Iris hexagona. Blue flag. *N.O. Iridaceae. Tincture of fresh root collected in early spring or autumn. Trituration of the resinoid, Iridin or Irisin.
Clinical
Anus, fissure of. *Bilious attack. *Constipation. Crusta lactea. Diabetes (pancreatic). *Diarrhoea. Dysentery. Dysmenorrhoea. Dyspepsia. Eczema. Fistula. Gastrodynia, intermittent. *Headache. Impetigo. *Liver, affections of. Migraine. Neuralgia. Nocturnal emissions. Pancreas, affections of. Parotid, glands, affections of. Pregnancy morning sickness of. Pregnancy, morning sickness of. Psoriasis. Rectum, burning in. Rheumatism. Salivation. *Sciatica. Vomiting. Whitlow. Zoster.
Characteristics
The Blue Flag is n great repute as a remedy among the Indians of North America. It was introduced into homoeopathic practice by Kitchen, of Philadelphia, by whom it was proved, as well as by that heroic prover, Burt, and others, of all whose experiences Hale gives an excellent account. I will relate one of Burt’s experiments. “May 18th. Took forty grains of the green root, fifteen minutes after, profuse flow of saliva and tears, mouth and stomach feel on fire, almost impossible to breathe, it is so acrid, one half-hour of great pain and distress in the stomach, it is awful to bear, continues all the afternoon and evening, it is not a sharp pain but an awful burning distress, appears to be deep in the region of the pancreas, cold water does not touch it, profuse flow of saliva all day, constant eructations of tasteless gas, very restless all night with bad dreams. May 19th. Awoke at 4 a.m. with great rumbling and distress in the umbilical and hypogastric regions, with great desire for stool followed immediately by a copious, thin watery stool, which could not be retained a moment without much pain, mouth feels as if it had been scalded, tongue thick and rough. 8 a.m. Another thin, watery stool, with great rumbling in the bowels, no appetite, loss of taste.” Dr. Burt took more of the drug and developed a repetition of these symptoms and many others, including toothache, an eruption of pimples on the top of the head, inflammation of the glans penis, amorous dreams and seminal emissions (to which, he was not accustomed). Vomiting of a watery, extremely sour fluid, excoriating the throat, was prominent in some provings. The sourness may be so great that not only the vomit but the whole person smells sour. “Everything in the stomach turns to vinegar, similarly in threatened rheumatic fever the sweat smells strongly of vinegar’ (Cooper). Sometimes the vomit was not sour but bitter or sweetish. The action on the salivary glands and pancreas was very marked. And *Iris has proved an excellent remedy in affections of these organs. Nash relates the case of a middle- aged lady who had frequent attacks of vomiting of ropy mucus hanging from mouth to receptacle on the floor. Then the substance vomited became dark-coloured like coffee grounds. She became very weak and vomited all nourishment. There was also profuse secretion of ropy saliva. The patient believed she had cancer of the stomach and made her will. *Kali-bi. gave no relief. *Iris cured in a short time and permanently. Kitchen found *Iris the most effective all-round remedy in cases of vomiting of all kinds. He relates this case: A girl, age 9, had periodic spells
of vomiting every month, six weeks, or sometimes four months. The attack would last three days. It began with vomiting of ingesta, then sour fluid, lastly bile, yellow and green, with great heat of head. Some general fever, and great prostration. Warm perspiration from efforts of straining. A single does of *Iris would arrest the attack at once, all other remedies having failed. This action of *Iris on the intestinal tract and liver together with another characteristic action of the drug, on the nerves, renders it a great remedy in bilious sick-headaches. Here again it resembles *Kali-bich., for the headache of *Iris is associated with a blur before the eyes. Hemicrania beings with a blurring sight, paroxysms attended with sour watery vomiting, pain involving supraorbital and dental nerves, with stupid or stunning headache. A dull soreness is left where the neuralgia had been. ***L.L. Helt relates a typical case *(Medorrhinum Adv. xxii 395). The patient, a lady, said: “The way I know an attack is coming on is, I feel so tired and drowsy that I can go to sleep at any time or place, and my sight becomes dim, but not one bit of pain yet.” After this stage has lasted from twelve to twenty- four hours, vomiting begins, always from 3 to 4 a.m. The vomiting stage continues about twelve hours, followed by a most excruciating headache, or by severe pain and great distress in stomach and abdomen. If one is present the other is absent. At the end of the third day she is able to sit up a little. The periods of recurrence are very irregular. *Iris v. 3x given on the approach of an attack warded it off on three occasions, and then the attacks ceased to recur. *Medorrhinum Visitor, xiii. I, reports a discussion on *Ir-v., in the course of which ***C. Conannt said he had repeatedly verified “right-side headache, beginning with a blur and very severe in front of head.” E.H. Linnell cured a sick-headache of two years’ standing invariably produced by eating anything sweet. Baruch (*H. W., xxxiii. 478) has cured with *Ir-v. 2x a case of diabetes having (in addition to the glycosuria) right-side supraorbital pains, low spirits, dull mental faculties, anorexia, urine pale and copious, pain in pancreas. In pancreatic diabetes *Ir-v. should have a very important place. *Ir-v. is no less effective in pure neuralgias, either facial or sciatic. I have cured with it left-side sciatica following influenza. The generality of affections appear on the right side. Pains are erratic, shoot from right to left. The irritating, excoriating, and inflaming properties of *Iris are seen in the affections of the skin. It has cured cases of herpes zoster (right side), eczema capitis, impetigo figurata, and psoriasis. There is well-marked periodicity in the *Iris affections, headaches, colic’ diarrhoea and dysentery, recurring every spring and autumn, diarrhoea and colic 2 or 3 a.m., morning sickness, attacks at short intervals. Symptoms set in suddenly. The headaches are better by rest, worse by moderate motion, worse by violent motion. Bending forward better colic Motion worse abdominal and sciatic pains. Toothache is worse in warm room. Open air better headache, cold air worse headache and nausea. The concomitance of gastric symptoms gives the key to many of the cases which call for *Iris, and it should not be forgotten that constipation as well as diarrhoea may be a strong indication.
Relations.
*Antidoted by: Nux v. *Antidote to: Mercurius, Nux v., Phytol. *Compare: Ipecac.(nausea and vomiting of pregnancy with tenderness over stomach, profuse salivation. Iris has thick, ropy saliva, Ipecac. saliva is thin, must be constantly swallowed), Sanguinaria (periodic sick-headache), Kali bich. (sick-headache beginning with a blur – with Kali bichromicum the blur precedes the pain and passes off as the pain comes on – thick, ropy saliva and vomit, sciatica), Verbascum (diarrhoea and summer complaints, Verbascum Has collapse, coldness, cold sweat. Iris more inflammatory symptoms, excoriation about anus), Chi.(summer diarrhoea), Sepia (sick- headache), Epipheg. (sick-headache, ropy saliva), Ant-c., Ant-t., Arsenicum, Colchicum, Eupat. perf., Juglans c., Lept. In burning in throat, Caps. (Caps. Has worse by cold water,’ Ir. v. is temporarily better by drinking cold water.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Low spirited, discouraged, easily vexed, despondent. Great depression with headache. Fear of an approaching illness. Cannot fix mind on studies.
Head
Fullness in and heaviness of the head. Head and face are cold. Headache (temples and eyes), with distressing vomiting (of a sweetish mucus, occasionally with a trace of bile). (Sick headache invariably induced by eating anything sweet.) Sensation of constriction around the forehead (when trying to cough). Dull throbbing or shooting in right side of forehead, with nausea, worse toward evening, from cold air or coughing, better from moderate motion. Dull, heavy frontal headache, with nausea, with dulness of eyes and pain over left superciliary ridge. During headache, nausea and profuse salivation. Recurrent sick headaches with constipation. Aching in forehead and vertex as if the top of the head would come off. Shooting in the temples, mostly r., with constrictive feeling of the scalp. Stitches in the lower part (right side) of the cerebellum. Pustular eruption on the scalp.
Eyes
Redness of conjunctive. Burning in internal canthus (right) with lachrymation. Inflammation of eyelids, apparently from cold. Eyes sunken. Violent pains in both supraorbital regions, but in only one at a time.
Nose
Constant sneezing.
Face
Wakes with neuralgia, right side of face, darting stitches in two carious teeth. Neuralgia, involving supra- and infraorbital, superior maxillary and inferior nerves, begins after breakfast every morning, with a stupid, stunning headache, and lasts several hours. Pustular eruptions on the face, around nose, lips, and cheeks, secreting a sanious, irritating matter.
