– Pierce W.I.
BLOOD ROOT – INDIAN PAINT – TURMERIC.
Introduction
Sanguinaria is so called in allusion to the blood-like juice of the root. It is found, as its name denotes, in Canada, as well as in many parts of the United States and all parts of the plant, when wounded, exude an orange-colored sap, or deep brownish if obtained from the root. It was used by our Indians as a paint. for making turmeric-paper (which has been superseded by litmus- paper), and as an aromatic in curry-powder. The first real proving of Sanguinaria was made by Dr. G. Bute, of this country.
Symptoms
It is an irritant of the mucous membranes generally and especially of the stomach and air-passages. It is an extremely valuable remedy for headache, particularly for r.-sided migraine (99) and for various troubles due to the climacteric. In the head we have frequent use for it in periodical neuralgia where the attacks commence over the r. eye (76) or in the forehead and vertex of the r. side, or they commence in the occiput (100), travel over the head and settle over the r. eye. The attacks begin in the morning and increase in severity as the sun approaches the zenith; at noon the pain is at its height, at 3 P.M. it begins to decline and by sunset it is gone (95); usually the patient is enabled to get asleep in the latter part of the afternoon and when she wakens the pain is over. The headache is better from sleep and usually ends with a profuse flow of urine (93). This sun-headache, or ” American sick-headache” at it has been called, is very severe and is accompanied by photophobia, nausea and vomiting. It is worse from every motion (96) and the patient not only wants to keep quiet but also wants to be left alone. It is of value in headaches of gastric origin (97) and in those at the climacteric (96), with rush of blood to the head (103), buzzing in the ears (65), nausea and vomiting, and relief in the open air (92) and from sleep. In the eye, Sanguinaria is useful for neuralgia in and over the r. eye (76) and for inflammations of the eye and lid, and Sanguinaria is in particular a r.- sided remedy (163). In the ear it is to be thought of for women at the climacteric, with humming and roaring in the ears (65) and with painful sensitiveness to sudden sounds. It is remedy to be thought of for polypi and has cured them whether the polypus was located in the ear (65), nose (145) or uterus (202). We have in Sanguinaria a facial neuralgia, beginning perhaps in the check-bones, and extending all over the head (80), in which the patients hold the head tightly (92) and bend over with the head towards the floor, as the only means of getting relief (79). There is soreness of the roof of the mouth, extending back and throughout the pharynx, but worse on the r. side of the throat, as if the roof of the mouth and pharynx had been burnt or scalded by hot drinks (140). Sanguinaria is one of the remedies to be thought of for rheumatic soreness of the muscles of the palate, especially when following the grip. Rheumatic sore throat (162) is best diagnosed by exclusion; it is not one of several other things that the patient think he has, because there is no evidence on inspection of anything to cause the pain experienced; never tell him, however, that you can see nothing to cause the trouble, or he will quite you and make uncomplimentary remarks concerning your ability. Tell him that he has rheumatism of the throat and he will mention your name and sound your praises amongst all his friends, for you have let him have a disease that he has probably never heard of before. In gastric derangements calling for Sanguinaria we find nausea and salivation (163), with vomiting of bitter, sour fluid; usually the nausea is not relieved by vomiting but is relieved by eating (174). It is of value in ulcer of the stomach (181), with burning pain (178), vomiting, etc.; in one case cured by the remedy the characteristics were the relief experienced after vomiting and the flushes of heat rising into the head and face. It is of value in the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (153), especially when associated with salivation and constant spitting (155). We have in Sanguinaria flushes of heat at the climacteric (32) and Hering says, leucorrhoea at the menopause which continues after the menses have entirely ceased. cough enters into many of the conditions calling for Sanguinaria; we have diarrhoea associated with cough (61), or with whooping cough (61); also delayed menstruation or amenorrhoea (134) and metrorrhagia during the climacteric (32), in both conditions with cough and flushing of the face (32). It is useful in oedema of the glottis (191), with dyspnoea, sawing respiration, hoarse and dry cough, the whole condition worse when lying down. We also have a dry cough at night, which wakens the patient, with relief from sitting up (410 and especial relief form eructations (50) and the discharge of flatus. Sanguinaria is to be thought of in r.- sided pneumonia (151) as well as in a subacute condition, with relief from lying on the back (151). It is of especial value in hypostatic pneumonia (152) and in pneumonia when the patient is in a low typhoid state, the face being livid and dark red. It may prove useful in ulceration of he lung and in phthisis, with hectic flush, burning in chest (28) and perhaps haemoptysis (27). As Sanguinaria is a r.-sided remedy (163), we can think of it in rheumatic pains of the extremities of the r. side and especially of the r. shoulder and deltoid (161). Farrington speaks of having used it for rheumatism of the r. deltoid without effect; he finally told his class that he did not believe in it. Within a week after saying this, he cured two cases of rheumatism of the r. deltoid with the remedy. It has always been a help to me to learn that those whose ability is unquestioned meet with difficulties similar to those which I experience and when a man like Farrington informs us that he could not always effect a cure, the rest of us can take renewed courage, remembering at the same time that the fault is not always with our Materia Medica. I use Sanguinaria 3rd.