Terebinthina


Terebinthina 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 Terebinthina is used…


      Oleum terebinthine. Oil of Turpentine. C10H16. The oil distilled from the oleo-resin (turpentine) obtained from various species of Pinus, purified by repeated rectification with water. Solution in rectified spirit. Ozonized Oil of Turpentine (prepared by exposure of the common oil to sun and air in a half- filled bottle and shaking from time to time).

Clinical

Albuminuria. Amblyopia potatorum. Asthma. *Backache. *Bladder, *irritable. Brachial neuralgia. Bronchitis. Chordee. Chorea. Ciliary neuralgia. Cystitis. Dentition. *Dropsy. Dysentery. Dysmenorrhoea. *Enteric fever. Epilepsy. Erysipelas bullosa. Erythema. Fibroma. Gall-stone colic. Glands, inguinal, swelling of. Gleet. Gonorrhoea. *Haematuria. Haemorrhoids. Hernia, strangulated. Herpes labialis pudendi. Hydrophobia. Hypochondriasis. Insanity. Intestines, ulceration of. Iritis. Jaundice. *Kidneys, congestion of, neuralgia of. Lumbago. Neuralgia, supraorbital. Ovaries, pains in, dropsy of. Pityriasis. Purpura haemorrhagica. Scabies. *Scarlatina. *Sciatica. Spermatorrhoea. *Strangury. Stricture. Tetanus. *Tympanites. Uremia. *Urine, suppression of, retention of. Worms.

Characteristics

*Ter. was introduced to homoeopathy by Hartlaub. A proving of it appeared in Hartlaub and Trinks’ *Annalen. Many symptoms have been added from poisonings and overdosings in old-school practice. According to Taylor, children are particularly sensitive to its action. Illness caused by sleeping in newly painted rooms is due in great part to the turpentine. “A stimulant and tonic to the mucous membranes, especially of the bladder and urethra: it proves useful in gleet, leucorrhoea, and cystorrhoea.” This is Milnes’ account of the old-school use of *Ter. as an internal remedy Brunton gives these points: (1) Applied to the skin *Ter. acts as an irritant and rubefacient, causing a sensation of burning, and vesicles if applied for any length of time. (2) Inhaled it causes sneezing, tightness across eyes, and dyspnoea. (3) Given internally it causes burning in mouth and salivation, in stomach, sensation of heat or cold, gastro-enteritis, with vomiting and diarrhoea, ulceration of intestines. The pulse is sometimes slowed, sometimes quickened. Respiration is quickened and spasmodic, the drug is partly excreted by the lungs and acts on the mucous membrane, lessening its secretion. The temperature sometimes rises, sometimes falls. Voluntary movement is diminished, reflex action lowered, blood- pressure lowered, and vessels dilated. Diminishes the quantity of urine, gives the urine an odour of violets, causes lumbar pain, burning in urethra, painful micturition, haematuria. Among the uses of Ter., Brunton mentions the treatment of biliary colic. For this it is given in ether in the proportion of one part of the Oil of Turpentine to three of Ether. Homoeopaths have confirmed the value of this. Throughout this list of effects *burning is a constant note, and gives the key to many cases calling for *Ter. burning in gums, tongue, tip of tongue, mouth, throat, stomach, rectum, and anus, kidneys, bladder, and urethra, uterus, air passages, chest, and sternum. The last was particularly noticed after warm drinks, the pain running along the sternum with the drink and spreading in the chest. Burning extends from kidneys along ureters. *Ter. is an irritative, sensitive remedy. Cooper has found it indicated in children (especially teething children) when they fly into passions. There

is irritation of the meninges and often ascarides or other intestinal worms. In one case of maniacal fury in a man it did good. This irritability manifests itself in some cases of spasms and convulsions, and Lippe observed a case in point (*H. P., x. 480). A woman had made her feet sore by walking, and applied turpentine to them. This was followed by a state like hydrophobia, she had spasms whenever she saw water or heard it poured, or saw a bright object, and also whenever she attempted to urinate. *Ter. is a great haemorrhagic and its haematuria is particularly characteristic: Smoky, turbid urine depositing a sediment like coffee-grounds. Dull pain, or burning pain in region of kidneys, burning during micturition are leading indications. *Ter. corresponds to many cases of albuminuria and haematuria after scarlatina, and also to the consequent dropsy. This last may indicate *Ter. in many affections of the genito- urinary sphere. “Burning in uterus” is very characteristic. Peritonitis, metritis, metrorrhagia will probably need *Ter. if the burning is present. The haemorrhages of Ter. are generally passive, dark, and fetid Purpura haemorrhagica calls for it if there are fresh ecchymoses in great numbers from day to day. The haemorrhages may occur from any orifice. Additional keynotes of *Ter., which will be decisive if combined with others, are: (1) Smooth, glossy, red tongue, as if deprived of papillae. (2) Excessive tympanites. (3) Drowsiness. In capillary bronchitis, the child is drowsy. Stupor and great weakness are found in many *Ter. conditions, rendering it appropriate in cases of typhus, typhoid, and uraemic poisoning. “Drowsy with retention of urine.” With the tympanites there is generally extreme sensitiveness to touch. With cystitis and urogenital and rectal troubles there is sensitiveness of hypogastrium and pains in symphysis pubis. Pains go from left to right across bowels and then shoot upward. From being exposed to turpentine odour, a lady, 35, got pain as from pinchings in the throat, with lifeless feeling in the tongue and dryness of the mouth, followed by pain in right eyeball, which extended back to same side of occiput (Cooper). ***S. H. Roberts (*B. M. J., Dec. 25, 1875) maintains *Ter. has a specific effect in tonsillitis when applied externally. Marc Jousset gave *Ter. 1X with marked benefit in two cases of bronchial asthma. He was led to give it in the first case by coincident haematuria, but this was not present in the second (*L’Art Medorrhinum, April, 1901). A remedy may be known by its antidotes and antidotal properties. *Ter. antidotes and is antidoted by *Phosphorus A young man who was badly poisoned by a low attenuation of *Phosphorus got more relief from *Ter. 3x than from any other remedy. Brunton says it is only *Ozonized Ter. that is effective here. The preparation I used was the ordinary one. Hering says the ozonized oil is recommended as a prophylactic in malarial and African fevers, a few drops being given daily on a lump of sugar. George Royal (*Medorrhinum *Cent., ix. 70) gives three cases illustrating the action of *Ter.: (1) Typhoid, third week, in man 24. Extreme distension, rapid, small, compressible pulse, cold sweat in lower limbs. *Ter. 6x two drops in water every half-hour. Oil of *Ter. was applied locally to the abdomen mixed with lard, and later in the evening, when there was already slight improvement, an injection containing turpentine was administrated. This relieved the patient of a large quantity of flatus, and next morning he was on the high-road to recovery. (2) Pyaemia after abortion at third month, brought on by patient herself. Enormous distension, lower limbs covered with cold sweat, lochia thin, scanty, offensive. *Ter. given in another case brought about slow improvement for three days, when *Chi. 30 was indicated and finished the cure. (3) Teamster, 36, had severe nephritis after being out in cold rain. Constant desire to urinate, severe pain in back, down ureter, to bladder, urine scanty, very high-coloured. Temperature 102. Pulse weak, 130. *Ter. 6x every half-hour, and hot fomentations on kidneys greatly relieved. After three days he was able to leave his bed. Royal considers cold sweat of lower limbs, and rapid pulse with the distension, as leading indications. A keynote of Burnett’s for *Ter. is: “Pains in the bowels which causes frequent micturition.” *Peculiar Sensations are: As if he would pitch forward on walking. As of a band round head. As if sand thrown violently in eye. As of a seashell sounding in left ear. In ear as of striking of a clock. As from hasty swallowing in epigastrium. As if he had swallowed a bullet, which had lodged in stomach. Sense of anxiety and utter prostration about epigastrium. Umbilical region as if covered with a round, cold plate. As if intestines were being drawn towards spine. As if abdomen distended with flatus. As if diarrhoea would set in. As if inguinal hernia would appear. As if symphysis pubis were suddenly forced asunder. As if foreign body had entered windpipe. As from electric shocks. Twitching of limbs. Crawling tingling as if parts were asleep. As if hot water running through a tube in nerve. Sprained pains, contusive pains, and rheumatic pains appear in the pathogenesis, and notably pressure and drawing pains. These show the suitability of *Ter. to the effects of injury and rheumatic conditions. It is on this property that certain popular embrocations containing turpentine owe their reputation. *Ter. is specially *Suited to: Children (dentition, nose-bleed, worms). Bleeders. Nervous women (amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea, headache). Complaints of old people, of people of sedentary habits. Chronic rheumatism and gouty complaints. The symptoms are: worse by touch. Worse by pressure (in region of bladder it causes convulsions). Effects of fall and injuries. Worse lying on left side, better turning to right. Sitting aggravates. Stooping improves. Motion improves. (Pain in crest of ilium worse from motion and least jar.) Walking in open air aggravates. Worse night, 1-3 A.M. Damp dwellings aggravates. Damp cellar causes diarrhoea. Damp weather causes neuralgia in legs. (*Ter. is hydrogenoid.) Cold water better burning in anus. Better belching and passing flatus. Loose stool better nausea.

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