Croton tiglium


Proving Symptoms of homeopathy medicine Croton Tiglium, described by Richard Hughes in his book, A Cyclopedia of Drug Pathogenesis, published in 1895….


Introduction

Croton tiglium, L. Croton – oil seeds. Nat. Ord., Euphorbiaceae.

Provings

1. BUCHNER chewed a bean for a short time and then spat it out. Soon he felt continued burning and contraction in oesophagus, sweat on forehead. After 1 hour purging, 8 stools. (Toxicologie, 1827, p. 295.)

2. FRIEDLANDER writes: “A healthy English physician licked the stopper and had flow of saliva and slight prickling in mouth. A drop of the oil in a teaspoonful of hot water produced immediately irritation of salivary glands, causing him much mucous expectoration, and each time he expectorated he had the feeling of a rancid acridity and disagreeable burning in throat, which was replaced by a similar feeling in rectum, and he had 5 or 6 stools without pain. ” ( Journ. Complement. du Dict. des Scien. Medorrhinum, Fevrier, 1824, p. 340).

3. Two of CAVENTOU’s pupils shelled at kilogram of the seeds and experienced great irritation all over body, in interior of nose and fauces, to such an extent that on waking next morning they could scarcely open their eyes; the eyeballs seemed to be infiltrated, the nose and whole face were in n inflamed condition, which lasted some day. (Froriep’s Notiz., ix, 318).

4. a. LANDSBERG swallowed the half of a seed; the taste was at first sweet-oily, then extremely bitter and burning; the scraping burning after taste, combined with heat and flow of saliva, went on increasing; the temperature of the body, especially of the face, was greater, the pulse quicken, nausea and eructation, feeling of fulness in belly with rumbling and slight colic, dysphagia, and dryness of fauces came on. The burning and scraping went off after 2 1/2 hours; the tongue showed a white coating, the taste flat, buccal cavity felt burnt. Next day same symptoms; at 9 a. m. a semi-fluid stool, and a liquid stool at 2 p. m. Urinary secretion increased, urine turbid, cloudy. Weakness, malaise, and swelling of palate continued several day.

4 b. A smaller seed caused same symptoms but no diarrhoea.

4 c. A roasted seed swallowed whole caused first an agreeable cocoa like taste, soon followed by the peculiar burning, nausea, dryness of mouth, weariness, malaise, and irresistible desire to sleep.

4 d. A drop of the oil on sugar. Taste at first indifferent, soon burning and scrapping, total loss of appetite. Peculiar discomfort in chest and abdomen; pulse quick, weak. After 2 hours a firm stool; soon after wards, with colic pains in stomach and hypochondria, a second liquid stool. The discomfort continued, the rumbling increased, and after another 1/2 hours another liquid stool. After a short sleep the burning in throat much alleviated. After 1 hours more a 4th stool; after 3 hours a 5th copious watery stool. Occasional warm feeling with increased secretion of saliva. Next day constipated.

4 e. One dr. of oil caused similar preliminary symptoms; then violent colic in stomach and abdomen; a short sleep strengthened him; burning of lips and malaise continued; he had nausea and eructation after drinking. The 1st stool, after 2 hours, was mucous and firm; after 2 more hour 2nd stool, at first firm, then watery. Nausea and malaise continued; no appetite. Next morning a 3rd liquid stool. ( Pharmacographia Euphorbiacearum, Diss. Berol., 1851.)

5. WIBMER took 1 dr. oil in 2 pills. Half hour after 1st pill slight cutting in bowels and a soft stool. After 2nd pill 4 or 5 mucous stools with some tenesmus. ( Wirk. d. Arzneim. u. Gifte, ii, 212.)

6. a. CONWELL says a girl, aet.15, after smelling at 8 oz. of croton oil, had 4 copious stools.

6 b. A few morning after a small dose of oil weakness and weariness, pulse weak and small, surface of body cool. Soon the pulse becomes stronger and fuller, skin warm, and copious perspiration. The movements of bowels could be felt, an after a larger dose occasional pains in belly. After 2 hours, sometimes sooner, copious slimy stools. Kidneys irritated; a large quantity of urine discharged. (Recherches sur less Proprieties Medorrhinum etc. de Crot. Tig., Diss., Paris, 1824.)

7. A girl, aet.25, took 1 dr. of oil on sugar. Soon burning and scraping in fauces and oesophagus, then when walking great nausea, hearing and sight left her, beads of sweat stool on forehead, she felt as though she could never reach home. When she got home she vomited mucus with a bitter taste. Tearing at end of ribs and in sacrum, griping about navel, later a feculent and still later a watery stool; head all day so full and heavy she could not read. Next day at 7 p. m. took a similar dose and drank coffee, which she soon vomited. 9 p. m., she felt cold, especially in lower extremities, with goose-skin; she had 5 yellow diarrhoeic stools. (BUCHNER, archiv, xix, i, 120).

8. A younger girl had after the same dose 6 stools, at first feculent, then watery, with slight shooting in abdomen; the menses, which were 14 days overdue, came on scantily. ( Ibid. 121).

9. A bookbinder, aet. 18, who had been constipated for several day, took 1 dr. on sugar, but felt only scraping in throat and rumbling in bowls. Next day no stool. On 3rd days 2 dr. caused nausea, pain and rumbling in bowels, stitches in spleen, and a pappy stool. (Ibid., 121).

10. A gardener, aet. 26, took at 10 a. m. 1 1/2 dr. immediately burning in fauces, increased warmth in whole body, nausea, anxiety in chest, fulness in stomach, inclination to vomit, griping in bowels, then at 11 a. m. the ordinary stool followed by two soft stools like water with an egg. beaten up in it; between 12 and 1 p. m. 2 similar stools followed by exhaustion. (Ibid., 121.)

11. A blonde girl, aet. 26, with carious teeth, took, August 27th, 3 doses of 1 dr. every hour, the 1st at 9 a. m. Soon eructation, such a flow of water into mouth it runs out at the corners, vertigo and nausea, she goes into open air which makes her sneeze, she became pale, with great exhaustion and prostration; later, burning in stomach, griping in colon transversum, renewed before each stool. Afternoon, 6 watery stools, which shot out quickly. – 29th. Took 3 successive doses of 1 dr. at intervals of 1 hours. After the 2nd dose scraping in throat, felt ill, burning in stomach like coals, nausea increased in open air, vertigo. When 300 paces from home felt so ill she though she could not get home, hearing and sight left her, scraping in throat became worse, followed by vomiting of contents of stomach in the street, so that the water ran out of eyes, vomited again after taking 50 steps, she then sat down on a bench and again vomited. In 1/4 hour she had so far recovered that she was able to get home. She felt nothing more except shooting pain above navel; 2 loose stools in afternoon. (Ibid., 122)

12. Another girl, a brunette, took 3 dr. rubbed up in sugar, and had the peculiar scraping, distorted features with staring, sparkling eyes, cutting above navel, as if two knives were thrust towards one another in bowels; this went off after 2 stools. She had afterwards 4 watery stools(Ibid).

13. A male nurse, aet. 36, suffering from nettlerash, took 3 dr. rubbed up in sugar, at hourly intervals. Scraping in throat soon followed by burning in chest, crawling in loins as from cockchafers, scraping in stomach followed by slight nausea, sparkling eyes, heat and anxiety; he felt the medicine travailing through the small intestines and causing rumbling there; when it came to the navel it pinched a little. At noon the 1st stool, firm, in balls, with many white points, the 2nd stool contained many white points and three thread-worms; the 9 following stools were fetid, bilious, slimy, at last watery. (Ibid., 123)

14. A young woman, aet.26, thin, bilious constitution, took 3 dr. of the oil rubbed up with sugar, and divided into 3 doses. In addition to usual symptoms she had great nausea as though she should vomit, 9 stools, the first feculent, the others liquid, yellow and green. No more stools after a cup of coffee; in evening chilliness; next day irritable pulse, hoarseness and catarrh of chest. (Ibid.)

15. A theologian, aet. 22 took 3 dr. in 3 doses. The 1st dose caused salt taste and scrapy tickling in throat. After the 2nd dose, the belly began to be uneasy, with cutting and pinching pain. Then confusion of head, tightness in upper part of stomach, inclination to vomit and vomiting; soon afterwards copious stool. After the 3rd dose chilly feeling, especially in abdomen; hurried call to stool, has no time to get to the closet, evacuates into his trousers, nevertheless must sit a long time; p. m., the chilliness forces him to go to bed, where he lies long without getting warm. (Ibid.)

16. A girl, aet. 20, pale, took, October 7th, 6 a. m., 1/8 dr. Scraping in throat till noon, bitter taste. – 14th, 15th, and 16th, 8 a. m., 3/8 dr. After 1/2 hours nausea, inclination to vomit, vertigo, anorexia, feeling of heat and burning in pit of stomach. Nausea, eructation, burning like yesterday; later, griping about navel, 1/2 hour later stool. Stomachache and eructation, nausea till afternoon. – 26th and 27th, 10 a. m., 1/2 dr. at first empty eructation, than sickness, so that she can hardly write; after soup at noon occasional tearing about navel, after dinner vomiting of water, mucus and bread, with constant sickness. Eructation, nausea, water collects in mouth, twice bilious vomiting; while eating tearing in abdomen. – 30th, 31st, 10 a. m., 1/2 dr. Nausea increased by eating bread and butter, must sit down; retching, vomiting of food and water. Tearing in transverse colon. Noon, anorexia, sadness, pinching and cutting in large intestine, sickness, pressure in the pit of stomach, roughness in throat.-November 7th, 9 a. m., 3/4 dr. Vertigo, cannot remain seated, especially when she looks up; eyes dim as if the room were filled with smoke. Sickness, belching up of water; pinching about navel. (Ibid., 124).

Richard Hughes
Dr. Richard Hughes (1836-1902) was born in London, England. He received the title of M.R.C.S. (Eng.), in 1857 and L.R.C.P. (Edin.) in 1860. The title of M.D. was conferred upon him by the American College a few years later.

Hughes was a great writer and a scholar. He actively cooperated with Dr. T.F. Allen to compile his 'Encyclopedia' and rendered immeasurable aid to Dr. Dudgeon in translating Hahnemann's 'Materia Medica Pura' into English. In 1889 he was appointed an Editor of the 'British Homoeopathic Journal' and continued in that capacity until his demise. In 1876, Dr. Hughes was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Organization of the International Congress of Homoeopathy Physicians in Philadelphia. He also presided over the International Congress in London.