Squaw-Root: Papoose-Root: Blue Cohosh.
Introduction
WHEN the conventional practitioner saturated with the learning of the Schools, finds his lost cast for him among “natives” and “savage tribes” of sorts, he is apt to brush aside impatiently the inherited lore that surrounds him-whether malign and benign; perhaps often the former–but far from always! Secure in his comparatively easy methods, sanctioned, as they are, by Authority, he is apt to despise and trample out, in his lordly way, much that it were greatly to his advantage to explore and study.
His beloved antiseptics, for example, oust for him the invaluable “wound-herbs” of the district. These (instead of his clumsy and anxious efforts to destroy, or at least deter, the dreaded “organisms” more or less at the expense of the inherent healing powers of the tissues) would work for him, gently and effectively, after the manner of such herbs; routing the enemy by the simple method of stimulating healthy healing in damaged tissues. Or again, armed with quinine (one thing he did obtain, by observation of native healing). and some few stock drugs chiefly of a palliative nature, he is apt to consider that all knowledge is with him; that what he does not know about medicine is not worth knowing, or, for him, no subject for orthodox speculation. Forgetting that,
Knowledge is proud because she knows so much: Wisdom is humble that she knows no more.
Far other, thank God! is the attitude of the Homoeopath.– always on the prowl for that which heals. His insatiate thirst for power has taught him to not despise but investigate. Hence he has introduced, from the world over, from North American Indians- -from South America, especially from Brazil–from Martinique and the West Indies–from everywhere–not only precious herbs of healing, but those magnificent reptilian venoms –of snakes– spiders–toads–lizards–which give to homoeopathy a much wider range of healing than is dreamt of by Old School. Some of his native remedies have been slowly filtering through to the laggards in Materia Medica: for instance Hamamelis–Witch Hazel, introduced by Constantine Hering in 1850, and now common property. In glancing down the lists of medicines in Hale White, who instructs the cramming student in “Mat. Medorrhinum”, one can always spot the imported homoeopathic remedies, because they are set down as simple tinctures, and not wrought into the compound prescriptions of hoary antiquity. But–it is amusing to find oneself occasionally warned off our everyday stand-bys -and for this imperative reason, as Clarke points out, that curative remedies work under a double Law: and that of Dynamization must be added to the Law of Similars, if they are to be, not only safe, but effective. It stands to reason that, if you are using that which can cause mighty evil to cure something similar, it requires delicate handling and prescribing. You cannot pour it in from a bucket.
And now Old School has at last got its teeth into the snake venoms, and it is lost in admiration of the vast possibilities envisaged. But here again, the snag!–for these most potent of potent homoeopathic remedies will have to be used according to the methods of Hahnemann, if they are to do the maximum of good and the minimum of damage. And, again, it is only by their “provings” that it can be discovered what actually they are capable of, as well as which is to be used for this case–this purpose–and which for that!
But, to revert to our subject, the Squaw-roots of America are wonderful aids in the treatment of the pangs and diseases “which” (female) “flesh is heir to.” One notices that, coming from such source, they have often, at all events to begin with, been used in low potencies and in substantial doses. But, as a case we quote presently, from Nash, shows, they may do even better service in the potencies.
DR. BORLAND (Homoeopathy for Mother and Infant), says:
It is an experience common to homoeopathic doctors everywhere, who are conducting a general practice, that their patients do not suffer from difficult labour. That does not prove anything, but it is a fortunate fact for the patients. There are two factors which have a bearing on this happy experience. A pregnant woman who is treated throughout her pregnancy with homoeopathic medicines will approach her confinement freed from the physical and mental ailments which so often are factors in the production of an unsatisfactory confinement. Secondly, there is a drug– Caulophyllum–which has the power of regulating the processes of labour. This is a fact which was known and used by homoeopaths many years ago, and is equally true to -day.
I have a patient, recently confined of her first child. Years ago her mother was given Caulo. before this patient was born. Now the patient herself was put on Caulo. before the birth of her child. During her confinement she was attended by an obstetrician of very wide experience. She had a large child and it was her first pregnancy, labour had started, and she was examined. The attending lady gynaecologist said that everything was going well, but that many hours must elapse before anything could be done to help, and went off home. She got into her own door as the telephone bell rang, asking her to return at once, and got back to the nursing home just in time to see the child born. The mother was saved trouble, forceps delivery, hours of suffering, and prolonged labour with its increased danger for the child. She had been taking small doses of Caulo. daily for a month before. Coincidence, perhaps, but a coincidence one has come to expect.* N.B.–At our farm it helps the cows also in their calving.–E.D.
And again, IN PREPARATION FOR UNCOMPLICATED LABOUR
Fretful–apprehensive.
Uterus feels congested. Tension and fullness.
Spasmodic pains, uterus: and during menses.
Leucorrhoea: with bearing down pains.
Threatened abortion (Viburnum).
Spasmodic rigidity of os, delaying labour.
Labour pains, short, irregular, spasmodic, no progress being made.
Caulophyllum has not been extensively proved: but taken, a dose daily, during the last two or three weeks of pregnancy, it is found to make labour easy. 12th or 30th potency.
IT was HALE, in his New Remedies, who first drew attention to this invaluable remedy. He says:
This is one of a class of remedies whose virtues seem to have been well known to the aborigines of this country. They called it “squaw-root” by which name it is known to the common people. Early pioneers, lay as well as professional, all bear witness to the high estimate placed on it by the Indians for the relief of the sufferings and weaknesses of the women of that race. It has another name, “Blue Cohosh”, the origin of which I have not been able to ascertain.
Its sphere of action, as near as can be stated at present, is not extensive, but confined to the small muscles and joints, the muscular tissues of the generative organs, and possibly the motor nerves and mucous membranes.
The provings made do not throw much light on its general powers. Its clinical uses afford us almost all the data upon which we base our knowledge.
Its most prominent value seems to be its power of causing intermittent contractions of the gravid uterus, and possibly of the unimpregnated. In this it differs from Ergot, which causes, or tends to cause, persistent contractions. The remedies which most resemble it in this respect are Viburnum, Cannabis indica and Cimicifuga.
It is a powerful agent for the prevention of premature labour and of miscarriage, provided the premonitions are pains of a spasmodic character.
The aborigines and earlier settlers claimed for it the power of preventing tedious and painful labours. This testimony has been substantiated by many prominent and trustworthy physicians of the eclectic school, as well as of the homoeopathic.
My experience has been so uniform and conclusive on this point, that I do not hesitate to assert that it prevents not only a too painful labour, but it prevents those premature labours which are so common among the weakly women of this age.
It seems to be homoeopathic to rheumatism of the short muscles and small joints of the extremities, and a few cases of that character have been reported.
FARRINGTON (Clinical Materia Medica) says: “Another remedy to be compared with Pulsatilla is Caulophyllum. This is a remedy that we have had not many years, and yet it is so useful that we would not now be able to get along without it.
Its main characteristic is intermittency of pains. If they are neuralgic and reflex from uterine disorder, they are intermittent in character. They are usually sharp and crampy and appear in bladder, groins and lower extremities.
During labour Caulophyllum is indicated when there is extreme uterine atony. The pains may be as severe as ever, yet there is apparently no expulsive effort. It is often indicated in nervous women in whom pain seems to be intolerable. The pains are spasmodic and fly about from place to place, now in the groins, then in the abdomen and next in the chest; but not going in the direction of the normal pains. The patient seems to be exhausted, There is great exhaustion of the whole system. She can scarcely speak at times, so weak is the voice. These are the symptoms which call for Caulophyllum. It has been used here by most physicians in the low potencies, although all potencies may be used. It may also be indicated during the last weeks of pregnancy when the patient suffers from false labour pains, these consisting of painful bearing-down sensations in the hypogastrium. I have known a single dose stop them after they had lasted for hours.
