Ledum patients most are full blooded and plethoric;robust. Its inflamed surfaces tend to bleed, and the blood is black.
Haemorrhages of eye-nose-cavities: bloody urine.
Ulcers-perhaps phagedenic and spreading: relieved by cold.
Rheumatic and gouty conditions: chalk stones: deposits in wrists, fingers and toes. Go from below upwards. Inflame, and are relieved by cold. Especially knees affected. “Such patients sit with joint exposed to the cold, fanning it, or putting on evaporating lotion.”
Face, puffy, bloated, besotted, like that of an old drunkard. Takes away, to a treat extent the crave for whiskey, and counteracts its effects. He says “Ledum is to whisky what Caladium is to smokers: it will break off the smoking habit, so that they often got an aversion to it.:”
He talks of its kidney symptoms: its sand in the urine. “When the patient is feeling his best, there are great quantities of sandy deposits in the urine: when their is little sand, the deposits in joints become marked, and he feels less well.” Ledum tends to make complaints go away from the centre. because its complaints begin in the circumference and go towards the center. Lycopodium, which often causes a return of red sand to the urine, also keeps conditions coming to the surface.
Emaciation of suffering parts, after infected injuries to nerves.
NASH has some extra things to emphasize in regard to Ledum.
Ecchymoses: Ledum sometimes comes in to finish up an Arnica case; where Arnica was best at first, Ledum often removes the ecchymoses and discoloration more rapidly and perfectly.
“Black eye, from a blow or contusion: better than Arnica.” For this, he says, there is no remedy equal to Ledum in the 20th potency. But if there be great pain in the eyeball itself, Symphytum may have to be used. He adds, in all these affections, I believe the 200th potency better than the lower preparations.”
He talks of Ledum in acute rheumatism:- the joints are swollen and hot, but not red. The swelling are pale and the pains are worse at night and from heat of the bed: wants them uncovered.
In chronic rheumatism it’s equally efficacious. Joints swollen and painful, especially in the heat of the bed: with painful hard nodes and concretions first in joints of feet, then hands. Periosteum of phalanges painful on pressure. Ankles swollen and soles painful and sensitive;can hardly step on them. And in these cases the Ledum patient is unnaturally cold:lack vital, or animal heat. Under Ledum the relief from cold is so prominent that sometimes the only amelioration is putting the feet into cold water. He says, study Ledum in all cases of rheumatism of the feet.
BLACK LETTER SYMPTOMS
All day long, discontented with his fellow creatures, which at last amounted to misanthropy.
Vertigo. Head tends to sink backwards.
Considerable dilatation of pupils.
Contusions or wounds of eye or lids, especially with extravasation of blood.
A noise in the ears like ringing of bells, or like a storm of wind. roaring in the ears, as from wind.
Hard pressure inwards in the lower law.
Sore throat, with fine shooting pain.
A sudden flow of watery saliva from mouth, with colic. Water brash.
Tight, painful respiration.
Dyspnoeic constriction of chest, worse movement and walking.
Chronic cough characterized by cold and deficiency of animal heat.
Expectoration of bright red blood with violent cough.
Pain in loins after sitting.
On raising arm, extremely painful shooting in shoulder.
Pressure in left shoulder joint, aggravated by movement.
Pressure in both shoulder joints, aggravated by movement.
Trembling of the hands when grasping or when moving them.
Whitlows, from punctured wounds, needle pricks, splinters.
Pressure in left thigh, posteriorly; as if the muscles were not in their right places, like, pain of dislocation; in every position, but especially violent when touched and when walking.
Trembling of knees (and hands) when sitting and walking.
Weakness in knee joints, when walking, a tearing pressure in them. Tearing pressure in right knee joint and below it; worse by walking.
Swelling and tensive, and shooting pain in knees, when walking.
Pressure above left ankle, worse by movement.
Very severe gnawing itching on dorsum of both feet; more violent after scratching: only allayed when he had scratched the feet raw;much aggravated by heat of bed.
Obstinate swelling of the feet.
Pressure on the inner ball of left foot.
Soles of feet painful when walking, as if filled with blood.
Ball of big toes is soft, swollen and painful when trading tendons stiff.
Gout, worse in feet: gouty nodosities on joints; fine tearing in toes.
Pain in ankles, as from strain, or false step.
Rheumatic pains going from below upwards joints pale, swollen, tense, hot; stinging, drawing pains. Worse from warmth of bed, and bed covering; worse motion and in evening.
Rheumatism and rheumatic gout; begins in lower limbs and ascends; especially if brought into a low, asthenic state by abuse of Colchicum; joints become the seat of nodosities and “gout stones” which are painful.
Swelling of feet and legs up to knees, purple and mottled. pitting on Pressure, with rending pains in periosteum; comfortable only when holding feet in ice water.
Affects principally left shoulder and right hip joint.
Rheumatism begins in lower limb’s and ascends.
Heat in the hands and the feet, in the evening.
Long continued warm sweat on hands and feet.
Cannot bear the heat of the bed, on account of heat and burning in the limbs.
Gone to sleep feeling of the limbs.
Uneasy dreams: he is sometimes in one place, sometimes in another, sometimes occupied with one subject, sometimes with another.
Sleeplessness with restlessness and tossing about.
On waking, slight sweat all over, with itching all over that compelled scratching.,
Chilliness without subsequent heat: limbs extremely cold, while rest of body was warm.
Rigor over whole back, with rather hot cheeks and hot forehead, without redness of face, or thirst; with cold hands.
Sprains of ankles and feet.
Punctured wounds, from sharp pointed instruments, as awls, rat bites, nails, etc.; particularly if wounded parts feel cold to touch, and to patient.
Punctured wounds; stings, of insects, especially of mosquitoes.
Rheumatic, gouty diathesis; constitutions abused by alcohol.
Emaciation of suffering parts.(? Plumb).
OTHER NOTABLE SYMPTOMS
One of its mental pictures is striking:-Cross, surly: everything is disagreeable. Restless; cannot reflect steadily, or work quietly. Cross: he retired into solitude, and, almost weeping, longed for death.
Least covering of head is intolerable.
Mouldy taste in mouth every time she coughs, causing nausea.
Spasmodic, double inspiration, with sobbing, as after crying.
Child gets stiff before paroxysm; bends himself backwards, followed by expectoration of clear frothy blood (Whooping cough.)
Haemoptysis, bright-red, profuse, with cough, rattling and hissing in air passages: burning pain fixed spot in chest.
Great swelling of knees with rheumatic pain, comfortable only when applying cold.
Stiffness of all joints, could only move them after applying cold water.
General coldness, with heat and redness of face.
Parts cold to touch, but not subjectively cold to patient (Arnica).
Limbs and whole body painful, as if bruised and beaten (Arn)
Purple spots over body like petechiae (Arnica, Phosphorus, Crot, h.).
Bloodboils.
Eruption, only on covered parts. (Thuja: sweat only on uncovered parts.)
Sensation as if lice were crawling over surface: (<)from heat, motion, and at night.
