Lycopus Virginicus. Bugle-weed. Virginia horehound. (Shady and wet places in U.S.) N. O. Labiate. Tincture of fresh plant in flower.
Clinical
Aneurism. Bites of reptiles. Bright’s disease. Cough. Diabetes. Exophthalmos. Hemoptysis. Headache. Heart, diseases of. Pericarditis. Phthisis. Snake-bites. Tarentula bites. Typho- malarial fever.
Characteristics
According to Hale *Lycopus is mentioned by Rafinesque as “partaking of the properties of *Digitalis, Sanguinaria, *Cimicifuga, and *Spigelia,” and as being “one of the mildest and best narcotics in existence.” He commends it specially as a substitute for *Digitalis, as having the advantage over it of being non-poisonous, as useful in hemoptysis and “wherever it is required to quell inordinate motions of the blood.” This gives a very good picture of the *Lcps. place and action, which homoeopathy has made good use of and developed. The association of *Lcps. with *Digitalis, Actea r., and *Spi. particularly shows a very clear insight into the action of the remedy, which an experience of mine seems to confirm. Miss S., 25, came to me in October, 1899. About three years previously she had manifested the first symptoms of exophthalmos, which was ascribed by her mother to a prescription of *Macrotyn, in low potency, taken for pains in the eyes and continued for a long period. The first symptoms were sore throat with ulcerations, then the goitre appeared, and the heart became painful, its action intermittent, with breathlessness and inability to take exertion. After a course of *Thyroidin, and later of *Thuja 30 (she had been much vaccinated), *Lcps. 12 was given, and this took away all the heart pains. Attacks of influenza complicated the case later on, and other remedies had to be given. Now the patient is doing very well under *Spigelia 30, as far as the heart is concerned, though no impression has been made on the goitre, which is small. The heart sounds are normal. Stammers Morrisson made an extensive proving of *Lcps., and developed unmistakable heart symptoms. Two cases by Proell (*H. W., xxiv. 546) bring out a very important feature of the action of this drug, namely, on the consequences of *suppressions, in his cases, of suppression of haemorrhoidal flux. The patients were each 60 years of age, a man and a woman, both fair with light eyes, tall, very irritable, with *weak innervation of the *heart without decided organic disease. Both had had, years before, haemorrhoidal flux which stopped suddenly. Both were hypochondriacal and had noise in left ear. This last symptom was the chief thing the man complained of, along with throbbing in the head preventing sleep. Neither *Cact., *Kalm., nor *Gelsemium helped radically (though Cact. had once given prompt help when he had blood-spitting). The *night after taking *Lcps. he was a little better, and in the forenoon came a bleeding from the rectum (about three table spoonfuls, after defecation), with great general relief. The lady had glycosuria, cataract of left eye, and every third night was restless. *Lcps.ix (same dilution as in the other case), one drop in evening. The following night was excellent, and in the morning came an abundant bleeding from the rectum with great relief. In a case cured with *Lcps. by Morrison (of U.S.)., quoted by Hale, the sufferings were associated with the menstrual period, which was exactly regular but intermittent in flow. The first symptoms appeared within three or four hours of the onset of the flow, and was a deep- seated pain with heat in occiput. Then followed a train of symptoms, among them nausea, and when the nausea came on the occipital pain was better. This is quite a feature of *Lcps.: the symptoms *shift about. In Proell’s cases there was a shift from rectum to heart and head. Pains also shift from heart to eyes, from head to heart, from heart to left wrist and right calf, and back to wrist and heart. The characteristic heart is a feeble heart, with distress and weak pulse. Cardiac irritability with depressed force. This may be found with organic disease as well as without. When this condition exists and has other symptoms associated with it _ in the head, throat, eyes, and elsewhere _ *Lcps. will most likely be needed. If in addition there is a history of suppressed discharge the indications will be all the stronger. *Lcps. is a remedy of *accompaniments. The heart condition has many associated symptoms not directly referable to the heart. When pulmonary complaints are associated with loose stools *Lcps. will very likely be the remedy. There is a characteristic cough with hemoptysis associated with feeble heart action, deep, violent in evening and night without waking, expectoration sweetish, renewed by change to cold weather and cold winds. Stanley Wilde (*H. W., xxv. 108) cured a desperate case of pericarditis associated with bronchitis with *Lcps. O, also a case of palpitation with darting pain in heart in a young woman, following an attack of acute rheumatism two years before. Briggs of Fort Lovell (*St. Louis Periscope, ix. 329), relates the cure of a patient of Tarentula bite by application of a liquid made of *Lycopus. He says the Cherokee Indians allow themselves to be bitten by rattlesnakes, centipedes, and Tarentula, chewing as an antidote large quantities of *Lycopus and swallowing the juice. ***H. W. Felter, an eclectic, is quoted (*H. R., xv. 430) as commending *Lcps. in: passive lung hemorrhage), wild, tumultuous beating of heart (which often precedes lung hemorrhage), cough of phthisis. It does not disorder the stomach, he says, but acts a tonic and appetizer. Motion, exercise, walking, ascending, all worse. At the same time lying down causes cardiac depression, and lying on right side worse constriction of thorax. There is restlessness, must change position in spite of weakness. By friction. Worse In morning, (aching down spine, better after rising). worse Towards sunset and in evening. At night, violent cough. The muscular pains are better in warm room and in bed, but not better by direct warmth. Open air causes faintness and slight nausea, change to cold weather and cold winds causes renewed cough. Cold air worse rheumatoid pains. Pains shift generally right to left.
Relations
*Antidote to: Actea r. (?). *Compare: Lamium (botan., piles), Oci. can. (Botan), Iber., Kalm., Spi., Crataegus., Cact., Digitalis, Hydr- ac., Lauro., Pru. spi. (heart), Sanguinaria
Causation
Suppressed haemorrhoidal flow.
Mind
Increased mental and physical activity in evening. Stupid, with lack of expression, during menstrual flow. Mind wanders from one thing to another. General wakefulness and morbid vigilance. Slight obtusion of intellect, with dull aching through sinciput, increased power of concentration.
Head
Vertigo, tends to stagger to right Pressure in forehead, worse left portion. Aching in frontal eminences, left to right, worse left Pain in forehead and temples, better by nausea. Noise and throbbing in head preventing sleep, after suppressed hemorrhoids, Lycopus relieved that head and then restore the flow. Headache: frontal then occiput, over eyes and frontal eminences, pains, aching, pressive, pressing out, congestive, often succeeded by labored heart and cardiac depression, accompanied by intellectual obtuseness.
Eyes
Eyes feel weak, as if system was fatigued. Eyes feel full and heavy, pressing outward with pressure in front of head. Dull pain in left supraorbital region. Neuralgic pain in right supraorbital region and left testicle. Protrusion of eyes with tumultuous action of heart (exophthalmic goitre).
Ears
Burning in right ear.
Nose
Sneezing and slight nasal catarrh.
Teeth
Toothache in right lower molars, then subacute pain, first in left then right frontal eminence, in right molar, then right temple, then left molar, then left temple, again to right molar, then to loins with frontal oppression.
Throat
Rawness at back of right palate extending to left Burning in spot on soft palate, following headache.
Stomach
Nausea from back of fauces, better by eructations that taste of tea and the drug, succeeded by persistent giddiness while sitting, and staggering while walking. Nausea and faintness. Circumscribed pain and compression in region of stomach. Indigestion with pain and distress in gastric region. Gastritis, enteritis, diarrhoea, dysentery.
Abdomen
Tugging pain in spleen. Tenderness in left hypochondrium. Flatulence and rumbling. Aching in inguinal canal, worse walking, better from upward pressure, with pain in testicles, bearing down as from hernia.
Stool
Severe colic followed by profuse forcible diarrhoea, stools shining, dark brown, offensive, tenesmus with first part of semi- solid movement. Increased action of bowels, diarrhoeic symptoms, could have a passage at any time, but sphincter is under perfect control. Diarrhoea in jaundice from weakened heart. Diarrhoea with griping and rumbling. Constipation lasting six or seven days, stools dry and clay-like. (Restores hemorrhoidal flow after suppression and relieves other symptoms.).
