Cantharis. [Canth]
Cantharis symptoms are usually the first ones inquired after when a case of urinary difficulty presents itself. Its symptoms are clear cut, and should not be confounded with those of any other remedy. There is a persistent and violent urging to urinate, with great tenesmus; the urine is passed only in drops and seems like molten lead passing through the urethra, so intense is the burning.
There is with this, usually an aching in the small of the back. It is often indicated in acute cystitis, gravel and urethritis, the great keynotes being the burning and the tenesmus of the bladder; haematuria also calls for Cantharis under certain conditions.
Baehr doubts that Cantharis is ever suitable to the chronic form of cystitis.
Mercurius corrosivus [Merc-c]
Has tenesmus of the bladder with intense burning. The burning is less, but the tenesmus is greater, than in Cantharis. The passing of the urine drop by drop reminds of Aconite, which has the same symptoms. Aconite, however, is adapted to sudden retention of urine, for as soon as the disease becomes fully localized as an inflammation Aconite ceases to be the remedy. Cantharis and Nux vomica have also a similarity in the frequent fruitless efforts to urinate. In the region of the kidneys there is cutting pain which extends into the abdomen, the bladder and urethra. The most distressing symptom is the constant urging to urinate, even a few spoonfuls of urine in the bladder bringing on this urging, which is accompanied by the terrible distress at the neck of the bladder. This pain is aggravated immediately following micturition, showing that with this drug the trouble is more urethral. The urine itself under Cantharis is of a deep red color, deposits a sediment of mucus and often contain fibrinous casts.
Belladonna, too, is a remedy for painful urination. Hughes says that it is a rarely failing remedy for nervous dysuria.
Apis mellifica. [Apis]
The symptoms of scanty urine always leads one to consider whether Apis is or is not the remedy, for although Apis produces scanty urine there are number of other drugs that will do the same thing. The keynotes for Apis in urinary affections are scanty or suppressed urine, drowsiness, oedema in in various parts, thirstlessness and suffocation on lying down. The urine is dark, highly albuminous, and contains casts, so it is readily seen how Apis may correspond to any form of Bright’s disease. In difficult micturition of children Apis is often a useful remedy. It has frequent desire, with the passage of a few drops at a time. Among other symptoms are great irritation at the neck of the bladder and incontinence of urine. It is also the remedy to be thought of in retained urine or inflamed bladder after abuse of Cantharis.
Apocynum cannabinum. [Apoc]
Apocynum seems to act some what on the kidneys and give rise to various dropsical conditions. It produces a scanty urine, which is light in color, or, as it is given, sherry-colored. Its first effect is to produce a copious diuresis; this is followed by the scantiness of urine which results in dropsy. It also produces an incontinence and may be useful in enuresis. A sinking bruised feeling at the stomach is an indication for its use. it differs from Arsenic and Apis in the fact that it has unquenchable thirst. Arsenic wants little and often, Apis is thirstless.
Berberis vulgaris. [Berb]
Outside of its action on the genito urinary system Berberis is seldom thought of, land it is one of our principal remedies for troubles of this system. It seems to correspond to many symptoms which occur in cases of renal calculi. It has severe tearing pains in the kidneys, not merely backache, but pains deep in the kidneys themselves; these pains extend down the back in the kidneys themselves; these pains extend down the back and down the ureters into the bladder;nor do stop here, for we find cutting pains in the bladder extending into the urethra. These pains in the back and along the ureters are very severe; they are worse stooping, lying or sitting, and relieved by standing. In the bladder they cause a desire to urinate, and the patient is constantly urinating, for the bladder seems imperfectly emptied. The bladder aches. The urine itself is reddish, has a reddish deposit consisting of mucus, epithelium and lithates. It differs from the Pareira brava urine in being more slimy. Another characteristic symptoms of Berberis is pain in the hips while urinating. Coccus cacti has some similar symptoms to Berberis, especially the tearing pains extending from the region of the kidneys, the frequent urging to urinate, the deposits of uric acid and the urine of Coccus cacti is dark. These remedies must be distinguished very carefully as they present many symptoms in common. Berberis has rather more back pains, and seems to act deeper. It is especially indicated in genitourinary troubles, which are due to conditions of atony, or feebleness.
Pareira brava. [Pareir]
This is another drug very similar to Berberis vulgaris-as to pains in the back it is quite similar; yet they do not stop in the hips with Pareira as they do under mostly clinical. It has been found useful in cystitis where there is violent straining to urinate, where the patient has to kneel to urinate, where the urine scalds terribly and where these violent pains in the thighs are present. The urine has a strong ammoniacal odor. Contains thick viscid white mucus or deposits or red sand. The three- legged stool of the drug seems to be: the pain in the thighs, the getting down on all fours to urinate, and the ammoniacal odor of the urine. It is also a useful remedy in the condition known as irritable bladder, dull aching in bladder, feeling as if the bladder were distended, with pain.
Equisetum hyemale. [Equis]
Equisetum acts similarly to Cantharis, but it has less tenesmus and haematuria, and the urine is less scalding. There is pain in the bladder as if too full, not relieved by micturition; the constant desire to urinate is not even relieved by copious urination. The urine is scanty, high colored and contains much mucus. Much mucus in the urine is more indicative of Equisetum than of Cantharis. Chimaphila also has much mucus, is especially useful in prostatic troubles, and has made some cures when there were great quantities of ropy mucus in the urine, which was quite offensive. This is a wonderful remedy in the cystic irritation of old men, characterized by a constant teasing desire to urinate with little or no relief following micturition; the patient being frequently compelled to rise at night. The state is one of irritation rather than inflammation. Dr. Hughes considered it a favorite remedy in chronic cystitis. The general aggravation of Equisetum seems to be after urinating. Difficulty in beginning to urinate, strains a great deal, scanty urine. It has proved useful in enuresis with marked vesical irritation, being similar here to Eupatorium purpureum, which is a useful remedy in the vesical irritation of women, with much burning in the urethra during urination. With the foregoing symptoms, Equisetum becomes an important remedy in the treatment of cystitis. It has been suggested in the dysuria of children; the pain being worse after urinating will distinguish it from Petroselinum, which has the symptom that the child dances up and down with pain when the urging to urinate comes on.
Digitalis purpurea. [Dig]
The urinary symptoms of Digitalis consist of a dragging and pressure in the bladder which micturition does not relieve. It has been found useful in inflammation in the neck of the bladder with intense desire to urinate, which is increased even by the passage of a few drops. The patient walks about in great distress; at the same time there is tenesmus of the rectum. The patient is relieved somewhat of these symptoms by lying on the back. The pain at neck of the bladder is throbbing. The urine is scanty, thick and turbid, and contains a sediment of brick-dust, like Lycopodium. The urging to urinate in cases calling for Digitalis is often due to the enlargement of the prostate gland, for which it is a remedy.
Terebinth. [Tereb]
The urine of Terebinth is one of its most characteristic features. It is smoky, turbid, depositing a sediment like coffee grounds, which indicates the presence of disintegrated blood cells. Haematuria from venous congestion of the kidneys calls often for Terebinth. It has burning during micturition and most painful strangury; the urine, too, may contain albumen and has the odor of violets. Peculiar odors to urine may be fond under the Viola tricolor, where it smells like that of the cat, and Benzoic acid, where it smells strong and ammoniacal, like that of a horse. Terebinth is a useful remedy in cystitis, with much tenesmus of the bladder and the scanty, bloody urine; there is also pressure in the bladder, which extends to the kidneys. In acute and chronic nephritis it is often indicated. The urine, oedema and the bronchial catarrh may all point to the remedy.
Professor of Materia Medica in the University of Michigan Homeopathic Medical College. Member of American Institute of Homeopathy. In addition to his editoral work he authored or collaborated on: Boericke and Dewey's Twelve Tissue Remedies, Essentials of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Essentials of Homeopathic Therapeutics and Practical Homeopathic Therapeutics.