Lemna Minor

NAT. ORD., Lemnaccae.



COMMON NAME, Duckweed.



PREPARATION. The fresh plant is pounded to a pulp and macerated in two

parts by weight of alcohol.



(The following is by Dr. Robert C. Cooper, of London, and

appeared in the Hahnemannian Monthly, 1894):



"The lowest form of phoenogamous vegetation. It consists," says

Lindley, "of lenticular floating fronds, composed of stem and leaf

together and bearing the flowers in slits in the edge." It forms the

green scum found on stagnant ponds and dykes. It is found in two

varieties, the Lemna minor and the Lemna gibba.



Before going any further I may as well at once make a bald as well as a

bold statement, and say that the special province of Lemna minor is to

pitch with vigor upon the nostrils; from the very moment I began

prescribing it this was beyond question evident. I can think of no

possible source of error except that this beneficial action may be due

to the germs adhering to the fronds of the Lemna rather than to the

pure plant-force.



To guard against this I have carefully filtered my tincture, but this

has not made the slightest change in its beneficial influence.



CASE I. Woman aged seventy-four; admission date, September 24, 1892.

Nose never clear; breath very unpleasant; for twelve hours nose bled

continuously last Christmas; unable to smell properly; hearing for the

past seven or eight weeks bad; watch not heard on contact. Prescribed

Lemna minor [Greek: theta]A. October 1, 1892: Feeling of cold in nose

is better; sense of obstruction nearly gone; can smell better; hears on

contact on both sides; no medicine. October 22: Decided, though slight

improvement in hearing; nose, throat and all parts around more

comfortable. Last attendance.



In proceeding with the consideration of the action of this remedy, I

must consider myself fortunate in having the following case to bring

forward:



1. A boy of fourteen, whose nose was completely blocked up for the last

two years, and whose nostrils were full of polypi, the nose itself being

broadened, and in whom the nose had been cleared out by operation a year

ago at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, was sent to me by my colleague, Dr.

J. H. Clarke. The boy never remembers having smelt anything, and the

polypi can easily be seen blocking up both nostrils.



From the 26th of November, 1892, to the 4th of March, 1893, four doses

of Lemna m. [Greek: theta]A were given at regular intervals without

much change, then Calcarea carbonica 200 was given, and two weeks

after, as he had faceache, Mercurius 3d dec., and on the 8th of April

following the faceache was better but the nose in no way improved.



Then Lemna was given again, and this time with the most pronounced

relief; the nose became much clearer, and he went on taking it, and it

alone with scarcely an exception, in fortnightly doses, till the 14th of

March last, when his nose was quite clear, with none but a very small

polypi visible; he could breathe freely and his sense of smell had

completely returned.



The delay in the manifestation of remedial change from November to March

arose from complete blockage of the nose, and until the space created by

the subsidence in the size of the polypi sufficed for a passage of air

the patient had no reason to acknowledge relief.



In the treatment, both of swollen tonsils and in that of nasal polypi,

the prescriber will be led away at the onset who accepts the testimony

of the patient alone; he should make careful inspection of the parts,

and be guided by what is often but a slight local change, as well as by

concomitant, and it may be remote, symptoms.



2. The next case I have to bring forward is one of ozoena in a girl of

sixteen, who had been three years under the treatment of a colleague who

kindly sent her on to me for treatment at the London Homoeopathic

Hospital. The girl, whose occupation was a teacher, has had ozoena

since three or four years old. The odor complained of was horrid, and

the discharge excessive; a most unpleasant smell in the nose and nasty

taste in the mouth; she takes cold easily if out in the night air or

damp, and her nose, at times, gets stuffed up; bowels irregular;

catamenia only twice--once three months ago and two months before that.



On December 30, 1893, I prescribed Lemna minor, and she returned to me

from the country, where she was living, on the 31st of the following

March, imploring me for another powder, as she had been almost well for

two weeks after the last and then had relapsed to her old state;

breathing is short and is low spirited.



21st of April, very much better; odor not nearly so bad, discharge much

less; unmedicated pilules, three times a day.



19th of May, 1894, kept better for a month; took cold two weeks ago, and

since then throat has felt thick and nose has discharged with a horrid

odor. Catamenia regular. Breathing is better; crusts coming from both,

worse on the left side. To have Lemna minor.



This patient came from a distance which prevented frequent attendance,

but the above is quite sufficient evidence of the power possessed by

Lemna m. in acting upon the nasal mucous membrane.



In both these cases relief was immediate after the administration of the

dose, and in neither case could any reasonable doubt exist as to its

being drug effect.



In some cases I have known a certain disturbance of the bowels to set in

after a dose of Lemna, but this effect of the remedy is not

sufficiently pronounced to be able to say much about it. Still it is

interesting to narrate one or two experiences, especially as in the

first of these, at all events, the concomitants were interesting.



3. In a married lady, aged about twenty-six, for whom I prescribed

Lemna m. [Greek: theta]A on Saturday afternoon, November 12, 1892, and

in whom there existed a good deal of catarrhal pharyngitis, due to high

up post-nasal ulceration, and who suffered from a dry feeling at the top

of the throat with flatulence, and some pain in the bowels toward the

evening, described as "twisting" pain, and in whom the nose was blocked

on the right side, but without any visible polypus, and in whom the

heart was easily disturbed, causing dyspnoea, the bowels being

slightly confined.



Two weeks subsequently she stated that after the dose of Lemna the

nose felt less blocked, and she felt better in every respect; but that

on the Tuesday following diarrhoea set in, which began with twisting

pains in the bowels and went on to sickness; continual watery stools.

The least chill or nervousness, I must say, upsets her in this way; and

she was subject to the same the last two catamenial periods. She still

wakes with her throat dry and tongue coated. Borax 2x was then

(November 25) given without any noticeable effect, and on the 9th of

December Lemna minor [Greek: theta]A was again prescribed for the

following symptoms:



Mouth sore after talking or singing, and dry in the morning; tongue

coated.



On the 23d of December, reported herself much better; tongue not so

coated; heart less disturbed; no indigestion or diarrhoea.



Nose not perfectly clear, but no unpleasant smell or taste as she used

to have, and throat no longer dry or uncomfortable. Instead of waking up

with a dirty mouth, it feels clean and her taste pure.



4. A man, aged forty-seven, who suffered from old-standing vascular

deafness and who specially complained of snoring a great deal, was given

Lemna minor, and next day a rumbling and disturbance in the bowels set

in and he felt as if he had taken medicine of a searching character.

This lasted for three days, bowels acting during this time freely with

much heat in the passage (anus); but was not bilious, nor were the

motions diarrhoeic; the snoring went away, and he ceased to dream

unpleasantly when asleep. Hearing, too, seemed somewhat improved.



5. In another case, after a similar dose, diarrhoea came on next day,

with pains across the bowels as from flatus; worse after eating, and a

very putrid taste with an improvement at the same time in a stuffiness

of the nose from which he was suffering.



6. Crusts form in the right nostril and pain like a string extends from

the right nostril to the ear of the same side and right ear is deaf. (In

a woman, aged twenty-six, great relief.)



It is with great pleasure that I have now to bring forward, not my own

observations, but those of two valued colleagues. Dr. J. H. Clarke sends

me the following:



Lemna minor, CASE I. A lady, aged forty-seven, two years previously

met with an accident; a sign board fell on her head when out walking in

the street. Seven days after that was taken with sneezing attacks,

suffered from nasal catarrh with little intermission until March, 1893,

when she came under my care. Psorinum 30 soon put a different

complexion on the case, and she became so far relieved of her trouble

(which has made her life almost unbearable, as she never dared make an

appointment for fear of an attack coming on) that she discontinued

treatment. Last Christmas a sharp attack of influenza brought back the

catarrh, and this time it proved less amenable to treatment.



Fears of polypus distressed the patient, though I could not discover

any.



However, she again made progress, but scarcely as rapid as I could have

wished, when I thought of giving her Lemna on indications given by Dr.

Cooper.



On February 15, 1894, I gave it in the 3x, one tablet four times a day.



February 22, very much better; has felt freer in the head than at any

time during the last ten years; has felt very much better generally;

spirits braced up.



She steadily progressed to cure, and by March 15th could endure the

smell of strong scented flowers, which before was impossible.



CASE II. Captain B., aged forty-four, consulted me on February 29, 1894,

for violent neuralgia on the right side of the neck, the part being

exquisitely sensitive to touch. He had cough and cold for a month. On

getting up in the morning he filled two pocket handkerchiefs with yellow

deflusion before he got his nose clear. I gave him Bell. 12 to take

till the neuralgia was better, and then told him to take Lemna 3x gtt.

j. three times a day.



On March 9th he reported that the Bell. speedily took away the

neuralgia, and that then the Lemna cleared off the catarrh in a most

astonishing fashion. He never had a medicine to act so magically before.



30 Clarges street, Piccadilly, W., April 21, 1894.



The next communication that I have to bring forward is one from Dr. J.

C. Burnett:



Dr. Cooper told me that he had relieved a case of nasal polypus with

Lemna minor, and having several cases of the kind that had long been

under my observation I thought it my duty to give them the benefit of

Lemna.



CASE I. A gentleman of sixty years of age, with nasal polypus only

moderately developed, yet of many years' duration, was much troubled by

the chronic nasal obstruction which was markedly worse in wet weather.



I gave him Lemna 3x, five drops in water, night and morning. Returning

in a month, he exclaimed: "That is the best tonic I have ever taken; I

have never taken any medicine in my life that has done me so much good.

I feel quite comfortable in my nose and can breathe through it quite

well."



CASE II. A lady, about forty-five years of age, mother of a large family

and whom I had formerly cured of an uterine tumor, was so troubled with

nasal polypi that her life was very distressful; moreover, the polypi

had swelled so much that they hung out of the nostrils and compelled the

patient to remain within doors. This was notably the case in wet

weather. Why not have them removed chirurgically?



"Oh, I have had them operated on over and over again, but it's no good;

they only come again worse than ever."



I have tried many things to cure these polypi, but in vain; they would

get temporarily better, but the first rainy weather brought them back

worse than ever; hence Dr. Cooper's recommendation of Lemna is very

welcome to me.



I ordered, as in the last case, with the result that the polypi very

greatly diminished in size, and the patient could again take her place

in society.



I have used Lemna in many other similar cases, and with the like

result. In no case is the polypus really cured, but greatly diminished

in size, and the patient rendered relatively comfortable. Clearly the

Lemna does not either kill, cure or otherwise get rid of the polypi,

but it rids them of much of their succulence and thus reduces their

volume, and also diminishes the influence of wet weather to which such

patients are so prone. And this is no small boon; is itself in every way

superior to any operative interference. The tincture I made use of was

made by Dr. Alfred Heath. The first prescription only being of Dr.

Cooper's own make. Both acted alike well.



86 Wimpole street, June 4, 1894.



From these remarks of Dr. J. H. Clarke and Dr. J. Compton Burnett, as

well as from my own, I think there can be no doubt, whatever, that the

Lemna exercises a powerful influence upon the Schneiderian mucous

membrane. How far it is capable by its specific action of removing large

groups of polypi remains, as yet, an open question.



My own experience of the treatment of nasal polypi is that we have very

few remedies that can at all be depended upon for giving even temporary

relief. Even from Calcarea carbonica and Teucrium marum verum I have

not had the effects that some practitioners testify to their possessing.



Lemna has so far given relief in my hands to cases of nasal polypi and

to cases where the nostrils were plugged by swollen turbinates and other

causes in a matter far surpassing the effect I have obtained from any

other remedy.



In saying this I do not at all wish it to be understood that we have in

it a specific for all such cases.



We must remember that the symptoms in all such obscure diseases must be

our guide for the selection of our remedy, and that, therefore, the

important point is to work out the specific indications for the drug as

we learn them from clinical observation, in the hope that on some

future occasion pathogenesis may render these still more certain.



The indications that I myself have noticed as belonging to Lemna are

either a putrid smell in the nose or a loss of all sense of smell and a

putrid taste in the mouth, especially on rising in the morning, with a

general foulness of the mouth, due apparently to the dropping down of

impure material from the post-nasal region. Along with this there

sometimes seems to prevail a disposition to "noisy diarrhoea."



Dr. Burnett has noticed that Lemna patients have their nasal symptoms

aggravated in damp and rainy weather, and I have to some extent

confirmed this observation.



I hope on some future occasion to return to the subject of Lemna; it

is in every way well worthy of being prosecuted further.



Thus, for example, a lady patient, aet. fifty-eight, suffering from pains

flitting about her head and legs, with pains in her eyes during heavy

rain, and in whom drowsiness by day and restless sleep at night existed,

had all these symptoms removed by a single dose of Lemna, and the

pallid, dullish, sickly look in her face changed to a complexion that

was natural and healthy.



The truth would seem to be that Lemna's symptoms are specially

aggravated in heavy rains; Calendula's, when heavy clouds are about;

Rhododendron's, in thunder storms, and Dulcamara's, in damp

surroundings and in foggy weather.



(In 1895 Dr. Thomas L. Shearer contributed the following

concerning the remedy to the Homoeopathic Eye, Ear and

Throat Journal):



Lemna minor where the crusts and the muco-purulent discharge are very

abundant with fetor (in rhinitis atrophics). Its action is wonderful,

but it must not be administered in too low a dilution, as it then

produces a sensation of intense dryness in the pharynx and the larynx.

Possibly if it were exhibited in a much higher dilution it would be

applicable to cases which have only a slight amount of discharge. It

seems best to stop the remedy as soon as its action upon the secretions

is marked, and then to wait a while before returning to its further

employment. Dr. Cooper, of London, was, I believe, the first to

investigate the action of Lemna minor upon the upper air passages, but

I do not think that he had tried it in cases of atrophic rhinitis. There

is a great future for this new addition to our therapeutic resources,

and it certainly deserves further investigation. It modifies the

secretions to such an extent that we can more readily improve the

condition of the nasal chambers with the aid of local measures. Whether

it has the power to prevent or even retard the actual process of atrophy

remains to be seen.