Apocynum Cannabinum
By Constantine Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of our Materia Medica
Indian Hemp. Apocynaceæ.
In the summer of 1833, during a walk in the suburbs of New York, attention was called to this plant as being one of the most promising, by Dr. John F. Gray. In Allentown it was proved, especially by Dr. Freitag ; in 1856 another attempt by John C. Peters, with large doses of the tincture. Afterwards, at the suggestion of Dr. Gray, it was given for dropsies. Dr. Marcy proved the 3d. The best reports of cures in hemorrhages from uterus are from Dr. Marsden of York Spring, Pa.
MIND [1]
Bewildered.
Feels as if she could do nothing but cry ; don't want to speak, very low spirited.
Low-spirited and nervous. θ Ascites and chronic diarrhœa.
Stupor. θ Hydrocephalus.
SENSORIUM [2]
Dizzy in head.
INNER HEAD [3]
Pain in forehead in morning. θ Ophthalmia.
Frontal headache, sick at stomach, restless at night.
Heaviness of head, evenings ; aching in small of back and limbs.
Hydrocephalus ; stupor, sight of one eye totally lost, the other slightly sensible ; constant involuntary motion of one arm and leg ; forehead projecting ; sutures open. θ Stage of exudation.
Hydrocephalus acutus.
Dizzy headache.
OUTER HEAD [4]
Forehead projecting, sutures open. θ Hydrocephalus.
SIGHT AND EYES [5]
Sight of one eye totally lost, the other slightly sensible. θ Hydrocephalus.
Heat, redness of eye, feeling as of sand in eye ; early in morning.
Eyes inflamed ; worse morning and evening.
Pressure in right eye as if pressed outward.
Fine stitches in right eye.
SMELL AND NOSE [7]
Violent irritation of Schneiderian membrane, resembling a severe attack of coryza.
Cold in head.
Nostrils and throat filled with thick, yellow mucus, on waking in morning.
Nose stopped up.
UPPER FACE [8]
Face expressive of much anguish. θ Dropsy.
Face bloated after lying down ; passes off after sitting up.
Face bloated ; of a bluish lead color, also lips. θ Heart disease.
Face much swollen. θ Hydrothorax.
LOWER FACE [9]
Dry lips ; if taken in evening this is the first symptom the next morning.
TASTE, SPEECH, TONGUE [11]
Taste bitter, sub-acrid, in fauces.
Tongue greatly coated, brownish-white.
Tongue dry, immoderate thirst. θ Hydrothorax.
INNER MOUTH [12]
Dryness of mouth on awaking ; thirst.
Constantly spitting ; increased secretion of mucus and saliva in mouth and fauces.
PALATE AND THROAT [13]
Thick yellow mucus in throat in morning ; unpleasant degree of heat.
Pressure on right side of throat.
APPETITE, THIRST. DESIRES, AVERSIONS [14]
Great thirst. θ Hydrothorax.
Great thirst, but water disagrees, causing pain, or is immediately thrown off. θ Dropsy.
Thirst on waking.
EATING AND DRINKING [15]
Distension about stomach and hypochondria after a moderate meal.
Feels as if she was hungry, and when she tries to eat, it settles in epigastrium, turns sour and hurts her.
HICCOUGH, BELCHING, NAUSEA AND VOMITING [16]
Nausea after sleep.
Violent vomiting, with prostration and drowsiness, cold skin.
Distressing vomiting at intervals. θ Menorrhagia.
Patient becomes very drowsy and vomits very often ; pulse slow.
Considerable gastric disturbance. θ After scarlet fever.
SCROBICULUM AND STOMACH [17]
Sense of oppression about epigastrium and chest, so that there was the greatest difficulty in getting breath enough to smoke a cigar, or to speak with any comfort, and this happened after lighter meals than ordinary.
Sinking at stomach on awaking.
Stomach so irritable, not even a draught of water can be retained. θ Dropsy.
Great irritability of stomach and vomiting. θ Menorrhagia.
Congestion of liver, of portal system ; followed by ascites.
ABDOMEN AND LOINS [19]
Abdomen very much distended and painful. θ Ascites.
Bloated abdomen and limbs. θ Amenorrhœa.
Ascites.
Ascites with chronic diarrhœa.
Decided distension of abdomen, especially after a moderate dinner ; all the sense of fulness seemed about stomach, liver and spleen, while lower bowels did not appear more flatulent than common.
STOOLS AND RECTUM [20]
Evacuations very scanty.
Bilious stools ; loose, but not very copious.
Bowels sluggish, but feces not hard or costive.
URINARY ORGANS [21]
Dull aching pain in kidneys, with increased secretion of straw-colored urine, sinking at stomach, dry mouth, sighing.
Very peculiar torpid action of kidneys.
Decided scantiness of urine.
Scanty urine. θ Hydrothorax.
Urinary difficulties. θ Dysuria. θ Strangury.
Urine diminished to one-third of usual quantity.
Retention of urine, with paralysis of lower extremities.
Urine light, or sherry-colored, no sediment on cooling.
Very profuse light-colored urine, several gallons a day.
Urine high-colored and very scanty. θ After scarlet fever.
Urine high-colored, diminished in quantity, and voided with difficulty. θ Ascites.
Urine diminished to one-third the usual amount, without pain or uneasiness about kidneys or bladder ; on contrary, chest organs seemed remarkably comfortable ; they seemed simply torpid.
The little water that was passed flowed as easily as if it were oil.
Urine suppressed. θ Meningitis infantum.
A most inveterate case of wetting the bed at night, in a girl.
MALE SEXUAL ORGANS [22]
Penis and scrotum swollen. θ Heart disease.
FEMALE SEXUAL ORGANS [23]
Ovarian tumors.
Very profuse flow of blood, preceded for a day or two by a moderate discharge. θ Menorrhagia.
Discharge fluid and abundant. θ Menorrhagia.
Hemorrhage ceasing at intervals, always recurred when vital powers rallied. θ Menorrhagia.
Most exhausting menorrhagia for about six weeks.
Blood expelled in large clots, sometimes in fluid state. θ Menorrhagia.
The moderate flow of catamenia for a day or two suddenly sets in with such violence that she cannot be out of bed. θ Menorrhagia.
Shreds or pieces of membrane, with fluid blood. θ Menorrhagia.
Amenorrhœa in young girls ; abdomen and legs bloated.
Metrorrhagia continual or paroxysmal ; fluid or clotted ; nausea, vomiting, palpitation ; pulse quick, feeble, when moved ; fainting, when raising head from pillow.
PREGNANCY. PARTURITION. LACTATION [24]
Cough during pregnancy, sometimes short and dry, sometimes deep and loose ; if very deep, it pains in stomach.
VOICE AND LARYNX. TRACHEA AND BRONCHIA [25]
Could not utter a syllable, although perfectly conscious ; answering by signs. θ Hydrothorax.
Unpleasant heat of larynx and fauces.
Hoarseness.
RESPIRATION [26]
Sighing.
Short respiration.
Could scarcely speak for want of breath. θ Heart disease.
Could only breathe in a sitting posture, with head thrown forward. θ Hydrothorax.
Panting for breath. θ Heart disease.
Oppression of chest on awaking.
Oppression about epigastrium and chest, difficulty in getting breath enough to speak ; after a light meal. θ Hydrothorax.
Irresistible disposition to sigh.
Agonizing difficulty of breathing. θ Dropsy.
Short and unsatisfactory respiration.
Gasping for breath. θ Hydrothorax.
Difficult breathing, entirely unable to remain in a recumbent position.
Dropsy.
Great dyspnœa, wheezing breathing and cough ; could walk with great difficulty. θ Dropsy of pericardium.
COUGH [27]
Dry cough, with scanty expectoration.
Short, dry cough.
Cough dry, hacking, suffocative, and incessant. θ Hydrothorax.
Cough < at night.
Violent attack of a hoarse cough at night, with vomiting.
Short cough, alternating with a deep cough.
Loose rattling, with oppression of chest.
Scanty expectoration of white mucus.
Hemorrhage from lungs.
INNER CHEST AND LUNGS [28]
Oppression on left chest.
Stitches in right chest.
Hydrothorax. θ After scarlet fever.
Hydrothorax and anasarca depending on organic disease of heart.
HEART, PULSE AND CIRCULATION [29]
Palpitation very troublesome whenever she attempted to move about house. θ Menorrhagia.
Dropsy of pericardium ; heart's action scarcely perceptible ; face bloated and anxious looking.
Very feeble, with a quick pulse.
Small weak pulse. θ Hydrothorax.
Pulse 45 between attacks of vomiting ; feeble. θ Menorrhagia.
Pulse small and irregular. θ Ascites.
Pulse weak and irregular. θ After scarlet fever.
Almost pulseless and disposed to faint whenever she attempted to raise her head from pillow. θ Menorrhagia.
NECK AND BACK [31]
Slight soreness in region of kidneys when bringing muscles into action.
UPPER LIMBS [32]
Finger nails of bluish lead color. θ Heart disease.
LOWER LIMBS [33]
Stiff knees.
Hard aching in both knees ; fears inflammatory rheumatism.
Œdema of feet and ankles, general dropsy ; also after typhus.
Lower extremities, penis, scrotum and abdomen swollen. θ Heart disease.
The whole left leg is contracted.
Pain in ball of right big toe.
LIMBS IN GENERAL [34]
Constant involuntary motion of one leg and one arm. θ Hydrocephalus.
General stiffness of legs and body, can scarcely bend.
Weakness of limbs.
Itching on limbs.
Pains in arms and legs.
REST. POSITION. MOTION [35]
Had to be supported in sitting posture in bed. θ Dropsy.
Could not lie down. θ Dropsy of pericardium.
Region of kidneys sore on using muscles.
Raising head : fainting.
Lying : face bloated ; > sitting up ; cannot lie, dropsy.
Moving about house : palpitation <.
Walks with great difficulty. θ Dropsy of pericardium.
NERVES [36]
General restlessness.
Involuntary motions of one arm and leg. θ Hydrocephalus.
Greatly debilitated, pulse feeble and quick. θ Menorrhagia.
Disposition to faint ; vital powers much depressed. θ Menorrhagia.
SLEEP [37]
Drowsy in afternoon, restless in night.
On going to bed desire for sleep ; with inability to sleep.
Drowsiness ; vomiting, weak.
Stupor.
Restlessness ; little sleep.
After sleep : nausea ; thirst ; dry mouth and lips ; sinking at stomach ; oppression of chest.
TIME [38]
Morning : pains in forehead ; heat, redness, feeling of sand in eye ; yellow mucus in nostrils and throat ; dry lips and mouth.
Evening : heaviness of head ; aching in back and limbs ; eyes more inflamed ; going to bed, skin hot.
Night : restless ; wetting the bed ; violent attack of cough.
TEMPERATURE AND WEATHER [39]
From a cold, during a sleigh-ride, after flow of catamenia had set in, menorrhagia lasting four and a half weeks.
FEVER [40]
Heat of skin on going to bed.
Sweat ; when skin moistens, dropsy improves.
Clammy sweat. θ Hydrothorax.
Body covered with large drops of cold sweat. θ Heart disease.
ATTACKS, PERIODICITY [41]
Paroxysmal menorrhagia.
LOCALITY AND DIRECTION [42]
Right : outward pressure in eye ; fine stitches in eye ; pressure in throat ; stitches in chest ; pain in ball of big toe.
Left : oppression on chest ; contraction of leg.
SENSATIONS [43]
Feels as if she could do nothing but cry ; as if right eye was pressed outward ; feeling as of sand in eye.
Stitches : fine, in right eye ; in right chest.
Aching : in small of back and limbs ; in kidneys ; in both knees.
Soreness : in region of kidneys.
Pressure : as if right eye was pressed outward ; on right side of throat.
Undefined pain : in forehead ; caused by drinking water ; in distended abdomen ; in stomach, from deep cough ; in ball of right big toe ; in arms and legs.
Fulness : about stomach.
Heaviness : in head.
Oppression : about epigastrium and chest.
Dryness : of lips ; of mouth ; of skin.
Heat : of left eye ; in fauces and larynx ; of skin.
Itching : on limbs.
Weakness : of limbs.
TISSUES [44]
Excretions diminished, especially urine and sweat.
Dropsy of serous membranes.
Acute inflammatory dropsy.
Dropsy : with great thirst, but water causes pain or is vomited ; after typhus, scarlatina, cirrhosis ; mostly uncomplicated with organic disease.
General dropsy after scarlet fever.
Rheumatic stiffness.
SKIN [46]
Skin dry and harsh. θ Ascites.
Skin cold, with vomiting.
Skin hot, evening going to bed.
STAGE OF LIFE, CONSTITUTION [47]
Woman, æt. 24, mother of three children, black hair and eyes, fair complexion, disposed to uterine hemorrhage.
Woman, æt. 40, mother of several children, a hard worker, dark complexion, dark eyes and black hair ; menorrhagia.
Women with amenorrhœa.
A girl ; θ enuresis.
RELATIONS [48]
Concordances : Acet. ac . ; Apis (which has no thirst in dropsies) ; Arsen . ; Bellad. ; Bryon. ; Cinchon. ; Colchic. ; Digit . (dropsy ; slow pulse) ; Elat . ; Helleb . (hydrocephalus, ascites, etc.) ; Kali carb. ; Lycop. ; Mercur. ; Merc. sulph. ; Scilla ; Sulphur ; Veratr. alb .
Dropsy after abuse of quinine.