Cephaelis ipecacuanha. *N.O. Rubiaceae. Tincture and trituration of the dried root.
Clinical
Anaemia. *Asthma. Bronchitis.* Catarrh. Cholera. *Consumption. Convulsions. *Cough. Deafness. *Diarrhoea. Dysentery. *Enteric fever. Eyes, affections of. Gall-stone colic. *Gastric ulcer. *Hematemesis. *Haemorrhage. Haemorrhoids. Hysteria. *Intermittent fever. *Menstruation, disorders of. Opium habit. *Pregnancy disorders of. *Remittent fever. Salivation. Tetanus. Toothache. *Vomiting. *Whooping-cough. Worm-fever. Yellow-fever.
Characteristics
The well-known emetic effect of *Ipecacuanha Wine gives a rough keynote for the use of *Ipecac. in homoeopathy. Wherever ailments are associated with the presence of constant nausea *Ipecac. is very likely to be of use. The special form of nausea is a constant but unavailing desire to vomit, or immediately after vomiting there is, instead of relief, a desire to vomit again. With this there is a clean or not very dirty tongue. There is profuse salivation with the nausea. The nausea of *Ipecac. is oftenest met with in affections of the stomach and bowels, of the respiratory organs, and in fevers. In the stomach itself, there is a symptom which is very characteristic of the remedy, a feeling “as if the stomach were hanging down relaxed.” There is disgust at the stomach for food, empty vomiting, vomiting of bile, of blood. Not better by vomiting. The stomach disorder may be occasioned by rich food – pork, pastry, fruits, candy, ice cream. The stomachic disgust of the remedy is depicted on the countenance, which expresses nausea. The corners of the mouth are drawn down. Blue rings round the eyes. Sometimes the mental state corresponds: “Moroseness and contempt for everything,” “Disdainful humour”. The irritability of the elders becomes in children crying and screaming. Another mental symptom is “full of desires they know not for what.” *Ipecac. is a botanic relative of *China, and it is also an antidote to the latter, (it is also closely allied to *Viola odorata). Perhaps the relationship of *Ipecac. to *China may have something to do with its large sphere of usefulness in intermittent fever. Jahr recommended that in all cases of intermittents in which no other remedy is particularly indicated *Ipecac. should be given to begin with. It will either care the case or bring out more definitely indications for another remedy. I have frequently found this advice useful, and it occurs to me that as most intermittents have been treated with quinine it is thought its antidotal properties that *Ipecac. exerts some of its good effects. It has a strongly marked periodic action. A special indication for it is: Nausea through all the stages. Other indications are “Stages completely mixed up,” “short chill, followed by long fever.” *Ipecac. has many bone pains, in the head and elsewhere. Pains as if bones were all torn to pieces. *Ipecac. is given as an expectorant in old-school practice, and is supposed to act by its nauseating doses are neither necessary nor desirable. The cough of *Ipecac. is dry, spasmodic, constricted, asthmatic. “Violent degree of dyspnoea, with wheezing and great weight, and anxiety about the precordia.” “Threatened suffocation from accumulation of mucus.” In whooping- cough a characteristic is the spasmodic rigidity of the patient. “Child loses breath, turns pale, stiff, and blue, strangling with gagging and vomiting of mucus, bleeding from nose or mouth.” The great keynote, subject, subject to slight variations, is mental depression with tissue irritability. The tissue irritability of *Ipecac. is severe and urgent, but superficial, that of *Arsenicum, deep-seated, diffuse, and burning, that of *Ferrum involves tissue, as with *Arsenicum, but is mostly painless (Cooper). *Ipecac. in haemorrhages (whether of lungs, bowels, uterus, or other parts) is *nausea with the haemorrhage. Guernsey thus describes the effect of *Ipecac. in the female sexual sphere, in which the hemorrhagic power of the remedy is of the highest importance: “Threatened abortion, often with a sharp pain around the umbilicus, which runs downward to the uterus, with constant nausea and discharge of blood before the proper period, metrorrhagia, often after confinement, which is heralded by a low
pulse, nausea, &c., there is a steady flow of bright red blood, which may soak through the bed to the floor, or may run over the foot of the bed. (Where there is this *steady flow of bright red blood give *Ipecac., run from above down, some from left to right (cutting pain in abdomen). There is a remarkable headache “as if bruised, all through the bones of the head and down into the root of the tongue.” Nausea is generally an accompaniment. Brain feels bruised, pain piercing to roots of teeth. There is also a sick headache originating in the stomach, the nausea preceding the headache and persisting all through. Teste has used the remedy with good effect in “constrictive and contusive headaches seated in left parietal region, coming on every day at 11 a.m., increasing gradually until the pain became intolerable, than decreasing in the same manner” and ceasing completely at 2 p.m. Another sphere in which *Ipecac. has shown great curative power is the eye. According to Allen granulations of the lids have been cured by the instillation of the dilutions. Also subacute inflammation of the cornea, with intense pain and great photophobia. Pustular conjunctivitis, especially in children. Inflammation with tearing pain and gushing of tears. Violent neuralgia of eyeballs, shooting in the head, with gushes of tears, nausea, &c. Dr. Nancy T. Williams (*H.R., xi.65) has cured several cases of gall-stone colic with *Ipecac. 6. The relief was prompt and lasting. On the strength of this symptom of Hahnemann’s, “external chilliness with internal heat,” Mahony gave *Ipecac. 200 to an army sergeant, 49, invalided for aneurism, who had this symptom while recovering from a catarrhal attack: *coldness of hands and feet not perceptible to himself. Ipecac.* soon removed this. (Medorrhinum Adv., xxvi. 110). J.R. Haynes (quoted *B.F.H. xxxvii. 203) uses *Ipecac. as antidote to the *Opium and *Morphia habit. He gives five drops of Ipecac. @ for every grain of *Morphia (or its equivalent in *Opium) which the patient has been accustomed to take. When a definite sequence is observed in the order of occurrence of symptoms this is of great practical importance. Woodward (*Hahn. Adv., May, 1900, p. 278) has noted in twenty-three provers the symptoms of *Ipecac. develop in this order: (1) Gastric, (2) Respiratory (3) Spinal, (4) Genito- urinary, (5) Cutaneous. In several instances, however, the cutaneous symptoms appeared before the genito-urinary. Owing to its immediate expulsive effect, given internally, upon the mucous membrane, its influence upon the skin has not been sufficiently considered. Mixed with oil, powdered *Ipecac. has been used to vesicate the skin, and, diluted, the tincture is used for the bites of insects, bee. and wasp-stings, &c. It produces violent irritation of the skin, and between the acts of vomiting an uncontrollable desire to scratch is often felt in those under the influence of material doses. Cooper cured an immense uterine fibroid where persistent painful irritation of the skin with constant retching and vomiting, made worse irritation of the skin with constant retching and vomiting, made worse by eating, constituted the prominent symptom. Frightful irritation inside and out, especially vaginal, with thick leucorrhoea, and a feeling of desperation, yields to *Ipecac. *Ipecac. has been used locally and internally for malignant pustule and anthrax in which disease Dr. Edwin Muskett considers it specific (*Alleg. *Hom Zeitung., No. 23, Dec, 1888). In certain forms of peripheral neuritis it deserves more consideration than has hitherto been allotted to it (Cooper). In consequence of its proved cholagogue action, it constitutes nowadays a very frequent constituent of allopathic pills. *Ipecac. has much of the sensitiveness of *Chi. There is improvement by touch. Oversensitiveness to heat and cold. Worse in winter and dry weather. Worse in warm, moist wind (catarrh, asthma, &c). Chill is worse in warm room, by external heat. Summer heat or hot room causes fainting. Drinking is better when feeling chilled. Cold water worsens spasmodic cough. Cold drinks or ice-cream causes colic. Worsened periodically by vomiting, by coughing, by suppression of eruptions. Worsened by veal, from rich food (pork, fat, pastry), from ices, lemon-peel, raisins, salads. Worse by eating. Worsened from abuse of quinine. Worsened by motion. Improved by rest, by pressure, by closing eyes. Ipecac. according to Hahnemann, is a short-acting medicine. It is *specially suited to: stout persons of lax fibre, to fair people, to women and children, to emphysematous persons, to persons who have a history of epistaxis or other blood-loss.
Relations.
*Antidoted by: Arnica, Arsenicum, Chi., Nux., Tabacum, *It antidotes: Alumina, Apis., Arnica, Arsenicum, Chi., Copper fumes, Dulcamara, Ferrum, Laur., Opium, Sul-ac., Tabacum, Antim tart. *Followed well by: Arsenicum (cholera infantum, debility, colds, croup, chills), Belladonna, Bryonia, Cadm-s (yellow fever)’ Calcarea, Chamomilla, Chi Cuprum, Ignatia, Nux vomica, Pho., Pulsatilla, Sepia, Sul., Ant-t., Tab, Var. *Complementary: Cuprum *Compare: Cough after eating, Nux vomica, (*whilst eating and in open air, Calcarea). One hand cold the other hot, Chi., Digitalis, Pul., Mosch. Constant nausea, Cocc., Kali carb., Sul., Ignatia, Actea ac. Salivation lying down. Ipecac., ((on lying down at night, Chamomilla, Nux vomica, Pho., Rhus). Grass-green stools, Arg-n. Expression of nausea, Aethus., Ant-t Bruise headache, Ptelea trifoliata, Verbascum (bruised feeling here and there in brain). Gastric disturbance from rich food, Pul. (but Pul. has foul tongue, Ipecac. clean, with Pul. symptoms last only while food is in stomach, Ipecac. when stomach is empty). Stomach relaxed, Staphysagria, Lobel., Tabacum Asthma, Cuprum (spasmodic element predominates), Lobelia (with a weak sensation in epigastrium spreading up into chest. Whooping-cough with rigidity, Cina (clucking sound down oesophagus as child comes out of paroxysm, grinds teeth), Cuprum (spasms of Antim tart. more vomiting and retching, Ipecac. has clean or slightly-coated tongue, Ant-t thickly-coated white, both have vomiting after a meal, after acids and after coughing). Pains fly from left to right. Lachesis (Side to side, Act-r., right to left, Lycopodium, with nausea, Ipecac.). Chest affections from retrocession of measles rash (Bry). Asthma, edema (Linum u). Sweetish Bloody taste, Berberis (also bitter taste, Berberis Mouth is pasty or sticky, Ipecac. more generally clean, Berb has dry mouth, Ipecac. increase of saliva and smarting in mouth and tongue).
