General Action
In large doses a violent hydragogue cathartic. It also (like its botanical ally, Colocynth) produces sharp pains. It causes inflammation of various organs, particularly of serous membranes and lungs, and gives rise to a fever of a rather low type. Its marked peculiarity is a disinclination to make any effort; great aggravation from motion of any sort.
Generalities
Sharp pains, often with a feeling of tension, (<) motion and touch. The pains, as a rule, while (<) motion, are (>) continued moderate pressure, but (<) sudden, hard pressure or jerking; there is also general relief from warmth, or warm applications. Pains nearly always sharp, sticking or tearing, sometimes bruised, or like suppurating, or like a stiffness. General weariness, especially in the morning, also on rising; (<) in the forenoon while walking, can scarcely drag himself about. Faintness on rising from bed, with cold perspiration. The weakness is generally accompanied by easy perspiration from a little effort. Symptoms are usually (>) rest in bed; are frequently worse in the evening.
Mind
Mental weakness, difficult holding a continuous train of thought. General ill humor; very easily put out of humor, with needless anxiety. Quarrelsome. Despondent, especially about his recovery. Restless mood, with dread of the future, and of approaching death. Nightly delirium, especially about business.
Head
Pressing headache; a feeling of fulness and heaviness, particularly in the forehead, as if everything would press out, beginning in the morning on opening or moving the eyes, (<) rising. Splitting headache, (<) by raising the eyes, inability to rise from stopping. Sharp pains through the head from before backward, (<) stepping hard or coughing. General confusion of the head, especially in the morning on walking, (<) rising from bed. General stupefaction and heaviness; a sort of rush of blood to the head. Headache inclined to extend from the forehead to the occiput, where it becomes seated, with drawing, extending down into the neck. The frontal headaches tend to extend downward into the face, especially drawing in the zygoma. Vertigo, (<) in the morning on rising, as if the head were turning in a circle; even on rising from a chair, somewhat (>) after walking; sometimes associated with a feeling of nausea in the middle of the chest, as if faintness would ensue; sometimes with tendency to fall backward, (>) after walking, by sitting down and by lying down. The hair of the head becomes unnatural oily.
Eyes
Burning in the eyes, inflammation, (<) warmth. Tearing stitches in the eyes. A feeling of sand. A feeling as though the eyes were being pressed out of the head. Swelling of the lids, especially of the upper. Lachrymation. Intermittent pain in the left eye, (<) on moving it, with a feeling as if the eye became smaller, and were retracted within orbit. Weakness, even with lachrymation, in bright sunlight, better in a dim light, and in twilight.
Ears
Roaring in the ears. Intolerance of noise.
Nose
Painful swelling of the nose, with inflammation in the nostrils. Frequent nose-bleed, especially if the menses are suppressed. Nose-bleed every morning after rising (in suppressed menstruation).
Face
Red, hot, puffy, especially over the malar bones. Yellowish paleness. (Small nodules and indurations, like abortive boils, on the face.) Upper lips swollen, cracked, like erysipelas, bleeding. Crackling of the lower lip, and an eruption upon it.
Mouth
Jerking toothache, (>) warmth, also (>) lying on the painful side. The toothache is a sticking, tearing, sometimes temporarily (>) cold water, or on walking, in the open air. The gums are sore about the painful teeth. Tongue sometimes dry during fever, usually with a thick, white coat. Aphthae on the tip of the tongue. A general bitter taste. Salivation; at times soapy, frothy, rarely bloody.
Throat
Sticking pains on swallowing. Soreness temporarily (>) drinking, but returning, with dryness, rawness on empty swallowing.
Stomach
Excessive thirst; he does not drink frequently, but much at a time. Frequent pain or empty eructations after taking food. Regurgitation of food, without any effort to vomit. At times, an unnatural hunger, but does not wish food when brought. Nausea in the morning on waking, with vomiting. Vomiting of the food, but not drink. Bitter vomiting of liquids after eating. Vomiting of blood. Vomiting; first bile, then food.
Stomach
Sensation as if a stone lay in the stomach after eating, causing ill humor. Soreness and pain on pressure, or on coughing. Contractive pain (>) drawing up the legs, and by warm applications. Gastric symptoms particularly (<) eating bread. Sharp pains, arresting breathing on motion, especially on making a false step. Great sensitiveness in the pit of the stomach to touch and pressure.
Abdomen
Sticking pains in the region of the liver on touch, coughing or breathing. Symptoms of inflammation of the liver and of the diaphragm. Abdomen distended. A feeling of something heavy lying in the abdomen. Movements. loud rumbling or a gurgling and soreness and dragging downward.
Rectum and Stool
Burning during evacuations. Stools large and dry. Stools becoming pasty and loose. Diarrhoea, putrid, followed by burning in the anus and cutting in the abdomen. Diarrhoea generally of a brown color and very disagreeable. In obstinate constipation, evacuations are generally dry and passed with difficulty.
Urinary Organs
Urine diminished in quantity, red and hot, or brown. Urine whitish, turbid. Sometime the urine is increased in quantity and retained with difficulty.
Sexual Organs, Female
Menstruation too early and too profuse, dark red.
Suppression of menses, with the characteristic gastric derangements, or with periodical discharge of blood elsewhere, nose, throat, etc. Inflamed ovaries. Puerperal fever in the early stage, with headache, pains in limbs, weakness. Suppressed lochia. Pelvic peritonitis. Inflammation of mammary glands, breasts much swollen, hot, sharp pains.
Respiratory Organs
Cough generally dry, from tickling in the pit of the stomach, or from the throat; finally, with some expectoration of mucus. Cough on coming into a warm room, caused by sensation of a suffocating vapor, or as if he could not breathe enough air. Cough (<) talking or smoking, followed by a soreness in the trachea. Spasmodic cough after eating and drinking, followed by vomiting of food. Cough causes bursting headache, and stitches in the sides of the chest. Bloody expectoration, blood clotted or of a brown color. Dyspnoea, so that he could not talk. Dyspnoea as if he could not expand the chest, with rapid breathing. Severe stitches in the sternum and sides of the chest when coughing, must hold with the hands. Sticking pains in the chest, (<) deep breathing or motion, or coughing, (>) pressure, or lying upon the painful side. A general feeling of constriction through the chest; needs to breathe deeply, but on attempting to breathe deeply a sensation as if the chest could not be distended. Internal heat in the chest.
Clinical. Laryngitis and bronchitis (the cough in these diseases is generally dry, hacking, with soreness of abdominal muscles, aggravated at night and on motion, aggravated on coming into a warm room, aggravated after eating or drinking, ameliorated by heat). Pneumonia in the early stage; Bryonia follows immediately after. Aconite, high fever, sharp pains, ameliorated by lying on the affected side, thirst, profuse sweat, headache, etc. In pleurisy it is most frequently required (the Bryonia patient sweats easily and freely), extremely sharp pain, ameliorated by pressure and warmth, cannot tolerate the slightest motion. Sometimes useful in pleuritic exudation, when the sharp pains continue.
Heart and Pulse
Palpitation, with dyspnoea. Stitches. Pulse full, hard and rapid.
External Chest
Indurations in the mammary glands. (Mammary glands of nursing women over-distended and inflamed.).
Neck and Back
Pain in the nape of the neck, as if taking cold. Drawing in the muscles on the right side of the neck, with stiffness. Stiffness involves the right shoulder. Stitches in the small of the back, and in the shoulder blades. Painful sensation in the small of the back, so that one must walk bent over. The sharp sticking or tearing pains in the small of the back are apt to extend forward, either upward to the chest, or around through the abdomen; (<) sitting up, moving the legs, (>) at rest when bent forward.
Extremities Upper
A feeling of tension and sticking; drawing pains in the shoulder joints and upper arms. Swelling of the elbow joints and hands, especially of the back of the hand. In the right elbow a feeling as though the arm were broken, with drawing pains, extending upward; similar pain in the wrist on motion. Sticking pains in the fingers and finger joints, which are swollen.
Born in 1837in Westminster, Vermont. . He was an orthodox doctor who converted to homeopathy
Dr. Allen compiled the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica over the course of 10 years.
In 1881 Allen published A Critical Revision of the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica.