The Southernwood (Artemisia Abrotanum, L.) is still cultivated in old gardens; a low shrub about three feet in height, with finely divided leaves of an intensely bitter taste. A tincture is prepared from the chopped and bruised leaves.
General Action
The indications of a central disturbance (hyperaemia) of the nervous system, producing anaesthesia and paralysis, are very marked; this is accompanied by neuralgic pains, which cause restlessness and are relieved by motion.
Group for Study – Absinth., Rhus tox., Conium, Gelsemium, Causticum, Argent-n., Phosphorus, Cimicif., Zincum met.
Generalities
Trembling all over. (Argent. n., Cimicif., Gelsemium) Often unconsciously dropped the reins while driving. (Compare Conium) Pains in afternoon, with necessity to lie down, great sleepiness, but inability to sleep. P. in back, hips and knees, in afternoon. P. all day in side and back of neck and shoulders, limbs, back and hips, with numbness of arms and hands.
Darting pain in various parts of body and limbs; in various parts, in forenoon, most severe above and near r. elbow. Itching, then darting pains in different parts, most in lower lobes of lungs and below knees. Lameness, morning on waking, especially in back, muscular soreness on motion, with pain in back of neck, shoulders, r. side of chest and limbs, with lameness of r. hip, so as to cause limping.
Weakness, in forenoon, with lameness; weak, sickly feeling, with internal trembling when excited. Disposed to lie prone.
Mind
Nervous, excited, loquacious, felt like shouting good humored, happy. Taciturn, irritable, violent. Peevish, feels as if she would like to do something cruel. Desponding. Thinks her brain is softening. No capacity for thinking. Feebleness and dullness.
Head
Aching; and fulness. Creeping chills along convolutions of brain, with pricking. L. brain seems especially weak, easily fatigued by conversation or mental effort. Head weak, could not hold it up. Squeezed feeling in temporal region. Pain in l. temple, morning on waking, continuing all forenoon. Scalp sore, ((<)) l. side. Itching of scalp.
Eyes
Smarting in evening, with pain in l., and inability to open it.
Ears
Wind rushes out of right. Humming like a bee, but when in bed a sound like distant talking, (>) listening intently, but returning as he turned his mind from it.
Nose
Watery discharge.
Mouth
Tongue sore. Mouth hot and dry, morning on waking. Mouth dry and sore; sore, (<) night, with salivation; soreness mostly confined to gums near l., upper molars.
Throat
Scraping.
Stomach
Appetite poor. Gnawing hunger. Eructations of air tasting of the plant; of air tasting of salt mackerel in evening. Nausea; with sour eructations; in evening, with burning and soreness of stomach; felt sick all forenoon, (>) open air. Stomach sour. Burning like acidity. Heat; in epigastrium at night, with pain.
Abdomen
Bloated and painful at 10 P.M.; bloated at, midnight, so that it was difficult to walk or bend, and feeling as if bowels could be kept from passing out at anus only by keeping legs close together. Pain; all night, with several stools. P. and heat. Weak, sinking feeling (Gelsemium, Phosphorus). P. In l. hypochondriac region, with empty eructations. P. in region of liver and kidneys, sick, sore, faint, almost amounting to faintness, with inability to walk in the street.
Anus and Stool
Piles, becoming worse as the rheumatic pains abated, with frequent inclination to stool, hardly anything but blood being passed. Urgent desire for stool; with loose stools at 6 and 7 A.M. Frequent loose stools. Stool, with straining, and feeling as if large and indurated, though quite the reverse. Constipation.
Urinary Organs
Bladder full, urging to urinate.
Sexual Organs
Pain in testicles and back. Twitching in ovarian regions, extending to back, Darting pain in region of l. ovary.
Respiratory Organs
Sudden hoarseness. (Gelsemium, Seneg.). Voice weak (Causticum, Gelsemium). Raw, feeling caused by cold air. Sensation as if breathing hot air. Breathing difficult.
Chest
Pricking pain in r. Pain just below heart, then crawling and eructations. P. in l. lung; P. in base of both lungs through the day, with darting pains in limbs and ankles. Sore P. in lungs; in lower part of l. lung, morning on waking. Burning through r. chest.
Pulse
Quick
Neck and Back
Pulling in muscles of neck beneath r. angle of jaw. Back lame, and painful. Heavy pain in lumbar region at 5 P.M.; extending to testicles. Weakness of back, with ovarian pains.
Extremities
Pain all day in shoulders, arms and hips; in arms, legs and feet on waking, (>) after motion, with lameness (Rhus t.) Sore feeling in all, morning on waking, mostly in joints. Joints sore and lame (Rhus-t.) Joints stiff, with pricking (Rhus t.). Pricking and burning in joints. Weakness of extremities; of arms and limbs, with numb feeling (Rhus t.); of legs in evening, and painfulness and lameness of hands.
Upper Extremities
Pain in axillae as if a sore were forming. Shoulders pain. P. from joint to elbows; sharp pain in l. on waking; fugitive P. all night, preventing sleep pain in l. on waking; fugitive P. all night, preventing sleep; lameness and soreness, morning on waking.
Arms
Pain above elbows; above r. elbow in afternoon; above l. elbow at 1. A.M. when rising. Sore pain above 1 elbow at 11 P.M. Arms feel as if tied to body. Lameness and aching on outer and under side, above l. elbow, when riding; then lameness of arm all day. Lameness and weakness of r. arm. Weakness.
Pain in l. elbow and r. hand; in r. elbow all forenoon. Hands sore and painful all day, with difficulty in handling everything. Lameness of r. hand; l. hand at 10 A.M., so that he could not sit still. Aching in first r. finger, then in other finger of r. and l. hand Numb sensation in fingers (Conium Phosphorus, Secale, corn.)
Lower Extremities
Aching pain all day across hips. P. in hips, severe in r. hip and thigh. Lameness of hips and legs. Thighs lame and painful, with sore feeling, but they are not sore to touch.
Knees
Pain; l.; sore P. in evening, r. then l. Lameness and painfulness of r. knee in morning. Lame, aching p. on inside of r. knee, then on outside of l. Lameness of knees at 11 A.M. Weakness of r. knee and ankle.
Legs
Sudden pain. P. in middle of l.; then r. tibia. Legs and feet lame and painful. Sore lameness in head of l. fibula in evening. Ankles and legs so painful that he could not sit still at 11.30 A.M. (Rhus. t.) Pain in ankles and knees, with lame and painful feet. Aching P. in ankles and feet, especially outside of l. ankle.
Skin
A large sore forms from a small scratch. The old eruption feels sore, with violent pricking itching extending to head and arms. Itching of limbs; of a corn on second left toe.
Sleep
Yawning and eructations all day. Sleepiness all day. Sleep unrefreshing. Sleep restless; with springing up and constant jumping and thrashing of arms. Night restless, with heat and pain at epigastrium. Dreams frightful, and waking frightened and trembling.
Fever
Chilliness.
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.