Sticta pulmonaria. Lung-wort. N.O. Lichenes. Tincture.
Clinical
Angina pectoris. Anus, pain in. Asthma. Bronchitis. Catarrh. Clergyman’s sore throat. Cold. Cough. Diabetes. *Diaphragm, *rheumatism of. Diarrhoea. Glands, swollen. Hay-fever. Headache. *Housemaid’s knee. Hysteria. Influenza. Laryngitis. Levitation. Measles, cough of. Migraine. Milk, scanty. Neuralgia. Ozaena.
Phthisis. Post-nasal catarrh. Pott’s disease. Rheumatism. Seminal emissions. Sick headache. Sleeplessness. Syphilis.
Characteristics
There cannot be much doubt whence Sticta received its name of *Pulmonaria. The likeness of the plant to lung tissue is self- evident. It was a popular remedy of great repute in catarrhs and coughs when Hale introduced it to homoeopathy. S. P. Burdock, C. H. Lutes, and S. Lilienthal proved it and elicited some very remarkable and valuable symptoms. Hering added many no less valuable clinical symptoms. Dewey (*Trans. *Paris Int. H. *Cong. 1900, p, 317) conducted another proving on several persons which has further enriched the pathogenesis. His additions are marked (D) in the Schema. “It was first used” says Hale, “for severe harassing cough,” and such good results accrued that provings were made to ascertain its full value. It was found to cause severe coryza, with violent sneezing, intense headache, and conjunctivitis. These attacks were preceded or followed by rheumatic pains and swelling of the small joints.” The catarrh of *Stic. is for the most part *obstructive, and if there is discharge it dries quickly, and forms crusts or scurf. Constant need to blow the nose, but no discharge comes on account of dryness. In syphilis, or any other disease where this condition is present, *Stic. will be the remedy. A grand characteristic both of headaches and catarrh is a “dull, heavy pressure (or stuffed feeling) in root of nose.” The cough of *Stic. is also dry. “Dry night cough is a keynote, cough dry, worse evening and night, can neither sleep nor lie down, must sit up. P.C. Majumdar (*Ind. H.R., v. 109) cured two cases of whooping-cough with *Stic. 6x. The cough began just after sunset, and went on till vomiting occurred, and all the contents of the stomach were thrown off. *Stic. will often cure coughs left by measles, whooping-cough, influenza. Hard, dry barking coughs following colds. In cases of phthisis and haemoptysis it is of great service. “Oppression at chest, sensation as if a hard mass on it. Sudden pain from sternum to spine, constant, worse on movement,” are leading symptoms in such cases, in addition to those of the cough. Phthisis and rheumatism not infrequently occur in different members of a phthisical family, and *rheumatism (as the word implies) is related to catarrh. Stic. meets all these conditions, and it has, like Bacil., “a deep-in headache.” Elias C. Price (in *Southern F. of H.) relates this case: Boy, 8, had acute rheumatism with inflammation and redness of one knee, ankle, toes, wrist, and fingers, valvular heart disease from a previous attack. Aco. and Sul. failed to relieve. *Stic. ix was given every hour. Next day there was a *considerable quantity of fluid in the knee-joint an aggravation by *Stic. apparently], but otherwise the boy was better. Stic. was continued. Next day half the fluid was gone, and the third day it was all gone, and the boy was cured in nine days. Price remarks that he had noticed one symptom so frequently present in the cases he cured with Stic. that he began to regard it as a characteristic although it was not in the provings: A *spot of inflammation and redness on the affected joint like the hectic flush on the cheeks in phthisis. In housemaid’s-knee *Stic. comes as near being a specific as a remedy ever can. M. D. Youngman (H. M., 1893, p. 360) related a number of cases of catarrhal and pulmonary affections cured with *Stic., the indications being: Harsh, racking, incessant, “unprofitable” cough of spasmodic type. He considers it especially *Suited to neuralgic, rheumatic, gouty individuals. Here is one of his cases: Mrs. H., 42, had an attack of bronchitis in January, and when seen, March 20th, had a harsh, racking cough, with pain all through chest on coughing, spongy state of mucous membrane of pharynx, which bleeds easily, has had several attacks of asthma, has hay-fever every August, paroxysms of cough often end in convulsive sneezing, which she dreads because it is followed by asthmatic symptoms. “She takes cold in her head, which in a day or so goes down in her throat, and thence into her chest.” Every cold she gets does this. *Stic, ix gave relief in five days. Hale says *Stic. is indispensable in February, March, and April in the American climate. Left O. Rogers (S. F. of H.) prescribed *Stic. for a patient with the cough of the remedy at the time she was nursing her seventh child. She had always been annoyed because of a scantiness of milk, it had been occasionally entirely suppressed. While taking *Stic. the flow became ample, and remained so as long as an occasional dose was being taken.Rogers subsequently verified this effect in a number of cases. Another use of Stic. is in sleeplessness, which is due to nervousness, or to cough. This is part of its action on the nervous system. *Stic. is one of the remedies which produce the levitation symptom: the legs feel as if floating in the air, head as if floating off, as if the body and limbs did not touch the bed. Hysterical chorea coming on after profuse haemorrhage has been cured by *Stic. *Peculiar Sensations are: As if she cannot keep her tongue still. As if stomach full of yeast. Throat and mouth burn as if scalded. As if hard mass collected in lungs. As if floating in air. The right side is more prominently affected. The symptoms are, worse By touch. worse Motion (also, must get up and move about for relief from pain of knee). worse Turning eyes. Pressure relieves. Lying down better headache, worse cough. Influenza is better in open air. Many symptoms are worse as the day advances, lasting all day. Cough worse nights (comparatively free from it during day). Coughing worse cough (the more he coughs, the more he wants to).
Relationships
* Compare: Lung affections, deep-in headache, Bac. Catarrhs and coughs, Drosera, Nux vomica, Rx. c., Sambucus, Meph. Rheumatism, Actea r., Stellar. Nerve symptoms, Asarum europaeum, Tarent. Asthma of consumptives associated with splitting headache, Rx. c., Meph. Levitation symptoms, Calcarea, Silicea, Cannabis indica Sensation of lightness of body, Cocul., Gelsemium The more he coughs, the more he wants to, Ignatia Heaviness from front to back, Naja. headache as if skull being raised and lowered, Cannabis indica
Causation
Fall. Haemorrhage.
Mind
Confusion of ideas, cannot concentrate them. Great desire to talk about anything and everything, doesn’t care whether any one listens, cannot keep her tongue still. Lively, wanted to strike out, lay on the lounge and began to “kick up her heels,” when reproved said she could not help it but felt as if she wanted to fly away.
Head
Slight vertigo (D). Dull sensation in head with sharp darting pains through vertex, side of face, and lower jaw. Dull, heavy pressure in forehead and root of nose, increasing in intensity during the day. Pain in right supraorbital region, became more acute and extended through brain on right side, deep in brain. Headache extending through brain, almost intolerable. Headache as if entire skull were being raised up and lowered again, comes on after dose of in man, 43, with arthritis deformans, the pain had been felt before but not so severely (R.T.C.). Darting pains in temples, increasing in intensity the entire day. Catarrhal headache before catarrh sets in. Sick-headache, must lie down, worse from light and noise, nausea and vomiting, nearly to faintness. Headache with severe pain in eyes felt on closing lids or turning eyeballs. Scalp feels as if too small, or as if drawn too tight. (Painful weight on back of head. Confused, heavy sensation on head. The head seems as if flying in space. Frontal migraine better by cold, worse by pressure. Slight pressive headache deep in. The head seems full and confused by every dose.
Eyes
Eyes feel heavy. Burning in lids with soreness of the ball on closing lids or turning eyes, increasing during the entire day. [Eyes: painful as if inflamed. Sight dim as if he had read too much. Pain in left internal canthus. Right eye painful as if something were in it (D).).
Ears
Acute neuralgic pains in mastoid apophysis, rather deep in.
Nose
Fulness at root of nose. Constant need to blow nose, but no result on account of dryness. Excessive and painful dryness of mucous membrane, secretions dry rapidly, forming scabs difficult to dislodge. Incessant sneezing with fulness in forehead and right side of nose, tingling in right side of nose. Desire to put finger in nose to clear out gluish secretion. Coryza worse afternoon, better in open air. Constant desire to blow nose without discharge (tertiary syphilis). (Slight epistaxis. Slight liquid coryza. Sensation of obstruction in nose. Yellow, thick discharge for several days. (D).).
