– TESTE A, GROUP REMEDIES, GROUP XI, CHELIDONIUM MAJUS
– Chelidonion miga of the Greeks, great celandine.
– Herbaceous, perennial plant, a native of Europe, genus Chelidonium ; family, papaveraceae ; class, polyandria monogynia.
– The great celandine, whose ramose, glabrous or hairy stem attains a height of from one to one foot and a-half, prefers damp, mountainous and covered districts, shady ruins, old walls, etc., and is known by its winged and deeply indented leaves of a delicate green color above, and blueish underneath ; by its flowers of a dazzling yellow, axillary or terminal, pedunculated and umbelliform.
– The fruit of this plant consists of small, thin, elongated, polypetalous and unilocular pods.
– Its root has a reddish-brown color, which, when dried, changes to black.
– What distinguishes the great celandine from all other plants of our climate is the juice, which is of a bright yellow color, a little sticky, bitter, acrid and even caustic, abounds in every part of the plant and flows out of the least crack or cut.
– When exposed to the air, this juice becomes thick, passes from a bright yellow to an orange color, finally turns brown, and then loses almost entirely its solubility in water. *
– The juice of stalagmitis guttifera, or gummi gutta, when exposed to the air, undergoes the same kind of change.
– But this is not the only analogy existing between these two kinds of juices, for several chemists, and principally Thompson, affirm having found gummi-gutta in the juice of chelidonium. *
– It is not, therefore, surprising, that the leaves and stems of chelid. should be possessed of purgative and even drastic properties, and that some allopathic physicians, should have proposed to substitute it as a hydragogue for the exotic gummigutta. *
– Empirical applications.
– The fresh juice of celandine was recommended among the ancient Greeks, as an external applications in affections of the eyes.
– “If applied with caution,” says Biett, “it may have doubtless succeeded in scattering a few specks on the cornea, or arresting the progress of a pterygion ; but the good effects in incipient cataract which Fabricius of Hilden attributes to it, are more than doubtful.”*
– It is not only Fabricius of Hilden that mentions such effects.
– They have been confirmed by several case related by a German physician, Schallern, in his inaugural thesis.*
– The same practitioner mentions, moreover, several cases of amaurosis, which were improved or cured by the use of chelidonium majus.
– Blankard relates similar cases, and makes particular mention of specks on the cornea, which he had seen dissipated by the dry powder of celandine introduced into the eye. *
– Be all this as it may, Biett adds the following : “Chronic old ulcers, which had resisted every means of treatment, have been known to have been healed by applying the juice of chelidonium, or by means of frequent lotions with strong decoctions o the root etc.
– I scarcely need mention the use of this plant in destroying warts, etc.’
– But why should not this acrid, irritating, caustic plant, (these are Biett’s own expressions,) and in spite of which properties it will remove specks on the cornea, arrest the development of pterygion, and bring about the cicatrization of inveterate ulcers, be likewise capable of scattering an incipient cataract ?
– One of the great errors of alloeopathic physicians, consists in rejecting as false and illusory, every fact which does not harmonize with their preconceived theories and prejudices.
– The internal as well as external use of the great celandine, appears to be traceable to the remotes antiquity.
– In jaundice, a vinous decoction of this plant was recommended by Galenus and Dioscorides. *
– Was this merely one of those fancies which have been termed signatures ?
– It is certainly true that Forestus, Lentilius, Lange and Sennert, quoted by Murrary, * declare having successfully repeated the experiments of these two celebrated physicians, which had already been confirmed by Lazare Riviere, whose name has a good deal of weight with me.
– Schallern relates two cases of jaundice that had been cured by means of the internal use of chelidonium majus.*
– Creuzbauer attributes to it, a faculty of dissolving billiard calculi.*
– Gilibert and the late Recamier, have seen good effects from the celandine, not only in icterus, but also in indolent engorgement of the liver and spleen, with or without intermittent fever.
– Lange has seen this drug succeed in pulmonary catarrh and chlorosis. *
– Lisdenfort in caries.*
– According to an observation in the Ephemeredes des curieux de la nature, * Chelidonium majus is not without some curative virtues in cancerous affections.
– Murray states, without much believing it, however, that some cases of dropsy (occasioned by the abuse of spirits,) gout and gravel, have been cured or alleviated by the same drug.*
– “Chelidonium,” say Merat and Delens, “is said to possess antiscrofulous virtues.
– It appears to modify the lymphatic system in an unequivocal manner, etc.”*
– And in proof of their assertion, these authors relate cases taken from the Journal of Hufeland, (1813,) and from the Journal general de medicine, (vol. XXVI.) which show that chelidonium, when taken internally, has cured glandular affections, chronic ophthalmia, old ulcers at the neck, etc. ; facts that go to confirm one of the allegations of the late Biett, which we had occasion to mention before.
– By some modern German physicians the plant before us had been recommended as an antisyphilitic, and quite recently, a Paris physician, Doctor Boniface, has made of it a sort of panacea for pulmonary phthisis ; I know from my own observation that his method, which is undoubtedly much too exclusive, is crowned with success in some cases.
– Homoeopathic Applications.
– Hahnemann has given us a very incomplete pathogenesis of Chelidonium, in the second volume of his Mat. Med.
– My own provings of this drug, although not very definite, have seemed to me of sufficient importance to be published for future use in perfecting the pathogenesis of this drug.
– I have endeavored to conduct my provings agreeably to the method which I have pointed out in the introduction to my work ; a circumstance which has at least the merit of novelty.
– The provings have been instituted with a solution of globules of the sixth dilution, at the rate of one globule in a table-spoonful of water ; first a table-spoonful was taken in the morning, for two or three days ; afterwards, the doses were repeated more frequently by the various provers, and the result obtained will be found annexed.
– FIRST PROVING.
– Mr. A., 37 years old, tall, not very fat, having a pale and wornout countenance ; brown hair ; nervous and irritable ; subject to muscular pains, intestinal irritations and leucophlegmasia ; generally very sensitive to medicinal action.
– First Day.
– Ten minutes after taking the first dose, profuse emission of a yellow and foaming urine, like beer.
– In half an hour, dull deep-seated pain, on both sides of the lumbar region, where the kidneys are situated.
– In one hour, pain at the right shoulder as after a cold.
– Sore throat as from a cold.
– Pressure on the rectum ; urging to stool, which was unusual with him at this hour, and a good deal of appetite at the same time.
– In three hours : itching of the eyes ; lachrymation at the open air, and oppression of the chest when walking.
– In four hours : another emission of foaming urine.
– Neuralgic pin at the left eyebrow.
– Trembling of the head and hands.
– Tension in the abdomen, in the iliac fossae, which is the same on both sides ; itching at the hips, as if sweat would break out, in walking, although the temperature is petty cool.
– In nine hours : burning pain at the tip of the left elbow ; numbness of both hands.
– About two o’ clock in the afternoon, or about six hours after the first dose : sort of general numbness, with somnolence ; intolerable aversion to motion ; confusion of ideas, as if one were half asleep, without shuddering or increase of temperature on the skin, or any other unpleasant sensation.
– These symptoms disappear gradually towards three o’clock, and nothing remains but the dull pain in the lumbar region, which continues until night ; lachrymation in the open air, without any other sensation in the eyes ; lastly, but only now and then, itching and a slight smarting at the orifice of the urethra, as if one had to urinate all the time, which is not the case, however.
– First Night.
– In the evening, in bed, before, falling asleep : beating in both temples, which is isochronous with the pulse, and at the same time, a sensation as if the blood were violently rising to the throat and upper portion of the chest ; a few dull beatings in these parts followed by cutting pains in the lower abdomen ; the sleep is quieter and sets in more speedily than usual (curative effect ?)
– Second Day.
– Vague sensations ; the urine is less copious than the day before, has gain its normal color, and foams not longer.
– 7 Several small and thin stools in the day-time, preceded, but not followed, by a few slight cutting pains.
– Slight irritation at the throat, which is not felt when swallowing.
– Small, not frequent paroxysms of cough, more in the room than in the open air, with spasm of the glottis during an expiration.
– Burning, continuous pain at one spot of the skin, on the left side of the sternum, four fingers’ breath below the clavicle ; the spot where the pain was felt, was at most of the size of a dollar ; there is no redness ; the skin, at this spot, feels as if it had been burnt by rapidly rubbing it with a piece of woollen.
– About two o’clock in the afternoon : another paroxysm of sleepiness, but not so long or intense as that of the previous day.
– All day long : tranquillity of mind and even cheerfulness, in spit of unpleasant thoughts which were uppermost in his mind, (curative effect ?)
– In the evening, in bed, for some moments : pressive pain in the upper teeth of the right side.
– Third Day.
– In the morning, on waking : the eyes are swollen ; the lids are agglutinated with dry gum ; the tongue is natural ; urine likewise ; slight rheumatic or contusive pain at the nape of the neck, at the front part of the neck, in the shoulders and arms ;’ here and there a few red indolent pimples on these parts ; the pulse is fuller, stronger, but not more frequent than usual ; remarkable cheerfulness of spirits.
– Towards the middle os the day ; a red spot, resembling herpes, makes its appearance in the sternal region, at the place where only a burning pain was felt on the day previous ; this pain has become more intense, without changing its character ; a little while later, similar sensations, but without redness, are felt at various circumscribed points of the shoulders, trunk, arms, (very unpleasant symptoms which continued all the following days, until the end of the proving.)
– Drowsiness, like the first and second day before, about two o’ clock in the afternoon.
– Two light-colored, tape-shaped stools, without colic, and at unusual hours.
– A small indolent pimple in the thickness of the lower lip.
– Towards evening, slight irritation of the throat, and a little scraping at the larynx, causing a few paroxysms of cough.
– Pressive stitch at the right temple (in bed) which ceases when lying on the affected pat, reappears immediately as soon as one turns to the other side, and disappears for good after the lapse of half an hour.
– Quiet night, deep sleep, and no dreams.
– Fourth day.
– In the morning, the throat feels sore ; involuntary snorting (although awake) ; the velum feels as if it would descent into the throat ; a few paroxysms of dry cough ; dry skin, and as if bruised, on the chest and at the neck.
– About half-past one in the afternoon : Dull and heavy, deep-seated pain in the whole right side of the chest and right shoulder, without cough, but with embarrassed respiration.
– This pain, which is at times accompanied with dull beatings in the chest. does not allow him to draw a long breath ; it is not perceptibly aggravated by the motion of the arm.
– The pain is particularly felt in the axilla and under the shoulder blade ; a sort of numbness of the muscles in the region of the liver, and in the whole right side of the neck, face and head ; apprehension of threatening pneumonia ; great anxiety ; constant desire to stir and change one’s place.
– This painful state lasts an hour, and decreases gradually.
– Natural stool about three o’clock.
– Heaviness at the forehead about half-past-four.
– At half-past six in the evening, immediately after a good dinner, which he relished, he felt some vertigo ; after that, return of the chest-symptoms ; violent dyspnoea, without shuddering or acceleration of the pulse, which is only a little fuller than usual ; anxiety and trembling of the extremities.
– Quiet night.
– Sixth day.
– Not many new symptoms ; slight paroxysm of dyspnoea, about two o’clock ; red rounded spots on the palmar side of the forearms, of the size of a dime, and accompanied with burning pain.
– No stool.
– Lachrymation in the open air, without any other sensation.
– Quiet night.
– Seventh day.
– Irritation in the throat on waking ; hollow and not frequent cough ; prostration ; nor appetite.
– Intolerable pain in the heels as if these parts had been wounded by too narrow and too short shoes ;* red, indolent pimples, here and there, on the thighs and buttocks.
– The other cutaneous symptoms become more and more intolerable.
– At one in the afternoon : The chest is again affected ; deep-seated pain in the right side as from an abscess ; pulsations under the upper part of the sternum, which are synchronous with the pulse ; the respiration is embarrassed as if the air-passages were filled with a foreign substance ; dry skin without any increase of heat ; pulse 85 ; no cough ; less anxiety than the day before, but more prostration.
– The region of the liver is slightly painful to pressure.
– Painful numbness at the right hip and knee.
– From this period the experiment was occasionally interrupted for a couple of days, an, being carried on very irregularly, gave rise to very vague results only.
– The previous symptoms disappeared almost immediately.
– During the whole period of this proving, the moral condition, except the few chest-symptoms, remained undisturbed.
– The appetite remained about the same, except the last two or three days, when it was a little less than usual.
– There was neither any uncommon sweat, nor any fever properly speaking.
– From the fourth to the fifth day there was a slight acceleration of the pulse, weariness in the extremities, and a little prostration.
– SECOND PROVING.
– Mrs. A., 27 years, sanguine temperament, delicate constitution, and sensitive to any kind of impression ; disposed to sanguineous congestions and inflammation of the mucous membranes ; lively and playful, very sensitive to the action of drugs.
– First day.
– Eight o’clock in the morning, (a quarter of an hour after the first dose).
– Vague, pressive pain in the right shoulder.
– Extremely profuse emission of a whitish and foaming urine.
– Half-past eight.
– Dull, sometimes throbbing pain in the lions.
– Painful pressure in the outer parts of the tibio-tarsal articulation (immediately below the ankle, on the right side).
– The same kind of pain in the right heel, which renders walking painful.
– It feels as if this pat had been bruised by hard and tight shoes ; but not the least relief is obtained by taking off the shoes.
– Eleven o’ clock.
– Sore throat, as from taking cold ; another emission of a foaming urine.
– About two o’clock in the afternoon.
– Drowsiness, which is so marked, even in the open air, that she is near falling asleep while walking ; this continues for about half an hour.
– Half-past four.
– Heaviness in the forehead.
– Five o’clock.
– Unusual and marked aversion to cold things, at dinner ; she does not drink on this account, although she is moderately thirsty.
– After dinner.
– Luxation-pain in the left hip, which scarcely allows her to walk.
– The pain in the tibio-tarsal articulation likewise changes to a pain as from a sprain.
– About eight o’clock, white walking, the pain in the hip extends to the knee, which is so painfully affected by it that the whole joint feels as if it were dislocated.
– During the whole of the first day the appetite and taste remain unaltered ; not stool ; no particular changes in the functions of the skin and the vascular apparatus ; extraordinary tranquillity of mind.
– Slight oppression on the chest, in the evening, in bed ; the irritation of the throat continues ; a few strange spasmodic sensations in the glottis, without cough, before, falling asleep ; quiet night ; no dreams.
– Second day.
– Sore throat on waking ; lassitude in the extremities ; white coated tongue ; not much appetite ; slight drowsiness about two o’ clock in the afternoon ; half-liquid stool about the middle of the day ; slight itching at the vulva ; a little oppression and loose cough about six o’clock ; the luxation-pain in the knee and foot continues ; pulse and skin are natural ; peevish.
– Third day.
– Sore throat worse than the day before, without stoppage of the nose, and with a little cough now and then ; coated tongue ; not much appetite ; dull or rather benumbing pain in the whole right side of the chest ; a red, flat, not very apparent spot between the breasts, with burning itching.
– Difficulty in the chest, which embarrasses the breathing from an hour and a half to two hours.
– Apathy the remainder of the day ; at dinner every thing she eats seems to taste badly.
– The night is less quiet than the previous one ; a little dry heat on the skin.
– Fourth day.
– Mistiness of sight on the right eye, in the morning on waking ; acute neuralgic pain at the right temple (before taking the dose) ; two insufficient and thin-shaped evacuations in the day-time.
– An unforeseen journey interrupted this experiments at a period when it commenced to become interesting.
– THIRD PRVING.
– Miss R., 10 years old, with red hair, white skin which is inclined to dryness, freckled ; mild disposition, without being apathetic ; sensitive to the action of drugs, (at least when sick.)
– After taking the first doses even, a pungent heat is perceived on the skin, the pulse becomes feverish ; the tongue is coated white ; vertigo while sitting up ; rush of blood to the head, throat and upper part of the chest ; violent and slightly spasmodic cough, as at the beginning of whooping-cough ; dull pulsations at the base of the right lung and at the liver ; pulse up to 90 in the evening ; sweat at night.
– The mother of the child became frightened, and the proving was discontinued.
– FOURTH PROVING.
– Mrs. X., 32 years old, lymphatic, with a white and fine skin ; not very sensitive to the action of drugs.
– This lady experienced only the following symptoms :
– Excessive and continual apathy ; a sort of aversion to exercise, but her spirits remained unaltered ; neuralgic pain above the right eye, especially while reading at candle-light ; a sort of fluttering before this eye, which scarcely permits her to read ; embarrassed respiration, especially while reading, without coughing ; the pulse is perceptibly more frequent than commonly (it is commonly small and incompressible) ; cool and dry skin.
– The symptoms which I have related, are neither sufficiently numerous, nor sufficiently precise, to give us a complete image of the Chelidonium disease.
– Nevertheless, they seem to furnish the means of drawing the following sketch of the morbid conditions to which Chelidonium seems best adapted :
– 1. Excessive secretion of urine, without any perceptible acceleration of the pulse.
– 2. After the second day, the urine resumes its natural quantity and color.
– 3. Angina and swelling of the pharyngeal mucous membrane, not preceded by coryza ; not cough or a little loose cough, from the first ; spasmodic cough (1st and 2d proving.)
– 4. Paroxysms of drowsiness, without any other unpleasant sensation, coming on periodically at half-past one or two o’clock in the afternoon, (proving 1 and 2,) and changing on the following days to asthma, (proving 1,) with sensation of a violent engorgement of the right lung, and at the same time of the liver, dull pulsations in the chest, anguish, etc.
– 5. Acute bronchial catarrh, from the commencement, (proving 3,) with a dull and heavy pain at the upper part of the chest ; coated tongue ; frequent pulse, with slight vertigo ; warm and dry skin at first, which is afterwards covered with perspiration.
– 6. Dull distress in the chest, (proving 4,) embarrassed respiration when walking, small and constantly frequent pulse, prostration, chilliness without shuddering, extreme apathy, aversion to exercise, etc.
– 7. Eruption (provings 1 and 2,) of red, flat, somewhat uneven, dry spots (the dryness would probably have given place to dampness in the long run), preceded and accompanied by a burning pain at the sternal region, at other parts of the chest and on the arms.
– 8. Slight vertigo in the evening, but only on the third day, and in one case. (Prov. 2.)
– 9. Neuralgic pain at the right temple, or at the right eyebrow. (Prov. 2 and 4.)
– 10. Amaurotic dimness of the right eye. (Prov. 4.)
– 11. Pain as from a sprain in the left hip, (prov. 2,) as if sprained and bruised in the knee, in the tibio-tarsal articulation, (prov. 2,) and lastly in the right heel, (a very marked symptom.) (Prov. 1 and 2.)
– 12. Slight itching at the vulva ; ephemeral symptom, on the third day. (Prov. 2.)
– 13. Remarkable tranquillity of mind for two or three days (prov. 1 and 3), succeeded after a while by ill-humor. (Prov. 2.)
– 14. Vaguely defined derangements of the digestive functions ; as a general rule, the nights are quiet and the sleep sound.
– These are the bare outlines of the pathogenesis of Chelidonium.
– But are they not sufficient to account for the cures which this agent has effected in cases of angina, pulmonary catarrh, hepatitis, intermittent fevers, ophthalmia, amaurosis, etc.
– Supported by undoubted clinical facts, I have recommended chelidonium more particularly at the commencement of whooping-cough and pneumonia, especially among children and with still greater success in the case of fir-complexioned pale children, with mild dispositions, anxiety, a feverish pulse, and marked symptoms of derangement of the air-passages, the skin remained dry, with a loose and somewhat spasmodic cough from the commencement of the disease.
– Since then I have employed the same drug for a sort of tetters, coming out on the back and front part of the chest, and the appearance of which on these parts was preceded by cough for a couple of days.
– Hereafter celandine will probably enjoy a much more extensive sphere of action.
– Camphor antidotes this drug.
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