Fagopyrum esculentum

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Buckwheat.)

Botanical Description. — This plant belongs to the order of Polygonacese,or the Buckwheat family, is a native of Asia, and introduced into this country from Europe. It is an annual, cultivated, flowering from June to September.

There is also a wild variety found growing in fields and old pastures, (which it might be worth while to prove,; in the form of a vine.

Emil Wolf, of Wurtemberg, gives us the following analysis: The straw contains 6.15 per cent, of ash and 160. per cent, of water. The dry grain contains 9.2 per cent. ash and 141. per cent, water.

Percentage of Potash, in the straw 46.6, in the grain 23.1 ; of soda, in the straw 2.2, in the grain 6.2; of magnesia, in the straw 3.6, in the grain 13.4; of lime, in the straw 18.4, in the grain 3.3; of phosphoric acid, in the straw 11.9, in the grain 48.0; of sulphuric acid, in the straw 5.3, in the grain 2.01 ; of silicia, in the straw 5.5; in the grain .0; of chlorine, in the straw 7.7, in the grain 1.7.

The Fagopyrum contains a crystalizable coloring principle, which is identical with ruteine or rutic acid, discovered in the common rue.

Officinal Preparations. — Tincture from the whole plant, and seed at maturity, with strong alcohol ; dilutions.

Analogues. — Arsenicum (?), Calc. carb. (?), Graphites (?), Sulphur (?), Silicia (?), Rumex(?), Stillingia (?), Juglans {?).

(These symptoms are selected from the voluminous provings presented to the American Institute in 1873, by Dr. D. Hitchcock, of Norwalk, Conn.)

Mind.

Very cross and irritable; feeling as of a weight on the mind. Spirits exhilarated; feels happy.

Inability to study, or to remember what is heard or read,

even for a few minutes. Great depression of spirits in evening. (Never felt before

that I did not care to live.) No desire to speak, or be spoken to.

Head.

Vertigo, and confused feeling in the head. Slight vertigo, with nausea.

Vertigo and fullness of the head when rising; better by remaining quiet.

Dull headache in evening, pressing outward, especially in

occiput, relieved by pressure, gentle motion, or cool air. Bursting pressure in temples and forehead, with a feeling as

if eyes were pressed out. Pulsation and pressure in head, slightly relieved by bending

head backwards. Whole head feels composed, as if living in a dream. Great pressure; occasional sharp, darting pains, more through

right side.

A severe, continued pain in head and eyes, came on after an early walk; great heat of head, with red face; slight relief from a cool, wet compress; on its removal the forehead is covered with a measle-like rash.

Congestive headache in afternoon.

Headache and slight vertigo on waking, with tired, dull feeling. Pressive headache, starting at times with shooting pains from

back of eyes to back of neck. Wavy feeling in head.

A sharp, cutting pain, from over left eye, backward and inward. Dull pain in left temple, from left eye to occiput, and down left side of neck.

Heat of head and pain in forehead, changing to vertex, and

from thence to root of nose. Severe pressing pain from forehead to eyeballs and root of

nose.

Bruised, sore feeling of left temple.

Tensive feeling in upper part of head, followed by a wavy sensation.

Sharp stitching pain in occiput, right side.

Sharp darting pain in left occipital region, radiating to left

side, very marked. Itching of scalp, especially in occiput.

Eyes.

Objects appear indistinct; eyes feel blurred, have a glassy look.

Things appear obscure and wavy.

The eyes feel sensitive upon closing them tightly; a roughened feeling when moving the lids, especially left.

External canthi sore, with constant burning irritation and itching.

Pain in eyeballs and temples, shooting and darting.

Itching of edges of lids, burning and redness with swelling,

but never agglutinated. Pain in eyes sharp and continued, extending to right ear. Drooping of right eyelid. Meibomian glands inflamed.

Itching and smarting of eyes; they feel inflamed and hot.

Muscles of eyes feel sore on moving them.

Eyeballs sore, as if pressed out, and still held back by cords,

tender to touch. * Eyes hot, burning and glassy. Granular lids. (?) Sensation as of sand in eyes. Dull, oppressive pain in left eye.

Eyes swollen, hot and watery; secretion bland, and not excessive.

Ears.

Ears itch internally and externally, and sounds seem muffled. Burning heat and itching of both auricles.

Momentary buzzing and ringing in ears. Left meatus externus sore and sensitive to touch. Dull pain, extending from left ear to throat when swallowing. Sharp pains, extending from right ear downwards and backwards.

Nose.

Nose swollen, excoriated and sore within, itching and burning,

worse from contact. Soreness of nose; it fills with loose dry crusts; blood flows

slightly when they are removed. Fluent coryza; nose is alternately clear and stuffed up, with

catarrhal headache. Aching pains in nose when in cool air.

Schneiderian membrane parched and dry; it itches and burns, with an intermittent watery flow, followed by dry crusts.

Septum nasi cracked and sore, with a gnawing, stinging pain; ulcer in right nostril.

Face.

Neuralgic pain in left side of face; a sore, bruised feeling when closing the teeth or moving the jaws.

Face pale and then flushed, with dark circles under eyes.

• A red eruption, with swollen base, with heat, itching and burning.

Mouth.

Lips dry; they crack and peel, and are sore.

Vesicles on lips and in mouth, with burning.

Deep crack in corner of mouth, dry and sore.

Dryness of mouth and pharynx; lips are black and dry.

A very sensitive pimple on chin.

Soreness and swelling of gums; they bleed easily.

Dull pain in teeth, left side, worse from cold water.

Sour, bad taste; bitter taste.

Eructations of ingesta.

Tongue very red all the time, also the mouth and fauces. Tongue fissured deeply on the edges.

Copious flow of saliva, with yawning and eructations of air.

Mouth dry, with tough mucus in throat.

Uvula elongated, with granular appearance of soft palate.

Very offensive breath, with bad taste. Swollen sensation in roof of mouth.

Rough, sore feeling in roof of mouth and pharynx, with sticking pain in par tid glands.

Throat.

Throat is sore; feels raw and as if bruised, worse when swallowing.

Aching pain in fauces and pharynx, extending downwards.

Soreness about right tonsil; afterwards expelled a hard, offensive, cheesy mass, the size of a pea.

Dry soreness in throat and pharynx, with desire to swallow.

Smarting on under surface of soft palate when swallowing.

Frequent desire to swallow, with a painful raw sensation of palate.

Sore stiffness and swelling of fauces.

Tonsils swollen and red.

Constriction and darting pain in soft palate.

A small swelling in the trachea, sore and hard.

Submaxillary and parotid glands swollen and painful.

Stomach.

Faint nausea and loss of appetite, with heat in stomach and throat.

Excessive thirst every evening.

Constant nausea, almost to vomiting, and a sore feeling in

stomach, relieved by eructations. Eructations of scalding, acid, watery substance come up so hot

as to nearly strangle one. Eructations with offensive odor and taste. Constant acidity of stomach and heartburn. Belching of wind, with griping. Heat and a heavy uneasiness in stomach.

Stomach feels as if bruised and hurt, with depression and a

gnawing sensation. Sensation as of something moving in stomach, with a sore,

distressed feeling.

Abdomen.

Aching pains in abdomen, with distension coming on after stool.

Abdomen tympanitic and tender to touch, with suffocative

sensation about heart. Severe aching pain in abdomen early in morning, driving him

to stool.

Severe paroxysms of pain, with tenesmus, nausea, and hot

flashes and perspiration. Pain and great soreness in region of liver, with pains around

heart.

Sharp sticking pains through liver.

Dull throbbing pain in ascending colon, extending through to small of back.

Sharp pain through hypogastrium, extending into left inguinal region.

Severe griping, cutting pains in hypogastric region, awaking her from sleep, relieved by flexing limbs and by pressure.

Sore, bruised feeling in hypogastrium when she moves.

When seeing an operation, nausea became excessive, extending into bowels, with griping, cutting pains and diarrhoea.

Rumbling and fullness, with flatulence.

Stool and Anus.

Thin, watery stool, forcibly expelled, preceded and followed by tenesmus.

Stool with severe pain in rectum, extending down into the

thighs and legs. Burning in rectum after a hard, dark brown stool. Soft, light brown stool, with much flatus; followed by a chill

in back.

Frequent desire for stool, which was of oily consistence, and

fetid like spoiled eggs. Great urgency to go to stool, early in a. m. Feeling as of ascarides in rectum and anus.

Urinary Organs. Profuse flow of urine of a light color, acid. Difficulty in voiding last few drops. Cutting pain in the urethra, like a knife. Soon after urinating slight pain in bowels.

Sexual Organs. * Profuse sweating of genitals, of an offensive odor.

Pain like a bruise from left testicle upwards.

Menses two days earlier than usual, and not so profuse, but

the usual pruritus somewhat ameliorated. Slight leucorrhoea with pruritus; stains the linen yellow. Menses two days ahead of usual time, with the usual pains

much intensified; unable to keep quiet while pain lasted. Flow lasts usual time, but not so profuse, less pruritus than

usual.

Less mammary tenderness than usual. Severe bruised pain in right ovary when walking. (The leucorrhoea and pruritus were aggravated, but other symptoms were ameliorated.)

Chest.

Desire to take a deep inspiration, which does not satisfy. Touching neck under right ear occasions a cough with a smarting sensation in ear and throat. Sharp pain below left clavicle.

Dull, aching, or bruised feeling in chest and around the heart,

aggravated by bending over or walking. Sharp stitches, like the prick of a knife, in right breast when

breathing. Dull, sticking pains in left chest.

Sharp stitches, darting quickly in left chest and under the arm,

unaffected by respiration. Soreness in left chest.

Heart.

Sharp stitches shooting in cardiac region, with a sense of heat

over body; worse when bending forward. Sharp pam near heart, extending down from shoulder and

down arm.

Dull pain around heart and through chest during colic, with

depression of spirits. Sharp stitch through the heart.

"Gnawing pains around the heart, quite severe, with stitches;

relieved upon belching wind." (??) Severe frequent pains seem to pass through heart, and pulse

became irregular, on arising in the morning. Awoke from sleep with a stinging pain through the heart.

Sharp pains around heart during an attack of uterine colic. Slight constrictive feeling around heart.

[Nearly all the above symptoms seem to be largely due to colic and indigestion, as they were generally relieved by eructations of wind. The erratic pulse of one prover is also mainly due to the same cause, assisted by a lively imagination.]

The pulse seemed to vary greatly; sometimes accelerating

rapidly until it would lose a beat; again it begins stronger

and soon becomes weaker. Weak, irregular pulse; constantly changing in quality; each

beat seems to be drawn out, holding almost to the next

beat.

Pulse ran very fast for ten or twenty beats, and then suddenly changed and gave two or three full, long beats.

Pulse very irregular; not at all alike during the first and last half minute.

Jerking pulse.

The beats run together (after a walk), can count them with difficulty; occasionally a few full, distinct beats. Back and Neck.

Neck feels tired and weak, as if unable to support the head.

Pain in back of neck, extending forwards.

Eruption and itching on whole length of the back.

Pains in lumbar region, or small of back.

Stitching pain in right side, in region of kidneys.

Tensive pain under left scapula; better when drawing back the shoulders.

Chills along the back.

Upper Extremities.

Tearing pains in left axilla, extending into muscles of chest and arm.

Severe pains in left elbow and shoulder, and sharp stitches in

region of heart. Numbness in right shoulder and arm.

A sore, bruised feeling over spine of right scapula, when

moving arm. Sharp pain in superior angle of left scapula. Rheumatic pains in shoulders, worse when quietly sitting, or

in bed.

Disagreeable odor in axillae.

When writing, the cold table causes severe pains in hands

and arms. Twitching of tendons — of the wrist. Occasional pains along the course of the radial artery. Gnawing, stinging pains from ends of lingers, running up the

arms.

Hands burn, are hot and uneasy.

Heat and sweat of hands.

One hand hot and the other cold.

A burning, stinging pain in fingers, both internally and laterally, following course of arteries. (The prover believes it is in the coats of the arteries.)

The slight pressure from taking the pulse causes pain up the arm and through the hand frequently.

Throbbing of arteries upon back of hands.

Trembling and unsteadiness of hands.

Lower Extremities.

Pain extending from hips up to small of back and down to the feet.

Feeling in the right thigh as if the limb would drop off, tired

and heavy. A diffuse pain from knee downwards. Sharp pain in right knee.

Aching, bruised sensation in right popliteal space when walking. Numbness and stiffness of legs. Dull, aching pain in both legs. Pain on inner side of thigh. Pain in left heel.

Heel blistered and suppurating, very sensitive to touch, and on walking.

In little toe, a feeling as if a fine cord was cutting it through

at the root of the nail. Numb, prickling pains in feet and toes. Cold sweaty feet.

Generalities.

When sitting still, numbness and stinging pains occur along the course of such arteries as seem to be compressed; worse when cold.

Great languor and weariness.

A sore, bruised feeling in whole body.

Lassitude, yawning and stretching.

Sensation as if rubbed all over with rough flannel.

Skin.

Persistent itching of various parts of the body, especially of

left arm and aiae nasi; worse from scratching. Papillae sore and itch; worse from touch. A peculiar feeling over various parts of the body. Red blotches upon the face and body, very sore; they itch and

burn, but do not suppurate. Itching of knees and elbows, also upon the scalp and face at

the roots of whiskers. Red, itching eruption on back, limbs and body generally;

resembling flea bites; also forehead and face. Excessive burning and itching of the limbs, after retiring. Severe itching of pubis, as if from pediculi. Tickling, crawling feeling in various parts of the body. The eruption nearly heals, then breaks out afresh. Swelling in back of neck, nearly the size of a hen's egg;

another on the left shoulder; they resemble blind boils,

and disappear without suppuration. 0 Before taking it, he had an itching after retiring, which has

since disappeared.

Fever.

Coldness all over, especially hands and feet.

Chills along the back.

Feels hot and then cold alternately.

Feverish heat of head, with cold hands and feet; after rising. Intense heat through the body; especially the head, neck and

hands, with itching and restlessness. Perspiration on hands from 3 p. m. until late in evening. After going to bed, very hot and restless, and soon a light

moisture over body. Aggravation of fever at 4 p. m.; heat with moist hands; back

of neck and face burn; pressing out in head; carotids

throb, pulse 93; no sense of chill; tongue and fauces

scarlet; itching all over; hands burn, although they feel

moist and cool to another.

Sleep and Dreams. Drops to sleep while sitting up; a headache comes on when

retiring, which is unusual. Awoke at 5 a. m., and could not get to sleep again; bed feels

hard.

Extreme lassitude, sleepiness and yawning; could hardly keep

awake at 4 p. m. Sleep disturbed by dreams; am in trouble all night. Dreams that everything goes wrong.

Conditions.

All symptoms ameliorated by motion in open air, by eating, and by coffee.

Aggravation in the afternoon and evening; from 3 to 5 p. m., by mental labor; by going up stairs; and the heart symptoms by riding in the cars.

Buckwheat bran, when fed to horses will relieve them of worms. "When fed to cows, they become poor, and give an inferior quality of milk.

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

This medicine is prepared from the stems and seed-shells of the common Buckwheat. It has long been a popular belief that the eating of buckwheat cakes was a prolific cause of a definite eruption on the skin. It is supposed that in some way it sets up an irritation in the skin by changing the character of the blood. Many physicians coincide in this opinion, and it has been suggested by some practitioners of our school that the medicinal principle in this plant acted in the same manner as do the antipsorics, and that it would prove to be a remedy of that class.

Provings have been recently made of the tincture in various potencies. They were first published in the “ Transactions of the American Institute.” From these I have had compiled a resume, which you will find in the first volume.

Many of the symptoms are certainly suggestive of some specific action, not only on the skin but on the mucous surfaces. I have not used it much in practice, but it is certainly indicated in intertrigo, erythema, and some forms of eczema, in which you may find it curative.