The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica

Jalapa jal.

Hering, 1879–91 (1879)In every bookSave

General

Jalap. Convolvulaceæ.
Native to Mexico, from whence the first roots were brought by Coxe, in 1827. The flowers are large and lilac purple, the roots tuberous. The tincture is prepared from the dried and finely pulverized root.
It has been much used by the Old School as an active cathartic, generally in connection with other drugs. Its action was found to be violent, and in overdoses dangerous.
The symptoms contained in Allen's Encyclopædia, vol. 5, p. 181 , are from Noack and Trinks' Materia Medica, to which we add a small proving by Jeanes, made with the fourth dilution, in 1844.

Mind

Great restlessness with anxiety.

Inner head

Violent headache.
Pain in head ; smarting in skin of forehead.

Hearing and ears

Humming in ears.

Lower face

Dryness of lips.

Taste, speech, tongue

Biting and smarting of tongue.

Inner mouth

Stinging on tongue and in fauces.

Hiccough, belching, nausea and vomiting

Flatulent and frothy eructation with abatement of pain.
Nausea and vomiting.

Hypochondria

Pain in right hypochondrium.

Abdomen and loins

Severe griping, cutting pain in bowels, < at night.
Pain in middle of abdomen and in region of left superior flexure of colon.
Pain in cecum.
Flatulent rumbling in bowels.
Colic ; violent pains in small intestines, as if abdomen would be cut to pieces.
Inflammation of intestines.

Stools and rectum

Stools : violent, excessive ; bloody ; watery, with weak pulse ; sour smelling ; with great restlessness and anxiety.
Before and during stool : cutting colic.
Pain in sigmoid flexure of colon.
Soreness of anus.
Diarrhœa in infants : child is quiet all day, but screams and tosses about all night.
Infantile diarrhœa, general coldness, blueness of face.

Urinary organs

Pain and pressure in region of bladder.

Male sexual organs

Thrilling sensation in urethra whilst urinating.

Neck and back

Severe pain about superior margin of left scapula.

Upper limbs

Pain in thighs.

Lower limbs

Smarting on inside edge and at root of left great toenail, with heat, tearing and pulsation.
Pain in large joint of great toe.
Burning of soles of feet.

Limbs in general

Aching in arms and legs, most right side.

Nerves

Fainting fits ; weakness.
Excessive uneasiness and tossing about of limbs.

Time

Night : severe cutting, griping pain in bowels < ; child screams and tosses.

Fever

Febrile attacks.
Great disposition to perspiration of head and superior parts of body.

Locality and direction

Right : pain in hypochondrium ; aching in arm and leg.
Left : pain in superior flexure of colon ; severe pain about superior margin of scapula ; smarting on inside edge and at root of great toenail.

Sensations

As if abdomen would be cut to pieces.
Pain : in head ; in right hypochondrium ; in middle of abdomen ; in region of left superior flexure of colon ; in region of bladder ; in thigh ; in large joint of great toe.
Violent pains : in head ; in small intestines.
Severe pain : about superior margin of left scapula.
Tearing : at root of great toenail.
Severe griping, cutting pain : in bowels.
Cutting colic.
Aching in arms and legs.
Stinging : on tongue and in fauces.
Biting : of tongue.
Smarting : in skin of forehead ; of tongue ; on inside edge and at root of left great toenail.
Burning : of soles of feet.
Soreness : of anus.
Pressure : in region of bladder.
Pulsation : in great toe.
Thrilling sensation : in urethra.
Dryness : of lips.

Relations

Compare : Camphora (diarrhœa with coldness), Coloc . (colic).