Hedeoma pulegioides

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(American Pennyroyal.)

Botanical Description. — This plant is erect, branched and hairy ; its leaves are petioled, oblong-ovate, obscurely serrate, the floral similar; whorls few-flowered; corolla, bluish, pubescent, scarcely exceeding the calyx; sterile filaments, tipped with a little head. It is common and mostly found in open barren fields and woods; flowers from July to September; plant from six to ten inches high, with nearly the same odor and taste as the true Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium.) of Europe.

[H. hispida. — Erect, hairy; plant from two to five inches high; leaves sessile, linear, entire, the floral similar, and exceeding the flowers; corolla scarcely longer than the ciliate, hispid calyx. It is found in Illinois and southward.]

This is a well known plant growing in dry, sterile situations, especially in calcareous soils, and blossoms from June to September, rendering the air fragrant for some distance around it. It is an indigenous annual^ common to all parts of the United States. It has a pleasant, aromatic smell, which, however, is very offensive to some persons, and a warm, pungent, mint-like taste. It must not be confounded with the Mentha pulegium, or European Pennyroyal.

Officinal Preparations. — Tincture; oil; dilutions.

Analogues. — Apis, Cantharis, Caulophyllum, Gopaiva, Erigeron, Pulsatilla, Sabina, Secale, Senecio, Tanacetum, Turpentine.

Head.

Excessive pains in the head.

Sore pain in the left temporal region.

Eyes.

Loss of vision, everything turns black.

Nose.

Epistaxis.

Mouth.

Dryness of the mouth; tongue covered with a very thin white coat.

Stomach.

• Nausea; straining to vomit; pain or spasm in the stomach.

• Drawing pains from the stomach to the uterus and back. Everything taken into the stomach causes pain. Sensation as if the stomach would come up into the mouth. ° Gastritis.

Abdomen.

Bearing down pains; periodical pain.

Distension of the abdomen; soreness and sensitiveness.

Obstinate constipation.

0 Colic-like pains from colds, diarrhoea, etc.

0 Intestinal spasms of children.

Urinary Organs. Suppression of urine; tenesmus; painful urination Scanty urination, with frequent and urging desire. Cutting, burning pains in the urethra. Urine very dark, like black tea.

Generative Organs. Female. — Excessive bearing down pain, with pressure outward from lower abdomen.

• Pains are periodical, like true labor pains, severe, aggravated

by movement, and attended by sensation of weakness or paralysis of the lower limbs. Drawing from upper sacral spine to the uterus.

• Leucorrhoea, itching and burning, yellow, excoriating. Excessive sensitiveness to pressure over both ovaries. 0Amenorrhoea from atony of the organs.

c Spasms of the uterus.

° Congestion of the uterus and ovaries.

° False labor pains.

° Suppression of the menses, from a cold. ° Suppression of the lochia. 0 Threatened miscarriage.

Throat.

Choking sensation, as if something were rising in the throat.

Chest.

Frequent and periodical dyspnoea and oppression of the thorax. Labored, asthmatic breathing.

Back and Loins. Excessive pain in the back, with pressing downwards to the uterus.

Extremities.

Paralytic weakness in all the limbs. Stiffness and weakness of the joints, with soreness. Pains; laming, aching, rheumatic pains in the limbs. Stiffness of the knees, can hardly get up.

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

The plant which I allude to under this name and its common name Pennyroyal, is not the Mentha, pulegium of Europe, also called Pennyroyal, but the Hedeoma pulegioides, or American Pennyroyal. It is a little singular that since the publication by Dr. Toothacher of the interesting and serious case of poisoning by the oil (see “Philadelphia Journal of Homoeopathy,” vol. ii, p. 18), and since my mention of it in “ New Remedies ” ten years ago, no clinical experience with it has been published in this country.

I believe it has been used by some English homoeopathists. I have used it in some disorders of women, in which I believe it rivals Sabina.

If you will study the pathogenesis or characteristic symptoms, in Vol. I, you will see that it corresponds to many symptoms of uterine disorders.

The most popular uses of the Oil of pennyroyal are for suppression of the menses, flatulent colic, and effects of a cold. It has been resorted to for the criminal purpose of causing miscarriage, as in Dr. Toothacher’s case of poisoning.

The symptoms evolved by the case referred to indicate that it is primarily homoeopathic to dysmenorrhoea , threatened abortion , uterine spasms, uterine haemorrhage, and acrid leucorrhoea. I make no doubt it is secondarily homoeopathic to those conditions in which it is so much used as a domestic remedy, namely: suppressed menses from a cold, suppressed lochia, and passive congestion of the uterus and ovaries.

I am inclined to believe that it affects the spinal cord as an irritant in a manner similar to Turpentine and Tanacetum, and that it affects the uterus through the spinal nerves.

The uterine symptoms are quite notable, e. g., “ excessive bearing-down pains, with pressure outward from the whole lower abdomen to the utero-vaginal region ; drawing down from the upper sacral spine to the uterus, also from the epigastrium ; these pains are periodical, like true labor pains, and almost unendurable, greatly aggravated by movement, and attended by a sense of weakness or paralysis in the limbs; leucorrhoea, itching and burning;

discharge yellow, excoriating ; soreness and excessive sensitiveness to pressure over both ovaries.”

You may find it curative in ovaritis from suppressed menses, or from miscarriage.

The symptoms of the urinary organs are quite important, showing it to be an analogue of Turpentine, Cantharis, Erigeron, etc. It caused suppression of urine, tenesmus, painful urination, scanty urination with frequent and urging desire, cutting-burning pains in the urethra or at the sphincter urinarius, sense of weight when passing water, urine very dark, like black tea.

It seems to have caused inflammation of the kidneys and bladder, in fact the whole urinary apparatus. Such inflammatory conditions usually attend metritis and ovaritis. The last symptom — “ very dark urine, like black tea ” — indicates that blood was present in the urine. Such urine is very common after scarlatina, and indicates serious disease of the kidneys. It may prove useful in urethritis, gonorrhoea, gleet, and orchitis.

It may prove useful in lumbago, in paralysis of the lower limbs from reflex causes, as uterine or renal disease.

It certainly relieves the flatulent colic of children and adults, and may be as useful as Turpentine in tympanites, whether from intestinal disease or uterine inflammation.

The dose will vary with the symptoms. For its primary effects, use the 3d to 6th dilutions of the oil ; when indicated secondarily, use the 1st or mother tincture from the plant.