Viscum Album

(MutUtoe)

BOTANicAi DESCJiimON, — This is tbe YUeiim Flaeeeus of Mistbl and the Yiscum Yeriieillatam of Nuttail. This parasitic shrub is found grow- ing on Tftrious trees, but that which is found growing on Hie oak is pre- ferahle. The barli and leaves have an unpleasant odor and a mawkish, bitterish taste. The proper time for colleeting is in November, when It should be gradually dried, pulverized, and kept in a well slopped bottle. It Mliould never be kept more than a year, aa age impairs its active qualities,

Ofbtcinaii Prbpabations. — Tincture with strong alcohol, from tiie green plant, Rathered in November; triturations from the dried and pow- dered plant.

ANAixjauBS. — Agaricjia, Oicuta, Stramomum, (Sitantke, j^thiisa, etc.

[The following symptoms were taken from clinical cases published in the SrifisJi Jourtial of Bomieopathy, vol. 23, pp 637, translated from Dr. Huber's article in the ZeitsehHft^,

antliorities and recent writers.) ° Dull headache, with stitches in the temples. "" Sensation in tiie vertex as if the scalp was nnmb. ° Frequent flow of blood to the head, with heat and redness ot

the face. ° Great vertigo and shooting headache.

" Shooting, tearing, frequently recurring pains in the temples. ° Head confused, tearing pains in the left temporal region,

extending over the forehead and hairy scalp, ° Feeling as if the whole vanlt of the skull would be raised up.

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VIBCDM ALBmi. 6i3

' Pains in the temples, coming on periodicallyj worse in the evening and at night.

" Catarrhal deafness.

" Drawing, tearing sensation in the left ear. ' Loud buzzing and stopped np feeling in the ear. " Deafness, from a cold.

" Muscles of face in constant agitation. " Distressed look of the face; an almost idiotic expression of

° Constipation (with retention of placenta). ° "Weight, fullness and contractive pain in the hypogastric

region, " Contractive, sometimes burning pains in the abdomen. " Spleen larger than normal.

" Shooting paitts through the spleen, sometimes extending to the heai't.

Thorax. " Hydrothorax.

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644, VI9CUM ALBUTi.

" Feeling of euffocation when lying on left side.

" Sensation as of a friglitfnl stab with a lancet through the entire right thoracic eavity.

Generative Organs.

° Metron'hagia.

"Hffiinorrhage accompanied by pain, the blood partly bright red, partly in dark clots,

° Ilfemoirliage, witli violent contractive labor-like piuns.

° Hjemorrhage continnaliy, at one time in a stream, at another in clots, of a blactish color.

" Pains, periodic, proceeding from tlie sacrum into the pelvis, worse in bed, accompanied with tearing, shooting pains from above downwards, in both thighs, as well as in the upper extremities, with sleeplessness and general pros- tration.

" Soiatica. (many severe cases.)

° Metastasis of pain from nape of the neck to the bnttock and outside of the thigh.

° Fearful, tearing, shooting, throbbing pains in left side of sacrum, extending to the thigh.

° Extremely violent pain in left sacro-iachiatic region, on tlie slightest motion of the thigh, the pain extending along the outside of the thigh in a strip about four fingers broad, to the knee joint, and is often throbbing as if sup- puration would take place.

"Tearing, burning pain in right thigh, also when extending the whole length of the limb to the ankle joint.

* Sensation as if tlie flesh of the thigh was frequently torn away with hot pinccj's.

" Great sensitiveness of the thigh, the slightest touch causing pain.

" Painful tearing in the muscles of the calf and in the ankle, then going into the patella and knee joint.

° Tlie right knee swelled around the patella, with a doughy feeling and sensitiveness to pressure.

' Tension in the patella, as if the tendons around it were con- tracted.

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TAJJiKIANATE OF AMMOMIA. G45

" Pains periodic, when at rest as well aa when in motion.

° Pains alternating in the knee and ankle, with the shoulder

and elbow, " The right tibia very much swelled in the middle of tlie bone,

where it ia but slightly covered with skin. " Digging, gnawing, distressing pain in the tibia and a meta- tarsal bone on the dorsum of the foot, especially aggra- vated at night. ° Swelling of a metatarsal bone on dorsum of foot.

" Chorea from a fright, with perfect inability to remain still for the space of three minutes, and inability to walk with- out assistance. ° Choreic movements continuing during sleep. " Sleep unquiet on account of general weakness and profuse

sweats. " Great debility from metrorrhagia. " Weakness nearly amounting to taintness. Usually the bowels and urinary organs are in a normal condi- tion when tliis remedy is indicated. [In Culpepper's English Physician, publishod in 1810, 1 find tlie follow- ing remarks by Mattliiolus : "The mistletoe of the oak (that being the best), made into powder, and given in drink tfl those who have tlie falling eickness " (epilepsy) " doth assuredly heal them, provided it be taken forty days together."

Culpepper himself reports a case as foUowa: "A young lady, having been long troubled with the falling sickness, for which she had taken every- thing prescribed for lier, by tlie most famous doctors, without effect, but growing rather worse, having eight orfen dreadful fits in a day, was cured only by the powder of the true mistletoe, given as much as would lie on a sixpence, early in the morning, for some days, near the full mooa."

VALERIANATE OF AMMONIA.

(Ammonia Valerianaa.) Obtain, from the Muriate of Ammonia, placedin a suitable vessel, in coarse powder, and an equal weight of lime, previonsly slaked and in powder, gas- eoua ammonia, and cause it to pass, first through a bottle filled with pieces of lime, and afterward through four fluid ounces of Valerianic acid, con- tained in a tall, narrow, glass vessel, \intil the acid is neutralized: set the vessel aside that crystals may form. Break the salt in pieces, drain il in a

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646 VALERIANATE OF ZINC.

glass funnel, dry on bibulous paper, and keep in a well atopjwd bottle. It Is now white,. pearly, four-sided crystals, perfectly ilry, of an offensive odor, like Valerianic acid, and a sharp, sweetish taste. Effloresces in dry air, deliquesces in a moist atmospliere. Very soluble in water and alcohol.

Ofwcisal Pbbparations. — Triturations. Tincture ; dilutions. ° Violent neuralgiee with great nervous agitation. {See Therap&afics.)

VALERIANATE OP ZINC.

(Zinci Valerianas.) Take of Sulphate of Zinc, five ounces and three-quarters ; Valerianate of Soda, five ounces; dissolve each in two pints distilled water, j'aise both solutions to near the boiling point, mix tiiem, cool, and skim off the crys- tals which form. Evaporate the mother liquor at a heat not exceeding; 300°, till it is reduced to four fluid ounces; cool again, remove the crystals which are formed, and add tliem to those already obtained. Drain the crystals on a paper filter, and wash them with a small quantity of cold dis- tilled water, till tlie washings give but a very feelsle precipitate with Ihe Chloride of Barium.

Again drain and dry on filter paper at ordinary temperature. It is in while, pearly scales, having a strong odor of Valer- ianic acid, and a metallic styptic taate. Dissolve ia ISO parte cold water, and in GO parts alcohol.

OsTjciMAL PRBPAKATIOHB— Triturations. Pills. (The triturations are of such an intensely disagreeable taste. and smell, tliat it is best to use either a sugar.«oated pill, of one-fourth or one-half grain crude ; or pUuIes made from a trituration with gum arabic instead of sugar.) AnALOaDEB, — (f) Probably those of its two constituents.

" Insanity — reeiirring with tlie headache. (Sale.)

" Neuralgic headaches of thi-ee weeks duration, cured in three

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VEEATKUM VIKIDE. 647

meantime she had several attacks, but all lighter. In

three months she wrote me that the attacks were very ae.

dom and very alight. She had regained her health, and

was quite clear in her mind. One of the finest cures I

ever made, {Hale.) " tJncontroliable sleeplessness from pain in the head in ciiildren

with meningitis: it produces sleep, and the children seem

better from its use. (/?.) " Facial neuralgia, for more than three years, nothing ever

inferior maxillary and left temple, (./^i.) " Many other cases of violent, obstinate facial neuralgia have

been reported cured by Valerianate of Zinc, in the practice

of several other homfBopathic physicians, ° Neuralgia of the ovaries. {Mall, Hale.) " Sciatic neuralgia, with great nervous erythema in a lady who

had suffered for years. {Hale.) " Angina, pectoris, aevera} eases. (/J.) " " Spinal neu/ralgia " : the patient was almost crippled ; when

a permanent cure was effected in one week; a dose (no

mention of size) was given every six hours. {Morrill.) ■" The severe pains in neck, spine and elsewhere, in the si

of cerebro-spinal meningitis. {Hale.)