Common names: Poke, Garget-weed.
Introduction
Phytolacca decandra, L.
Natural order: Phytolaccaceae.
Preparation: Tincture of the root.
Mind
Feeling of intoxication and weakness on rising and walking about (second day). Increased cheerfulness of the mind. The mind has been gloomy since I began taking it, and more than usually irritable (fourth day); more cheerful (fifth day). Great loss of personal delicacy; there appeared to be a total disregard of all surrounding objects, and no disposition to adjust their persons under any circumstances. Sense of entire indifference to life, and disgust for the business of the day, on waking, early in the morning. Indisposition to mental exertion, with the heavy aching feeling in the head and vertigo (after three hours and a half, fourth day). The patients in a half stupor all the time, and would fall asleep immediately after a paroxysm of cramping had passed.
Head.
Vertigo. Alarming vertigo, with nausea (after half an hour).
Vertigo; (after one hour and a half). Vertigo, with dimness of vision. Dulness, giddiness, and vertigo. I have sometimes observed slight narcotic symptoms during the operation of Phytolacca, particularly vertigo. Transient giddiness. He never noticed any dizziness or stupor from it, although he had always been particular in his inquiries to know if any such symptoms took place. Slight dizziness, with the heat in the head (after three hours, third day). General Head. Head thrown backward to its utmost extent. Dulness of the head. Dulness in the head, with the general disturbed feeling in the stomach (after half an hour). Dull feeling in the head. Heaviness in the head, and especially in the temples. About 11 A.M., a feeling of heaviness or weight in the head, and vertigo began; the heavy feeling extended down through the shoulders and chest, and later in the day through the legs (third day). Some heaviness of the head, accompanied by a feeling on the back part of the tongue as if burnt, soon. A heavy aching feeling in the head, with vertigo and indisposition to mental exertion (after three hours and a half, fourth day). Headache, with sickness at the stomach. Headache (after one hour and a half); (after third dose, second day); slight all day (third day). During the forenoon I had a severe headache, which began soon after breakfast; a part of the time the whole head ached; a part of the time the pain was in the temples, and was accompanied by a slight vertigo, and a part of the time the pain was most marked in or confined to the occiput; walking or riding increased the pain, but walking the most (fourth day). Headache, with sickness of the stomach, from walking. Headache. Pain through the whole head of a dull character (after three hours and three-quarters). Pains throughout the head, aching. The pain in head is increased by looking down and by stooping. Moving, transitory pains in various parts of the head, almost constantly, generally in one side at a time, but more frequently and most severe on right side. No pains in head until leucorrhoea commenced, then had pain through both temples. Sore pain over the head, worse on the right side and in damp weather, as if an attack of sick headache were approaching.
Sensation of soreness in the interior of the had. Sensation of soreness in the interior of the head, deep in the brain. Pressure in the head, as if it would burst, at 3 P.M. (second day). Many of the symptoms, especially those about the head and throat, are better after breakfast, while the heat and many of the abdominal symptoms are worse, in the afternoon. Forehead. Dulness, with sensation of weight in the forehead. Dull pain in the forehead.
Dull, steady, aching pain, principally in the forehead. Dull, heavy headache in the forehead, a constant symptom; sharp, shooting pains in right temple. Heavy aching pain about the forehead, after dinner. Dull pressing pain in the forehead, accompanied by slight nausea, with cool perspiration on the forehead and feeling of weakness (after one hour and a quarter); the nausea and headache were somewhat relieved by eating supper, but soon returned. Headache, commencing in the frontal region and extending backward. Pain in the region of time and mirthfulness, on the right side. Pain in the forehead and temples very severe, with a feeling of lassitude (first night). The pains in the head are chiefly in the forehead, and worse after dinner. One-sided pain just above the eyebrows, with sickness of the stomach.
Slight pain in the forepart of the had, with increased sense of hearing. Slight pain in the tuberosities of the forehead. Slight fullness of forehead, with constant gaping. Pressure in the forehead, after dinner, most in the glabella. Pressure on forehead and upper parts of both eyes, painful. Slight pressure across the forehead, with gaping. Slight constriction across the forehead. Temple. Severe pain in the temples (after four hours).
Pain in the temples, with pressure outward (after three hours, third day). Pain in the temples and forehead, at 7 A.M. (second day). Pain in the left temple, followed by burning in the skin, in the left region of time. Drawing pain in the right temple.
Pain and pressure in the temples (after two hours). Pressure on the temples and constrictive feeling at the precordia, like the feeling that precedes sea-sickness. Pressure in the temples.
Pressure in the temples and over the eyes. Vertex. Heaviness at the top of the head (soon after fifth dose). Pain in the top of the head, and a sensation as if the brain were bruised, when stepping from a high step to the ground. Pressure in the top of the head, with dryness, lasting an hour (fifteen minutes after second dose, second day). Headache in the vertex, beginning while riding, at 5 P.M.; motion increased the pain and caused vertigo; pain lasted until I went to sleep at night (after five hours and a half). Parietals. Throbbing headache on right side. Occiput.
Pain in the back of the head (after five hours). Dull, bruised pain in the occiput (after two hours and a quarter). Pain in the left region of combativeness.
Eye.
Eyes deeply sunk in their orbits (after a few hours). Eyes sunk deep in their sockets and surrounded by a livid circle (after one hour and a half). Eyes became much inflamed, and tears flowed continually (after three hours). The eyes ached and were subjectively sore (second day). Sensation of twitching about the eyes. Shooting pain from the left eye to the top of the head, which passes off and returns at short intervals. Shooting from the left eye to the top of the head. Pressure in the eyes. Some painful pressure on the upper part of both eyes and forehead.
Sandy feeling in the eyes. Smarting in the left eye. Sensation in the eyes like that caused by horseradish. Feeling in the eyes and nose as if a cold would come on. Burning and smarting sensation in the left eye with great flow of tears. The prominent feeling in the eyes is that of smarting. The symptoms of the eyes and eyelids are worse in the morning, but the vision is worse in the evening. During one of the provings the symptoms of the eyes became so severe that Sulphur was taken as an antidote, and all the subsequent symptoms appeared on the left side. When enumerating the symptoms of the eyes only, we find the left one most frequently mentioned. Orbit. Aching pain along the lower half of the right orbit. Pressure around the eyes in the afternoon, as if the eyes were too large. Pressure over the eyes.
Lids. Eyelids agglutinated and oedematous, as if poisoned (second morning); this state continued two days. Agglutination of the eyelids, during the night. Reddish-blue swelling of the eyelids, worse on the left side and in the morning; cannot close the eyes without pain all the forenoon, better in the afternoon. Soreness on closing the eyelids. Lids feel as if granulated, and the tarsal edges have a scalded, hot feeling, as if raw (fourth day); granulated, sandy sensation in the lids, with same sensation upon the edges (fifth day). The lids felt as if coals of fire were laid upon them. Sensation as if a grain of sand were lodged under the left eyelid, causing a secretion and flow of tears from that eye. Smarting in the internal canthi of both eyes, but worse in the left one, and very much aggravated by gaslight, in the evening. Itching at internal canthi of the eyes, very severe, which causing the application of the finger to rub the eye, the ball became very painful from the slightest pressure. Lachrymal Apparatus. Eyes and nose ran freely, like water, for two hours, and stooped shortly before vomiting stopped. Flow of tears all the time form the eyes, relieved in the open air. Pupil. Great dilatation of pupils (after five hours). Pupils dilated; (after one hour and a half). Vision. Long-sightedness. Dizziness of vision now began to be manifest (after four hours and a quarter); impairment of vision increasing (after five hours). Diplopia; not only two, but four and five reduplications of an object were apparent; the objects, whether double, triple, or otherwise, were in the same horizontal plane (first day); the diplopia grew worse, in the evening, and again three or four reduplications were visible (second day); the same eye symptoms, with evening exacerbation (third day); diplopia, with twitching (fourth day); only when suddenly raising the eyes to look at a higher object (fifth day). Obscurity of vision. Dimness of vision; (after one hour and a half). Aversion to light. Photophobia, in the morning.
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.