Copaiva officinalis


- TESTE A, GROUP REMEDIES,  GROUP VI,SEPLESUCCUS
 Balsam of copaiva
 - A species of turpentine or oleaginous rosin obtained from the copaibera officinalis, a tree belonging to the family of leguminosae, which is frequently found in Brazil, where it is known under the name of copaiva or copaiva.
 - At the time it flows out of the tree, the balsam of copaiva is of an oily consistence, almost colorless, of an aromatic odor, of a heating, acrid and long-remaining taste ; as it grows older, it assumes a yellower tinge, become thicker, and loses some of its odor.
 - Such a large quantity is consumed of it that it is exported from Brazil in casks of from one hundred to one hundred and fifty pounds.
 - Empirical applications.
 - This balsam has been employed in medicine for at least two centuries past.
 - The writings of F. Hoffman, Pringle, Fuller, Valcareugh, Monro, Simmons, Pisan, Jacquier and Swediaur, testify to this fact.
 - It is recommended for blennorrhagia and affections of the chest, accompanied with profuse expectoration, by Tournefort, Ferrein, Feoffroy and Cullen.
 - Schwilgue and Alibert do not mention it in their systems of materia medica.
 - Some modern physicians of high repute fancy, on this account, that they were the first who made use of this drug, and they have even gone so far as to dispute about the priority of this discovery ; an unheard-of fact, and which alone would suffice to prove the inconceivable ignorance of most alloeopathic physicians in medical matters.
 - With his wonted conscientiousness, Murray* collects the opinions of his predecessors and contemporaries concerning the medicinal properties of the balsam of copaiva.
 - At first it was used externally, on wounds, and as an antiseptic in the treatment of sores and atonic ulcers, the cicatrisation of which it hastened.
 - Afterwards it was, undoubtedly by analogy, received as an internal agent, for the treatment of all such affections as were reputed to be characterized by processes of ulceration, such as pulmonary phthisis.
 - But its use in this affection is condemned by Pringle, Rosenstein, Tissot, Fothergill and Quarin ; they accuse it of augmenting the fever, the inflammation, and the obstruction of the lungs around the ulcerated portions.
 - According to others, with Fuller at their head, it was possess of extraordinary healing virtues in these very cases.
 - Fuller says that it cleanses the air-pssages, * strengthens the tone of the lungs, dissolves tubercles, and stops the most dangerous kinds of cough, even phthisis when far advanced.
 - Fr. Hoffmann recommends its use in ulcerations of the lungs, kidneys, bladder and prostate gland, provided it is directly used. *
 - Valcarengh, relying upon his own experience, and upon that of Rega and Sommers, likewise admits the efficacy of copaiva in ulceration of the lungs ; but only when employed in small doses, and for a long time in succession. *
 - Monro * thinks that it is very useful in phthisis, when there is a state of weakness and looseness.
 - Gessner recommends it for the same disease, but only in persons of thin blood, a lymphatic constitution, and whose nerves are not too sensitive.
 - And lastly, Simmous, * Lentin, and several other practitioners of the 18th century, give opinions concerning the antiphthisical properties of copaiva, which are not very different from the opinions expressed a little while before.*
 - The other quotations made by Murray, refer to the use of copaiva in gonorrhoea.
 - Murray condemns its use in the inflammatory period.
 - Theden did not prescribe it util the discharge had become almost serous.
 - Swediaur * praises the massive doses of this drug, from 50 to 100 drops of which he caused his patients to sallow every twenty-four hours.
 - J. Hunter * observes that the discharge is frequently suspended only during the use of the drug, and reappears as soon as the medicine is discontinued, whence he infers that the copaiva has to be continued, whence he infers that the copaiva has to be continued for five or six days after the apparent cure of the discharge, etc.
 - Murray relates finally, although he does not seems to place much credence in his own statements, that, beside blennorrhoea, pulmonary catarrhs, phthisis, and sores, (by external applications,) copaiva has cured leucorrhoea, pains in the lions, calculi, dysuria, colic, diarrhoea, dropsy * and paralysis.
 - My present knowledge of the action of copaiva, induces me to think these cures very probable.*
 - Agreeably to the spirit of modern alloeopathic practice, almost every thing that has been said recently with reference to copaiva, is intended to defend its use in massive doses.
 - But without examining this gross mode of treatment, which the organists alone can possibly justify, let us examine the facts which we cannot reject as doubtful.*
 - Auriana, who, however, scarcely ever used copaiva alone, treated with it acute gonorrhoea exclusively.
 - In most cases he used Chopart's potion.
 - Of twenty-six patients he cured twenty-four.
 - In one the drug effected nothing, and in another it caused a serious aggravation.
 - Do not these two exceptions show that copaiva is not, as Ribes believes, a specific remedy for all cases of gonorrhoea ?
 - Ribes' memoir is however, much more interesting than that of Auriana.
 - With copaiva alone, Ribes cured various diseases which had developed themselves in consequence of the suppression of the blennorrhoea, namely : various engorgement of the testicles, a swelling of the cavernous bodies resembling priapism, several recent catarrhs of the bladder ; several cases of nephritis ; two cases of hydrarthrosis of the knee, two cases of headache, two of ophthalmia, one case of subacute laryngitis, a case of profuse mucous expectoration.
 - Delpech, independently of a number of cases of gonorrhoea, like Ribes, treated successfully with copaiva several catarrhs of the bladder, and several subsequent swellings of the testicles.
 - Delpech terminates his memoir by a curious observation, but which I do not think founded, namely, that copaiva has very little, or no effect in cases of women.
 - The only interesting fact contained in Velpeau's memoir, is taken from Bretonneau.
 - This is the case of a young woman who, after her confinement, was seized with a large obscess in the iliac fossa and in front of the pelvis ; this abscess had opened into the bladder and discharged by the urethra.
 - The pus from this abscess, combined with the quantities of mucus which came in increased quantities from the bladder, and which nothing could stop, flowed so profusely, that the patient came near sinking under it.
 - The discharge was speedily stopped by injections, consisting of two drachms of copaiva, and a small quantity of a decoction of cinchona.
 - But is the cure attributable to the cinchona or the copaiva
 - As regards the gonorrhoea, Velpeau has shown, contrary to the statement of Delpech, that copaiva cures it as easily in females as in males ; according to this author, it is his peculiar mode of administering the copaiva, that is the cause of his success.
 - Laroche cured seven cases of chronic bronchial catarrh with copaiva.
 - They are interesting ; but they lack, like most other cases of alloeopathic observation, the precision of details in the such or such a drug.
 - After reading these seven cases, I am unable to say for what variety of pulmonary catarrh copaiva is the specific remedy.
 - The case of leucorrhoea which Degaez, Castel, Lacombe, Armstrong, Larrey, etc.,* have cured by means of copaiva, prove at least one thing, namely, that it is not, as Cullen supposed,* and as Trousseau and Pidoux still seem to believe, * by the immediate contact of the medicinal molecules with the diseased parts that copaiva heals certain phlegmasiae of the mucous membranes.
 - From the accidental observations of Old School physicians, we may infer a small number of the physiological effects of copaiva.
 - According to the language of these physicians, these effects, which are unavoidable consequences of the daily abuse of this drug, constitute its unpleasant results, not its dangers, for copaiva is never supposed to be dangerous.
 - ``The miliary and erythematous exanthem,'' say Trousseau and Pidoux, ``the swelling of the testicle, phenomena which are sometimes remarked during the administration of copaiva, are not to be considered in the least as counter indicating causes of copaiva.'' *
 - In another passage, the same authors admit that, independently ``of various vesicular eruptions, copaiva frequently causes obstinate headaches.''
 - But how do Trousseau and Pidoux, after such confessions, explain to themselves the cures of swollen testicles, and of headache, which are attributed to copaiva ?
 - Fred. Hoffmann, Pringle, Fuller, Monro, J. Hunter, Chopart, Swediaur, etc., have seen copaiva produce nausea, even vomiting, and frequently colic and diarrhoea.*
 - According to Merat and Delens, the balsam of copaiva does not always act only against the disease for which it is administered.
 - Generally it purges, when given in large doses of one or two drachms ; then it may even cause vomiting, especially if the dose is still larger, in which case it may occasion a real gastritis, or enteritis, with evacuations upwards and downwards, etc.
 - At other times, it causes an inflammation of the urinary passages and the adjoining parts.
 - It has been KNOWN to cause urethritis, retention of urine, phlegmasia of the bladder, prostate gland, anus, rectum, etc.
 - IT IS REMARKABLE THAT THIS DRUG SHOULD ESES THAT OTHER HAVE KNOWN IT TO CAUSE. *
 - Is there a single drug to which this remark does not apply ?
 - If the allopathic physicians would watch their patients with the same attention that the practice of homoeopathy requires, they would not be slow to find out that the balsam of copaiva, besides the therapeutic virtues which they accord to it, and the unpleasant results which they attribute to the over-doses, or to the untimely action of the drug, produces a variety of symptoms, of which they have never kept any account.
 - The following pathogenesis is a proof of this :
 - This pathogenesis is the result of two different experiments, instituted at periods of two years' interval.
 - The first experiment took place in 1847.
 - These proving were instituted on myself and on seven or eight persons besides, of both sexes.
 - Each experiment lasted several weeks ; the drug was taken in drop doses of the sixth dilution by myself and some of my co-provers, a dose every morning and evening ; the others took it more irregularly.
 - Unfortunately most of these persons lived in the country ; they were tolerably sensible to medicinal action, but did not know how to observe properly and correctly the effects of a drug, and still less, how to describe them.
 - Howsoever short the following list of symptoms may seem, it is not without much patient labor that I have succeeded in perfecting it.
 Pathogenesis of the balsam of copaiva
 - 1-Depression, with anxious sadness.
 - In the morning, immediately after waking, deep sadness, which passes off during a walk, but returns in the evening.
 - Excessive sensitiveness of the whole nervous system, so that the least noise makes one start, and angry.
 - Attack of weeping, in a young girl, on hearing the sounds of a piano.
 - 5-In the afternoon, periodical attacks of sadness and tears, with cold extremities and flashes of heat in the face.
 - Uneasiness on account of one's health.
 - Quarrelsome, irascible, gloomy, intractable mood for a week, with vascular excitement, heat about the heart and trembling of the limbs, on meeting with the least contrariety.
 - Absurd recriminations concerning trifling things that had happened a long while ago.
 - Misanthropy.
 - 10-Insurmountable aversion to one's usual occupations.
 - Complete inability to perform any manual labour ; the head feels empty, and the ideas are confused ; a dull pain is felt at the forehead, when trying to struggle against this inability.
 - Deficient memory ; this makes one impatient, and plunges one into a gloomy depression of spirits.
 - Loathing of life, and, at the same time, fear of death.
 - Passing attacks of vertigo when sitting, working, walking, but especially when standing immoveable.
 - 15-Attack of vertigo when riding on horseback, in the morning, although he has talking at the time, and going a pace.
 - Headache in the morning.
 - Every step he takes jars the head, this ceases in half an hour.
 - Pulsative, deep-seated stitches at the occiput.
 - Dull pain at the occiput.
 - 20-Lancinating pressure, proceeding from the right occipital protuberance.
 - Stitches at the left occipital protuberance, with occasional shocks in the whole head, only in the morning.
 - Hemicrania, (on the left side,) with boring pain, sense of coldness in the affected part, weeping and constant moaning, for three days, in a young man of twenty-two years, disposed to hypochondria.*
 - Pressure at the forehead.
 - Heaviness of the head, and especially of the occipital region, which is instinctively pressed against the collar of the coat ; this affords relief.
 - 25-Pulsative stitches at the top of the head, not synchronous with the pulse.
 - Headache with nausea, (Spielmann).
 - Stitches in the temples and behind the ears.
 - Tearing pain in the temporal regions, especially in the left, alleviated by gentle pressure with the hand.
 - Contusive pain at the right temple, evening and night, and which becomes intolerable when leaning on the pillow.
 - 30-Sudden stitches in both temples, when washing one's face with cool water in the morning.
 - Sensitiveness of the hairy scalp, and even of the hair.'
 - Small, red, slightly-itching pimples at the upper part of the forehead and hairy scalp, above the ears and at the occiput.
 - Falling of the hairs, after the first doses.
 - Formication in the canthi of the eyes, in the evening.
 - 35-Redness of the left eye.
 - Passing obscuration of sight.
 - Black points hovering before the eyes.
 - Upon alternately closing the right and left eye, the same objects look much paler when seen with the left, than when seen with the right eye.
 - 40-Contraction of the pupils.
 - Sensitiveness of the eyes to the light.
 - Involuntary contraction of the orbicularis muscle of the eyes, in the morning.
 - Spasm at the right upper lid, recurring several time in the day-time, and accompanied by a slight pressive pain at the eyes.
 - Agglutination of the lids, in the morning.
 - 45-Stitches, for a whole night, in the left ear, causing one to cry out (at the end of three days); some days after this, a little purulent matter is discharged from the meatus.
 - Buzzing in the ears.
 - Humming in the ears.
 - Formication in the ears.
 - Small furfuraceous tetter at the concha of the left ear, with burning pain, only when touched.
 - 50- Excessive sensitiveness of hearing, especially when sharp sounds are perceived ; the report of a pistol caused a disagreeable and even painful sensation ; this unpleasantness did not arise from the detonation of the power, but from the shock of the ball against the metallic disk at which it was fired.
 - Paleness and sickly look of the face.
 - Bloating of the face.
 - Heat in the face, in the morning, on waking.
 - Itching of the cheeks, here and there, in the eye-brows and at the chin.
 - 55-Small white miliary vesicles, on a red ground, at the left wing and at the tip of the nose.
 - Yellowish spots, of the size of a dime, of irregular shapes and slightly itching, on the right cheek, morning and evening.
 - Passing tearing in the left cheek.
 - Red, humid tetter (after eight days,) at the upper lip, which is swollen and painful when touched.
 - Sensitiveness without any appreciable swelling at the parotid glands, but contusive pain and perceptible swelling at the submaxillary glands.
 - 60-The teeth are on edge.
 - Gnawing and throbbing pain in a carious tooth, worse when drawing in cool air, or when touching it by some cool drink.
 - Sense of coldness in the teeth.
 - An unpleasant odor seems to come out of the teeth.
 - 65-The teeth seem less firm, and to start out of the sockets.
 - Dryness of the mouth, especially at night and in the morning.
 - Flow of saliva in the evening, at night, and in the morning.
 - Every now and then a sudden and profuse flow of a sweetish saliva.
 - Foul breath in the morning.
 - 70-The tongue is covered with a whitish coating, greenish at the base.
 - Redness, with smarting, on the sides and at the tip of the tongue.
 - Excoriative pain at the gums, palate and pharynx.
 - Tenacious phlegm in the mouth and throat, which is constantly reproduced.
 - Sensation as of a foreign body in the pharynx.
 - 75-Swelling of both tonsils, (especially of the right.)
 - Troublesome pressure in the pharynx.
 - Constriction of the throat.
 - Bitter taste in the mouth.
 - Thirst and diminished appetite.
 - 80- Excessive hunger, (the first two days,) then loss of appetite.
 - Hunger in the evening, (contrary to his habit,) when on the point of going to bed.
 - Sort of fainting at the stomach, without any real appetite.
 - Every article of food seems too salt.
 - Rush of blood to the head and face, when eating or after a meal.
 - 85-Hiccough after eating.
 - Eructations after eating.
 - Violent cutting pains, followed by two diarrhoeic stools, immediately after taking a cup of coffee with milk (as usual.)
 - Eructations tasting of the ingesta.
 - Sour eructations.
 - 90-Foul eructations.
 - Flashes of heat in the face, heat and sweat in the palms of the hands, with anxiety and general malaise, after eating.
 - Beating at the pit of the stomach, followed by beating of the heart, and cloudiness on leaving the table after eating.
 - Pressure at the pit of the stomach, even before breakfast.
 - Burning pain at the stomach.
 - 95- Nausea in the morning.
 - Desire to vomit, (Hahnemann.)
 - Vomiting, (Fred. Hoffmann, Swediaur, Monro, etc.)
 - Stitches at the stomach, every now and then, as if in paroxysms.
 - Spasms of the stomach.
 - 100-Pressive pain in the region of the spleen, which becomes pulsative from time to time.
 - The whole epigastric region is tensive and painful to contact.
 - Sense of burning in the abdomen, (Hahnemann.)
 - Stitches in the hypochondria.
 - Noisy borborygmi.
 - 105-Pinching in the abdomen.
 - Tearings in the abdomen, preceded by pullings in the femoral bones, (Hahnemann.)
 - Swelling of the lower abdomen.
 - Pressure in the lower abdomen, as from a stone.
 - discharge of fetid flatulence in the morning, in bed, and after rising.
 - 110-Beatings in the lower abdomen.
 - Pressure on the rectum, causing a constant urging to stool.
 - Coldness at the abdomen.
 - Several soft stools every day, especially in the morning, followed by general prostration.
 - Diarrhoea in the morning.
 - 115-Violent diarrhoea in one night, (fifteen evacuation in ten hours,) with spasms at the stomach ; coldness of the extremities and cramps in the calves.
 - White, diarrhoeic stools, generally in the morning, with coldness and drawing tearings in the abdomen, obliging one to bend double, (Hahnemann.)
 - Involuntary stools, (Hahnemann.)
 - Diarrhoea, (Monro, Fred. Haffman and others.)
 - Whitish, faecal stools, of a sour smell, with discharge of ascarides.
 - 120-Stools which are at first dry and in shape, and terminate in diarrhoea.
 - Stools like sheep's dung.
 - Insufficient stools.
 - No stool for five days.
 - 125-Piles, (Montegre.)
 - Fluent piles.
 - Stitches in the rectum.
 - Spasms of the rectum.
 - Spasms of the rectum.
 - Burning itching at the anus.
 - 130-Constant oozing, from the anus, of a serous or even purulent liquid.
 - Pressure on the bladder.
 - Dull pain at the bladder.
 - Tenesmus of the bladder, (Ansiaux.)
 - Frequent unsuccessful urging to urinate.
 - 135-Constant unsuccessful urging to urinate, (Hahnemann.)
 - The urine is discharged drop by drop, (Hahnemann.)
 - Unpleasant itching at the tip of the glans.
 - Itching, smarting and burning sensation in the urethra before and after urinating, (Hahnemann.)
 - Excoriative pain at the orifice of the urethra, (Hahnemann.)
 - 140-Inflammation and swelling of the orifice of the urethra which remains open, with a throbbing pain in the whole length of the penis, (Hahnemann.)
 - Absence of erections the first days.
 - Violent erections on the following days, (night and morning,) with or without thoughts of the other sex.
 - Constant and permanent sexual excitement, (during the whole time of the proving.)
 - Violent desire for an embrace, with absence of erection.
 - 145-Mucous discharge from the urethra.
 - Yellow, purulent discharge from the urethra, (Hahnemann.)
 - Profuse milky discharge, for three days, and which stops of itself, although the use of the drug is continued.
 - Dull, heavy pain in the testicles.
 - Swelling of one of the testicles (left) which is very sensitive to contact.
 - 150-Heat at the skin of the scrotum.
 - Boil at the pubis.
 - Superficial excoriation at the glans and prepuce.
 - Redness and slight dampness between the scrotum and thigh.
 - The inguinal glands are painful to contact.
 - 155-(Not very considerable) swelling of the inguinal ganglions.
 - Constant pressure on the uterus, as if prolapsus would set it.
 - Pulling pains in the suspensory ligaments of the uterus.
 - Deep stitches in the vagina and neck of the vomb.
 - Spasms of the uterus.
 - 160-Beatings in the right ovarian region, when standing.
 - Milky leucorrhoea.
 - Acrid leucorrhoea, which causes excoriations at the vulva.
 - A leucorrhoea of long standing disappears during the use of the drug.
 - Heat and red spots at the vulva.
 - 165-Itching at the vulva.
 - The menses are too early by three days.
 - The menses are too early by seven days.
 - The menses are too early by ten days
 - The menses appear on the regular day, but they are pale and much less profuse than usual.
 - The menses appear on the regular day, but they are pale and much less profuse than usual.
 - 170-During the menses she is sad in the morning, depressed, has pains in the loins, and is very nervous.
 - During the menses, tightness at the larynx, hoarseness in the morning, dry cough morning and night.
 - Stomach-ache during the menses.
 - During the menses, rheumatic pain (as from some great fatigue) in the left hip and knee, and uterine spasms.
 - Cold feet and knees during the menses.
 - 175-Leucorrhoea after the menses.
 - The menses reappear after they had ceased for several days.
 - Sleeplessness and restlessness, all night, after an embrace.
 - Metrorrhagia, (Hahnemann.)
 - Stuffing of the nose for two days, only in the morning.
 - 180-Frequent sneezing.
 - Fluent coryza with headache, pressive pain at the root of the nose, and itching in the eyes.
 - Dryness and roughness in the larynx.
 - Excoriative pain in the larynx.
 - 185-Hoarseness especially in the morning, with excoriative pain in the larynx when talking.
 - The voice, although not much altered, loses its compass during the whole time of the proving ; the lower notes are the same, but the higher notes cause an excoriative pain which finally prevents one from bringing them out.
 - Cough excited by tickling in the larynx, trachea and bronia.
 - Dry cough morning and evening.
 - Rough cough, with difficult expectoration of greenish mucus.
 - 190-Cough with profuse whitish expectoration, sometimes saltish, sometimes flat and nauseous.
 - Heat in the chest.
 - Stitches in the right side of the chest.
 - Acute stitches in the left axilla, penetrating into the chest.
 - Sense of fulness at the chest, which frequently obliges one to sigh.
 - 195-Difficulty at the chest, with labored breathing, while working in a stooping position, (digging).
 - Pressure at the sternum.
 - Palpitation of the heart during work.
 - Beating of the heart, (Hahnemann).
 - Palpitation of the heart, (Spielmann).
 - 200-Stitches between the two shoulders, cutting off the respiration.
 - Rheumatic pain at the nape of the neck and left side of the neck.
 - Dull pain,  like spasms, in the lumber region.
 - Stiffness in the back, disappearing when walking.
 - Burning pain in the dorsal spine.
 - 205-Red spots, slightly itching, in the sternal region and right axilla.
 - The axillary lands are sensitive to contact.
 - Stitches in the left shoulder-blade.
 - Pullings in both shoulder-blades.
 - Luxation-pain in the right shoulder-blade.
 - 210-Acute pain in the left shoulder-joint.
 - Numbness of the arm, on the left arm.
 - Pulling in the fore-arms.
 - Stiffness in the fingers.
 - 215-Cold hands.
 - Trembling of the hands.
 - Crampy pains in both hips, worse in the right.
 - Contusive pain in the right hip, when lying on it.
 - Contusive pain in the right thigh, when walking and when touching it.
 - Dull pain in the knees.
 - 220-Cracking in the knees, when stretching the leg.
 - Numbness of the legs, when siting.
 - Pain as if sprained, in the feet, very troublesome when first commencing to walk, and which the walking causes to disappear.
 - Swelling of the left foot.
 - Swelling of both feet.
 - 225-Icy-coldness of the feet, from morning till noon.
 - Twitching of the limbs, during rest.
 - Intolerable uneasiness in the lower limbs.
 - Pulling in al the muscles, especially in the evening and at night.
 - Trembling of the extremities.
 - 230-Pulsation here and there.
 - Slowness of the pulse, (Giacomini.)
 - Excessive sensitiveness to damp and cold.
 - Quotidian fever ; cold and shuddering before noon, followed by a general heat and thirst for cold water, (Hahnemann.)
 - Haemorrhage, (Monro.)
 - 235-Urticaria, (Hahnemann.)
 - Eruption of a number of red blotches all over the body, but especially in the face, (Montege.)
 - Paroxysms of spasms and other hysteric symptoms.
 - Epileptiform attacks, (in a boy of eighteen years, who had prostrated his mind and body by onanism,) decrease gradually, and finally cease altogether.
 - drowsiness in the day time.
 - 240-Restless sleep at night.
 - Coldness of the feet, knees and thighs, at night.
 - frightful or lascivious dreams.
 - Frequent waking.
 - Wakes early, and is unable to fall asleep again.
 - 245-Sour-smelling sweat at night.
 - Profuse and inodorous sweat in the morning.
 - For some years pat I have used copaiva freely in my practice.
 - I use it for the same conditions that indicate sepia, and I am as yet unable to point out the least difference between the therapeutic properties of these two drugs.
 - A circumstance worthy of remark is this, that they have both the same antidotes.
 - I know from various trails, that corrosive sublimate in the male, and soluble mercury in the female, neutralise the action of copaiva almost on the spot, the same as they do that of sepia.

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