by E. B. Nash — Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics
Historical reference for practitioners and students. The statements below reflect the named author’s homeopathic teaching and do not establish treatment effectiveness. This text is not medical advice and must not replace appropriate diagnosis or care.
Colic pain begins at umbilicus and radiates to all parts of the body, even extremities.
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Dioscorea villosa appears in 13 of the 27 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.
“Wild Yam. (Dioscoreaceae.) Persons of feeble digestive powers, old or young. Flatulence after meals or after eating, especially of tea-drinkers; are often subject to violent colic. Griping pains in abdomen about umbilicus. Violent twisting colic, occurring in regular paroxysms, as if intestines were grasped and…”
“Dioscorea villosa, Linn. Natural Order , Dioscoreaceæ. Common name , Wild yam. Preparation , Tincture of the root (or triturations of the resinoid, Dioscorëin). Authorities.”
“Wild Yam As a remedy for many kinds of pain , especially colic, and in severe, painful affections of abdominal and pelvic viscera; it ranks with the polychrests of the Materia Medica. Persons of feeble digestive powers; tea-drinkers, with much flatulence. Gall stone colic . Calls things by the wrong name. Dull pain in…”
“AIR Open, Amel.:- IN ROOM, agg., air hunger, etc. BORING, grinding, etc. CALCULI, atheroma, etc. CRAMP, colic, etc. CUTTING DIRECTION of sensations, Radiating FLATULENCE, Left INCONTINENCE, stool, urine, sexual, etc. NERVE PAIN PAROXYSMS, repeated (Comp. Spasmodic.) PRESSURE, Amel.; Lying on painful or affected side…”
“NERVES: Cord. Abdominal. Sciatic. Navel. Gall - bladder. Right side. Doubling up. Lying. Tea; eating. Stretching out or bending back. Motion; in open air (Mag - c. Pul.). Hard pressure. A remedy of pains, of all kinds. UNBEARABLY SHARP, CUTTING, TWISTING, GRIPING OR GRINDING PAINS; that dart about or radiate; to…”
“villosa. Wild yam. N. O. Dioscoreaceæ. Tincture of fresh root, or trituration of resinoid, Dioscorein. Abdomen, distended / Acne / Angina pectoris / Biliousness / Cholerine / Chorea / Colds / Colic / Constipation / Cough / Cramps / Diarrhœa / Dysentery / Dysmenorrhœa / Dyspepsia / Enteralgia / Flatulence /…”
“Head.--Dull pain in forehead. Mouth and tongue dry, with bitter taste. Gastric.--Belching of wind, bitter; sour; tasteless. Painful distress in stomach, has to unfasten clothing; relieved by raising wind; burning in stomach. Abdomen.--Excessive pain in; cutting or dull grinding pain in region of liver. Severe…”
“(Wild Yam Root — Colic Root.) Description — This is a plant with slender twining stem, herbaceous, rising from large, matted, knotty rootstalks. It climbs bushes, old fences, etc. The stem is smooth, rarely villous, green or greenish brown, dying every fall. Leaves, mostly alternate ; sometimes nearly opposite or in…”
“Wild Yam. Dioscoreaceæ. A perennial creeper, growing wild in this country, principally in Southern States, on bushes and fences. Introduced and proved extensively by Cushing (see Monograph) ; also proved by Woods, Burt and Nichols (See Allen's Encyclopædia, vol. 4, p. 123 ). The tincture is prepared from the root…”
“DIOSCOREA . Dioscorèa villosa, L. Hairy yam. Nat. Ord ., Dioscoreacea. I. Provings.- 1 . Dr. BURT took, May 5th, 1864, at 10 a.m., 30 dr. of fluid extr. After h. began to have pain in whole epigastrium and region of gall-bladder, quite severe, of cutting, tearing character, at times spasmodic. At 3 p.m., distress in…”
“Common name: wild farn. Calls things by wrong names (C.). Irritability and restlessness (Ars., Phos.). Persons of feeble digestive powers, old or young (Ant-C., Carb-V., Lyc., Nux-V, Puls., Sep.) (A.). Belching of large quantities of offensive gas (Asaf., Carb-V., Lyc., Nat-S.) (Br.). Burning in the stomach (Ars…”
“Dioscorea will be found of value in rheumatic or neuralgic colic as described above. The pains are grinding and griping in character in whatever locality they are found. In sciatic rheumatism we find a well marked characteristic when there is entire relief from pain while the patient is at rest; this indicates…”
Kent's Repertory lists Dioscorea villosa in 1,087 rubrics. These are the ones where it carries the highest grade — the symptoms Kent treated as most characteristic. Most of them sit in EXTREMITIES (285), ABDOMEN (113), HEAD (99), STOMACH (84), BACK (77).
