Hypericum


Hypericum 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 Hypericum is used…


      Hypericum perforatum, H. perfoliatum. St. John’s Wort. N. O. Hypericaceae. Tincture of whole fresh plant.

Clinical

After-pains. Asthma. Bites. Brachial neuralgia. Breast, affections of. Brain, concussion of. *Bruises. Bunions. Compound fractures. Corns. Coxalgia. Diarrhoea. Gunshot wounds. Haemorrhoids. Headache. Hydrophobia. Hypersensitiveness. *Impotence. Labour, effects of. Meningitis. Mind, affections of. Neuralgia. Operations, effects of. Panaritium. *Paralysis. Rheumatism. Scars. Sciatica. Spastic paralysis. Spinal concussion. Spinal irritation. Stiff-neck. Tetanus. Ulceration. Whooping-cough. Wounds.

Characteristics

The leaves of various species of *Hypericum are sprinkled with pellucid dots and black glands which contain an essential oil. These, which are most conspicuous in *H. perforatum, have evidently given the signature which has led to the chief use of the plant in medicine, namely, as a remedy for wounds or perforations of the integuments. The leaves, moreover, are lance- shaped. The leaves of *H. androsemum, commonly called Tutsan *(toute saine), were applied to fresh wounds from olden time. The word *Hypericum means “sub-heather”, indicating its manifest relation to the heaths, which at once leads us to think of *Ledum. The proving of *Hyp. by Muller and others is very complete and brings out the relation of the drug to wounds and their consequences and also its applicability in maladies of other kinds. Crawling sensations in hands and feet, they felt fuzzy, sticking in them as from needles. Tearing, rheumatic, shaking pains, paralytic weakness. One of the provers had on waking at 4 a.m. a feeling as though she were suspended and not lying in bed, at another time as though she were lying very heavy in bed. The former condition has led to cures in effects of accidents attended with the sensation ” as if being lifted high into the air, and great anxiety lest she should fall fro this height.” The particular kinds of wounds for which *Hyp.* has been found of signal service are wounds of parts rich in nerves, brain, spine (spinal irritation from falls), coccyx, finger-ends, wounds from stepping on nails, or any punctured wounds. The characteristic of the *Hyp. wounds is that they are very sensitive to touch *(Ledum punctures are not particularly sensitive). ***W.J. Guernsey (*H. P., x. 475) relates the following case, A boy, nine, was bitten by a pet rat on the first finger of left hand. Nothing particular was observed at the time, but some time after, he became ill, and when Dr. Guernsey was called his state was alarming. The boy could talk with great difficulty, teeth firmly locked, conscious, neck so stiff the head could scarcely be moved. There was *more tenderness about the wound than the appearance would indicate. Hence *Hyp. was preferred to *Ledum It was given (8 p.m.) in the 500th, dissolved in water, at first every fifteen minutes, later every two hours. At 3 a.m. there was improvement, he fell asleep, and the next morning was practically convalescent. *Hyp. is called for in nervous depression following wounds, effects of shock, fright and mesmerism. Ulceration and sloughing of wounds. Hard, dry, yellow crusts form on healing wound. Bunions and corns when the pain in excruciating. Not only is the pain sense exalted, there is exaltation of the senses of hearing and smell. Violent labour- pains and after-pains. Tympanitic distension of abdomen, cutting pains. Gilchrist says *Hyp. 3x, given at intervals of twenty minutes for twelve hours or longer, seems to control perfectly the pain following laparotomy. But it must not be thought that *Hyp. has no sphere outside wounds and their effects. Like *Arnica it has many uses in the respiratory sphere. It has cured asthma worse in foggy weather, the attacks were better by copious expectoration. Whooping-cough worse 6 to 10 p.m. Tightness of chest, stinging worse on moving. Summer diarrhoea with eruption. Palpitation and local congestions, with or without haemorrhage and nervous depression, following wounds. Roehrig (*H. R., xii. 40) considers *Hypericum* externally and internally the nearest thing to a specific in bleeding piles. He gives it to pneumonia patients who have piles, it cures the pneumonia and prevents the arrest of the flux, always a dangerous symptom in these cases. Usher (*H. W., xxvii. 500) confirms this, “pain, bleeding and tenderness” are his indications. “It seems to suit the plethoric, with great soreness.” He uses the 1X. Toothache better lying on affected side and keeping quiet. *Hyp. is sensitive to cold: worse in cold air, in damp, in fog. The hacking cough is worse from heat as well as by cold air. All symptoms worse by least exposure. Worse From touch.

Relations

*Antidoted by: Arsenicum (weakness or sickness on moving), Chamomilla (pains in face). It *antidotes: Effects of mesmerism (Sulphur). *Compare: Ac., Chamomilla, Coffea (exalted sensitiveness), Arnica, Calen., Ledum, Ruta, Conium, Bellis, Staphysagria, Allium. Cep., (wounds), Hydrob., Lachesis (Bites), Nux (tetanus), Gelsemium, Lathyrus, spastic paralysis.

Causation

Fright. Bites. Wounds. Shock.

SYMPTOMS.

Mind

Makes mistakes in writing, omits letters, forgets what she wanted to say. Talks wildly in night after 4 a.m. while asleep, apprehensive, gasped for breath. Mental excitement as after drinking tea. Weakness of memory. Great nervous depression following wounds. Irritable. Removes consequences of fright and effects of shock.

Head

Great heaviness in the head. Confusion, vertigo, and heaviness. Tearing stitches in the brain. Buzzing sensation in vertex at night as if something living were in brain. Pulsation, heat and burning in the vertex (afternoon). Sensation in the forehead as if touched by an icy cold hand. Sensation as if the head became elongated. Headache, extending into zygoma or cheek. Headache, with sore eyes, after a fall. Hair moist, rest of body burning hot.

Eyes

Sticking through (right) eye. Burning stinging in tarsi. Stye on left lower lid.

Ears

Sticking through (right) ear in evening. Itching in right meatus. Sensitiveness of hearing during menses.

Nose

Pain in bridge of nose on rising. Sore within nose, itching, continually picking it. Dryness of nose, with sneezing, of left nostril with crusts in it. Smell very acute.

Face

Hot and bloated. Tension in the cheek. Tearing in cheek, in left zygoma. Eruption around mouth and on right ear. Yellowish green scabs with cracking and moisture.

Mouth

Dryness of the lips and moth. Dry, burning heat in mouth. Tongue: coated white, or dirty yellow. Taste: insipid, of blood. Thirst, with feeling of heat in mouth.

Throat

Sensation as of a worm moving in throat. Hot risings in oesophagus after a fright, or with anxious feelings.

Stomach

Great thirst. Desire for warm drinks. Eructation on drinking water. Desire for wine, pickles. Appetite increased morning and evening. Pressure at the stomach on eating but little. Nausea and inclination to vomit.

Abdomen

Sticking in the stomach, in right hypochondrium. Tympanitic distension of abdomen, relieved by a stool. (Effects of laparotomy).

Stool and Anus

Loose, bilious, yellow stools evening or morning. Summer diarrhoea with eruption. Diarrhoea driving out of bed in morning. Very unusual severe urging. Constipation, violent tenesmus, with discharge of a hard little ball, with nausea. Rectum feels dry, morning. Haemorrhoids. Burning, biting, and feeling of dryness in rectum. (Piles, with much pain, bleeding, and great soreness.).

Urinary Organs

Nightly urging to urinate, with vertigo. Desire to urinate, with violent tearing in the genital organs. Swelling and hardness of female urethra, with burning soreness and sensitiveness.

Female Sexual Organs

Menses too late, headache, sickening pain in abdomen, sensitive to noises. Tension in region of uterus, as from a tight bandage. Leucorrhoea. After-pains after instrumental delivery. Scirrhus of breast from injury.

Respiratory Organs

Hoarseness, Scraping and roughness in larynx, upper part of pharynx and nares in foggy weather. Asthma worse in foggy weather. Frequent dry hacking cough, short, barking cough. Whooping-cough, worse 6 to 10 p.m.

Chest

Anxiety in chest in forenoon, with short breath. Stitches in the chest, below the breasts. Stitches from within outward, through left breast and sternum, worse from motion. Pressure and burning in the chest. Tightness in the chest. Worse In foggy weather. (Pneumonia in persons who have piles.) Stinging in left chest, worse when moving.

Heart

The heart feels as though it would fall down, in the evening. Palpitation. Pulse rapid and hard. Local congestions and capillary erethism, with or without haemorrhages and great nervous depression, following wounds.

Back

After a fall, slightest motion of arms or neck extorts cries. Cervical vertebrae very sensitive to the touch. Consequence of spinal concussion. Violent pains and inability to walk or stoop, after a fall on the coccyx. Aching pain and sensation of lameness in the small of the back. Stitches in the small of the back. Lies on back jerking head backward.

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