Lobelia Syphilitica
Clarke - Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica · John Henry Clarke · 10,278 chars · source ↗
General
Lobelia Syphilitica.
Lobelia syphilitica. L. coerulia. Great Blue Lobelia. (Grows in low grounds in U.S.) N. O. Lobeliaceae. Tincture of fresh plant. Acetum.
Clinical
Acidity. Adenoids. Asthma. Back, pains in. Borborygmi. Cartilages, pains in. Catarrh. Coryza. Cough. Dyspepsia. Eustachian catarrh.
Flatulence
Hay-fever.
Influenza.
Kidneys, pains in.
Lumbago.
Melancholia.
Post-nasal catarrh.
Pylorus, pain in.
Sciatica.
Spine, pains in.
Spleen, affections of.
Stomach cough.
Throat, sore.
Characteristics
The symptoms of the Lob. syph. proving, whilst in many points analogous to those of the other Lobelias, do not bring out the emetic properties of Lob. inflata. There is, however, epigastric sinking, flatulence, dyspepsia, and diarrhoea. Lob. card., Lob. inf., and Lob. syph. all have a milky juice. Hale quotes Rafinesque as saying that the analysis of Lob. syph. shows it to contain Silex, Iron, and Muriate and Phosphate of Lime.
The marked action of Lob. syph. on the posterior nares led Cooper to use it with success in cases of deafness arising from an "unhealthy, soft, swollen, easily bleeding catarrhal" condition of the naso-pharynx. This is emphasised by another symptom: "Dull aching pain in centre of forehead, over root of nose." Cooper (who uses an acetic preparation) considers that with this, as well as with the Inflata, a history of suppression is a leading indication. There are many notable symptoms in the back, back of chest, and about the lower ribs.
Some of these led Jeanes (the first prover) to make a very fine cure of melancholia in an educated, intelligent man, of which these were the characteristics: "Great depression of spirits; unhappy state of mind, always associated with pain about and under short ribs in back on left side, extending outward nearly to left side posterior aspect of region of spleen." In the proving there was this: Pain on inside of right scapula. Farrington adds this: "Pain under (not below) inner border of left scapula, < after weeping." The pains of Lob. syph. travel about, from right to left; from left tonsil to right; from back down legs; from eighth rib downward; aching from back of head down nape.
Then there are frequent synalgias: Pain in right maxillary joint, with pain in middle of right lung; pain in breast and larynx; pain in left side of chest near axilla, with aching in left shoulder and arm. Touch < (soreness of ischium). Motion <. Deep inspiration <.
Drinking cold water > (temporarily) gastric symptoms. Mental exertion < (mental state). Reading and writing < pain in forehead. Internal nose painfully sensitive to cool air.
Inhaling moderately cool air <. Flushing after dinner > somewhat in open air. Symptoms < after dinner. < At night.
Secretion of thick mucus > throat soreness.
Relations
Compare: Other Lobelias; Puls. (mental depression and weeping); Chel. and Ranunc. (scapular pains); Hydrast. (postnasal catarrh); Cean. (spleen). Lob. i. has one-sided coating of tongue. Lob. s. has left half of palate dry. Pod. relieved the diarrhoea of Lob. s., but not the acute abdominal pains.
Causation
Grief. Suppressions.
Mind
Frequent mistakes in spelling and writing (with confused feeling and slight aching in head (after 15 min.)
Depressed, temper unhappy; with pain in posterior aspect of spleen
Brain weakness, exertion of mind intolerable; seemed as if he would go wild.
Head
Dizziness < moving about
Headache continuing till daylight
Headache, after dinner
Dull pain in forehead over eyes (and esp. over root of nose), < reading and writing
Pain in both mastoid processes; first and < in r
Acute pain along r. fronto-temporal suture
Stitching pain in l. temple
Pain in l. parietal protuberance.
Eyes
Heaviness over eyes, like a weight, but no pain; with drowsiness
Burning in r. eye with a tear
Itching of l. internal canthus; in external canthus
Boring pain in r. orbit
Drawing sensation under r. eye, afternoon
Feeling of foreign body under r. upper lid with smarting and burning
Soreness of r. tarsi
Soreness of eyeballs from turning them.
Ear
In l. ear: pain; continued itching about posterior edge of meatus.
Nose
Frequent sneezing with severe and painful jarring in breast and larynx; larynx feels stretched almost to bursting, with copious discharge of thick mucus from both nostrils, at sunset
Painful irritation of both sides of cartilaginous septum;
< immediately behind the columna nasi; sensitive to cool air
Itching and tingling in l. nostril as if about to sneeze.—(Postnasal catarrh.)
Face
Flushed face, with heat, when lying down
Face flushed and headache after dinner, with drowsiness and lassitude, but inability to sleep when lying down;
> open air
Sensation of dropping under l. cheekbone, afternoon
Drawing pain in r. cheekbone
Perfect dryness of lips, and a feeling of dryness and sensitiveness of nostrils so that inhalation of air of moderate temperature (60°) = a painful feeling
Pain in r. jaw-joint and in middle of r. lung, afternoon.
Mouth
Frequent shooting pains through r.
Teeth
Bleeding of gums with putrid taste
A renewed secretion of thick mucus, apparently on inferior surface of palate, renewed by snuffing and hawking, with still further diminution of throat soreness
Dryness of l. half of palate
Constrictive feeling of skin of mouth and tongue, esp. at l. commissure of jaws; ten minutes later towards root of tongue
Great soreness, rawness, pricking, dryness of lower surface of palate; extending forward through mouth;
> by secretion of mucus and at noon, but still continued.
Throat
Increased secretion of mucus
Thick mucous secretion in throat with > of constricting rawness, dryness, and soreness
Dryness of throat with sensation as if pharynx was open like a funnel
Pain in region of l. tonsil (immediately); of r. tonsil (after 16 minutes)
Sensation of a lump in upper part of oesophagus.
Stomach
(Acid eructations 5 to 6 a.m.)
Water-brash 8 a.m
Dyspepsia uniformly > by drinking cold water
Sinking in stomach followed by borborygmi below epigastrium
Slight pain in region of pylorus
Awoke 6 a.m. with violent pain in stomach and pain and borborygmus in bowels, followed by copious watery stools with tenesmus and soreness of anus; four attacks one day increasing in violence, colic and diarrhoea > by Podoph., but the pain in stomach with sense of distension increased, with hunger
Jolting of an easy carriage = pain in stomach and both hypochondria.
Abdomen
Borborygmi: below epigastrium < after dinner; in lower abdomen towards r. side
Woke 3 a.m. with flatulence but inability to pass it
Pains in abdomen, most below umbilicus, followed by diarrhoea, afternoon and evening.
Stool And Anus
Copious watery stools with tenesmus and soreness of anus
Loose stools
Ineffectual effort at stool, but free evacuation of tasteless wind on rising from bed.
Urinary Organs
Itching and smarting in fore part of urethra
Increased quantity of urine with free discharge
A small quantity of water, which he is obliged to retain for some time, = pain in bladder; when evacuated, of deep amber colour.
Respiratory Organs
Larynx feels stretched almost to bursting
Much tickling about top of larynx with disposition to hacking cough, evening
Morning hoarseness from state of stomach
Dyspeptic stomach cough
Slight mucous expectoration, evening
Dry, hacking cough of four weeks' duration, day and night, with pain r. side about junction of sixth rib with its cartilage, of a year's duration; dryness of back of throat.
Chest
Pain middle r. lung and r. jaw-joint
Pain just anterior to cartilaginous margin of short ribs
Pain between shoulders and neck both sides
Aching pain in cartilage of sixth l. rib
Rheumatic pain along r. clavicle
Pain along juncture of sixth r. rib with its cartilage
Pain in l. chest near axilla with aching in l. shoulder and arm
Oppression in lower chest as if breath did not reach there; distress in region of heart and audible "knocking" respiration (like sound of chopping wood); pain under short ribs and dry cough
Pain under l. breast
Severe and painful jarring in breast and larynx; larynx feels stretched to bursting, frequent sneezing; at sunset.
Heart
Severe pain in region of heart about sunset.
Neck And Back
Stiffness of nape (< l. side) from looking up
Slight aching pain from back of head down nape
Pain, heavy, aching, in back under false ribs, < night after lying down in bed, increased to cutting pain by deep inspiration, and < turning in bed; less during the day
Cutting under false ribs forward and upward (not noticed after going to bed)
Stitching pain in r. back passing from eighth rib downward
Pain on inside edge r. scapula
Pain, acute, sticking, in eighth dorsal vertebra;
< by least movement and deep inspiration
Pain and aching in posterior aspect of region of spleen
Pain in region of l. kidney; stitch in r
Pain commencing r. side small of back, then going down to os ischium, very sore to touch
Great rigidity of spine, least motion exceedingly painful; pain goes from r. to l. side of back and shoots down leg.
Upper Limbs
Severe aching of shoulder and fingers, whilst writing
Heavy pain in radial muscles of l. arm; later in same of r
Stiff, numb feeling in r. palm
Sticking pain in l. thumb, fleshy part of last phalanx.
Lower Limbs
Pain in both hips, occasionally
Sensation of coldness, as if from the weather, with aching, in both knees through the day
Stitching pain in l. tibia
Rheumatic pain over r. inner ankle
Pain in upper part of l. heel
Pricking stinging sensation as if asleep, in both soles
Pain in fleshy part of last phalanx of l. great toe; sore pain in its joints.
Generalities
Lassitude, after dinner.—Transient pain over l. kidney, and soon after in l. hypochondrium.
Skin
(Itching here and there on skin, worse than usual.)
Sleep
Drowsy but unable to sleep, when lying down after dinner
Slight drowsiness and oppression over eyelids
Restless sleep with frequent wakings through the night.
Fever
Cold sensation as if alcohol had been spilled on outer l. thigh
Cold hands, hot forehead
Feeling of heat in back, shoulders, face, with burning of ears.