PODOPHYLLUM


Podophyllum homeopathy medicine – drug proving symptoms from Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica by TF Allen, published in 1874. It has contributions from R Hughes, C Hering, C Dunham, and A Lippe….


Common names, May apple; Mandrake (American).

Introduction

Podophyllum peltatum, L. Natural order, Berberideae. Preparation, Tincture of the whole plant.

Head

Vertigo, with inclination to fall forwards. Vertigo, while standing in the open air. Giddiness and dizziness, with the sensation of fullness over the eyes. Dulness and headache, with sleepiness, in the morning. Headache, alternating with diarrhoea. Headache and fever (third and fourth days). Heavy dull pain in the forehead, with soreness over the seat of pain. Pain in the left frontal protuberance, aggravated in the afternoon.

Momentary darts of pain in the forehead, obliging one to shut the eyes, attended with giddiness. Sudden pain in the forehead, with soreness of the throat, in the evening. After stool, at 10 A.M. frontal headache, with feverishness (first day). Sensation of great dryness of the forehead and eyes, which was relieved for a short time by bathing the parts with cold water; after stool, at 10 A.M. (first day). Pressing pain in the temples, in the forenoon, with drawing in the eyes, as if strabismus would follow. Stunning headache through the temples, relieved by pressure. Morning, headache, with heat in the vertex. Pain in the top of the head, when rising in the morning.

Eye

The inflammation of the eyes is attended with a most excruciating heavy pain, and great turgescence of the vessels of the conjunctiva. Inflamed eyes. Extensive superficial ulceration of each cornea, attended by general conjunctival congestion; the ulceration was central and large in extent; in the right eye its base was densely white, and looked exactly as if lead had been used (after ten days). No symptoms of irritation appeared while he was at work or during that evening, but on waking next morning, his eyes were inflamed. Left eye sore and uncomfortable, especially at the inner canthus; conjunctiva of the left eyeball slightly red, especially at the inner canthus.

Eyes glazed and motionless (next morning), (in the elder). Eyes sunken in their orbits. Heaviness of the eyes, with occasional pains on the top of the head. Drawing sensation in the eyes, accompanying pain in the head. Smarting of the eyes. Inflammation of the eyelids. Pain in the eyeballs, and in the temples, with heat, and throbbing of the temporal arteries.

Nose

Soreness and little pustules in the nose. Nose pinched.

Face

Faces pale as corpses. The under jaw fallen (next morning), (in the elder).

Mouth

The teeth are covered with dried mucus, in the morning. Tongue white (fourth day). White fur on the tongue, except the center (fifth day). Tongue coated white, with much viscid mucus in the mouth (first morning). Sourness of the mouth. Dryness of the mouth and tongue, on waking in the morning. Copious salivation.

Everything tasted sweet (fifth day). The taste of fried liver in the mouth, at night. Had a bad taste in the mouth for several days after the most prominent symptoms had disappeared.

Throat

Soreness in the left side of the throat, especially painful when swallowing liquids, and worse in the morning. Soreness of the throat, extending to the ears. The elder complained frequently of burning sensation in the throat. Dryness of the throat.

Stomach

Appetite and Thirst. Appetite much impaired, with unusual thirst for cold water (first morning). Indifference to food. Loss of appetite; (second day). Desire for something sour. Great thirst; (fourth and fifth days). Increased thirst after eating (first day). Thirst, towards evening. Nausea and Vomiting.

Nausea (second day); (after five hours). Extreme nausea, continuing for several hours. Nausea and a little irritation of the stomach, but the symptoms disappeared when he went to bed.

Nausea, and attempts to vomit, which lasted two hours (immediately). Slight nausea accompanied the diminution of pulse (three hours after three pills). Acidity in the afternoon, with an unpleasant sickly sensation in the stomach. After rising in the morning, had a sick feeling in the stomach, with occasional nausea (first morning). Vomiting had been going on for the last four hours almost without intermission; the vomited matters consisted, for the most part, of seeds, pulp, and membranous covering of the ripe May apple, having the peculiar odor of that fruit; afterwards the elder vomited bilious matter mixed with blood, the bile dark- green and very thick, the blood dark and coagulated; she continued to vomit thick bile, with more or less blood mixed with it, about every hour through the night. Vomited the contents of the stomach, and then considerable bile (after nine hours); felt better; vomited again (after twelve hours).

Vomiting of hot frothy mucus. Stomach. Epigastrium and entire abdomen tympanitic and very tender (in the elder girl). The stomach contracted so hard and rapidly, in efforts to vomit, that the wrenching pain would causes them to utter sharp screams, on after another, for five minutes at a time. Tenderness over the stomach (second day), (in the younger). Great tenderness over the stomach and bowels, scarcely bearing the pressure of the bedclothes (fourth day). Tender over stomach and bowels, increased by the least motion; could scarcely bear to be touched (first day). Sensation of hollowness in the epigastrium. Had an empty feeling in the stomach, before supper, but did not feel hungry (first day). Had a feeling of weakness in the epigastric region, at 2 A.M. which continued until the next morning (second night). Awakened by violent pains in the stomach and bowels; the pains were of a griping, stitching character, and were relieved for a short time by pressure on the bowels, at 3 A.M. (first day). Soon after eating some toast, pain commenced in the stomach, extending into the bowels; increasing with such severity that she could not resist screaming at every breath (fifth day). In the night felt pain in the stomach, which continued to increase in severity, and was attended with much thirst and burning sensation, and great sense of prostration (first night). After breakfast, had a violent burning in the stomach, as if caused by hot steam; same sensation after dinner (first day). Cold water does not agree, it causes much oppression and uneasiness in the stomach;small quantities of it were ejected, which tasted very bitter, and caused much burning in the oesophagus (first day). Heat in the stomach. Throbbing in the epigastrium, followed by diarrhoea.

Abdomen

Fullness in the right hypochondrium, with flatulence. Twisting pain in the right hypochondrium, with the sensation of heat in the part. Sensation of flatus in the left hypochondrium.

Sensation of weight and dragging in the left hypochondrium, close under the ribs. Stitches in the right hypochondrium, worse while eating. Abdomen swelled almost to bursting (next morning), (in the elder). A good deal of flatulence was caused, in the evening (first day). Flatulence (second morning); (second day). Rumbling of flatus in the ascending colon. Violent colic, followed by liquid stools, which were repeated until 9 o’clock (second day).

Griping pains (second day). Some griping pains with the stools (second day). Some wandering pains in the abdomen, at 5 P.M. Pain in the bowels, at daylight in the morning, which is relieved by external warmth, and by bending forward whilst lying on the side, but is aggravated by lying on the back. Pain in the transverse colon, at 3 A.M. followed by diarrhoea. Severe pain in the bowels (after five hours). Pain in the bowels occasionally, but not so severe (fourth day). Pain in the ascending colon. Sensation of heat in the bowels, accompanying the inclination to go to stool. After supper, sensation as if there would be an evacuation of the bowels. This sensation came and went at short intervals, until going to bed, when it ceased (first day). Awoke at 2 A.M. with slight stitching pains in bowels, with desire to go to stool; did not sleep well the remaining part of the night, on account of occasional stitching pains in the bowels; the pains were mitigated by flexing the thighs on the abdomen (second night). The symptoms generally, but especially the abdominal symptoms, are aggravated in the morning and better in the evening. Tenderness and some bloating of lower bowels (fifth day); still very tender over lower bowels (sixth day). Pain had extended into the lower bowels and right ovary, in the afternoon (fifth day).

Rectum & Anus

Aggravation of internal piles; the rectum would protrude more than an inch after every motion of the bowels or after any sudden motion, such as sneezing, and even during any mental excitement; the parts could not always be replaced very readily; would sometimes remain prolapsed for days, owing to the swelling and congestion. Too much bearing down at stool, as if from inactivity of the rectum. Secretion of mucus from the anus.

Stool

Diarrhoea, immediately after eating and drinking. Diarrhoea early in the morning, which continues through the forenoon, followed by a natural stool, in the evening. From six to eight evacuations in a day. Increased action of the bowels (after nine and five hours); purgation (eighth and fifth hours after second dose). Free motion, in the morning; the bowels open again twice loosely (second day); the cathartic action was still manifested (third and fourth days); in all six motions were obtained.

TF Allen
Dr. Timothy Field Allen, M.D. ( 1837 - 1902)

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.