Ignatia.

Related entry: Strychnos tieute

The seeds of Strychnos ignatia.—East Indies.

Preparations.—Tincture of Ignatia.

Dose.—To water ℥iv. add gtt. v. to gtt. xx., and give in teaspoonful doses.

Specific Indications.—Pain in hypogastrium and pelvis; ovarian irritation; pain with weakness in small of the back; pain along the course of the crural nerves.

Therapeutic Action.—The action of Ignatia is very similar to that of Nux Vomica. Our homoeopathic neighbors say, give Nux to men, Ignatia to women, and in this I think they are right, though there are many diseases of men in which the latter acts well.

I employ it principally as a stimulant to the pelvic organs, and the reproductive function. The condition indicating it is one of atony. The uterus is enlarged, the ovaries enlarged and tender, and there is a sense of uneasiness with weight and dragging, associated with sharp expulsive pains. It relieves pain, and gives a better innervation, both spinal and sympathetic.

Ignatia is a good remedy in some cases of dysmenorrhnea, associated with Rhus, or with Macrotys or Caulophyllum; and influencing the menses, promoting a normal and less painful flow, it becomes a remedy for sterility.

The reader, by following the specific indications as given, will be able to make this a very serviceable remedy in other cases than those I have mentioned.

The American Eclectic Materia Medica and Therapeutics, 1898, was written by John M. Scudder, M.D.