Jalapa

by John Henry Clarke — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica

Ipomœa purga (Hayne). Convolvulus purga (Wunderoth). Exogonium purga (Benth.). Jalap. (Mexico). N. O. Convolvulaceæ. Trituration of root.

Clinical

Anus, soreness of / Coryza / Diarrhœa / Gout / Fainting / Restlessness

Characteristics

Jalap. is the well-known purgative of old-school practice. It has had a short proving by Noack and Trinks, and a later one by Jeanes. The characteristic stools of Jalap. are: Watery, sour-smelling, and bloody. There is cutting colic before and during the stool. The most marked < is at night. A child may be quite quiet all day, but screams and tosses about all night. In such a case Jalap. is very likely to be the remedy whether the child is suffering from diarrhœa or other complaint. Allen gives this as cured: Coryza in an infant, violent attacks of crying and intense pain; quiet during the day, but screaming all night. Nash cured with Jalap. 12 a desperate case of entero-colitis in which there was screaming all day as well as all night. With the screaming there were constant contortions of the body, bending forward, backward, and sideways alternately. There is great restlessness and anxiety with Jalap. General coldness and blueness of the face. The abdominal pain is very severe: "as if the abdomen would be Cut to Pieces"; severe griping, cutting pains. Pain in sigmoid flexure. There is great weakness; fainting fits; excessive uneasiness and tossing about of limbs. There is > of pain by eructations of frothy matter and flatulence.

Relations

Compare: Camph. (diarrhœa with coldness); Coloc. (colic). Ir. t. (pain in cæcum).

1. Mind

Great restlessness with anxiety.

2. Head

Violent headache. Pain in head; smarting in skin of forehead.

4. Ears

Humming in ears.

6. Face

Dryness of lips.

8. Mouth

Biting and smarting of tongue. Stinging on tongue and in fauces.

11. Stomach

Flatulent and frothy eructations with abatement of pain. Nausea.

12. Abdomen

Pain in r. hypochondrium. Severe griping, cutting pain in bowels, < at night. Pain in middle of abdomen and in region of l. superior flexure of colon. Pain in cæcum. Flatulent rumbling in bowels. Colic: violent pain in small intestines, as if abdomen would be cut to pieces. Inflammation of intestines.

13. Stool and Anus

Stools: violent, excessive; bloody; watery, with weak pulse; sour-smelling; with great restlessness and anxiety. Before and during stool: cutting colic. Pain in sigmoid flexure of colon. Soreness of anus. Diarrhœa in infants: child is quiet all day, but screams and tosses about all night (severe cutting, griping pain in bowels). Infantile diarrhœa, general coldness, blueness of face.

14. Urinary Organs

Pain and pressure in region of bladder.

15. Male Sexual Organs

Thrilling sensation in urethra whilst urinating.

20. Back

Severe pain about superior margin of l. scapula.

21. Limbs

Aching in arms and legs, most r. side.

23. Lower Limbs

Pain in thighs. Smarting on inside edge and at root of l. great toenail, with beat, tearing and pulsation. Pain in large joint of great toe. Burning of soles of feet.

24. Generalities

Fainting fits; weakness. Excessive uneasiness and tossing about of limbs.

27. Fever

General coldness and blueness of face. Febrile attacks. Great disposition to perspiration of head and superior parts of body.

Jalapa across the other classic books

Jalapa appears in 6 of the 13 classic books on Similia. Each was written to do a different job — here is what each adds on this remedy, with the opening of its entry.

Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“Ipomœa purga, Hayne. Natural order , Convolvulaceæ. Synonyms , Convolvulus purga, Wenderoth; Exogonium purga, Benth. Common name , Jalap. Preparation , Trituration of the root. Authority. Noack and Trinks, Arzneimittellehre. Violent headache. Humming in the ears. Stinging on the tongue and in the fauces. Nausea and…”
Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Jalap (EXOGONIUM PURGA) Causes and cures colic and diarrhœa. The child is good all day, but screams and is restless and troublesome at night. Tongue, smooth, glazed, dry, smarting. Pain in right hypochondrium. Flatulence and nausea. Pinching and griping. Watery diarrhœa; thin, muddy stools. Abdomen distended. Face…”
Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“Intestines. Stomach. Night. Eructations. Child is good all day, but screams and tosses about all night. Colic. Stools watery, muddy or sour; bloody. Related: Colo.”
Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Jalap. Convolvulaceæ. Native to Mexico, from whence the first roots were brought by Coxe, in 1827. The flowers are large and lilac purple, the roots tuberous. The tincture is prepared from the dried and finely pulverized root. It has been much used by the Old School as an active cathartic, generally in connection with…”
Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
““Child ‘good’ all day; screaming, restless and very troublesome at night” (frequently verified). I once had a case of entero-colitis that for more than eight weeks baffled my best efforts to cure. The case went from bad to worse, until it was reduced almost to a skeleton. Instead of screaming all night it screamed day…”

Jalapa in Kent's Repertory

Kent's Repertory lists Jalapa in 25 rubrics. These are the ones where it carries the highest grade — the symptoms Kent treated as most characteristic. Most of them sit in EXTREMITIES (7), STOOL (5), GENERALITIES (3), MIND (3), MOUTH (2).

MIND - WEEPING,tearful mood,etc. - sleep,in - good during the day,screaming and restless all night
MIND - RESTLESSNESS,nervousness - children,in
MIND - SHRIEKING - children,in
STOOL - ODOR. - sour
STOOL - WATERY
SLEEP - SLEEPLESSNESS
EXTREMITIES - PAIN - pressing - Upper Arm - sitting amel.
EXTREMITIES - PAIN - Leg - calf - rheumatic
EXTREMITIES - JERKING - Forearm
MOUTH - PAIN - biting,in - Tongue
MOUTH - PAIN - stitching - Tongue
STOOL - FORCIBLE,sudden,gushing
EXTREMITIES - RESTLESSNESS
RECTUM - DIARRHOEA - night
EXTREMITIES - PAIN - burning - Foot - sole
GENERALITIES - PULSE - soft
EXTREMITIES - PAIN - Upper Arm
GENERALITIES - WEAKNESS,enervation - morning
FACE - DRYNESS - lips
STOOL - COPIOUS

Search all 7 classical repertories

More remedies in this book

Previous remedy: Jac-g Next remedy: Jasm

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