Homeopathy LibrarySabadilla
Hempel - Materia Medica and Therapeutics · Charles Julius Hempel · 23,443 chars
General
[INDIAN BAELET. NATURAL OEDEE, VEEATEIiE.]
Properly cebadilla, from cebada, barley. Semina Sabadillse Mexi- canae. On the eastern side of the Mexican Andes, also in the neigh- borhood of Vera Cruz. The seeds are the follicles, loose seeds, stalks and abortive flowers of asagrsea officinalis, also of veratrum sabadilla, a species of veratrum growing in the same region, and of similar properties.
Large doses cause burning and pain in the throat and stomach, nausea, vomiting, purging, prostration of strength, convulsions, delirium, and sometimes a cutaneous eruption. Plenck speaks of a young man who was rendered insane by rubbing
734 SABADILLA.
the ointment on his head. Lentin says : a child whose nurse had sprinkled the powder in its hair, died in convulsions. Sabadilla is an anthelmintic, and is used for pin and tape-worms. It is used for the removal of lice and crab-lice.
The seeds of sabadilla contain sabadillin, a white crystalline solid, possessing alkaline properties, and likewise pure veratria, a drachm of which can be obtained from one pound of the seeds. But, be- cause the Mexican cebadilla and the white hellebore furnish the same alkaloid, it would be wrong to infer tbat the medicinal virtues of these two substances atfe alike.
A study of the following pathogenesis which has been executed with great care by Hahnemann himself, and by a number of his most devoted and conscientious disciples, among whom we find the names of Langhammer, Schulz, Kueckert, Kromada and others, will at once impress upon the reader the striking peculiarities of patho- genetic action, and consequently of therapeutic power, which estab- lish a radical distinction between sabadilla and the white hellebore.
CEREBROSPINAL GROUP.
Headache
The action of sabadilla upon the cerebral nerves is cbaracterized by a variety of symptoms which render this agent a valuable remedy in some forms of nervous and congestive headaches, whether the headache exists as an independent affection, or as a state of cerebral irritation, depending upon some other, more general or more deep-seated, disease. We read: Vertigo, with constant nausea; he is relieved by lying down. A sensation of pressure and heaviness in the head ; he was scarcely able to raise it, immediately after taking the medicine.
A dull, oppressive ache in the anterior portion of the head, abating by pressing the flat hand against the forehead ; in the forehead he feels an increase of warmth, which is followed, a few minutes after, by a continued coldness in the hairy scalp ; even the hair felt cold to the hand, as if cold water had been poured over the head. A stupefying, aching pain in the frontal region, causing a feeling of giddiness, and making him stagger from side to side like one intoxicated. Headache as if a thread had been drawn through the brain, over the temples, from the forehead toward the occiput, leaving a burning sensation behind.
Sensation as if the head were in a vise. Headache as if caused by a violent pressure spreading from the temples to the vertex and thence to the base of the occiput. Headache like a push from the upper part of the occiput through the forehead. Headache after every walk ; on re-
SABADILLA. 735
entering the room, she is attacked by a wrenching, screwing pain, commencing in the right side of the head, seizing upon both temples, where it is felt very keenly, whence it spreads over the whole head after retiring; it returns every day.
Headache with confusion, attended with a burning and itching of the scalp, this feeling spreads over the whole body.
In the evening, while reading, he feels pains in the head as if siugle portions of the brain were pressed against sharp corners.
Heat in the head and face, after drinking much wine.
Fine prickling stitches in the frontal integuments, when getting heated from ascending the stairs.
Violent itching of the hairy scalp, she had to scratch until blood came.
The symptoms which this drug causes in the region of the back and in the extremities, lead us to infer that it has a marked influ- ence over the derivations of the cerebro-spinal axis as well as of the ganglionic system. These symptoms may indicate sabadilla in
NEURALGIC RHEUMATISM, more particularly if the func- tions of the liver are very much interfered with ; a description of the drug-disease will supersede the necessity of furnishing a more detailed account of the symptoms of the natural disease for which the Mexican sabadilla is specifically suitable.
In the region of the back we have the following characteristic symptoms : In the right shoulder, as far as the chest, she feels a pain as if the circulation of the blood were interfered with by a slight bandage ; at times she experiences the same symptom in the left shoulder ; the pain lasts almost the whole day, and is worse iii the open air and in the cold.
A pain in the back as from weariness, relieved by pressing against the back.
Stitches in the right side of the back, following each other in rapid succession.
Pain in the back, when sitting, as if bruised.
Pain in the small of the back, with chilliness.
A pain near the superior anterior spinous process of the ileum, which is aggravated when he is sitting down, and abates when he is walking about.
NERVOUS DEBILITY— In the extremities the pains are emi- nently characteristic of a nervous disorder, which may be rheuma- tism or a general irritation of the nervous system., and may, perhaps, be aptly designated as nervous debility or nervous irritation ; very often such a comprehensive series of symptoms of irregular nervous action is preliminary to some incurable disease, such as marasmus or nervous consumption.
These pains may be summed up under the following general
736 SABADILLA.
J
heads : Pinching in the flesh, stitches, drawing and tearing pains in the muscles, painful pressure under the joints when bending them ; twitching of the joints, tingling in the toes, trembling of the hands, burning in the joints, weariness.
Some of these pains seem so peculiarly characteristic that they deserve special mention : When writing, his right hand trembles as if from old age.
Cramp of the right hand, especially in the fingers, so violent that the hand be- comes quite rigid and the fingers are contracted.
A fine-burning stitch in the tips of the fingers of the left hand ; this is at once fol- lowed by a glaring heat in the parts, whereas the other parts of the hand were quite cold.
A painful pressure in the right hip-joint, which is particularly felt when lying upon it.
Stitching sensation in both thighs at the same time.
Violent pains in both thighs as if they had been compressed, relieved by continued movement.
Stitches in the right knee.
Burning of the knees.
Her feet are swollen and painful when she attempts to walk about.
A tearing- tensive pain in the calves, in bed, soon after midnight.
Prickings in the toes, as if gone to sleep.
A painful drawing deep in the long bones, relieved by rest, for many days.
Tingling in the limbs.
Drawing pain in the right lower extremity, for eight days.
In various parts of the body, at times in one, at other times in another part, a pain is felt as if the part had been bruised.
Soon after taking the drug he experiences a shuddering over the whole body.
Soon after taking the drug he felt a violent burning at the tip of the tongue, in the throat and in the abdomen ; five minutes afterward he felt a violent rumbling in the bowels and passed a bloody stool, after which he felt very much exhausted, had a nap from which he awoke brighter than ever.
He felt a keen pain in the bones, especially in the joints, as if the inside of the bones were scraped and cut with a sharp knife.
Dull stitches in various parts of the body, some- times like a pressure, and sometimes like pinching, intermitting, occasionally, and scarcely ever felt in the same locality twice, in the cheek, tip of the tongue, epigastrium, lumbar region, penis, lower arm, metacarpal bones of the little finger, for some days.
Tremulous sensation and actual trembling of the upper and lower limbs.
He feels better lying down than standing or walking.
Ex- cessive weariness.
His limbs feel heavy the whole day, especially in the last hours of the forenoon and toward evening.
OKBITAL AND AURICULAE GROUPS.
The symptoms belonging to this range do not present any charae-
SABADILLA. 167
teristic features ; the nervous irritation and congestion which consti- tute the prominent elements of the cephalic group likewise make up the substance of the eye and ear-group.
We have such symptoms as: Burning and weepiug of the eyes.
Obscuration of sight.
Burning prickling in the lobules of the ear, and behind the ears ; evidently of a subordinate character, and acquire a therapeutic value only through their connection with a more comprehensive series.
FACIAL, BUCCAL AND DENTAL GROUPS.
This remark applies in a great measure to the symptoms of these groups; the physical contact of the drug, moreover, causes various sensations which, from a therapeutic point of view, are only of secondary importance ; we will present the leading features of this drug-picture : The cheeks looked flushed and burn.
His nose bleeds twice and profusely.
A burning-itching, tinkling, and prick- ling of the lips, as if they had been scalded.
The epidermis of the upper lip is cracked on the inner surface of the lip.
He experiences a throbbing and twitching in the muscles of the upper jaw.
A slight beating and drawing in the teeth, generally when he is taking a walk, not all the time.
A fine stinging at the tip of the tongue, in the lips and gums, attended with a repulsive-bitter taste in the mouth and a nauseous sweetishness.
(This symptom is taken from Murray's Apparatus Medicanisnum, p. 168.) The tongue feels sore and as if it were blistered.
The buccal cavity feels as if scalded.
PHARYNGEAL GROUP.
The throat feels as if swollen ; scraping sensation in the throat, with pain when swallowing, which he is obliged to do all the time ; his throat feels as if a cord were tied around it ; a burning sensation and a feeling of pressure in the throat, as if a lump were lodged in it ; when swallowing, his throat feels dry and parched ; a burning- prickling sensation in the palate.
These drug-affections constitute the beginning of a series from which they cannot be separated therapeutically as they can ana- tomically. If these symptoms should occur as a prominent patho- logical group with which sabadilla seems in specific therapeutic ranport, we shall find, upon further examination, that the morbid process involves, to a greater or less extent, the tissues and functions of the stomach, and perhaps of the chylo-poietic organs generally. In common parlance we hear this condition described as a
DYSPEPTIC SOKE THROAT, which is a very excellent name
738 SABADILLA.
for it in the places of the more learned-sounding appellation of nervous or dyspeptic angina faucium that may often yield to a few doses of sabadilla, if it were only known that this drug possesses the power of curing this distressing weakness. A careful study of the symptoms of the
CHYLO-POIETIC GROUP
is, however, absolutely necessary in order to enable the practitioner to determine with perfect accuracy the forms of angina to which sabadilla is specifically homoeopathic.
We here present the leading symptoms of this comprehensive and important series : A flow of sweetish saliva in the mouth.
Scraping sensation in the throat, as if vapor were ascending in it, with a bitter taste, almost like heart- burn.
Immediately after swallowing the drug, a bitterish-sour taste rose in the fauces, attended with burning in the chest.
A sort of qualmish and bitter taste in the mouth.
Aversion to food, which continued until the next meal.
Aversion to food, yet he felt hungry.
A ravenous desire for honey and farinaceous food alternates with aversion to meat, wine and sour things.
No appetite, the whole day ; in the evening he is suddenly seized with a ravenous desire for supper.
He feels thirsty, has a desire for cold water, beer and milk.
Painful eructations, they are frequently arrested in the middle of the chest.
Empty eructations, with shuddering over the whole body.
Heartburn, with heat ascending from the abdomen through the stomach and oesophagus, and a flow of saliva.
Hic- cough, several times.
Nausea, waterbrash and vomiting.
Nausea, with spitting up of insipid water all the time.
Nausea and rising of a bitter phlegm which leaves a greasy taste in the mouth as if he had swallowed tallow.
Nausea and retching) followed by vertigo and pressing headache, for some minutes.
A qualmish, uncomfort- able and cold feeling in the stomach.
The region under the pit of the stomach feels painful as if sore, when pressing upon it and during an inspiration.
Immediately after swallowing the drug, he experiences a slight burning rising from the stomach to the pharynx, and becoming so intense in half an hour that it seemed as if a burning coal were lodged there.
Immediately on waking he felt a frightful burning in the stomach rising up to the pharynx ; he felt oppressed even to suffocation.
A subdued pressure in the stomach, with sensation as if it were very much distended.
A feel- ing of warmth in the praecordia.
Sudden oppession in the pit of the stomach, with anxiety.
SABADILLA. 739
NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA To the attentive reader the group
of symptoms which we have here presented, reveals a remarkable correspondence with certain forms of nervous dyspepsia where sabadilla alone will be able to afford the much sought-for relief. The symptoms are so fully expressed in the drug-series that it seems unnecessary to repeat them in describing the pathological disease. Suffice it to say that the main features of this disease may be grouped under the categories of burning, irregular appetite changing from canine hunger to a perfect loathing of food, occasional flow of a sweetish or insipid water from the mouth, oppression and soreness in the praecordia. The condition of the throat, to which attention has been directed in the pharyngeal group, should not be overlooked, nor is it unimportant to consider the general condition of the nervous system, which will be found to present many of the abnormal states expressed in the cerebro-spinal category of our drug-effects.
Sabadilla also causes : Pain in the stomach and abdomen as if a stone were lodged there.
Pain in the bowels as if cut up with knives.
Burning in the bowels.
Sensation as if a ball of thread were winding itself up in the bowels.
Colic with shuddering, and violent urging to stool, with some feces being passed, of which he is not conscious.
Immediately after swallowing the drug he feels a warmth through the bowels and an urging to stool, without any discharge taking place.
The burning in the bowels and rectum continues an whole hour after every discharge.
A burning sensa- tion around the umbilicus for many days.
A good deal of rumbling in the bowels, with emission of flatulence, and stitches and pinching hi the bladder.
A warm feeling in the right hypochondrium, soon after taking the drug.
A digging pain in the right lobe of the liver, with soreness when pressure is made on the part.
Stitches in the region of the liver.
Sensation as if the back of a knife were scraped and pressed over the liver.
A violent sticking pain in the right, then in the left side, pressing out tears.
Stitches are likewise felt in the left side of the abdomen.
Emission of short flatus, after which a shudder is felt along the back.
Slippery, liquid stool, mixed with mucus and blood.
A large dose produces several discharges every day ; after a small dose the bowels remain consti- pated for four days.
Violent urging to stool, with flatulence, fol- lowed by an enormous discharge, and, soon after, by a second one which is mixed with blood and succeeded by a burning distress in
74:0 SAJBADILLA.
the bowels lasting eight days.
For six days every discharge from, the bowels was preceded by a horrid burning at the anus.
Itching at the anus, obliging him to scratch, after which a burning is felt.
Tingling and itching at the anus, alternating with an itching at the wings of the nose and around the outer meatus auditorius.
HEPATALGIA AND ENTERODYNTA— These symptoms em- body many of the characteristic features of an attack of hepatalgia and enterodynia, for which sabadilla may prove a specific remedy, provided the drug disease is the exact counterpart of the natural malady, A careful and comprehensive study of the whole chylo- poietic series of the drug is required to determine the homoe- opathicity of the drug to the pathological condition. Some of the symptoms force themselves upon the reader's attention spontane- ously, without any effort on his part to grasp them as important objects of observation. Among these symptoms we may class the peculiar symptom of a pressing and scraping pain in the region of the liver, as if a dull knife were scraping over the surface of the organ ; the burning distress in the bowels before aud after stool \ the sensation as if a ball of thread were winding itself up in the bowels ; the various stitches experienced in the hypochondria, and so forth. Some of these pains show the great use which we may derive from sabadilla in the treatment of
HYSTERIA, hysteric colic; or colica flatulenta, or spasmodica ; and in
WORM AFFECTIONS, which are distinctly indicated by the peculiar movements in the bowels, and by the itching and burning which our provers have experienced at both ends of the mucous ex- panse, the nostrils and meatus auditoris and at the anal orifice.
A plethoric young man of sixteen years had a tapeworm.
His face was flushed,, there was one-sided headache, with a drawing pain extending into the arm-pit, con- vulsive motions of one arm, with involuntary rotations of the arm on the same side.
Sabadilla30 removed, in a few days, this twitching and the pain in the head, and under the action of a few more doses of the remedy big balls of worm were expelled a few weeks later.
Every trace of trouble disappeared and complete recovery took place.
(Fielitz in Allg.
Horn.
Zeitg., ix., 8.)
URINARY AND SEXUAL GROUPS.
Burning in the urethra, between the acts of micturition, attended with urging to urinate.
Violent burning in the urethra, during micturition, as if the urine were like scalding water.
Violent urging to urinate ; she only discharges a few drops, after which the urging becomes much worse : it is attended witli a troublesome burning ill
SABADILLA. 741
the urethra.
The urine becomes thick, like loam-water.
A tingling sensation is felt in the testicles ; it sometimes seems to proceed from the middle of the thighs, where it feels like a buzzing.
The sexual instinct is at first much depressed, afterward heightened, yet only in the fancy.
RESPIRATORY GROUP.
It is well known that the powder of sabadilla is one of the most powerful errhines of the materia medica ; hence, in pulverizing the seeds of sabadilla care has to be taken to prevent the dust from irri- tating the Schneiderian. membrane, lest a spasmodic sneezing fit should be excited in susceptible individuals. We may avail ourselves of this property for the purpose of relieving the excessive irritability of the Schneiderian membrane with which some individuals are affected, and which often causes interminable sneezing fits, accom- panied with lachrymation and other signs of catarrhal irritation of the eyes. It may be advisable to snuff up a very moderate quantity of the powder.
COUGH — Sabadilla causes a few symptoms in the respiratory organs which may enable us to use it with advantage in some forms of cough, most probably, however, of a sympathetic character ; we read: Shortness of breath, dry and hacking cough, cardialgia.
Violent paroxysms of a dry cough, immediately after taking the drug.
Short cough, with a flow of tears ; also with stitches in the left and right sides of the chest.
Dry cough at night, he feels hot and perspires.
Cough with expectoration all night, with stinging in the right chest ; he cannot lie on this side.
INFLUENZA comes within the curative range of sabadilla.
An epidemic made its appearance in the United States (1838) in which sabadilla acted very promptly.
The following symptoms were present: Sleepiness during the day; shivering, extending upward from the feet toward the head, especially toward evening.
Pressive pain in the forehead and eyes.
Soreness of the tongue and throat, worse when swallowing ; thick, yellow coating of the tongue.
Bitter^ taste in the mouth.
Loss of appetite.
Nausea.
Dryness in the mouth, with absence of thirst.
Bumbling in the bowels from flatu- lence.
Yellowish and turbid urine.
Cough with vomiting, head- ache.
Painful lameness in the extremities, especially in the knee- joints.
Aggravations in the cold, toward noon and toward evening.
Heat in the face with shivering and coldness in the extremities and shudderings along the back.
Dryness of the skin.
Characteristic
742 SABADILLA.
cough, coming on upon lying down. Restlessness and anxious dreams at night.
EXANTHEMATOUS GKOUP.
Our provers report a violent itching and soreness of the haiiy scalp. In connection with this symptom we may state that an oint- ment of sabadilla has been used in Europe as an effectual means of destroying vermin on the head. For this purpose the pulverized seeds have been scattered over the scalp, which has to be done very cautiously, lest immoderate quantities should cause dangerous acci- dents, more particularly if the skin is broken.
Of its action upon the skin Pereira says : " Rubbed on the skin, the tincture causes a stinging sensation, similar to that produced by veratria.
After its use, for some days, a slight eruption appears on the skin.
Rubbed over the cardiac region, it, in some instances, reduces the frequency and force of the pulse in a marked degree. 'r
These effects have been brought out much more fully by our provers, aud are embodied in the following statements : The abdo- men, hands and chest are dotted with red spots, which become still redder in the open air, of the size of a pin's head, but not raised.
Red spots and stigmata on the left arm, not raised ; they cause a sensation of heat, do not itch, and remain unchanged in the open air.
Small pimples on both forearms, seated in the skin, and caus- ing a burning itching.
A red streak traverses the left forearm in an oblique direction.
Yellow spots on the fingers.
One hand be- comes red, and breaks out in red spots.
Both hands are dotted with red spots.
A sort of itch between the fingers of the right hand,, the itching is only felt at night, nothing can be seen in the daytime.
A white papula is seen on the left knee, with a red border and a violent burning pain.
Erysipelatous inflammation on the right tibia, with a violent burning pain.
Prickings under the skin, for many days, especially in the toes and fingers.
Burning tingling in the whole body, here and there.
Plying stitches in the whole body, here and there.
A sort of heat and painful feeling in the skin ; washing with cold water affords relief, after which the sensation changes to a slight tension, especially on the left side of the face.
These various abnormal sensations and eruptions are incidental to the gastric and rheumatic irritations for which sabadilla is indicated as the specific remedy.