THE PAPAVERACEAE FAMILY.
Of this family we have Sanguinaria, Opium and Chelidonium.
SANGUINARIA.
Bloodroot. Tincture from the fresh root. Bloodroot seeds are somewhat narcotic and herein it resembles Opium of the same family.
Sanguinaria is an irritant whether taken or applied, so, as a first effect, we have tissue irritation. The brain is irritated and we have as mental symptoms anxiety, which is always present. There is also irritability, the patient being morose, peevish and excitable. The ears are also irritated, there is redness of the external ear, humming and roaring in the ears. These symptoms are due mostly to the increased and irregular circulation of the blood. There is a hyper-excitation of the auditory nerves, sensitiveness to sudden sounds, sensation as if patient were in a railroad car, which produces a sensation of vibration through the body and the patient wants to be held to avoid it. This is a symptom you will find occasionally about the climaxis. Gelsemium has a similar symptom, there is heart disease with tremor of the whole body and a desire to be held still.
The mucous membrane, especially the respiratory mucous membrane, is affected by Sanguinaria and hence it cures irritation and catarrhal inflammation. Sanguinaria is a right-sided remedy preeminently. Its headache settles over the right eye. The right eyeball is very painful. The right ear sensitive to noise. There is fluid coryza in the right nostril, copious watering of the right eye, toothache on the right side. Rawness of tongue begins on right side. The throat is swollen worse on the right side. Pain in the bowels goes from the right iliac fossa to the left. Pain in chest is worse on the right side. There are stitches in the right arm, and breast, rheumatic pain in the right shoulder, right thumb, right hip and thigh.
Sanguinaria has many vaso-motor disturbances such as circumscribed redness of cheeks, which often accompanies the cough and fever; paleness of the face with disposition to vomit; flashes of heat; determination of blood to the head and transitory feelings of heat; flushes of heat extending from the head to the stomach; distention of the temporal veins and of the veins of face; burning in the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, and a feeling as from hot water pouring from breast to abdomen.
The nasal symptoms are an increased sense of smell, and a susceptibility to odors, which cause the patient to faint. It is met with in hysteria, and Sanguinaria should not be forgotten along with Ignatia, Nux, etc.
We have the fluent coryza, with frequent sneezing worse on the right side; dryness of the throat with soreness, redness and swelling; cough, wheezing, whistling, croupy, with pain in the chest worse on right side. The cough is relieved by passing flatus upward and downward. The sputum is tough, rust colored and offensive. There is burning in the chest and severe soreness under right nipple; severe dyspnoea and constriction of the chest; intense burning under sternum and in the right chest; offensive breath and expectoration. With these symptoms you have redness and burning of cheeks, afternoon fever and copious sweat.
Now these symptoms make Sanguinaria a valuable remedy in pulmonary diseases. The tough, rusty colored sputum, excessive dyspnoea, right-sidedness, burning in the chest as if hot steam passed from chest to abdomen, tendency to diarrhoea, hectic flush and fever are all important symptoms. It thus becomes a remedy in pneumonia and phthisis florida, in fact, one of our best.
HEADACHE: Periodical, sick headache, worse on the right side, a “sun” headache, which begins in the occiput and settles over the right eye. the veins in the temples are distended, accompanied by nausea, goneness, burning in stomach and vomiting, relieved by lying down and by sleep. It is one of the best remedies in migraine. Remember it in headaches with distension of the temporal veins, which are sensitive to touch, also with a feeling of soreness on small spots of the head, especially the temples. Migraine connected with the menstrual period especially in women with profuse menses. It has no equal in American sick headaches.
Sanguinaria is a grand remedy at the climaxis. It has the flushings, so frequent in this time; the goneness at the stomach; flatulent distension of abdomen; leucorrhoea; foetid, corrosive, due to ulceration; menses offensive, profuse; uterine polypi; soreness of breast; palpitation; burning in hands and feet; veins distended; acne, and weak, irritable, morose, anxious moods.
The symptoms of Sanguinaria point to its use in catarrh. Here the Sanguinaria nitrate seems to be especially useful. Its profuse lachrymation, discharge from nose and from the posterior nares, tinged with blood, make it a remedy in influenza. It has ulcerative ozaena with epistaxis and in such cases is invaluable. The stinging, tickling and swelling of the parts indicate this remedy.
NASAL POLYPI: Polypoid growths of uterus, etc.
Again it is decidedly homoeopathic to acute gastritis. It has the terrible burning, the unquenchable thirst, the pain, the vomiting, and the prostration which mark the disease. Among the stomach symptoms it has aversion to butter and craving for piquant food.
Other Sanguinaria symptoms are rheumatism, myalgia, acute muscular rheumatism, sharp, stitching pains with stiffness of the muscles. It has right deltoid rheumatism which is very painful. Ferrum met. has rheumatism of the left deltoid muscle, and acne in women who menstruate scantily.
A lady with a scirrhous tumor of the left mammae being referred to me for treatment, I found among the other symptoms this peculiar one: dryness felt in the tips of the fingers as if made of paper, at night. She was also subject to sharp stinging pains in the tumor. The symptoms of the finger tips was found only under Ant. tart. and Silica; occurring in the afternoon, under Silica only. It proved a decisive and trustworthy indication, as the first dose of Silica removed the dryness and she spoke of the Silica as also acting like a charm on the pain in the breast. EDWARD RUSHMORE, M.D. 1892.
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.