Common names: Everlasting; (G). Ruhrkraut; (Fr). le Cotonniere.
Introduction
Gnaphalium polycephalum, Michx.
Natural order: Compositae. Preparation: Trituration of dried leaves and flowers of G. polyceph; tincture of whole plant of G. uliginosum, Linn.
Mind
Very irritable, for two or three days, after the diarrhoea (all three cases).
Head
Giddiness, especially felt immediately after rising from a recumbent position. From 3 to 4 P.M. a slight headache, and muddiness of feeling, about my head, which I endeavored to dissipate by smoking, at 8 P.M. failed of success, and had a “night-sweat” and headache, which was somewhat relieved by bathing the head with bay rum (sixth day). When I first awoke, felt a fullness about the temples, like the incipient threatenings of a nervous headache (which is periodic with me, usually occurring after excessive smoking, or severe mental effort or anxiety); removed by a thorough washing of the head with cold water (second morning). Pain in the back of the head, of dull, continuous character.
Eye
Slight pains about right eye, after rising (fifth morning).
Shooting pain in the eyeballs, occasionally felt.
Face
Dull, heavy expression of countenance, with appearance of slight bloatedness. Neuralgic pains of an intermittent form, of superior maxillary of both sides.
Mouth
Tongue. Tongue furred, on rising, at 7 A.M. (third morning).
Tongue covered with long white fur. Mouth. Mouth dry, on rising, at 7 A. M, (third morning). Mouth parched and tasting badly, at 2. 30 A.M. (second night). When I first awoke, my mouth felt slightly “furry”; and tasted unpleasantly; removed by thorough washing with cold water (second and seventh morning). Taste. Flat, sweetish, sickening taste in mouth.
Taste in the mouth like that after chewing slippery-elm bark, after the powder (second day).
Throat
A sort of regurgitation in my throat, half sour, half bitter, not an unusual thing with me, at 5 P.M. it soon passed away (second day).
Stomach
Diminished appetite. Indifferent, almost to aversion, to food, for two or three days, after the diarrhoea (all three cases).
From time to time obstinate attack of hiccough. The youngest had violent vomiting and purging, like cholera morbus, before morning; the purging continued through the next day, at intervals of increasing length. Much flatus of stomach, with windy eructations and slight nausea.
Abdomen
Borborygmus, with frequent emission of flatus. Unusual rumbling ( borborygmus) in the bowels, with slight griping pains during the day; in the evening, a diarrhoeic stool, with uneasiness in the bowels, until falling asleep (first day). Slight pain and flatulence in my bowels, at 7 A. M, (third morning). Slight bellyache, on waking, at 6 A.M. (fourth day). A slight bellyache when I first got up, which soon disappeared (fifth morning). Colicky pains in various parts of the abdomen; abdomen sensitive to pressure, particularly in the region of the cecum. Sensation of weight in the pelvis.
Stool
Diarrhoea. Some looseness of bowels, with passage of pale- colored faeces. Three loose and watery discharges, with great pain and nausea, before morning (first night); profuse diarrhoea, attended with great pain in the abdomen all day (second day); discharges more natural, less pain (third day).
The two older children had diarrhoeic discharges in the morning, and several times during the day followed, attended with irascibility of temper, and pain in the bowels. Diarrhoeic stool, very copious and watery, before morning (seventh night), and two more before noon (eighth day); nausea and pain in the abdomen all night (seventh night); urine scanty as before; dark colored, liquid offensive stool at the usual hour in the morning; the pain in the bowels continued nearly all the day (ninth day). Diarrhoeic stool early in the morning, and a second before noon, with pain and rumbling in the abdomen, diminished urine, loss of appetite and taste (fifth day).
Copious diarrhoeic discharge, preceded and attended with nausea, pain and rumbling in the bowels; the pain and borborygmus continued for two days. After breakfast a good stool; in the afternoon another large stool (fourth day). My rumbling bowels sent me to stool before breakfast (a most unusual thing for me); had a stool, neither very easy, very full, nor loose (third day).
Constipation. Constipation, continuing two or three days, succeeded the diarrhoea (all three cases). Bowels constipated; no stool; (after diarrhoea), (sixth, tenth, and eleventh days).. Tried hard and long to effect a stool, but without success, at 7.45 A.M. after breakfast (second day).
Urinary organs
Pain in the kidney. Sensation of fullness and tension in the bladder, even when it has just been emptied. Very frequent but slight evanescent pains in the region of the prostate gland.
Large quantity of pale, inodorous urine passed, which is remarkably free from sediment. Urine scanty and red as before (second day).
Sexual organs
Awoke during the night with an erection, and urgent desire for an embrace, a thing which never occurred before (third night); in waking about 6 A.M. had another erection (fourth day). Another erection on waking up (a thing which has occurred each morning), (fifth morning). Another erection, but less violent than the previous ones (sixth morning). Had an erection, but not a violent one (seventh day). (* Thesis erections have never been accompanied by desire; rather mechanical than passional. *) Occasional stinging in the glans penis. Increase of sexual passion.
Chest
Pains in the chest, darting from side to side.
Back
Numbness of lower part of back, with lumbago.
Superior Extremities.
Feeling of debility in the arms, as if incapable of raising the lightest weights. Pains of a rheumatic character, in the elbows and shoulders.
Inferior Extremities.
Feeling of numbness, occasionally taking the place of the sciatica, and then exercise on foot is excessively fatiguing.
Intense pain along the sciatic nerve, which is continued to its larger ramifications. The sciatica was produced only on myself; General Norris, who was suffering from an attack of that disease when we began our provings, was in a few days completely cured it. Rheumatic pains in the knee and ankle- joint. Frequent cramps in the calves. Cramps of the feet, especially when in bed. Gouty pains in the great toes.
General Symptoms
Great weakness and prostration as the result of the diarrhoea.
Felt languid all the morning (sixth day). Felt exhausted and uneasy at night, perhaps from over mental and physical effort during the day (fourth night).
Sleep
Waked up in the night by the sickness of my child; awoke again in the morning, tried and unrefreshed (sixth morning).
Fever
“Night-sweat” (sixth night).
Conditions.-
Aggravation. (Morning), Furred tongue; bad taste; bellyache; erections.
(Night), Sweat.
(In bed), Cramps of feet.
Amelioration
(Washing parts with cold water), Fullness about temples; furry feeling in mouth; bad taste.
(Bathing head with bay rum), Headache.
Born in 1837in Westminster, Vermont. . He was an orthodox doctor who converted to homeopathy
Dr. Allen compiled the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica over the course of 10 years.
In 1881 Allen published A Critical Revision of the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica.