Caulophyllum Thalictroides - General symptoms

GENERAL

General

Caulophyllum thalictroides. Michaux. Nat. order, Berberidaceae. Common name, Blue Cohosh.

Preparation, Trituration and tincture of the root.

Authority. Dr. Burt (Hale's New Remedies, 2d ed., p. 171), proving with, first day, 10 grains of the "pure resinoid;" second day, 15 grains and 30 grains; third day, 50 grains and 75 grains.

GENERAL SYMPTOMS.

Feeling weak and nervous (third day).

Caulophyllum Thalictroides is a woman’s remedy. Want of tonicity of the womb. During labor, when the pains are deficient and the patient is exhausted and fretful. Besides, it has a special affinity for the smaller joints. Thrush, locally and internally.

Exhaustion PAINS, ERRATIC, drawing, cramping, shooting, rheumatic; ending in neck, which gets stiff

Uterine reflexes

Internal tremor

Fretful and fearsome

Nervous; excitable

Chorea

Vomiting of uterine origin

Albuminuria

Violent, intermittent, crampy pains, with little flow

Late menses

Dysmenorrhoea

LABOR PAINS FLY ABOUT (to breasts), ARE WEAK, OR IRREGULAR; false Eases labor

Often acts as prophylactic of false labor pains

After-pains

Uterine atony

Habitual miscarriage Vaginal spasm

Profuse, acrid leucorrhoea; of little girls

Sore nodes on finger-joints Rheumatism; of small joints Aching, sore lower limbs; before menses

Paraplegia, after child-birth

Chloasma; on neck

As if overfull of blood

High fever

Caulophyllum thalictroides. Blue Cohosh. Squaw Root. N. O. Berberidaceae. Tincture or trituration of root.

Abortion, threatened. After-pains. Amenorrhoea. Barrenness. Bearing-down pains. Chloasma. Cholera morbus. Dysmenorrhoea. False conception. Feet, affections of. Gonorrhoea. Hands, affections of. Inframammary pain. Labour, abnormal.

false pains of. Leucorrhoea. Menstruation, disorders of. Ovarian neuralgia. Pityriasis. Pregnancy, disorders of. Rheumatic gout. Rheumatism. Uterine spasm. Uterine atony.

Caulophyllum, "the Blue Cohosh," is closely related to Cimicifuga Racemosa ^Actea racem., "the Black Cohosh," in its action, though belonging to a different family of plants. It acts most markedly on the female generative organs and on rheumatic states. It has only had one proving, that by Dr. Burt, the majority of the indications having been derived from tradition and clinical experience. It has been given with success for chloasma or pityriasis versicolor, curing incidentally dysmenia at the same time. Reflex symptoms having a uterine origin.

headache. vomiting. hoarseness.

rheumatism. cramps and spasms. No other drug produces uterine spasms so markedly except Secale Cornutum ^Secale. Bearing-down pains. Paraplegia from disorders of the uterus. Left ovarian and left inframammary pains. Leucorrhoea in little girls. The pains are intermittent and paroxysmal, and fly about from place to place.

generally agg. at night. Great nervous excitement.

tremulous weakness over whole body. Can scarcely speak. Sleepless, restless, nervous.

recalling the effects of coffee, which is incompatible with it. In rheumatic affections the special sphere of Caulo. is the small joints and muscles. Caulophyllum Thalictroides's action on the muscular tissue of the uterus (whether gravid or not) is to cause intermittent spasms or contractions (differing from the continuous contractions of Secale Cornutum ^Secale). Caulophyllum Thalictroides's special sphere in labour is ($51$) when pains do not come regularly.

(2) when they disappear from exhaustion.

and (3) when they are too painful. Nash prescribed Caul. 3 for a lady of forty, seven months pregnant, who was attacked with severe pain and swelling of all the finger-joints.

wrapping them in mustard was the only thing that relieved her sufficiently to allow her to get sleep. Caul. relieved the finger pains, but caused such severe labour-like pains that it had to be discontinued for fear of causing miscarriage. The bearing-down then ceased, and the finger pains returned and continued till delivery, when they ceased for a few days. Then the lochia increased to a flooding.

passive, dark, liquid.

with great weakness and internal trembling (not visible externally).

and now the terrible finger pains returned. Afraid to give Caulo., other remedies were tried, but in vain. At last Nash gave Caulo. 200, which rapidly cleared up the whole case. Nash regards "internal trembling" as a strong characteristic when associated with the weakness.

he has cured long-continued passive haemorrhage associated with these symptoms.

Blue Cohosh. Burt. Berberidaceae.

* * *

From weakness she is sterile, or she aborts in the early months of gestation. During parturition the contractions of the uterus are too feeble to expel the contents, and they are only tormenting. Labor-like pains during menstruation with drawing pains in the thighs and legs, and even the feet and toes. Uterine hemorrhage from inertia of the uterus. Relaxation of muscles and ligaments. Heaviness, and even prolapsus. Subinvolution. Excoriating leucorrhea. Menses too soon, or too late. She is sensitive to cold and wants warm clothing, quite unlike Pulsatilla ^Pulsatilla. She is hysterical, like Ignatia ^Ignatia. She is fretful and apprehensive. She is rheumatic, like Cimicifuga Racemosa ^Cimicifuga, only the small joints are likely to be affected. Later she suffers from after pains, and they are felt in the inguinal region. Rheumatic stiffness of the back, and very sensitive spine. She is sleepless, restless, and withal very excitable. Caulophyllum Thalictroides has cured chorea at puberty when menstruation was late.

Is another very valuable "woman remedy," because of its specific action upon the uterus. It deserves a thorough reproving. I cannot better show its virtues than by reporting a case.

A married lady, aged 40, with wry neck of long standing, was seven months' pregnant. She was attacked with severe pains and swelling of all the finger joints. The only way she could get relief from the intense pain so that she could rest or sleep at all was by enveloping her fingers in mustard. I prescribed Caulophyllum 3d, which relieved the finger pains, but brought on such severe labor pains that I was obliged to discontinue it for fear of premature labor. Then the bearing-down pains ceased, and the finger pains returned and continued in full force until she was delivered of her child, when they also ceased for two or three days. Then the lochia, instead of decreasing, gradually or normally, increased until it amounted to a metrorrhagia. The flow was of a passive nature, dark and liquid. There was great sense of weakness and internal trembling (not visible externally) and now, to crown her suffering, the terrible finger pains returned again. I was afraid of the Caulophyllum, although it seemed indicated, because it brought on the bearing-down pains when I gave it before. But after giving Arnica ^Arnica, Sabina ^Sabina, Secale Cornutum ^Secale and Sulphur ^Sulphur without the least improvement, I concluded to try Caulophyllum high. I did so in the 200th potency and cured the whole case promptly and permanently. Now this was a perfect Caulophyllum case, and if I had given it properly in the first place I have no doubt I would have saved that woman all unnecessary suffering.

I have given Caulophyllum Thalictroides in long continued passive haemorrhage from the uterus after miscarriage when I had the characteristic weakness and sense of internal trembling present. It has often regulated irregular spasmodic labor pains, and has also often relieved pains of the same character in dysmenorrhoea. I repeat, Caulophyllum Thalictroides deserves a careful reproving.

Region

FEMALE ORGANS

NERVES

Muscles

Neck

Lower limbs

Small joints