Synonym. Lycopodium Clavatum. Natural order. Lycopodiaceae. Common names. Club Moss. Wolf’s Foot. Habitat. A moss growing in all parts of the world, especially in Northern countries. Preparation. Triturations of the pollen of the plant (see special directions in Pharmacopoeia).
GENERAL ANALYSIS.
Lycopodium acts powerfully upon the vegetative system, depressing its action, and causing a slowly advancing weakness of functional power and decay of tissue. It acts especially upon the mucous membranes of the respiratory, digestive and genito-urinary organs and upon the skin, but shows its most important local action upon the liver and the digestive tract, where it produces a disturbed digestion, hepatic congestion, constipation, etc., and upon the kidneys causing the”uric acid diathesis.” The lymphatic system becomes weakened, the glands, especially of the neck, swollen and indurated, and the skin sluggish and unhealthy. The chief characteristic of this remedy is an excessive accumulation of flatulence in the abdomen.
CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS.
Mind. Depression of spirits; weeping; sad, melancholy, despondent (Natr. mur., Lobelia, Pulsatilla); apprehensive. Great anxiety, as if in pit of stomach. Suspicious. Anthrophobia. Fretful, ill-hundred, irritable (Anacardium, Bryonia, Chamomilla, Nux v., Hepar s., Calcarea c.), Morose, peevish, vehement, angry, timid. Easily aroused to anger. Weak memory (Anacardium); confused thoughts; speaks or writes wrong words and syllables (Dulcamara, Melilotus, Osm.). Confusion about every- day things, abut rational talking on abstract subjects. Disinclined to talk. Inability to comprehend or remember what is read. Stupefaction. Dullness.
Head. Vertigo in the morning when and after rising (Alumina, Bryonia, Chamomilla, Nitr. ac., Phosphorus), so that he reels back and forth. Rush of blood to the head in the morning on waking. Head shakes on stepping hard. Confusion and heaviness in the head. Headache, with ravenous hunger, better from eating. Pressing, stupefying headache; worse from 4 to 8 P.M. Throbbing headache; on leaning head backward during the day; after coughing. Pressing or tearing frontal headache, especially in right of head; worse on rising up better on lying down. Pressive headache in the vertex. Frontal headache after breakfast; afternoon when riding in carriage, with pressure in stomach. Shattering pain in temples and chest during cough. Stitches in temples during difficult stool. Hair becomes gray early (Phosphorus ac.); falling out of hair (Graphites, Natr. mur., Nitr. ac., Phosphorus, Sepia). Eruption beginning on the occiput; crusts thick, easily bleeding; oozing a foetid moisture; worse after scratching, and from warmth (Graphites, Hepar s., Mercurius, Nitr. ac.). Itching of the scalp.
Eyes. Inflammation of the eyes, with itching in canthi, redness, and swelling of lids; distressing pain as if they were dry, with nightly agglutination (Alumina, Calcarea c., Mercurius, Pulsatilla, Graphites, Silicea, Sulphur). Sticking, worse mornings, without redness. Must wipe mucus from eye in order to see clearly (Euphrasia, Pulsatilla). Purulent mucus. Dryness and smarting in the eyes, as if dust were in them; difficult to open, mornings; burning itching. Styes on the lids, more toward inner canthi (Graphites, Pulsatilla, Staphysagria). Ulceration and redness of lids, with acrid lachrymation (Mercurius, Sulphur). Photophobia; evening light blinds very much; can see nothing on the table. Sees only the left half of an object distinctly (Calcarea c., Lithium carb. Upper half, Aurum). Veil and flickering before the eyes; black spots before the eyes (Cyclamen, Mercurius, Phosphorus, Sulphur).
Ears. Hearing over-sensitive (Aconite, Belladonna, Acid Muriaticum). Roaring in the ears (Aconite, Belladonna, Cinchona). Purulent, ichorous discharge from the ears (Aurum, Graphites, Hepar s., Mercurius, Nitr. ac.).
Nose. Violent catarrh, with smelling of the nose and acrid discharge (Arsenicum, Cepa, Mercurius cor.). The ichorous discharge from the nose begins in right nostril; scarlatina of diphtheria. Nose stopped up; at night; cannot breathe through it (Nux v.); with excessive dryness; evenings. Smell extremely sensitive (Aconite, Agaricus, Belladonna, Coffea c., Colchicum, Hepar s.). Fan-like motion of the alae nasi in pneumonia.
Face. Yellowish gray color of the face (Cinchona). Pale, sickly, puffy (Arsenicum). Flushes of heat in the face (Kreosotum, Sulphur). Tearing pains in the bones of the face. Ulcers on lips.
Mouth. Humid suppurating eruption around the mouth; corners of mouth sore (ant. crud., Graphites, Mercurius). The lower jaw hangs down (Opium). Teeth excessively painful to touch, and when chewing; front teeth loose or too long (Carb. an., Mercurius, Nitr. ac.); drawing cramp- like pains, relieved by warm drinks; with swelling of gums. Gums bleed violently when cleaning the teeth (Mercurius, Nitr. ac., Phosphorus). Tongue coated white (Antim crud., Bryonia, Nux v., Pulsatilla). Ulcers and under the tongue. Vesicles on the tip of the tongue (Kali carb., Natr. mur., Acid Muriaticum). Dryness of the mouth and tongue, without thirst (Nux moschata, Pulsatilla). Laxity and heaviness of the tongue. Accumulation of water in mouth. Saliva dries on palate and lips to a tenacious mucus. Tongue is darted out and oscillates to an fro; in sore throat. Tongue distended, giving patient silly expression; in angina or diphtheria. Sour or bitter taste (Cinchona Nux. v., Mag. carb.); in the morning; after eating. Food tastes sour.
Throat. Accumulation of mucus in throat; hawking of bloody mucus; with inclination to swallow; small greenish yellow masses; granular. Choking provoking constant swallowing. Sticking; in region of right parotid. Dryness in throat. Soreness and pain on swallowing and coughing. Pain and soreness beginning on right side of throat. Feeling as if a ball rose from below up into the throat (Asafoetida, Physos.). Feeling of constriction in throat; nothing can be swallowed; food and drink regurgitate through the nose (Mercurius). Swelling and suppuration of tonsils, going from right to left (Hepar s., Mercurius). Sensitiveness of the submaxillary glands.
Stomach. Excessive appetite; the more he eats the more he wants (Bryonia, Calcarea, Ferrum, Mercurius). Hunger, but a small quantity of food fills him up; constant feeling of satiety (Cinchona). Appetite lost; whatever she eats goes against her, even to vomiting. Aversion to coffee (Natr. mur., Phosphorus ac.), and tobacco. Eructations acrid; incomplete and burning hiccough (Bryonia, Cicuta, Hyoscyamus). Sour taste extending to stomach, causing acrid gnawings. Heartburn; waterbrash (Ledum, Natr. carb., Nux v.). Nausea; in pharynx and stomach; in mornings; fasting. Distention and cramp in stomach. Vomiting of food and bile; vomiting after a meal with salivation; during menses; better in open air. Pressure and heaviness in stomach, as if distended; in evening after eating a little (Cough., Ledum, Sulphur). Slow digestion. Pit of stomach and sensitive to touch (Antim crud., Arsenicum, Bryonia); anxiety in pit. Constriction and tightness in stomach and hypochondria.
Abdomen. Sore, pressive bruised pain in region of liver, on breathing; aggravated by touch. Sensation of something heavy lying on left side of abdomen. Excessive fullness and distension of the abdomen from flatulence (Absinth., Cinchona, Carb., Veg., Kali carb., Phos|); better from passing flatus. Much flatus accumulates here and there in the abdomen, in the hypochondria, in the back, in region of ribs and chest, causing and bubbling; relieved by empty eructations (Carb. v.). Griping. Tension and pain in abdomen from incarcerated flatulence (Cinchona carb., v.). Continuous rumbling and roaring in the abdomen (Agaricus, Aloe., Hepar s., Sulphur, Zincum met.). Brown spots on abdomen.
Stool and Anus. Rectum contracted and protrudes during hard stool. Burning in the anus with frequent stools. Stitches and cramps in the rectum. Haemorrhoids protruding, very painful to the touch; painful when sitting. Discharge of blood during stool. Constipation; stools dry and hard (Bryonia, Sulphur), or first part lumpy, second soft; feeling as if much remained unpassed (Nux v.).
Urinary Organs. Severe backache; relieved by passing urine. Passing only small quantities. Frequent desire to urinate. Burning during micturition. Red, sandy sediment in the urine (Arnica, Cinchona, Coccus, Natr. mur., Phosphorus). Turbid, milky urine, with an offensive purulent sediment; dull pressing in region of bladder and abdomen; disposition to calculi; cystitis. Incontinence; no urine secreted. Haematuria from gravel or chronic catarrh. Before passing water child screams with pain; red sand on diaper.
Male Organs. Impotence; penis, small, cold, relaxed. Desire diminished (Agn., Baryta c., Berberis, Caps., Sulphur). Itching on inner surface of prepuce; on scrotum.
Female Organs. Menses too profuse, and long protracted. Suppression of menses; also from fright (Aconite). Sense of dryness in vagina. Burning in vagina (Sulphur), during and after coition. Leucorrhoea like milk (Calcarea c., Coni., Kreosotum, Pulsatilla, Acid Sulphuricum, Sepia). bloody; corroding. Cutting across the hypogastrium; from right to left. Discharge of wind from the vagina (Bromium).
ALLEN CORSON COWPERTHWAITE was born at Cape May, New Jersey, May 3, 1848, son of Joseph C. and Deborah (Godfrey) Cowperthwaite. He attended medical lectures at the University of Iowa in 1867-1868, and was graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia in 1869. He practiced his profession first in Illinois, and then in Nebraska. In 1877 he became Dean and Professor of Materia Medica in the recently organized Homeopathic Department of the State University of Iowa, holding the position till 1892. In 1884 he accepted the chair of Materia Medica, Pharmacology, and Clinical Medicine in the Homeopathic Medical College of the University of Michigan. He removed to Chicago in 1892, and became Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics in the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College. From 1901 he also served as president of that College. He is the author of various works, notably "Insanity in its Medico-Legal Relations" (1876), "A Textbook of Materia Medica and Therapeutics" (1880), of "Gynecology" (1888), and of "The Practice of Medicine " (1901).