Kino rostrata

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Pterocorpus Marsupia.)

Description. — Called by the natives " red-gum." It is a juice which exudes from the trunk of a tree growing in Australia and other portions of the tropics. It comes in the form of a laminated, friable mass, which, when reduced to powder, is of a brownish purple color.

Officinal Preparations. — Triturations or tincture, made by macerating one part in nine of alcohol; dilutions.

Analogues. — Alum, Geranium mac, Gallic acid, Tannin, Rhatany, Nux,

Nitric acid, Sulphuric acid, etc.

{Fragmentary Proving.)

Colicky pain toward evening and all the next day, with bearing-down and inclination to stool, but without evacuation.

Colic pains, with bearing-down in the lower bowel; the pain was relieved by lying flat on the face; in the morning a hard, dry evacuation was passed, with a little blood at the end of the passage.

For four or five days after this the bowels were obstinately constipated, the latter terminating in sickness and diarrhoea, with extreme giddiness and debility; (relieved by Ipecac.)

Evacuations hard, with sensation of turgescence of the mucous lining of the bowels; slight bearing-down, with frequent desire for an evacuation.

Nausea, headache, great amount of flatulent distension, appetite decreased.

Mucous lining of the bowels irritable, with evacuations tending to diarrhoea, with bearing-down and rapid action of the bowels.

• Chronic dysentery.

• Constipation, following dysentery.

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

This, according to Wood, is the inspissated juice of the Pterocarpus marsupium. It is called, commonly, red-gum. Dr. Blundell, in a paper in the American Horn. Review, vol. iv, says : “ The Red-gum bleeds from the tree, dropping like drops of blood upon the soil, closely adjacent to the roots. It is found also within the 1 faults ’ of the timber. The tree, on the west coast of Australia, at least, is of large size, resembling the African oak.”

The allopathic school at one time used this powerful astringent largely in the treatment of dysentery and diarrhoea without fever. Dr. Blundell remarks:

“That its peculiar virtues in chronic dysentery are due to the homoeopathic law, I have long felt convinced, and determined to prove the drug to test its value.” He got the following symptoms from five drops of the 1* : “ Colicky pains towards evening, bearing down with inclinations to stool, without evacuation.” The next day the dose was increased and twice repeated; the above symptoms reappeared and continued with increased severity. The colic was only relieved by lying on the belly. The following morning a dry hard evacuation was passed, with a small quantity of blood at its termination. A continuation of the provings developed symptoms much like chronic dysentery.

Of late, allopathists are afraid to use the Kino on account, they say, of its “violent reactions.” We can surmise what they mean. My lectures on Gallic acid, Tannin, Geranium, and other “astringents,” gave you my ideas of their action. Kino will doubtless help you in severe chronic, and perhaps acute, cases of dysentery, if you graduate the dose properly.