Iris minor (“Grows very luxuriantly in the clay ground and on the hillsides” of Oregon. The fibre of the plant is so strong that it is used by Indians for making cord, and weaving into bags, etc.). N.O. Iridaceae, Tincture of the lower or bulbous stems. Tincture of the whole plant.
Clinical
*Appendicitis. Fever. Headache. Homesickness. Intermittents. Mania. Perityphlitis. Sleeplessness. Stomatitis. Vomiting. Xerostoma.
Characteristics
Dr. George Wigg of Portland, Oregon proved *Iris tenax in the later part of 1885 (*Medorrhinum Adv. xvii. 235, *Amer. Hom., April 1888, H.W., xxxv. 364). He published the proving under the name of *Iris minor. This, as Heath has shown, is a local name only, its true botanical name being *Iris tenax (*H.W., xxx. 332). Dr. Wigg (age 44) took gtt. v. to 1X of the strong tincture. A female prover took repeated doses of *Ir-t. 2x and 3x. The order in which the symptoms occurred in Dr. Wigg’s case is roughly as follows: In the fifteen minutes burning in mouth and throat. This passed off in the night, but was intensified by each fresh does. After the second dose, taken early next morning, the burning was reproduced, followed by dry mouth and absence of saliva in two hours. Then came the mental gloom and homesick feeling, increasing towards midnight, headache in temples, toothache, sinking, all gone feeling, itching and burning of scalp, abdominal pains, diarrhoea, desperate exhaustion compelling him to keep in bed, hard chill followed by rise of temperature. The acute pains in the bowels passed off in the night, but for fourteen days there was a tender spot over the ilia-caecal region, and the bowels did not act normally for ten days. The symptoms which Dr. Wigg considers most remarkable are: (1) Absence of saliva with dry mouth. (2) Gloomy, cast-down, home sick feeling. (3) Burning in eyes without tears. (4) Pain in one tooth only (second upper molar). (5) Itching and burning of scalp without eruption. (6) Chill at 2 p.m. (he never had a chill before or since). (7) Painful spot in ilia-caecal region and the length of time it lasted. It resembles *Ir-ver. In producing bilious vomiting, burning sensations, and low spirits. In the female prover it produced a strange sensation in her mind: she though some of her friends had died, the next day she was unusually cheerful. The most remarkable symptoms were, no doubt, the ” fearful pain in the ilia-caecal region,” and the “hard chill at 2 p.m.” These indications led to the cure if the two following cases: (1) Miss A., school teacher, had for several years a pain beginning in right eye, extending thence to right half of head.When the pain was most severe she vomited a quantity of green bile. When she did not vomit she had nausea and chill between 2 and 3 p.m. The pain passed off in sleep at night. It always began on Saturday, before rising. *Ir-t. 30x every six hours commencing on Friday morning, was given, and quickly cured after *Ir-v., *Alo., *Act-r., and *kali-bi. had failed to give much relief. The relief from *Ir-t. was so marked the patient thought she had received morphine. (2) Mr. ***E., after walking thirty miles over a mountainous country in August, while is a state of perspiration drank a large quantity of buttermilk. Four hours after he was taken with fearful pain in ileo caecal region, which caused a deathly sensation at epigastrium. Finally he vomited much dark green bile without relief. An old school doctor was called in and diagnosed obstruction with probable death in four days. He lingered three weeks and was brought home to Portland where dr. Wigg saw him, and diagnosed typhlitis, badly treated. Pressure on the ileo caecal region caused death like sensation at stomach pit. Pain continued until he vomited a cupful of dark green bile. Somewhat constipated. Under *Ir-t. 15x every three hours he commenced to improve at once, and in two weeks was back at his business. Dr. Wigg notice the all-gone feeling particularly on standing up, on walking in the morning. Cold water did not improve burning in mouth and throat. Cold pillow improved pain in temples. Worse by sucking in cold air (burning in mouth and throat). Hot applications worsened pain in bowels. Cup of tea worsen vomiting. Sweet oil and camphor ameliorates burning in mouth and throat. Many symptoms appear or are worse on waking.
Relations.
*Compare: (effect on caecal region) Arnica, Arsenicum, Lachesis, Sil, (headache) Gelsemium, Gratiola., Ir-v., Kali-bi., Ignatia (Burning not better by cold) Caps., (home-sickness) Caps., Phos-ac., (xerostoma) Ar-t.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Gloomy, cast down, home-sick feeling. Strange sensation in her mind, thought some of her friends had died. The impression was so strong that she sat down and had a good cry (after sixteenth dose of *Ir-t. 2x gtt. vi., taken every two hours). Next day unusually cheerful, (On a later occasion the same prover took out of a tumbler of water, in which a teaspoonful of pellets of *Ir-t. 3x had been dissolved, one teaspoon every hour, the prover who did not know what she had been taking said, on the afternoon of the second day of taking it: ” I am going to lose my mind. I feel just as I did when you gave me that Wild *Iris.” Attempts to persuade her she was all right only worsen the despondency. She could not keep from crying. Next day as cheerful as ever). At 11.40 a.m. courage all gone, could not help crying.
Head
Pain returning weekly for several years, commencing in right eye and involving right half of head, vomits green bile when pain at height, if no vomiting has nausea and a chill between 2 and 3 p.m. (cured with 30x). Headache in both temples with vomiting of green bile. Awoke 5 a.m. with dull aching in both temples and itching eyes, could not get to sleep again but kept turning the pillow as the cool side better the pain. Itching and burning of scalp, on awaking, brushed head well with stiff brush, five minutes after whole scalp burning as from cayenne pepper, at same time eyes began to smart, but do not water (burning lasted eleven hours).
Eyes
Itching in both eyes, with aching in temples. Smarting burning in eyes, after brushing scalp, it was if he had been near someone scraping horseradish, no lachrymation (lasted eleven hours).
Mouth
Pain in left upper second molar, feeling too long, kept him awake till 2 a.m., awoke 6:15, still in pain, at 10:25 the pain was worst, neither hot nor cold water relieved, nor camphor not chloroform. Thinking there was an ulcer at the root he had it extracted. There was no ulcer, though the tooth was decayed. Burning in mouth and throat, which increased, mouth and throat seemed on fire, not better by cold water, better after midnight, better by sweet oil and camphor, better by sucking in cold air, compelling him to keep swallowing every second or two. Mouth dry, without saliva.
Throat
Burning in throat and fauces as if in fire, not better by cold water, *fearful burning in throat, fifteen minutes after taking 25 drops, pain and burning desire to swallow every second or two. Burning in throat as from *Capsicum, better by sucking in cold air.
Stomach
On standing up, in the morning, after sleep, “gone” feeling caused him to vomit a quantity of greenish yellow slime, not better, better by drinking a cup of tea. Deathly sensation at stomach pit. Vomiting of green bile.
Abdomen
Cutting in abdomen, more severe right than left. Fearful pain in ilea-caecal region. Pressure in ileo-caecal region causes deathly sensation at stomach pit. For fourteen days there was a painful spot over ilea-caecal region, as if an ulcer, the size of a shilling, might be inside. Pain in bowels increasing, headache in both temples, vomiting green bile, hot application improved bowels, and at midnight a copious evacuation occurs.
Stool
At midnight, a copious evacuation (following pain in abdomen). Constipation, bowels did not act normally for ten days after the proving.
Urinary Organs
Urine brownish. At 11 a.m. passed brown urine, and continued to do so every fifteen minutes for two hours.
Generalities
So exhausted cannot leave bed in the morning though pains have moderated. Felt ill all over at 2 p.m. and went to bed.
Sleep
Could not sleep and more and more despondent. Fell asleep at 1, woke at 5 with dull aching in temples and itching in eyes, could not sleep again but kept turning pillow over, cool side improved pain in temples.
Fever
Hard chill 2 p.m., lasted twenty minutes, after which temperature ran up to 102*, as it fell sweat came on, though not very profuse.
