Mitchella repens

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

Botanical Description.— "This is an indigenous evergreen herb, with a perennial root, from which arises a smooth and creeping stem, furnished with roundish-ovate, or slightly heart-shaped, petiolate, opposite, flat, coriaceous, dark green and shining leaves, usually variegated with whitish lines. The flowers are white, often tinged with red, very fragrant, in pairs, with their ovaries united.

"Calyx, four-parted. Corolla, funnel-form, two on each double ovary; limb, four-parted, spreading, densely hairy within. Stamens, four, short, inserted on the corolla. Style, slender, stigmas four. Fruit, a dry, berrylike, double drupe, crowned with the calyx teeth of the two flowers, each containing four small seed-like bony nutlets. Some plants bear flowers with exserted stamens, and included styles; others conversely — those with included stamens and exserted styles." This plant is indigenous to the United States, growing in dry woods, among hemlock timber, and in swampy places, flowering in June and July. The leaves bear some resemblance to clover, and remain green through the winter. The fruit, a berry, is a bright scarlet, edible, but nearly tasteless, dry, and full of stony seeds,' and also remains through the winter. The plant is sometimes called Checker-berry, Winter clover, Deer-berry, Squaw vine, One-berry. The whole plant is officinal, and imparts its virtues to boiling water and alcohol. It has not been analyzed.

Officinal Preparations.— Tincture of the leaves, with strong alcohol ;

infusion; dilutions.

Analogues.— Asclepias inc., Caulophyllum, Cimicifuga, Chimaphila, Eupatorium purp., Helonias, Pulsatilla, Senecio, Uvaursi, Mental Symptoms.

Depression of spirits. Forgetfulness ; very forgetful.

Dread of approaching death. Perceptive faculties very dull.

Head and Eyes. Throbbing pain on right side of head. Severe frontal headache just behind the superciliary ridges. Eyes dull and heavy. Eyes feel weak and watery.

Ears.

Dull aching pain in right ear; burning of left ear.

Face.

Rush of blood to the face.

Mouth and Throat. Pricking and burning sensation in the tongue. Fauces feel dry and irritated. Constriction hindering deglutition.

Stomach.

Eructation, with burning in the stomach, and along up the

oesophagus. Dull aching pain in the epigastrium.

Abdomen.

Distension of the bowels with expulsion of flatus. Colic pain in the colon which is tender on pressure.

Rectum and Stool.

Bowels costive.

Urging to stool; diarrhoeic stools.

Small stool with tenesmus, expelled with difficulty.

Urine.

• Urging to urinate; urine high color; white sediment.

• Dull aching pain over the region of the kidneys.

• Swollen and irritated condition of urethra and neck of bladder.

• Catarrh of the bladder, especially in women. {Hale.)

• Dysuria accompanying uterine complaints. A feeling of uneasiness at neck of the bladder. Notable increase of the urinary secretion (primary).

Uterus.

A powerful uterine-tonic. {King.) Cervix engorged, dark, red and swollen. ° Delayed menstruation.

0 Engorgement of uterus, from lack of tone in muscular wall

of the organ.

• Amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhea and monorrhagia.

0 False labor pains in last months of pregnancy.

0 Slow, feeble and inefficient labor pains. (The tincture to be

taken three times a day (ten drops) for two weeks before

confinement.) {Hale.) Breathing hurried ; dry, hacking cough, from accumulation of

mucus in the bronchia.

Chest.

Burning pain over region of heart (in muscles?). Heart beats slow and irregularly, then hurried. Hurried breathing, dry, hacking cough, and excess of mucus in the bronchia.

Back.

Back feels very weak, with great soreness. Muscles of both shoulders very sore. Pain in region of the kidneys. Dull aching pain in small of the back Burning in small of the back.

Extremities. Great pain in lower extremities. Great pain in knee joints, relieved by motion. Muscular soreness.

Dull burning and sore pains in all the muscles of the extremities.

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

The most marked effects of this drug are upon the mucous membrane of the respiratory organs. It causes profuse discharge of watery mucus from the nose, throat, and deeper air-passages, with sneezing, coughing, and watering of the eyes. From the chemical composition of the salt it may be safely inferred that it has a profound action on the whole glandular system. The free solubility of the drug in water renders it readily removable from the body by the natural secretions. For this reason it is not liable to do permanent injury when administered in repeated doses, and is to be preferred on this ground to metallic Mercury or its insoluble preparations, which are known to remain in the system for many years after their administration.

The action of this salt on the mucous membrane of the airpassages is more marked than that of any other mercurial preparation. Every physician knows the difficulty of breaking up a common cold after the mucous membrane has become inflamed. My experience with this preparation for more than three years past has convinced me that it will cure catarrh with more certainty and promptness than any other remedy. Since introducing it to the homoeopathic profession about two years ago, I have received numerous letters expressing their gratification at the results obtained. (L. Sherman, Milwaukee.)

MITCHELLA KEPENS.

Very little is yet known with certainty of the properties of the Partridge berry. A fragmentary but suggestive proving by Dr. P. H. Hale, and a more extended proving by Dr. T. C. Duncan, are all we have in our school. The latter did not develop many characteristic symptoms. The drug is one of feeble power ; quarts of the infusion are drank by the country people without any unpleasant effects observable.

This is what the eclectic authorities say of it :

It is said that the squaws drink a decoction of the plant for several weeks previous to their confinement, for the purpose of rendering parturition safe and easy. — King.

It has long been a domestic remedy for uterine diseases and menstrual irregularities.

This remedy is peculiarly American, not being noticed or used by foreign practitioners.

Dr. King writes :

Partridge berry is parturient, diuretic, and astringent. Used in dropsy, suppression of urine, and diarrhoea. It seems to have an especial affinity for the uterus, and is highly beneficial in all uterine diseases. It appears to exert a powerful tonic and alterative influence on the uterus. *Dose of the strong decoction, from two to four fluid ounces, two or three times a day. The berries are a popular remedy for diarrhoea and dysuria. It is highly recommended as a cure for sore nipples, used as follows : Take two ounces of the herb, fresh if possible, and make a strong decoction with a pint of water, then strain and add as much good cream as there is liquid of the decoction, boil the whole to the consistency of a soft salve, and when cool anoint the nipples with it every time the child is removed from the breast.

The Uva ursi, a near relation of Mitchella, has been proved to be a mild uterine-motor stimulant, similar to Caulophyllum, Eupatorium purp., Secale, Pulsatilla, etc.

There must be some property of this plant which has an action on the uterus. I would recommend it for false pains, uterine irritability, scanty and delaying menses, dysuria, scanty urine with profuse sediment. In urinary disorders it resembles Uva ursi and Chimaphila.