Ruta graveolens

Volume III — Main text

RUTA.

Ruta gnrvtoUnSt L. Rue. Nat. Ord.^ Rutacea.

I. Provings, — I . Hahnemann, Mat. Mtd. Pura^ vol. iv of original, vol. ii of translation. Contains 26 symptoms from self, 259 from 8 associates, and 3 from authors.

1. [No information as to dose or prover.] Buminz in abdomen. Pressure in abdomen, then great emptiness. Frequent rumbling in belly. Great drowsiness after a meal. Drowsy, a.m. Weight in belly. Little appetite, dislike to meat and vegetables. Starting in midday siesta and jerking of foot. Formication on thighs so that he must scratch, on the side on which he is not lying. (Hering, ArchiVy xv, i,

2. [As No. s.] pKssive shooting pain over whole forehead, especially while coughing (1 h.) ; a thick red stripe, like a long swelling, extending from root of nose and inner margin of eyebrows up to each frontal eminence, not tender ; mucus in both canthi, m., constantly reproduced on wiping it away ; he sees distant objects more clearly than usual (prover was myopic) j after meal of bread and butter pinching at r. side of stomach region, soon going off again ; soft stool j he passes water frequently and copiously, without painful feeling; in e. after lying down explosive cough, with much expectoration of tenacious stringy mucus, — it returned several times in less strength during n., and when worst threatened to end in vomiting j he was wakened about midnight by a choking cough, with scraping at upper chest, without pain and with little and infrequent expectoration ; dyspnoea and shortness of breath ; cramp'like throbbing pain in middle of r. thigh, afterwards in both at once, — after this had gone off similar pain on outer i>\At of 1. leg below knee, that soon went away in turn } at n. pain in both thighs, as though violently grasped and squeezed in hands ; he woke at 4 a.m. with dull tearing pain in sacrum, that only went off about 9 a.m. ; great lassitude in legs, walking very difficult from sense of heaviness in them ; sleepless, restless n., he must lie now here, now there, without heat of body, or cough» or thoughts that hinder sleep \ was obliged to rise 3 times in n. to micturate, and passed an unusually large amount of urine j coldness creeps over him, especially up back. (Hartlaub u. Trinks, ArzH,y . 319.)

3. J. May 28th, 1856, e., and 29th, m., took i dr. 7th dil. of leaves of R. Sleep full of remembered dreams. Burning shooting in chest, especially under sternum, like pain of ulceration, m. Sore pain on 1. ring-finger. Shooting above r. knee as if ulcerated when standing and walking. Drowsy, head heavy, confused. For 2 successive m. very weak sight, as if eyes were too distended. Shooting pressure deep in orbit. Tired pain in eyes when reading. — June ist. Dislocative pain in r. shoulder, stiffness of neck, m. Itching at corner of mouth. Perspiration when walking in open air, p.m. Distension of abdomen, e.

b, March 4.th, 1857, took 2 dr., 4th dil., 5 times in the d. Frequent chills and shivering all d. Much yawning, especially noon, also after eating. Pain in back and sacrum, especially tearing, squeezing,

shooting. Cramp in I. sole, e. Vivid remembered dreams, n. — 5th. Exhaustion, weight in head and limbs, m. Loss of appetite for breakfast. Nape and shoulders painful as if stiff, aching. Tensive pain in brain, shooting in 1. frontal protuberance. Frequent eructation, inodorous Batus. Pressure on r. scapula with shivering. Shooting and pressure from apex of scapula into back. Shooting in J. portal bone when reading. Shooting and pressure above I. eyebrow. Drowsy, p.m., uncommonly exhausted, relieved by walking. After taking walk, e., cheerful out very fatigued and inclined to lie down. Backache and heaviness of Hmbs, which went off when working; urine dark yellow. — 6ch. After 8 a.m., when reading, headache, pressure in occiput, frequent sneezing and yawning with chilliness. Lies long awalce, n. ; head affected internally, not painful, cannot sleep on account of it. Itching and tearing in thighs and back, n. Tiresome, persistent, vivid dreams. — 8th. On rising, m., pinching In abdomen, eructation. Empty feeling, creeping in stomach, no appetite. Pressure, tension, weight in occiput. Dazed feeling j confusion in head j difficulty of thinking from calculating and writing for a fewm. Heaviness in forehead and pressive pain in occiput, stiff neck. Burning and soreness in outer canthi. Pressure betwixt scapulae, p.m. Shooting in shoulders. Hands and soles cold, Dull persistent shoot in forehead after slight work and straining eyes. Itching and smarting in eyelids, e. Persistent, tiresome dreams, n. — 9th. Confused heavy heady with tension in forehead, shooting and smarting in canthi as from dust, m. Boring in throat at 10 a,m. After dinner very exhausti^d, drowsy, head heavy. After sleeping for \ h. frequent yawning, lachrymation of eyes, heaviness of head after reading for a short time, flatulence. No sleep till 1 a.m., thoughts seem to hover in the distance, rapid succession of thoughts disturb sleep. Sleeps from 3 to 4 a.m. without being refreshed, awake from 5 a.m., and cannot get to sleep again, heavy head.

(SCHELLING, J. h. Z., Ixxxiv, 44.)

1. Dr. VAN DE VVarker took lo min, doses of the oil at 9.5, 9.30, and 9.55 p.m. After first dose there was warmth in stomach and sense of uneasiness in head. After second, uneasiness in stomach, pain in back, oppressive feeling in head, slight confusion of ideas, and occasional feeling of faintness. The third dose intensified the above symptoms, pain over kidneys was more marked^ with urgent desire to urinate. Flashes of heat passed over body, and there was an indescribable sense of nervousness, which created a fear that an overdose had been taken. The confusion of mind was controllable by an effort of will, as also was the general feeling of nervousness. Pulse was increased in frequency. Gait was unsteady. Pain at stomach was in great measure appeased by drinking milk. For several h. after the oesire to micturate was constantly present. During n. the effect of the rue was that of any narcotic drug upon him— but little sleep and great restlessness. (Sphygmographic tracings of pulse showed its energy diminished.) {Crimirja/ Mortion^ Boston, 1872, p. 80.) *

II. Poisonings. — 1. a. M. Puel, a pharmacist, in August plucked a number of specimens of R. in fruit. Next n. had violent itchinc on upper surface of hands, which were studded over with red spots. Next

m. in place of these red spots there were vesicles filled with transparent fluid, very red at their base ; there were more of these vesicles between the fingers than on the rest of hand ; they were in groups, some of which seemed connected with others by a red track of peculiar appearance, something like the tracks made by the Acarus scabiei. The itching continued to increase, and on the 2nd d. the vesicles had developed and covered both hands almost completely, especially the r., which had been most engaged in plucking and manipulating the plant \ the general appearance was very much that of a sarcoptic eruption. At the end of % d., during which the itching continued, especially at n., when it became intolerable, the groups of vesicles were sufficiently close to effect a junction with one another, and the appearance at the points of junction was as though the hands had been imperfectly blistered with cantharides. This condition continued for lO to X2 d., after which the inflammation diminished and the epidermis exfoliated. But 2 or 3 weeks after the apparent cure, there appeared small vesicles on several parts of hands, filled with the same sort of liquid and arranged in groups, just as though they had been caused by some animalcule. When the hands were nearly healed, the toes of both feet became the seat of some itching, and there appeared on those parts groups of vesicles precisely similar to those on the hands.

h. Next year, in June, M. Puel gathered some specimens of R. in flower. Though he took the greatest precaution to touch the plant as little as possible, he was even much more severely affected than in the previous year. He was ill for 3 weeks, and his hands presented a lamentable appearance, just as though they had been scalded with boiling water, so excoriated were they. The r. hand especially, which had touched the plant with the ends of the forefinger and thumb, was literally one big wound from the wrist to the tips of the fingers. An intense pain which attended the eruption compelled him to keep his bed for 5 or 6 d. (Soubeiran, Gax, Hebdom.^ viii, 720.)

1. Pliky says that a gardener who was working among R. got erysipelas of hands and forehead. {Hist Nat., i, 20, c. xiii. In Wibmer.)

2. BuLLiARD says a large dose causes restlessness, fever with yawning, dryness of mouth, and pains in throat. By handling it for a considerable time it inflames the skin, and the hands swell. {Plant, ven. de la France, In Wibmer.)

3. After cutting a quantity of the herb in June, and stripping the leaves from the stalks, he observed next m. great redness and heat of both hands. The 3rd d. the redness and pain had increased so much that the hands looked as if they had been exposed to hot steam. They were smeared with oil j by e. they were covered with vesicles, especially the tips of fingers. The 4th d. the hands were still much swollen, and between the vesicles the skin was bluish-red. The 5th and 6th d. the swelling had spread over back of arm up to elbow. The vesicles were opened and covered with a compress of chamomile and elder flowers. In 4 weeks the whole skin of the hands desquamated, even on the parts where there had been no vesicles. (Roth, Buchmr's ToxueL^ 265. In Wibmer.)

4. A girl who had already had a child when only 16, some years afterwards got pregnant and consulted a woman, by whose advice she made a decoction with three fresh roots of R., which she drank, and soon afterwards she had horrible pains in stomach, and felt so ill that she thought she must die. Objects appeared to her enveloped in a fog, her gait was unsteady, the knees gave way, she felt stuperted as if intoxicated. Then she vomited violently \ what came up was streaked with blood. After this had lasted all n. she felt better m., but she had later at first slight, then severe attacks of colic, such as precede parturition. Next d. towards c. the pains became more and more violent, then blood was discharged in small quantity, then in large clots, and in a few m. she aborted of a 3 — 4 months* foetus, 48 h. after taking the drug. (Hkli£, Annal. d^HygPene pub.y xx, 180.)

5. A girl, a;t. 25, between 6 and 7 months pregnant, took for several d. an unknown quantity of decoction of R. leaves. She became affected with persistent violent vomiting, with great pain, fever and intense thirst. She drank a quantity of cider and wine and water, which she immediately vomited. This state had tasted 2 d. when the doctor saw her. In addition to the vomiting there was great weakness, spasmodic movements of the trunk and extremities, wheel-like movement of the head, incoherent talk, sleep disturbed by all sorts of confused dreams. She lay in a somnolent state, but could be easily roused ; she gave rational answers, but seemed to do so with difficulty. Eyes sunk, face red but expressionless, she looked intoxicated. Objects appeared to her in a fog, pupils contracted, moderate fever with slow weak pulse, heat ; since the commencement of the vomiting she had passed no stool or urine, tongue red at edges, slight pains in epigastrium. Having ascertained that she was pregnant — though she strenuously denied it — the doctor ordered barley water and low diet. The vomiting ceased, but the other symptoms continued. Next m. the sufferings were increased, she complained much and screamed occasionally. When seen at J 1 a.m. the general state was unaltered, but she seemed much relieved, and the vomiting had not recurred. On turning back the bedclothes it was found that she had been delivered of twins (which were dead), and the placenta had also come away. There was a great deal of blood and water in the bed. The womb was very much contracted. It was ascertained that the delivery had taken place at 1 a.m. The symptoms continued much the same during this and the following d. She remained in a somnolent and stupefied state, answered questions with difficulty and often not at all, groaned much, she passed stool and urine, and there was a bloody discharge. Next d. the breasts were much swollen by the influx of milk. She was feverish, spoke incoherently, had frequent violent convulsive movements of the limbs. She was extremely prostrated, the vomiting returned, she threw up green bile and all the food that was given her. Next d. the symptoms were the same, and in the e. the secretion of milk had stopped. Next d. she still lay in state of prostration^ somnolence, and stupefaction, she could hardly be roused to speak, her mind was confused, and she was semi-delirious. The tongue was thickly furred, red, covered with yellow slime, very swollen, and there was great flow of saliva. Pupils

still contracted, eyes sunk, objects only dim)/ perceived, pulse weak, slow but regular, 50 ; skin cooler than normal ; head tossed from one side to the other, violent rotatory motion of arms ; pressive pain in epigastrium ; the womb had got to its natural size, but the bilious vomiting continued ; the lochia had ceased. The next 2 d. there was little change, except that the vomiting was less. Pulse 50, skin warmer, but the tumefaction of the skin soon fell^ the pulse became very weak, and sank to 30 or 40. Less salivation. The urine was passed involuntarily, the bowels ceased to act, and the body exhaled a mouse odour. The features became more distorted, eyes sunken, weakness and emaciation increased. On the 13th d. a remarkable change ensued, the symptoms of poisoning disappeared, and she fell into a state resembling typhoid fever. The soporous state went off, but the prostration increased, the spasmodic movements of body and head ceased, but those of the arms continued ; she became more observant. Her complexion, which was normally very fair, had a yellowish-brown hue ; she did not dream so much ; the pulse was still weak and slow, 45 } the heat of the body was under the normal. In the e. she had a slight attack of fever ; the tongue, which was now of normal size, was soft and moist, thirst considerable, less bilious vomiting ; bladder distended with urine, 2 to 3 pints were drawn off by the catheter with great relief. During the following days improvement made rapid progress, and she made a good recovery. {Ibid,)

1. A girl between 4 and 5 months pregnant took for several d. large doses of the juice expressed from the leaves. She had drowsiness, prostration, extraordinary debility, weak, slow pulse, coldness of skin, and constant but not convulsive movements of limbs, especially arms \ great swelling and inflammation of toneue, with profuse salivation. The 6th d. after the commencement of the symptoms of poisoning the foetus came away, and the intensity of the symptoms declined. The symptoms of poisoning lasted in all 12 d., after which they gradu* ally went off and the girl recovered. {Ibid,)