Lachnanthes Tinctoria

Lachnan. is a herb, growing in sandy swamps near the coast. The root is red

and fibrous; leaves sword-shaped; stem hairy; flowers yellow, woolly. It belongs to the same

order as A/etris, and is allied to the Irises. The head, the chest, and the circulation seem most

prominently affected by Lachn. There are headaches of great intensity; right-sided, as if split

open with a wedge; with icy coldness of body; crying spells; < by vomiting. In the chest there are

lancinating stitches, in quick succession in right side of chest below mamma. Stitches in heart

with anxiety. A peculiar symptom is: Sensation of heat, bubbling and boiling in chest and region

of heart, rising to head; giddy; breaks out into perspiration. Trembling of heart. There is also

burning of palms and soles and burning under nail of left toe. On the other hand, there is much

coldness and chilliness. Continued chilliness. Sensation as if a piece of ice was lying on back

between shoulders, then a shock followed by coldness over whole body with gooseflesh. These

attacks occur on moving, > after going to bed. Cannot get warm under a feather bed. A hot flat-

iron > icy coldness of body. Lachn. has been largely used in cases of phthisis, often empirically,

• ▸but sometimes on its indications.
• ▸Arthur Dalzell reports these cases (H.
• ▸W.
• ▸, xxv.
• ▸158): (/) Mrs.

B., 43, fibroid phthisis of both lungs, collapse of right lower lobe. Great prostration; night-

sweats; bowels alternately relaxed and confined; pain and stiffness in back; bruised all over; dry

• ▸cough; roughness of throat, heart-sounds weak.
• ▸Sleep bad owing to cough.
• ▸Lachn.
• ▸R, three drops

every four hours. In three days the prostration was diminished, and the cough was much better,

night-sweats and bruised feeling gone. From this time an emulsion containing cod-liver oil,

liquor pancreaticus, eggs, cream and hypophosphites, and oil of Eucalyptus were given in

• ▸addition.
• ▸The case went on to recovery.
• ▸(2) Mrs.
• ▸R.
• ▸, 45, in last stage of consumption.
• ▸Right lung

consolidated; left in cavities. Remittent fever. This patient had circumscribed flush on face;

brilliant eyes; throat rough; felt bruised all over. Skin dry, except at night, when she had profuse

• ▸perspiration.
• ▸Constant dry cough.
• ▸Muco-purulent expectoration.
• ▸Lachn.
• ▸R, five drops every three

hours, relieved all the symptoms and procured euthanasia, the patient dying quite easily twelve

days later.—Toothache is < eating and drinking warm things. With fever there is loquacious

delirium, brilliant eyes, and circumscribed red cheeks (there is also a blueness about face, blue

under eyes, blue lips). During the cold sensation the skin is damp and clammy. The loquacity of

Lachn. is remarkable. Hering says the Indians chew the plant when they meet the white man to

give them a flow of language. Lachn. has been used with success in diphtheria, typhoid fever,

typhoid pneumonia. A peculiar symptom is stiffness of the neck, the head being twisted to one

(right) side. This occurring in connection with sore throat is a strong indication. There is much

dryness of throat, which is < on waking in the night, with much coughing. Sensations are: As if

head enlarged; as if split open with a wedge; vertex as if enlarged; as if hair standing on end. As

if a cloud before eyes; pressing as from dust in eyes. As if something had closed ear. Bridge of

• ▸nose as if pinched (confirmed by E.
• ▸E.
• ▸Case—H.
• ▸P.
• ▸, xiii.
• ▸76).
• ▸As of something crawling over

• ▸face.
• ▸A curious observation is quoted in Brit.
• ▸J.
• ▸of H.
• ▸(xxxix.
• ▸181), that the while pigs and sheep

of Virginia lose their hoofs if they feed on Lachn., while the black varieties eat it without

inconvenience.

Restlessness, tosses about (during perspiration).—Great loquacity; afterwards stupid

• ▸and irritable.
• ▸—Ill-humoured and sleepy.
• ▸—Great hilarity (evening).
• ▸—Became much excited over a

trifle——Loquacious delirium, with brilliant eyes and circumscribed red cheeks (1 to 2 a.m.).

• ▸Right-sided pain, extending down to jaw; head feels enlarged; worse, least noise.
• ▸Scalp painful.
• ▸Sleepless.
• ▸Circumscribed red cheeks; scalp feels sore, as if hair was standing on end; burning in palms and soles.
• ▸Bridge of nose feels as if pinched.

Giddiness in the head, with sensation of heat in chest and around heart, and

perspiration.—Giddiness with icy coldness of the forehead.—Painful tearing in forehead in the

• ▸open air.
• ▸—Dull headache and pressing in forehead.
• ▸—Tearing in forehead from I.
• ▸to r.
• ▸side—On

forehead elevated red pimples.—Wrinkles on forehead, with longitudinal ridges from interior

corner of eyebrows upward.—Head feels heavy.—Sensation as if the vertex were enlarged and

• ▸were driven upward.
• ▸—Tearing in vertex.
• ▸—Headache pressing eyes outward.
• ▸—The head feels

enlarged, and as if split open with a wedge from the outside to within; the body is icy cold; she

cannot get warm also for a long time under a feather bed; the whole face becomes yellow; she

has to whine with the headache; the head burns like fire, with much thirst; during the cold

• ▸sensation the skin is moist and clammy.
• ▸—Tearing in (r.
• ▸) temple, extending to cheek.
• ▸—Pricking

headache (evening).—Sensation as if the hair were standing on end; < in the occiput.—Scalp very

painful to touch.

Obscuration of sight; could not see in evening; as if a cloud were before the

eyes.—Pressing in eyes as from dust; with secretion of white mucus.—Secretion of white mucus

• ▸from eyes (canthi).
• ▸—Twitching of r.
• ▸canthus.
• ▸—Sensation of twitching in upper eyelids, < when

closing them.—In morning, violent lachrymation and burning of eyes, with sensation of

• ▸dryness.
• ▸—The eyes feel heavy, as if they could not be kept open.
• ▸—Eyes dry.
• ▸—Eyes feel

cold.—The eyebrows and upper eyelids are drawn upwards; looks with fixed eyes.—Yellow spots

before eyes.—Bright, sparkling eyes with delirium.

Singing in ear when walking in open air.—Tearing in ears.—Crawling and itching in

ears.—Itching or tingling in ears; > by boring with the finger, but immediately returning and

feeling as if something had closed ear—Almost complete deafness (during fever).

The nose bleeds profusely; the blood is pale.—Bridge of nose feels as if pinched.

Face swollen, with redness and blueness under eyes.—Pale, sickly countenance; face

• ▸and lips bluish; eyes dull, feel thick and cold.
• ▸—Circumscribed redness of face (1 a.
• ▸m.
• ▸to 8 am.
• ▸),

with violent delirium and brilliant eyes.—Redness of face; yellow face.—Sensation as if

something were crawling over face.

• ▸Saliva of tough mucus.
• ▸—Swelling and tension of the lips.
• ▸—Lips red.
• ▸—Sensation as if

the mouth were sore and thick.

Pain in all the teeth when eating or drinking warm things.—All the teeth feel loose and

too long; < in bed.

Great dryness in throat, esp. on awaking during the night, with much

coughing.—Sore throat, with short cough.—When swallowing, itching (in a small

spot).—Sensation of swelling in pharynx, with stiffness of neck, and head drawn to one side

(diphtheria).

Sensation of qualmishness above navel, when walking in open air.—In pit of

stomach, beating as from a pulse, as if a hammer were beating on an ulcerated spot.—Fulness in

pit of stomach.

Rolling of wind in abdomen, and discharge of flatulency.—Sensation of heat

through abdomen.

Frequent stool; passes much wind.—Frequent unsuccessful desire to

evacuate.—Continuous stitch in rectum.

Menses too early, blood viscid, mixed with mucus.—During

menses, sensation of distension of abdomen; it feels as if it were boiling.—Menstrual blood

profuse, bright red.

Violent burning in |. half of the scrotum, drawing towards r.

side.—Tingling and itching of scrotum.—Perspiration and itching of scrotum and penis.

• ▸Burning in r.
• ▸side of larynx.
• ▸—Hoarseness (forenoon).
• ▸—Cough dry, as

if it came from larynx (with sore throat); expectoration streaked with blood, with severe pain in

chest (pneumonia).—Sensation of fulness in chest; is compelled to inhale deeply.—Stitches in 1.

side of chest.—Stitches (like knives) under r. breast and under clavicle-—Cough < in bed and after

sleeping.—Feels hot and oppressed in chest, with gentle perspiration all over.

Sensation of heat-bubbling and boiling around heart region rising to head.

Bubbling and boiling in chest and region of heart; it rises to the head and he

becomes giddy; he breaks out into a perspiration.—Sensation of heat in region of heart.—Stitches

in heart, with anxiety.—Frequent violent pulsations of heart, each beat is double, one hard and

full, the other soft and small.—Trembling of heart with great debility.

Chilliness between the shoulder-blades; pain and stiffness in back.

• ▸Drawn over to one side in sore throat.
• ▸Rheumatism of the neck.
• ▸Stiffness of neck.
• ▸Pain in nape, as if dislocated.

Stiffness and pain in neck, extending over whole head down to the nose,

and sensation as if nostrils were pinched together.—Sensation of spraining in neck when turning

or moving head backward.—Stiff neck; the head is drawn to one side (after diphtheria, scarlet

• ▸fever.
• ▸—Burning on r.
• ▸scapula.
• ▸—Sensation as if a piece of ice were lying on back, between the

shoulders, followed by a chill, with gooseflesh all over.—Sensation between the shoulder-blades

as if wet with cold perspiration, the skin being dry and cool.—Burning in region of 1. kidney,

extending towards r. side—Burning in spine above sacrum.—Burning in sacrum.

Tearing from the shoulder, extending to finger-joints—Thumb and index-

finger feel as if sprained.—Tearing in elbow-joints.—Tearing in knuckles of the middle fingers of

the r. hand —Burning of palms and soles.

• ▸Tearing in r.
• ▸ischtum.
• ▸—Small pimples around |.
• ▸gluteus muscle, which

discharge a watery fluid when scratched open.—Burning stinging in, above, or below the knee-

• ▸pan.
• ▸—Tearing in |.
• ▸knee.
• ▸—Tingling in both lower limbs and feet, < in heat.
• ▸—Burning in feet

(soles).—Cramps in the feet (during night).

Body icy cold; face yellow; tendency to sweat.

Sensation in skin as if an eruption would appear.—Pimples appear here and there,

containing a watery fluid—The red pimples on the forehead suppurate.—Itching and burning in

the skin all night; < after scratching.—Stinging, itching, and tingling on thighs, legs, feet, arms,

&e.

Sleepiness with yawning, eyes feel so heavy that she cannot keep them

• ▸open.
• ▸—Sleepless, or restless sleep, with distressing dreams.
• ▸—Cannot go to sleep easily.
• ▸—After

waking and stretching, a shock followed by chilliness and gooseflesh all over.

Flashes of heat alternating with chilliness——Continuous chilliness.—Sensation as if a

piece of ice were lying on back between shoulders, then a shock, followed by coldness over

whole body with gooseflesh; these attacks recur on moving and go off after going to bed.—Feels

hot, but the chills run all over her before the heat can develop itself.—Icy coldness of body.—Heat

with redness of face; after heat circumscribed redness of both cheeks; < on r. side; fever with

• ▸violent delirtum and brilliant eyes (<< from | a.
• ▸m.
• ▸to 2 a.
• ▸m.
• ▸).
• ▸—Fever with somnolency.
• ▸—Perspires

freely (after restless sleep), esp. after midnight—The skin is cold, damp and clammy during the

coldness.—Icy cold perspiration, principally on forehead.

• ▸Cough.
• ▸Diphtheria.
• ▸Headache.
• ▸Heart, heat in; pains in.
• ▸Phthisis.
• ▸Pneumonia, typhoid.

Sore throat. Stiff-neck. Wry-neck.

• ▸Compare: Aletris, the Irises and Veratrums (botan.
• ▸); heat in heart (Croc.
• ▸, Op.
• ▸, Rho.
• ▸);

• ▸pain in lower right lung (Chel.
• ▸, K.
• ▸ca.
• ▸, Sep.
• ▸—right apex, Ars.
• ▸, Calc.
• ▸; left apex, Ars.
• ▸; left base,

• ▸Oxal.
• ▸ac.
• ▸, Sul.
• ▸; right middle lobe, Sep.
• ▸; right chest, Sang.
• ▸, Phell.
• ▸aq.
• ▸, Zn.
• ▸); cold between

• ▸shoulders (Am.
• ▸m.
• ▸;—heat between shoulders, Lyc.
• ▸, Pho.
• ▸); loquacity (Lach.
• ▸, Hyo.
• ▸); brilliant eyes,

• ▸red cheeks, delirium (Bell.
• ▸).
• ▸Compare also: Act.
• ▸r.
• ▸, Cth.
• ▸, Agar.
• ▸, Can.
• ▸ind.
• ▸, Cic.
• ▸, Crotal.
• ▸, Sele.
• ▸,

• ▸Glo.
• ▸, Gymnoc.
• ▸, Plat.
• ▸, Stram.

Compare: Dulc; Bry; Puls; also Fel tauri (nape of neck pains, and great tension there).

Third potency. Tincture in phthisis, unit doses, once or twice a week, or three drops every four hours.