Filix Mas fil.

Homœopathic Materia Medica

William Boericke · Homœopathic Materia Medica · 9th edition

Common name

Male Fern (ASPIDIUM)

General

A remedy for worm symptoms, especially with constipation. Tapeworm. Soporific conditions. Torpid inflammations of lymphatic glands (Maceration of fresh root). Pulmonary tuberculosis in young patients, no fever, with limited, ulcerated lesions, formerly classified as scrofula.

Eyes

Blindness, monocular amblyopia.

Abdomen

Bloated.--Gnawing-pain; worse eating sweets. Diarrhœa and vomiting. Worm colic, with itching of nose, pale face, blue rings around eyes. Painless hiccough.

Relationship

Compare: Aspidium Alhamanticum.--Panna -3 doses, 2 grammes each, all in half hour, fasting in a glass of milk. Tasteless and will remove tape worm. Cina; Granat; Kousso.

Dose

First to third potency. For the expulsion of tapeworm, a full dose of 1/2 to 1 dram of the Oleoresin, fasting.

Text Book of Materia Medica

Adolph Lippe · Text Book of Materia Medica · homeoint.org / Médi-T HTML text (Lippe d. 1888; public domain)

General

Tænia. Worm fever. Sterility.

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

Male Fern. N. O. Filices. Tincture of fresh root, or fresh root grated.

Clinical

Abdomen, bloated. Abortion. Blindness. Sterility. Tapeworm.

Characteristics

Male fern has been recognised as a vermifuge from the time of Galen, and Dioscorides credits it with the power of causing sterility and abortion. A fragmentary proving in Allen's Appendix records a case in which 15 to 20 drops of the tincture given three times a day to a woman suffering from bloated abdomen with more or less pain caused diminution of the bloating, but also: Severe prolapse of vagina, pain and tenesmus of bladder with copious and frequent emission of urine with intense pain. Filix was discontinued and then Chimaphila relieved. The symptoms did not return afterwards, except after much walking and standing. Hering says the best time to give the drug for expulsion of tapeworm is in the summer when the fresh root can be obtained. If an ounce of the grated root is given in the forenoon, usually the tapeworm comes away in the afternoon. Among the leading symptoms are: Pale face with blue rings round eyes; gnawing, boring pains in abdomen, < after sweet things. Blindness has been caused in a number of cases from atrophy of the optic nerve. C. S. Spencer records this effect from taking capsules each containing ten minims of the oil of male fern for tapeworm: "A feeling of nausea; abdomen became painfully distended with colicky pains. Menses returned after only one week's absence, and continued profusely for three weeks. Very sick after taking her food. The worm was got rid of and the capsules stopped when these symptoms passed away.

Teste has used it successfully in a case of violent dyspnœa without cough, with stitches in region of heart and obscure symptoms of pericarditis. The patient was a young lady of lymphatico-nervous temperament, and was much weakened by long sickness.

Relations

Compare: Areca, Granat., Kousso and Cuc. pep. sem. (tape-worm); Gels., Carb. s., Ben. din. (vision). Teste places Filix mas in his Ipecac. group along with Nux vom., Ant. crud., Ant. tart., &c.

Mind

Irritable and cross. ─ Confusion, stupor, coma.

Head

Vertigo.

Eyes

Blindness; first mydriasis and amaurosis with normal fundus; eight days later, atrophy of optic nerve. ─ Immobility of pupil. ─ After violent vomiting and diarrhœa, soporific condition lasting thirty hours; awakening, her l. eye was blind, and r. eye had lost some of its acuteness of vision. Being kept in the dark, perception of light by l. eye returned after forty-eight hours and recovery took place.

Nose

Itching of nose.

Face

Pale face; blue rings round eyes.

Stomach

Nausea. ─ Sick after taking food.

Abdomen

Bloating of abdomen. ─ Gnawing and boring in bowels, < eating sweet things. ─ Great pain in abdomen, with diarrhœa and constant vomiting.

Stool and Rectum

Ineffectual urging to stool. ─ Pappy stools. ─ Violent vomiting and diarrhœa. ─ Worm symptoms, esp. with constipation. ─ Worm colic.

Female Sexual Organs

Menstruation stimulated. ─ Menses returned after nearly one week's absence, continued profusely for three weeks. ─ Prolapse of vagina; with pains and tenesmus of bladder and copious frequent emission of urine with internal pains (relieved by Chimaph .). ─ Abortion. ─ Sterility.

Generalities

Great feeling of weakness, trembling, cramp-like feelings in hands and feet. ─ Somnolent, with spasmodic symptoms, ending in death.

Sleep

Soporific condition.

Fever

Violent rigor, fever, great pain in abdomen with diarrhœa and constant vomiting.

The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica

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

General

Male Fern. Filices.
"Galen, Theophrastus, and Avicenna speak of it as a vermifuge medicine. Dioscorides adds to this its capability to induce sterility and abortion."
Fragmentary provings by Berridge, Med. Inv., N. S., vol. 3, p. 282.
The tincture must be prepared from the fresh root ; "old preparations and tinctures won't do. The best time for curing tapeworm is, therefore, the summer season, when the root of Filix mas may be obtained in a fresh state. It is grated and taken in the course of the forenoon, to the amount of an ounce. Usually in the afternoon, the tapeworm, rolled up in a lump, takes its departure". (A. H. Z., 80, p. 141).
CLINICAL AUTHORITIES.
- Tape-worm , (100 cases reported), B. J. H., vol. 22, p. 322 ; (24 cases), Ogle, B. J. H., vol. 23, p. 273 ; (2 cases), Lobeth, Rück. Kl. Erf., vol. 1, p. 804 ; Müller, Rück. Kl. Erf., vol. 5, p. 388 ; Worms , Werber, Rück. Kl. Erf., vol. 1, p. 804.

Mind

Irritable and cross. θ Worms.
Great anxiety ; loss of consciousness.

Hearing and ears

Itching of nose. θ Worms.

Upper face

Pale face ; blue rings around eyes. θ Worms.

Taste, speech, tongue

Furred tongue. θ Worms.

Appetite, thirst. desires, aversions

Loss of appetite. θ Worms.

Eating and drinking

Coffee > the numbness in right arm.

Hiccough, belching, nausea and vomiting

Painless hiccough, starts 10 minutes after meal, lasting 15 to 30 minutes.
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhœa.
Tightness in left hypochondrium, extending forward to middle line, causing difficulty of breathing, in a warm room, in the evening after sunset ; > walking in open air ; kept her awake in bed till 1 A. M., on awaking next morning, the same ; > after a Turkish bath.

Abdomen and loins

Bloating of abdomen.
Gnawing and boring in bowels, < eating sweet things.
Abdominal pains.

Stools and rectum

Ineffectual urging to stool.
Pappy stools.
Gnawing and boring in bowels, < eating sweet things ; constipation ; loss of appetite ; furred tongue ; pale face ; blue rings around eyes ; itching of nose ; irritable and cross. θ Worms.
Symptoms indicative of worms, particularly when constipation is present.
A woman who had repeatedly passed segments of tape-worm was seized with severe colic which quickly disappeared under Filix mas, and was followed eight days later by discharge of tape-worm, 50 inches in length.

Female sexual organs

Menstrual function stimulated.

Pregnancy. parturition. lactation

Causes abortion.
Sterility.

Upper limbs

Numbness of back of right wrist, extending up radial side of arm to just above elbow ; felt as if the use of the limb would go ; then the same feeling in left wrist, but transient and slighter ; afterwards the same in a small spot on right vertex, rather anteriorly ; afterward in anterior right shoulder ; the numbness seemed to be in the bone in every case.

Sleep

Restless and sleepless at night.

Time

Evening after sunset ; tightness of left hypochondrium.

Temperature and weather

Warm room : tightness of left hypochondrium.
Open air : > tightness of hypochondrium.
Turkish bath : > tightness of left hypochondrium.

Fever

Worm fever.

Attacks, periodicity

During 15 or 30 minutes : hiccough.

Locality and direction

Right : numbness in arm ; numbness of wrist, extending up arm ; numbness in small spot on vertex ; numbness in shoulder.
Left hypochondrium : tightness in ; wrist numb.

Sensations

As if the use of the limb would go Abdominal pains.
Gnawing : in bowels.
Boring : in bowels.
Tightness : of left hypochondrium.
Bloating : of abdomen.
Numbness : of right arm ; of back ; of right wrist, extending up arm ; left wrist ; right vertex ; right shoulder.
Itching : of nose.

Stage of life, constitution

A large majority of the patients cured were young girls or women.