Introductions
Asagraea officinalis, L. Cevadilla. Nat. ord., Melanthaceae.
Provings
1. HAHNEMANN. [ Of this and the following provings we are simply told that the symptoms “were obtained upon perfectly healthy persons by means of a tincture prepared from I part of the powdered seeds and 20 parts of alcohol” It would seem that single doses of a few drops each were taken EDS ] – Painful pressure at right temple from within outwards (10 hours); burning itching within lobules of ears, without external redness of heat; burning in stomach; bruised pain in anterior muscles of thighs while walking, worse when touching parts; creeping sensation in limbs. (STAPF’S Beitrage.)
2. GROSS. – Painful pressure, with dizziness, in sinciput and temples, with occasional painful stitches, followed by drawing sensation, in back; painful beating in left temple; pain in left occiput, as if a sore place were strongly pressed; flying heat with redness of face; painful drawing from below upwards in right eye and temple to vertex; pressure on eyeballs, worse on looking up; copious epistaxis, twice (quite unusual). Rawness and scraping in throat, he must hawk continually (1/4 hours); feeling like heartburn (10 m.); nausea, relieved by somewhat bitter eructations; feeling of nausea and distress with languor, she feel as though sinking and must sit down; pain below scrob. cordis on pressure and especially during inspiration, as if a sore place pressed upon; internal slightly digging pain above scrob. cordis to left, for several day the spot resents frequent handling; great burning in stomach and up chest as high as throat – pit; sudden constriction of breathing at scrob. cordis, with anxieties; painful boring in hypogastrium, especially at a spot on right hip; digging up in right lobe of liver, extending to left, and therewith paroxysmally a painful transverse drawing, also similar digging in forehead, pressure relieves latter, but liver feels sore under it. Towards evening she has constant urging to micturate, only a few drops coming, after which urging becomes more violent, therewith drawing and burning in urethra (relieved by pulsatilla). Tosses right arm upwards with sudden and painful jerk; tearing at right side of knee at each step; her knees feel weary, as if they would give way; painful drawing in all limbs, heaviness in legs, so that walking becomes troublesome to her. Suddenly great lassitude so that her eyes irresistibly close; lassitude in all limbs, he sweats on making any exertion, also at n. in bed, which is quite unusual. Very restless sleep, tossing about in bed and much dreaming. Vexation at every trifle. (Ibid.)
3. HARTLAUB. – Pressive tensive pain in forehead (3/4 hours); corrosive burning at spot on vertex; burning creeping over eyebrows; redness of face, which is hot without feeling so; painful boring behind left ear, in parotid glands, lower jaw and submaxillary glands (3 hours); burning – creeping shooting sensation behind ear; itching – creeping on nose. Burning – crawling shooting sensation in palate; feeling of constriction deep in throat, as after an astringent drink; repulsive burning – sweetish taste in mouth, aggravated during his accustomed smoke, but going off while eating (3 hours); corrosive burning stomach – ache (3 and 7 hours); in gastric and hepatic regions internal painless warmth; feeling as if hepatic region were scraped with back of knife, crampy drawing together of abdominal muscles, left side, with burning pain, he bent double towards left with it; abdomen, hands, and chest covered with red pin’s head spots, redder in open air, not raised. Burning in urethra, independently of micturition, but with urging to micturate. Burning pain in left chest (5 1/2 hours); burning – creeping shooting sensation between scapulae; red patches on left arm, occasionally also red points, not raised, causing no itching but only a hot sensation, and remaining even when exposed to air (2 hours); red elevated streak transversely across left forearm; redness of one hand and red spots upon it; both hands are dotted with red spots, especially left; fine burning stitch in tips of left fingers, followed by glowing heat there, while rest of hand was very cold (8 hours); shooting sensation in both thighs at same time; in front of left knee at white blister with red border and burning pain; tremulous sensation and actual trembling in all limbs (1 – 2 hours). Yawning and stretching; burning – creeping sensation here and there. Drowsiness, which weighed down his eyes (5 hours). The spots and streaks mentioned became redder in the cold. (Ibid.)
4. HERING. – Head is oppressed and heavy, as if he must hold it constantly, – for some day; thinking is difficult and gives her a headache, – save for this she has a strong inclination to laugh at everything, but afterwards feels indifferent, almost apathetic; intellect seems greatly stimulated, even strained, but emotions are dull and cold, – after a few day opposite condition supervenes; continued attention causes headache; throbbing headache in right forehead, afterwards higher up (1 hours), – it lasted 3/4 hours, then decreasing gradually, but head remained painful all day; slight pressive pain in forehead over left eye, m then also in temple (10 hours); slight headache in left vertex (2 hours); painful heaviness, first only in right forehead, then extending to left, and finally affecting whole head continuously, it increases during movement and then becomes vertiginous (1st d.); constant headache, like a weight, 1st day only in forehead, following day in whole head, less violent when staring or reflecting; dull feeling in forehead (not exactly a pain), as if she had received a blow, therewith heaviness of limbs (2 hours); slight jerking frontal headache, first right, then left; fine slight pricking stitches in skin of forehead when becoming warm and going upstairs quickly (2nd d.); heat in face after warm drink (1st d.); heat and pricking itching here and there on face (11 hours, e.); redness of face and hands; reddened edges of lids, and feeling in eyes as if inflammation would set in: burning feeling in left eye, as if something corrosive had got into it, going off and recurring (1 hours); lachrymation for several day when going into open air, looking at bright light, coughing, or yawning, also at least pain elsewhere; aching pressing otalgia (internal); crackling in ear, and humming on pressing air into it; violent itching on left cheek, with spots on face like herpes, not disappearing till after some day (1st and 2nd d.); contractive biting sensation in nose, as from mustard. Lower jaws, when touched, are painful like swollen glands (for several d.); cracking in both maxillary articulations (especially r.) on opening mouth in m., as if they were quite loose, – not painful or disagreeable (2nd d.); slight beating and drawing in teeth, not continuous, generally during a walk; small stitches from above downwards in right upper teeth; intermittent pressive pain inside left cheek where teeth meet, not affected by contact (10 hours); pinching dull stitches on tip of tongue, mostly to right, coming and going (6 hours); tongue thickly coated, mostly whitish – yellow, especially in middle and behind (several d.); tongue white – coated, but tip (as also gums) bluish (2nd d.); throat feels inwardly swollen (8 hours); he is constantly obliged to swallow, in doing so has pain behind larynx as if something was lodged there, – also scratching and roughness, so that he is continually hawking (3rd day, worst in m., but lasting all day, especially after eating); much mucus in throat first thing in morning; thirst for cold water, especially evening (1st d.); increased thirst, he has, contrary to custom, to drink even early in morning; no appetite for dinner, but in evening canine hunger (1st d.); he eats breakfast with avidity for several day; frequent painful eructations, which frequently reach only to middle of chest, as if impeded (several d.); sour eructations, rare, but lasting some day; great aversion to all food, and yet hunger (1st d.); nausea before dinner, ceasing after it; some nausea, inclination to vomit, and anxious feeling, immediately after a meal; burning in stomach and along whole gullet (immediately, lasting 10 m., and then gradually subsiding); intermitting pinching pressure deep in epigastrium (5 m.); pinching stitch behind heart, worse on inspiration (6 hours); while sitting, p. m., he is suddenly seized with violent stitch – like pain in right side below last rib, bringing tears to his eyes, on twisting himself for relief pain suddenly attacks left side, and then the two pains seem to meet in mid – abdomen, – they lasted altogether 20 m. (1st d.); paroxysmal borborygmus; intermittent, slow, blunt stitches, as from a blow, in left lumbar region (1st day, e.). Violent urging to stool, with little result, therewith increased headache (5 – 7 hours after a strong dose); during moderate urging to stool flying jerking drawing in genital region, as if in spermatic cords (3rd d.); after a large dose several stools in a day, then after several small ones no stool for 4 day; transient pinching – tearing in rectum (immediately). Little urine, although he drinks more than usual; scalding in urethra during micturition; dragging sensation along urethra to outlet while micturating (10 hours); drawing, pulsative – shooting, intermitting pain in penis down to tip (6 hours); slow undulating motion in testes all day, at times fine tingling extends from thighs to testes, after which undulation becomes more active; intermitting bruised pain in left testicle (10 hours); no sexual desire for 5 day, then much little power (5th – 7th d.); some painfully tensive erections in m., without desire. Violent sneezing from time to time, concussing abdomen, followed by lachrymation (3 hours); occasional sneezing, with shooting – contractive headache over eyes and red edges of lids, as if catarrh would set in, which, however, it does not; dryness and sensitiveness high up in nose; obstruction of one or other nostril for several day; copious nasal mucus, at first thin, whitish, and transparent, then viscid and yellowish – grey; short breath for whole day (1st d.); some short cough, with lachrymation. After walking sweat on chest and in axilla, violent itching on nipple; pain in neck on moving it (12 hours); pain from right shoulder into chest, as if circulation was arrested by a tight bandage, not relieved by loosening clothes, lasts nearly all day, increased by cold and in open air, sometimes it is felt in left shoulder (3 hours); simple pain, as of weariness, but more intense, in whole back, going and coming at short intervals for most of day, coming on while walking, not relieved by twisting body, but yielding when sitting with back supported (1st d.); intermittent pinching in flesh of right upper arm, inner side (1 hours); jerking pain on inner side of forearm, more towards hand; right wrist is almost painfully affected, and constantly, but worse during movement (4th d.); beating tearing within left metacarpus on inner side; beating pain in right middle finger as if in bones (2 hours); fugitive itching tearing in;. ring – finger (1 hours); hangnails form; skin of hands dry and rough a. m., smooth again p. m.; paroxysmal stitch – pain on inner right thigh near genitals; knees are so weak that she is unable to stand long; sweat on soles; feet somewhat swollen and very painful in walking, she would like to walk on soft ground only, feels every little stone and cannot get along (1st days). Intense pain in all bones especially in joints, as if their interior were scraped and cut with a sharp knife (r. arm was specially affected), – it continued uninterruptedly all day, now worse, now better, was increased by cold, relieved for a short time by moving arm very fast, but for longer time by warmth and in night; a sort of slight jerking, once only, in upper lip, then in hands, fingers, or thighs, especially of left side, and always from right to left; kind of hot feeling and slight painfulness at spots in skin, especially of face, more obvious when stopping, – washing with cold water relieves it, and afterwards a slight tension replaces it, especially on left face (2 hours); heaviness with lassitude of whole body, recumbent rest is very welcome (for 3 d.); he feels so weak that he comes near to falling all the time; paralytic weariness in all limbs, late 1st evening, on waking in m. feels more weary than before, all body aching as if it had lain on blocks of wood; after a short walk he is suddenly attacked in the street with unaccustomed weariness and oppression of head, almost as if he had taken spirits, his eyes half close, and he is almost unable to get upstairs (1 hours); legs feel as if bruised, especially about knees; she feels so bruised she would like constantly to lie down, walking and standing become extremely irksome, weariness and heaviness in all limbs, feet especially heavy, arms hang down strengthless (2 hours, lasting some time); continuous heaviness in all limbs, compelling lying down, especially towards noon and evening (for 5 d.); staggering gait (1st d.); she is constantly obliged to yawn and stretch, which causes cracking in shoulders and back. During first days he feels general discomfort towards evening, he gets half – sleep only with sensible straining of mind on all kinds of thoughts, but feeling is dull, and there is no vividness in his dreams; ideas crowding upon his mind prevent his falling asleep for several night; pulsation all over before falling asleep at night; very heavy dreamless sleep; while sitting, a. m., ever – increasing lassitude till he falls asleep, disturbed after 3/4 hours he starts up s if in affright, then head is heavy (3rd day after a large dose); he is waked after midnight by itching in skin; a very vivid dream of aiding people and gladdening them. Sensitiveness to cold (1st d.); cold increases his malaise and pains; chilliness all day; general chilliness, followed by a kind of warmth and as if tingling would set in, especially in thighs (1 hours); he is shaken and waked up from sleep about 1 p. m. by a momentary chill, – he then becomes warm without sweat, nd has fine prickling on forehead (2nd d.); chilliness at 9:30 p. m. so that he went to bed, then shaking chill, so that his usual covering did not suffice, after 1/2 hours alternately hot and cold for 30 m., then he became oppressed, and sweated so profusely that he had to change his shirt, – with the sweat continued chilliness (1st d.). He imagines all sorts of strange thighs about his own body, – knowing that it is all fancy, yet seeming to perceive it actually. (Ibid.)
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.