LYCOPODIUM CLAVATUM
Club Moss
(LYCOPODIUM)This drug is inert until the spores are crushed. Its wonderful medicinal
properties are only disclosed by trituration and succussion.In nearly all cases where Lycopodium is the remedy, some evidence of
urinary or digestive disturbance will be found. Corresponds to Grauvogle’s carbo-nitrogenoid
constitution, the non-eliminative lithæmic. Lycopodium is adapted more especially to
ailments gradually developing, functional power weakening, with failures of the digestive
powers, where the function of the liver is seriously disturbed. Atony.
Malnutrition. Mild temperaments of lymphatic constitution, with catarrhal
tendencies; older persons, where the skin shows yellowish spots, earthy complexion, uric
acid diathesis, etc; also precocious, weakly children. Symptoms characteristically run from
right to left, acts especially on right side of body,
and are worse from about 4 to 8 pm. In kidney affections, red sand
in urine, backache, in renal region; worse before urination. Intolerant of cold
drinks; craves everything warm. Best adapted to persons
intellectually keen, but of weak, muscular power. Deep-seated, progressive, chronic
diseases. Carcinoma. Emaciation. Debility in morning.
Marked regulating influence upon the glandular (sebaceous) secretions. Pre-senility.
Ascites, in liver disease. Lycop patient is thin, withered, full of gas and dry. Lacks vital
heat; has poor circulation, cold extremities. Pains come and go suddenly. Sensitive to noise
and odors.
Mind.–
Melancholy; afraid to be alone.
Little things annoy, Extremely sensitive. Averse to undertaking new things. Head strong and
haughty when sick. Loss of self-confidence. Hurried when eating. Constant fear of breaking
down under stress. Apprehensive. Weak memory, confused
thoughts; spells or writes wrong words and syllables.
Failing brain-power (Anac; Phos; Baryt). Cannot bear to
see anything new. Cannot read what he writes. Sadness in morning on awaking.
Head.–
Shakes head without apparent cause. Twists face and
mouth. Pressing headache on vertex; worse from 4 to 8 pm, and from lying down or stooping,
if not eating regularly (Cact). Throbbing headache after
every paroxysm of coughing. Headaches over eyes in severe colds; better,
uncovering (Sulph). Vertigo in morning on
rising. Pain in temples, as if they were screwed toward each other. Tearing pain in occiput;
better, fresh air. Great falling out of hair. Eczema; moist oozing behind ears. Deep furrows
on forehead. Premature baldness and gray hair.
Eyes.–
Styes on lids near internal canthus. Day-blindness (Bothrops). Night-blindness more characteristic. Sees only
one-half of an object. Ulceration and redness of lids. Eyes half open during sleep.
Ears.–
Thick, yellow, offensive discharge. Eczema about and
behind ears. Otorrhœa and deafness with or without tinnitus; after scarlatina. Humming and roaring with hardness of hearing; every noise
causes peculiar echo in ear.
Nose.–
Sense of smell very acute. Feeling of dryness
posteriorly. Scanty excoriating, discharge anteriorly. Ulcerated nostrils. Crusts and
elastic plugs (Kal b; Teuc). Fluent coryza. Nose stopped up. Snuffles; child starts from sleep rubbing
nose. Fan-like motion of aloe nasi (Kali brom; Phos).
Face.–
Grayish-yellow color of face, with blue circles around
eyes. Withered, shriveled, and emaciated; copper-colored eruption. Dropping
of lower jaw, in typhoid fever (Lach; Opium).
Itching; scaly herpes in face and corner of mouth.
Mouth.–
Teeth excessively painful to touch. Toothache, with
swelling of cheeks; relieved by warm application. Dryness of mouth and tongue, without
thirst. Tongue dry, black, cracked, swollen; oscillates to and fro. Mouth waters. Blisters on tongue. Bad odor from mouth.
Throat.–
Dryness of throat, without thirst. Food and drink
regurgitates through nose. Inflammation of throat, with stitches on swallowing; better, warm drinks. Swelling and suppuration of tonsils.
Ulceration of tonsils, beginning on right side.
Diphtheria; deposits spread from right to left; worse, cold drinks.
Ulceration of vocal bands. Tubercular laryngitis, especially when ulceration commences.
Stomach.–
Dyspepsia due to farinaceous and fermentable food,
cabbage, beans, etc. Excessive hunger. Aversion to bread, etc. Desire for sweet things. Food tastes sour. Sour eructations. Great weakness of
digestion. Bulimia, with much bloating. After eating, pressure in stomach, with bitter taste
in mouth. Eating ever so little creates fullness. Cannot
eat oysters. Rolling of flatulence (Chin; Carb). Wakes
at night feeling hungry. Hiccough. Incomplete burning eructations
rise only to pharynx there burn for hours. Likes to take food and drink hot.
Sinking sensation; worse night.
Abdomen.–
Immediately after a light meal, abdomen is bloated, full. Constant sense of fermentation in abdomen, like
yeast working; upper left side. Hernia, right side. Liver sensitive. Brown spots on abdomen.
Dropsy, due to hepatic disease. Hepatitis, atrophic from of nutmeg liver. Pain shooting
across lower abdomen from right to left.
Stool.–
Diarrhœa. Inactive intestinal canal. Ineffectual
urging. Stool hard, difficult, small, incomplete. Hæmorrhoids; very painful to touch, aching (Mur ac).
Urine.–
Pain in back before urinating; ceases after flow; slow in coming, must strain. Retention. Polyuria
during the night. Heavy red sediment. Child cries before urinating (Bor).
Male.–
No erectile power; impotence.
Premature emission (Calad; Sel; Agn). Enlarge prostate.
Condylomata.
Female.–
Menses too late; last too long, too profuse. Vagina
dry. Coition painful. Right ovarian pain. Varicose veins of pudenda. Leucorrhœa, acrid,
with burning in vagina. Discharge of blood from genitals during stool.
Respiratory.–
Tickling cough. Dyspnœa. Tensive, constrictive,
burning pain in chest. Cough worse going down hill. Cough deep, hollow. Expectorations gray,
thick, bloody, purulent, salty (Ars;
Phos; Puls). Night cough, tickling as from Sulphur fumes. Catarrh of the chest in
infants, seems full of mucus rattling. Neglected pneumonia, with great dyspnœa, flaying of
alæ nasæ and presence of mucous rales.
Heart.–
Aneurism (Baryta carb). Aortic disease. Palpitation at night. Cannot lie
on left side.
Back.–
Burning between
scapulæ as of hot coals. Pain in small of back.
Extremities.–
Numbness, also drawing and tearing in limbs,
especially while at rest or at night. Heaviness of arms. Tearing in shoulder and elbow
joints. One foot hot, the other cold. Chronic gout, with chalky deposits in joints. Profuse
sweat of the feet. Pain in heel on treading as from a pebble. Painful callosities on soles;
toes and fingers contracted. Sciatica, worse right side. Cannot lie
on painful side. Hands and feet numb. Right foot hot, left cold. Cramps in calves
and toes at night in bed. Limbs go to sleep. Twitching and jerking.
Fever.–
Chill between 3 and 4 pm, followed by sweat. Icy
coldness. Feels as if lying on ice. One chill is followed by another (Calc;
Sil; Hep).
Sleep.–
Drowsy during day. Starting in sleep. Dreams of
accidents.
Skin.–
Ulcerates. Abscesses beneath skin; worse warm
applications. Hives; worse, warmth. Violent itching; fissured eruptions. Acne. Chronic eczema associated with urinary, gastric and
hepatic disorders; bleeds easily. Skin becomes thick and indurated. Varicose veins, nævi,
erectile tumors. Brown spots, freckles worse on left side of face and nose. Dry, shrunken, especially palms; hair becomes prematurely
gray. Dropsies. Offensive secretions; viscid and offensive
perspiration, especially of feet and axilla. Psoriasis.
Modalities.–
Worse, right
side, from right to left, from above downward, 4 to 8 pm; from heat or warm room, hot air,
bed. Warm applications, except throat and stomach which are better from warm drinks. Better, by motion, after
midnight, from warm food and drink, on getting cold, from being uncovered.
Relationship.–
Complementary: Lycop
acts with special benefit after Calcar and Sulphur. Iod; Graphites, Lach; Chelidon.Antidotes: Camph; Puls; Caust.
Compare: Carbo-Nitrogenoid Constitution: Sulphur;
Rhus; Urtica; Mercur; Hepar. Alumina (Lycop is the only vegetable that takes up
aluminum. T. F. Allen) Ant c; Nat m; Ery; Nux; Bothrops
(day-blindness; can scarcely see after sunrise; pain in right great toe). Plumbago littoralis-A Brazilian plant–(Costive with red
urine, pain in kidneys and joints and body generally; milky saliva, ulcerated mouth). Hydrast follows Lycop in
indigestion.
Dose.–
Both the lower and the highest potencies are credited
with excellent result. For purposes of aiding elimination the second and third attenuation
of the Tincture, a few drops, 3 times a day, have proved
efficacious, otherwise the 6th to 200th potency, and higher, in not too frequent doses.
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