PURPLE-FLOWERED BONESET–JOE PYE WEED.
Introduction
(Purpureum–purpura, purple. It is said that an Indian named Joe Pye cured typhus fever in New England with this plant, by inducing profuse sweating.
Eupatorium purp. was first proved by Mrs. H. H. Dresser, about 1865, under the direction of Dr. L. B. Dresser of this country, Mrs. Dresser took from 10 to 60 drops of the tincture at a dose, every eight hours.
Symptoms
Eupatorium purp. has not been used sufficiently often to enable us to say much concerning its range of action, but it would seem as if we had neglected it in affections of the kidneys and urinary organs, with dysuria.
It has proved of value in subacute or chronic inflammation of the kidneys from taking cold, with severe pain in the back, more or less suppression of the urine, with dropsy (63), and smarting, burning (194), or difficulty in urinating.
In intermittent fever Hale wonders how it first happened to be used, saying: “The symptoms are not found in the provings. It may have been by accident that its curative powers in ague were discovered.”
It has many clinical symptoms, including pain in the back and the bone-pains, similar to those found under Eupat. perf., but we will speak only of the dissimilar ones.
The chill begins in the small of the back (121) and is not preceded by thirst; in fact there is no thirst throughout the paroxysm, or thirst only for acid drinks. Chilliness is increased by every movement; during the chill there is blueness of the finger-nails (Hale, Hering) (121) and at the end of the chill nausea, but no vomiting.
It is especially to be thought of in intermittent fever when dysuria is a prominent symptom, with constant desire to urinate, and aching in kidneys and bladder.
