Sarsaparilla Officinalis

Smilax officinalis, H. B. K. (probably), (the brown Sarsaparilla from Jamaica, St. Domingo, etc.).

Natural order , Smilaceae.

Preparation , Triturations of the dried root.

Authorities. (Nos. 1 to 7 , from Hahnemann, Chr. Krn.). [Dr. C.

Wesselhoeft's translation, as found in Hering's Materia Medica, is adopted, with trifling corrections.] 1 , Hahnemann; 2 , Hartmann; 3 , Hermain; 4 , Teuthorn; 5 , Brunner; 6 , Nenning; 7 , Schreter ( 8 to 10 a , additions by Hering, l. c.); 8 , Hancock; 9 , Krahmer; 10 , Pehrson; 10 a , C. Hering; 11 , Palotta, Pharmacologische Tabellen von Schwarze, p. 335 (from Beauvais, Effets Tox. et Pathogén., Paris, 1845), proving on self, with "Parillin," [Smilacin, Pariglin or Parillin, a crystallizable active principle from Sarsaparilla, C 16 H 30 O 6 (Poggiale); proved by Palotta, and first published in Schweigg Journ., 1825, XLIV, 117.

Smilaspercic acid is quite different, is obtained from Hemidesmus indicus, and was experimented with by Garden , Lond. Gaz., xx, 800. -T. F. A.], took doses of 2, 6, 8, 10, and 13 grains; 12 , Berridge, N.

Am. J. of Hom., 1872, p. 101, Dr. Croker took repeated doses of tincture; 13 , Dr. H.

C. Allen, Am. Obs., 1874, p. 234, effects of teaspoonful doses of "Bristol's Sarsaparilla," in four children; 14 , Berridge, Am. Obs., 1875, p. 305, Dr.

Theobold took 10 drops of tincture; 15 , same, Miss ---, took tincture, repeated doses of 10 to 40 drops for six days; 16 , same, self, took 1600th dil, (Jenichen), 1 to 3 times a day for ten days; 17 , same, "The Organon," 1, 107, a lady took one dose of C. M. (Fincke); 18 and 19 , omitted; 20 , Cox, in narrative of residence on the Columbia River, general effects (Dubl. J. of Med. and Chem., 1835, 6, 149); 21 , Ashburne, Lond.

Med. Gaz., 12, 350 (1853), effects of Smilax aspera; 22 , same, Dr. Belinoye, effects of common Sarsaparilla.

Cheerfulness , [5] . Merriness and feeling of strength, [6] .

Depression of spirits, [1] .

Great anxiety, first in the head, then in the whole body, with trembling, mostly in the feet, forenoon, [6] .

Anxiety and fears, with palpitation of heart, [1] . Great anxiety, with constriction of the throat, [6] .

She thinks she cannot bear the headache, [6] .

Dulness of temper, and stoppage of nose, [7] .

Every word may offend him, [2] . [20.]

Ill-tempered and moody, afternoon, [1] .

Cross, but with disposition to work, [2] .

Very ill-humored, in the morning, with heaviness of the head (eighth day), [6] .

Cross, without disinclination to work, [4] .

Very ill-humored all day; better in the evening (seventh day), [6] .

Inactive, sluggish, indisposed to work, awkward, [1] .

Vertigo; while standing at the window, he suddenly fell backwards on the floor unconscious; at the same time the throat was swollen; sour eructation before and afterwards, thereupon the chest felt as if pressed; severe perspiration in the night, [1] . Vertigo, with nausea, mornings, while gazing long at one object (fifth day), [6] . [40.]

Vertigo, while sitting and walking; the head inclined to drop forward, [3] .

Staggering backwards, when standing after stool, at 3.30 A.M. (seventh day), [16] .

Slight giddiness and heat all over, as if from a close air (it was a cold rainy day), (after five minutes), [15] .

General Head. Head inclined to drop forward, [3] .

Heaviness in the head, with tension in the right side of neck, particularly on moving the head (first day), [6] .

Heaviness of head, with toothache, [6] . [50.]

Lightness or pain in head, [21] . Head stupid and dull, all the forenoon; in the afternoon, ill-tempered and moody, [1] .

Weakness in the head, as after a fever, with stupor, [1] . Dulness in the head, with flatulency, [1] .

The dulness of the head always passed off, towards evening, [7] .

Dulness of the head after long sitting, with mist before the eyes; lassitude of limbs; stoppage of the nose and gloomy mood, [7] . Dull headache, as if bound or screwed together; afternoon, 2 o'clock (fourth day), [6] .

Headache, like pressure from a great weight in the head, which is inclined to sink forward, [3] . Tearing pressure in the head, here and there, increased by motion and walking, [3] .

Rending deep in the brain, only on talking and walking, not while in rest (second day), [6] . [60.] Cramplike one-sided headache, beginning with flickering and blackness before the eyes; at the same time he seems to be without consciousness, must lie down and cannot speak, because every word reverberated in his head, [1] .

Dull tremor, with a waving in the head, afternoon, 2 o'clock (fourth day), [6] .

Throbbing in head, till towards noon, [6] .

Lying in bed on right side, transient banging sound in head like the sound of a gong when struck (twenty-third night), [16] . A kind of tingling in the head, as if a large bell had been struck, towards noon, [6] .

Stinging now in the head, now in the right ear, now in the left (sixth day), [6] . Forehead.

Heavy feeling in the forehead, [6] . [70.]

Pressing and heavy feeling around the whole forehead, in forenoon and after dinner (second day), [6] . Pressing in left side of forehead , [2] .

Pressing in forehead and occiput, [2] .

Penetrating stitches in left frontal protuberance, evening, [6] .

Acute fine stitches in the middle of the forehead, [2] .

Penetrating stinging in the region of the right frontal protuberance, evening, 7 o'clock, she thinks she cannot bear it, for half an hour (third day), [6] . Stinging in left forehead, [2] . [80.] Violent stinging in forehead, passing off out of doors, forenoon (fifth day), [6] .

Dull stinging on left frontal protuberance, [3] . Throbbing in right frontal region, on walking out doors (first day), [6] .

Temples. Head somewhat heavy in left temple, till noon, [7] .

Heaviness in the left temple, [7] .

Headache, heavy in each temple, wanted to lie down (eighth day), [15] .

Strong pressure in right temple, with drawing stitches from occiput towards forehead, [2] . Drawing pressure on right temporal bone and cartilage of the ear, [3] .

Stinging from right temple, extending to lower teeth, afternoon 2 o'clock (fourth day), [6] . Pressing-stinging pain about temporal bone, increased by touching, [3] . [90.]

Stinging drawing from right mastoid process to left frontal protuberance, [3] . Burning dull stitches on left temporal bone, [3] .

Last night in bed, throbbing pain for a few minutes in right anterior vertex; in the morning, discovered a large red pimple on neck, just behind angle of left lower jaw, smarting severely on being scratched (twelfth day), [16] . Frequent stitches on vertex, [3] .

Parietals. Pressing in left side of head, particularly in the temple, during rest and motion, [2] .

Sensation as if screwed together in both sides of the head, half an hour after breakfast (sixth day), [6] . A pressure like tearing in the whole left side of head, [2] . [100.]

Pressing and itching deep in the right half of head, morning (eighth day), [6] . Pressing, with frequent stitches , in left side of head, morning (ninth day), [6] .

Frequent stitches in side of head, [6] .

Stinging pain in left occiput, [2] . [110.]

Twitching on left side of occiput, [6] .

External Head. Falling off of the hair, with great sensitiveness of the scalp on combing (sixth day), [6] .

External headache, like compressions and incisions, [1] .

Pulsating stitches on the forehead, [1] .

Itching on posterior part of scalp, [1] .

Severe pressure and stitches on vertex, towards right side, [3] .

Eye. [120.]

Bruised pain in right eye on turning eyes to left (sixteenth day), [16] . Pain of the eyes when he looks at anything in the daylight, [1] .

Pressure in left eye, as from a grain of sand, [6] .

Pressure in the left, then in the right eye, with dimness of vision, [6] .

Pressing in eyes alternates with burning, [1] .

Stinging frequent in both eyes, as if dust or sand were in them; outdoors it seems better, [6] .

Stinging in the eyes on closing the lids, and violent pain when the closed eyes are pressed upon; at the same time, a broad red stripe extending from cornea to the outer canthus ; the inner corners are turned blue, and the right is somewhat swollen (twenty-first day), [6] . On closing eyes stinging in them, [6] .

Reading by candlelight hurts eyes, paper looks red, [1] . In the morning all objects affect the eyes, [1] .

Lids. [130.]

Inflamed dry eyelids, [1] . Violent burning and agglutination of the eyelids, on awaking in the morning, [6] .

Quivering in right upper eyelid, [1] .

Pupils dilated (in two hours), [4] .

Ball.

Pressing in ball of the eye, evenings, while reading by candlelight, with red shine of paper, [1] . Vision.

Flickering before eyes, and headache, [1] . [140.]

Mist before the eyes and dulness, [7] .

Great dimness of left eye, as if a gauze were spread over it, afternoon (sixth day), [6] . Dimness of vision, as in a fog (first day), [6] .

Dimness of vision, [6] .

Blackness and headache, [1] .

Ear.

Tearing pressure in right cartilage and external meatus of ear, [3] . Contracting sensation in right ear, [2] .

Bleeding from left nostril while blowing nose (eleventh day), [13] .

Bleeding from right nostril, [1] .

Nosebleed, [5] . Sneezing in the morning, after rising, [6] . [170.]

Woke with dry obstruction of right nostril (sixth day), [15] .

Burning in the nose, on blowing it, [6] .

In the nose burning on blowing it, with a dry cough, [6] . In the tip of the nose, pricking as if caused by a needle, [1] .

Twitching of right side of upper lip (after three hours and a half), [15] .

Violent pain in the face, as if bruised, about both inferior orbital margins, on waking in the morning, but only on pressure (twenty-first day), [6] . [180.]

Drawing, stinging, tearing in the masticatory muscles of right side, which seem to have spasmodically contracted, [2] .

Pressing-stinging pain on lower inner edge of right lower jaw, but only on touch, and on bending the head back, [3] .

Stiffness and tension in masseter muscles and joints of the jaw, on moving the part, thirty minutes, forenoon (sixth day), [6] . The jaws pain as if they would break, [1] .

Toothache, on two successive evenings (eighth day), [6] .

Stinging in a tooth which had been painful for a long time, forenoon (ninth day), [6] . Gums.

Swelling and sore pain of the gums of the inner side of lower maxilla, [1] .

The gums of the left lower row are painful on smoking tobacco, afternoon (third day), [6] . Stinging tearing in the gums and the root of the last right lower molar, [3] .

Tearing in the gums of the right lower row, in the evening (fourth day), [6] .

Tongue. Whitish coating on the tongue, in the morning, with natural taste (third day), [6] .

Aphthae on the tongue and palate (seventeenth day), [7] . Tongue is rough several mornings on waking, passing off after eating, [6] .

Stitches in the tongue, [1] .

General Mouth. [200.] Offensive breath, [1] . Slimy mouth in the morning (sixth day), [6] .

Pressing-drawing pain in soft palate, [3] .

Salivation, [20] .

Woke with fishy disagreeable taste in mouth (sixth day), [15] . [210.] Metallic taste for two days, [7] .

Nauseous herbaceous taste in the mouth, [1] .