Hydrastis canadensis
The great remedy for thick, yellow, ropy, stringy discharges from any mucous membrane. Chronic catarrhal conditions. Weakness and emaciation. Cancerous states with cachexia. Constipation without urge.
Source
Tincture of the fresh root of Hydrastis canadensis (Ranunculaceae).
Available Potencies
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Keynote Symptoms
Thick, yellow, ropy, tenacious discharges from all mucous membranes — nose, throat, vagina, ears. Chronic catarrhal conditions everywhere. Emaciation and weakness, especially in cancer patients. Constipation without any urge for stool. Faint, gone sensation in stomach. Sinking feeling at epigastrium. Jaundice. Cancer of stomach.
Mind & Emotional Symptoms
Depressed. Sure of death. Forgetful. Dull. Irritable. Cannot think.
General Symptoms
All mucous membranes affected — producing thick, yellow, ropy secretions. Chronic catarrh. Emaciation with muscular weakness. Cancerous cachexia. Liver and stomach disorders. Constipation without urge. Faint, sinking feeling at pit of stomach. Old, broken-down constitutions.
Physical Symptoms
Head
Dull frontal headache. Myalgic headache. Sinusitis with thick yellow discharge.
Nose
Thick, yellow, tenacious discharge from posterior nares. Chronic sinusitis. Ozaena. Watery, excoriating discharge alternating with thick yellow.
Throat
Thick, yellow, ropy mucus. Hawking constantly. Post-nasal drip.
Stomach
Faint, gone, empty sensation at epigastrium. Cannot eat. Cancer of stomach (palliation). Bitter taste. Vomiting of ropy mucus.
Abdomen
Liver congestion. Jaundice. Cutting pains.
Rectum
Constipation — no urge whatsoever. Even soft stool passed with difficulty. Fissures. Hemorrhoids.
Female Genitalia
Leucorrhea thick, yellow, ropy, tenacious, hanging in strings. Erosion of cervix. Uterine cancer (palliation). Menorrhagia.
Skin
Ulcers — cancerous with sharp, cutting pains. Lupus. Eczema. Eruptions worse from washing.
Modalities
Better From
Pressure. Rest. Warm covering. Dry weather.
Worse From
Open air. Old age. Inhaling air. Evening. Night. Washing. Wind. Touch.
Constitutional Type
Broken-down constitutions with chronic catarrh. Emaciated persons with cachexia. Elderly with thick yellow discharges. Those with faint, sinking stomach sensation. Cancer patients with wasting.
Clinical Indications
Chronic sinusitis. Post-nasal drip. Gastric cancer (palliative). Chronic constipation. Leucorrhea. Uterine erosion. Liver congestion. Chronic catarrh of any mucous membrane.
Comparative Materia Medica
Compare Kali bichromicum (thick, stringy mucus but more greenish and from sinuses), Pulsatilla (thick yellowish-green discharge but bland), Sepia (bearing-down with leucorrhea). Hydrastis is distinguished by universally thick, yellow, ropy discharges with extreme sinking at epigastrium.
Safety Information
Sulphur. Mercurius.
Hydrastis canadensis contains berberine, hydrastine, and canadine. Berberine has real pharmacological activity — antibacterial, anti-inflammatory. Large doses cause gastrointestinal irritation, uterine stimulation, and hypertension. Contraindicated in pregnancy in material doses.
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