“It is said to have cured with striking rapidity acute otitis, acute and even chronic bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, haematemesis, gastro-enteritis, hepatitis, haemoptysis, and a quotidian ague. These experiences have yet to be confirmed. For my own part, when I meet with these acute fevers, congestions and haemorrhages, I seem quite content with my tried and valued. Aconite, and am not to experiment with any other medicine.
“It is otherwise in affections of the heart, where Cactus appears to exert a power beyond that of Aconite, and to fill a place hitherto vacant. It seems beneficial in all overactions of this organ, from nervous palpitation to acute carditis; in the distress arising from hypertrophy, and in the severe sufferings incident to valvular disease. (See an excellent narrated case by Dr. O’Brien in the tenth volume of the Monthly Hom. Review. Dr. Meyhoffer’s experience with Cactus in cardiac affections, as related in his contribution to the Transactions of the Paris Congress of 1878, is also worth consulting).
“Perhaps also in angina pectoris and in chronic palpitation it generally gives rapid and lasting relief. The feeling as if the heart were grasped and compressed as with an iron band (probably spasm) is very characteristic of Cactus in these cases, and is well marked in its pathogenesis. It would probably be beneficial, at least to relieve pain, in internal aneurisms.
“Dr. Lippe states that he has frequently cured with Cactus the pressive headaches in the vertex, so often met with as a result of menorrhagia. I myself place much reliance on it in the similar headache of the menopause.
“Dr. Guernsey says that the constrictive sensation, as of an iron hoop, caused by Cactus in many parts of the body, is an unerring indication for it in practice. This statement has been confirmed by many observers. Among them is Dr. Wallace McGeorge, whose communication on the subject may be read in the eleventh volume of the Hahnemannian Monthly (p.507). He relates an instance of vaginismus in which, led by this characteristic, he prescribed Cactus with success.
“Dr. Farrington mentions another of rheumatism of the diaphragm, where the same constrictive sensation was prominent, and where the remedy proved equally potent. The great analogue of Cactus is obviously Aconite. Its influence on the heart resembles that of Naja.
“Dr. Rubini recommends the mother tincture in acute inflammations and organic diseases of the heart. In its nervous affections he states that the higher dilutions act well.”
[In the tenth volume of Allen’s Encyc. Mat. Medorrhinum will be found the original provings of Cactus by Dr. Rubini. It is very interesting reading.]
The “sense of constriction,” mentioned as a keynote symptom, is trustworthy. It is sometimes a sensation as of spiral constriction (the spiral muscles of the heart cause that sensation). The uterus, bladder, and all hollow organs have these spiral muscular fibres. I once suffered during sciatica with a disagreeable twisting, constrictive sensation in the muscles of the thigh. Cactus removed it, I think, for that time.
Three other species of Cactus have been proved, namely, Cereus bonplanti, Cereus serpentinus and Opuntia vulg. C. bonplanti was proved by Richard E. Kunze, M.D., an eclectic physician, and published in a “Monograph.”
The general symptoms bear a resemblance to Cactus grand. Eclectic physicians use it largely in cardiac diseases, and I find it almost equal to the C. grand. in many cases. The heart symptoms differ in expression from those of Rubini, but probably mean the same. Thus, we have under C. bonplanti:
“Severe agonized pain at the heart; severe convulsive pain in heart; sensation of a great stone on the heart; sensation as if the chest was ‘broken out’ (fractured and pushed out?) just in front of the heart; feeling as if the heart was transfixed by a blunt instrument as on a bolt; pulse irregular and intermittent.” Besides, the prover had severe pains in the left side of the chest and oppression of respiration. The eye symptoms remind one of Spigelia. “He had a good deal of occipital headache. The sexual organs were primarily excited and secondarily depressed.” (This is also caused by the other Cacti.)
The heart symptoms of C. Serpentinus are not as well marked, but there are “pain in the heart, with shortness of breath,” and “sharp, thrusting pain in the heart.” Opuntia vulg. was proved by Dr. Burdick and others. They had severe heart-pains and oppression, but the dose taken by the provers were too small to produce any violent effects.
Dr. Burdick claims to use this successfully in diarrhoea, with nausea extending from the throat, down through the stomach and bowels.
It is probable that all the Cacti, like all the Liliaceae, have a direct affinity for the heart and sexual organs. Even the Cochineal insect (Coccus Cacti), which feeds on a cactus, has many cardiac and genital symptoms, which remind one of the Cactus provings.
CAFFEINE.
Caffeine has for its formula: C2H10N4O2. It was found in coffee by Rung in 1820. Jobat and Mulder in 1868 showed that Theine, which Oudry had extracted from tea in 1827, has the same composition as Caffeine. Guaranine, discovered in 1840 by Martin, is also identical with Caffeine; it is the same with Mateine, obtained in 1843 from Paraguayan Mate. Caffeine crystallizes in fine silky needles, is very bitter, soluble in 80 parts cold water and 60 of gastric juice. It is contained in variable quantities in different kinds of coffee, a quantity which varies from 0.67 to 2.21 per cent. Thus raw Java has 2.21 per cent., Costa Rica, 1.18; Alexandria Mocca, 0.84; Native Ceylon, 1.57; Surinani (first quality), 1.78, etc. In tea it varies from 1.6 to 2.9 per cent; good black tea (Kiatchi or Canton) containing about 2 per cent., and green tea a little less. (Theine is not Caffeine. Hale.)
Tanret has shown that the greater part of the supposed salts of Caffeine (valerianate, lactate, bromhydrate) does not exist. He has, however, shown that Caffeine forms with benzoate, cinnamate and salicylate of sodium salts very rich in Caffeine.
Cinnamate of Sodium dissolves Caffeine in water equivalent for equivalent: 170 of Cinnamate for 224 of Caffeine. This double salt contains 58.9 per cent. of Caffeine.
The Benzoate of Soda and Caffeine contains for 2 equivalents of Benzoate of Soda (288) one equivalent of Caffeine (244), or 45.8 per cent.
Salicylic acid gives us a soluble salt which is exceedingly rich in Caffeine. One equivalent of Salicylate of Sodium (160) gives solubility to one equivalent of Caffeine (244), making the resulting salt the richest of all the double salts in Caffeine (61 per cent.). The solubility of the double salts is such that one may easily obtain with Benzoate and Cinnamate of Sodium solutions containing per cubic centimetre 20 centigrammes of Caffeine, and with Salicylate of Soda, 30 centigrammes.
The principal use of Caffeine and one of the highest importance is in cardiac failure. While its primary effects are to lash the heart into violent contractions, until it closes tetanically in systole, its secondary action, if the animal recovers, is a rapid and fatal failure of the heart’s action. These effects are fully described in my article on “Diseases of the Heart” in Arndt’s System of Medicine.
The earlier investigators of Caffeine who observed its effect s in toxic doses wrongly decided that it was a cardiac depressant. The same mistake was made in case of Digitalis. Recent investigations, both in health and disease, have established the fact that Caffeine, in moderate doses, a few grains daily, diminishes the pulsations of the heart, augments the vascular tension and the amplitude of the contractions, removes venous stasis, acts on the kidneys (even when they are badly damaged), and greatly increases the quantity of urine. At first small doses were given, a fraction of a grain, carefully, and doubtful of the safety of larger doses. But lately, Dr. Dujardin Beaumetz, Lupenes and Huchard have boldly given massive doses (5 to 30 grs. daily) and with marvelous curative results. It may be said that these doses are not Homoeopathic. Perhaps they are not. I think they are according to the law of primary and secondary action. but granted they are not, the cases in which Caffeine is most useful, organic valvular disease and dilatation, no remedy can cure, but we can afford our patients great relief and comfort, and win their gratitude. In such cases it is not a question of homoeopathy, but of humanity. We have but one remedy which acts in minute doses as Caffeine does in large, namely, Veratrum album.
Dr. Dujardin Beaumetz says (Clinical Lectures): “You will see the veritable resurrections effected by this marvelous therapeutic agent, and this in aged persons; therefore you ought to have these facts always in mind and remember them in the asystolic period – period of cardioplegia, as Gabler called it – when you have exhausted the remedial powers of all the cardiac tonics, you may still obtain signal effects from Caffeine.”
Hale wrote Lectures On Diseases Of The Heart, Materia medica and special therapeutics of the new remedies Volume 1, Materia Medica And Special Therapeutics Of The New Remedies Volume 2, Saw Palmetto: (Sabal Serrulata. Serenoa Serrulata), The Medical, Surgical, and Hygienic Treatment of Diseases of Women, New Remedies: Their Pathogenetic Effects and Therapeutic Application, Ilex Cassine : the aboriginal North American tea, Repertory to the New Remedies with Charles Porter Hart, The Characteristics of the New Remedies, Materia Medica and Special Therapeutics of the New Remedies, The Practice of Medicine, Homoeopathic Materia Medica of the New Remedies: Their Botanical Description etc.