Sabadilla

By E. A. Taylor, M. D.

This remedy was proved by Hahnemann and his contemporaries, who gave us our most useful provings, and while it corresponds to a wide and varied range of human ailments as indicated by its symptomatology and demonstrated by clinical experience it is nevertheless a much neglected remedy, especially by that large class of our school who boldly proclaim their inability to practice Homeopathy by stating in any given cases that they gave "the usual remedies" which failed and then they felt justified in seeking assistance in the cesspools of empiricism.

It is not our purpose to enter into an exhaustive consideration of the symptomatology of this remedy but rather to call attention to some of its most salient features, characteristic indications, and verified symptoms. A glance at the first rubric in the Materia Medica is sufficient to call one's attention to the curative possibilities of this remedy in that great class of cases characterized by a modified mentality in its various gradations from hysteria of insanity.

The patient is full or erroneous impressions as to the state of his body. "Imagines herself sick ; parts shrunken, that she is pregnant when she is merely swollen from flatus ; that she has some horrible throat disease which will end fatally. " Such are the symptoms of which Hering gives most prominence, and if properly appreciated they will help us in many a difficult case. Some of the surgeons of our school are prone to speak disparagingly of the Homeopathic Materia Medica, to characterize its symptomatology as being composed largely of "hysterical symptoms" and to cry loudly for revision and new provings. One of these was called to attend a man who started that for a long time he had been troubled with obstinate constipation which culminated in complete obstruction and that for many days there had been no movement of the bowels. He was taken to the hospital, the surgeon opened the abdomen and "explored" the intestine throughout its entire length only to find that there was no obstruction and no discoverable "pathology" to warrant his procedure. The patient nearly died from the operation but finally survived only to develop an increasing degree of mental impairment which was the sole basis of the supposed "intestinal obstruction. " Would not the homeopathic physician with his Sabadilla including its so - called "hysterical symptoms" have rendered a more rational service and proved a safer custodian of this case than this prominent surgeon with his arrogant assumption and diminutive gumption?

The Sabadilla patient is not only distressed by his imaginary disease and bodily ailments but his mind is in a tempestuous state because of imaginary moral delinquencies. He imagines that he has committed a great crime ; that he has been unfaithful to his marriage vows or that he has deserted the true religious faith and is destined to be lost. With this there is an anxious restlessness that drives him from place to place precluding the possibility of tranquility either mental or physical, nervous and anxious, startled from the least noise. The sleep is restless and unrefreshing and in the morning he wakes suddenly with a start as if greatly frightened ; easily frightened and startled by noises.

A woman becomes badly frightened and this is followed by paroxysms of hysteria. Sabadilla should be remembered for such cases. Its anxious restless nervous state with the ill effect of fright might cause one to mistake Sabadilla for Aconite but it lacks the all - absorbing overshadowing and dominant fear of Aconite. The Sabadilla patient is a cold patient, many complaints are worse from cold, sensitive to cold which aggravates. The aches and pains are worse from cold, but with all the chilliness and sensitiveness to cold the face is hot and he wants a cool place for it, which ameliorates. I have used it in acute colds, influenza, etc., where the patient was chilly, wanted much cover, whole body cold, but wanted a cool place to lay the head. The face was hot and patient would frequently turn the pillow to find a cool place for his head ; cold all over except the head and face. With this there is often a desire to stretch the legs which relieves the aching pain in them.

Vertigo with sensation as if all things were turning around each other; or as if turning around the patient. This is relieved only by lying perfectly still and looking fixedly at one object. It also has a headache with vertigo and the same modality : viz, relieved by looking steadfastly at one object.

"Headache and vertigo better while eyes are steadily fixed upon on object and while patient in thinking of one subject. " One thing at a time seems to be the motto of this modality. Mental exertion produces and aggravates the headache. The brain seems tired and easily fatigued similar to the condition often found in neurasthenia for which it is an important remedy. Or the mental aberration assumes a serious aspect culminating in acute mania with rage and violence which can only be quieted by washing the head in cold water. Here is an exception to the aggravation from cold - the raging mania is relieved by bathing the head in cold water.

It would be a great remedy for the nose and throat specialists if they would use it when indicated ; but unfortunately they are too much absorbed with sprays and gargles, which never cure but only antagonize the efforts of nature, or are vainly exploring the vagaries of some lost cause, like the vaccines, serums, etc. Profuse lachrymation characterizes many of its complaints especially those associated with the head. The eyes fill with water on the slightest provocation, when walking in the open air, on looking at light, sneezing, coughing or yawning. A pain in any part of the body, in the hand or foot may give rise to profuse lachrymation. The following case taken from the literature exemplifies its action along these lines : Mrs. O., a lady of 40 years, who has had "rose cold, " "hay fever" etc., for several years, even to the prohibition of having a rose in the house, and all through the summer she was constantly sneezing and blowing her nose, applied to me last summer for a prescription. Knowing the obstinacy of some of these colds, I took down "The Symptomen Codex, " and transcribed all the symptoms of sneezing, coryza, and their concomitants, on blank paper, and then compared them, and under Sabadilla I found the following symptom, which was the prominent one in her case: "Lachrymation, when walking in the open air, when looking at a bright light, when coughing or yawning. " Mrs. O. experienced all the other symptoms, but this one was the only one that was characteristic, "that distinguished it from all other cases of a like character. " I sent one powder of Sabadilla 200 to be dissolved in six spoonfuls of water, of which one spoonful was to be taken every four hours until all was used. The next day Mrs. O. Rode up to my door and asked for a number of powders of the same medicine. She had not sneezed that morning. Today (one year later) I have inquired whether Mrs. O. has had any return of the complaint, but I am assured that she has not, and, what is further, she now has flowers and roses constantly in her house. " Think of the work involved in transcribing all the symptoms of sneezing, coryza and their concomitants in the Symptomen Codex! But look at the result, the splendid cure. If those who clamor for new provings would only study and learn to use what we have, our cause would prosper beyond expectation and there would be no need of grasping at the forlorn hope of salvation through organization and federation without the paramount pre - requisite of qualification. It requires work, much study, to practice Homeopathy and the homeopathic school of medicine will never be saved until it abandons the fantastic scheme of "federation" as a substitute for qualification.

Sabadilla is one of our greatest throat remedies. No remedy has a more painful sore throat than this one. It is so extremely painful that the whole body writhes when he attempts to swallow. So intensely painful is it that he cannot swallow saliva but must spit it out. Excruciating though the pain is, yet there is continual desire to swallow and whenever he attempts if he distorts his face, writhes in pain and says" It feels like it would take the skin off, " meaning the mucous membrane. Ask him to open his mouth and he makes a wry face for it is painful to comply with your request. Tell him to put out his tongue and the protest is more pronounced for the pain in greater. Ask him how his throat feels and he says "it feels like he had swallowed a pint of vinegar. " There is a sense of painful constriction as after swallowing an acid drink, but with all the discomfort there is a constant desire to swallow and each time he says" It feels like it would take the skin off. "

The mouth and throat feel extremely dry, a sense of great dryness in the throat prompts this constant desire to swallow, yet there is no thirst. "How does you throat feel as regards dryness or moisture, " you ask. "It is as dry as a powder house, " he answers. If there is any thirst it will be for hot drinks, but frequently there is no thirst, just excruciating pain on swallowing "like it would take the skin off" associated with this sense of constriction and great dryness, "dry as a powder - house". There is often a feeling in the throat of a body or lump which he must swallow down. The pain in worse on empty swallowing but he can swallow warm food better than cold. The direction of the throat symptoms from left to right as given in Hering is purely clinical and somewhat at variance with the provings which show a general tendency of complaints to go from right to left. The headache begins in the right side of the head the extends from there. The chest pains, pains in side and pain in the limbs, begin in the right side and go to the left, and Lippe says the sore throat goes from right to left ; while Hering, accepting a clinical report from some German doctor that "In an epidemic of sore throat all cases which commenced on the left and extended to the right side, " were cured with Sabadilla, gives prominence to this assertion.

If the apparent trend of the proving should substantiate the supposition that the throat symptoms too go from right to left then the fact that it also has relief from warm drinks will bring it into competition with Lycopodium which has both to these modalities. With Sabadilla Lycopodium also shares the distinction of having a cough which comes at the same time each day, always at the same hour, with clock - like regularity.

Intermittent fever with the chill always at the same hour with thirst only between the chill and heat is cured by this remedy. If it were vomiting between the chill and heat it would indicate Eupatorium perf. and Lycopodium if bitter vomiting Eupatorium ; if sour Lycopodium ; the first will likely say "as bitter as gall, " the last "as sour as vinegar. " "Cough as soon as one lies down" is a symptom of Sabadilla and reminds one of Pulsatilla, Hyoscyamus and other remedies of this class.

"Pain in the right shoulder, extending to the chest, with the sensation as if a tape prevented the circulation of the blood. " Chelidonium has the thirst for warm drinks and a sensation of a tape or cord around the abdomen. Sticking pains in the right side of the chest during inspiration, and coughing. This looks like Bryonia but when we add he is unable to lie on the affected side and has no thirst, it no longer resembles Bryonia but Sabadilla.

Years ago I knew an old man who with stooped from and tottering step was going down life's western slope, white with the frost of age's winter soon to reach the final goal. In one hand he carried a cane, the other was pressed against the small of his back, the palm outward. He suffered with a backache which had bothered him for many years. He had used much liniment and tried numerous doctors but all to no purpose - the backache was still there. I observed him seated in a chair and noticed that he sat as far back in the chair as possible and seemed to press his back against the chair. Upon inquiry he informed me that this gave him relief, the pressure of the chair against the back the likewise the pressure of his hand against his back when walking. It was not only the pressure per se that afforded the relief but the fact that the pressure kept his clothes close to his back thereby keeping it warm which relieved ; better from heat and pressure. In bed he wanted the covers pressed close against his back, he wanted his coat buttoned tightly around him, he wanted to press his back against the back of the chair, and always he walked with his hand across the small of his back pressing firmly upon it as he went his way. Better from pressure and heat. I have him Sabadilla and cured his backache. He lived several years and had no return of it. Since then I have cured many cases of backache with this remedy when these symptoms were present.

Dr. Nelson : I like to hear that kind of paper read. It reminds me of a case I had, although I do not know anything about Sabadilla, but he mentioned the one symptoms of worse on swallowing under throat symptoms. I had the case of a girl who had sore throat ; she had diphtheria, but all I could get out of her was she had a sore throat ; that in swallowing anything it hurt her. I could not find but two remedies that had that symptom, one was Mercurius and the other Lachesis. I did not try to differentiate one from the other. I gave Mercurius, and the next day finding it had not given her any benefit, I gave Lachesis and this cleared up the throat symptoms.

Dr. Stearns : I have read somewhere that when in the proving of the drug, conditions go from right to left, the drug is useful in conditions going from left to right. I would like to ask Dr. Taylor to speak on that point. I think it is in Farrington. I do not remember the remedy. I do not know anything about it. Dr. Taylor (closing) : As to the matter of sides, as I stated in the paper, Hering got that from a German doctor who reported an epidemic of sore throat in Germany, and all the cases examined in which the symptoms began on the left side and went to the right were cured by Sabadilla. Hering attached a great deal of importance to that, he put it in his Materia Medica, and it is there now. But I think we ought to be careful in accepting that as being a general rule or even accepting it here. If you are going to say in the proving of a remedy the symptoms go from right to left, the cure should begin in the opposite direction. What are you going to do with Lycopodium and Lachesis and other remedies which have a decided inclination to start on one side and go to the other? If you read the clinical cases by different men you find that Lycopodium begins on the left side and goes to the right, and they do not seem to have settled that point very definitely in the early days, not so much as they do now. It is a characteristic indication of where the trouble begins on the right side and goes to the left. That is true of Lycopodium. The same is true of Lachesis, it begins with the left and goes to the right.

I remember a good cure in a case of right - sided goiter with Lachesis. The patient had other symptoms of Lachesis. All the symptoms of Sabadilla that show any tendency to go from one side to the other go from right to left, and Lippe, for whom I have the highest opinion, and who I think was one of the greatest masters of the healing art that has ever lived, says sore throat goes from right to left. I called attention to this in the paper, and we should make observations as to how this work out and make reports in regard to the matter later to determine definitely how it is. It is dangerous to undertake to say that a rule which has been established and recognized throughout all the years of our school can be very lightly set aside.