Ratanhia - General symptoms

GENERAL

General

(Morning), After waking, burning in eyes.

biting in right eye. eyes agglutinated.

lachrymation. toothache.

in bed, insipidity in the mouth.

distension of stomach.

griping in the stomach.

movements about abdomen.

burning and pinching in abdomen.

griping in lower abdomen and itching externally.

pinching in both groins.

on rising, pain in small of back.

jerking in the middle of the right thigh.

after rising, weakness and weariness in legs.

while sitting, tearing in right calf.

indolent and sleepy. chilly..

(Evening), While sitting bent over, pain in forehead.

burning in the eyes. tearing in right inner canthus.

stitches in left upper lid.

tearing in left malar bone.

toothache. thirst. pain in epigastric region.

sticking in right hypochondrium.

pain in right groin. sticking beneath left clavicle.

while standing, drawing and tension in left side of neck.

trembling in right thigh.

burning in thighs. drawing in calves.

while sitting, tearing in tendons of right calf.

chilliness..

A few hours after taking the drug, the patient experiences a general malaise, which is not very marked if the Ratanhia is taken by a man in perfect health, but which is, on the contrary, felt very sensibly by individuals to whom the drug is given for the purpose of arresting a haemorrhage, and provided this object has been attained.

this feeling of discomfort shows itself by frequent yawning, by repeated and labored attempts to draw a long breath, and by a sort of distressing constriction across the chest,.

The rectal symptoms are most important, and have received much clinical confirmation. It has cured pterygium. Violent hiccough. Cracked nipples (Graphites ^Graph; Eup ar). Pin worms.

Pains here and there

Haemorrhage Sense of constriction Fissure Dark, thin, scrawny and irritable

As if brain would fall out of forehead

Bursting headache when straining at stool

As if cool air came from teeth

Nightly toothache, worse lying; must walk about

Griping in stomach, better eructations

Violent, painful hiccough

Sharp cutting, in stomach, rectum, etc

Constriction or as of sharp splinters (of glass) in rectum; stool is forced out with great straining and followed by prolonged aching-burning, better hot water

Dry or itching anus

Ascarides

Fissure ani

Cracked nipples

Rhatany Root. Ratanhia. Mapato. Pumacuchu. The root of several species of Krameria, especially Krameria triandra. N. O. Polygalaceae (or Leguminosae according to some). Tincture of the root.

ulceration of. Throat, contraction of. Tinnitus. Worms.

"Krameria triandra, remarkable for its entire, obovate, acuminate leaves, covered on both sides with silky hair, is one of the species most known as yielding the Rhatany root of commerce, but all the species (of Krameria), as far as known, are intensely astringent.

In Peru an extract is made from this species which is a mild, easily assimilated astringent medicine, possessed of great power in passive, bloody or mucous discharges; it acts as a tonic in weakness of digestive organs and muscular debility, and is even useful in intermittent and putrid fevers.

It is also styptic and restores tone to relaxed parts, and when applied as plaisters is said to cure all kinds of ulcers.

An infusion is used as a gargle and wash, and the powder forms with Carbo Veg ^charcoal an excellent tooth-powder.

The colour of the infusion of the root of the Krameria is blood-red, on which account advantage is taken of it to adulterate port wine" (Treas. of Bot.).

Teste (who puts Rat. in his Sulphur ^Sulphur group), writing of its pre-homoeopathic use, says, "There is perhaps no plant the properties of which have been so well indicated by chance as this.

Used as an astringent and tonic, this root sometimes arrests passive haemorrhages (epistaxis, haemoptysis, metrorrhagia, &c.).

It was successfully used against scurvy, mucous discharges, such as chronic catarrh of the bronchia, vagina, large intestines, &c., against various forms of incontinence of urine, chronic oedema of the skin.

Dr. Tournel, who, no doubt, did not suspect that Ratan. produced abortion, had the happy idea of prescribing it as a tonic in cases of incipient miscarriage, and thus preventing that accident in delicate and nervous females who had never yet been able to go their full time." All these uses are really homoeopathic, as is also the cure of a case of fissure of the rectum by Bretonneau, whom Teste quotes from Trousseau and Pidoux A lady suffered from constipation and fissure of rectum, which caused her horrible pains and had damaged her health.

Bretonneau ordered a daily injection mixed with one-fourth of Rat., and in a short time constipation and fissure were cured.

Other like cases were cured; and then the same treatment was given in cases of fissure without constipation, and again with the same success.

The provings (Hartlaub and Trinks chiefly) bring out the keynotes of Rat. in rectal cases "Straining, stool so hard she cried out, with great protrusion of haemorrhoids.

followed for a long time by burning in anus." The burning persisting for a longtime after the stool is very characteristic of Rat.

and it occurs when the stool is diarrhoeic as well as hard.

Burning also precedes and accompanies the stool.

Another peculiarity in connection with the stool is a bursting headache, which accompanies and follows a straining at stool.

Dry heat with sudden stitching like knife-stabs.

Oozing at anus. Dropping of blood from anus.

One patient cured by Rat. of fissure had amel. by application of hot water; he sat in a sitz-bath as hot as he could endure; the relief only lasted while in the bath.

In connection with the rectal symptoms is an important head symptom "Pains in middle of forehead, as if brain would fall out," and a similar pain after stool.

The head pains are also agg. on bending forward.

The eye symptoms are striking burning, smarting, twitching of lids, obscured vision.

Ratanhia symptom has led to the cure of cases of pterygium Inflammation of whole of eye; a membrane seemed to extend to central point of eye, which burned.

The old use of Rat. in nose-bleed, scurvy, and as a tooth-powder are justified by the symptoms of the proving Violent nose-bleed; bleeding gums; toothache agg. lying down.

A curious symptom in the aching molars is a sensation as if coldness rushed out of them.

Toothache of pregnancy compelling the patient to get up at night and walk about. "Tasteless water collects in mouth" may meet another condition of pregnancy; and Rat. both causes and prevents abortion, metrorrhagia and leucorrhoea.

It also meets fissure of the breasts in nursing women, as well as fissure of the anus.

Contractive sensations (Rat. is astringent") are numerous in stomach; groins; anus; eyes; neck; muscles; throat; "painful spasmodic contraction of throat during which she could not speak a loud word." Peculiar Sensations are As if intoxicated.

As if head in a vice. As of a white speck before eyes; skin before eyes.

As if coldness rushed out of molars.

As if rectum and anus were all twisted up.

As if splinters of glass in rectum and anus.

As if rectum protruded and then suddenly went back with a jerk.

As if abdomen (and chest) cut to pieces.

Movement as if something alive in abdomen.

As of cobwebs about right side of mouth.

Jerkings and quiverings.

Eyelids feel stiff. Right side is most affected.

Cushing, who made a proving of Rat., says (Med. cent. quoted H. R., xi. 142) it caused great itching in the rectum.

and he has cured with it since nearly every case of pin-worms in his practice. In a woman, old and feeble, he cured with Rat. 3x internally, and a Rhatany rectal suppository each night, frequent discharges of mucus, blood and pus from the bowels night and day with great pain and burning in rectum almost wholly preventing sleep. Cushing considers that, next to Sanguinaria Nitrica ^{Sang nit}., Rat. meets more rectal cases than any other remedy. Rummel (quoted H. R., i. 140) relates the case of a servant girl who had rapid twitching of the lids of right eye to such an extent as to hinder her seeing. There seemed to be also a rotary motion of the ball. Belladonna ^Bell. and Calc Carb ^Calc. failed to relieve. Rat. 12 relieved quickly. The symptoms are agg. By touch (teeth). Pressure amel. pain in chest. agg. Lying down.

amel. by motion. agg. Straining at stool.

sitting bent over (headache).

stooping. Stepping = pain in ribs. Sitting = weariness and heaviness in right thigh.

pain in right knee and great toe. Bending arm agg.

extending it amel. Eating agg.

emission of flatus amel. After dinner, hiccough.

before dinner, abdominal distension. amel. Hot-water applications. amel. Open air.

moving about in open air. agg. Night.

"most symptoms come in evening, night and morning. They are amel. by exercise and in open air, very much agg. by uneasiness of mind" (Teste).

Dose

Third to sixth potency

Region

Rectum

Anus

Nipples

Teeth

Sensations

At times, when walking, stinging like an insect's in various parts of body, neck, and arms, and especially legs; reduced by rubbing, leaving a feeling of soreness and itching there; on the spot there is a vesicle, which soon goes off,

Twitching in the skin beneath the right axilla,

Crawling beneath the skin of the right knee, alternating with sticking and tearing,

Tickling on the heels and soles (second day),

Burning stitches, now above the right knee, now in the right arm, or in the small of the back (third day),

A burning stitch on the inner margin of the left sole, so violent that he was obliged to cry out (third day),

Itching here and there over the whole body, relieved by scratching (first day),

Violent itching on the tip of the nose, relieved by rubbing (after five days),

Violent itching on the nose and upper lip, that often returns after scratching,

Itching and small red spots in the epigastric region,

Itching on the scrotum, that does not disappear after scratching (after three days),

Itching on the nape of the neck and between the scapulae,

Itching on the back, relieved by scratching, in the evening (sixth day),

Itching on the forearm; on scratching small itching pimples appear, but soon disappear (after ten days),

Itching on the outer portion of the left forearm, not relieved by scratching,

Itching on the anterior portion of the thigh, relieved by scratching, in the evening,

Itching in the hollows of the knees, that burn, after scratching, in the evening,

Tickling, voluptuous itching in the sole of the left foot,