Homeopathic Materia Medica

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Trillium erectum. Purple Trillium. Bethroot. Birthroot. Lamb's quarter. Rattlesnake root. Wakerobin. Three-leaved nightshade. [According to Millspaugh T. pendulum is the white variety of T. erectum. Treas. of Bot. gives the names as synonymous. The symptoms of H. Minton, the original prover, are given in Allen under T. cernuum. Minton obtained the tincture from a botanic physician and did not himself verify the plant. His symptoms are marked (M) in the schema. Millspaugh considers T. erectum as the proper source of the homoeopathic tincture.] N. O. Smilaceae (or Trilliaceae) of the Liliaceae. Tincture of the fresh root.

Clinical.─Bladder, catarrh of. Climaxis. Diabetes. Dysentery. Fainting, with flooding. Fibroma, haemorrhages from. Haemorrhages; post-partum; ante-partum. Menorrhagia. Metrorrhagia. Writer's cramp.

Characteristics.─The chief uses of Trill. come to us from the eclectics, who learned some of them from the native Indians. The popular name Birth-root sufficiently indicates one part of its reputation. In haemorrhage, ante-partum, post-partum, and climacteric, in fibroid tumours, and in haemorrhages of all kinds Trill. has been found curative. Both the White and the Purple varieties have been used. Minton's proving of T. cernuum (?) brought out the haemorrhagic property in the blood-tinged diarrhoea. One characteristic in connection with the haemorrhages of Trill. is faintness and sinking at the stomach; also cold extremities and rapid, feeble pulse. "Flooding with fainting" is a keynote. Minton's proving brought out a symptom bearing on this "Sensation of goneness in abdomen." He had also extreme debility palpitation, and anxiety. Trill. has been used as a local haemostatic in epistaxis and for bleeding after tooth extraction. Peculiar Sensations are: As if eyes too large (M). As if a crumb were in larynx (M). As if the chest was tightly bound and could not be expanded. As if hips and small of back were falling to pieces. As if sacro-iliac synchondroses were falling apart; wants to he bound tightly. As if bones were broken. Left side most affected. Restless, tossing agitation, fear of being sick, great anguish were experienced by Minton. The restlessness and exhaustion from haemorrhages are typified in this. Blue vision; and craving for ice-water are other noteworthy symptoms. There is tendency to putrescence of fluids. The haemorrhages of Trill. are copious; either active or passive; usually bright red and profuse. Trill. is suited to women who flood after every labour; flabby subjects. The symptoms of Minton's proving were: > Bending forward; < sitting erect. < By motion. < After eating. > By exercise in open air. Standing or walking = bearing down in pelvis. Motion < haemorrhages.

Relations.─Complementary: Calc. p. (menstrual and haemorrhagic affections). Compare: Anguish, restless tossing about, Aco. Haemorrhages, Chi., Calc., Ham., Secal., Ust., Sang. Bright-red blood, Ipec. Mill. Bleeding after tooth extraction, Ham., Kre. Menses profuse, every two weeks and lasting a week or longer, Calc. p. Flow profuse, gushing, light red, < least movement, Sabi. Flow dark, clotted, Ust., Thlasp. As if bones of pelvis broken, Aesc. h.

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Melancholy with sadness (M).─Repugnance to conversation (M).─Irritable (M).─Anguish; agitation and tossing about, impossible to keep still (M).

2. Head.─Vertigo, chiefly, on rising in morning (M).─Dull pain l. temple < least noise (M).─Pain in forehead > bending forward, < returning to erect position (M).─Headache < by least noise; walking; coughing (M).─Head and face feel hot (M).

3. Eyes.─Pain in eyeballs, feel too large and as if would fall from their sockets (M).─Burning in inner canthus with profuse flow of tears (M).─Vision blurred; everything looks blue (M).

5. Nose.─Profuse nose-bleed.

8. Mouth.─Bleeding from gums or after extraction of tooth.─Greasy feeling on tongue and gums (M).─Very offensive taste, esp. on rising in morning (M).─Profuse flow of saliva (M).

11. Stomach.─Disgust for everything except cold water (M).─Desire for ice-water (M).─Sickness; excessive pain; cramp of stomach (M).─Sinking in stomach with heat.─Hematemesis.─Stomach symptoms < after meals and in morning (M).

12. Abdomen.─Swelling of abdomen as in ascites, with sensation as if abdominal contents drawn back against vertebral column (M).─Flabbiness of parietes with sensation of goneness, a want of support in front, with at intervals of a few moments short, sharp, lancinating pains from before backward, compelling him to bend forward (M).─Much flatulence and grumbling.

13. Stool and Anus.─Dysentery, when passages are almost pure blood.─Diarrhoea thin, watery, tinged with blood; painless (M).─Constipation succeeded by thin, watery, very offensive diarrhoea (M).─Chronic diarrhoeas of bloody mucus.

14. Urinary Organs.─Haematuria, passive.─Chronic catarrh of bladder.─Diabetes.─Sharp, cutting pain in urethra when urinating (M).─Urine copious, of strong disagreeable odour (M).

15. Male Sexual Organs.─Itching of genitals < by scratching.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Haemorrhage from uterus; with sensation as though hips and back were falling to pieces, > from a tight bandage.─Bearing down in pelvis when standing or walking; copious, yellowish, stringy leucorrhoea; period lingers several days beyond usual time.─Excessive flooding with fainting.─Metrorrhagia at climacteric; pale; faint; flow returns every two weeks.─Climaxis with weak sight; anxious look.─Displaced uterus, with consequent menorrhagia.─Menses come on after over-exertion.─Gushing of bright-red blood from uterus at least movement; later, blood pale from anaemia.─Haemorrhages from fibroid tumours.─Threatened abortion; profuse haemorrhages.─Pain in back and cold limbs, with haemorrhages.─Too profuse menstrual flow alter exhaustion by exercise.─Profuse, exhausting leucorrhoea.─Haemorrhage in abortion of third month.─Ante-partum haemorrhage; os uteri dilated to size of half a dollar; no pains; flooding excessive.─Post-partum haemorrhage.─Profuse, long-lasting lochial discharges.

17. Respiratory Organs.─Sensation of crumb in larynx, keeps up continual coughing (M).─Cough, with purulent or bloody sputum.─Haemoptysis.

18. Chest.─Difficult breathing; feels as if chest bound up preventing it expanding (M).

19. Heart.─Palpitation with great anxiety (M).

21. Limbs.─Cramping pains in muscles of arms and calves (M).

22. Upper Limbs.─Pain in l. shoulder extending down arm to hand (M).─Cramping pains in fingers when writing (M).

24. Generalities.─Haemorrhages usually bright red, profuse; also when sacro-iliac synchondroses feel as if falling apart; wants to be bound tightly.─Feels as if bones were broken, with haemorrhages.─Crawling sensation in veins, like a tightening up of parts; < in legs and ankles.─Great debility (M).

25. Skin.─Skin hot and dry, with itching and burning, < by scratching (M).

26. Sleep.─Sleepless; rolling and tossing on bed (M).─Sleep disturbed by frequent dreams (M).─Dreams of festivities, sleigh-ride, etc. (M).

27. Fever.─Feverish during pain in abdomen, on the subsidence of which a profuse perspiration broke out (M).

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

Wake Robin (Smilaceae)

Haemorrhage: copious, both active and passive, usually bright red; from nose, lungs, kidneys and uterus (Ipec., Mill.). Tendency to puterescence of fluids. Epistaxis; profuse, passive, bright red. Bleeding from cavity after extraction of a tooth (Ham., Kreos.). Menses: profuse, every two weeks, lasting a week or longer (Calc. p.); after over-exertion or too long a ride. Flooding, with fainting. Menorrhagia: flow, profuse, gushing, bright red; at least movement (Sab.); from displaced uterus; at the climacteric; every two weeks, dark, clotted (Thlas., Ust.). Haemoptysis: incipient phthisis, with bloody sputa; in advanced stages with copious, purulent expectoration and troublesome cough. Sensation as if hips and small of back were falling to pieces; as if sacro-iliac synhrondroses were falling apart, wants to be bound tightly; as if bones of pelvis were broken (Aesc.); with haemorrhage. Profuse uterine haemorrhage t climacteric; flow every two weeks; pale, faint, dim sight, palpitation, obstruction and noises in ears (Fer.); painful sinking at pit of stomach.

Relations. - Complementary: to Cal. p., in menstrual and haemorrhagic affections. Compare: Cinch., Bell., Kali c., Mill., Lach., Sep., Sulph., Thlas., Ust.

Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics, Eugene Beauharnais Nash

Are three remedies having a reputation for their power to control haemorrhages. Erigeron has cured epistaxis, with congestion to the head, red face (Melilotus) and febrile action. Haematemesis, with violent retching and burning in the stomach. Bleeding from haemorrhoids, with burning. Haemoptysis and blood spitting. Haematuria, with stone in the bladder and uterine haemorrhage. The only marked symptom in addition to the haemorrhage that should lead to its selection over other remedies of this class, especially in its haemorrhages from the pelvic organs, is the marked violent irritation of the rectum and bladder. Here we must remember also Cantharis, Lilium tig. and Nux vomica.

Trillium, from clinical use, seems to be a genuine haemorrhage remedy. The blood is bright red, whether of the active or passive kind of haemorrhage. It is especially useful in menses every two weeks, lasting a week and very profuse. Here a choice may have to be made between it and Calcarea ost. and Nux vomica.

It resembles China in flooding, with fainting, dim sight and noises in the ears. Of course, China would be the best for the after effects of such a haemorrhage.

There is sometimes with such flooding a relaxed sensation as if the hips, sacro-synchrondroses and small of back would all fall apart; wants to be bound together. This should doubly indicate it in post-partum haemorrhage.

It is also especially useful at the climacteric with the above symptoms. It has cured haemorrhages from other organs, but I have no experience with it there.

Millefolium is the only one of the three that has seemed to have produced haemorrhages in its pathogenesis. Hahnemann says of it: "It causes nose-bleed. It causes haematuria." Clinical use has verified it.

The blood from the different organs is generally bright red, like that of Aconite, but the anxiety of that remedy is not there. In fact, no great fear is present in the cases where I have used it. Sometimes the blood in the urine forms in the bottom of the vessel a bloody cake. When a young man I was troubled for a long time with frequent attacks of profuse epistaxis. Dr. T. L Brown prescribed for me several times, but without success. I became weak from loss of blood. Finally my old grandmother told me to chew yarrow root, and showed me the plant growing in my father's yard. I did so and was quickly cured. While on my vacation at Blue Mountain Lake, in the Adirondacks, I met a man there in the last stage of consumption. He had his medicine from his doctor in New York with him. He was spitting daily large quantities of blood, with severe cough, and his Secale was nor able to control it in the least. He finally said to me: "Doctor, can you do anything to stop this bleeding?" I stooped down (I did not want that patient on my hands) and pulled up a little root of yarrow growing at our feet, handed it to him and told him to chew it. He looked surprised, but did so, liked the taste of it and kept on chewing. It stopped his bleeding and soothed his cough so much that he dug up a basket of yarrow and took it home with him. That controlled the bleeding. He went to Florida for the winter, but died the next spring. It is especially recommended for haemorrhages after a fall or other injuries. If Arnica failed in such a case I would think of Millefolium.