A RE-PROVING OF AGNUS CASTUS


The following observations were all made on people who did not know they were making provings. This is most important. The imaginative factor is thus eliminated. Here are my results. The proving was made from the sixth potency of Agnus castus.


The re-proving of drugs presents many valuable facets. It strengthens one’s belief in the power of dynamized drugs to actually produce symptoms. It discloses the fact that although many of the symptoms recur in each prover, each one has a distinctively individualistic pattern brought out from the ordeal. No qualms of conscience should bother the medical man, as the health is greatly improved in every instance. All of the above is readily appreciated by one making the provings, and by no one else.

Reading about the sick-making provers of a medicament is one thing. It is presented only by pen and ink and is quite impersonal. Coming into the vocal presence of one made ill is another matter. You recall how John Doe acted, talked, and behaved when under the influence of such-and-such a drug is such- and-such a potency. When Mary Smith, hit by a natural disease, acts in a case is curable, a cure results. If the case is incurable, the prescription will palliate more effectively than any other medicine.

The following observations were all made on people who did not know they were making provings. This is most important. The imaginative factor is thus eliminated. Here are my results. The proving was made from the sixth potency of Agnus castus.

EMOTIVE AND SENTIENT SPHERE.

1. Not so irritable. 2. Slightly irritable. 3. The proving stopped a natural effervescence. 4. A nervous headache over the right eye. It came by being tired and excited. 5. She feels tight and tense and was tearful. 6. The prover feels shaky from the centre of the body downwards. 7. Produced forgetfulness. She could not remember whether she had paid a bill or not. 8. The proving cured mental depression. 9. Proving cured a tendency to rage and to anger. 10. In a middle-aged artist a desire to jump off buildings (curative). This was of long standing. The cure very apparent.

HEAD.

1. Ephemeral vertigo in the afternoon. 2. The headache was very sharp, and better after a bowel motion. 3. A dull, constant, frontal headache in the morning, 5. Frontal headache dull and intermittent. 6. Repeated. 7. Headache when in a warm room. It is frontal, intermittent and dull. 8. A frontal headache is dull, better after sitting down. It did not last long. 9. The frontal headache is sharp at night. It is constant. 10. The frontal area is sore to touch in the morning. 11. Severe headache in the morning all over the head. It is a sharp, constant ache. 12. Motion betters the headache. It is a dull headache above the eyes, more in the temple area.

FACE.

1. Tickling in the face. 2. Did the proving cause a condition like Rhus poisoning? 3. Tickling in the face. 4. Pimples develop upon the face and they become red. They itch at times. 5. Flushes all over the face and head as well. 6. A red burning itching in the cheeks disappeared whilst under the proving. 7. After lunch, a red rash, papular in type, the largest lesions being the size of a grain of rice, whilst the others are smaller. They are mostly all on the left face, below the malar bone. The right side is only slightly hit. The rash looks unsightly. It burned more than it itched and it was worse after bathing. The burning was rather constant, but not the itching.

NOSE.

1. A deep red swelling (puffing) on the end of the nose. 2. Sneezing in the morning and at night. The nose ran only a little before sneezing. 3. Sneezed a lot during the day.

EYES.

1. When looking at different objects, the eyes pain, especially the left one.

MOUTH.

1. The mouth is drier than usual. 2. Dry mouth and twice awakened at night from this cause. Had thirst with it.

RESPIRATION.

1. A brownish-yellow expectoration is produced. 2. Short tickling cough and it is a constant tickle. 3. Short of breath after eating. 4. Short of breath after eating. 5. If she stoops over she becomes short of breath–also a dyspnoea on walking (both an aggravation by the proving). 6. Short of breath with no attendant pain. It gradually comes on.

STOMACH AND ABDOMEN.

1. Primary costiveness. 2. Very poor appetite for all meals. 3. After supper at 7 p.m. all swollen up in the entire belly, and it lasted all night. 4. A painful defecation in the morning and the stool is hard. 5. A morning diarrhoea. 6. A straining at stool. 7. A straining at stool is marked. 8. Everything he eats distresses him (an aggravation). 9. The proving stopped the diarrhoea. 10. Abdomen very blown up for two days and mostly belching with it. The passing ameliorates the pain. 11. Nausea after breakfast and a little work. 12. The pains in the stomach are sharp, and there is belching of gas at the same time.

13. Uncomfortable in right side around the lower ribs after eating. A pressure as from gas was noticed 14. Sharp belly pain, followed by rather loose motions, four times in the morning. It was mushy. Later, a formed stool but light in colour. 15. In morning, pain before and after stool. A sharp constant pain. 16. The rectum burns in the morning. 17. The bowels are made loose, and there is some pain before the stool only. No change in the color or the consistency of the stool. 18. Less desire for food. 19. Costive (curative). 20. Primary costiveness produced. 21. Had less gas in the stomach. 22. The bowels are less loose.

BACK AND BODY.

1. Very tired at 10 a.m. 2. Stronger. 3. Stronger. 4. A sickly fatigue produced. 5. Very tired all over. 6. The backache was very bad. It was very sharp. Better by sitting. Very bad by getting up. 7. Burning itching in the back. 8. The backache leaves when working or walking. It is bad when rising from a seat. 9. The pain across the back is very sharp. It is very sore when moving. It is a constant pain. 10. Very bad backache. It came suddenly like a jerk (?). The prover was forced to go to bed because of the pain in the back. It was awfully sharp and constant for two and one-half days. It was worse on motion. The backache was better from a Red Cross porous plaster. The prover could barely rise from a seat because of this backache.

11. A flowing pain in the central spinal canal. It later goes to the stomach. It lasted two minutes. 12. Pyelitis develops and its hurts low down, in the middle of the back when he walks. 13. All night so weak that she thought she would faint. This feeling passed off gradually when lying flat. 14. All over body the itching comes at any time. A few red lesions seen.

It is a burning itching. 15. The heart beats heavily and rapidly at night. 16. The prover feels shaky from the center of the body downwards. 17. Weak in the morning. 18. Toward evening no strength at all. 19. Much easier by sitting up and reading. 20. Proving improved strength. 21. A constant sharp backache, worse on motion, is cured.

EXTREMITIES.

1. A burning itching develops on the arms. 2. Pain in upper left thigh, right triceps, and right groin. It is a recurring pinching one. Worse when he walks. 3. The pain in the groin comes and goes. It is sharp. 4. The right knee pains sharply. It is worse when walking. 5. Both knees pain sharply. The pain in worse when walking. 6. The right elbow pains dully. The same in the left one. The right one pains worse when writing. 7. A sharp pain in the right knee of the time. 8. The right knee is constantly in pain and the knee is very stiff at night. 9. Practically cured a sharp pain under the left arm. 10. In both arms neuritic pain, worse lying on it. 11. The feet swelled up and they were so hot she was forced to remove her shoes. This at 9 p.m. The hands were very hot and they were swollen up. This at the same time as the feet.

13. Itching and redness of the fingers. It comes and it goes. Itching from pressure at any time. The itching is inside the skin, but does not want to scratch. 14. Itching of the legs off and on. 15. A trembling of the legs and they feel weak. 16. Weak legs and vertigo at the same time. 17. Very hot feet. 18. On top of the shoe area, the ankles swell. 19. The right leg is tired after walking. 20. Round red lesions develop on the hands only. 21. The ankle puffing has gone down by the proving. 22. Perspiring more under the arms, worse from exertion. 23. Cold from the knees down in bed at night. 24. Both hands feel cold to the touch. 25. The feet were not so hot at night. 26. Awfully tired in the evening in the legs. 27. Curative in running sores in both legs, principally in the left one. Only slight faint reddish papules remain.

URINE.

1. Nocturia four times and it burned. 2. The urine smells like turpentine, it is ammoniacal. 3. Urinates often at night, five times. It is in goodly amount. 4. White, flaky, urinary settlings after it stands. 5. Pyelitis is developed. The urination is less frequent, and in the middle of the back, low down, it hurts when hen walks. 6. The proving stopped the continued urge to urinate in the daytime. 7. Does not urinate so often. 8. Helped nocturia. 9. The urine is stronger in odor. 10. Voided less urine with the same physical activities. 11. The urine is made high in color. More is voided. It was painless. 12. Curative in nocturia.

THE SEXUAL SPHERE.

1. The right testicle felt hard. It is drawn up in the scrotum. The left testicle hung lower than usual. 2. Scrotal sac below like a bad develops. 3. Emission produced in a prover. 4. Cured the pain in the groin and testicle quickly. The pain resulted from an army doctor’s traumatic examination.

FEVER.

1. The hands were very hot. 2. Feet very hot. 3. Thirst all day. Proving causes a pulse of 136 to go to 104 and a temperature of 99 plus goes a little higher. 5. Flushes all over the face and head. 6. Very hot feet. 7. Dry mouth and twice awakened at night from this cause. Had thirst with it. 8. Perspiring more under the arms, worse from exertion. 9. Dropped temperature a full degree about. It was normal to start with. Both readings were in the morning. 10. Temperature of 97.4 produced. Systolic reading under 105.

SLEEP.

1. Very sleepless all night. 2. Restless at night. No dreaming but sleepless as through the same. 3. A frightening dream of a snapping turtle. 4. Worse after the sleep; a dull generalized headache. 5. Awakens at daybreak and tosses for an hour. 6. The proving sleeps better. It is more sound. 7. Awakened every little while at night. 8. Drowsy at 3 p.m. It is ephemeral for one half minute intervals. It was marked but it came gradually. It was present also around 9 p.m. 9. A nervous headache betters by sleep.

Donald Macfarlan