Gelsemium sempervirens. G. Lucidum. G. Nitidum. Bignonia sempervirens. Yellow Jessamine. *N.O. Loganiaceae. Tincture of the bark of the root.
Clinical
Amaurosis. Anterior crural neuralgia. Aphonia. Astigmatism. Bilious fever. *Brain, *affections of. Cerebrospinal meningitis. Choroiditis. Colds. *Constipation. Convulsions. Deafness. *Dengue fever. Diarrhoea. *Diphtheria. *Dupuytren’s *contraction. Dysentery. *Dysmenia. Emotions, effects of. Epilepsy. *Eyes, *affection of. *Fever. Fright. Gonorrhea. Hay-fever. *Headache. Heat, effects of. Heart, diseases of. Hydro-salpingitis. Hysteria. Influenza. Intermittent fever. Jaundice. Labour. Liver, affection of. Locomotor ataxia. Measles. *Meningitis. *Menstruation, *painful, suppressed. Metrorrhagia. *Myalgia. Neuralgia. Nystagmus. *OEsophagus, *stricture of. Paralysis. Paralysis agitans. Paraplegia. Pregnancy, albuminuria of. Ptosis. Puerperal convulsions. *Remittent fever. Retina, detachment of. Rheumatism. Sexual excess, effects of. *Sleep, *disordered. Spasms. Sun-headache. Sunstroke. Teething. Tic-douloureux. Tobacco, effects of. *Tongue, *affections of. Toothache. *Tremors. *Uterus, *affections of. *Vertigo. *Voice, loss of. Writers’ cramp.
Characteristics
*Gelsemium, which belongs to the same order of plants as *Nux vomica and Curare, is not only one of the most important additions to the materia medica for whose introduction we are mainly indebted to Hale but it is also in the first rank of importance among the vegetable poly crests. A drug is of importance in homoeopathy not so much by reason of the great number of the symptoms it causes, as by possessing a number of well-marked and clearly characterized symptoms which correspond to symptoms constantly met with in every-day practice. It was this which at once gave *Gelsem. a place among the poly crests of homoeopathy. Like its botanical relatives, *Gelsem. is a great paralyzer. It produces a general state of paresis, mental and bodily. The mind is sluggish, the whole muscular system is relaxed, the limbs feel so heavy he can hardly move them. This condition exists in the cases of typhoid that call for it, the lassitude is expressed by the patient, with *Mur-ac. There is the lassitude, but the patient does not express it. The same paretic condition is shown in the eyelids, causing ptosis, in the eye muscles, causing diplopia, in the esophagus, causing loss of swallowing power, in the anus, which remains open, in diarrhoea from depressing emotions or bad news, in relaxation of the genital organs. Functional paralyses of all descriptions. This is shown again in some features of the headaches. They are accompanied by blurring of the sight, and relieved by a copious discharge of watery urine from a paretic condition of the kidneys. Conversely there may be a desire to urinate during the night, and if the call is not immediately responded to a violent headache supervenes. Post-diphtheritic paralysis, debility after pollution, great prostration from irritability of seminal vesicles. The mental prostration is typified in “funk,” as before an examination, stage-fright, effects of anger, grief, bad news, and is accompanied by dropping eyelids. Alcoholic stimulants relieve all complaints where *Gelsemium is useful. Hysterical dysphagia or aphonia, after emotions. Measles and eruptive disorders, with drowsy state suffused face, and even convulsions. Convulsions are no less marked in *Gelsemium then paralyses. Erskine White (*H.W. xxxii. 501) cured an infant born in convulsions three weeks after its mother had been terribly frightened by seeing her little brother nearly burnt to death. The only guiding symptoms was “the child’s chin *quivered incessantly.” In thirty seconds after the dose the quivering ceased, in three minutes the convulsions were at an end. White had to ride twelve miles over mountains to reach the patient after receiving the summons, so the convulsions must have lasted a considerable time. *Tremor is a keynote of the remedy. *Gelsemium is adapted to children and young people, to persons of a nervous, hysterical temperament, to irritable, sensitive, excitable people. The following provings related by Dr. George Logan, of Ottawa (*Medorrhinum *Adv., xxiii. 125) show the power *Gelsemium has over the mental sphere. The subject of the first was Mrs. Logan. who describes her experience thus: _
“A few moments after taking the medicine there is an extreme feeling of restlessness, not able to be still for a second, keep turning and twisting all the time. This is succeeded by intense pain over the right eye, always the right, it seems as if my forehead would come right over my eyes and close them, my eyes feel as if they were turning into my head, roll up all the time. Then a strong inclination to commit suicide want to throw myself from a height: invariably think of going to the window and dashing myself down _ feel as if it would be a relief. This is succeeded by an inclination to weep, and I generally have a good cry, but before I cry and while the feeling lasts of wishing to throw myself from a height, I clench my hands, and nervous rigors or sensations run all over my body down to my fingers and toes, it seems as if I would lose my senses. Then a great dread of being along seizes me, and I am afraid of what may happen, think I my lose all self-control. The pain still continues over the right eye, and often the back part of my head seems to have a spot about four inches square that is turning to ice. These feelings are followed by a strong inclination to talk or write, very great exhilaration, and a better opinion and my mental capacity. indeed it seems as if my memory was better, that I can recall almost anything I ever read, nearly always repeat long passages of something to myself that I have read years before. It appears to me that I can remember almost anything I love to recall. Now this is my invariable experience whenever I take *Gelsemium _ no matter whether in the 3rd or 1,000th potency _ and I have been in the habit of using it for twenty years. I am writing this under the influence of the drug. I could not give the symptoms so accurately at any other time. As I am getting over the effects of the drug I have to urinate every few minutes. While suffering I like to have people in the room _ have a perfect horror of being alone. I find *Cinchona* an antidote for most of the symptoms, but it leaves me much exhausted, thoroughly tired, and with a wish to be quiet. “Dr. Logan adds that he first gave the patient *Gelsemium 2 for insomnia and headache. It produced the symptoms “wishing to throw herself from a height” so markedly that he was alarmed lest she should carry it out. A years or two after wishing to give the remedy again, he have two pellets of the 30th _ with the same result. He next prescribed the 1,000th, and the result of that was the proving now related. Here is the second case in Dr. Logan’s words: _
“I gave Mr. Dorion, since Dr. Dorion, of St. Paul, five or six drops of *Gelsemium Ist for some ailment the nature of which I fail now to remember. Within a few hours after taking the *Gelsemium I was sent for to see Mr. Dorion, who, I was told, was ‘insane.’ He was brandishing a sword in a threatening manner, and frightening all the occupants of the house. On my arrival at his room I found him in the position of ‘shouldering arms’ with his sword. I playfully admired his military appearance, and thus secured the dangerous weapon, very much to the relief of his fellow-boarders. It then occurred to me that the symptoms were produced by *Gelsemium, and placing him in charge of one of the boarders, I returned to my office in order to procure the antidote, of which I was unaware at the time. I gave *Cinchona 30 each half-hour, which, in the course of two or three hours brought him all right again.” ***J. H. Nankivell drank two ounces of tincture of *Gelsem. instead of a glass of sherry. He walked a few feet with assistance and in another minute his legs were paralysed. He dragged himself to the bedside with his arms, but they were unable to help him to bed, into which he had to be lifted. As long as he lay quiet there was no trouble, but on the least exertion there were excessive tremors. Vomiting occurred during the next twenty-four hours. Temperature rose to 101.5 F. Heart’s action very violent and intermittent (possibly an aggravation of existing disease). All the muscles of the eyes were affected, but of voluntary muscles those of the right side
suffered most. Prolonged conversation involved paralysis of upper lip. There was somnolence, absence of mental excitement, and good appetite. The effects passed away in the order of occurrence, from below upwards, but after the arms had recovered, vision was not perfect for twenty-four hours. A patient of mine once took a drachm of the tincture for a headache. On going out he could not tell which side of the street he was on. He was near St. Paul’s Cathedral and saw two cathedrals instead of one. The following case of poisoning was recorded by Dr. Edward Jephson (*Brit. *Medorrhinum *Four., *Sept. 19, 1891, p.644). Although *Gelsemium was given with other drugs, and on the last occasion with one of its antidotes (quinine), which probably saved the patient’s life, the symptoms are unmistakably those of *Gels: _
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