INTRODUCTION
AETH Garden Hemlock, Fool’s Parsley. See Hartlaub and Trinks’ Annals. vol. iv., 1. Duration of Action; from three tom four weeks.
COMPARE WITH.-
Cicut., Conium, and the other remedies belonging to that family.
ANTIDOTES
This plant has received the common name of Fool’s Parsley, from its resemblance to common Parsley, and the unpleasant accidents which have occurred from mistaking one plant for the other. It has a botanical alliance with Conium-maculatum, Cicuta-virosa.
RATIONALE OF ITS ACTION ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.
Nerves of Motion.
According to Christison, it is more apt to cause convulsions than any other Hemlock. It is homoeopathic to violent epileptic cramps, with turning in of the thumbs, redness of the face, convulsive movements of the eyes, which are turned down spasmodically; very great dilation of the pupils; frothing at the mouth; clenching of the teeth; small, hard, and quick pulse, with natural warmth of the body, or coldness of the extremities. From its marked action on the stomach, bowels, and liver, it would seem most homoeopathic to the abdominal or ganglionic epilepsy of Schoenlein. In this disease, the patient first experiences, from time to time, a gnawing, contracting, burning, or piercing pain in the region of the navel, corresponding to the superior or inferior mesenteric plexus of nerves; this pain may subside on the setting in of a feeling as if a vapor or a hot flame passed over the part. The aura may ascend to the stomach, followed by a feeling of spasm there, and by vomiting of an albuminous fluid; or it may extend from the stomach towards the right hypochondrium, followed by slight and transient signs of jaundice, such as yellowness of the whites of the eyes, yellowness of the face and tongue, or it may progress at once towards the brain, and an actual paroxysm of epilepsy may promptly occur. Abdominal epilepsy is said to happen most frequently between the seventh and eleventh years of life; it is four times more frequent ion males than females; the attacks are more common towards the full of the moon, after which they lessen, and towards the last quarter they are entirely absent. J.C.P.
If AEthusa be Homoeopathic to epilepsy, it ought to be antipathic to paralysis;, yet Noack has recommended it in paraplegia inferior. It causes great debility, lassitude, and tiredness, especially in the legs, attended with drowsiness; also, paralytic pain in the left shoulder;, sudden lassitude of the fore-arms while knitting; weakness of the right wrist; paralytic pains in the thighs while sitting, disappearing after notion; great lassitude of the legs. These are all symptoms which point to great debility, and perhaps, to approaching paralysis; but, as AEthusa is preeminently a convulsive remedy, it must be antipathic to paralysis, except when it occurs in consequence of the exhaustion which succeeds previous convulsive action.- J.C.P.
Nerves of Sensations.
It is supposed to act much less specifically upon these than upon the nerves of motion; in fact, most of the AEthusa, pains are rending and piercing, such as occur in muscular or fibrous strictures, and are comparable to rheumatic or muscular contractive pains, like labor-pains. Thus, it is homoeopathic to rending and piercing pains in the muscles; in the head, especially in the temples, mostly in the afternoon; in the ears; zygoma; in the gums; in the epigastrium, extending up to the oesophagus; in the lumbar and hypochondriac regions; in the nape; in the elbow, hand, and finger-joints; in the thighs, knees, and feet. J.C.P.
MUSCULAR SYSTEM.
Any remedy which acts specifically upon the nerves of motion, almost necessarily acts equally specifically upon the muscles. It may prove homoeopathic to the convulsions which attend Bright’s disease. J.C.P.
VASCULAR SYSTEM. Fever.
Chill in the room; chill after having walked in the open air. General coldness. Internal coldness. Coldness of the whole body, accompanied by somnolence; coldness of the whole body, perceptible to the touch, without thirst, for two days. Redness of the face during the coldness. Horripilation, with heat extending over the whole body. Painful lassitude, hot breath, and jactitation during the horripilation. General heat. Complete absence of thirst, notwithstanding the great general heat. General sweat. He cannot bear to be uncovered during the sweat. Irregular pulse; full, accelerated, imperceptible pulse. The febrile symptoms manifest themselves more especially in the morning with very great malaise and disposition to delirium, which go off during the sweat.- J.C.P.
Abdominal Typhus.
It causes blackness and dryness of the tongue, buzzing in the ears, and severe purging of light yellow bilious matters; these symptoms probably led Noack to suggest its use in typhoid fever. The stools in typhoid fever are for the most part loose and frequent, and either of a dark color and offensive, or else thin, yellow, and ochry, somewhat like pea-soup. But the most essential part in typhoid fever is the peculiar change in the blood; this consists in a diminution of the fibrin and increase of the carbonated salts, especially of carbonate of soda. Numerous experiments have shown that, in animals which have for a long time been submitted to the excessive use of alkalies, the blood becomes destitute of fibrin, and rich in the carbonated alkalies; hence the alkalies are homoeopathic to typhoid fever, and the acids antipathic. It is not known whether AEthusa, Rhus, Belladonna, also produce a change in the blood similar to that which occurs in typhoid fever. J.C.P.
GLANDULAR SYSTEM.
Roth says it homoeopathic to swelling of the lymphatic glands of the neck; also of the axillary glands. It may prove homoeopathic to some scrofulous affections; as it is found to produce tumefaction of the meibomian glands, chronic photophobia, stoppage of the nose with thick mucus, yellowish discharge from the ears, herpetic excoriations of the thighs, great debility, emaciation, profuse perspiration from the least exertion, and general dropsy. J.C.P.
CLINICAL REMARKS.
Roth says it is homoeopathic and curative against; tumefactions of the meibomian glands; chronic inflammation of the edges of the lids; sticking together of the eye-lids in the morning; pustules on the cornea; commencing amaurosis; and chronic photophobia. He also says it is homoeopathic to a yellowish discharge from the ears. This remedy is one of the most homoeopathic to vomiting and diarrhoea; to cholera. It has been used very successfully against the vomiting of milk in infants; against regurgitation of food about an hour after meals; intolerance of milk; children throw up milk almost as soon as it is swallowed, wither coagulated or not coagulated, and by a sudden fit of vomiting, followed by great weakness and tendency to fainting. It is supposed to be homoeopathic to the first stage of granular liver; in one case, the liver was found hard and yellow; it also exerts a specification on the duodenum and liver. It is homoeopathic to that irritation if the duodenum which extends along the ductus- communis to the liver, thus causing a great accumulation of bile in the gall-bladder, and a great overflow of bile, sufficient to stain the whole liver, duodenum, and part of the colon and omentum with yellow bile; it is also homoeopathic to pain and tenderness in the region of the liver. According to Corrigan, the first stage of granular liver is marked by colic-pains, generally felt about four or six hours after dinner, quick pulse, vomiting, and constipation, or the stools may be loaded with mucus, and sometimes tinged with blood. As the disease advances, the fits of colic occur more frequently, the vomiting becomes more intense, the skin dry, the pulse quicker, the tongue red and smooth; in most cases there is pain at the top of the right shoulder, and in all a degree of jaundice, very slight at first, but progressing gradually, and sufficiently distinct, if the conjunctiva be examined. There is also some slight pain in the region of the liver and duodenum. It is very evident that AEthusa is homoeopathic to this train of symptoms. It is homoeopathic to cholera-infantum; to bilious diarrhoea and dysentery; to the diarrhoea of teething, children, when attended with acidity of the stomach and decided bilious derangement. It promises to prove homoeopathic to Bright’s disease; it is homoeopathic to oedema of the face, and to the diarrhoea and vomiting, which so frequently attends this affection. noack recommends it in paraplegia; it is homoeopathic to great debility, lassitude, and tiredness, especially in the legs, attended with drowsiness; paralytic pain in the left shoulder; sudden lassitude of the arms; weakness of the wrist; paralytic pain in the thighs; great lassitude of the legs.- J.C.P.
GENERAL SYMPTOMS.
Great prostration, debility, with drowsiness. The limbs become cold and stiff.- Epileptic fits of children, with clenched thumbs, red face, squinting of the eyes downward, dilated pupils, form at the mouth, lock jaw. Spasms, with stupor and delirium.- Fatal convulsions.
