Indigo indg.

Homœopathic Materia Medica

William Boericke · Homœopathic Materia Medica · 9th edition

Common name

Indigo--Dye-stuff (INDIGO)

General

Marked action on the nervous system, and of undoubted benefit in the treatment of epilepsy with great sadness. Excited mood and desire to be busy. Neurasthenia and hysteria. Pure powdered Indigo placed on the wound cures snake and spider poison (Kali permang; Golondrina; Cedron). Stricture of œsophagus; blue color (Cupr).

Head

Vertigo with nausea. Convulsions. Sensation of a band around forehead. Undulating sensation through whole head. Sensation as if brain were frozen. Gloomy; cries at night. Hair feels pulled from vertex. Head feels frozen.

Nose

Excessive sneezing and bleeding from nose.

Ears

Pressure and roaring.

Stomach

Metallic taste. Eructations. Bloating. Anorexia. Flushes of heat rising from stomach to head.

Rectum

Falling of rectum. Aroused at night with horrible itching at anus.

Urinary

Constant desire to urinate. Urine turbid. Catarrh of bladder.

Extremities

Sciatica. Pain from middle of thigh to knee. Boring pain in knee-joint; better, walking. Pain in limbs worse after every meal.

Nerves

Hysterical symptoms where pain predominates Excessive nervous irritation. Epilepsy; flashes of heat from abdomen to head; fit begins with dizziness. Aura from a painful spot between shoulders. Reflex spasms from worms.

Modalities

Worse, during rest and sitting. Better, pressure, rubbing, motion.

Relationship

Compare: Cuprum; Œstrus cameli, an Indian medicine for epilepsy.

Dose

Third to thirtieth potency.

Text Book of Materia Medica

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

Mind and Disposition

Melancholy, sadness.

Head

Flushes of heat from the abdomen to the head. Sensation as if the head were tightly bandaged around the forehead. Tearing in the vertex. Sensation as if a cluster of hair were pulled out from the vertex.

Eyes

Violent jerking and twitching in the lids. Pressure in the ball of the eye. Inflammation of the Meibomian glands on the lower lids.

Nose

Excessive continued sneezing, succeeded by violent bleeding of the nose.

Face

Pricking in the right malar bone. Pain in the submaxillary glands, extending to the teeth.

Mouth and Throat

Vesicles on the tip of the tongue. Numbness of the inner mouth.

Stomach and Abdomen

Retching and vomiting of watery fluid. Vomiting of glue-like mucus. Tingling pain in the pit of the stomach.

Stool and Anus

Emission of an excessive quantity of flatulence. Diarrhœa ; stool liquid, with flatulence ; creeping over the skin and cold hands and colic.

Urinary Organs

Renal colic. Frequent desire to urinate, with burning in the fundus of the bladder ; painful emissions of small quantities of turbid urine. Increased emission of turbid urine, containing much mucus, without thirst, with violent contraction of the urethra and pain in the bladder.

Sexual Organs

Men. Depressed sexual desire. Itching of the urethra, glans and scrotum. Women. Menstruation too early. Stinging in the mamma, going of momentarily by rubbing.

Respiratory Organs

Violent cough, inducing vomiting ; bleeding of the nose. Suffocative cough in the evening and after going to bed.

Back

Stitch between the scapula. Stitch in the small of the back, going off after an evacuation.

Generalities

Excessive nervous irritation. Subsultus tendinum. Illusory sensations.

Fever

Chilliness, with cold hands and violent headache, with constant desire to urinate ; urine turbid. Great heat particularly in the face, with increased secretion of urine.

Conditions

Aggravation, in the afternoon and evening, during rest and when sitting. Amelioration of pain by rubbing, pressure, motion.

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

An oxidation product from the juices of several plants, chiefly Indigofera tinctoria. N. O. Leguminosæ. Trituration.

Clinical

Acne. Amenorrhœa. Anus, prolapse of. Brachial neuralgia. Constipation. Cough. Diarrhœa. Epilepsy. Epistaxis. Face, pimples on. Headache. Hysteria. Renal colic. Sciatica. Skin, affections of. Toothache. Urethra, stricture of. Worms.

Characteristics

Indigo was introduced into medicine as a remedy for epilepsy. It has been extensively proved by homœopaths, and observations have also been made of its effects on epileptic patients who were receiving large doses from old-school practitioners. The provings bring out a number of neuralgic and nervous symptoms. These have been supplemented by clinical observations, and the place of Indg . in the materia medica is now fairly well defined. Teste tried Indg . in cases of epilepsy, but with little success, except in cases arising from the presence of worms. In cases of worm fever he has used it with great effect. The patients were children, from ton to twelve year sold, lymphatic, apathetic, peevish, who ate a great deal. The symptoms were: Chilliness, catarrhal cough, coming in long paroxysms in evening; whitish, moist tongue; sour or foul breath; large but soft abdomen; diarrhœa of two or three stools in twenty-four hours, like greyish pap, sour; ascarides in rectum, even crawling out during sleep. Teste also used Indg . with success in the following cases: ( 1 ) Semi-liquid diarrhœa (three to four stools a day, coming on especially after exercise in a stout old man, frequently given to excesses of eating). ( 2 ) Chronic catarrh of the bladder. ( 3 ) Stricture of urethra after old gonorrhœa (with Plumb . and Sep .). E. P. Colby ( N. A. J. H ., November, 1879, 666) gave it in all cases of epilepsy coming under his care during twelve years, with the result that he apparently cured 10 per cent., and reduced the frequency of attacks in many more. The dosage is not mentioned, but was probably crude. In the dynamic cures of epilepsy effected by Indg ., there has been great melancholy which the patient has sought to hide, spending many nights crying alone; or a furious excitable disposition before the attacks and mild and timid after. The attacks have been sudden; apparently originating in the solar plexus, from which flushes of heat arise to the head; induced by cold or fright. A peculiar sensation is an undulating sensation in the brain (which I have also observed in a case of epilepsy benefited by Act. r . The Indg . undulation causes obscured vision). A dry suffocative cough in evening and after going to bed, and a cough always attended by nose-bleed are characteristics. S. T. Yount (quoted H. R ., ii. 271) relates that he had used Indg . successfully as an emmenagogue, having been led thereto by the discovery that a patient of his habitually employed it to procure abortion. He gave it in amenorrhœa in one to four-drachm doses. His contraindications are important to homœopaths. In very large doses, he says, the crude drug produces nausea and vomiting. It should not be given to pregnant women, nor where there is an irritable stomach, nor where there is the history of a previous pelvic inflammation, nor where there is marked cerebral anæmia. A case narrated by Nash ( Med. Adv ., xviii. 223) brings out one of the characteristic conditions of Indg . A hard-working man, over 70, gradually became unable to work. Weak; stiffness all over, especially right side, arm and leg. Pain in night hip running down leg; < beginning to move after resting. Can hardly turn over in bed. Appetite poor; stomach distressed, four or five hours after eating, if he eats more than a very little. Pains in the limbs decidedly < after every meal . Indg . cured promptly. There are marked symptoms of brachial and sciatic neuralgia which have this peculiarity: they come on or are < whilst sitting and are > by moving about. Symptoms in general are: < By rest; when sitting. > By motion; rising; walking. > By pressure; by rubbing. < In afternoon; in evening. The vertigo with headache is > in evening, and < in open air. Warmth rushes to head on entering a warm room after walking in cold air. All symptoms are < after eating and after evening meal.

Relations

Antidoted by: Camph., Nux. Compare: Sul. (epilepsy; sinking sensation; hot flushes; worm fever); Kali bro. (epilepsy; acne); Act. r. (epilepsy with waving sensation in brain); Rhus ( < by rest, > by motion); Bufo (epilepsy: Ind., timid, sad, low-spirited; Bufo, vehement or excitable); Lyc. ( < in after noon); Ign. (sad, introverted); Baptis. ("Wild Indigo"), and other Leguminosæ.

Mind

Melancholy, sadness. ─ Discontented, retired in himself.

Head

Vertigo, excessive, with headache. ─ Rush of blood to the head. ─ Sensation, as if the head were larger than its natural size, and occupied more space. ─ Sensation as if the head were tightly bandaged around the forehead. ─ Pressure deep within the brain. ─ Shooting and tearing pains deep in the brain. ─ Tearing in the vertex. ─ Sensation as of a weight on vertex. ─ Noise and throbbings in the head. ─ Heat and bubbling in the occiput, as if produced by boiling water. ─ Undulating sensation in head from behind forward, causing vision to become indistinct. ─ Flushes of heat from the abdomen to the head. ─ Warmth and rushing like boiling water in occiput. ─ Heat in occiput, later more in middle of brain. ─ Violent stitches in occiput (l. and r.). ─ Peculiar sensation of fine sticking and of coldness in scalp, in front and above r. ear, spreading out like rays from this point. ─ Headache, with sensation as if the head was frozen, and anorexia. ─ Sensation in the crown of the head as if a bunch of hair were being torn out.

Eyes

Convulsive twitching and quivering of the eyelids, impeding the sight. ─ Pressure in the ball of the eye. ─ Inflammation of the meibomian glands on the lower lids.

Ears

Tearing, in and behind the ears, as well as in the lower jaw. Pressure and roaring in ears.

Nose

Epistaxis, with vanishing of sight (afternoon). ─ Excessive continued sneezing, succeeded by violent bleeding of the nose. ─ Tearing and incisive pains in the bones and cartilages of the nose.

Face

Tearing, piercing, and gnawing pains in bones of the face, and esp. of lower jaw. ─ Pricking in r. malar bone. ─ Pain in the submaxillary glands extending to the teeth. ─ Congestion in the face, with burning cheeks.

Teeth

Drawing, gnawing, tearing pains in teeth (r.), as if being pulled out, along ascending ramus of jaw into temple and ear, with increase of saliva and sweat of r. half of head, and general sweat evening in bed; pains < by warmth; > by motion; momentarily > by cold air; pulsation in whole r. lower jaw. (Nux relieved this, but it returned succeeding days and became paroxysmal).

Mouth

Numbness of interior of mouth, in the morning after waking. ─ Sensation of burning on the tongue and in the bottom of the palate. ─ Vesicles on the tip of the tongue. ─ Metallic taste in tongue with contracted feeling in pharynx. ─ Spitting of bloody sativa.

Stomach

Empty risings. ─ Risings having the taste of ink. ─ Sweetish risings. ─ Retching and vomiting of watery fluid. ─ Vomiting of glue-like mucus. ─ Sensation in the stomach, as when fasting; with hot risings from time to time; when sitting. ─ Tingling pain in the pit of the stomach.

Stool and Anus

Loose evacuations with pinchings in the abdomen, and urgent desire to evacuate. ─ Dull sticking in rectum. ─ Emission of an excessive quantity of flatulence. ─ Diarrhœa; stool liquid, with flatulence; creeping over the skin and cold hands and colic. ─ Obstinate constipation; stool scanty, hard, retained. ─ Itching at anus. ─ Pin worms. ─ Prolapsus ani after each stool.

Urinary Organs

Renal colic. ─ Frequent desire to urinate, with burning in the fundus of the bladder; painful emissions of small quantities of turbid urine. ─ Increased emission of turbid urine, containing much mucus, without thirst, with violent contraction of the urethra and pain in the bladder. ─ (Stricture of urethra.)

Male Sexual Organs

Depressed sexual desire. ─ Itching of the urethra, glans, and scrotum.

Female Sexual Organs

Menstruation too early. ─ (Acts as an emmenagogue. Has been used to produce abortion.). ─ Stinging in the mammæ, going off momentarily by rubbing. ─ Burning in the mammæ during the menses.

Respiratory Organs

Violent cough, inducing vomiting; bleeding of the nose. ─ Suffocating cough, exciting vomiting in the evening, before and after lying down.

Chest

Rumbling and grumbling in the chest at every inspiration. ─ Shooting pains in and round the mammæ.

Neck and Back

Stitch between the scapula. ─ Stitch in the small of the back, going off after an evacuation.

Upper Limbs

Weakness of arms. ─ Drawing in muscles; in deltoid. ─ Drawing, extending, down l. arm from lower part of neck. ─ Drawing, extending from r. shoulder-joint through whole arm to below joint of thumb, where it ended in the bone with a jerking while sitting; > moving about. ─ Tearing pains in the forearms, from the elbow to the fingers, which change their place on motion. ─ Convulsive startings in the arms. ─ Veins of the hands red, inflamed, and tense. ─ Shooting and tearing pains in the upper extremities.

Lower Limbs

Aching, stinging, bruised pain in sciatic nerve, boring in knee-joint, pricking in calf; < sitting, > by motion, though motion also painful; < afternoon and evening; must lie down. ─ Indescribable pain from middle of thigh to knee in bone, > walking, returning during rest, in afternoon. ─ Tearing pain above the knee-joint extending to ankle; in afternoon, while sitting, > moving about. ─ Tearing in the lower extremities, esp. in the toes. ─ Great lassitude of the lower extremities in the evening, which is felt even after lying down.

Generalities

Pains which disappear entirely, or at least re-appear only, with greatly diminished force, after resting on the part affected, or after scratching. ─ Shooting and tearing pains in the limbs, in the afternoon and evening. ─ Subsultus tendinum.

Skin

Face and whole body covered with pimples. ─ Fine heat-rash, esp. l. side of face extending from forehead to throat. ─ Itching of skin with constipation. ─ Boils on ribs and various parts. ─ Itching, in face and various parts of body; > by rubbing.

Sleep

Sleepiness in the evening and disturbed sleep at night. ─ Illusory sensations. ─ Children aroused at night with horrible itching at anus. ─ At night, anxious waking, with a start. ─ Anxious dreams. ─ Excessive nervous irritation. ─ Predominance of cold. ─ Convulsions; attacks sudden.

Fever

Chilliness, with cold hands and violent headache, with constant desire to urinate; urine turbid. ─ Great heat, particularly in the face, with increased secretion of urine.

The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica

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

General

Indigo. Leguminosæ.
Proved extensively by German provers. See Allen's Encyclopædia, vol. 5, p. 92 .
CLINICAL AUTHORITIES.
- Prolapsus ani , Schüssler, Raue's Rec., 1871, p. 123 ; Sciatica , Preston, T. H. M. Soc. Pa., 1872, p. 120 ; Epilepsy , four cases, Kenyon, Raue's Rec., 1875, p. 254-255.

Mind

Melancholy, sadness.
Sad, discontented, ill humored, introverted.
Gloomy ; endeavors to hide it, has spent many nights alone crying. θ Epileptic convulsions.

Sensorium

Excessive giddiness with headache.
Vertigo with headache, fulness of abdomen, great discharge of flatus, and nausea, going off in evening after remaining some time in open air.
Undulating sensation through whole head from behind forward.

Inner head

Sensation as if head were tightly bandaged around forehead.
Constant pain in sinciput, attended with an aching pain in right hypochondrium.
Tearing in vertex.
Heaviness of head, as from a heavy load on vertex, when stooping.
Beating, with painful stinging in occiput.
Beating in whole head.
Feeling as if brain was distending at centre.
Headache with redness and heat of face.
Severe, lacerating pain in head.
Sick headache, originating in a state of debility.
Migraine.
Pains are characterized by great intensity, are < during rest and when sitting, and can frequently be entirely suppressed by rubbing and pressure, or by motion, or alleviated, so as to reappear with less intensity.

Outer head

Sensation as if a bunch of hair was pulled from vertex.

Sight and eyes

Pressure in ball of eye.
Inflammation of meibomian glands on lower lids.
Violent jerking and twitching in lids.

Smell and nose

Excessive continued sneezing, succeeded by violent bleeding of nose.
Nose bleeding, with dry cough.
Epistaxis.

Upper face

Pricking in right malar bone.
Small blisters on left side of face, from forehead to neck.

Teeth and gums

Toothache, of a rheumatic character.

Taste, speech, tongue

Metallic taste in tongue, with contracted feeling in pharynx.
Vesicles on tip of tongue.

Inner mouth

Numbness of inner mouth.
Pain in submaxillary glands, extending to teeth.

Hiccough, belching, nausea and vomiting

Retching and vomiting of watery fluid.
Vomiting of glue-like mucus.

Scrobiculum and stomach

Tingling pain in pit of stomach.
Bloating of stomach.
Catarrh of stomach and intestines, with colic.

Stools and rectum

Emission of excessive quantity of flatus.
Diarrhœa ; stool liquid, with flatulence ; creeping over skin, cold hands and colic.
Prolapsus ani after each stool.
Pin worms.

Urinary organs

Inflammation of kidneys.
Renal colic.
Catarrh of bladder with pustules and boils on body, menses often appearing too early.
Chronic catarrh of bladder.
Frequent desire to urinate, burning in fundus of bladder ; painful emissions of small quantities of turbid urine.
Increased emission of turbid urine, containing much mucus, without thirst, with violent contraction of urethra and pain in bladder.

Male sexual organs

Depressed sexual desire.
Urethral stricture following gonorrhœa.
Itching of urethra, glans and scrotum.

Female sexual organs

Menstruation too early.
Burning in mamma during menses.
Stinging in mamma, going off momentarily by rubbing.

Cough

Dry cough, always attended by nosebleed.
Violent cough ; inducing vomiting ; bleeding of nose.
Suffocative cough in evening and after going to bed.
Cough dry, always accompanied with expectoration.
Spasmodic cough with tough, mucous expectoration.

Inner chest and lungs

Severe sharp stitch in middle of sternum, passing through chest, when sitting.

Outer chest

Painful spot, size of hand, in region of right lower ribs, with stitch extending to shoulder joint when sitting, going off by motion.
Stitch in region of lower false ribs, toward small of back.

Neck and back

Drawing, lancinating pains, following course of left rhomboideus muscle.
Boils on neck and buttocks.
Stitch between scapulæ.
Stitch in small of back, > after an evacuation.

Upper limbs

Excessive itching (preceded by a dull headache), especially on right elbow joint.
Blotches on hands.

Lower limbs

Intense aching, stinging and bruised pain in middle of the posterior of thigh, extending to knee ; boring pain in knee-joint ; sharp tearing, stinging or pricking in calf above ankle ; < sitting ; > by motion, though motion also painful ; < afternoon and evening ; much pricking in calf just before knee and in popliteal space ; must lie down. θ Sciatica.
Indescribable pain, extending from middle of thigh to knee, in the bone, > walking, returning during rest, in afternoon.
Tearing pain four fingers' breadth above left knee joint, extending to a hand's breadth above ankle ; in afternoon while sitting, > rising and walking about.

Rest. position. motion

Rest : pain < ; pain in thigh bone <.
Must lie down : pain in calf so severe.
Sitting : pain < ; stitch in middle of sternum ; stitch extending to shoulder joint ; sharp tearing, stinging in calf < ; tearing above knee joint.
Stooping : heaviness of head.
Motion : pains >.
Rising : tearing above knee-joint >.
Walking : indescribable pain in thigh bone > ; tearing above knee-joint >.

Nerves

Excessive nervous irritation.
Illusory sensations.
Subsultus tendinum.
Paroxysms come suddenly ; falls down or out of chair, becomes convulsed all over ; frothing at mouth ; convulsive movements followed by a rigid condition of body ; before attacks he had a furious disposition, excitable, easily angered, since then had become mild and even timid. θ Epilepsy.
Paroxysms lasting five minutes, clonic and very violent ; occur every nine or ten days ; very melancholy, exceedingly timid ; did not want to live. θ Epilepsy.
Convulsions regularly once a week ; gloomy, but endeavors to hide it, has spent many nights alone crying. θ Epilepsy.
Fits every day ; exceeding melancholic. θ Epilepsy.
Flushes of heat from abdomen to head, with sensation as if head was tightly bandaged around forehead ; fits begin with dizziness. θ Epilepsy.
Epilepsy, originating from plexus solaris, or from abdominal ganglia, or from a cold or fright.

Time

Afternoon : sharp tearing in calf < ; pain in thigh bone returns ; tearing above knee joint.
Evening : vertigo with headache > ; suffocative cough ; sharp tearing in calf <.

Temperature and weather

Open air : vertigo with headache.

Fever

Chilliness, with cold hands and violent headache, with constant desire to urinate ; urine turbid.
Flushes of heat from abdomen to head.
Great heat, particularly in face, with increased secretion of urine.
Worm fevers in children.

Attacks, periodicity

Paroxysms : come suddenly.
Last five minutes : paroxysms.
Every day : fits.
Once a week : convulsions.
Every nine or ten days : paroxysms.

Locality and direction

Right : aching pain in hypochondrium ; pricking in malar bone ; painful spot in region of lower ribs ; excessive itching on elbow joint.
Left : small blisters on side of face, from forehead to neck ; drawing, lancinating pains following course of rhomboideus muscle ; tearing pain in knee joint.
From behind forward : undulating sensation through whole head.

Sensations

As if head was tightly bandaged around forehead ; as if a heavy load was on vertex ; as if brain was distending at centre ; as if a bunch of hair was pulled from vertex.
Pain : in submaxillary glands ; in bladder.
Pains : characterized by great intensity.
Constant pain : in sinciput.
Painful spot : size of hand in region of right lower ribs, with stitch extending to shoulder joint.
Indescribable pain : extending from middle of thigh to knee.
Severe lacerating pain : in head.
Sharp tearing, stinging or pricking : in calf above ankle.
Tearing : in vertex ; four fingers' breadth above left knee-joint, extending to a hand's breadth above ankle.
Drawing, lancinating pains : following course of left rhomboideus muscle.
Severe sharp stitch : in middle of sternum.
Stitch : extending from ribs to shoulder-joint ; in region of lower false ribs ; between scapulæ ; in small of back.
Boring pain : in knee joint.
Intense aching, stinging and bruised pain : in middle of the posterior of thigh.
Stinging : in mamma.
Aching pain : in right hypochondrium.
Beating, with painful stinging : in occiput.
Beating : in whole head.
Tingling pain : in pit of stomach.
Toothache : of rheumatic character.
Painful emissions : of small quantities of turbid urine.
Picking : in calf just below knee and in popliteal space.
Pricking : in right malar bone.
Burning : in fundus of bladder ; in mamma.
Heat : of face.
Contracted feeling : in pharynx.
Pressure : in ball of eye.
Heaviness : of head.
Fulness : of abdomen.
Undulating sensation : through whole head.
Creeping : over chin.
Numbness : of inner mouth.
Excessive itching : especially on right elbow joint.
Itching : of urethra, glands and scrotum ; of skin.

Tissues

Congestive condition of head and lungs, with palpitation of heart.
Rheumatic and gouty affections of nerves and joints, accompanied by slight fever and great debility.

Touch. passive motion. injuries

Pressure : pains >.
Rubbing : pains > ; stinging in mamma, going off momentarily.

Skin

Itching of skin with constipation (improved).
Pimples on face and body.

Stage of life, constitution

Little boy : prolapsus ani.
Boy, æt. 9, suffering three years ; epileptic fits.
Boy, æt. 12, has had fits ever since he could remember.
Boy, æt. 17 ; epileptic fits.
Woman, æt. 33, unmarried ; epilepsy.
Married woman, æt. 35, tall, slender build, phthisical habit, nervo-bilious temperament ; sciatica.

Relations

Compare Sulphur in epilepsy, hot flushes, and worm fever.