Asparagus


Proving Symptoms of homeopathy medicine Asparagua, described by Richard Hughes in his book, A Cyclopedia of Drug Pathogenesis, published in 1895….


Introduction

Asparagus officinalis, L. Nat Ord., Liliacea.

Provings

1 a. -N-(Ist proving)_, a man, aet. 26. 24th March, 11 a.m., 30 drops tincture. Soon dizziness in sinciput, later, pressure in temples, mostly l. Pulsations of heart, felt and heard, also when moving moderately. Increased secretion of saliva. 3 p.m., 60 drops. Increased heat of face, slight vertigo, drowsiness, and yawning, shooting on right side of glans penis. Scanty straw- coloured urine that immediately after being passed becomes turbid and full of white dust; after 4 h. a white flaky sediment is deposited and the urine becomes clear. After the urine had been poured out and the glass rinsed with water a distinct fatty deposit appeared on the sides of the glass. Eructation; wind in stomach. Pressure on forehead with confusion of sinciput; burning of cheeks, frequent scanty discharge of urine, preceded by sensation of something sticking in urethra, at same time slight burning. Urging to urinate. Increased thirst. Increased acuteness of vision. -23rd. On waking and stretching himself severe cramp- pain in right calf so that he could have cried out, relieved by rubbing, but all day the right leg remained weak. 7 a.m., 70 drops. Urine has a peculiar smell. Excitement and increase of sexual desire. Discharge of much flatus. Hawking and irritation to cough, the mucus will not come away. Fits of coughing with retching. From 1 h. after breakfast, cough relieved. Oppression of chest. Drowsiness and yawning. Full feeling of abdomen. Increased heat. Urine clear, but smells badly. 2:30 p.m., 20 drops. Pressing in both temples, increased by pressing on them. Weight of sinciput. The urine passed at 4 p.m. was again turbid, afterwards it cleared, but deposited a white flaky sediment. 24th, 7 a.m., 100, 8 a.m., 50 drops. Even before taking it slight threatening of cramp in calves. Exhausting cough with oppression of chest, much mucus expectorated. Exhausting cough causing him to vomit and brought the water into his eyes. Sweetish flat taste. Almost constant hawking and rough feeling in throat. Pressure in chest after breakfast. Shooting in left side of chest on inspiring, which was only very slight yesterday afternoon, came on to-day very distinctly, but does not last long. When sitting shoot through the back in region of lumbar vertebra. When coughing retching. Pinching in umbilical region, which is painful to touch. 1 1/2 h. after dinner, urine again turbid but not dark, with fine dust, which becomes more distinct on diluting the urine with distilled water. Urine smells as before. The urine that has stood during the n. makes a reddish deposit on walls of vessel. Stool, afternoon, not copious (accustomed to a stool every m.) evening, twitching in belly below navel. Tightness of chest, especially when writing. 10 p.m., before falling asleep drawing in a toe on left foot which had been wounded when he was a boy. 5 a.m., wakes with nausea, thereafter vomits 4 times what he had eaten for supper, with bile and much slime, thereafter bilious, feculent diarrhea; a 1/4 h. later recurrence of the vomiting with more oppression. The urine more turbid than before. Dislocation- pain when walking, forenoon, on neck of left femur, preventing quick walking and making him limp.- 26th, 7 a.m., 60 drops. Cheerfulness all d. The dislocation-pain when walking comes again. Inclination to hawk and cough less than 2 d. ago. Slight feeling of shooting in cardiac region after dinner. Palpitation of heart with anxious restlessness, increased by movement and going upstairs. 2 p.m., 20 drops. 4 p.m., pain at the top of sacrum. Pressure in chest, tension on inspiring. Feeling as if chest were hollow, with external pressure on it. -27th, 7 a.m., 200 drops. Coppery taste. Inclination to hawk or cough coming from deep down in throat; the mucus easily detached at every cough. Bruised pain of muscles on middle of thigh rendering walking difficult especially, when going downstairs. On touching the part sore pain. R. lower extremity suffers more than l. When sitting sudden shoot through right thorax making him jump (10 a.m.). -28th, 7 a.m., 80 drops. Most of the symptoms aggravated by movement, frequent palpitation of heart; oppression of chest, tension on inspiring increased, threatenings of pains in lumbar region all afternoon, so that he must often bend the chest forwards and head backwards in order to get relief. Later in e., shooting at first above the right, then above the left side of left knee when sitting. -29th, 6 a.m., 250 drops. Rheumatic pain in right shoulder, burning in urethra, hawking of mucus, fatiguing cough with inclination to tussiculation, retching on attempting to cough so that the water comes into eyes. 8 a.m., 200 drops. Heart’s beats scarcely can be felt, pulse small, easily compressed. Abdomen swollen. Sore pain in upper surface of thigh when touched, or on flexing the limb at knee-and hip-joint, for 3 d., which renders walking difficult. R. limb weaker than l. Giddy in sinciput. Palpitation of heart all d., especially after moving. Urinary secretion somewhat increased. In afternoon the urine again contains appearance of dust particles. Towards e. some cough. Pain in shoulder when touched. Rheumatic pains betwixt scapula.

1 b. (2nd proving). Took doses of from 30 to 40 drops of same tincture, which caused irregular, double heart’s beats. Pulse when sitting quickened. Palpitation when sitting, so that the leaves of a book he holds in his hands tremble. Diminished urinary secretion. Urine dark coloured without sediment, after urinating burning in urethra with a feeling as if the urine were still flowing. Yawning, drowsiness in m., pricks and creeping in eyes, pressure of brain against eyes. A carious molar becomes hollow and breaks off without pain. (BUNCHER, Hygea, xii, 426.)

2. ST., a healthy man, aet. 25, blond and thin, sneezed much on smelling the tincture; 20 drops caused no particular effect. On m. he took 40 drops. Confusion of head and a giddy staggering, cutting and burning in urethra, dysuria, at same time drawing pains in both groins, pains in abdomen, with bilious diarrhea, burning and sore pain in anus. Next forenoon he took 30 drops, when he observed: tickling and irritation to cough; mucus expectorated with difficulty. Dyspnoea on moving or on going upstairs. Must sit up in bed at n. in order to breathe more easily. Next day 6 drops. Peculiar anxiety with palpitation and crossness. On inspiring, shooting in several parts of chest, especially under left scapula. Much viscid mucus from throat. Urging to urinate, urine smells strongly. Saliva sweet, as though mixed with blood. (Ibid.) 3. A girl of 20, who had the menses regularly for 3 d., got on the 2nd d. of her menstruation in the e. 60 drops, and the same dose next m. The menses lasted a day longer than usual. (Ibid.) 4. M-, 27 years old, subject to rheumatism, took 8th Aug., 1840, 100 drops tincture. Slight bitter sweet taste on tongue. Coryza, with commencing dryness and slight swelling of nasal cavity, the passage of air through it obstructed. Slight pressure in forehead. Violent coryza with copious secretion of thin whitish fluid from left nostril. Frequent sneezing. Slight febrile state with dull drowsiness at 3 p.m. Violent coryza with pressive pain from root of nose to sinciput. Frequent micturition with pinpricks in orifice of urethra. -9th, m., 200 drops. After 9 a.m. commencing dry coryza with discharge as yesterday. Speaks through nose. Loss of smell, violent sneezing. Frequent emission of urine, followed by violent stitches at orifice of urethra. Swelling of penis with erections and urging to urine. Diminished secretion of saliva-10th, m., 100 drops. Coryza with thin whitish mucus from right nostril. Confusion of sinciput. Violent stitches in orifice of urethra after frequent urination. Slight chilliness with drowsiness. Peculiar urging to stool and difficult evacuation of the hard faeces. Itching in anus. -11th, 400 drops. Dry coryza with obstruction of air, otherwise little remarkable. On leaving off the secretion of saliva became more copious, and he had frequent spitting of blood. (IBID., A.H. Z., xx, 265.).

Richard Hughes
Dr. Richard Hughes (1836-1902) was born in London, England. He received the title of M.R.C.S. (Eng.), in 1857 and L.R.C.P. (Edin.) in 1860. The title of M.D. was conferred upon him by the American College a few years later.

Hughes was a great writer and a scholar. He actively cooperated with Dr. T.F. Allen to compile his 'Encyclopedia' and rendered immeasurable aid to Dr. Dudgeon in translating Hahnemann's 'Materia Medica Pura' into English. In 1889 he was appointed an Editor of the 'British Homoeopathic Journal' and continued in that capacity until his demise. In 1876, Dr. Hughes was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Organization of the International Congress of Homoeopathy Physicians in Philadelphia. He also presided over the International Congress in London.