OPUNTIA.
By Timothy F. Allen — The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica
Opuntia vulgaris, Mill. (Cactus opuntia, L.).
Opuntia alba spina.
Natural order , Cactaceæ.
Preparation , Tincture of flowers, No. 1; of stems, No. 2.
Authorities.
1 , Dr. Burdick, N. A. J. of Hom., N. S., 5, Aug. 1874, p. 48, effects of one or two deep inhalations of the tincture of flowers of O. vulgaris; 2 , Dr. R. E. Kunze, Trans. Eclectic Med. Soc. of N. Y., 1875, proving of J. H. Fitch, M.D., who took 10 drops of tincture of O. alba-spina at 6.30 P.M., 1 drachm at 11.45 P.M. first day, 1 drachm at 8 A.M. second day, same 6 P.M. third and fourth days; 3 , one symptom of O. vulgaris, from Murray, App. Med., 3, 343 (from A. H. Z., 19, 128).
MIND
- Aberrations of mind, not entirely conscious of mental vagrancy (eighth day), 2.
- The mind appears to be much affected, and does not appreciate any of its morbid condition; much tempted to do things one should not do (eighth day), 2.
- Involuntary blasphemous mood (eighth day), 2.
- In a few minutes, desire to be at prayer; go there, and in a minute or two desire to go out and "tidy" up; soon went out on an errand downstairs, then come up and go again to prayer (first day), 2.
- Fit of swearing at evening after coming home; praying in the morning, swearing on disappointment in plans; fit of rage, at 6 P.M., on thwarting of plans (third day), 2.
- In the afternoon, fit of petulance, angry at near relatives, swearing mood, not at all pleased, cannot get over the thought of injuries done by friends (eighth day), 2.
- Petulance and desire to be at work; very irritable; cannot stand the least trifle (eighth day), 2.
- Very vindictive at night (tenth day), 2.
- Felt an intense desire to be busy; could scarcely give way to the wishes of the friends with whom I was associated (ninth day), 2. [10.]
- Felt remarkable freedom in doing what I had to do; mind pretty clear (ninth day), 2.
- Stopped in the midst of my work as if by an irresistible power (thirteenth day), 2.
- Neglect business all day (sixth day), 2.
- Lazy, diffident in transacting business (seventh day), 2.
- Omits the first letter of a word in writing, transposes the first and second letters, writing the second first and the first second (second day), 2.
- Omit the first letter of the last syllable of a compound word (eighth day), 2.
- Transpose in writing the two final letters of a word unless writing very slowly (eighth day), 2.
HEAD AND EYE
- Headache of rather a mild form, a tensive feeling in the brain (fifth day), 2.
- Sensation as if the head were transfixed with a lance or spear (third day), 2.
- Pain in the globe of the right eye early, continuing (ninth day), 2. [20.]
- Towards evening pain through the globe of the eye (ninth day), 2.
- Burning smarting in margin of eyelids, with feeling of contractions in line of eyelashes, 1.
NOSE, FACE, AND MOUTH
- Left nostril bleeds on picking, a little blood and watery phlegm (eighth day), 2.
- Slight bloody mucous discharge from the left nostril (eighth day), 2.
- Pale face (fifth day), 2.
- Bite the inside of cheek on chewing on right side (eighth day), 2.
- The teeth appear sensitive (I may have taken cold), (eighth day), 2.
- Tea tastes very insipid (it is not very strong); yesterday strong tea was very agreeable (eighth day), 2.
- Saliva in the mouth (third and fourth days), 2.
THROAT AND STOMACH
- Great raising of mucus (phlegm from the throat), at 4 P.M. (seventh day), 2. [30.]
- Considerable mucus from the throat (eighth day), 2.
- Throat feels sore in afternoon, choked or pinching feeling around the top of the larynx (third day), 2.
- Horripilation on swallowing (first day), 2.
- Appetite not first rate at breakfast, restricted at dinner (fifth day), 2.
- Went without dinner (ninth day), 2.
- Nausea, extending from the stomach down into the bowels, with sensation as if diarrhœa would set in, 1.*
- Nausea, with dull heavy pain in stomach, with feeling as if cramps would set in, 1.
- Alternate nausea of stomach and bowels, 1.
ABDOMEN, RECTUM AND STOOL
- Bloatedness at the abdomen (eighth day), 2.
- Pain through the spleen and heart (after one hour), 2. [40.]
- Sensation as if the contents of the bowels in lower portion of abdomen were very acrid; worse in median line, 1.
- Excoriating sick feeling in lower third of abdomen, with sensation as if the bowels had all settled down into lower part of abdomen, 1.
- Urgent desire for stool; evacuation rather loose (after one hour), 2.
- At evening stool, at first easy, afterwards hard (sixth day); urging to stool in the morning, soft, but difficult (seventh day), 2.
- In straining at stool, varicose veins on left side enlarge very greatly (eighth day), 2.
- Evacuation of bowels smell like strong drugs (eighth day), 2.
- Bowels move oftener than natural (third day), 2.
- Loose stool, at 4 P.M. (eighth day), 2.
URINARY, AND SEXUAL ORGANS
- Not able to wait on urinating (ninth day), 2.
- Urine increased in frequency, much more copious (eighth day), 2. [50.]
- Urine increased in quantity, not in frequency, all day (eighth day), 2.
- Urine free (third day), 2.
- Bloody urine, 3.
- Pain in the right testicle; priapism, with lascivious desire; drawing pain in right testicle (after second dose, first day), 2.
- Atrophied appearance of the external genital organs (eighth day), 2.
- Seminal emission (tenth day), 2.
RESPIRATION, CHEST, AND HEART
- Heaving respiration, which does not give relief of chest oppression (third day), 2.
- Single heaving respiration (second day), 2.
- Respiration with slight heave of the chest, followed by less marked heaving respiration, gradually becoming quick and natural, still chest feels at ease (eighth day), 2.
- Oppression of the chest relieved by a single heaving respiration; single violent chest heave to the respiration, producing an agreeable feeling at chest (after twenty minutes, second day), 2. [60.]
- Cold strikes straight through the chest, upper portion (eighth day), 2.
- Sticking pain through the heart (after one hour), 2.
NECK
- Pain in muscles of neck, left side anteriorly, at 12.25 P.M.; later, pain in the muscles of the right side of the neck below ear, momentarily on the right side anteriorly of the neck; pain and ache on both sides of the neck below ears, coming on and passing off (fourth day), 2.
EXTREMITIES
- Pain in the proximal ends of the first and second metacarpal bones of left hand (second day), 2.
- Pain in left arm just below the elbow, palmar aspect (after one hour), 2.
- After kneeling or resting on lower limbs they become numb, with tingling or pricking (eighth day), 2.
- Arranged one of the drawers of my desk; after kneeling, lower limbs asleep, immovable (this is a two days' old symptom), (eighth day), 2.
- Pain in muscles on the inner side of left leg (second day), 2.
- Pain in head of left fibula (second day), 2.
- Pain in right little toe (second day), 2.
GENERALS, SKIN, SLEEP, AND FEVER. [70.]
- Feeling of prostration, 1.
- Bad feeling, involving the nervous system (fifth day), 2.
- Nervous at night (seventh day), 2.
- Have had for a few days an eruption of pimples on the neck just back of the left ear, covering the mastoid process and bleeding easily (eighth day), 2.
- At night dream of women (second day), 2.
- Feeling of coldness, 1.
- Very cold and chilly (the day is cold and weather changing), (eighth day), 2.
- Cold feeling, with ache at the neck just below the ear, in the sterno-mastoid muscles, near their insertion (eighth day), 2.
- Cold feet, feel chilly in a cold room (eighth day), 2.
- Cold feet; coldness of the body (ninth day), 2. [80.]
- Cold feet (eighth day), 2.
CONDITIONS
- Aggravation.
- ( Morning ), Praying mood; urging to stool.
- ( Afternoon ), Petulant mood; sore throat; 12.25, pain in muscles of left side of neck; pain in muscles of right side.
- ( Towards evening ), Pain through globe of eye.
- ( Evening ), Fit of swearing.
- ( Night ), Vindictive mood.
- ( Heaving respiration ), Oppression at chest.
- ( After kneeling on lower extremities ), Numbness.
- ( When writing ), Confusion of mind.