PENTHORUM SEDOIDES.
Nat. Ord., Crassulaceæ.
Common Name, Ditch Stone Crop.
Preparation.—The whole fresh plant with the root is macerated in two parts by weight of alcohol.
(The Medical Advance for June, 1887, contains a paper by Dr. D. B. Morrow, from which the following is taken.)
The object of this paper is to call attention to the fact that the only proving of Penthorum was made on scientific principles, as these verifications demonstrate. If the pathogenesy is carefully studied, it will be seen to meet all the conditions of "common colds," or acute catarrhs, so prevalent in all sections of North America, from the symptoms of chill, malaise, headache, soreness, cough, coryza, dry and flowing, with their secondary consequences of disturbed digestion, constipation, debility, etc. and it will probably cure any or all of these conditions when indicated by correspondence to the pathogenesy.
A medicine having such a catarrhal range is probably a remedy for female troubles equal to Pulsatilla or Calcarea, and is worthy of a careful proving by women. It cures where antipsoric medicines have failed, and possibly may possess antipsoric qualities.
Authorities.—1, Dr. D. B. Morrow, U. S. Med. Inves., N. S., 3, p. 565 (Eclectic Med. Jour., 1875); effects of tincture, doses of 10 drops, and after one hour 20 drops; on second day, 40 drops; third day, 60 drops at 9 p.m., and 50 drops at 1 p.m.; 1 a.m. same, effects of 100 drops. 2, Dr. Scudder took 20 drops ("a young man took same dose and had similar effects").
Mind.—During both provings the mind was dull and exceedingly depressed and desponding; everything wrong but dinner; reading interfered with because of mental dullness (second day), 1.—Mind became so dull I gave up reading and lay upon the lounge (third day).
Head.—On closing my eyes felt like I was floating; vertigo (third day), 1.—Headache continued, could not read; went to hear Boutwell, followed his argument with difficulty, was much annoyed by the little noises made by the audience (second day), 1.—Headache came on again (third day), 1.—When commencing the proving, had a dull, heavy headache, with heat and soreness in the sacrum; this was cured (third day), 1.—An unpleasant heavy pain in the forehead, about the edge of the hair (after four hours), 2.—Catarrhal aching in the forehead, 1a.—[10] The fullness in the sinciput became an ache, as though a weight were pressed down upon it (second day), 1.—Itching of the hairy scalp (second day), 1.