COCCUS CACTI
Syco-psoric. Menstruation too early, and too profuse. This is another hemorrhagic remedy. This patient passes large clots, had sudden suppression of menses about the second day, with some form of vicarious menstruation; profuse spitting of dark blood when menses ceases; urging to urinate during menses, with passage of large black clots. There is a brick-dust like sediment in urine (Sepia, Phosphorus, lithium carb.). Burning, throbbing, or shooting pains in the pudenda during menses. Pudenda extremely sensitive and tender. She cannot bear pressure of napkin over the parts (Lach, Platina). great hunger with empty eructation; great lassitude and weakness with tendency to perspire from least exertion. General action upon mucous membranes, larynx, urinary tract, and nervous system.
CYCLAMEN
Menses too frequent and too copious; they may also be suppressed or scanty and painful. The discharge is black, clotted and occasionally membraneous. The pains are labor-like distention of the bowels; patient feels better during the flow (Pulsatilla, Actea, Sepia, Lachesis, and Sulph.,). She is worse in the cold air; weeps during menses but it does not afford her any relief (reverse of Pulsatilla). Menses suppressed, with vertigo, headache, melancholia, palpitation of the heart, loss of appetite and desire to be alone. After menstruation the mammae swell and secrete milk; membranous dysmenorrhoea in blonds. Leuco-phlegmatic patients who are subject to fainting spells and great chilliness during the menses. Dull vertical or occipital headache which is better by bathing with cold water. Tongue is coated white; taste putrid or flat; sensation as if air streamed from nipples. She is aggravated in the evening and from rest, cold, sitting down, open air, exercise, and fatigue. Is better when walking and from warmth. CONIUM MACULATUM
Conium is a deep acting remedy. It cures even where all the miasms are present, but it fits especially into those cases where the presence of the acquired sycotic element induces a malignancy. For instance a wife contracts Sycosis from her husband; the uterus becomes envolved and she is treated locally by medicated lotions, or what is more probable she has been curetted for a sub-involution due to Sycosis, and from this, cancer develops. Conium comes in early when the hemorrhages begin to show themselves, or a continuous bloody discharge which is extremely offensive. Menstruation too early and feeble, or too late and scanty. The discharge is dirty, offensive, brownish colored blood. The menses and most of the complaints of this remedy are painless. The glands become involved, early in most diseases. Symptoms, trembling, weakness with vertigo, vertigo worse on turning over in bed; mentally she is sad, gloomy, depressed, unhappy, takes very little interest in things. She is slow in her movements, passive, often her symptoms border on the paralytic. During the menses the breast swells, become sore and tender, hard, often painful. The flow excoriates the external genitals producing severe pruritus. She dreads to be alone, avoids society, very easily excited, has loss of memory early in the disease (Natrum mur.). Face earthy,, sallow, pale, or sickly looking. This remedy is adapted to women of rigid fiber, nervous and easily excited, to old maids’ troubles during the menopause, in indurations, and malignancies.
COCA
Pseudo-psoric. Menses flows in gushes, < at night; it awakes her at night. She has loud ringing and buzzing in the ears during the menses (China); nervous prostration, voice weak, palpitation of the heart from flatulence; trembles with weakness following nervous depression from over-work; mental anxiety; sexual excesses. Great lassitude and weariness during the menses. Indicated in very nervous, plethoric women; great nervous erethism, with timidity, melancholy, and nervous exhaustion. “It implants buoyancy; cheers the heart, brightens the mind, and renews the bodily strength for the vigorous tasks of life.” (Hering Guiding Symptoms).
CHIMAPHILA UMBELLATA
From a careful study of the pathogenesis of this remedy we find it is well adapted to sycotic troubles; indeed its pains and aches call our attention at once to the sycotic taint. The mammary symptoms show that even if all the chronic miasms be present, it would still prove the curative remedy. Menses suppressed, followed by cancer of the mammae or uterus. Flow copious, offensive and accompanied with large lumps in breast, enlarged glands. Great dysuria during menses, suppressed menses with atrophy of the breasts. Ulcers in mouth during menses; urine bloody, ropy, dark, and clotted. On sitting down, sensation as if a ball pressed against perineum. This remedy is indicated in lymphatic women with a tubercular or strumous diathesis, who are affected with acquired sycosis in the tertiary stage. Toothache during menses relieved by cold water (Coffea Sepia.). May follow Cistus canadensis.
CHAMOMILLA
This is a true anti-sycotic remedy; it follows all the expressions and actions of that miasm, whether physical or mental; from infancy to old age, we see the sycotic element present. A typical sycotic patient will have symptoms resembling those of this remedy very much, especially in women and children. They are cross, irritable, extremely sensitive to pain, to impressions, to persons, and to their surroundings in general. We see this clearly in its colicky stool, mental states, dentition, and sufferings of every description. Menstruation early, profuse, clotted, dark, often offensive. There are clutching, cramping pains in the uterus, sometimes these pains are violent, or they seem so to the patient, who is one who cannot endure pain (Coffea). She is irritable and quarrelsome. The pains are followed by the passage of large clots and the pains make her angry, hot, thirsty, and fretful. Toothache during the menses is a common symptom; eructations and diarrhoea with green, watery stools with much colic, are present. This remedy is indicated in very nervous excitable women with brown or light hair. Pains < at night or before midnight.
CARBO VEGETABILIS
This remedy may either have profuse or scanty menses, pale or dark in color, or they may be thick, corrosive, and of a pungent odor. During the menses there is a drawing pain from abdomen to small of back, swelling of the pudenda with much itching and burning in vulva. The menses, like those of Carbo animalis, are accompanied with an excoriating, thick, milky or yellowish-green leucorrhoea. This remedy is indicated often in prematurely old women, and at or about the menopause, or when menstruation is prolonged beyond the regular period; odor from menstrual discharge, carrion like and very offensive; keens cold all the time; desire to be fanned when the pains are severe. (China).
CARBO ANIMALIS
This remedy is one of the most profound and deep acting of the carbon group. It is more frequently indicated than we think for. It should be carefully studied; in exhausting diseases, it spends its force largely upon the venous system, and almost all of the diseases for which it will be called, will present venous congestion. All its diseases are sluggish, and most of its inflammations show dark purplish venous involvement. Menses too copious, and prolonged, premature; sometimes the flow is pale, but generally it is a thin, dark, fluid, acrid, ichorous, and excoriating; exceedingly protracted menstrual period; she seems to sink down to almost death’s door at each monthly flow.
Concomitants: Aphthae often appear upon the external organs during the flow;itching, soreness, burning, smarting in vulva and anus. Burning in the hands and feet (Sulphur, Phosphorus); desire to be fanned during all its hemorrhages (Carbo veg., China); knees and extremities often cold, with heat or rush of blood to head and face. The face is often greyish-yellow or greenish, or there is great pallor, eructations frequent and violent (Lycopodium, Carbo veg., Argent, nit.); morning and evening aphonia; flow very offensive, often carrion-like. Indicated in low physical states of the system at the climacteric period; cancerous and malignant affections, old age, advancing senility, enfeebled circulation, with lack of vital heat.
COFFEA CRUDA
Coffea is an anti-psoric remedy. Menses too profuse, long- lasting, dark in color, and attended with great nervous excitement, excessive sensitiveness of the sexual organs with voluptuous itching; great exaltation of the senses; with nervous excitement there are mental symptoms only. Great hyperesthesia of all the senses, hearing, sight, smell, touch; they are all extremely acute. She is full of fanciful ideas and has an excited and exalted imagination. Her pains and all her symptoms are mentally magnified; a mole-hill becomes a great mounting. Her troubles come on from over-joy, excessive laughter, anger, disappointed affections, fright, or from coffee drinking. During menses she whines, moans; is afraid she will die; weeps with her complaining (Pulsatilla, Ignatia), her pains are unbearable, with great mental excitability. She has severe paroxysms of colic, great insomnia during menses. lies awake all night, can give no cause for it, simply an inability to close the eyes and go to sleep. This remedy is adapted to nervous sanguine women. She is aggravated by touch, contact, motion, and open air.
J.H. Allen was a student of H.C. Allen. He was the president of the IHA in 1900. Dr. Allen taught at the Hering Medical College in Chicago. Dr. Allen died August 1, 1925
Books by John Henry Allen:
Diseases and Therapeutics of the Skin 1902
The Chronic Miasms: Psora and Pseudo Psora 1908
The Chronic Miasms: Sycosis 1908