Ignatia Amara

Hahnemann's Materia Medica Pura, Jörg's Provings, Hartlaub & Trinks .

What is Ignatia ?

The seed of a large tree, a native of our Philippine Islands ; it is called the St. Ignatius' bean .

The tincture is made from the bruised seeds in the same manner as Nux, Cinchona , etc.

What are its alkaloids ?

Strychnine is the principal one, and it contains more of this substance than does the Nux vomica bean.

What is its general physiological action ?

Ignatia produces a marked hyperaesthesia of all the senses and a tendency to clonic spasms. Mentally, the emotional element is uppermost. Hence its chief applicability in hysteria. It destroys the harmony of action between different portions of the organism and perverts the co-ordination of function.

What is there characteristic in general about Ignatia ?

It is a remedy full of contradictions ; for instance, there is fever and no thirst, sore throat relieved by swallowing, sensitiveness relieved by pressure, chill relieved by uncovering, headache relieved by stooping, etc. Monroe says one must look for the body of a drowned Ignatia patient "up stream".

What are the mental characteristics ?

Changeable mood, introspective, silent, given to sighing, melancholy with tendency to weep ; it is a remedy full of disappointments, complaints arising from fear, jealousy.

What is its use in grief ?

It is the chief remedy for the effects of grief ; the patient has a disposition to brood over her sorrow.

What is the remedy for the chronic or long-lasting effects of grief ?

Phosphoric acid .

What are the indications for Ignatia in Hysteria ?

Great sensitiveness to external impressions, patients laugh an cry alternately, face flushes on emotion, spasmodic laughing, ending in screaming, globus hystericus, profuse pale urine, flatulent conditions, contortions of muscles.

What are the head symptoms of Ignatia ?

Heaviness in the head as if congested, relieved by stooping ; there is a pain as if a nail were driven into the parietal or occipital region ; clavus hystericus ; the headache ends in vomiting or in a copious discharge of pale urine. It is aggravated by smoking or smelling tobacco.

What drugs have a sensation as if a nail were being driven into the occiput ?

Thuja and Coffea .

What are the throat symptoms ?

There is a lump in the throat and a sticky sensation, which is relieved by swallowing.

What are the digestive symptoms of Ignatia ?

Bitter taste in the mouth and regurgitation of a bitter fluid, gastralgia and hiccough, relieved by eating and smoking. Empty, gone feeling and great nervous depression ; empty retching, relieved by eating ; the patient vomits simple food, but retains such things as cabbage.

Give the symptoms of the rectum and stool.

Distension of the abdomen after eating and painful contraction of the sphincter after stool.

Violent stitches, which shoot from the rectum into the abdomen ; itching about the anus as from ascarides.

What is there characteristic about the urine ?

It is very profuse and pale.

What are the respiratory symptoms ?

Dry, spasmodic cough in quick, successive shocks, as if a feather were in the throat ; the more the patient coughs the more he wants to, and it is only stopped by an effort of the will ; the cough occurs in the evening on lying down.

What is the fever of Ignatia ?

Partial in all its stages ; the chill is not relieved by external heat, and there is thirst with the chill, but none with the fever.

What are the spasmodic symptoms of the drug ?

Spasms from fright or fear, with pale face and twitching of individual muscles ; spasms of nervous women without maniacal symptoms ; hysterical spasms and spasms of children.