Plantago Major
By Constantine Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of our Materia Medica
Plantain. Plantaginaceæ.
The greater plantain is common in Europe and North America. The fresh plant is gathered when coming into flower, and from it is prepared the alcoholic tincture.
Provings by Heath, Hah. Mo., 1868, vol. 3, p. 332 ; F. Humphreys, Earhart, Fox, Warren, Wood, Bishop, Freeman, Slocum, Bunting, Leavanway, Humphreys Monograph, 1871 ; an additional proving by Heath, N. Am. J. of Hom., 1873, p. 502.
CLINICAL AUTHORITIES.
- Otalgia , Houghton, N. E. M. G., vol. 11, p. 188 ; Woodyatt, Times Ret., 1876, p. 48 ; Toothache , Plympton, Hah. Mo., vol. 10, p. 411 ; Reutlinger, A. H. O., vol. 6, p. 140 ; Neuralgia of teeth , Boynton, Hom. Times, vol. 3, p. 204 ; Times Ret., 1875, p. 119 ; Tobacco habit , Price, Organon, vol. 2, p. 118 ; Chronic diarrhœa ; Times Ret., 1877, p. 95 ; Polyuria , Allen, Hom. Cl., vol. 4, p. 61 ; Enuresis , Chamberlain, B. J. H., vol. 25, p. 319 ; Nocturnal emissions , Jones, N. E. M. G., vol. 2, p. 175 ; Delayed urination , Chamberlain, B. J. H., vol. 25, p. 319 ; Ague, Higgins. N. A. J. H., vol. 22, p. 181.
MIND [1]
Mind inactive, with dull, muddled feeling in head.
Despondency ; confusion of thought.
Irritable, morose disposition ; impatient, restless mood, with dull, stupid feeling in brain.
Great mental prostration, < by mental exertion, which also causes rapid respiration and a feeling of great anxiety.
INNER HEAD [3]
Twinges of pain in different parts of head ; now through right temple, extending backward ; then through occiput from ear to ear ; then in other parts of head, more or less severe.
Severe pain in left side of head, from forehead extending deep into brain, coming on in paroxysms.
Intermittent pulsative pain in vertex and in small spot beneath scalp.
Headache accompanied by toothache.
Dull headache.
SIGHT AND EYES [5]
Ciliary neuralgia from decayed teeth ; dull, heavy ache in left eye, with exquisite tenderness of ball ; left upper incisor decayed.
HEARING AND EARS [6]
Pain in ear with pain in teeth and face ; pains are sharp, twinging, running.
Otalgia, independent of organic lesions.
Neuralgic earache, associated with toothache ; darting, twinging, sharp, stabbing pains in inferior maxillary branch of trifacial nerve.
Earache, twinging, sharp pains, with pains in teeth.
Neuralgic earache, associated with odontalgia.
SMELL AND NOSE [7]
Frequent sneezing, with sudden attacks of profuse, watery, bland coryza.
Sudden discharge of yellowish water from right nostril.
Yellow water from nose like saffron.
Red papula around nose.
UPPER FACE [8]
Neuralgia in left side of face, pains shooting and tearing, extending from jaw to ear.
Violent bruised aching pain in right side of face.
Eruption on forehead.
Small, red, rough, scaly erythematous patches, size of pea, on face, especially left side.
LOWER FACE [9]
Dry, scaly eruption on lower lip.
TEETH AND GUMS [10]
Teeth (l. side) feel elongated, sore ; pain unbearably severe, boring, digging in sound teeth ; < from contact and extremes of heat and cold.
Aching in decayed teeth, or shooting up left side of face ; face red.
Excessive boring and digging pain, profuse flow of saliva, < by walking in cold air and by contact ; teeth feel elongated and sore ; soreness even of sound teeth while eating ; very rapid decay of teeth ; bleeding of gums.
Continuous aching in badly decayed wisdom tooth in left lower jaw, after ride across ferry in a sharp wind, five weeks previously ; sharp pain shooting up left side of face towards temples and ears, with considerable redness of face.
Neuralgia of inferior dental nerve.
Grinding of teeth at night.
Gums bleed easily.
TASTE, SPEECH, TONGUE [11]
Food tasteless.
Tongue coated white, with dirty, putrid or clammy taste.
INNER MOUTH [12]
Breath putrid, offensive.
Aphtha in children.
PALATE AND THROAT [13]
Dry, parched throat.
Sensation of scraping in throat.
APPETITE, THIRST. DESIRES, AVERSIONS [14]
Appetite poor.
Thirst.
Bad effects of excessive use of tobacco (causes disgust for tobacco in chewers).
HICCOUGH, BELCHING, NAUSEA AND VOMITING [16]
Eructations, tasting like sulphur or carbonic acid gas.
Nausea with drowsiness or faint, tremulous feeling.
SCROBICULUM AND STOMACH [17]
Sinking feeling at stomach.
Heaviness of stomach even after a light meal ; sensation of heat in precordia, with fulness in abdomen while walking in fresh air ; > sitting down ; faint and tremulous feeling, with nausea ; slight appetite and speedy satiety ; food tasteless ; rumbling in abdomen after eating ; loud and copious flatulency ; diarrhœa, with loose frequent stools and flatulency ; hemorrhoids.
ABDOMEN AND LOINS [19]
Sensation of goneness in abdomen.
Distension of abdomen, with frequent loud and copious discharge of fetid flatus.
Rumbling and uneasiness in bowels.
Violent griping pains, mostly in upper part of abdomen.
Colic : > by eating ; flatulent.
STOOLS AND RECTUM [20]
Stool : brown, fermented, frothy ; watery, brown ; watery ; papescent ; excoriating (watery, brown).
Diarrhœa : with loose frequent stools with flatulency ; < 8 to 10 A. M.
Before stool : colic ; frequent discharge of offensive flatus.
During stool : violent griping pains, with tenesmus (or absence of pain), partial prolapse of rectum, weakness ; faintness.
Chronic diarrhœa of two years' duration ; at least five stools during day and one or two during night ; stools loose, watery, but not bloody ; gurgling in bowels, without colic ; tongue clean ; no appetite, could eat no meat, lived chiefly on fish and vegetables ; great thirst ; sallow complexion ; great emaciation, but strength not much reduced, though complained frequently of feeling of emptiness and faintness in head ; pulse weak but regular.
Chronic diarrhœa, with flatulency and prolapsus of rectum.
Cholera infantum.
Dysentery.
Blind piles ; hemorrhoidal tumors inflamed and exceedingly painful, interfering entirely with the work (locally).
Angry inflamed hemorrhoidal tumors.
Worms.
URINARY ORGANS [21]
Frequent passages of large quantities of pale urine ; every night, besides being taken up two or three times to urinate, he soaked two mattresses ; stools grey or mixed grey in color ; irritable ; puffy under eyes ; eats heartily and sleeps soundly.
Nocturnal copious enuresis from laxity of sphincter vesicæ.
Irritable bladder and frequent micturition.
Nocturnal enuresis ; profuse colorless urine, depositing a white sediment ; occurs from midnight to morning.
Enuresis in children where urine is scanty, acrid and loaded with uric acid and its deposits ; bladder and sphincter in an irritable condition, causing frequent micturition day and night.
Delayed dribbling urination in a woman.
MALE SEXUAL ORGANS [22]
Sexual debility.
FEMALE SEXUAL ORGANS [23]
Erysipelas of mamma.
PREGNANCY. PARTURITION. LACTATION [24]
Erysipelas of the mamma.
Mastitis ; heat, swelling, pain.
HEART, PULSE AND CIRCULATION [29]
Palpitation of heart.
LOWER LIMBS [33]
Hard, white, flattened, isolated papula on inside of thighs ; some having red point in centre.
REST. POSITION. MOTION [35]
Sitting down : fulness in abdomen >.
Moving about : gooseflesh <.
Walking : fulness in abdomen.
NERVES [36]
Weariness and prostration, with desire to yawn and stretch.
Neuralgia from use of tobacco.
SLEEP [37]
Insomnia from abdominal troubles ; cannot sleep after 4 A. M. ; tosses about or falls into a dreamy sleep, full of gloom and fright, which rouses him.
Grinding of teeth during sleep.
Sleep restless ; disturbed by dreams.
TIME [38]
After 4 A. M. : cannot sleep.
From 8 to 10 A. M. : diarrhœa <.
Day : frequent micturition.
At 2 P. M. : gooseflesh.
Night : grinding of teeth ; passages of large quantities of pale urine ; frequent micturition ; itching of skin <.
TEMPERATURE AND WEATHER [39]
Heat of room unbearable.
Warm room : hands cold.
Fresh air : walking, fulness in abdomen.
Heat and cold : toothache <.
Cold air : toothache <.
Sharp wind : ride in, aching in teeth.
FEVER [40]
Erratic pains in chest ; dulness in head and stretching of limbs.
Chill : without thirst ; with gooseflesh, 2 P. M., running over body, < when moving about ; fingers cold ; coldness of body with shivering ; head feels irritable ; feet and legs cold ; hands cold, even in warm room.
Heat, with thirst ; great excitability, anxiety, mental agony, restlessness ; room seems hot and close ; oppression of chest, rapid respiration ; breathing difficult, as if there was no air in room ; burning heat of head, face, hands and feet ; head feels hot, painful, dull and stupid ; hands hot and clammy.
Sweat : cold over lumbar and sacral region ; heat of room unbearable, producing perspiration.
Fever, which runs its course for many weeks or months, either in daily paroxysms or repeated every two, three, four, seven or fourteen days ; relaxation of sphincter vesicæ.
Chronic intermittent fever, especially after abuse of quinine.
ATTACKS, PERIODICITY [41]
Daily paroxysms of fever, or repeated every two, three, four, seven or fourteen days.
During day : five stools.
During night : one or two stools.
From midnight to morning : nocturnal enuresis.
Two years' duration : chronic diarrhœa.
LOCALITY AND DIRECTION [42]
Right : twinges of pain through temple ; sudden discharge of yellowish water from nostril ; bruised aching in side of face.
Left : severe pain in side of head ; dull, heavy ache in eye ; upper incisor decayed ; neuralgia in side of face ; erythematous patches on face ; teeth feel elongated.
SENSATIONS [43]
Pains are tearing in nature.
Teeth : as if elongated ; as if there was no air in room.
Pain : in ear, in teeth, in face.
Severe pain : in left side of head.
Boring, digging : in teeth.
Shooting : in left side of face.
Twinges of pain : in different parts of head ; in ear.
Griping pains : in upper part of abdomen.
Pulsative pain : in vertex and in small spot beneath scalp.
Erratic pains : in chest.
Violent bruised, aching pain : in right side of face.
Neuralgia : in ear ; in left side of face ; in inferior dental nerve.
Dull, heavy ache : in left eye.
Aching : in decayed teeth.
Dull pain : in head.
Soreness : of teeth ; even of sound teeth.
Exquisite tenderness : of eyeball.
Scraping : in throat.
Heat : in precordia ; burning of head, face, hands and feet.
Heaviness : of stomach.
Fulness : in abdomen.
Sinking feeling : at stomach.
Goneness : of abdomen.
Coldness : of body.
Itching : of skin.
TISSUES [44]
Ill effects of tobacco.
Inflammation of glands, particularly of mamma.
Incised wounds become highly inflamed, erysipelatous and even gangrenous.
Lacerated of incised wounds or injuries, especially when attended with painful swelling and tendency to erysipelatous inflammation or sphacelus.
Bruises.
Bites of animals.
Frost-bites ; chilblains.
TOUCH. PASSIVE MOTION. INJURIES [45]
A lady, while dressing a codfish, thrust one of the fins into palmar surface of middle finger, just over second or third large joint ; the wound was deep and bled profusely ; the night following the part became excessively painful, pain extending from wound up to shoulder, causing great distress ; next morning the whole hand swelled, back and front, especially the injured finger ; arm swelled up to shoulder, two distinct light pinkish streaks running up front of arm, from hand to shoulder ; third day, after some fruitless applications, being almost agonized with pain and suffering, she applied bruised plantain leaves to part, removing them as often as they became dry ; in about half an hour after application she felt so relieved that she fell asleep and slept probably an hour, the first sleep she had after the accident ; in two or three days the finger was well.
A young man cut his thumb through root of nail ; it was dressed and treated by an allopathic physician for two or three weeks ; it became inflamed, fearfully, swelled and was very painful. (Plantago externally and internally.)
A young man had his finger bitten through first joint, so as to almost sever end of finger ; it was swollen to about the size of a hen's egg, and very much inflamed. (Two or three external applications cured finger.)
SKIN [46]
Violent itching.
Intolerable itching of skin, < at night.
Pricking, stinging pains.
Tensive sensation.
Burning after rubbing and when scratched.
Redness, swelling and vesicles on hands and face.
Papula which exude a yellowish humor and form a crust.
Erythema.
Burns.
Poisoning with ivy ; the hand and a portion of the face red, swollen, itching violently, and in places covered with vesicles (pellets medicated with Plantago and a lotion made by a teaspoonful of the tincture to a cup of water).
Inflammatory affections of skin, with involvement of cellular tissue.
Aggravation from rubbing and scratching.
STAGE OF LIFE, CONSTITUTION [47]
Boy, æt. 5 ; polyuria.
Boy, æt. 14, bilious, sanguine temperament, healthy ; enuresis.
A young lady ; poisoning with ivy.
Man, æt. 45, suffering two years ; diarrhœa.
RELATIONS [48]
Plantago antidotes Apis , and produces a taste for tobacco.