Aphis Chenopodii glauci aphis.

Key-Notes to the Materia Medica

Henry N. Guernsey · Key-Notes to the Materia Medica · homeoint.org / Médi-T HTML text (Guernsey d. 1885; public domain)

General

Head and liver lead the way in this remedy.

Mental

Sad weeping, in view of the present and future.

Head

Aching, stitching and tearing in the head. Symptoms much worse from motion; feels as if the brain swashed hither and thither an unusual and peculiar symptom.

Nose

Eruption on right nostril and left upper lip, with burning sensation. Fluent coryza, with burning or biting in nostrils.

Ears

Sensation as of a distant waterfall, or noise of a distant cannon.

Face

Pale or yellow. Great inclination to sweat in face.

Eyes

Orbital neuralgia of the right eye, with profuse lachrymation.

Mouth

Dryness of the mouth and throat, with frequent accumulation of mucus; mucus much increased. Pain in decayed teeth, worse in bed, relieved by a general warm sweat.

Throat

Dryness, with burning, cutting or biting in throat.

Stomach

Appetite for meat and bread lost. Eructations tasting of food.

Abdomen

Much noise and painful flatus in the bowels.

Stool and Anus

Constipation, stool like sheep dung, hard and knotty. Diarrhœa in the morning, with painful urging and burning in the anus, repeated more or less frequently all day, with constantly increasing gripings, often with painful pressing in the rectum and bladder.

Urine

Frequent and profuse urination; urine deep yellow, depositing a thick yellow sediment. Burning, scalding urine.

Chest

Much irritation and tickling in the larynx, causing cough.

Extremities

Lower: Cold feet up to the knees. Tired legs and knees.

Sleep and Dreams

Voluptuous dreams, seminal emission.

Fever

Chills run up and down the back.

Generalities

Pains, drawing tearing in various parts of the body. Severe pain in the region of the lower inner angle of the right shoulder-blade, running into the chest. Pneumonia of right side, accompanied with much mucus. Biliary calculi. Jaundice. Sensation as of wind rushing out of the ears. Old putrid spreading ulcers.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica

John Henry Clarke · A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica · 1st edition (1900-02, three volumes); homeoint.org / Médi-T HTML digitization

General

N. O. Insecta. A tincture is made of the aphides grown on the Chenopodium glaucum.

Clinical

Colic. Coryza. Cough. Diarrhœa. Headache. Tenesmus Toothache.

Characteristics

Some of the most notable symptoms of Aphis are: Coryza with burning and biting on margins of nostrils, especially of septum. Increase of most violent toothache in bed, only relieved if after awhile a general warm sweat breaks out. Cutting in abdomen and rumbling of flatus. Ineffectual urging in bladder and rectum. In the morning urging after rising, several mush-like stools with pinching, burning in anus with urging. Flatus accompanies stool. Thin stools with slime and spots of dark blood. The insect partakes of the properties of the plant it lives on, Chenopodium glaucum being a popular colic remedy, and allied to the Polygonaceæ Rheum and Rumex . Aphis is peculiar in being the only remedy which has toothache > by sweat; though Cham . has general > by sweat.

Relations

Compare: Æthus. (stool after rising; pinching, cutting before., urging after); Nat. sul. (stool after rising, with discharge of wind); Nux v. (frequent urging in rectum and bladder); Gelsem. (chills up and down the back).

Head

Head confused in the evening, as with coryza; with transient heat in the face, great pressure and tightening in the forehead or occiput, increased by motion, with sensation of cerebral oscillation in the head, tearing shooting in the teguments of the head.

Eyes

Burning heat in the eyelids during several evenings.

Ears

Tearing pains, sometimes in one ear, and sometimes in the other.

Nose

Pain of excoriation in the nostrils. ─ Violent sneezing, sometimes attended by a pain, as of excoriation, in the larynx. ─ Coryza, sometimes with burning and smarting at the edges of the nostrils, and esp. at the septum. ─ Fluent coryza, with secretion of serous mucus, sometimes also at night, with pulse accelerated to eighty-five pulsations, with coldness in the feet extending to the knees, and shuddering all down the back.

Face

Colour pale, yellowish; heat in the face, with head confused as by coryza, at night. ─ Dry lips, sometimes esp. in the morning.

Teeth

Toothache with tearing shootings, at first in a hollow molar tooth, afterwards in all the teeth of the right side; extending from the right side to the ear, the temple, and the cheek-bone. ─ Aggravation of the toothache in bed, which is mitigated only after a hot and general perspiration, which supervenes at a later period. ─ Nocturnal tearing pains in the teeth, with tearing shootings above the face towards morning.

8, 9. Mouth and Throat. ─ Painful vesicles at the end of the tongue. ─ Dryness of the mouth and of the throat, sometimes with increased mucous secretion; increase in the secretion of saliva. ─ Great quantity of mucus in the mouth and throat, sometimes with a sickly taste, and with a constant necessity for hawking and expectoration. ─ Secretion of frothy mucus in the mouth and throat. ─ Scraping sensation in the palate; burning smarting; incisive burning, principally when inspiring; inflammatory redness. ─ In the throat, scraping and burning, as from acrid substances, sometimes with a sensation of dryness and increase of mucous secretion.

Appetite

Dislike to meat and bread; frequent thirst, sometimes increasing at night, or produced by a sensation of dryness in the throat. ─ Frequent risings, most frequently empty, or else with a taste of the food which has been eaten.

Abdomen

Frequent pinching pains in the abdomen, sometimes throughout the night, or else during the day, with necessity to go to stool, and frequent urinations. ─ Emission of wind. ─ Cutting and pinching pains, with borborygmi and emission of, wind. ─ Congestion of blood towards the abdominal viscera. ─ Rumblings of flatus in the abdomen, with frequent emission of wind.

Stool and Anus

Abortive inclination to go to stool, with pressure on the bladder and rectum. ─ Loose evacuations of the consistency of liquid pap, usually accompanied by burning at the anus, and a recurrence of the necessity to go to stool, or else with pinchings in the abdomen, occasioned by flatulency before and after a stool. ─ Liquid, mucus-like stools in the morning, with spots of blood, pinchings in the abdomen, pressure on the rectum, and pressive headache. ─ At a later stage the stools have more consistence, but they press painfully on the rectum and the bladder, and are sometimes attended by a flow of sanguineous mucus. ─ Tearing shooting in the rectum.

Urinary Organs

Tearing shooting in the bladder; pressure on the bladder, sometimes, esp. during an abortive effort to go to stool. ─ Irritation in the urethra, as from acridities, compelling frequent urination. ─ Voluptuous excitation of the glans penis. ─ Frequent and copious secretion of a frothy urine, deep yellow, sometimes with an acrid sensation in the urethra. ─ In the evening, urine red, brownish, frothy, depositing during the night a thick, yellowish sediment. ─ In urinating, burning in the urethra, esp. at the orifice.

Respiratory Organs

Burning scraping in the larynx, as from acrid substances. ─ Burning tickling, or lancinations, esp. in the open air, in a damp, cold atmosphere, with continual irritation in the larynx, which causes coughing, followed by expectoration of mucus. ─ Voice frequently rough and smothered, which symptoms are removed by hawking. ─ Frequent irritation in the larynx, which compels coughing. ─ Dry cough, provoked by irritation in the throat.

Neck and Back

Pain in the left shoulder-blade.

Limbs

Bruise-like pain of the limbs, with tearing shootings in the shoulders and the upper part of the arms (rheumatic pains), or else from the knees to the feet, and esp. on the tibia and at the soles of the feet.

Lower Limbs

Pulling and tearing above the knee in the morning, following nocturnal toothache. ─ Sensation of weariness in the legs. ─ Coldness of the feet, extending to the knees. ─ Burning lancinations in corns.

Generalities

Pain (rheumatic) as from weariness in the limbs, with tearing, shootings, chiefly in the temples, the ears, and teeth, which are hollow; as well as in the shoulders, the upper part of the arms, the tibia, and the soles of the feet; sensation of weariness, esp. in the legs, weariness and weakness at night. ─ The limbs feel bruised.

Sleep

Sleeplessness at night, without much pain; lascivious dreams with pollutions.

Fever

Frequent shiverings of the whole surface of the body, chiefly of the back, burning in the palms of the hands, and tendency in them to perspire in the morning; with acceleration of pulse, sometimes principally in the evening; with fluent coryza, or accelerated and wiry pulse in the morning; with hot breath and dry lips; with great tendency to perspire in the face, in the morning; in the morning, in bed, hot sweat, or general perspiration.

The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica

Constantine Hering · The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica · 1879–91

General

Animals have mostly proved valuable additions to our Materia Medica. Animalized plants may be of the same importance. A remedy prepared from a caterpillar existing on belladonna plant acted when the berries and leaves of that plant appeared to be insufficient. The Doryphora decemlineata containing solanine promises much according to the proving.
Aphis may also become an important animalized plant medicine, and is given a place here to enable practitioners to try it. It was proved and introduced by Dr. Meyer, and printed in Stapf's Archives, in 1835. One cure in a very painful case of toothache was made by Dr. Raue.
We quote the words of the great entomologists, Kirby and Spence, from their famous Introduction to Entomology, Vol. I, 1815. In the chapter on the direct benefits derived from insects, they mention how far medical science is indebted to insects ; and after enumerating how many, according to Lesser, had been used in olden time, and before mentioning the very few "the sons of Hippocrates and Galen now have recourse to," the following very wise words are inserted : "I cannot help observing that their proscription of the remainder may have been to indiscriminate. Mankind are apt to run from one extreme to the other. From having ascribed too much efficacy to insect-remedies, we may now ascribe too little. Many insects emit very powerful odors (as the acanthia suaveolens), and some produce extraordinary effects on the human frame ; and it is an idea not altogether to be rejected that they may concentrate into a smaller compass the properties and virtues of the plants upon which they feed, and thus afford medicines more powerful in operation than the plants themselves . It is at least worth while to institute a set of experiments with this view."
The Old School did not regard this advice, but the New School has done it, and has found, if not more power, more intensity of action in them.

Sensorium

Dulness in head as from coryza, with flushes of heat in face.

Inner head

Violent pressure in forehead and occiput, aggravated by motion, with sensation as if brain was balancing to and fro.

Outer head

Drawing tearing in scalp ; first days and second week.

Sight and eyes

Burning of eyelids ; several evenings.

Hearing and ears

Transient tearing in ears, now in one, then in other.

Smell and nose

Sensation of soreness of nostrils ; continues second week.
Violent sneezing, with soreness of larynx.
Coryza, with burning and biting on margins of nostrils, particularly of septum.
Fluent coryza, with secretion of thin mucus and burning of nostrils ; with accelerated pulse ; coldness of feet up to knees, and a chill over back.
All day running coryza, burning pimples on right nostril and l. upper lip.
In evening, running coryza with pulse of 85 beats.
Fluent coryza ; continues second week.

Upper face

Pale or yellowish color of face ; all day.
Flushes of heat in face, with dulness of head, like beginning of a coryza (evening).
Great inclination to sweat in face ; from early in morning.

Lower face

Dryness of lips, especially in morning.
Dry lips and warmer breath ; his pulse ran up to 68.
Burning pimples on left upper lip.

Teeth and gums

Towards noon tearing drawing pain in a decayed molar, gradually increasing and extending into other teeth right side, into ear, temples and malar bone ; increasing in bed, > after several hours by a general warm sweat ; during the second week of proving.
Increase of most violent toothache in bed, only relieved if after awhile a general warm sweat breaks out ; all other remedies of no avail.

Taste, speech, tongue

Painful vesicle on tip of tongue ; second week.

Inner mouth

More saliva in mouth and more phlegm in throat ; second week.
Dryness of mouth and throat, sometimes with increased secretion of mucus.
All day much mucus in mouth and throat, tasting unpleasantly flat, with continual disposition to hawk or spit.
Secretion of frothy mucus from mouth and throat.

Palate and throat

Scratching on palate.
A cutting burning sensation in throat, most in palate, when inhaling.
Scraping and burning in throat.
Disposed to hawk up phlegm.
The palate is inflamed.
Biting burning in soft palate during afternoon.
Dryness, scraping and burning like from something acrid in throat, and increased phlegm ; second week.

Appetite, thirst. desires, aversions

No appetite for meat and wheaten bread, with chilliness.
Increased thirst, from sensation of dryness in throat.
Much thirst in evening ; second week.

Hiccough, belching, nausea and vomiting

Frequent belching with taste of food.

Abdomen and loins

Frequent cutting pain in abdomen, especially at night or during day, with urging to stool, emission of large quantities of flatus.
Frequent rumbling of flatus in bowels and passing of wind.
Congestion of blood to all organs in pelvis.
(OBS :) The plant is a popular medicine in colic.

Stools and rectum

Ineffectual urging to stool, with pressure on bladder and rectum.
Evacuations liquid, papescent, with burning in anus and renewed urging, or with pinching in abdomen before and after stool.
In morning soon after rising, urging to stool, followed by a few, thin, mush-like evacuations , repeated several times during day, with increased pinching, burning in anus and urging.
Thin, fluid stools early in morning, several days in succession, mostly thin slime, mixed with spots of dark blood, repeated five or six times during forenoon, with pinching and urging in rectum.
Every hour a stool, with pinching in entrails, painful pressure on rectum, bladder and urethra.
After stools are more consistent, there is then a painful urging in rectum.
Stools towards morning, with pinching and urging in rectum, after sleepless nights.

Urinary organs

Pressure on bladder, with ineffectual desire to stool.
Irritation in urethra, as from acridity, compelling him to urinate frequently ; urine saturated, yellow, foaming.
During micturition, burning in mouth of urethra.
Frequent and copious emission of saturated, yellow, foaming urine, without burning in urethra ; another day with an acrid sensation in urethra.
Urine brownish red, depositing a thick, yellowish sediment, foaming during night.
Passing urine burns in urethra during chill and coryza.

Male sexual organs

At night voluptuous dreams and two seminal emissions, which had not occurred for a long time.
Voluptuous irritation on glans penis.

Voice and larynx. trachea and bronchia

Frequent roughness and huskiness of voice ; > by hawking.
Burning scraping in larynx, as from acridity ; titillating burning or stinging, particularly in open air during wet and cold weather, with constant irritation in larynx, obliging him to cough or to hawk, and constant expectoration of mucus.
Painful sensitiveness on right side of larynx.
Tickling burning in larynx.
Irritation from very acrid mucus in larynx, or like a burning acridity, sometimes forcing him to cough, oftener to hawk.
Soreness of larynx, with violent sneezing.

Respiration

Warmer breath with mucus in mouth.

Cough

Now and then irritation to cough in region of larynx.
Dry cough from irritation in throat.

Heart, pulse and circulation

Pulse 80, continuing all day ; with thirst ; dry mouth and throat, and frequent hawking ; limbs as if beaten.
Pulse accelerated, with burning in palms of hands in forenoon and dry lips during day ; in evening pulse 85.

Neck and back

Pain below left shoulder blade.
Frequent chilliness running up and down back.

Upper limbs

Rheumatic pains in shoulders and upper arms ; arms as if bruised.

Lower limbs

Rheumatic pains on tibia and soles of feet.
Sensation of weariness in legs, most in knees.
Tearing drawing above knee, often mornings or during day.
Cold feet up to knees.
Stinging burning pain in corns or little toes, alternately, r. and left.

Limbs in general

All the limbs feel bruised.
Frequent drawing rending pains from above knees down to feet, < on shin bones and tops of feet.

Rest. position. motion

Motion : pressure in forehead <.

Nerves

Tired feeling.

Sleep

Sleepless night, without much pain, but towards morning twice a thin stool, with pinching and urging in rectum.

Time

From 4 to 6 P. M. : more irritation to cough in larynx.
Afternoon : biting and burning in soft palate.
Evening : burning of eyelids ; fluent coryza ; flushes of face ; thirst ; pulse accelerated ; tired and weak.
Morning : dry lips, more warmth in mouth and breath warmer, pulse accelerated ; face inclined to sweat ; after rising, urging to stool, thin mush-like passages with wind ; tearing above knee ; transpiration all over skin.
Forenoon : burning of palms of hands.
Towards noon : toothache.
All day : much mucus in mouth and throat ; dry lips ; pale yellowish color of face ; cutting in abdomen and urging to stool ; pulse increased to 80 ; tearing above knee.
Night : cutting in abdomen, urging to stool ; seminal emissions ; sleepless ; urging, pinching and stool towards morning.

Temperature and weather

In bed : increase of toothache.
In open air, when weather is damp and cold : constant irritation in larynx, hawking and expectoration of mucus.

Fever

Chills, especially over back.
Burning in palms of hands, with inclination to sweat, in forenoon.
Feet and legs cold up to knees, shudders run down back, fluent coryza continuing.
In morning transpiration all over skin ; later in morning before getting up, a warm sweat.
Sweat relieves toothache.

Attacks, periodicity

Every evening : very tired and weak.
Several times a day : thin evacuations.
Several days in succession : thin stools.

Locality and direction

Right : pimples on nostril ; side of larynx painful.
Left : burning pimples on upper lip ; pain below scapula.
Right or left : transient tearing in ears.

Sensations

As if brain was balancing to and fro ; as if limbs were beaten ; arms as if bruised.
Pain : below left shoulder blade.
Drawing rending : in temples, ears, decayed teeth, shoulders, upper arms, soles of feet, above knees, on tibia.
Drawing tearing : in scalp ; in a decayed molar ; above knee ; in limbs.
Tearing : in ears.
Pinching : in abdomen ; in anus ; in rectum ; in entrails.
Cutting : in abdomen.
Cutting burning : in throat and palate.
Burning : of eyelids ; pimples on right nostril and left upper lip ; in anus ; in urethra ; in larynx ; in palms of hands.
Burning and biting : on margins of nostrils and of septum.
Stinging burning : in corns or little toes.
Scraping and burning : in throat ; in larynx.
Biting burning : in soft palate.
Acrid sensation : in urethra.
Titillating burning or stinging : in larynx.
Scratching : on palate.
Soreness : of nostrils ; of larynx.
Pressure : in forehead and occiput ; on rectum and bladder.
Dulness in head.
Rheumatic pains : in shoulders and upper arms ; in tibia and soles of feet.
Weariness : in legs, most in knees.
Dryness : of lips ; of mouth ; in throat.
Heat : in face.
Coldness : of feet to knees ; running up and down back.

Relations

Relatives : the Polygonaceæ, Rumex and Rheum .
Similar to : Pulsat., Chamom., Mercur., Antim ., etc. (toothache < in bed ; no other remedy has relief of toothache from sweat, though Chamom. has general relief from sweat) ; Æthusa (stool after rising, pinching, cutting before, urging after) ; Natr. sul . (stool after rising, with discharge of wind, etc.) ; Nux vom . (frequent urging in rectum and bladder) ; Apis, Argent. nitr., Dulcam., Phosph ., etc., (in laryngeal affections) ; Gelsem . (chills up and down back, cold feet, etc).