Penthorum Sedoides

NAT. ORD., Crassulaceae.



COMMON NAME, Ditch Stone Crop.



PREPARATION.--The whole fresh plant with the root is macerated in two

parts by weight of alcohol.



(The Medical Advance for June, 1887, contains a paper

by Dr. D. B. Morrow, from which the following is taken.)



The object of this paper is to call attention to the fact that the only

provin of Penthorum was made on scientific principles, as these

verifications demonstrate. If the pathogenesy is carefully studied, it

will be seen to meet all the conditions of "common colds," or acute

catarrhs, so prevalent in all sections of North America, from the

symptoms of chill, malaise, headache, soreness, cough, coryza, dry and

flowing, with their secondary consequences of disturbed digestion,

constipation, debility, etc. and it will probably cure any or all of

these conditions when indicated by correspondence to the pathogenesy.



A medicine having such a catarrhal range is probably a remedy for female

troubles equal to Pulsatilla or Calcarea, and is worthy of a careful

proving by women. It cures where antipsoric medicines have failed, and

possibly may possess antipsoric qualities.



Authorities.--1, Dr. D. B. Morrow, U. S. Med. Inves., N. S., 3, p. 565

(Eclectic Med. Jour., 1875); effects of tincture, doses of 10 drops,

and after one hour 20 drops; on second day, 40 drops; third day, 60

drops at 9 P.M., and 50 drops at 1 P.M.; 1 A.M. same, effects of 100

drops. 2, Dr. Scudder took 20 drops ("a young man took same dose and had

similar effects").



MIND.--During both provings the mind was dull and exceedingly depressed

and desponding; everything wrong but dinner; reading interfered with

because of mental dullness (second day), 1.--Mind became so dull I gave

up reading and lay upon the lounge (third day).



HEAD.--On closing my eyes felt like I was floating; vertigo (third day),

1.--Headache continued, could not read; went to hear Boutwell, followed

his argument with difficulty, was much annoyed by the little noises made

by the audience (second day), 1.--Headache came on again (third day),

1.--When commencing the proving, had a dull, heavy headache, with heat

and soreness in the sacrum; this was cured (third day), 1.--An

unpleasant heavy pain in the forehead, about the edge of the hair (after

four hours), 2.--Catarrhal aching in the forehead, 1a.--[10] The

fullness in the sinciput became an ache, as though a weight were pressed

down upon it (second day), 1.--Itching of the hairy scalp (second day),

1.



EYE AND EAR.--The inner superior tarsal border of both palpebra itched

and burned (third day), 1.--A full sensation in supra-orbital region (a

hearty supper), (first day), 1.--Ringing and singing in both ears, 1a.



NOSE.--Discharges from nares thick, pus-like, streaked with blood, and

an odor as from an open sore (third day), 1.--A peculiar wet feeling in

my nares as though a violent coryza would set in, which did not; the

secretion from the nose became thickened and pus-like, but not

increased. Wet feeling in trachea and bronchia, passing from above

downward, as if a coryza would set in, followed by a slight feeling of

constriction, which passed from above downward through the chest (first

day), 1.



Catarrhal feeling repeated itself (third day), 1.--Nose felt stuffed, as

if swollen (second day), 1.--Sense of fullness of the nose and ears

(after four hours), 2.--[20] A secondary symptom, a drawing or

contractile feeling of the muscles of the side of the nose affected with

catarrh, 1a.--Itching in the nares, 1a.



MOUTH.--Prickling burning sensation on the tongue, as if scalded (first

day), 1.--Increased flow of saliva (first day), 1.--The bloody sputa

continues, 1a.



THROAT.--The posterior nares feel raw, as if denuded of epithelium, 1a.



STOMACH.--Appetite increased (third day), 1.--Eructations and dejections

of little collections of odorless flatus expelled with force (second

day), 1.--An unpleasant sensation of disgust and nausea, lasting for

three hours, but not interfering with the following meal, which was

eaten with greater relish, 2.--Soreness in epigastrium; this symptom

appeared at first, not recorded because thought idiopathic, 1a.



ABDOMEN [30].--Borborygmus (second day), 1.--Parietes of abdomen felt

thickened (second night), 1.--A clawing, uneasy sensation about the

umbilicus, which gradually passed to lower bowel (second day),

1.--Twitching of the muscles in the abdomen (second day), 1.



RECTUM AND ANUS.--A crawling sensation in lower rectum, as though a worm

tried to escape (second day), 1.--Burning in rectum at stool, continuing

through afternoon, 1a.--Itching of anus; hemorrhoids with aching in

sacrum and in sacro-iliac symphysis (some weeks after proving), 1a.



STOOL.--Semi-fluid evacuation of the bowels next morning, having been

somewhat constipated, 2.--Some weeks after proving suffered from

constipation, an atonic condition of bowels and rectum, 1a.--Was costive

when commencing proving; had two natural stools from yesterday's

medicine (third day), 1.



URINARY ORGANS [40].--A dull aching in kidneys (third day), 1.--The

bladder becomes sore to pressure (third day), 1.--Urine still increased

in flow, with burning along the urethra when micturating (third day),

1.--Urine clear, passed more frequently (second day), 1.--Urine actively

acid, as shown by litmus; no cloud on boiling; threw down a sediment

with Sulphuric acid, Ammonia, and Argentum nitrum and Nitric

acid, when boiled; the next day after the dose it was alkaline, as

shown by litmus, and only precipitated with Argentum nitricum;

slightly cloudy, with caloric; unloaded, but increased in quantity, 1a.



SEXUAL ORGANS.--Sexual orgasm (second night), 1.--Erythismus of the

sexual system, almost a satyriasis; a slight variocele of long standing

was apparently cured (some weeks after proving); this condition was

succeeded by a corresponding depression of sexual function, approaching

impotency, after months of time returning to the normal condition, 1a.



RESPIRATORY ORGANS.--In the morning a cough seemed to come from deep in

the chest, with soreness throughout the chest (third day), 1.



CHEST.--Slight feeling of constriction, which passed from above down

through the chest, followed the wet feeling in trachea and bronchia

(first day), 1.



PULSE [50].--Pulse regular at 58 (first day), 1.



NECK AND BACK.--Aching through basilar region, from back to front,

1a.--The aching in sacral region reappeared, but subsided as the

medicine was eliminated, 1a.--Aching in sacrum and in sacro-iliac

symphysis, with the itching of anus, hemorrhoids, 1a.--(When commencing

the proving, had heat and soreness in the sacrum, with a dull, heavy

headache; this was cured), (third day), 1.



EXTREMITIES.--Arm went to sleep (numb), 1.--Hand felt swollen (second

night), 1.--A trembling feeling of legs for several days, with soreness

of knees, 1.--While on the lounge the muscles of the leg were suddenly

contracted, jerking up the foot as in stepping; in a moment the right

one performed the same manoeuvre (third day), 1.



SKIN.--A long-cured impetiginous eczema reappeared on both legs,

1a.--[60] A few hot prickings in the skin (second and third days),

1.--Itching of the face and forehead, 1a.--The itchings repeated

themselves (third day), 1.



SLEEP AND FEVER.--Fantastic dreams (second night), 1.--Voluptuous dreams

and increased sexual desire, sympathetic with urinary excitement, 1a.--A

few cold chills rushed up the spinal column (first day), 1.



(In addition to the foregoing we quote the following from

same authority):



Prover cured a severe acute flowing coryza, headache, vertigo and cough,

with sticking pains throughout the chest, heaviness and trembling of the

lower limbs; pulse, 110. Penthorum 3x quickly cured.



Miss P----, a blonde of 17, had a severe cough of several weeks

duration; worse from talking or singing. Frothy greenish sputa.

Pulsatilla and afterwards Phosphorus were given without benefit.

Penthorum soon cured.



In the prover it produced a general malaise, headache, weakness of limbs

and inability to attend to business, a feeling as though he must give up

and be sick. I have promptly relieved several patients having these

symptoms with Penthorum. It produces a soreness throughout the chest,

with a severe dry cough, "as though I would cough my insides out," worse

in the morning. Have speedily cured several such coughs with it.