Homeopathic Materia Medica

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Convallaria majalis. Lily of the Valley. N. O. Liliaceae.

Clinical.─Diarrhoea. Heart, affections of. Herpes. Pruritus vulvae. Vomiting (of pregnancy).

Characteristics.─Convallaria is a popular remedy in Russia for heart affections, and it has been introduced into old-school medicine principally as a heart remedy. It compares closely in its action with Lilium tigrinum, and also resembles its other botanical relatives, Aloe, Allium cepa, and Allium sativum. It is strongly purgative and causes morning vomiting. It has been proved, and the symptoms produced snow that its nearest analogue is Lilium tigrinum. Nash has used it in 30th with very satisfactory results in women complaining of great soreness in uterine region with sympathetic palpitation of the heart. He has also removed cardiac dropsy when this uterine soreness has been present as well. Berridge credits it with this symptom: "Movement in the abdomen as from the fist of a child," like sul., Thuj., Croc. In the case of Conval. the symptom occurs "when lying on the back." Sleepiness accompanies many symptoms. > In open air, < in warm room (like Cepa).

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Depression.─Mind wanders from subject when reading.─Dull, can hardly think.─Irritable when asked a question.

2. Head.─Dull, heavy pains at vertex > open air.─Headache with fever, < jarring, > rest.

3. Eyes.─Sees imaginary grey spots about 3 in. square in different parts of the room on coming in from a walk.─When reading sees small words (as "the," "it," "too,") before beginning of sentence, when they are not there.─P is substituted for other letters.─About every fifteen minutes, dull pains from r. eye over top of head and down r. side of neck.─Eyelids heavy.

6. Face.─Face and lips sore, crop of small hydroa, feel raw.

8. Mouth.─Fine red points on tip of tongue.─Intense redness and soreness of tongue, looks like raw beef; granular and quite clean, with tenderness of stomach.─Coppery taste in mouth.─Water tastes bitter.

11. Stomach.─Morning sickness and vomiting.

12. Abdomen.─Severe colic; pains come quickly and pass off slowly.─Dull aching pain and sore feeling in hypogastrium, < when coughing.─Labour-like pains.─Movement in abdomen like the fist of a child.

13. Stool and Anus.─Tenesmus.─Slightly thin stool, brown, offensive with tenesmus and heat at anus after stool.─Sensation in rectum as if full of gas, not > by passing flatus.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Labour-like pains in sacro-iliac joints, worse r. side, running down leg intermittently.─Sensation as if a large cord extended from sacro-iliac synchondrosis to inguinal region, and this cord was pulled down by pelvic organs (< r. side); sensation as if uterus descended and retroverted, pressing on rectum and anus, pain continuous and unbearable.─Soreness in uterine region with palpitation of the heart.─Itching at urinary meatus and orifice of vagina.

19. Heart.─When exercising, fluttering at heart, lasting about a minute, then face would get red, with sensation as if heart stopped beating and would start again very suddenly, with faint, sick feeling.─Pulse full, compressible, intermittent.─Symptoms > after lying down.

20. Back.─Bruised aching in back.─Pain in back and wrists, gradually passing off.─Chills run along back at every movement.

21. Limbs.─Aching in wrists and ankles.

25. Skin.─Blotches like mosquito-bites, itching violently, on undressing scratches till the skin comes off.

Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics, Eugene Beauharnais Nash

I believe the lily of the valley is to become one of our very valuable remedies. It ought to receive a Hahnemannian proving. I have used it with much satisfaction in women who complained of great soreness in the uterine region and sympathetic palpitation of the heart. It has also served me well in dropsies of cardiac origin, especially in women who have at the same time the above mentioned soreness in uterine region. I once checked the progress of a very bad case of cardiac dropsy after the effusion in the chest had so increased that the patient could not breathe when lying down, and there was much bloody expectoration. I used the 30th potency in this case, though many times very fine results follow the use of the remedy in much lower preparations. The dropsy all disappeared and she was able to be around and enjoy life very well, though the organic heart trouble was not removed.

Bovista has been of use to me in only one affection, but in that it is invaluable – menorrhagia. The flow is always worse, or sometimes flows only in the night in bed. I do not know of a more reliable symptom. It has helped and cured many cases, both acute and chronic.

It has also sometimes a flow between the periods like, Ambra grisea, but the latter remedy has more nervous or hysterical symptoms.

Ustilago maydis is also a remedy that is very useful in menorrhagia or metrorrhagia, and I think I have observed that it is best adapted to those cases where the flow is of a passive nature (Thlaspi bursa pastoris.) There is apt to be more or less pain and irritation, at the same time, in one or both ovaries. It is especially useful in these cases at the climacteric. I have cured some very bad cases, and always use both this remedy and Bovista in the 200th potency.