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J T Kent
This remedy in olden times was frequently abused for man and beast. Our
grandfathers supposed it was a protection against disease, and hence they used it
in the stables. Lumps of "foety," as they called it, were put in the corn for the
horse, to keep off distemper. What it has accomplished I am unable to say, but it
is certain that these farmers looked upon Asafoetida as a great protective against
disease. It has been used also by the laity as a medicine for fainting, for hysteria,
and all sorts of nervous symptoms and complaints. The use is justified by the
proving. These things are scarcely worthy of note, but it shows the general use
among the people, as a domestic medicine, in crude form. It has been used more
extensively in this form than in professional practice in a legitimate way.
There is one class of patients you will find who will trouble you. Those cases that
come into your office with puffed, venous, purple faces; they have an appearance
of plethora; the face looks puffed, bloated and dropsical at times; it is a dark
red, dusky face; such a face we shall cure sometimes with Asafoetida. CARBO AN.,
AURUM, CARBO VEG. and PULSATILLA are also related to this kind of face, but it
is a very troublesome face, it shows more or less cardiac disturbance and venous
stasis. The venous side of the heart will often be involved, or be about to be
involved, when you have this kind of face. I never like to see them come into my
office, for they are hard cases to manage. They have deep-seated troubles, with
bleeding, they are subject to sudden inflammations, and they do not rally quickly.
In this constitution we have ulcerations; a little place will ulcerate and suppurate,
and the ulceration will burrow; this is just what this remedy does. Another thing
this kind of constitution will do is to set up an inflammatory condition of the
periosteum with swelling, periostitis of the tibia for instance, where the circulation
is not very active; inflammation of cartilages with tumefaction and purple skin,
stitching pains and dropsy, ulcerations and fistulous openings. This medicine is
good for just such states. "Ulcers with extreme sensitiveness."
Patients often say, "I get no sympathy when I am sick because I look so well;" fat,
flabby and purple. This remedy will seldom be thought of in lean persons; they
seem to be free from complaints like those of Asafoetida, but in fat, flabby
persons, extremely nervous, extremely sensitive to pain, full of hysteria. Purple
when out in the cold, purple when excited. In other words, you see before you the
venous constitution, and these people get the worst kind of hysteria; they go off
almost from no cause into fainting; from a close room, from excitement, from any
disturbance; sometimes cramps come on, but more especially fainting. They are
subject to stitching pains from the bone to the surface; that is, from within
out. The periosteum becomes irritated, and glands become swollen. Syphilis
sometimes produces this kind of condition. Vascular disturbances in the body;
periostitis, necrosis, induration of glands, nerve syphilis and head pains. In old
syphilitics with this kind of venous face, subject to bleeding, ulcers turn black or
become purple. In this there is a similarity to LACHESIS. Old scars turn purple,
threaten to suppurate, take on a venous aspect, become painful and turn black.
Ulcers form at the site of old scars in old syphilitic patients and sometimes in
psoric patients. Most complaints come on during rest and are better by slow
motion (PULS).
There are many pains running through the remedy and they are night pains like
those of syphilis, nightly bone pains, and pains in the periosteum. The ulcers are
deep, with bluish edges. Varicose veins surround the ulcers. Inflammation of the
bone and periosteum, with blueness all around the ulcers. When there has been an
inflammatory condition of the periosteum, somewhat passive in character, the skin
adheres to the bone, glues down to it by adhesion. It is too feeble to ulcerate, it
does not get up a likely inflammation, but only a passive state. The glands all over
the body are hot and throbbing, with shooting, jerking pains, in syphilis or old
psoric and scrofulous complaints.
The bone pains that are felt in the head are sometimes very distressing. Old
syphilitic bone pains in the head, stitching, penetrating. It seems where there
are lumps and nodules, about the head, this medicine seems to hurry things.
Shooting, stitching, tearing pains under left frontal eminence. This stitching pain is
sometimes described as if a nail or plug were driven into the head. These nervous
headaches are syphilitic, hysterical or scrofulous; hysterical pains described as
rending, tearing, stitching. All over the head there is stitching pain, but in the
frontal eminence, in the temples, there is a sensation as if a nail or plug were
driven in, and most of the pains seem to bore, as if they extended from the bone
to the surface, and hence are said to be from within out.
It is useful in old syphilitics who are subject to eye complaints, ulcers on the
eyeball, ulcers on the cornea, ameliorated in the open air, with a sensation of
numbness in the eyes; inflammation of the iris, with ragged appearance of the iris;
they are subject also to severe, sharp stitching pains that come from within out.
The remedy is full of burning, and so the eyeballs burn, better in the open air.
Iritis, but the inflammation sometimes involves the choroid, the retina, and
mucous membrane, making a general inflammatory condition of syphilitic
character. There are tearing pains in various places around the eyes; sticking,
stitching pains, worse at night. Ulcers, with stitching pains, worse at night.
Burning, stitching in the eyes with dryness, so that the lids stick to the balls of the
eyes, pain worse at night. There is a misty appearance before the eyes, dullness
as if looking through a fog. It also seems as if the atmosphere were filled with little
floating black flies. "Muscae voliantes." You have looked into the air and seen little
gnats and mosquitoes; well it appears to these patients as if these were there
when they are not there. The discharge from the eyes is ichorous, bloody and
often offensive.
This same syphilitic miasm may attack the ear and the bones of the ear. These
bones may decay and the hearing be lost. "Burning in the ear with discharge of
foetid pus." Stitching pains in the EARS FROM WITHIN OUT.
A horribly offensive discharge comes from the nose; ulcers high up in the nose;
caries of the bones of the nose; syphilitic ozaena. Putrid old catarrhs. "Feeling as if
the nose stopped high up, as if he could not breathe through it, with fulness of the
head, when riding in a carriage." (AURUM, AURUM MUR.)
Numbness is a great feature of this remedy, numbness of the scalp, or deep in the
head; numbness here and there; numb, dead feeling associated with the pain;
numbness after pain; often numbness after sleep. Other nervous manifestations
occur besides those that are hysterical. It has choreic motions. You would expect
such a peculiar nervous constitution to have almost everything among its nervous
symptoms. "Constantly chewing and working frothy slime out of mouth, with
swollen tongue." "Speech unintelligible." "Grinding of teeth; starting at night."
Swelling of the lips, and of the whole buccal mucous membrane, especially the
lower lip, with burning in the mouth.
There are syphilitic symptoms in the throat, attended with the usual burning,
darting, stitching in ulcers; pain when swallowing; a sensation of a ball rising in
the throat, such as occurs in globus hystericus; choking, must constantly
swallow. Hysterical and choreic affections of the oesophagus and trachea. Spasms
of the oesophagus. This lump in the throat, or suffocation, is a sort of
hysterical spasm of the oesophagus. "Dryness and burning in the oesophagus."
In the stomach troubles, if you have ever seen a typical case of Asafoetida, you
will wonder where all the air comes from; it comes up in volumes. "Hiccough-
like contractions of the diaphragm." Choreic jerkings of the diaphragm, with
expulsion of wind like the sound of a pop-gun going off almost every second. It is
a condition that the patient has no control over. It is like the shooting off of little
guns forcing loud belching, loud eructations of wind from the stomach. There are a
few symptoms mentioned in the text just here that are worthy of note. "Pulsation
in pit of stomach; perceptible to sight and touch." "Pressing, cutting, stitching
pains." A queer observation has been made that flatus was not passed downward,
but all upwards. "Eructations; smelling like garlic; tasting rancid, sharp or putrid."
Always horribly offensive. Offensiveness is a characteristic of the remedy. And
then there is a "gone empty feeling in the pit of the stomach," not a pain.
"Pulsations after eating." "Meteorism of the stomach." The remedy has many
gastric and abdominal complaints; full of bellyache; stitching pains, colic. The
diarrhoea is more or less troublesome. These patients are afflicted with diarrhoea
from the slightest indigestion, after any indiscretion in diet, a painful, watery
diarrhoea. "Liquid stools of most disgusting smell." "Blackish-brown papescent
offensive stools, which relieve."
ASA FOETIDA
Gum of the Stinkasand
(ASAFOETIDA) W. Boericke
Asafoetida
C Hering
Homeopathic remedy asafoetida from Guiding Symptoms of our
Materia Medica by C. Hering
Assafoetida. Umbellifera.
Introduced and proved by Franz, in 1822. See Stapf’s Archives, vol. i,
No. 3, p. 187 ; 326 symptoms from Hahnemann, Stapf, Gross and
Gutmann. In 1829, Jörg’s were added by Hartlaub (1833). In 1839 one
symptom of Jahn, not of Trinks, who never has proved. In 1868, a full
proving of Lembke, with the substance. Translated by Lilienthal, and
published in the New York Quarterly, page 475, 1869, with remarks. The
last proving of E. W. Berridge, Organon, vol. ii, is of great importance.
MIND.
SENSORIUM.
Very sensitive and excitable ; all perception of senses lessened, but not
consciousness.
Oversensitiveness, either physical or mental.
Fainting during height of paroxysm of colic.
Stupefying tension in head, mostly left side ; < afternoon or evening,
sitting bent forward, after going to bed ; > sitting up.
Vertigo with violent pressing in head, vanishing of sight in evening and
afterwards cold sweat on forehead and limbs; colic; flatulence; portal
congestion.
Unconsciousness ; with bellyache.
INNER HEAD.
Pain in left side of head extending to eyes, changing into intermitting,
severe pain and slight fulness of brain.
A sudden pain in left temple, like an inward-pressing pointed plug.
Inner semilateral headache, oftener on left side.
Pressive pain in forehead and left side of head from within outward.
Dull pain and fulness in left side of head, with bleeding from left nostril,
heart beating slowly.
Fulness and throbbing in head, heart beats feebly, with apprehension.
Fulness of head when riding in a carriage.
Pressure in sides of head or temples, like from a dull stick, better from
touch.
Fulness of head, changing gradually into aching and pressing pain, as if
whole brain was compressed; with dizziness, increased heat of skin and
some quickness of pulse.
Awoke with fulness of head, which gradually changed to periodically
recurring pains, lasting, more or less, into next night.
Drawing, wavelike pressure through left half of forehead, ending in dull
pressure on frontal eminence.
Flying stitch from within outward, in forehead, temples and sides of
head.
Jerking through head.
Single, sudden, and deep penetrating stitches under left frontal
eminence, like shocks followed by some sensitiveness.
Pain as if a nail or plug was driven into brain.
Crampy pain in forehead above eyebrows.
The brain seems tense.
Rush of blood to head, and warmth of face.
Congestive headache.
Sensation of swashing in head as of water, and gurgling behind upper
part of frontal bone.
All headaches < towards evening, in room, while at rest, sitting or
lying ; > when rising or moving about in open air.
Reading and writing make her worse.
The pains in the head cease, or change from touch.
Nervous headache of hysterical or scrofulous people.
Cold sensation in head.
OUTER HEAD.
LOWER FACE.
INNER MOUTH.
HYPOCHONDRIA.
Painful diarrhoea.
Watery, liquid stools of most disgusting smell ; pains in abdomen
and discharge of fetid flatus.
Watery stools of disgusting odor ; discharge profuse and greenish.
Blackish-brown, papescent, offensive stools, which relieve.
Stool profuse, thick, papescent, brown, and very offensive.
Only slime passes, no feces.
Obstinate constipation, with abdominal and hemorrhoidal cramps,
tenesmus and distended abdomen.
Pain in perineum, as from something dull pressing out.
URINARY ORGANS.
Soreness in kidneys.
Urine warm and of a pungent, ammoniacal smell.
Spasm in bladder during and after urination.
RESPIRATION.
Difficult breathing.
Difficult breathing, from abdominal disease.
Feeling of suffocation in throat on taking a full inspiration.
Constriction of chest, extending to throat, with hurried breathing.
Asthmatic complaints of scrofulous persons.
Asthmatic feeling in trachea, dry cough ; spasmodic dyspnoea as if
lungs could not be sufficiently expanded.
Oppression of chest increasing to agony, cannot breathe, restless
moving about.
Oppression of chest, with hurried breathing ; contracted, small
pulse, or, frequent pulse ; asthma after too hearty a meal ; too great
exertion.
Oppression of breathing ; pain temporarily relieved by eructations.
When faint, if he breathes deeper, heart beats fuller, and faintness
decreases ; if he holds breath heart becomes very feeble.
Asthmatic attacks at least one a day all her life, brought on by every
bodily exertion, coition, especially by every satisfying meal.
Frequent breathing, rattling ; restless tossing before attack, anxious with
it.
Sitting up relieves suffocative feeling.
COUGH.
Obstinate titillating cough, < at night, with grown persons.
Cough predominantly dry ; expectoration infrequent, during day.
Irritation to dry cough ; attacks at night.
Cough on gaping.
Whooping cough, even of sucklings, sounding like croup ; rattling
breathing, anxious and restless, chest and abdomen hot, urine pale.
Hoarse ringing short cough, excited by tickling in trachea, with asthmatic
feeling therein ; spasmodic contraction of thorax and accumulation of
stringy mucus.
Cough in afternoon.
Cough, with cessation of sputa.
Sputa have a greasy taste.
Cough, with accumulation of stringy mucus in trachea.
OUTER CHEST.
UPPER LIMBS.
LOWER LIMBS.
LIMBS IN GENERAL.
NERVES.
Nervousness.
Hypersensitiveness ; when nervous system predominates over the
arterial.
Hysteria, with much trouble about throat or oesophagus ; well-
marked globus hystericus ; spasms of lungs, etc.
Hysteria, hysteralgia ; hypersensitiveness ; every excitement that brings
on an attack causes globus hystericus.
Twitching and jerking of muscles.
Nervous affections after suppressed discharges.
Epileptiform convulsions caused by worms.
Chorea.
Fainting with colic.
Clumsiness of body ; feeling of rigor.
Feeling of general heaviness ; weak when standing or lying ; dry mouth.
At times slight inclination to faint, accompanied by great apprehension.
Faintness, with quick pulse.
Attacks of faintness, followed by fluttering of heart.
Attacks of faintness, with anxiety, as if he would die, and with one attack
desire for suicide.
With one attack of faintness there was shaking of limbs and as if bowels
shook.
With faintness, shivering and very feeble action of heart.
Faintness on beginning to eat, especially at dinner, with full and frequent
beating of heart.
With faintness, alternate heat and chill ; sweat on small of back and
trembling.
Faintness worse day after a seminal emission.
SLEEP.
TIME.
FEVER.
Chills run over body from time to time.
Sense of rigor.
Crawls run over back, in afternoon.
Chill, coldness and dryness of skin.
Every day, between 3 and 4 P. M., coldness and trembling, with
unbearable stitches in head.
One-sided heat.
Heat in toes ; afternoon.
With heat of face ; cold hands and feet, and chills of back from 8.30 to 9
A. M.
With faintness sweat on small of back, hot and cold alternately and
trembling.
Want of thirst, particularly heat without thirst.
Heat in face, after dinner, with anxiety and sleepiness ; without thirst.
Sweat wanting ; only occasionally cold, moist skin ; cold sweat on
limbs ; vertigo.
Sweat with drowsiness.
Shiverings, most over back, afternoon ; heat in face, with anxiety and
sleepiness, but without thirst.
ATTACKS, PERIODICITY.
Pains intermit at regular intervals.
Intermitting pinching pains in ulcers.
Crushing pain regularly < from evening till 2 A. M. θ Neuralgia after
amputation.
Every day between 3 and 4 P. M. : coldness and trembling, with
unbearable stitches in head.
SENSATIONS.
TISSUES.
Touch : pain in head > ; pains extend through eye into head ; aching of
testicle ; ulcers extremely sensitive ; pains cease or change place.
Pressure : eye > ; colic improved.
Most extreme sensitiveness in vicinity of carious ulcer of tibia, of
superficial skin-sores, and also of ulcer itself ; patient cries out if finger
touched a place distant from ulcer ; removal of charpie causes most
severe pain.
Better from rubbing.
Scratching : itching better.
Riding in carriage : fulness in head < ; drawing side of neck < ; bearing
down in genitals <.
Injuries suppurate.
Cold gangrene.
Wounds appear bright red, raw, covered with crust of tenacious lymph.
After amputation : neuralgia of stump.
Ulceration from burns or scalds or other causes, with great sensitiveness
to suffering ; child screams on seeing dressings prepared, dreads and
shrinks from the approach of any one likely to touch sore.
SKIN.
RELATIONS.
Antidotes
to Asaf : Pulsat., Caustic., Camphor., Cinchon., Mercur., Valer.
Useful in ailments from Pulsat., or from abuse of Mercur. in syphilis,
and from effects of alcoholism.
Similar to : Argentum nitr. (better open air) ; Aurum met. (bone diseases,
iritis, etc.) ; Castor., Cinchon., Caustic., Crot. tig.
(pertussis) ; Hepar(sensitiveness around ulcers ; faints from
pains) ; Ignat. (hysteria) ; Mercur. (syphilis) ; Mosch. (hysteria, spasms
of lungs, fainting, etc.) ; Phosphor. (pertussis) ; Pulsat., Thuya, Valer.
Family relations : Ammonium, Cicut., Conium, etc.
Frequently indicated after Pulsat. and Thuya.
“NOTE:
PLAIN TEXT : LOWEST & DESIGNATES AN OCCASIONALLY
CONFIRMED SYMPTOMS;
Plain blue: MORE FREQUENTLY CONFIRMED;
BOLD BLUE : SYMPTOMS VERIFIED BY CURES;
BOLD RED : REPEATEDLY VERIFIED;
$BOLD ITALIC RED$ : AN APPROVED CHARACTERISTIC;
θ : STANDS BETWEEN CURED SYMPTOM &
PATHOLOGICAL CONDITION;
** : OBSERVED FROM OLD SCHOOL OR NEW SCHOOL;
toxic : Toxicology;
r : Right;
l : Left;
< : Increased or aggravation;
> : Decrease or amelioration;
^^ : Symptoms observed only on the sick “
ASA FOETIDA
4 - Desea compañía.
17 - (++) Neuralgia orbital, con dolores ardientes y latidos, peor de noche y del
lado izquierdo, mejor al aire libre y mejor por la presión. Afecciones sifilíticas de
los oios, sobre todo iritis. Ulcera superficial de la córnea, con dolores peor de
noche, ardientes, punzantes o presivos de dentro afuera, mejor por el reposo y
la presión. Sensación de sequedad y ardor en los ojos. Dolor terebrante sobre
las cejas, dentro y alrededor de los ojos. Iritis y otras afecciones intraoculares,
con dolores nocturnos.
19 - (+++) Ozena, con secreción nasal purulenta y muy fétida, ofensiva, con
caries de los huesos nasales (Aur.); ozena sifilítico. Obstrucción nasal con
sensación de plenitud en la cabeza. Sensición cae estallido en la nariz.
25 - (+) Diarrea por la menor transgresión al régimen, aún por beber agua, con
pesadez en el vientre, cólicos y meteorismo; heces muy ofensivas, acuosas,
verdosas o marrones, irritantes, de olor pútrido. Constipación obstinada. Dolor
presivo de dentro afuera en el periné, como por un objeto pesado.
28 - (+) Dolor de tironeo del útero hacia abajo, peor viajando en un vehículo.
Dolores cortantes, como de trabajo de parto. Menstruaciones cortas, escasas y
frecuentes. Deseos sexuales aumentados. Flujo abundante, verdoso, acuoso,
ofensivo. Tendencia a hemorragias y abortos en mujeres débiles, flojas, con
cara roja, congestionada. Secreción láctea fuera del embarazo (Puls., Tub.) o
escasa o nula en el puerperio; o aumentada, con senos túrgidos.
34 - Calor en la cara, orejas y manos, con escalofríos que bajan por la espalda.