Materia Medica

Ignatia amara
[Ign.]

Mind.-- Weakness of thought and recollection, especially after violent concealed vexation. Extraordinarily changeable mood. Hysteria. Paroxysms of laughter or screaming. Introverted and tatiturm with low spirits and weeping. Tenderness. Internal, concealed grief, with frequent sighing. (Arg - n) Carking mental care. Unfortunate love. Very easily frightened. Overconscientious. After effects of mortification and vexation, with silent, concealed grief or spasms. Alternatively frolicsome and sad. Always desire to be alone. Despair of recovery. Dread of work. Vertigo.

Head.-- Heavy, Empty feeling in. Trembling, nodding or backward bending of. Headache: As of a nail pressing outward in temples or sides, from chagrin or silent grief, or by stooping. Tearing in brain, especially in forehead. Pressure in forehead and vertex, following a befuddled feeling in. Outward pressing or sticking pain in forehead and at root of nose. Pain as if crushed, often ending in a similar toothache. Distensive pressure in either temple. Worse: Coffee, spirituous liquors, smoking, noise, odors, morning moving eyes, sunlight, reading, writing, after siesta, lying on painless side, lying on back, mental exertion, emotions, sitting upright. Better: Changing position, lying on painful side, lying on back, external warmth.

Eyes.-- Scalding tears during day (especially in sunlight) with nightly agglutination of lids. Convulsive motions of. Flickering zigzags before. Pressure as from sand under upper lid. Swelling of upper lid, with bluish veins. Inflammation of upper part of eyeball, as far as covered by upper lid. Photophobia.

Ears.-- Roaring before, like a strong wind. Difficult hearing, but not for the human voice.

Nose.-- Excoriated before, like a strong wind. Difficult hearing, but not for the human voice.

Face.-- One - sided redness. Alternate paleness and redness of. Sunken, earth colored, with blue circles around eyes. Spasmodic twitching of muscles of. Sweat only on face (never on scalp). Dry, bleeding, cracked lips.

Teeth.-- Ache, as though being crushed, from taking cold in molars. Convulsions of children, during difficult dentition.

Mouth.-- Redness and inflammation in entire buccal cavity. Stitches in palate, extending into ear. Soreness as from a plug in throat, when not swallowing. Sticking sore throat swallowing food. Sensation of a lump in throat, with painful soreness when swallowing. Much sour saliva in. Salivation. When talking or chewing he easily bites his tongue or cheek. Faint, tremulous voice.

     Appetite: Feeling of hunger in evening, which prevents sleep. Appetite for this or that which is distasteful when obtained. Great aversion to tobacco, smoked meat or brandy.

     Taste: Flat, insipid, like chalk. Lost, of food.

     Eructations: Hiccup. Regurgitation: Bitter, of the ingesta. Hiccough after eating, drinking and smoking.

     Nausea, etc - Without vomiting. Qualmishness, with sweat and bellyache after smoking. Nightly vomiting of ingesta.

Stomach.-- Stitching in region of. Burning, especially after brandy. Pressure in pit. Weak or empty sensation in pit.

     Hypochondriac: Fullness and distension in. Swelling and induration of spleen.

Abdomen.-- Turning and twisting about navel. Protrusions here and there on. Throbbing in. Uterine cramps, with cutting, sticking and labor - like pains. Outpressing pain in inguinal region. Abdominal pains are after sweet foods, coffee and brandy.

     Flatulence: Nightly, flatulent colic. Rumbling in abdomen, as from hunger. Evolution of much flatus, which is easily discharged.

Stool.-- Easy and satisfactory. Very thickly formed, difficult altho soft. Ineffectual urging, felt more in upper intestine. Diarrhoea, with fissures in rectum. Constipated, from taking cold and driving.

     Anus, etc - Itching and crawling in. Prolapsus recti with smarting pains during moderate pressure to stool. Contraction of, after stool.

Urine.-- Frequent discharge of much watery. Sudden, irresistible urging to urinate. Involuntary urination. Constant urging to urinate after coffee. Burning and smarting in urethra when urinating.

Sexual Organs.-- Violent itching in evening, disappearing by scratching. Sweat on scrotum. Impotency with lasciviousness. Pains in penis.

Female.-- Menses: Too early (and too profuse). Menstrual blood black, smell badly and is discharged in clots. Uterine hemorrhage. Uterine spasms during menses.

Respiration.-- Oppression of: Alternating with twitchings and convulsions, nightly, of chest, especially after midnight. Want of breath from abdominal disturbances. Loses his breath when running. Changeable. Deep. Slow inspiration and rapid exhalation.

Cough.-- Dry, spasmodic. Dry, hollow, from tickling in stomach, early in morning when awaking. Dry, from irritation, as feather - down or sulphur vapor in throat pit, in evening, always by continued coughing. Expectoration scanty and difficult, tasting and smelling like secretions of an old catarrh, in evening only.

Larynx, etc.-- Soreness in. Tearing and contraction in. Pains in whole trachea. Loss voice.

Chest.-- Pressure in. Stitches in, from flatulent colic. Spasmodic constriction of. Feels as if too small. Nightly palpitation, with stitches at heart.

Back.-- Spine curved backward. Cutting stitches, as from a sharp knife, extending from lumbar region cut throw loins down into thighs. Pain in sacrum when lying on back in bed, early in morning.

     Neck: Painless glandular nodules on.

Upper Extremities.-- Convulsive twitchings in arms, fingers and legs. Cutting stitches in shoulder - joint when flexing arm. Sense of numbness and something alive crawling about in arm, at night in bed.

Lower Extremities.-- Cutting sticking in hip and knee - joints. When walking knees are involuntary drawn up. Ulcerative pain or stitches in soles of feet. Nightly burning of heels when held in contact with each other, at the same time they seem cold to touch.

Generalities.-- Extraordinary changeableness of all the symptoms. Crawling, asleep feeling in limbs. Dislocative pains in joints. Trembling of limbs. Pain, as from hard, pointed body, pressing from within outward. Cutting stitches, as from a sharp knife. Convulsive twitches, especially after fright or vexation, with silent grief. Hysterical spasms. Coffee, tobacco and brandy intensify the symptoms. The attacks are renewed after dinner, in evening after lying down, and early in morning immediately upon awaking, they are diminished when lying upon back, upon painful parts, or in general by a change of posture.

Skin.-- Itching on body, which immediately leaves the spot when gently scratched. Itching when becoming heated or in open air. Great sensitiveness to drafts. During fever, violent, itching nettlerash covering entire body.

Sleep.-- Deep, stupefying. Sleep after the cough paroxysms. Extraordinary spasmodic yawning with pain in maxillary joint as though it would be dislocated. Sleep so light that patient hears everything. Restless sleep and great restlessness at night. Fixed ideas in his dreams which continue after waking.

Fever.-- Pulse: Generally hard, full and rapid, with throbbing in blood vessels, more seldom small or slow, in other respects upon the whole, very changeable. Chill: And coldness, with increased pains. Capable of being by external warmth, always with thirst. Often on posterior part of body only. Internal, with external heat. External coldness with internal heat. Heat: External only without thirst, with intolerance of external warmth. External, with redness, internal shuddering and sticking in limbs. Overrunning attacks of external heat. Constant rapid changes of heat and cold. One - sided burning heat, of face. Sweat: Slight, often only on face. Feeling as if sweat would break out, which does not. While eating. Sometimes cold, but generally warm and somewhat sour smelling. Thirst during apyrexia.

Relationship.-- Allied Remedies: Alum., Arn., Ars., Bism, Coloc, Calc-c., Caps, Carb-v., Caust., CHAM., Coccl., Coff., Cupr., Hep., Ip., Lyc., Mgs., M - arct., M - aust., Mar., Nux v., Phos - ac., Plat., Puls, Ruta., Selen., Stram., Valer., ZINC.

     Complementary: Aur., Nat - m.