separate species; cultivation increases the number of sterile flowers. The bark contains valerianic acid, the odor of which is very distinct in the tincture.

Officinal Preparations. — Tincture of the baik.

Analogues. — Caulophyllum (?), Viburnum prunifolium (?). Oossipium. (No proving.)

0 Hysterical convulsions, from uterine irritation. ° General irritation of the nervous system.

"Cramps and contractions of the extremities — especially

during pregnancy. ° Paralytic conditions, coming on after cramps and convulsions. ° Amaurosis. (?)

° Dyspepsia, with constipation and incontinence of urine

0 Cramp-like (?) difficulty of breathing.

0 Cramps in the feet after long walking.

° Spasmodic dysuria in hysterical subjects. ( Woodbury^)

0 Spasmodic dysmenorrhoea. {Ib.)

° Dysmenorrhea of a spasmodic and neuralgic character, with

intense cramp-like pains in the uterus. {Hale.) ° Pseudo -membranous dysmenorrhoea.

0 Yery painful, scanty, but regular, menses. {Dr. Ruddock.)

° Cramp-like pains and spasms of the stomach, bowels, bladder, or other organs, when reflex from uterine irritation. Irritable ovaries with dysmenorrhoea. {Ib.)

(See Therapeutics)

Volume I — Appendix

{Cranberry tree, Cramp bark.) Description. — This shrub grows from five to fifteen feet high, on low ground along streams; common in Canada and the Northern and Western States, extending south as far as Virginia; very abundant in the Catskill and Alleghany mountains. Flowers in June and July. The acid fruit is a substitute for cranberries, whence the name, High cranberry bush. The common, well-known Snowball tree, or Guelder rose of our gardens is a cultivated variety of this species, with the whole cyme turned by cultivation into showy, sterile flowers.

The Viburnum prunifolium (Black Haw), which is found in dry copses from New England, Canada, and Illinois on the north, to Tennessee and Virginia on the south, is a much larger shrub, and should not be confounded with Viburnum Opulus.

Preparation. — Tincture from inner bark of shrub, and bark of root.

Mind.

Confused, and unable to concentrate the mind on usual mental labor. Stupid feeling, as if I could not tell where I was or what to do on awaking in the morning. Inability to study to such an extent that he abandoned the proving. Head.

Dull frontal headache, extending to the eyeballs, aggravated by mental exertion, and relieved by moving about. Dull, aching pain over left eye. Dull, confusing frontal headache, extending to both temporal regions, as after night watching or loss of sleep, so severe as to compel cessation of mental exertion. Headache beginning about 3 p.m., worse at night.

Vertigo with inclination to turn to the left. Vertigo on rising from a seat; feel as though would fall forward. Vertigo on closing eyes. Severe pressive pain in right supraorbital region. Dull, supraorbital and frontal headache, with profuse flow of clear, watery urine.

Severe pain in head just over the eyes on opening them ; the soreness extending back into the head.

Severe left-sided headache, aggravated by a sudden jar, bending over, false step movement. Eyes heavy : feel almost sick enough to go to bed. Severe pain in left parietal region ; the pain is sharp and penetrates into the brain, aggravated by every cough, moving the head, when the bowels move. Every cough hurts the head.

Eyes.

Sore feeling in eyeballs. Heaviness over the eyes and in the eyeballs, so severe that at times would have to look twice to be sure of seeing an object. Eyes burn ; can hardly see on account of profuse flow of tears.

Ears.

Sharp, jerking pains in ears as if stabbing with a sharp knife, lasting nearly an hour, with more or less severity. Would awaken during, the night with great pain in ears ; deep in the bone. External ear sore as if bruised ; could not lie on affected side. Compelled to change position several times during the night in consequence of pain, first in one ear and then in the other.

Stomach.

Deathly sickness at the stomach at night, not relieved by any position. When lying perfectly quiet had no unpleasant feeling, but on moving, a deathly nausea in pit of stomach came on ; would faint on attempting to get up. Constant nausea (but no inclination to vomit), relieved by eating.

Nausea and faintness, at times very distressing, relieved by eating-, but felt immediately afterwards. Aching pain in stomach in the afternoon, relieved by stretching the body and throwing the stomach forwards.

° Nausea and vomiting of pregnant women.

Hypochondria.

Severe sticking, darting pain in left hypochondrium, deepseated as if in spleen, with a sensation as if some hot fluid were running through the splenic vessels ; relieved by walking

about the room, or by hard pressure, aggravated by lying on left side ; could not lie on the left side at all. Intense pain in region of spleen, producing fainting, relieved by perspiration. Most intense pain in left lumbar region between floating ribs and wing of ilium.

Abdomen.

Whole abdomen tender and sensitive to pressure, especially about the umbilicus. Rumbling, darting pain in bowels. Cramping colic pains in lower bowels. Bearing down pains in abdomen as during menstruation, with heavy aching pain over pubes. Severe, heavy, aching, bearing down pain, accompanied by drawing pains in anterior muscles of the thighs, and occasionally by sharp shooting pains in ovarian regions. Orampy colic pains in lower abdomen almost unbearable, the pains coming on suddenly and with terrible severity, as if going to be " unwell," mostly or wholly at night.

Stool.

Constipation. Great inactivity of rectum; no inclination for stool. Stool dry, hard, scanty, painful, and difficult of expulsion. Obstinate constipation; desire for stool, with much straining. Stool large, hard, and when passed attended with a cutting sensation in rectum and anus. During and immediately after stool, profuse hemorrhage of dark-red blood.

One prover had profuse, watery diarrhoea, accompanied by terrible chills and cold sweat on the forehead.

Urinary Organs. Profuse flow of clear, watery urine; compelled to urinate every hour. A constant sensation as if the urine continued to flow, followed each urination. Profuse and frequent flow of clear, watery urine, accompanying frontal headache.

Sexual Organs.

Male. — Severe pain and swelling of epididymis and testicle of left side. Epididymis of right side so painful and swollen that a suspensory bandage was necessary. (This prover was

subject to attacks of epididymitis from exposure to cold or violent exercise, but in this case he had not been exposed to either.) Involuntary seminal emissions without dreams.

Female. — Uneasy sensation in pelvic region and slight bearingdown pains. Pain in back, loins and lower abdomen, as if the menses were coming on, aggravated in early part of evening and in a close room ; ameliorated in open air and by moving about.

° Was "unwell" during second week while taking the remedy, but felt so perfectly free from pain and uneasiness so peculiar to that period, that I attributed my freedom from pain to the action of the remedy. Severe bearing-down pains as during menstruation, accompanied by drawing pains in anterior muscles of thigh and occasional sharp shooting pains over ovaries. Three days after discontinuing the drug the above pains were repeated in the morning, with great nervousness ; could not sit or lie still but for a few minutes at a time, on account of the pain. Ten days after commencing the proving — which was at mid-menstrual period, regular menstruation recurring two weeks before — a flow began which lasted two days, in all respects like normal menstruation, but with much cramping pain and great nervous restlessness. Menses delayed ten days ; when flow appeared was scanty, thin, light-colored, and continued but a few hours, and attended with a sensation of light-headed ness ; must lie down ; faintness when attempting to sit up. During menses, nauseated all the time.

Leucorrhosa, thin, yellowish-white for two days following menstruation. Leucorrhoea, thin and colorless, except with evacuation of the bowels, when it was thick, white, inodorous, blood-streaked mucus from the vagina.

° Excruciating colicky pain through womb and lower abdomen, coming on quite suddenly just preceding the menstrual flow, relieved by 1* dilution.

0 Pains, beginning in the back and going around to the loins (?) and across to the pubic bones, like labor-pains; have been promptly relieved.

° Prevents miscarriage, and premature labor. ° Dysmenorrhea. Dystocia. ° False pains.

Chest.

Sharp shooting pains in left chest over sixth rib near the sternum. During the proving an old heart trouble (remission every third beat) returned. Felt as if the breath would leave her body and her heart would cease beating.

Back and Neck.

Tired, bruised pain in muscles of the back, extending from scapula to wing of ilium on each side of spine, relieved by firm pressure. Wandering, tired pains in muscles of back, worse on left side. Severe pain in back (region of kidney), rendering ordinary work difficult; relieved by pressing across the back. Stiff, sore feeling in nape of neck. Neck stiff for several days, and attended with pain in occiput.

Extremities.

Strange buzzing feeling in hands as if they would burst. Wandering tired pains, extending to hips and knees, with disinclination to move about.

° Cramps of the legs — in pregnant women.

Sleep.

Restless and unrefreshing sleep. Sleepy after dinner.

Generalities.

Could not lie on affected side. The muscles of entire left side of body sore, as if bruised or strained by over-lifting.

Muscles of back lame and bruised, as after severe physical exertion. Inability to lie on left side during entire proving. Tired in the morning on rising.

Modalities.

Aggravation. — In a warm room ; evening or at night ; lying on affected side.

Amelioration. — In open air; pressure; motion, walking about.

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

The physician who finds a remedy for any painful disorder is a public benefactor. The physician who shall find a remedy for painful menstruation will have the blessings of thousands of suffering women.

The use of Viburnum opulus, in the treatment of dysmenorrhoea, did not originate in the practice of any physician. It is a tradition in this country that the aborigines so used it among themselves, and that the secret of its use was handed down to the white people. Any way, it has been in successful use here for more than a century as a domestic remedy in many painful affections of women.

It was from observation of its domestic uses that the writer gained his first knowledge of its value. I first prescribed it in the form of a weak infusion, then in drop doses of the mother tincture, and finally in the dilutions up to the 8*. Its specific action often seems to manifest itself in the dilutions as well as in more material doses.

I find by reference to works on botany that the Viburnum opulus is a native of America, England, and Scotland. It grows wild here, and is also cultivated in gardens. The cultivated variety is so changed in its character that all the flowers are destitute of stamens, making it sterile. In this form it is called the Gueldres Rose, or Snowball, from the large globular or white inflorescence. In this country the wild species is called Cramp bark, one of those felicitous names which indicates its specific action. It is also called High Cranberry, from the resemblance its berries have to those of another species of the same genus, namely, the Viburnum oxy coccus, or common edible cranberry. Its berries are red and sour, and remain on the shrub all winter. They are eaten in this country, and in England and Norway, and are quite palatable when stewed with sugar.

For medical purposes we procure the bark of the root, shrub, and its limbs (the fresh bark is preferable), and make a tincture with alcohol of 75 or 80 per cent.

This tincture should have a dark-red color and a peculiar acid odor, very similar to the odor of Valerian; so closely does it resemble it, that I am quite certain a chemical analysis of the bark would detect the presence of Valerianic acid. (An eminent chemist, D. W. Chapman, of Chicago, assures me that such is the case.)

In my treatment of spasmodic dysmenorrhoea, for which variety this remedy is specifically indicated, I prescribe the 0 tincture, or l1 to 3X d il ., a few drops three times a day for a week previous to the expected period. When the pains set in give it every hour, or every fifteen minutes if the pains are severe. It is equally useful for the severe false pains preceding normal labor, and which often render the woman’s life a torture for weeks. It is of great value for after-pains, and a dose should be given after every pain. Cramps in the abdomen and legs of pregnant women are controlled very quickly by it. It will prevent miscarriage if given before the membranes are injured, and when the pains are spasmodic or threatening. I have not tested it sufficiently in spasmodic affections of other organs, but predict that it will prove useful in spasmodic conditions of all hollow muscular organs and their muscular connections. Nor have I decided whether it acts on the muscular tissues directly or indirectly through the motor nerves. It may prove to be a spinal remedy after all.

I have used the Viburnum in many cases of neuralgic and spasmodic dysmenorrhoea, and have yet to meet with a single case where it has failed to cure.

So confident have I been in its almost marvellous powers, that I have taken pains to look up some old cases that I had dismissed years ago as incurable, in order to test this new remedy on them. In every instance, so far, it has cured these old obstinate cases. Its sphere of action seems to cover nearly the same grounds as galvanism. In the “ North American Journal of Homceopathy,” 1874, Dr. Neftel has a valuable paper illustrating the curative power of galvanism in dysmenorrhoea. He gives many illustrative cases, and,

singularly enough, they all resemble the cases I have cured with the Viburnum. I use the 1st dec. dil., or 0 tincture.

Since I published my first account of the value of Viburnum opulus, I have received letters from many physicians corroborative of my experience. In some cases the testimony extends the sphere of action to more serious maladies.

One physician reports a case of membranous dysmenorrhoea cured by giving this medicine through two months. If this shall be verified, we have now four remedies for that painful condition, namely, Borax , Guaiacum, Ustilago and Viburnum. It remains to be seen whether the Viburnum prunifolium will be equally valuable.

Dr. Foote, of Galesburg, Ill., has had favorable results from its use.

Dr. Ruddock, of England, writes me that since the appearance of my paper on the use of Viburnum, which appeared in the “ Homoeopathic World,” he has learned of its successful use in dysmenorrhoea in the practice of many English physicians. His own experience with it leads him to recommend it in irritable ovaries, spasmodic contraction of the cervix uteri, -and several other painful menstrual troubles.

I shall not be surprised if it is found useful in heart cramp, which is the real condition, in angina pectoris, also, perhaps, in spasmodic laryngitis.