Aralia racemosa

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Spikenard.)

Description. — This is a large, spreading, shrubby plant, with leaflets, heart-ovate — pointed, double, serrate, slightly downy. Umbels racemose, pan icled ; styles united below. It has large, spicy, aromatic roots, many feet in length. It has greenish-white flowers in umbels, and a berry-like stone-fruit.

Officinal Preparation. — Tincture of the fresh root; dilutions.

The tincture from the fresh root has a yellowish brown color, an insipid, sweetish, aromatic, and slightly bitter taste. That from the dry root is of a dark brown color, and intensely bitter; it has hardly any effect. (Dr. S. A. Jones.)

Analogues. — Asarum canadense, Asarum europceum, Chaniomitta, Cimieifuga, C ' aulophyllum, Eryngium,Trittium.

Provings by Dr. S. A. Jones, of New York.

At 3 p. m., August 26 tb, 1870, I took ten drops of the mother tincture in two oz. of water. An interesting book caused me to forget my "dose." The events of the night jogged my memory very effectually. Here are the notes taken on the following morning;:

On retiring at 12 p. -m. felt as well as ever I did. Had no sooner lain down than I was seized with a tit of asthma. I had lain upon my back when the following symptoms supervened: Dry, wheezing respiration, sense of impending suffocation and rapidly increasing dyspnoea. Very loud musical whistlings during both inspiration and expiration, but louder during inspiration. The attack soon reached its acme, and phlegm began to come up. It was scanty, but each expectoration was attended with a sensation that more would soon follow. My wife now observed that my wheezing was so labored as to make the whole bed vibrate. Could not possibly lie down; felt that I would suffocate if I did not sit up. Phlegm began to come freer and more abundantly; had a markedly salty taste, and felt quite warm in the mouth. Right lung appeared to be more oppressed than the left.

When the worst of the attack was over I lay on my right side, and then it seemed as if all the oppression and discomfort was in the right lung. Shortly after, I turned over, and soon it felt as if my left lung was affected, while the right was entirely relieved.

It took a long time for me to "come to." Had a constant desire to clear the chest of something, so that I could inspire better. All the obstruction seemed to he in inspiration. On making a forcible expiration, in the attempt to clear the chest, had a raw, burning, sore feeling behind the whole length of the sternum, and in each lung — most intense behind the sternum. Slept well all night. After rising in a. m. raised some loose phlegm easily.

I am inclined to asthma, and at first thought this one of its attacks; but as the phenomena was evolved the programme was so different that my drink of Aralia flashed into memory.

On the night of the 28th I was literally drenched with perspiration while asleep. "Was awakened by a patient, when it passed off and did not recur.

29th. Have been annoyed all day by a dread that my right lung is seriously diseased. Could not shake off the fear. Cough now and then, raising a little phlegm, which is involuntarily swallowed. Took ten drops of the tincture at 1:30 a. m. No symptoms that night. On rising "at 8:30, bowels felt as they have done after a large-sized " spree." Faintly defined nausea in throat and stomach, and sensation in intestines as if diarrhoea would set in. At 3:15 p. m. went to closet, expecting, from my feelings, a loose stool. Evacuation was soft, yellow, about a teaspoonful in quantity, and expelled with great difficulty. Mucous membrane of rectum came down like a tumor, (Have had haemorrhoids.) After stool, and while sitting on the " throne," an aching pain in the rectum, extending upwards and on the left side.

Feel weak, prostrated, half-sick, and filled with a vague nausea.

" It is good to provoke urine, and cureth the pain of the stone

in the reins and kidneys." {Culpepper.) ° Leucorrhoea, with pressing down pains in the uterus.

{Eclectic.) 0 Leucorrhoea, acrid and offensive. {Ib.)

° Suppressed lochia, with tympanitis; excruciating pains in

the bowels and uterine region. {Dr. Hodgers.) 0 Sudden suppression of the menses from a cold. {Ib.)

° Dry cough in bronchitis and laryngitis. (lb-)

• Hay -fever — many cases. (See therapeutics.) {Hale.}

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

Although attention was called to this plant, so extensively used by the people in domestic practice, in the first and second editions of “ New Remedies,” it attracted but little attention, until Dr. Samuel A. Jones, of New York, made his graphic and unique proving, which was published in the appendix to my third edition.

It always seemed to me that a remedy so popular with the masses as a curative agent in coughs of all kinds ought to have some specific affinities for the respiratory organs.

Dr. Jones thought he had discovered its true sphere of action. Prescribing it for the symptoms which he elicited in his provings, he claims to have succeeded in curing some very severe cases of “ hay fever” humid asthma, and some cases of suffocating cough.

As it may be interesting to the class, the most characteristic symptoms are here given :

Dr)7-, wheezing respiration, with sense of impending suffocation, and rapidly increasing dyspnoea.

Very loud musical whistlings, during both inspiration and expiration, but louder during inspiration.

Could not possibly lie down; felt as if he would suffocate if he did not sit up.

The oppression first appeared to be all in the right lung ; it then attacked the left lung, and the right became entirely relieved.

All the obstruction seemed to be in inspiration.

When the attack reached its acme expectoration set in ; at first scanty, then increased in quantity, warm and salt.

A constant desire to clear the chest of something, so that I could inspire better.

On making a forcible expiration, in the attempt to clear the chest, had a raw, burning, sore feeling behind the whole length of the sternum, and in each lung.

Although Dr. Jones was “ inclined to asthma,” as he says, this attack was very different from his usual attacks. The question arises — would the Aralia originate an attack in a person not inclined to asthma? When we consider that it is drank in large quantities of the decoction without causing any such effects — so far as we know, — its power of causing such attacks sui generis is more than doubtful. But this will not prevent its being useful and homoeopathic to asthma, especially in persons subject to attacks. Dr. Jones took ten drops of the mother tincture. I have greatly relieved asthmatics with the same doses, repeated every hour. For children the 2* dilution acts well. The tincture to be potent must be made from the fresh root.

Dr. Jones relates a case of hay asthma, cured by Aralia, in which the characteristic symptoms were :

Yearly attacks of suffocative catarrh, with “ extreme sensitiveness to a draught, the least current of air causing sneezing, with copious watery, acrid discharge from nostrils and posterior nares, of a salty, acrid taste, excoriating all the passages.”

Waking at midnight, with suffocative breathing, inability to lie down, and the copious discharge above mentioned.

Relief of the asthma by bending forward, elbows on knees. Inspiration more difficult than expiration.

When the coryza ceased the trouble went to the lungs, with

dry, wheezing cough, ejecting yellow, threadlike pieces of tough mucus.

Aralia, ten drops, three times a day ; cured in three days.

It has been used with apparent benefit in dysmenorrhoea, leucorrhoea, and suppressed lochia, but in these cases the home infusion was given.