Sticta Pulmonaria

Heavy full feeling, and pain and pressure in forehead and root of the nose > by discharge.

Secretions in the nose dry up and form crusts; constant inclination to blow the nose, without result, on account of the excessive dryness.

Dry night cough; can’t sleep or lie down; must sit up: cough after measles (Coff.).

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This remedy, although never anywhere fully proven, has come to be a very useful one. In acute catarrh it is one of the best.

Its characteristic symptom here is heavy pain and pressure in the forehead and root of the nose. This is in the beginning of a cold; when the nose begins to discharge freely the pain ceases or becomes much less.

It is also of great value in the form of nasal catarrh, if when the discharges dry up there is this same pain in forehead and frontal sinuses. In these cases the nasal secretions incline to dry up and are hard to discharge, but the irritation is so great that there is a constant inclination to blow the nose, with little result. These secretions become so hard and dry as to form scabby concretions. This condition is next door to the plugs and clinkers of Kali bichromicum, which often go on to ulceration of the septum. I have relieved many cases of chronic catarrh with Sticta; some of years’ standing.

You will remember that Kali bichromicum also has a severe frontal headache at the root of the nose, especially from suppressed catarrh, so that all the other symptoms must be considered in choosing between them. The other remedies that resemble Sticta in the acute form of catarrh are Aconite, Ammonium carb., Camphor, Nux vomica and Sambucus, and in the chronic form Ammonium carb. and Lycopodium.

There is never with Sticta the watery or fluent form of coryza, such as calls for Euphrasia, Mercurius, Arsenicum and Kali hydroiodicum. Nor have I ever found it of use in the thick, bland kind of discharge that calls for Pulsatilla, Sepia and Kali sulphuricum. Sticta is also one of our cough remedies, and one of the best indications for its use, especially in acute cough, is the aforementioned nasal catarrh attending it. The Sticta cough is also worse at night when lying down and keeps the patient awake, though I do not think the wakefulness is entirely owing to the cough, but that a nervous condition which also comes under the curative range of Sticta contributes to it.

This remedy is one of the best for the obstinacy of cough attending or following measles, and here we remember that sleeplessness is a frequent concomitant. In this respect Sticta is like Coffea cruda, which is wonderfully efficacious here. The cough of Sticta is at first dry, but later on may become loose; hence it is often found of use in the incessant, racking, wearing coughs of consumptives. In hay fever it is the remedy when the trouble centres in the head and frontal sinuses; the nose is completely plugged up, though there is continual sneezing.

I have found Sticta promptly curative in inflammatory rheumatism of the knee joint. It is very sudden in its attacks, and unless promptly relieved by Sticta will go on to the exudative stage and become chronic in character. In one case the pain was so severe that the patient, though a strong, resolute man, became delirious with the pain. Sticta relieved and completely cured him, so that he was able to attend to his business (teamster) within a week. Sticta deserves a thorough proving. There is a nervous symptom that has been several times verified, viz.—“legs felt as if floating in the air, or she felt light and airy as if not resting on the bed.” See Asarum and Valerian. Such sensations are often found in hysterical conditions and are very distressing.