Myrica Cerifera

(Sayherry.)

DBECHrpHOH This plant, known also by the names of TFoc-ifyrtlfl, Wox-lerry, etc., is a brandling, half-evergreen shrub, from one to twelve feet high, and covered with a grayish bark. It is found in dry woods «nd open, flelda. The bark of the root contains tannic acid and gallic acid; a ■volatile oil; an acrid resin, soluble in alcohol and ether; an astringent resin; myricinic acid (a pecaliar principle resembling Soponm) ; salts of potassa, lime.

Iron, magnesia and silicic acid. Its taateisbitter, astringent, acrid and spicy, Mjricin, its active principle, ia a light, grayisli-brown powder, with a peculiar spicy smell, and a peculiar, bitterish, astringent talte, with some persistent pungency. It is soluble in alcohol,

Opficinat. Preparatioks. — Tincture of the bark of the root with dilute alcohol; dilutiops. Myricin; triturations.

Analogties Asa/ram enrtadensig, Aeidwm, henzoic, Berherit vulgarit, Brotidrte, 0/timapMla, Gormm eircinata, Ohdidoninm, Ovbeba, Eryagittm aguatiewn, Ewpatorium aromalieam, Bydrattia eart., Separ su^hw, Kali bichromieam, Laeheiii, MereuHua iodatiti., Spongia. Mind and Disposition, Deficient concentration of mind on any subject. Gloomy, terribly depressed, despondent.

Indifference to everything— even to friends. Condemned himself for imaginary faults. Irritable, with constant desire to find faalt. He thinks him- self better than any one else.

Dull, heavy aching in the forehead and temples, on waking in

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446 MTKICA CEEIFEEA.

Headache in morning with aching in small of back.

Dull, heavy feeling over the ejes, followed by stricture across the nose.

Soreness of the scalp to the touch.

Pain in back part of head, right side.

Heaviness in hack of head, with pressure in nose.

In the top of the head a sensation like foara rising in any- thing fermenting.

Chilis running over the top of the head, M'ith tightness of the scalp.

Empty feehng in the head.

Headache, with drowsiness, also with ringing in the ears.

Pressure and dull pain in forehead and vertex, with throbbing synchronous with the pnlse.

Vertigo, with rush of blood to the head on stooping, followed

by full, oppressive headache in right side. Vertigo with nausea, and with yaivning, and drowsiness.

difficulty of closing the lids. Hot feeling in the eyes, they tire easily on reading.

Kinging in both ears, with slight vertigo; also with pressure about the head.

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MYEICA CEKIFEBA. 447

Tenacious, offensive mucus in the nose. ° Fcetid, bloody ozcena.

coated with an adhesive coating, difficult to detach, with

Soreness of the throat in the morning. Sensation as of a foreign substance in the throat, requiring it

to be frequently cleared, wUA painful deglutition, in the

afternoon. Constricted and rough feeling in the throat, it feels swollen,

mueus, detached with difficulty. Dry, sore feeling in the pharynx, as when one has taken cold,

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448 MTRICA CERIFERA.

digested. Craving, nnnatural appetite, with feeling of fullness in the

etomaeh, after a hearty meal, {^primai'y^ Complete loss of appetite, bnt with a feeling of fnllnesa and

repletion in the abdomen, {secondary.') Strong desire for acids.

a short time only. Heartburn with water-brash.

Hepatic Symptoms, DqU pain in the region of the liver. Complete jaundice, with bronze-yellow ekin, loss of appetite;

fullness in the stomach and alidomen; scanty, yellow,

frothy urine; loose, mushy, clay-colored (or straw-colored)

stools, destitute of bile, much debility, and drowsiness

almost amounting to stupor,* [Thia Jaundice was not relieved by Podophyllum, Leptandra, Nus vomica, Arsenicum, or Mercurius dulcia, but was speedily removed by Digitalis 1-lOth dil.] *

• The icteric symptoms of Myrica are undoubted. Dr. Walker proved the drug under my own observation. By reference to the two provjngs made by him, it will be seen that during the first proving he had " drowsi- ness, with heavy i^ontal morning headache, yellowness of the eyes, seantirms of urine, and light-colored feces," — all the premonitory symptoms of Jaaudico.

At this point the medicine waa suspended, and the above symp- toms disappeared. At the next proving the same symptoms recurred, but this tirr.e were kept up by the action of the drug until complete jaundice obtained, Tliis jaundice, I believe, was owing to suspended secretion, and not obelntction. Had the latter condition been the cause of the jaundice, critical discharges of black, tarry matters would have been noticed, whereas, in this case, the fseces, under the action of Digitalis, gradually resumed a healthy color and appearance, and the same change occurred in the condition of tlie urine.

Jaundice appears to be a secondary effect of Myrica ; consequently when used as a curative agent in that disease, the lower attenuations will be best Indicated.

(Since the above was written several cases of jaundice have been reported cured by Myrica.) (Rale.)

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*" Black jaundice." {Eclectic^

increased after eating, relieved by rapid walking, Yomiting, with heat in the stomach. Severe griping pains about the stomach, followed by empty

eructations. Stinging, cramp-like sensation in left prfecordial region, under

the ribs. Griping pressure in stomach, extending to a place on the left

loose stool, with tenesmus. Colic-like pains in umbilical region, in a small spot, with

diarrhcea.

I^oose stool after dinner, with pain and tenesmus. Sensation as of approaching diarrhrea, followed by small, coa--

weakness about the bowels, with urging and pressing,,

without stool. Constipation, after previous loose stools.

Soft, copious, papeseent stool, attended by tenesmus and cramp- like sensation in umbilical region. Urging to stool, with no other result than t!ie expulsion of a,

great amount of flatus. Excessive flatulence in p. m., with fi-equent rumbling, as iir

diarrhtea would set in. Stool nearly natural in consistency, but lighter colored,

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i50 MTBICA CEGIf-EEA

* Loose, light-colored stool, growing lighter-colored daily, until it became ash-colored and destitute of bile,

° Chronic dlarrhcm. ° Diarrhcea of consumptives.

Amorous dreams, with emission of semen (this never occurred to the prover betbre).

° Chronic gonorrhcea.

" Leueorrhcea, excoriating, ftetid, thick and yellowish, (of sev- eral years' duration). Cured by injections of the infusion. {Hale.)

Sharp, plunging pain in region of the lefl; kidney.

Difficulty of urinating; tlie bladder seemed to lack contractive expelling power.

Copious flow of limpid urine, {^primari/ effeot^

Urine deposits a light-colored sediment.

Urine darker than usual — grows darker every day, until it is a deep brownish -yellow, [secondary ff^eot.']

A pinkish-brown sediment in the urine.

Scanty, high-colored urine, saturated with the coloring matter of the bile.

Frothy, high-colored urine — ^(froth yellow), Bsapiratory Organs.

Smarting in larynx and trachea.

Dull pain in right lung, middle lobe, lasting a few minutes.

Constriction in the chest when lying on the left side in bed, with such increase of the impulse of the heart that its pulsations were audible.

Sharp pain in the region of the heart.

" Cough very much aggravated by talking. ° Tickling cough at night on lying down. " Cough, with profuse expec- toration. ° Chronic bronchitis.

Back and Neck.

Dull, aching pain in lumbar region all day.

Dull pain under both shoulder blades.

Sensation of warmth along the whole spine, partienlarlj between the shoulder blades.

Pain in the back of the neck.

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MTEICA CEEIFERA. 451

DuH, dragging pain in small of the bact

Pain under left eeapula.

Upper Extreniities.

Lancinating pain in left axilla.

Pain (tearing) in left arm, between shoulder and elbow.

Pain in third and little finger of left hand.

Severe pain in shoulder and arm, extending to little finger.

liight arm lelt lame and heavy, particularly about the wrist joint.

Dnll, aching pain in all the extremities. Lower Extremities.

Soreness of the muscles of both thighs.

Trembling and aching in calves of the legs; worse in the left.

Sharp, sbootingpain in right thigh, followed by a similar pain in left thigh.

Sharp, piercing pain at the inner side of left knee joint.

Soreness and pain in the left tendo-Achillis, worse on pressure and motion.

Severe pain midway between the knee and ankle, a little out- side of the tibia; a contractive pain, with soreness to the touch, changing to a burning; worse on motion.

Pain in the hollow of the right ftiot.

Burning in the soles of the feet.

Bruised pain in heel of left foot.

Coldness of lower extremities, with pain from knees downward.

Itching and stinging sensation on the skin of the face, neck, shoulder, fore-arm, and right leg.

Persistent itcliing iu different parts, worse near the point of insertion of the deltoid muscles, in both arms.

Itching of the face, giving way to creeping sensation, as of insects.

* Yellowness of the skin of the whole body Sleep.

Restless night, with tossing about.

Waking with dull fi-ontal headache.

Waking in a gloomy state of mind, unrefreshed.

Sleep disturbed at niglit; bad dreams and frequent waking.

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453 MTKICA CEEIi-KKA.

Drowsiness, with and aft&r headaelie.

Falls asleep in chair, in the daytime, (an unusual occurrence.)

Dreams of enormous bugs, which attacked his head, and which he killed with much difficulty.

Sleeplessness, with exhilaration of nervous system, in evening. Fever, Pulse and Heart.

Warmth along the whole spine, especially between the shoul- ders, followed by chill, gentle perspiration, more percepti- ble over the dorsal vertebras.

Chilliness upon going out of doors, vnth aching pain in the lumbar region.

Severe chiil, with quivering sensation in calf of right leg.

Feverish acceleration of the pulse, attaining its height about four o'clock.

Excited, feverish feeling, alternating with chilliness, at ten o'clock p. M., with pain in the lumbar region.

Feeling of feverishness, with the pulse at 60.

Pulse 51, feeble and irregular.

Impulse of heart's action increased, but the number of pulsa- tions diminished to sixty per minute, (ordinary pulse 75 to 80.)

Increased pulsation, and audible beating of the heart when lying in bed on left side.

'■ Night sweats — in phthisis.

General malaise, and feeling of unfitness for duty.

General languor, with depression of spirits.

Weak, siek feeling; every kind of exertion was irksome.

Shifting pains.

General muscular lameness and soreness, affecting chiefly the lower limbs.

Staggering gait, with confusion of thought and purpose in the head.

° Great debility, with the jaundice.

Worse by the warmth of the bed. — disturbing sleep.

Better when moving, and in open air (gastric symptomB).

Left side predominantly affected.

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KTETUS COMMtfNIS.

Tho headache worse wlieii stooping or moving. Digitalis removed the iiepatic symptoms.

MYETUS COMMUNia

{No provingg.)

" Pain in the chest; eoiigh, with tightness on tlie breast. " Dryness in the throat; pains in the throat and chest, with

* Stitches in the lei^ breast, running through the shoulder

* Catarrhal fever with pain in theelbowsandknee-joints. (-/J.) " Dry, hollow cough, from tickling in the upper anterior lobes

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464 NABDI

" Stitching pain in the left cliest, from tlie upper portion straight through to the left shoulder blade, worse from breathing, yawning and coughing, {Saue.)

"I have confirmed the above sjmptoms." (MoOlatchey.)

NABULUS SBRPENTARIA.

Weakness of eight; she cannot use her eyes to sew or read without pain.

Right nostril sore, with catarrh.

Throat, Sore throat, tickling and scraping only on the left side,

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HAJA TKIPXJDIAHS. 4S5

Oonetipation ; tliree stools in twelve days, {p.) Stool hai-d and painful, followed bj languor and prostra- tion. {j>.) " Diarrhcea — profuse— in summer. "Dysentery, epidemic.

Urine diminished, and no desire to urinate. Sharp pains in the right kidney.

TIterua. Sharp, throbbing pains in uterus, with discharge of a white,

Chilliness not removed by heat.