URINARY ORGANS.
Strangury, flow of blood from the kidneys; burning while urinating; violent pains in the kidneys; hot, scanty urine. Greenhow ascribes a diuretic effect to Aloes, and Moiroud injected four drachms into a vein of a horse with no other effect than producing the evacuation of a large quantity of urine. It has been repeatedly noticed that when Squills and other diuretics failed to act, the addition of a small portion of Aloes has speedily produced a copious diuresis.
GENITAL ORGANS.
It causes a determination of blood to the womb, and fullness of its blood-vessels, especially the veins, and thus uterine irritation and menorrhagia are apt to be induced or increased by it. Vascular excitement of the sexual organs, immoderate flow of the menses, racking pains in the loins, and labor-like pains are frequently occasioned by it. Discharge of blood from the urethra, drawing and burning pain in the sacral region. Burning white urinating, aching and heaviness in the pelvis, erection sand pollutions, and excitement of the uterine vessels.
CLINICAL REMARKS.
It has been successfully in some troublesome nervous affections, such as hypochondria, melancholy, mania, cramp sin the stomach, haemorrhoidal discharge. Haemorrhoidal congestion of the spinal is most common in the cervical portion-there is stiffness and drawing pain along the nape, with difficulty of swallowing; when the dorsal portion is affected there is stiffness of the arms, and compressing pain in the chest, when often amounts to dyspnoea and asthmatic attacks. Many cases of hypochondria and melancholy owe their origin to functional derangement of the liver. Aloes, which exercises a specific action upon this organ, and promotes the bilious secretion, is quite homoeopathic in instances of this character. Among the phenomena accompanying this variety of hypochondria, we usually observe constipation, stools scanty, dry, and clay-colored. Aloes rouses into action the torpid liver, promotes the intestinal secretions, and thus regulates the bowels, restores the normal faecal discharges, and enables the nervous system to recover its impaired tone.
Aloes is one of the most useful remedies against vicarious haemorrhages, such as occur from suppression of the menstrual or haemorrhoidal discharges. I have several times removed haematemesis from suppression of piles or menstruation; also bleeding of the nose, and bleeding from the lungs. It may prove useful in haemorrhagic apoplexy, from suppression of one or the other of these discharges, and should be borne in mind in all these vicarious haemorrhages.- J.C.P.
Haemorrhages occurring in chlorotic patients are often permanently removed by the use of Aloes. The following symptoms are especially characteristic: Emaciation, pale and waxen countenance, uterine irritation, irregular menstruation, leucorrhoea, heat and irritation in the rectum, haemorrhages from the nose, throat, lungs, and rectum, obstruction of the portal circulation, large secretion of urine, active sexual feelings.
In apoplexy and other cerebral affections, Aloes is a valuable remedy, especially when these affections arise from a suppression of the menstrual or haemorrhoidal discharges. Irregular haemorrhoidal congestion to the head, with the attendant redness and heat of the face, illusion of vision, and threatened apoplexy, may be removed by Aloes. Serious affections of the head have sometimes disappeared on the occurrence of a haemorrhoidal flux, and therefore, in persons who have been subject to this discharge, but in when it has ceased
It may be advisable to attempt its reestablishment, with a view of relieving other and more serious disorders. In haemorrhoidal congestion of the brain, often the patient complains of dizziness, great heaviness and confusion of the head, and the choroid coat is blue with congestion; illusions of sight, such as sparks, flies, and spider-feet, before the eyes, and an approach to amblyopia-amaurotica; from time to time, severe turns of vertigo set in, so that the patient becomes much agitated, and supposes that he is attacked with apoplexy; the attacks are more severe in hot weather, and wen constipation is present.- J.C.P.
A few drops of a watery infusion of Aloes, put into the ears, and a teaspoonful, night and morning, of the simple tincture of Aloes, with Liquorice, has removed the most obstinate deafness, loss of smell, and congestion to the head. In haemorrhoidal congestion to the head, noises in the ears, illusions and hardness of learning are not uncommon.
Aloes is homoeopathic to many cases of what may be what may be called bilious sore throat-i.e., when the irritation of an excess of bile in the system causes more or less irritation in the pharynx. Many cases of catarrhal, rheumatic, or inflammatory sore throat, occurring in very bilious persons, often require an intercurrent dose of Aloes to remove the bilious derangement, before the other symptoms will yield to the usual remedies.
It has been recommended in derangements of digestion, depending upon debility of the muscular fibres of the stomach and bowels; against abnormal secretion of mucus, acid, or gas; in anorexia, dyspepsia, flatulent distention, and painful aching in the region of the stomach, with acid, rancid eructations, sluggish digestion, constipation, especially when these disorders occur in bilious and hypochondriacal subjects. Its bitterness is said to render it an admirable stomachic, which promotes both appetite and digestion; some think that it regulates the due secretion of the gastric juice, while the ancients termed it the anima ventriculi.- J.C.P.
Waring recommends it in dyspepsia, occurring in persons of a relaxed habit, or in those who have been debilitated by long illness, particularly if there is reason to believe that the duodenum is implicated. It doubtless acts specifically upon the portal portion of the vascular system of the stomach. It is the best remedy in haemorrhoidal congestion of the stomach and spleen, when there is congestion and enlargement of the spleen; when pressure on the enlarged spleen causes difficulty of breathing in the left side of the chest; when there are pains in the spleen, following the course of the vasa-brevia, sour eructations, heartburn, or sour vomiting; when there is distention of, and pain in the stomach, with sensation as if a warm fluid had been poured out into it, followed by vomiting of blood. In mild cases of dyspepsia, accompanied by an excess of the gastric secretions, water-brash, tasteless or bitter eructations, and heartburn, Aloes, in a non-attenuated form, often proves beneficial. It has also been employed with success in indigestion caused by a lack of the bilious secretion.
Against slight functional derangements of the liver, Aloes is an excellent remedy. The symptoms for which it is particularly indicated are: Irregular secretion of the bile, the stools sometimes containing an excess, and at other times a deficiency of this fluid; heat, fullness, and pressure in the hepatic region; dull pains in the liver; lassitude, drowsiness; yellowish tinge of the skin; feeble appetite; depression of spirits.
It is one of the most homoeopathic remedies against plethora- abdominalis; also against many forms of bilious and venous congestive colics; also against many haemorrhoidal and congestive colics. In haemorrhoidal congestion of the duodenum and malena, often there is a peculiar cutting or aching pain about the navel, aggravated a few hours after eating; the umbilical region is apt to be distended and rather hard, the bowels constipated, and the faeces as if burnt; there is also are markable pallor of the external surface, coldness of the limbs and hands, and a peculiar pale-yellow, earthy color of the face; finally, there is a sensation as if a warm fluid had been poured out about the navel, the abdomen swells more and more, with a doughy or mushy sensation to touch; the more the abdomen becomes disturbed the greater is the pallor of the skin; the pulse becomes small, weak, and trembling, the extremities cold, the features shrunken; finally, black tar-like passages take place, with much straining.- J.C.P.
Aloes is one of the most homoeopathic remedies against bilious diarrhoea and dysentery; it is also far more useful in haemorrhoids than Nux or Sulphur. According to Dr. Belcher, it is indicated in haemorrhoidal dysentery when the patient is restless and anxious, the face flushed, tormina troublesome, and tenesmus vehement, the evacuations being dark-green in color, or bloody, with offensive mucus; when the abdomen is puffed up, the lungs oppressed, with frequent inclination to breathe deeply, and the pulse frequent. Also in dysentery pregnant females, or those suffering with uterine congestion; or when it attacks emaciated persons, especially children, with distended abdomens and tendency to marasmus.
Tilt says he has never seen haemorrhoidal affections caused by Aloes, but he has often seen them relieved by it, and this experience is corroborated by that of Giacomina, Avicenna, and Stahl. In former times, Aloes was regarded as the sacra anchora in the cure of haemorrhoids of an asthenic character, although it produces active congestive piles. At times the moliminae- haemorrhoidaliae pass over into flowing piles under the use of Aloes, while at others they cease without any discharge having been produced. Under the latter circumstances, Harnisch conjectures that the tonic and stimulating effects of the Aloes removes the debility of the vessels upon which the premonitory signs of piles had depended; i.e., that the tendency to active congestion, produced by the Aloes, overcomes the passive stagnation of blood which previously existed. Loeseke asserts that if Aloes be given before the accustomed flow of piles comes on, the flux will ensue; but, on the other hand, if given while they are flowing, a stoppage will be effected.- J.C.P.
