Jatropha Curcas

Abrus precatorius is a climbing plant, a native of India, but has been

introduced to the Western tropics, and its use as an eye remedy was discovered by the natives of

Brazil, who gave it the name Jequirity. It has "small nearly globose seeds, which are of a brilliant

scarlet colour, with a black scar indicating where they were attached to the pods" (Treas. of

• ▸Bot.
• ▸).
• ▸These are used for necklaces; and as a standard of weight under the name of Raté.
• ▸The

roots are used in the same manner as liquorice roots. The method of its employment in eye

affections is as follows: Thirty-two grains of the powdered seeds are allowed to soak for twenty-

four hours in a thousand grammes of water. The patient (with granular ophthalmia) bathes his

eyes with the filtered product thrice daily for three days, at the end of which time he has become

the subject of a severe conjunctivitis, which may be either purulent or more allied to the

diphtheritic form. By the fifteenth day the inflammation ceases and the granulations are found to

• ▸be much diminished in size or even destroyed (B.
• ▸J.
• ▸H.
• ▸, xli.
• ▸280).
• ▸The intensity of the

inflammation may be regulated by the strength of the solution. Sometimes the inflammation does

not confine itself to the eyes but affects the lids with an intense inflammation which spreads to

the face, neck, and chest. Sattler propounded a theory that there was a specific bacillus in the

• ▸Jequirity infusion, but Klein (H.
• ▸W.
• ▸, xix.
• ▸220) and later Benson (H.
• ▸W.
• ▸, xix.
• ▸286) conclusively

disproved this by showing that the effect was produced equally well with powdered seeds,

infusion freshly made and infusion in all stages of bacterial decomposition. In the old school Jeg.

has been used instead of blenorrhagic infection for the cure of granular lids. Whilst allopaths

adopt this crude bit of Homceopathy from the Brazilian natives there is no reason why

homeeopaths should not use Jeg. in the attenuations. A further use has been made of it by

• ▸Shoemaker of Philadelphia (Lancet, August 2, 1884-H.
• ▸W.
• ▸, xx.
• ▸427) in affections of the skin

showing great cell proliferation, lupoid conditions, epithelioma, sloughing ulcers. The

preparation he used was made as follows: Two hundred grains of the beans are decorticated by

being slightly bruised and crushed in a mortar, the red hulls being carefully picked from the

cotyledons; the latter are put in a bottle and covered with distilled water. They are thus

macerated twenty-four hours, then transferred to a mortar and thoroughly triturated to a smooth

paste. Sufficient water is then added to make the whole weigh 800 grains. Prepared in this way it

is like an emulsion and is applied to the surface to be treated with a large camel-hair pencil or

mop. The application of this emulsion to ulcerated surfaces is almost painless, but soon (often

within an hour) there is much irritation and inflammation, the edges become red and infiltrated,

surrounding tissues oedematous and shining. In the course of from six to twelve hours a

desiccated cuirass-like crust has formed which cracks in twenty-four hours more, and the

discharge escapes freely. This goes on for five or six days, the quantity of discharge diminishing.

The crust then separates or is removed by water dressing and discloses healthy granulations. If

any unhealthy granulations are left the application is repeated. Shoemaker says of the result of

this treatment, that it exercises a destructive tendency on unhealthy granulated conditions

followed by a constructive change, promoting under the protective cover of the exudation which

it causes, a rapid development of healthy tissue. But it must be used with caution, for "it may

give rise to erysipelatous inflammation, and if used on weak and irritable patients, to great

constitutional disturbances." Shoemaker gives a series of striking cures with the remedy, but the

constitutional effects are of more importance to homceopaths. They are: headache, pain in the

limbs, fever, high pulse. In a case of ulcerative lupus of both sides of the nose which was cured

by five applications, the first was followed by: an enormous amount of inflammation,

accompanied by malaise, febrile exacerbation (103° F.), which lasted till the crust began to

dry.—Abrus Precatorius was the plant employed by Professor Nowack to determine

meteorological and telluric forecasts owing to the extreme sensitiveness of its leaves to

atmospheric disturbances.

Depression.—Great anxiety.—Anxiety with burning pain in stomach and coldness of

the body.—Attacks of anxiety at night constricting chest and preventing sleep till

morning.—Quietude of mind; indifference to pain.—Great general prostration of

strength.—Ecstasy, feeling of lively warmth, etherial lightness during the painful diarrhoea.

Purulent or diphtheritic inflammation of the conjunctiva; at times affecting lids with

intense inflammation spreading to face, neck, and chest.—Cures granular ophthalmia after the

inflammation subsides.

Hot face and head; chilliness in the back.—Pate face with blue margins round

eyes.—Painful cracked lips.

Metallic, bloody taste, with much spitting of saliva (in the morning).—Increased

accumulation of thin saliva.—Long-continued pain and burning of the tongue.—Numbness of

tongue, with heat and dryness of mouth.—Dryness of mouth and tongue, without thirst (at night);

mouth feels as if scalded.

Dryness in fauces and throat.—Burning in the mouth and throat, followed by

dryness.—Spasmodic constriction in throat, ascending from stomach.

• ▸Hiccough, followed by copious vomiting.
• ▸Nausea and vomiting, brought on by drinking, with acrid feeling from throat.
• ▸Great thirst.
• ▸Very easy vomiting.
• ▸Heat and burning in stomach, with crampy, constrictive pain in epigastrium.

Violent, unquenchable thirst, not satisfied by drinking water.—Dreads to drink on

account of nausea.—Eructations of air.—Vomiting of a large mass of dark-green bile—Glass of

water almost immediately vomited.—Easy vomiting of large quantities of watery, albuminous

substances; at same time watery diarrhoea, with spasmodically contracting pains in the stomach,

burning in the stomach, cramps in the calves; coldness of body; viscid sweat

• ▸(cholerine).
• ▸—Vomiting of pregnant women.
• ▸—Heat and burning in the stomach.
• ▸—Inflammation of

the stomach and of the intestines.—Sensation of sinking, with nausea in the pit of the

stomach.—Persistent dull pressure in stomach.

• ▸Distended, with gurgling noises.
• ▸Pain in hypochondria.
• ▸Pain in region of liver and under right scapula to shoulder.
• ▸Violent urging to urinate.

Pain deep in abdomen, behind the navel.—Abdomen swollen, and sore to the

touch.—Sensation as if balls were rolling together in abdomen.—Lancinating, stinging pain with

the colic.—Burning in abdomen; seeks to cool himself by throwing off covering and lying on

• ▸ground.
• ▸—Painful thrusts from umbilicus to lumbar region.
• ▸—Tympanites.
• ▸—Rumbling in the

abdomen with colic; > when walking in the open air.—Noise like the gurgling of water coming

out of the bung-hole of a barrel during the fecal discharge.—Noise in the intestines, as if a bottle

were emptied, or as if a fluid were running in the intestines; not > by a loose stool.

Sudden, profuse, watery, like rice-water. Diarrhoea; forced discharge; loud noise in abdomen like gurgling of water coming out of a bung-hole, associated with coldness, cramps, nausea, and vomiting.

Sudden desire for stool, and constant noises as of liquids in abdomen, esp.

• ▸|.
• ▸side.
• ▸—Watery diarrhoea; it gushes from him like a torrent.
• ▸—First stage of cholera, before

collapse.—Very copious mushy stools with quantities of lumbrici and threadworms.—Stool

watery and in gushes.—Stools like rice-water.—Profuse watery diarrhoea, from a cold, weakening

patient greatly.—Constipation.—Stitches in anus and rectum.

Aching in genitals as after excessive sexual intercourse.—Drawing in

genitals, extending along inner side r. thigh to navel.

Painful pressure r. side of larynx, at night, waking him, not < by

• ▸touch.
• ▸—Short, hacking, persistent cough.
• ▸—Hollow cough.
• ▸—Respiration quick,

panting.—Respiration difficult.

Pain in region of 1. 3rd rib inside nipple.—Constriction in chest with anxiety,

• ▸preventing sleep.
• ▸—Violent (aching) pain in 1.
• ▸clavicle-—Pressure in |.
• ▸pectoral muscles; later in

r.—Frequent, sudden, violent stitches to 1. of ensiform cartilage, behind the costal cartilages,

which arrest the breathing.—Frequent stitches behind the cartilages of the 6th and 7th

ribs.—Sticking, from above downwards, deep in chest behind sternum.

Feeling of sinking and nausea in the precordial region, followed by soft

stool.—Violent palpitation, shaking the chest, when moving slowly about the room.—Pulse:

irregular; small, thready, intermittent; greatly slowed.—Almost pulseless.

Stiffness of muscles of nape of neck; and forehead.—Bruised feeling in

muscles of back and chest.—Stiffness in lumbar region.

• ▸Cramps in calves.
• ▸(Cholera.
• ▸).
• ▸—Cramp-like pains in the legs, with cramps

• ▸and knotting of the calves.
• ▸—Violent cramps in legs and feet.
• ▸—Tingling in the toes.
• ▸—Itching

between the toes at night—The heels are very sensitive when walking on them.

• ▸24.
• ▸Generalities—Convulsions.
• ▸—General coldness of the body.
• ▸—Extreme weariness and

sleepiness.—Prostration, with frequent and weak pulse; < by slightest exertion.—More susceptible

than usual to wine.

• ▸Cramps in muscles, especially calves, legs, and feet.
• ▸Coldness of whole body.
• ▸Pain in ankles, feet and toes.
• ▸Heels sensitive.

Excessive drowsiness.—Restlessness at night on account of rush of thought and

palpitation.—Attacks of anxiety at night did not permit sleep.

Compare: Camph; Verat; Gambog; Croton; Jatropha urens--Sponge-nettle--(oedema and cardiac paresis).

Third to thirtieth potency.