Homeopathic Materia Medica

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, James Tyler Kent

This wonderful remedy is often overlooked. It should come to mind for old sufferers who are broken from sexual excesses and secret vice.

The pale sickly and sad mortals who lament over their misspent life. It is good for both sexes.

Sexual: Sexual weakness; relaxation of parts. Perversion of all the functions.

A woman who indulged extensively in secret vice, found after marriage that she had no sexual thrill, was cured by this remedy.

Later she was confined and no milk came in her mammae, again Agnus started the belated milk at the end of three weeks.

When the milk ceases after it has started, or becomes scanty when the above history is known, and the woman is said, this remedy will, if not opposed, most likely cure.

It cures uterine haemorrhage, and restores suppressed menses in young women with a history. The vagina is much relaxed, there is often prolapsus, and there is a copious white-of-egg-like leucorrhoea.

But the pitiful, woebegone young man, heart-broken over his early life, now finds himself newly married, and impotent.

He has had gonorrhoea; he has lived in excesses, and now suffers from relaxed and cold genitalia, emissions, prostatic discharge at stool.

His young and beautiful wife excites no erection, though only recently he had a clandestine success, and he has morning erections but no more.

Out of the above cause and condition come many distressing symptoms.

Mind: Loss of memory, despair, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, fear and peevishness. These patients suffer from headaches, photophobia and nervous symptoms too numerous to mention. Formication of the skin.

Tearing pains of head, face and teeth. All but the simplest food disorders the stomach, and he complains much of nausea. His muscles are flabby.

He is anemic, and his glands are enlarged, especially, the spleen. lie is growing increasingly flatulent.

The abdominal viscera hang down as a weight. There is a growing weakness of the rectum and constipation, and he presses hard at stool, which often fails and slips back, like Silica, Sanic and Thuja.

The stool is large and hard. Itching, smarting at the anus, noisy flatus of a urinous odor. Excoriated anus. He soon takes on a hacking cough and night sweats.

The limbs are tired and cold. He is sensitive to cold, and wants to remain quiet. Exertion and motion intensify his complaints.

He has been to many advisers, and they have told him he has Neurasthenia. He must have Agnus castus.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Verbena verticillata. Vitex agnus castus (Linn.). The Chaste Tree. (Shores of Mediterranean, Provence, and Greece.) N. O. Verbenaceae. Tincture of ripe berries.

Clinical.─Agalactia. Anus, excoriation and chaps of. Ascites. Dislocations, Gonorrhoea, secondary. Gouty joints. Gums, ulcerated. Impotence. Knees, coldness of. Leucorrhoea. Mouth, ulcers in. Rheumatic nodes. Spleen, swelling of; induration of. Sprains. Sterility. Testicles, swelling of; induration of. Toothache.

Characteristics.─As its name implies, Agnus Castus produces its chief effects in the sexual sphere, causing depression of function. General debility and depression of vital power are marked. There ire very characteristic symptoms in the mental sphere. Great sadness with a fixed idea of approaching death. This fear is not of immediate death as with Aconite, but the patient thinks it is sure to come after a while, and there is no use in doing anything. When this mental state is found after confinement and the milk fails to appear, Agn. c. is the remedy. Absent-mindedness. Drowsiness. It corresponds to lymphatic constitutions. Premature old age, with apathy and melancholy, self-contempt from sexual abuse. Nervous debility in unmarried persons. Impotence and gleet in old offenders. Among other peculiar symptoms are: Illusion of smell as of herrings; or musk; ulcers in mouth and on gums. Tearing pain in lower jaw. Toothache from hot food or drink. Swelling and induration of spleen. Rumbling of flatus during sleep. Discharge of prostatic fluid whilst straining at stool. Suppressed menses with abdominal pain. Leucorrhoea staining yellow. Sterility. Deficiency of milk, with despair of recovery. Pain as if dislocated in joints. Joints easily twisted. Rheumatic and gouty nodosities on joints.

Relations.─Agnus is the only proved member of the Verbena family, though the Labiatae or Mint family are closely allied. It is antidoted by: Camphor, Nat. mur. (headache); strong solutions of table-salt. It is followed well by: Ars., Bry., Ign., Lyc., Pul., Sul., Selen. Compare: (Leucorrhoea staining yellow), Nux, Chel., Carb. an., Kreas. Teste groups it with Mur. ac. and Hyo.

Causation.─Sexual excesses. Repeated attacks of gonorrhoea or gleet. Sprains or over-lifting.

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Extreme absence of mind; unable to recollect things; finds it difficult to read or keep up the train of thought.─Despairing sadness; low-spirited; fears of death; keeps repeating that she will soon die.

2. Head.─Tearing pain, with pressure in the temples and forehead (in the brain); < during motion.─Pain in the temple, as from a blow.─Heaviness in the head, and pressure, as if the head would fall forward.─Pain in the vertex, as from staying in a room filled with a thick and smoky atmosphere.─Tension and chilliness in the scalp, which is warm to the touch.

3. Eyes.─Corrosive itching or gnawing itching over and on the eyebrows, on the eyelids and under the eyes; > by scratching, but it soon returns.─Dilated pupils (and photophobia).

4. Ears.─Roaring in the ears.─Hardness of hearing.

5. Nose.─Odour before the nose, like herrings or musk.─Hard, aching pressure on the dorsum of the nose; > by pressure.

6. Face.─Corrosive itching of the cheeks, under the eyes, and on the chin.─Formication in the cheeks.─Rending, tearing pain under the alveoli of the r. lower jaw.

8. Mouth.─Ulcers in the mouth and on the gums.─The teeth are painful when touched by warm food or drink.

10. Appetite and Taste.─Thirstlessness and aversion to drink.─Metallic, coppery taste.

11. Stomach.─Nausea in pit of stomach when standing; later in the abdomen, with a sensation as if the intestines were pressing downwards; constant inclination to support bowels with the hands.

12. Abdomen.─Abdomen sore to touch.─Swelling and induration of the spleen, esp. after intermittent fevers.─Ascites.─Rumbling of flatulence during sleep.─Fear as if entrails were sinking down; constantly wants to support bowels with hands.

13. Stool and Anus.─Difficulty of passing soft stools.─When pressing at stool, discharge of prostatic fluid.─Sensation as of subcutaneous ulceration near the anus, only when walking.─Corrosive itching of the perineum.─Rhagades at the anus.─Deep fissures of the anus, often giving pain when walking.

14. Urinary Organs.─Frequent micturition.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─Diminution of sexual power.─The penis is small and flaccid; so relaxed that voluptuous fancies excite no erection.─Feeble erections without sexual desire.─The testicles are cold, swollen, hard, and painful.─Impotence, with gleet (esp. with those who have frequently had gonorrhoea).─Gleet, without sexual desire or erections.─Emission of prostatic fluid when straining at stool; during micturition.─Drawing along the spermatic cords.─Pollutions from irritable weakness with prostatorrhoea.─Itching of the genital organs.─Yellow discharges from the urethra.─Gonorrhoea, with suppressed sexual desire.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Transparent leucorrhoea; parts very relaxed.─Leucorrhoea spotting linen yellow.─Sterility, with suppressed menses, and want of sexual desire.─Milk scanty or entirely suppressed.─Deficient, secretion of milk in lying-in women.─Swelling and inflammation of the uterus.─Retained placenta.

18. Chest.─Hard pressure in the region of the sternum, esp. during a deep inspiration.─Cough in the evening in bed, before going to sleep.

22. Upper Limbs.─Hard pressure in right axilla and upper arm; worse from touch and motion.─Swelling of the finger joints, with arthritic, tearing pains.

23. Lower Limbs.─Lancinating pain in the right hip-joint.─Heaviness of right foot, as from a weight.─Stitches in the legs (left big toes).─Tearing pain in joints of toes; worse when walking.

24. Generalities.─Great debility.─Inflammatory, rheumatic swelling of the joints.─Gouty nodosities.─Sprains, bad results from lifting too much.─Feet turn under when walking.

25. Skin.─Corrosive itching on different parts of the body, > by scratching, but it soon returns.─Itching around the ulcers, in the evening.

27. Fever.─Pulse small, slow, imperceptible.─Chilliness, internal with trembling, the external skin is warm.─Much chilliness, with cold hands.─Flushes of burning heat, principally in the face, with cold knees in the evening in bed.─Perspiration almost only on the hands, when walking in the open air.

Keynotes and Characteristics with Comparisons of Some of the Leading Remedies of the Materia Medica (Allen's Keynotes), Henry Clay Allen

Chaste tree (Verbenaceae)

For the lymphatic constitution. Absent-minded, reduced power of insight; cannot recollect; has to read a sentence twice before he can comprehend (Lyc., Phos. ac., Sep.). "Old sinners," with impotence and gleet; unmarried persons suffering from nervous debility. Premature old age: melancholy, apathy, mental distraction, self- contempt; arising in young persons from abuse of the sexual powers; from seminal losses. Complete impotence: relaxation, flaccidity, coldness of genitalia. No sexual power or desire (Cald., Sel.). Impotence, after frequent attacks of gonorrhoea. Bad effects of suppressed gonorrhoea (Med.). Gleet, with absence of sexual desire or erections. Leucorrhoea: transparent, but staining linen yellow; passes imperceptibly from the very relaxed parts. Deficient secretion or suppression of milk in nursing women. (Asaf., Lac. c., Lac. d.); often with great sadness; says she will die. Complaints of imaginary odor before the nose, as of herring or musk. Prevents excoriation, from walking.

Relationship. - Calad. and Selen. follow well after Agnus in weakness of sexual organs or impotence.