China Officinalis


China Officinalis signs and symptoms of the homeopathy medicine from the Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica by J.H. Clarke. Find out for which conditions and symptoms China Officinalis is used…


      Cinchona officinalis, Cinchona calisaya. Peruvian bark. *N. O. Rubiaceae. Tincture of the dried bark.

Clinical

*Abscess. Alcoholism. *Amblyopia. *Anaemia. Aphthae. Apoplexy. *Appetite, disordered. Asthma. *Back, weakness of. *Bilious attack. Catarrhal affections. Coma. *Constipation. Cough. *Debility. Delirium. *Diarrhoea. Dropsy. Dyspepsia. *Ears, deafness, noises in. *Emissions. Empyema. *Erysipelas. Facial neuralgia. Gall-stone colic. Haemorrhages. Haemorrhoids. *Headache. *Hectic fever. *Hip joint disease. Ichthyosis. Impotence. Influenza. *Intermittent fever. *Jaundice. *Labour. *Lactation. Leucorrhoea. *Lienteria. *Liver, diseases of, cirrhosis of. *Meniere’s disease. *Menstruation, disordered. Mercury, effects of. *Muscae volitantes. *Neuralgia. *Peritonitis. *Perspiration, excessive. *Pleurisy. Prosopalgia. Psoriasis. *Pylorus, disease of. Rheumatism. *Self-abuse. Sleep, disordered. *Spermatorrhea. Spleen, affections of. Suffocation, fits of. *Taste, disordered. *Tea, effects of. *Thirst. Tinnitus. *Tobacco habit. *Traumatic fever. Tympanitis. Varicose veins. Vertigo.

Characteristics

*Kina is the Peruvian name for “bark,” and “Kina-Kina”, is the “Bark of barks.” The story of its introduction into European medical practice is one of the romances of the Healing Art, as the story of its frightful abuse is one of its many tragedies. “According to Humboldt,” writes Teste, “about 500,000 pounds of this bark are annually exported to Europe for the purpose of being converted into sulphate of quinine.” Well may Teste add the exclamation. “Poor patients!” As with almost every other good thing that comes into its hands, allopathy has contrived to do an infinity of harm with quinine to make up for the good. Some forms of intermittent fever it will cure, if too much of it is not given, others it will suppress or change from intermittent to continuous. The result of suppression is thus sketched by Hahnemann’s master-hand: “True, he (the patient) can no longer complain that the paroxysms of his original disease occurs any more on regular days and at regular hours, but behold his livid earthy complexion, his bloated countenance, his languishing looks! Behold how difficult it is for him to breathe, see his hard and distended abdomen the swelling of the hypochondria, see how his stomach is oppressed and pained by everything he eats, how his appetite is diminished, how his taste is altered, how loose his bowels are, and how unnatural and contrary to what they should be, how his sleep is restless, unrefreshing, and full of dreams. Behold him weak, out of humour and prostrated, his sensibility morbidly excited, his intellectual faculties weakened, how much more does he suffer than when he was a prey to his fever!” (*M.M.P.) The number of patients who have been consigned to an early grave by quinine probably falls short only of the number that mercury can claim. When first introduced it was (as chloral and hundreds of other poisons have been since) declared on the highest authority to be incapable of harm “in whatever dose it may be taken.” It is only at the end of the nineteenth century that some allopathists are discovering that it is more deadly than the deadliest West African fevers. Every homoeopath knows from experience how true is Hahnemann’s picture of quinine effects from the victims of it he has been called upon to treat.

*China is placed by Teste in the *Ferrum. group with *Plumb., *Phosphorus, *Carb-an., *Pulsatilla, *Zinc, and others, which “have the property of remaking the altered blood, or increasing for the time being, in a healthy person, the relative amount of hematin, globulin, fibrin, etc.,” but also, “after a certain lapse of time, they produce opposite results_impoverishment, discolouration, and liquefaction of the blood. From this antagonism arise their characteristic effects: Short-lasting, sanguineous congestions (primary effect). and later, discolouration of tissues, Fulness of veins, torpor of all functions, dryness of mucous membranes, mucous or purulent discharges, engorgement of the glands which are immediately connected with the circulatory apparatus, as spleen and liver, passive Haemorrhages, inertia of involuntary muscles (bowels, uterus), oedema, atonic ulcers, etc.’ finally, more or less obstinate nervous disorders, from derangement of sympathetic rather than the cerebrospinal axis.” And it is in cases presenting just such phenomena as these, that *China proves its greatest efficacy, as Hahnemann was the first to point out. The glory of Hahnemann and the interest of homoeopathists are inseparably bound up with the history of this drug. It was the first medicine Hahnemann proved, and the one that opened up to his mind the idea of homoeopathy. *Cinchona Bark was to Hahnemann what the falling was to Newton, & the swinging lamp to Gallileo. Dissatisfied with the explanations of the action of Bark in curing ague that were current in his time, Hahnemann took the powdered Bark himself, being in health, and lo! an ague attack ensured. A repetition of the experiment produced the same result. Further experiments revealed that action of Bark which is the opposite of “tonic”_positively debilitating, in fact_already referred to.

It is useful to remember that *Ipecac. (as well as *Galeum and *Mitchella) belongs to the same natural order of plants as *China, and the relation of the two to intermittent fever, Haemorrhages, and gastroenteric disturbances is very similar. *Coffea also belongs to the *Rubiaceae, and is nearly allied in many of its nervous symptoms to *China. The tincture of *China is antiseptic, destroying, amoeboid motion and retarding tissue change. It weakens the heart and impairs the circulation, produces congestions and Haemorrhages, anaemia and complete relaxation and collapse. The debility in which *China is particularly indicated is such as is caused by an excessive drain of animal fluids, as great loss of blood, excessive suppuration, loss of semen, also after prolonged strain of overwork, mental or bodily. A “pumped-out” condition, and the sensitive, irritable state of mind that accompanies such. The typical fever of *China is the intermittent from marsh miasm, tertian, or quartan in type. Chill and heat without thirst, thirst occurring either before or after chill. The chill is followed by long-lasting heat, generally with desire to uncover, face fiery red, often delirium, profuse and debilitating sweat following. In the apyrexial period the face is a sallow dingy yellow, the spleen is enlarged and painful, the appetite is totally lost, or else there is canine hunger, the feet swell, and as soon as the patient closes his eyes for sleep he sees figures. Hectic fever is also characteristic of the drug. Typhoid and gastric fever. Periodicity is a leading characteristic both in fever and neuralgias. ” worse Every other day” is characteristic. Nash cured a case of acute rheumatism with *Chi. on this modality. Haemorrhages occur from every orifice of the body. Koch and others have attributed the hematuria of African intermittents to quinine. There is terrible irritability always worse at night. Loss of sight, deafness, ringing in the ears. Great sensitiveness to touch. Even a current of air blowing on the part causes great pain (compare *Plumb.). Everything tastes bitter, even water (everything *except water, *Aconite). *Chi. is suited to persons of thin, dry, bilious constitutions, or to leucophlegmatic persons with a disposition to dropsical affections, to catarrhs or diarrhoea, to affections of women. The mental state shows, in addition to the irritability, the following among other symptoms: “Aversion to be looked at.” “Pumped out” (*Silicea), unable to think. Delirium from loss of fluids (as hydrocephaloid). Fixed ideas. There is a desire for suicide: “Intolerable anxiety about 8 p.m. 2 a m., he springs out of bed and wishes to take his own life, but does not go near the window or take a knife (compare *Alumina), with heat of the body without thirst.” The sensitiveness accompanies the headache, which is congestive, throbbing, like many hammers hammering on temples, ringing in the ears, worse by slightest contact ( better by hard pressure), by drought of air, by open air. Weak eyes and ringing in ears, such as follow depletion. The nose, ears, and chin are cold, complexion sallow, dingy, yellow. Neuralgia is generally infra-orbital. Thick dirty yellow coating on tongue, bitter taste on waking. Aphthae of weakly people. Canine hunger, especially at night. Hunger after meals with feeling of emptiness. If a meal is late, he is sure to suffer from it. Total loss of appetite. Full feeling after the least food, but belching only better temporarily. After eating, a lump under mid-sternum. After fruit, diarrhoea. Dyspepsia after loss of fluids. Nausea worse on sitting up. Stomach so weak it cannot tolerate any food at all. Very sour stomach. The digestion of *Chi. is slow. *Chi. is one of the most flatulent of medicines. Guernsey describes it thus, “Uncomfortable distension of abdomen with a wish to belch up, or a sensation as if the abdomen were packed full, not in the least better by eructation.” Gastric troubles of children who are always wanting dainties, irritable on waking, bad taste, white tongue. Tympany coming on early in a case. Spleen aching, sore. Liver swollen, sensitive. Feeling of subcutaneous ulceration. Gall-stone colic, duodenal, catarrh, jaundice. Fermentation in bowels, frothy, sour diarrhoea. Yellow, watery, undigested diarrhoea with much flatus and no pain. Diarrhoea of dark, inky fluid, stools frequent at night, only after food during the day. (It is useful in cases where purgatives have been abused if *Nux fails to cure.) Excessive seminal losses. Menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, postpartum hemorrhage. Leucorrhoea before period, painful pressure towards groins and anus, fetid or bloody leucorrhoea before period, with contractions in inner parts. The breathing has important characters: Asthma, wheezing, suffocative catarrh and paralysis of lungs in old people. Respiration laboured, loud and stertorous, with puffing, blowing out of cheeks on each expiration. (***E. Carleton relates the cure of a case of spasm of the glottis in a middle-aged man. Attacks sudden. 3.a.m. suffocation seemed imminent. At length with one tremendous effort, while sitting bent forward, a little air would be forced into the lungs in spite of the epiglottis with a noise audible at a distance. After each succeeding expiration the inspiration would become less difficult. *Chi. 200 cured. Among this patient’s other symptoms were: Unhappy, idea that he is pursued by enemies in business. Scalp sensitive. Humming, throbbing in ears. Thirst for cold water. Saliva found on pillow in morning. Stomach sore to touch. Flesh sore to touch.) The sleep also should be carefully noted, especially the dreams: he cannot get rid of his dreams even after waking, the impression continues. He cannot get wide awake, head remains confused and stupid. *Chi. corresponds to hectic and to many conditions of the lungs which are attended with hectic. Suppuration of the lungs, especially in drunkards. Weakening night-sweats. Prostration, chilly, wants to be wrapped up but cannot bear the fire. A. Villers cured with *Chi. 30 a girl, twenty, who had, after a chill, a pain in right hip, worse by every movement, and which she could only describe as being like the pain in the legs which occurred before the menses. She was pallid and had much hard nursing work. The catamenia were scanty and she was weak. Three days after taking *Chi. The pain was gone, after having persisted for five months. With *Chi. I removed the dropsy and relieved all the other symptoms of a case of cirrhosis of the liver in a hard drinker. He remained at his work for many months, but in the end his old habits proved too much for him, and he died from an acute illness following a cold. In this connection may be mentioned the effect of the tincture of *China (*Cinchona rubra especially) in removing the craving for alcohol in drunkards who wish to reform. Ten to thirty drops two or three times a day is the usual dose for this, though where the general symptoms correspond the potencies would probably do better. I have confirmed ***P. Jousset’s recommendation of *Chi. O in cases of facial erysipelas without vesication. The rheumatism of *Chi. is characterized by soft swelling, pale red, very tender to touch. ***C. M. Boger had such a case in second and third metatarsophalangeal joints of left foot. The patient said: “With my slippers on I am in agony, but if I put on tight shoes the feet feel pretty comfortable.” The *Chi. symptoms are generally worse from lightest touch, whereas hard pressure better. Worse Periodically: 1 a.m.to 10 or 12 or 1 p-m., from 8 a.m.to 2 or 3 p-m. Every other day, every fourteen days, every night at midnight, during increase of moon, every three months, in autumn. Rest worse pains in limbs. Colic better by bending double. Motion better pains in limbs, worse vertigo, headache, nausea. Moving eyes worse headache. Open air or drought of air worse. Worse During and after stool. Better In room or from warm applications. Want to be near a stove, but this worse the chill. Neuralgic headache worse from anything cold in mouth. Summer causes diarrhoea. Sun worse headache. Windy, foggy, or wet weather worse. Autumn worse. After a meal: Fulness of stomach. During and after dinner: Prosopalgia better. Effects of eating: fish, fruit, bad meat or fish. Effects of drinking: beer, sour wine, new beer, impure water, milk. Drinking worse the chill. Warm drinks impede digestion. Worse From smoking.

John Henry Clarke
John Henry Clarke MD (1853 – November 24, 1931 was a prominent English classical homeopath. Dr. Clarke was a busy practitioner. As a physician he not only had his own clinic in Piccadilly, London, but he also was a consultant at the London Homeopathic Hospital and researched into new remedies — nosodes. For many years, he was the editor of The Homeopathic World. He wrote many books, his best known were Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica and Repertory of Materia Medica