This is, of course, not a homoeopathic use. Remember, in this connection that it is a mild, certain but tardy emetic. Its tardy action renders it an unfit emetic in cases of poisoning, where Zinc sulphate or Copper sulphate are to be preferred. Or suppose we wish to make use of its property as an expectorant. (A drug or measure which increases the absolute amount of sputum formed, or modifies its character as to facilitate its expulsion.)
In croup, especially, where the mucus is not expelled but is swallowed or accumulates in the air passages, an emetic dose of Ipecac often gives relief and may prevent suffocation. This is not a homoeopathic procedure but a purely mechanical one and wholly rational, do not forget that. In small children it often works wonders, clearing out the passage so that your homoeopathic remedy has a chance to act.
Ipecac acts only for a short time, but it is speedy, intense and well marked in its action. Hence Ipecac corresponds more to acute diseases of short duration liable to run a rapid course. Hence, too, it is particularly suitable to diseases of children in whom pathological phenomena develop themselves most rapidly. In women and young people generally it is more frequently indicated than in the old.
GENERAL ACTION. A study of the provings of Ipecac show that its chief action is upon the ramifications of the pneumo-gastric nerve, producing spasmodic irritation in chest and stomach. Its symptomatology embraces a wide field of application in reflex conditions of the nervous system. The great characteristic key- note of Ipecac is intense nausea and you will find it nearly always acts when it is indicated in distressing and intense nausea and inclination to vomit, or when, after vomiting, there is immediate inclination to do so again. Constant nausea with a clean tongue is the watchword.
GENERAL ANALYSIS.
MENTAL. The Ipecac patients are full of desires, for what they know not. The child will scream and cry almost continually. Adults are irritable, morose, holding everything in contempt.
HEAD. When they have this nausea, rheumatic patients complain of a sensation in the head which is characteristic. It is a feeling as if the head or bones of the skull were crushed or bruised. This feeling goes down into the teeth or root of the tongue.
Cocculus has a similar headache with the same intense nausea, but there is more vertigo, stupefaction and the sensation is as if the brain were being compressed or rolled up into a smaller compass.
In nervous, unilateral sick headache commencing over one eye, accompanied with deathly nausea, Ipecac is a wonderful remedy. Blue rings encircle the eyes upon a very pale face and the expression of the mouth betrays nausea. The corners of the mouth are drawn down. If at the commencement of these headaches, Ipecac 30 or higher be given at short intervals it will cure.
GASTRIC SYMPTOMS. The principal feature of Ipecac, as has been stated, is its persistent nausea and vomiting. This condition forms its chief indication in all diseases. These and other gastric symptoms usually predominate when Ipecac is the remedy. The tongue is usually clean, but sometimes it is yellowish or white and moist. The mouth is moist and full of saliva. Constant nausea with all complaints. Vomits food, bile, mucus, or blood just after eating. With it the stomach feels relaxed as if hanging down.
There is cutting, clutching worse around the navel. The gastric symptoms are accompanied by this nausea and vomiting, the same nausea accompanies the various haemorrhages of Ipecac. The nausea is a marked indication for the drug in malarial fevers. This homoeopathic use of Ipecac has also been discovered by the old school. Says Ringer: “Few remedies are so efficacious in checking certain kinds of vomiting. In numerous instances I have witnessed the efficacy of drop doses of the wine of Ipecac administered every hour or three times daily, according to the urgency of the case”.
The vomiting of Ipecac proceeds from the stomach. We know this from the experiments of dividing the pneumogastric nerves so that their gastric extremities shall not be impressionable and no vomiting can be set up by Ipecac. This is different with Antimonium tart. and Apomorphia. Vomiting therefore from gastric irritation rather than from cerebral disease is the indication for Ipecac. Useful too, especially in gastric catarrh in children after sour things, sour unripe fruit, berries, etc.
Vomiting of pregnancy when occurring in the morning and excited by the first waking movements. Take a dose immediately on waking in this case. Nausea may be constant throughout the day. Again some women who, during pregnancy, are not troubled with nausea and vomiting will suffer during the time of suckling, or again women will suffer during the menstrual period in this way. Ipecac generally relieves.
Further, the morning vomiting of drunkards, of chronic alcoholism, or vomiting that often accompanies general weakness met with in convalescence from acute diseases. Vomiting of children from acute catarrh of the stomach. Vomiting of whooping- cough. Vomiting after meals without nausea or pain. The food is partially rejected, regurgitation of food. Vomiting due to cancer, chronic ulceration, etc., will need a deeper acting remedy such as Arsenicum.
Pulsatilla is a very similar drug in gastric troubles, both have bad effects from eating pastry, fat, etc., but Pulsatilla is more useful when the distress comes when the food is still in the stomach, Ipecac when the stomach is empty. The tongue of Ipecac is clean or only slightly coated, while with Pulsatilla it is foul, white or yellow, with a bad taste in the mouth.
Arsenicum has actual catarrh of the stomach from indigestible food, sudden chilling from ice cream or iced water, burning pains, diarrhoea and restlessness.
ABDOMEN AND STOOLS. Stools pitch-like, looking like frothy molasses or of blood and mucus, or green as grass. Griping at navel after indigestible food, raisins, cake, lemon peel. Face pale with blue margins about the eyes and constant look of nausea. Useful in diarrhoea and dysentery when you have the inevitable nausea and vomiting, the green frothy mucus, moist furred tongue, a good deal of griping and the relaxed feeling in the abdomen.
The old school uses large doses in dysentery of malarial and tropical climates. In many of these cases the liver is embarrassed from want of proper eating and Ipecac, in a physiological dose producing vomiting, relieves. At the same time this dose causes congestion of the internal glands, liver and pancreas and increased secretion. The stools become feculent and contain bile when the tenesmus and griping cease. But the patient must now get over the Ipecac disease that takes the place of the dysentery.
RESPIRATORY: A characteristic of Ipecac is spasm and hence it is useful in spasmodic affections of the respiratory organs. This is seen in the constant constriction of the chest, in the dyspnoea, asthma, the convulsive cough, the colic, the tenesmus and the convulsions which the drug causes. Ipecac produces little or no pain, but the symptoms of spasm are numerous and well marked. Now if you bear this in mind, together with its special affinity of action, i.e., stomach and bronchi, you can understand its usefulness in many different forms of disease. Continued sneezing, eyes reddened, eyes smart or water with a copious discharge from the nose.
More commonly the influence of the drug is shown lower down, in dyspnoea and wheezing cough ending in a profuse mucous expectoration. Incessant and most violent cough with every breath. Spasmodic asthma with great constriction in throat and chest and wheezing. The chest seems full of phlegm, but it does not yield to coughing. Ipecac is the remedy for asthma most frequently used; dyspnoea is considerable, constriction of throat and chest. The cough is constant with rattling of mucus, nausea and vomiting. The surface is cold and damp and the face pale.
Similar symptoms call for it in bronchitis, the pale bluish complexion, asthmatic breathing, soreness of chest, sensation as if dust had been inhaled. Bubbling rales in chest and suffocative cough. Also in hay fever with these prominent chest symptoms, the symptoms are worse evening and at night. The same symptoms call for it in influenza, cough dry and tickling, coryza, short respiration, sweats after the fit of coughing. In bronchial asthma, coughs, etc., the Ipecac in the form of a spray sometimes acts magically. Coughs where dyspnoea is very marked yield quickest. Suffocative cough where the child becomes stiff, blue in face, rattling breathing. Cough with inclination to vomit. Whooping-cough with nosebleed and vomiting or bleeding from mouth, the child loses its breath and stiffens out.
It is indicated in bronchial catarrh whenever the tubes are loaded with loose mucus. It is especially indicated in fat children who are feeble and who catch cold in relaxing atmosphere, warm moist weather. Remember then again the spasmodic character, the great dyspnoea, the little expectoration, the constriction of the chest, the retching and vomiting, the chest full of mucus. This is of course past the Aconite stage because exudation has taken place.
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.