A tincture is made of the fresh roof of the Podophyllum peltatum, L.
General Action
An active cathartic, causing inflammation (and ulceration) of the whole intestinal canal, affection chiefly the duodenum and rectum. It congests the liver and promotes the secretion of bile. It produces symptoms of dysentery and prolapsus of the rectum. Study also the symptoms referred to the uterus and right ovary.
Allies. Chelidonium, Iris, Sul-ac., Mercurius
Generalities
Sudden shocks of jerking pain. Nervous and crampy. Distress in evening after first sleep. Weakness; during the pain in stomach; with relaxed muscles and fling as if body were bathed in sweat, which it was not. Faintness, with sensation of emptiness in abdomen after stool (Acid sulphuricum). Bordering on collapse, features pinched, limbs cold, pulse feeble. Stiffness on beginning to move. Aggravation from 2 till 4 A.M. of all symptoms except weakness in epigastric region; in morning, especially of abdominal symptoms, and amelioration in evening.
Head
Aching in morning, with Dullness and sleepiness; A. in morning, with heat in vertex; and fever; alternating with diarrhoea. Vertigo when standing in open air; V., with inclination to fall forward; with fulness over eyes. Frontal pain at 10 A.M., after stool, with feverishness and with dryness in forehead and eyes, transiently (>) bathing the parts with cold water; in l. protuberance, (<) afternoon; suddenly in evening, with sore throat; darting, obliging him to cold eyes, with vertigo; heavy, with soreness. Pain in temples in forenoon, with drawing in eyes as if strabismus would follow; P. in temples and eyeballs, with heat and throbbing in temporal arteries; stunning, through T., (>) pressure. Pain in vertex in morning on rising. Pain in occiput s if head were being split open for two minutes, then a throbbing ache and heaviness so that head could not be raised from pillow.
Clinical Headache preceded by blurring of vision, then gradually increasing pain, especially in the occiput, with nausea and vomiting (Iris).
Eyes
Glazed in morning and motionless. Sunken. Inflammation; in morning; with heavy pain and turgescence of vessels of conjunctive; of lids. Smarting. Soreness of l., (<) inner canthus, with discomfort there, conjunctiva of l. ball red, (<) inner canthus. Heaviness, with occasional pains on vertex. Superficial ulceration of each cornea, its base white in r. eye and booking as if lead had been used, with general conjunctival congestion.
Nose and Face
Nose pinched. Soreness and pustules in nose. Face pale. Face and eyes red in morning and skin about them discolored, the discoloration extended over face, forehead and front of neck during the day, next night pain in eyes prevented sleep, next day the parts were yellowish-red, pupils small. eyes painful and sensitive to light (local effects). Jaw fallen.
Mouth
Teeth covered with dried mucus in morning. Tongue white in morning,. with much viscid mucus in mouth; coated white, except center; T. and neighboring glands swollen; T. and mouth dry in morning on waking. Salivation. Taste bad; sour; sweet to everything; as of fried liver, at night; lost.
Clinical Difficult dentition, with grinding of teeth, rolling the head, disagreeable breath, diarrhoea, etc.
Throat
Soreness extending to ears; S. on l. side, (<) morning and on swallowing liquids. Dryness. Burning.
Stomach
Desire for something sour. Indifferent to food. Appetite lost; impaired in morning, with unusual thirst for cold water. Thirst; towards evening; after eating. Nausea; in morning after rising; in afternoon, with acidity; (>) in bed; with diminution of pulse; and retching. Vomiting of hot, frothy mucus; of contents of stomach, then of bile; of thick, dark green bile mixed with dark coagulated about every hour; of contents of stomach, then of bitter, dark green fluid, from half a pint to a pint at each attack, and exhaustion so that she felt as if dying, could not raise her head, with each attack a painless stool, first constipated, then watery.
Such rapid and hard contractions in efforts to vomit that the wrenching pain caused sharp screams. Epigastrium and abdomen tympanitic and tender. Griping sticking in S. and abdomen at 3 A.M., transiently (>) pressure on abdomen, about 4 A.M. offensive, yellow, undigested stool mixed with mucus, about 10 A.M. burning, acrid stool, with tenesmus and bearing down during and after it. Pain at night, with thirst, burning and prostration; P. extending into abdomen after eating toast. Tenderness; and in abdomen, could scarcely bar the bed-clothes; and in abdomen, (<) motion. Throbbing in epigastrium, then diarrhoea. Oppression from cold water, with uneasiness, small quantities of the water ejected, tasted bitter and burned oesophagus. Heat; as from hot steam, after breakfast and dinner. Hollow sensation in epigastrium. Empty feeling before supper, without hunger. Weakness in epigastric region from 2 A.M. till next morning.
Clinical Indigestion; food becomes acid. Hot eructations, violent efforts to vomit. Numerous gastric complications of uterine complaints.
Abdomen
Distention in. morning. Flatulence; in morning; in evening. Griping; during stool. Pain; at daylight, (>) external warmth and bending forward while lying on side, (<) lying on back; with coldness, then heat and warm sweat; then frequent liquid stools; occasionally; wandering, at 5 P.M. Heat, with inclination to stool. Colon, rumbling in ascending; pain in ascending; pain in transverse at 3 A.M., then diarrhoea. Hypochondrium, fulness in r., with flatulence; sticking in r., (<) eating; twisting pain in r., with heat in it; sensation of flatulence in l.; dragging close under l. ribs. Cutting on sides of A., with desire for stool. Hypogastrium, bloating and tenderness; sticking above pubes and long spermatic cords; pain in H. and r. ovary in afternoon.
Clinical Chronic inflammation of the liver, with fulness and pain; the pain involve the whole right side, associated with jaundice. Gall-stone colic, with jaundice and twisting pain. Duodenitis, with jaundice. Catarrhal inflammation of the bowels, with hot water stools. Ulceration of the duodenum.
Rectum and Anus
Aggravation of internal piles, protrusion of rectum after stool (Ignatia), sudden motion, such as sneezing and mental excitement, sometimes prolapsed for days. owing to the swelling and congestion. Discharge of mucus. Too much bearing down at stool, as from inactivity of rectum. Ineffectual desire. Intermittent desire from after supper till going to bed, woke at 2 A.M. with the desire and sticking in abdomen, stool about 2.30 A.M., did not sleep well the rest of the night on account of sticking in abdomen, the pain (>) flexing thighs on abdomen.
Clinical Haemorrhoids, frequently with prolapsus ani following confinement; associated with prolapsus uteri. Prolapsus of the rectum.
Stool
In morning, with heat and pain in anus, and urging. With pain and nausea. Liquid, yellow, every hour; L., green, frequent, also with pain and griping; L., with colic. Diarrhoea; in morning and through forenoon, then natural stool in evening; immediately after eating and drinking; alternating with constipation; frequent. Solid and small at 9 P.M., copious, loose one at 12 P.M., next morning two thin ones, with griping and chilliness. Green in morning. Muco-gelatinous, small, infrequent, with flatulence and pain in region of sacrum. Frequent.
Clinical Diarrhoea; stools profuse, gushing, usually yellowish in color and very offensive; generally worse in the morning, either painless or preceded by colic; associated with prolapsus ani and sometimes with pain in the sacrum; in cholera morbus we may find this drug indicated even when there are cramps of the calves and of other muscles. Diarrhoea in hot weather; dentition. Diarrhoea worse from 3 to 9 A.M., then a natural stool towards evening. Constipation, with prolapsus ani and sinking sensation in the abdomen as if the intestines would drop through the pelvis. Dysentery; it has not infrequently been found to be an epidemic remedy, especially in the South, usually characterized by prolapsus ani, sinking feeling in the abdomen, nausea and efforts to vomit. Chronic dysentery, discharges like meat washings, severe tenesmus, burning pain deep in rectum, extremely weak digestion. Diarrhoea, stools profuse, containing undigested food, extremely fetid.
Urinary.
and Sexual Organs Micturition frequent and scanty; M. painful. Urine red. Inflammation of scrotum or eyes, seldom of both; of scrotum, with pustules. Sensation in female genitals as if they would fall out when at stool. After-pains, with strong bearing down. Symptoms of prolapsus of uterus, with pain in sacrum, flatulence. infrequent, muco-gelatinous stools. Pain in uterus and r. ovary (Apis).
Clinical Nocturnal enuresis. Suppressed menses of girls, with great pressure, haemorrhoids etc. Prolapsus uteri, especially following parturition, with more or less prolapsus ani. A great weakness of the abdominal walls during pregnancy, generally (>) lying on the stomach. Ovarian tumor of the right side, pains extend to the shoulder or down the thigh. Endometritis; thick transparent Leucorrhoea. Prolapsus of the uterus and vagina after parturition, with ovarian pain, backache, etc. Numerous cases of acute and chronic ovaritis, right side.
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.