Lobelia erinus

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

{Blue Lobelia.)

Description. — This is named by Gray the L. syphilitica, because of the reputation (baseless) which this plant once possessed. A common name is the " Great Lobelia." It has a somewhat hairy stem, leafy to the top, one to three feet high. Leaves, thin, ovate, acute at both ends, two to six inches long, irregularly serrate. Flowers, light blue, rarely white, crowded in a long spike. It is common in low grounds, flowering in August and September.

Officinal Preparations. — Tincture of the leaves; dilutions. Analogues. — Cistus(f) Hepar sulph (t ) Hydrastis (?)

Mind.

• Great depression of spirits; unhappy state of mind, always associated with " pain about and under (not below) the short ribs, in the back, on the left side, and extending outward nearly to the left side; this embraces the posterior aspect of the region of the spleen." (Dr. Jacob Jeanes.)

Frequent mistakes in writing and spelling, with aching and confusion in the head.

Head.

Pain on the left side of the head over the coronal suture.

Pains in the head and left arm, and a similar one in the same part of right arm.

Face flushed and headache after dinner, with drowsiness and lassitude, but inability to sleep when lying down; somewhat better going into the open air; restless sleep, with frequent wakings through the night; headache continuing until daylight.

Confused feeling, with slight aching in the head immediately. A dull, aching pain in the forehead, over the centre, lasting,

with slight intermissions, until the evening, increased by

reading or writing. Slight aching pain from the back of the head down the nape

of the neck.

Oppression in the forehead over the eyes ; dizziness, par ticularly in moving about, lasting three hours. Eyes.

Drawing sensation under the right eye, with pain in both mastoid processes, first felt and worse in the right one.

Soreness of the eyeballs from turning them; boring pain in the right orbit.

Itching of internal can thus of left eye.

Burning in right eye; itching in external can thus; soreness of the tarsi of the right eyelid; feeling of a foreign body under the upper lid of the right eye, with smarting and burning.

Heaviness over the eyes, like a weight, but no pain. Oppression over the eyelids and slight drowsiness. Slight aching over the eyes, particularly left eye.

Nose.

Itching and tingling feeling in the left nostril, as if about to sneeze.

A feeling of dryness and sensitiveness of the nostrils, so that the inhalation of air of a moderate temperature (supposed 60 degrees) creates a slightly painful feeling in two hours, also second day.

Frequent sneezing, with copious discharge of thick mucus from both nostrils.

A dull aching pain over the root of the nose, in the centre, lasting until evening.

Face and Lips.

Sensation of dropping under the left cheek bone. Flushed face with heat when lying down. Drawing pain in right cheek bone.

Constrictive feeling of mouth and tongue, especially at left commissure of the jaws, afterwards toward the root of the tongue.

Perfect dryness of the lips.

Jaws and Teeth.

Constrictive feeling at left commissure of the jaws.

Frequent shooting pains through the teeth on the right side.

4:20

Mouth and Throat.

Sensation of a lump in the upper portion of the oesophagus;

dryness of the left half of the palate. Bleeding of the gums, with putrid taste.

Pain in the region of left tonsil immediately, also pain in region of right tonsil.

Great soreness, rawness, pricking dryness of the lower surface of the palate, extending forward through the whole mouth.

Thick mucus secretion in the throat, with diminution of the very unpleasant feeling of constriction, rawness, dryness and soreness of throat; the soreness of palate and the astringent feeling in the left side of the mouth, though abated after the mucus secretion at noon, still continues to be felt after eleven hours.

A renewed secretion of thick mucus in thirty-six hours, apparently on the superior surface of the palate, removed by snuffling and hawking, with still further diminution of the soreness of the throat.

Much tickling about the top of the larynx, with disposition to hacking cough; dryness in back part of throat.

Throat moist, showing red, elevated spots.

Increased secretion of mucus from the throat.

0 Catarrhal inflammation of posterior nares and fauces. [Hale.) Gastric Symptoms.

Violent pain in stomach followed with copious eructations of watery fluid; morning hoarseness connected with the state of the stomach; dyspeptic symptoms continue, but they are much lighter.

Sinking feeling in the stomach followed by borborygmi below the epigastrium, directly after dinner.

0 Acid eructations from 5 to 6 p. m. ( Williamson.)

Hypochondria and Abdomen.

Pain in left hypochondria.

Pain from jolting, in the stomach and both hypochondria. Pain in region of left kidney.

Urine.

Increased quantity of urine, with free discharge.

Pain in bladder, caused by retaining urine; when evacuated

of a deep amber color; itching and smarting in the fore part of the urethra.

Stool and Anus. Loose evacuations from the bowels.

Copious evacuations of watery stool, with tenesmus and soreness in the anus.

Ineffectual effort at stool, with free eructations of tasteless wind on rising from bed.

Pains in the abdomen, most below the umbilicus, followed by diarrhoeal stools in the afternoon and evening. Chest.

Pain in left side of chest near the axilla, with aching in left shoulder and arm.

0 Oppression in the lower part of the chest, as if the breath did not reach there; distress in the region of the heart, and audible " knocking" respiration (like the sound of an axe in chopping wood); pain under the short ribs, and dry cough. (JVeidha?^.)

° Dry hacking cough of four weeks' duration, extremely troublesome day and night, and pain in the right side about the junction of the sixth rib with its cartilage, of a year's duration ; dryness of the back part of the throat. {Ib.)

Difficulty in breathing.

Neck, Back and Loins.

Stiffness of the nape (worse in left side), from looking up.

Rheumatic pain along the right collar bone in the evening.

Flashing of heat in the back and shoulders.

Stitching pain in right back, passing from eighth rib downwards; pains between shoulders and in neck both sides.

Cutting pains in the back under the false ribs, cutting forwards and upwards.

Slight aching pain in the nape of the neck.

• A pain commencing at the right side of the small of the

back, then going down to the os ischium, which is very sore to touch. (Neidhard.)

• Great rigidity of the spine; least motion exceedingly painful; the pain goes from the right to the left side of the back, and shoots down the legs. {Ib-)

the short ribs; the pain is increased by movement and deep inspiration. {II).)

Pain, heavy, aching, in the back under the false ribs, worse at night in bed, increased to a cutting pain by deep inspiration and by turning in bed.

Painful weakness of the loins when standing.

Upper Extremities.

Heavy pain in radial muscles of left arm.

Aching in left shoulder and lingers whilst writing.

Stiff, numb feeling in palm of right hand.

Lower Extremities.

Pricking and stinging pain in soles of both feet, as if asleep.

Stitching pain in left tibia.

Pain in heel of left foot.

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

The Blue Lobelia was first mentioned by Dr. Hering. The provings he collected were published in the first volume of “American Institute Transactions/’ but it has been rarely used in practice, except by the veterans Jeanes, Williamson, and Neidhard.

Dr. Jeanes cured a group of symptoms, of which melancholy, with pain under the short ribs of the left side from back to front, were the principal. He supposed the spleen was affected. In such a case I should have given Cimicifuga.

The old botanic doctors, who valued the Lobelia inflata so highly, make no mention of this species. Rafinesque, however, says : “ By their taste the species Lobelia syphilitica (now called Cerulea) and Lobelia cardinalis, appear to have properties somewhat similar but milder.” He says the Lobelia cerulea has been analyzed and found to contain Silex, Iron, Muriate and Phosphate of lime. “It is a lactescent and nauseous plant, which has been deemed long ago to be diuretic, cathartic, emetic, with properties similar to Lobelia inflata, but less active. The root has been chiefly used. Dose, five to twenty grains in dropsy.”

In the provings a tincture of the leaves was used. Either all the provers were suffering from bad attacks of catarrhal headache and catarrhal affections of the nose and throat, or this remedy is more specific for such affections than any we possess. If the provings are trustworthy, it ought to rival Iod. of ars., Hepar sulph., Hydrastis, Gelseminum, Cistus, or Merc. iod.

The head, eyes, nose, mouth, and throat symptoms form a perfect picture of a sneezing influenza, or catarrhal affection. The throat symptoms, especially, give a vivid picture of that variety of catarrh which affects the posterior nares, palate, fauces, and even lower portions of the throat. It does not seem to affect the larynx and bronchia, however.

This variety of catarrh more generally affects young boys and girls, and people advanced in life, although I have observed it in persons of all ages. It is difficult to cure, and if Lobelia cerulea will cure a portion of your cases, it is worthy your high esteem.

Dr. Neidhard has cured a cough of’ four weeks’ duration, day and night, with “ dryness of the back part of the throat,” which doubtless caused the cough.

Neidhard cured some cases of pain in the back, running down the legs, which appear to have been cases of sciatica, associated with rheumatic irritation of the spinal muscles. The symptoms (see “ Materia Medica ”) resembled those cured by Cimicifuga and Nux.

You will find this remedy difficult to procure at the pharmacies, but it is one that you can readily find and prepare for yourselves, for it grows everywhere. Gray still calls it Lobelia syphilitica, — a prostitution of the plant which ought not to be sanctioned, for its virtues in syphilis are purely mythical.