Homeopathic Materia Medica

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, James Tyler Kent

Clematis has only been partially proved, and consequently it applies only to a few conditions, but these are very important, so that it cannot be passed over.

Skin: It has vesicular eruptions almost erysipelatous in character. One almost constant mental state is that he fears to be alone, yet dreads company. fie dreads the necessity of having company, and it seems that the atmosphere is full of frightful and distressing things to worry him.

This makes him low-spirited. The remedy seems to fit the sycotic constitution in its mental state and its generals.

It seems to be fitted to those who had gonorrhoea recently suppressed, because after that suppression will come on this mental state with inflammation of glands.

It is rather singular about the eruptions. One would not think that from so harmless a little shrub so much trouble would come; but there are persons who are just as sensitive to this vine as to Rhus and it resembles Rhus to a great extent in its manifestations.

It produces just, as poisonous a condition as Rhus. Here I might speak of several remedies which relate to the Rhus poison.

There are many vesicular remedies that look like Rhus, and all of them you will have to use more or less in their antidotal relations to each other, but it is well to be sure in a given case which one of them produced the poison.

Croton tig., Rhus, Ranunculus, Anacardium and Clematis at times look so much alike that I am unable to tell them apart by their eruptions.

They are all similar enough to each other to become universal antidotes. The others are all deeper acting than Rhus. The Ranunculus, the little buttercup, has cured epithelioma of the lids. It has cured cancerous affections, so we say it goes deep into the tissues.

On the outer head we have a part of the manifestations of Clematis vesicular eruptions with great itching, stinging and crawling. Now what is true of the eruption here will be true of the Clematis eruption everywhere. It is aggravated from washing.

It will smart and burn, and a quasi-inflammation will set in from washing. Contrast this with the internal features of the remedy. In the teeth and jaws the pain is violent, but while the eruption is made worse from cold applications, the pain inside the jaw and the teeth is relieved by cold water held in the mouth, and aggravated violently from heat, and from the warmth of the bed.

The eruption is aggravated from the warmth of the bed, and also from cold washing. We have to go into the details a little to see whether an eruption is Rhus or whether it is Clematis, or something else. Vesicular eruptions filling with yellow fluid and with induration under the vesicles.

It produces eruptions very closely related to herpes and eczema, and they spread. About the eyes we have vesicular eruptions. If seen in one stage it will be vesicular, and if later, it will be seen as an ulceration. Simple and graver forms of herpes. Herpes zoster about the body.

"Burning, and smarting of the eyes; worse from closing them.

Inflammation of the iris.

Eyes inflamed, protruded, dim.

Chronic irritation of the lids."

Teeth: The pains in connection with the teeth are aggravated from the warmth of the bed, which is general; they come at night, are aggravated from warm things held in the mouth and ameliorated from holding cold water in the mouth.

Stitching and drawing pains in the teeth; worse at night; better for a short time from holding cold water in the mouth; better from drawing in cold air; worse from the warmth of the bed. The toothache is tolerable during the day, but as soon as he lies down in bed and assumes a horizontal position it increases to an intolerable degree. Pain in hollow tooth, better by cold water or drawing in cold air.

Glands: Swelling of the glands of the groin is a striking feature even when connected with scirrhus. It is connected also with suppressed gonorrhea, and with rheumatism of the joints. Pain and swelling of the right spermatic cord; this is worse at night, worse from walking and from the warmth of the bed.

Bladder: While it has both sides, strange to say there is more trouble in the glands that are on the right side of the body than on the left. It has produced much trouble in the bladder. Constant urging to urinate, most painful tenesmus. Flow stopping and starting. The urethra is painful to pressure. Micturition is remarkably slow, only a feeble stream because of the smallness of the urethra.

It is the nature of this remedy to infiltrate and inflame tissues, and, hence it is useful in those cases of gonorrhoea where they have been slow in passing away, where they have been treated by injection.

That slow inflammation of the urethra will infiltrate and the urethra feels like a large whip-cord, painful upon pressure, and this goes on until the canal is almost closed. You will be surprised to find, when Clematis is indicated, that after giving that remedy the discharge is re-established, and soon the old stricture goes away. At the end of two or three months he feels nothing of it.

A striking feature in connection with the urine, bladder, etc., is that the patient cannot quite empty the bladder. He always feels as if there was a little more, and when he appears to have finished it will keep dribbling away. This is a common feature of stricture.

"Inability to evacuate all the urine at once.

When beginning to urinate it burns the worst, while urinating it sticks in urethra, and after urinating it still continues to burn.

Discharge from the urethra of thick pus."

It is seldom indicated in the very first stage of gonorrhoea during the highest inflammation, but in those cases that are inclined to hang on. Then come the sequelae if gonorrhea be suppressed. Inflammation of the testes is common, and this is one of the medicines suitable.

Strange to say, the right side of the body is more commonly affected than the left. Intermittent flow of the urine. Urine stops and starts with the chordee still present. The right spermatic cord is very sensitive. Pain in the testes, drawing. Painful, inflamed and swollen testes. Orchitis with much painful swelling and hardness. Now when the swelling has gone down-perhaps you gave Puls., which was the remedy for the time, but it did not finish the case, there is induration of this portion. Swelling of the right half of the scrotum with thickening and banging low down.

Women: Provings have not been made very much in women, which is to be regretted, because it would be well to know if this remedy affects the ovaries as it does the testes. It has been clinically used, and has cured many troubles in women, especially inflammation in the mammary gland.

"Ulceration and hardness of glands.

Scirrhus of the breast with induration and ulceration.

Scirrhus of the left mamma with stitches in the shoulder;"

this is a clinical symptom, "worse in the night."

She cannot bear to be uncovered.

It has rheumatic conditions of the limbs from suppressed gonorrhea. Great nervous weakness and twitchings of the muscles. It has pain on lying down and preparatory to going to sleep. An electric shock; twitching, jerking, as if a faradic battery had been turned on. It has also a general febrile condition, but nothing very striking.

Vesicular eruptions on the body. Herpetic eruptions here and there it has a herpetic constitution.

"Eruption of vesicles and pustules from the former exuded a clear, watery secretion, from the latter a purulent fluid."

Yellow vesicles and yellow pustules. Both are common to this remedy.

"Dark, burning eruptions with violent itching."

Herpes that ulcerate. Ichorous, spreading ulcers.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Upright Virgin's Bower. Flammula Jovis. N. O. Ranunculaceae. Tincture of leaves and stems.

Clinical.─Cancer. Eyes, affections of. Face, pimples on. Gonorrhoea. Headache. Rheumatism. Testicles, inflammation of. Toothache. Urethra, stricture of.

Characteristics.─Clematis, like other Ranunculi, is a direct irritant of the skin producing inflammation and vesication. It was used by Stoerck before Hahnemann's time in cancerous and other foul ulcers, inveterate skin eruptions, syphilis, and rheumatism. In the provings, the external head (left), eyes, teeth (left), skin, urinary and male sexual organs show the greatest number of symptoms. Inflammation of eyes (< left), smarting, burning, stitches, redness, lachrymation, photophobia. Sensation as if fire were streaming from eyes. There is mucus in the urine, but not pus. Flow of urine by fits and starts; or has to wait a long time before he can urinate, with intense pain along fore part of urethra. Beginning of inflammatory stricture. "Affections of urethra; penis in general; prepuce in particular." Swelling of inguinal glands. Painful, inflamed, swollen testicles. Clematis acts best on light-haired people; torpid, cachectic conditions; swellings and indurations of the glandular system; syphilitic taint. Great debility; twitching of, muscles; vibrating sensation through body. The symptoms are < by touch and generally by motion; headache and toothache < lying down in evening. Eyes < on closing them. Headache < bending head backward. Great debility 3-5 p.m.; nearly all symptoms < night. Weakness after eating. Aversion to be washed. < By cold water; cold air; cold weather; moist poultices. Toothache, temporarily > by drawing in cold air; < from heat of bed. < During increasing, > during waning moon. Giddiness when lifting up head, or when moving head.

Relations.─Antidoted by: Bry. (toothache, urinary symptoms), Camph. Antidote to: Merc. Compatible: Sil. Compare: Ars. (skin; Clem. has more redness, is < from washing; has moist, alternating with dry scabs); Puls. (gonorrhoeal orchitis, testicle tender and hard as a stone); Bell., Bry., Calc., Canth., Con., Caust., Dulc. (syphilitic ulcerations); Graph., Merc. (iritis, sensitive to cold); Petr. (impetigo on neck and occiput); Sars. (syphilitic ulcers). In "aversion to be washed," compare Ant. c., Hep., Pho., Sep., Spi., Sul. In bending head back, Cinnabar. Cobalt. has < bending head forward.

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Sadness and apprehension.─Moroseness.─Aversion to conversation.─Indifference.─Fear of being alone, but disinclined to meet otherwise agreeable company.─Memory impaired.

2. Head.─In the morning, confusion and heaviness of the head.─Giddiness if he lifts his head up, or when moving the head.─Head feels full and heavy, hanging down.─Headache, aggravated by bending the head backwards.─Pressive tension in the forehead and sides of the head, as well as in the bones of the cranium.─Digging pressure on the brain.─Piercing in the temples.─Boring pains in the temple.─Hammering and strokes in the head.─Purulent pimples on the forehead, painful on being touched.─Burning, incisive pains in the skin of the forehead.─Eruptions on the head.─Moist phlyctenae on the occiput and at the nape of the neck; sore, tingling and stinging-itching; often drying up in scales; when getting warm in bed, violently itching; only temporarily relieved by scratching; with soreness and rawness.─Itching on the hairy scalp.

3. Eyes.─Pressure on the ball of the eye.─Smarting in the eyes, and in the margins of the eyelids, esp. on closing them.─The closed eye is very sensitive to the air (cold air), and when it is opened very sensitive to the light.─Shootings in the corners of the eyes.─Itching in the canthi.─Burning and heat in the eyes, with dryness, as if fire were streaming from the eyes.─Inflammation of the iris.─The white of the eyes has a yellow tint.─While writing, the letters momentarily run into one another; at times, double vision, with flickering before the eyes.─Inflammation of the eyes, with profuse lachrymation.─Inflammation and ulceration of the margins of the eyelids.─Photophobia.

4. Ears.─Burning pain in exterior of the ear.─Tinkling in the ear.─Ringing, as from bells in the ear.

5. Nose.─Purulent pimples, painful on being touched at the root, and on the point of the nose.─Fluent coryza (with sneezing), with abundant secretion of mucus, streaked with blood.

6. Face.─Face pale and sickly.─Sensation of burning in the skin of the cheeks (momentary flushes).─Incisive burning pains in the lower lip.─Cancer of the lips.─Phlyctenoid eruptions on the lip.─White vesicles on the nose and on the face, as from a sunburn.─Moist eruption on the face, preceded by stinging pain.─Purulent pimples on the chin.─Swelling of the submaxillary glands, with nodosities, hard, tensive, pulsative, and painful on being touched.

7. Teeth.─Toothache, < by smoking tobacco.─Toothache in a decayed molar tooth, much < from a crumb of bread coming into it; much > by cold water.─Nocturnal pains in the teeth, which, in a horizontal position, are aggravated so as to occasion despair, with tossing, weakness, anxiety, and insupportable suffering on being uncovered.─Shooting pains or successive pullings in the teeth, extending even into the head and producing incapacity for intellectual labour.─Sensation as if the decayed tooth were too long; the least contact is exceedingly painful, with an excessive flow of saliva.

8. Mouth.─Dryness of the tongue in the morning.─Dull shootings and piercings in the root of the tongue.─Small blisters on the tongue and in the throat, which soon become ulcers.─Expectoration of sanguineous saliva.

9. Throat.─Heat and burning in the mouth and throat.─Sensation of roughness in the throat.

10. Appetite.─Prolonged satiety, though the food continues pleasant to the taste.─After eating, nausea, and sleepiness.─Nausea on smoking tobacco, with weakness of the legs.─Aversion to beer.─Increased thirst, with desire for ice.

11. Stomach.─Disagreeable sensation of coldness in the stomach.─Tension of the stomach.

12. Abdomen.─Pains, as from a bruise in the hepatic region, on touching the part, and on stooping.─Stitches in the liver.─When walking, incisive contractions in the regions of the loins.─Pressure towards the exterior of the inguinal ring, as if a hernia were about to protrude.─Swelling and induration of the inguinal glands, with jerking pains.─Sensation of constriction in the lower abdomen, which is hard.─Stitches: shooting up, < on breathing and urinating.

13. Stool and Anus.─Frequent, liquid, or loose evacuations, without colic.─Loose stools, with burning at the anus.─Burning heat, and itching at the anus (in the evening); better after an evacuation.─Haemorrhoids, itching, discharging some mucus.─Hard stool, difficult to discharge (in the evening).

14. Urinary Organs.─Increased secretion of urine.─Purulent urine.─Urine turbid, milky, dark, with flakes of mucus and frothy.─Secretion diminished; the last drops cause violent burning.─Secretion slow and in a small stream.─During the emission of urine, pulling in the spermatic cord.─Burning sensation and smarting in the urethra, on commencing to urinate.─Stitches in the urethra; stitches from the abdomen into the chest.─Contraction of the urethra, with the urine stopping suddenly, or only flowing drop by drop; jerk-like tearing in fore part of urethra in the intervals.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─Itching on the genitals.─Violent, long-continuing erections, with stitches in the urethra.─Swelling of the r. half of scrotum.─Drawing pains, in the testes and in the spermatic cord, extending to the groins and the thighs.─Painful inflammation and swelling of the testes.─Induration of the testes.─Thickening of the scrotum.─Aversion to sexual enjoyment, as after excessive indulgence.─Burning pain in the penis, during emission in coition.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Swelling and induration of the mammary glands; cancer of the breast; and womb.─Menses too early.

17. Respiratory Organs.─Violent cough, with irregular respiration, at times too slow, at times too rapid; barking cough, with burning pain in the sternum and stitches in both sides of the lungs.

18. Chest.─Violent shocks, with dull shootings in the sides of the chest and of the abdomen.─Shootings in the chest, aggravated by breathing.

19. Heart.─Sharp stitch in the heart, from within to without.

20. Neck and Back.─Itching pustules round the neck, with excoriation after scratching.─Humid tetters from the nape of the neck to the occiput.─Eruption of pustules in the lumbar region.

22. Upper Limbs.─Swelling and induration of the axillary glands.─Pressure or pullings in the muscles of the arms and of the hands.─Gnawing blisters on the hands and fingers, with swelling; cold water aggravates the sufferings.─The hands feel as if they were too large; they are dry and hot.─Arthritic nodosities in the joints of the fingers.

23. Lower Limbs.─Tearing in the thighs.─Scaly tetters in the thigh.─Furunculi in the thigh.─Itching of the toes and perspiration between them.

24. Generalities.─Convulsive movements of the muscles in different parts of the body.─Relaxation of the muscles.─Great emaciation.─Fatigue of all the limbs, esp. after a meal, with beatings in all the arteries.─Vibration through the whole body, after lying down.─Great debility and weakness, 3-5 (p.m.).─Lancinations from below upward, < on breathing, or urinating, concomitant with uterine or other affections.

25. Skin.─Obstinate miliary eruptions.─Vesicular eruptions on the body.─Scaly tetters, discharging a sanious pus, yellowish and corrosive, and with redness, heat and swelling of the skin.─Obstinate tetters, red and moist, with insupportable itching in the heat of the bed, and after washing.─Itching over the whole body.─Aggravation of all skin symptoms by the heat of the bed and from washing.─The tetters (painful, not itching over the whole body) are red and humid while the moon is increasing, and pale and dry when the moon is waning.─Burning or tingling, and pulsation in the ulcers, with shootings in the edges when touched.─Psoric pustules over the whole body.─Painful swelling and induration of the glands.

26. Sleep.─Great drowsiness during the day, even in the morning after rising.─Sleeplessness in the evening and, at night.─Sleep, with frequent dreams, agitation, and tossing; vivid, lascivious dreams; profuse perspiration after midnight.─In the morning, sensation of not having slept enough.

27. Fever.─Pulse accelerated.─Quartan fever, characterised by shuddering, followed by sweat.─Sweat on waking, and sensitiveness of the skin, which the patient cannot bear to be uncovered.─Dry heat, with sensation of general heat (at night).

Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics, Eugene Beauharnais Nash

This is a good remedy for gonorrhoea when there are on account of slow or intermittent flow of urine indications of formation of a stricture, and will, if given early (high), often prevent it So much pain and suffering often necessitating operation for the relief of stricture has been experienced that everything possible should be done to avert it. In the first place the cauterization method, or fashionable local treatment, is responsible for nearly, if not quite, all strictures. I know that such practice is neither scientific nor curative in the remotest sense, and on the other hand I know that constitutional treatment alone is adequate to cure (not simply suppress) the worst cases, and that in the shortest possible time. Another use for Clematis is for curing the orchitis arising from the suppression of gonorrhoea, or when it may have extended to the testicles without such suppression, which latter condition seldom occurs. The testicle becomes greatly swollen, and if not promptly relieved becomes indurated and hard as a stone. I have cured this very promptly with Clematis. Pulsatilla is undoubtedly the remedy oftenest indicated in orchitis from suppressed gonorrhoea, but if after it has reduced the pain and restored the discharge it fails to reduce the swelling or induration, Clematis will do the rest. It has not disappointed me. Clematis has a symptom similar to Coffea, viz., "Toothache relieved by holding cold water in the mouth."