"A lady, by administering, morning and evening, an infusion of the dry leaves and flowers of Golden Rod (Solidago virga-aurea) tells me that she cured her husband of an affection of the bladder which had compelled him to use a catheter for a year or more. A friend of Homœopathy, not a physician, desired to test the efficaciousness of this plant. He caused the first dilution of its tincture to be taken three times a day by seven patients of from forty-two to seventy-four years of age, who had been obliged to catheterize themselves for weeks, months and years, and cured them so thoroughly that they had no relapses. Surgeons who spend much time in catheterizing such patients for months and years could often cure them much more rapidly by prescribing for them the remedy just mentioned."
(Dr. A. E. White, Homœopathic Recorder, July, 1891, relates the following case:)
Mrs.——, age 37, married, has had seven children. Came to me December 10, 1890, with the following history: "Had not had her menses for four months. Thought she was in a family way. Abdomen bloated up every p.m.; sick at her stomach all of the time; frontal headache, p.m.; felt better when first getting up in the morning, at which time her abdomen was almost normal in size.
"Her water she complained of more than anything else. Had to pass it every half hour during day and several times during night.
"Backache all of the time, which was not decreased by passing water. Urine had a white, slimy deposit on standing a short time.
"Requested an examination, but could not discover that she was in a family way. Found her back very sensitive in region of kidneys, trace of albumin in urine.
"I gave her a vial of Solidago 1x, told her to take two disks every four hours and report in three or four days. She came back December 13th, 'the medicine went right to the spot.' From the second dose her water became natural and she did not bloat so much in p.m. Her stomach did not bother her any more. I gave her a bottle of Puls. 3x to take with the Solidago, and she reported December 17th, that her menses had come on.
"I have used it in several other cases where it seemed indicated by the tenderness in kidney region and the inability to control the water from whatever cause, always with perfect satisfaction to patient and myself."
(The following paper on the use of Solidago virga-aurea is by Dr. M. Gucken, of Eupen, Germany:)
The Golden Rod is in Homœopathy, according to my opinion, not as much made use of as it deserves. Foh. Gottfr. Rademacher, who has many admirers among us, says, in his Justification of Experience in Medicine, about Virga-aurea: "This herb is a very old and good kidney medicine. It is a specific for kidneys, and brings the patients back to the normal condition." I have used the Golden Rod for a long time, and have to make favorable reports. The results of extensive homœopathic proving of this remedy on healthy persons cannot be found in our literature, but a Würtemburg physician, Dr. Buck, has given us a list of cures with the Golden Rod in the popular homœopathic paper edited by Dr. Bolle, which wholly confirms the statements of Rademacher, besides the cases reported by Dr. Buck.