Crocus Sativus
Crocus · Clarke - Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica · John Henry Clarke · 15,158 χαρακτήρες · πηγή ↗
General EN
Crocus.
Crocus sativus. Saffron. N. O. Iridaceae. Tincture of dried stigmas. Cooper makes a tincture of the fresh young shoots.
Clinical EN
Abortion, threatened. After-pains. Anger. Asthenopia. Blepharospasm. Brain, congestion of. Chorea. Dysmenia. Fainting. Gastric affections. Haemoptysis. Haemorrhages. Headache. Heart, affections of. Hysteria. Lachrymation. Laughter. Leucorrhoea. Mania. Menstruation, profuse. Metrorrhagia. Nose, bleeding of. Operations, effects of, Ophthalmia. Pregnancy, imaginary; affections of. Tumours. Ulceration. Wounds.
Characteristics EN
Crocus has three characteristics which clearly call for its use when met with. The first is haemorrhage from various parts (nose, uterus, &c.), when the blood is black, viscid, clotting, forming itself into long black strings, hanging from the bleeding orifice. The second is a peculiar sensation as if something alive were moving about in the abdomen or chest. This may be a definite sensation, or it may be a hallucination or fixed idea.
A curious circumstance in this connection is the fact that Crocus has often been successfully given to pregnant women who have complained of violent foetal movements, as well as in cases of imaginary pregnancy. The remaining characteristic is in the mental sphere. It is a rapid alternation of mental conditions: anger with violence rapidly followed by repentance; laughter quickly followed by tears. I once cured with a few doses of Crocus a young artist who had become subject to violent outbursts of rage in which he would take up a knife to throw at his mother, with whom he lived, and almost immediately after would be abjectly repentant.
The household was on the point of being broken up when the trouble was completely removed by Crocus. Uncontrollable laughter is also in the Crocus symptomatology. Hysterical laughter is one of the effects observed by the older physicians. Teste cites from Murray the case of several children "who were seized with an extraordinary laughing mania, from having smelled of leather bottles that had contained essence of saffron." On one occasion, in hospital, I happened to see a young girl who was really desperately ill with heart failure and valvular disease, in a fit of hysterical laughter.
This made me think of Crocus. The only definite sensation she complained of in the heart region was a "jumping" sensation. Crocus 30 was given, and very soon she was able to lie down flat (after having been propped up for weeks), and from that time she made a rapid recovery. Another Crocus symptom is: Sensitive to music, involuntarily joins in on hearing any one sing.
Stitches, shocks, throbbings, broad thrusts, cuttings and jerkings are among the commoner sensations. Twitchings of single sets of muscles (chorea). A warm sensation ascending to the heart, impeding breathing and > by yawning is a peculiar symptom. Tingling, crawling, pricking and itching are met with in the skin.
Scarlet redness of the whole body, or scarlet spots on skin. (It is a domestic remedy for "bringing out" the eruption of measles.) Painful suppuration of bruised parts; old cicatrised wounds re-open and suppurate. Lipoma and encephaloma of scalp. Tumours with ulceration and characteristic bleeding.
The reputation of Crocus in the cure of tumours is also an old one. It was used externally "to scatter indolent tumours and ecchymoses." Cooper has given it new confirmation. He has given it in single doses of the Ø tincture in a case of malignant disease of the side following extirpation of cancerous kidney, with the result of arrest of progress after an initial aggravation, and complete relief of pain. The patient was a woman, who had formerly had haemorrhage with dark clots at the periods and feeling of weight towards womb.
She had had also the sensation of something moving in the abdomen. Cooper agrees with Culpepper in thinking Croc. very similar to Calend. in its action. It is a vulnerary and corresponds to the effects of blows (deafness; tumours, &c.). Crocus is especially suited to women and hysterical men.
The symptoms are < fasting; evening and night; during new and full moon; looking fixedly at an object; during pregnancy; in a hot room; in hot weather. > By yawning (desire to take a long breath, > by yawning); in open air (for which there is craving); after breakfast. Great thirst for cold drinks.
Relations EN
Crocus should be studied along with the other Iridaceae, the Alliaceae and the Liliaceae. It is antidoted by: Acon., Bell., Op. Compatible: Chi., Nux, Puls., Sul. Compare: Plat. in dark or black clotted flow;
Croton (pain through left chest to back); Staph. (> by yawning); Fluor. ac.
(sensation of cold wind blowing across eyes); Codein (twitching of muscles, especially of eyeballs); Lach. (pains in eye to top of head);
Tarent. (contractions of single groups of muscles); Calc., Ipec., Ign. Tarent.
(hysteria hearing music wants to join in In Tarent. music subsequently > in Croc. it does not). Wants to jump (Tarent., Stram., Sticta, Asar., Agar.); wants to kiss, Agar. In miscarriage at third month, Sabi., Kreas.
In violent movements of foetus, Op., Sil., Thu., Sul.; in heat in heart, Rhod., Lachn., Op.
Mind EN
Great tendency to sadness, sometimes alternating with great gaiety and joyousness
Great inclination to laugh, to jest, and to sing, sometimes with excessive weakness
Loquacious
Sings involuntarily, and then laughs
Immoderate, improper laughter; changeable disposition
Frolic-some and jesting mania, with paleness of face, headache, and obscuration of the eyes
Abandonment of free will
Choleric passion and violence, frequently followed by prompt repentance
Alternate austerity and mildness of character
Forgetfulness and distraction
Quickness of memory.
Head EN
Stupefying cephalalgia, as during intoxication, with downcast eyes
Giddiness, as if intoxicated, in the forehead; in the room, but not in the open air
Vertigo, with fainting
Confused vertigo on rising from a reclining posture
Vertigo when raising the head, with heat of the whole body
Cephalalgia above the eyes, with burning pain, sensation of burning and aching in the eyes, esp. in the evening, by candle-light
Head heavy in the morning, with aching at the vertex
Drawing pain in the forehead, with nausea
Semi-lateral pulsation in the head, and in the face (l. side, extending into the eye)
Blows in the forehead and the temples
Sensation of looseness of the brain, during movement (as if it were tottering to and fro).
Eyes EN
Itching in the eyelids
Tingling in the eyebrows
Pressure, pain as from excoriation, and sensation of burning in the eyes, and in the eyelids, esp. on closing them, and or, reading, or in the evening by candle-light
Sensation of swelling in the eyes, as from much weeping
Dryness of the eyes
Lachrymation on reading
A quantity of tears rush from the dim eyes as soon as he begins to read
Lachrymation in the room; not in the open air
Heating and lancinating pains in the eyes after surgical operations
Nocturnal agglutination of the eyelids
Visible quivering of the eyelids
Heaviness and cramp-like contractions of the eyelids
Nocturnal cramps in the eyelids
Constant winking of the eyes (inclination to wipe the eyes, as if a pellicle of gum were drawn over them)
Pupils dilated
Constant necessity to rub the eyes
Confused sight, as when looking through a veil, esp. in the evening, when reading by candlelight
When reading, the white paper seems of a pale rose colour
Sparkling before the eyes
Sudden flashes like electric sparks (during the day).
Ears EN
Otalgia, similar to a cramp
Tinkling in the ears, in the evening, after lying down
Buzzing in the ears with hardness of hearing, esp. on stooping.
Nose EN
Epistaxis of black and viscid blood, often only from one nostril at a time; with cold perspiration on the forehead, and occasional fainting.—Violent and frequent sneezing.
Face EN
Face of an earthy colour
Redness and paleness, alternately, in the face
Circumscribed, burning red spots on the face
Burning heat in the face, esp. in the morning
Lips cracked and ulcerated
Pulsation on one side of the face.
Mouth EN
Scraping and roughness in the mouth
Accumulation of water in the mouth
Tongue moist, and charged with a white coating, with erection of the papillae
Unusual warmth in the mouth.
Throat EN
Sore throat as if caused by elongation of the uvula, or as if there were a plug in the throat, during deglutition, and at other times.—Scraping and roughness in the throat (in the evening before and after, but not during the time he takes his food).
Appetite EN
Nauseating, acid, sweetish taste
Nausea, disappearing in the open air
Sweet or bitter taste in the bottom of the gullet
Constant thirst in the evening, with uneasiness in the abdomen after drinking
Absence of appetite, with sensation off fulness, however little be eaten.
Stomach EN
Empty risings, while fasting in the morning
Pyrosis after eating with a good appetite
Heartburn after eating
Qualmishness, uneasiness, and sensation of oppression, in the epigastrium
Burning pain in the stomach
Borborygmi, and fermentation in the epigastrium
Great sinking sensation at epigastrium
Drawing in the pit of the stomach, back and forth, and up and down
Some violent stitches in pit of stomach.
Abdomen EN
Abdomen inflated, with sensation of fulness
Distension of the stomach and abdomen (the stomach feels distended in the morning before eating anything)
Cramp-like pains in the abdomen
Pinchings in the abdomen after drinking (water)
Pains in the abdomen from taking cold
Movements in the abdomen, stomach, pit of the stomach, arms, and other parts of the body, as of something alive hopping about
Shocks above l. hypochondrium
Sensation of heaviness in the inguinal region
Sensation of heaviness in the abdomen, with pressing towards the uterus.
Stool And Anus EN
Itching and tingling in the anus
Creeping in the anus, as from ascarides
Obtuse shooting in the side, and above the anus
Stitches and itching at the anus (stitch extending from the anus through the small of the back into the left groin, increasing during an inspiration).
Male Sexual Organs EN
Excitement of the sexual desire.
Female Sexual Organs EN
Sensation of something living and moving in the abdomen; abdomen swollen;
(these symptoms, when occurring in females, as they often do at the change of life and at other times, may lead to the erroneous idea of pregnancy)
Urging of blood towards the genital parts, as if the menses were commencing
Catamenia too frequent and copious
Catamenia painful
Metrorrhagia of black and slimy blood
Flow of blood, during the new and full moon
Haemorrhage from the uterus (during the least movement); blood viscid, black, smelling badly (miscarriage third month)
Threatened abortion, esp. where there is a haemorrhage of dark, stringy blood
Post-partum haemorrhage.
Respiratory Organs EN
Violent dry, shaking cough, much mitigated by passing the hand over the epigastrium
Cough, with spitting of blood
Disagreeably smelling breath
Difficulty of respiration
Inclination to breathe deeply, occasioned by a sensation of heaviness about the heart
Oppression of the chest, with desire to draw a long breath;
> by yawning
On breathing, a sensation is felt as from the vapour of sulphur in the throat.
Chest EN
Shootings in the chest and esp. in the sides
Movements, as if something alive were hopping in the chest
Shocks in the chest, which suspend respiration
Peculiar jerking pains in interior of l. breast (chest) as if drawn towards the back by a thread.
Heart EN
Sensation of heat, which ascends to the heart, with anxiety and difficulty of respiration, mitigated by yawnings
Sensation of heaviness at the heart
Sensation of great emptiness in precordial region
Drawing in precordial region extending to stomach
Stitches beneath heart, < on inspiration
Frequent palpitation
Anxiety at heart, with sense of weakness extending thence through abdomen to soles of feet.
Neck And Back EN
Sensation of stiffness in the neck during movement
External swelling of the neck
Pulling in the loins, with pains in the groins
Sensation of coldness in the back.
Upper Limbs EN
Pain in the shoulder-joint, on moving the arms, as if it were out of joint, or on the point of being dislocated; cracking
Numbness of the arms and of the hands, with immobility, esp. at night, during sleep
Digging pulling in the forearms
Heaviness and pain, as from a bruise in the forearms, after any slight movement of them
Burning pricking, and tension in the tips of the fingers, as from stagnation of the blood, after a walk in the open air
Chilblains in the hands, and in the fingers.
Lower Limbs EN
Sensation of weakness in the thighs, when seated
Violent cracking of the hip-joint, of the knee-joint (when stooping)
Nocturnal tearing in the leg, with uneasiness in that part
Pain, as from a bruise, in the calves of the legs
Fatigue in the soles of the feet (from standing), with burning pain and tingling
Chilblains on the toes.
Generalities EN
Movements, as of something alive (hopping and jumping) in various parts of the body Tingling in different parts of the body Convulsive attacks, like chorea (every seven days), with laughter, dancing and leaping, alternately with violent paroxysms of whooping-cough Sensation of relaxation and bending in the joints
Numbness of some of the limbs, at night, during sleep Amelioration of symptoms in the open air; several of them appear at night, and are generally aggravated in the morning Ebullition of blood, sometimes throughout the body Discharge of a black viscid blood from different organs
Epistaxis Dark stringy blood from the nose; mucous blood from the same Cough with bloody (dark) expectoration Heaviness and failing of the limbs, after light exercise
Striking alternation of the most opposite, physical, and mental symptoms Symptoms generally appear on the l. side Excessive general weakness, with fainting fits, during movement Desire for open air
Great depression in the morning Trembling of all the limbs.
Skin EN
Pricking, crawling, burning, and tingling in skin
Red (scarlet) colour of the body
Chilblains
Suppuration, painful, of old wounds (old cicatrised wounds open again and suppurate).
Sleep EN
Continuous yawning and desire to sleep
Great inclination to sleep in the day, esp. after a meal, sometimes in the evening
Sings while sleeping
Drowsiness, with eyes dull and glassy
Cries, and starts, while sleeping
Frightful, or gay and pleasant dreams.
Fever EN
Pulse accelerated; feverish
Chill in the afternoon, growing worse in the evening, with chilliness extending from the back into the legs, with trembling
During the chill (and heat), thirst
Chilliness, only of the back part of the body
Flushes of internal heat, with pricking and tingling of the skin
Heat, mostly of the head and face, with paleness of the cheeks and thirst
Perspiration very little, and only at night; cold and debilitating
Perspiration only on the lower part of the body.