Zincum valerianicum

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Zinci Valerianas.)

Take of Sulphate of Zinc, five ounces and three-quarters; Valerianate of Soda, five ounces; dissolve each in two pints distilled water, raise both solutions to near the boiling point, mix them, cool, and skim off the crystals which form. Evaporate the mother liquor at a heat not exceeding 200°, till it is reduced to four fluid ounces ; cool again, remove the crystals which are formed, and add them to those already obtained. Drain the crystals on a paper filter, and wash them with a small quantity of cold distilled water, till the washings give but a very feeble precipitate with the Chloride of Barium. Again drain and dry on filter paper at ordinary temperature. It is in white, pearly scales, having a strong odor of Valerianic acid, and a metallic styptic taste. Dissolve in 1G0 parts cold water, and in 60 parts alcohol.

Officinal Preparations— Triturations. Pills. (The triturations are of such an intensely disagreeable taste and smell, that it is best to use either a sugar-coated pill, of one-fourth or one-half grain crude; or pilules made from a trituration with gum arabic instead of sugar.)

Analogues.— ( ?) Probably those of its two constituents.

Mind.

° Insanity — recurring with the headache. (Hale.)

Head.

0 Neuralgic headaches of three weeks duration, cured in three days. (Dr. Banks.)

5 Terrible headache, involving the whole head, occurring once or twice a week for many years. She becomes insane; beside herself with pain; almost unconscious; screams; pulls her hair; eyes red; face pale and drawn; the pain is piercing and stabbing. She speaks of many other horrible sensations. It has injured her health; she looks pale and cadaverous, and her mind is not sound any of the time; loss of memory; melancholy. Gave one grain of the 1-10 trit. three times a day, for several weeks. In the

meantime she had several attacks, but all lighter. In

three months she wrote me that the attacks were very se.

dom and very slight. She had regained her health, and

was quite clear in her mind. One of the finest cures ]

ever made. {Hale.) "Uncontrollable sleeplessness from pain in the head in children

with meningitis: it produces sleep, and the children seem

better from its use. (/J.) . ° Facial neuralgia, for more than three years, nothing ever

gave her any relief. {Dr. Banks.) ° Neuralgia of three months standing. Pain excessive in

inferior maxillary and left temple. {Ib.) 0 Many other cases of violent, obstinate facial neuralgia have

been reported cured by Valerianate of Zinc, in the practice

of several other homoeopathic physicians. ° Neuralgia of the ovaries. {Hall, Hale.) 0 Sciatic neuralgia, with great nervous erythema in a lady who

had suffered for years. {Hale.) 0 Angina pectoris, several cases. {Ib.)

0 " Spinal neuralgia ": the patient was almost crippled; when a permanent cure was effected in one week; a dose (no mention of size) was given every six hours. {Morrill?)

0 The severe pains in neck, spine and elsewhere, in the sequelae of cerebro-spinal meningitis. {Hale?)

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

This salt was introduced into our school by Dr. Banks, of New York. He used it very successfully in neuralgic headaches.

Its sphere is analogous to the Ammonia salt in the kind of pain it cures, but differs from it in the concomitant conditions. Zinc acts more upon the brain, intracranial nerves, and the membranes of the brain. It has of itself cured many terrible cases of headache, with or without delirium, and sometimes periodical. The addition of the Valerianic acid gives it greater control over the nervous agitation which often attends neuralgia.

In Vol. I you will find a brief report of several typical cases of neuralgia , prosopalgia , spinal neuralgia , sciatica , angina pectoris , ovarialgia , etc. It has also been used successfully in sleeplessness , for the consequences (pains, etc.) of cerebrospinal meningitis , and in some stages of tubercular meningitis in children (as a palliative). It is best ad ministered in very small pills, ^ to | gr. of the crude, or 1 gr. of the lx or 2*, coated with sugar or gelatin.

The author has noticed the fact that in a considerable number of patients troubled with haemorrhoids, who were taking Valerianate of zinc for other troubles, the haemorrhoids have, with few exceptions, been relieved. — C. Dradwick, M.D.