Aconite [Acon]
It may be used, esp. if the disease occurs in Autumn, when warm days are followed by cold nights. In the incipient stages such troubles may be promptly checked by it esp. when they are ushered in with a high temperature. The high fever is associated with great thirst, good deal of colicky pains and restlessness. The stools are scanty, bloody and slimy and are evacuated with much tenesmus.
If it fails, it is followed well by Mercurius
Aloes [Aloe]
It is useful, when there is griping pain in the hypogastrium, before stool [Nux v.]. The stools consists of blood and mucus, coming out in jelly-like masses. The griping may or may not cease after stool. In addition, an extraordinary amount of mucus is expelled.
Arnica [Arn]
See the symptoms of this remedy in Cholera Infantum [P. 17]. The same symptoms are also applied here.
Arsenicum [Ars]
Indicated in most serious cases, whose exciting causes are : Sudden chilling of the stomach and bowels by ice-water or ice- cream; alcoholic drinks in excess; certain poisons as the ptomaine of sausage meat that has been spoiled; rancid fat; spoiled butter or fat that has undergone decomposition; and lobster salads at certain seasons of the year. The patient is very sick, as if near death’s door [Carbo V.], but he is restless and complains of burning thirst and yet exhibits an intolerance of water. Burning pains [Carbo V.]. The discharges from the bowels are brownish [Carbo V.] or blackish, and horribly offensive.
Baptisia [Bapt]
You will have to give it, when the discharges are offensive, bloody and are attended by tenesmus, but with a significant absence of pain, showing an alarming depression of vitality.
Belladonna [Bell]
It is particularly suited to a dysenteric diarrhoea, with slimy and bloody discharges associated with considerable tenesmus.
Caladium Sulph [Calad-s]
It is indicated when the discharges are offensive, bloody and chocolate-colored, with constriction, as well as cutting pain in the bowels.
Cantharis [Canth]
It is of use, when the discharges are bloody and slimy and are mixed with flakes, that look like scrapings from intestines, but in reality fibrinous formations, resulting from the inflammation. Colic-like pains of a cutting, burning, griping or wandering character, doubling the patient up. Tenesmus is marked and is almost always associated with dysuria.
Capsicum [Caps]
It is good for Dysentery occurring in moist weather and is best indicated in stout flabby persons. The stools are bloody and slimy and contain shaggy pieces; they are frequent, but small in quantity and attended with violent tenesmus and burning in both rectum and bladder. The pains and other symptoms are increased by the slightest draft of either warm or cold air. There is thirst, but drinking of water causes shuddering and increases the pains.
Carbo Veg [Carb-v]
It is indicated in very severe cases, with great weakness and hippocratic face, when : The discharges from the bowels are brown, watery and slimy and both stools and flatus are horribly offensive. The abdomen is greatly distended and tympanitic [Cinchona]. There are burning pains situated deep in abdomen, usually in one or the other of the bends of the colon. The pulse is weak and intermittent.
Here you must distinguish between two other remedies and Carbo veg. viz., Arsenicum and Cinchona.
In typhoid conditions as a sequel to Dysentery, it presents a more perfect picture of collapse and there are tympany, cold legs, esp. up to the knees, filiform pulse, cool breath, absence of discharges from the bowels or involuntary, putrid, bloody, purulent diarrhoea. The patient is, as if, near death.
Cinchona [Chin]
It is indicated in severer cases, when putrid or gangrenous changes occur [Lachesis]. The discharges are cadaverous smelling, and are of a dark [Carbo Veg.] or of a chocolate color [Lachesis]. with coldness, great debility and hippocratic face; the movements from the bowels are provoked by every attempt to eat and drink. The abdomen is greatly distended and tympanitic [Carbo Veg.]. Belching gives but temporary relief. Flatus is not so offensive as with Carbo Veg. nor are the burning pains so marked as under Arsenicum or Carbo Veg.
It is to be compared with Arsenicum, Carbo Veg. and Lachesis
Colchicum [Colch]
It is indicated in serious cases, when the prostration is extreme and it will help you out if the following symptoms are present; and if there is tympany also, it is all the more indicated, being then far preferable to Cantharis, Mercurius, or any other remedy in our Materia Medica.
The indicating symptoms are : The discharges from the bowels are frequent, watery and bloody containing white flakes or shreds, and are followed by violent tenesmus, constriction of the anus and spasm of the sphincter ani, tormenting the patient more than the urging during stool.
Colocynth [Coloc]
The stools are slimy and bloody-contain the so-called scrapings of intestines, made worse by any attempt to eat or drink. They are preceded by violent tenesmus which ceases after stools. Pains are atrocious-griping, cutting, stabbing colicky pains, which force the patient to bend double or to press firmly against the abdomen; they more often precede the stool and are relieved afterwards, although they may sometimes continue after stool. The urine is apt to be foetid, and deposits a mucous sediment.
It should be compared with Aconite and Mercurius
Ferrum Phos [Ferr-p]
May be indicated when the discharges are blood-streaked. But it never does any good if there is tenesmus.
Kali Bich [Kali-bi]
It is indicated when the disease occurs periodically in the Spring, or in the early part of Summer. The stools are brownish and watery and mixed with blood and mucus and attended with great tenesmus. The distinctive symptom is the appearance of the tongue, which is dry, smooth, red and cracked.
It must be remembered as a relative of Lachesis in Dysentery
and is useful in severe or typhoidal cases, and here they follow each other well. The distinctive symptom indicating it is, the
stool is jelly-like, sometimes stringy, mucous, and not so offensive as Lachesis, which distinguishes the latter.
It also follows Cantharis well, when though the scrapings continue, the discharges become more jelly-like.
Lachesis [Lach]
It is indicated in severe cases when putrid or gangrenous changes occur [Cinchona] and also in typhoidal conditions which appear as a sequel to the disease [Carbo Veg.].
Symptoms indicating it are : Cadaverous-smelling blackish or bloody, chocolate-colored discharges, with constriction, as well as cutting pains in bowels, coldness, and great debility.
In typhoidal conditions : Cardiac debility, drowsiness, cool extremities, etc. indicating failing vitality.
It should be compared with Carbo Veg., Cinchona, and Kali bichromicum
Leptandra [Lept]
It resembles Mercurius and has yellowish-green or pitch-like black offensive stools like the latter. It has urging to stool and griping continuing after stool, but it lacks the tenesmus of Mercurius
Mercurius Vivus [Merc]
It is often indicated in Dysentery, esp. when it occurs in a season, when warm days are followed by cold night. In the majority of cases, the evacuations consist of dark or black, dark-brown, green or yellowish-green faecal matter and a considerable amount of blood and mucus, although they may be slimy, bloody, loose and scanty; they are horribly offensive, and are more frequent at night [Nux-in the morning], and are attended by severe colicky pains in the abdomen, prolonged tenesmus and burning in the anus, which do not cease with the evacuation, but continue even after the stools. There may be much straining with or without the stool.
It often follows Aconite esp. in the season above-mentioned, when the latter fails. Often after the tenesmus and blood have ceased, when the mucus still persists Sulphur will be the remedy. Lachesis frequently follows it, esp. when the symptoms threaten a typhoid condition, and also antidotes its abuse.
Nitric Acid [Nitr-ac]
It is indicated in Dysentery, caused as a result of bad effects of Mercury. In this condition it has no superior.
Nux Vomica [Nux-v]
It is indicated by the following symptoms, whether the disease is the result of cold or whether it comes from the suppression of an excretion, such as, the perspiration.
The indicating symptoms are : The stools are bloody, slimy, watery and scanty. There is frequent ineffectual urging to stool, griping colicky pains in the hypogastrium [Aloes] and tenesmus before the stool, all of which cease after stool, although the tenesmus may continue from one evacuation to another [Sul.]. The patient is worse in the morning.
Rhus Tox [Rhus-t]
It is indicated in Dysentery when the stools consist of blood and
slime, mixed with reddish-yellow mucus and are attended with tearing pains down the thighs during defaecation.
It may also be indicated when the disease takes on a typhoid form.
