Ostrya ostrya

Ironwood

Of great value in anæmia from malaria. Bilious conditions and intermittent fever.

Tongue yellow; coated at the root. Loss of appetite. Frequent nausea, with dull, frontal headache. Sickening pains.

First to third potency.

Ostrya virginica. Hop-hornbeam. Iron-wood. Lever-wood. N. O. Cupuliferæ. (Corylaceæ.) Tincture of heart wood.

Headache, dull. Head, numb. Intermittent fever. Liver, affections of. Lumbago. Malaria. Malarial anæmia.

The Hop-hornbeam, Ostrya virginica , is sometimes regarded as a variety of the common Hornbeam naturalised in America, though native to Southern Europe. The chief difference between them is that Ost. vulg . has pendulous and Ost. virg . upright catkins. The wood, from preparations of which the provings by Burt and others were made, is exceedingly hard and heavy. The symptoms show a marked action on the liver, with the usual dull headache and pain in back and shoulders; cutting, sinking pains in abdomen. Allen put in italics the following: "Tongue coated yellow at root." "Loss of appetite for breakfast and dinner." "Frequent nausea with the dull frontal headache." On the other hand there is increased appetite; hunger wakes the patient at 4 a.m.; and sinking at epigastrium. Sickening pains were much complained of. Some of the stools were very black. The symptoms were < moving; stooping; walking. < 6 a.m.; 4 a.m.; 3 p.m.

Antidoted by: Macro., Bry., Nux (lumbago). Compare: Waking in night hungry, Ign., Lyc. Black stools, Lept.

Very nervous, with dull headache.

Light feeling in head (with stomach symptoms); < walking. — Dull headache with numb, prickly feeling in head, face, and hands; < head. — Sharp pain from within out back of mastoid process. — Severe throbbing frontal headache, < stooping. — Dull frontal headache with nausea. — Severe pressing pain r. temple; and r. molars. — R. — side headache, morning.

Drawing pain deep in l. ear.

Moist freckles in face, head, and hands.

Boring and sharp pain in r. lower molars. — Tongue coated yellow at root. — Taste: coppery, slimy; sweet, shiny; bitter; rough.

Appetite greatly increased. — Woke with hunger 4 a.m. — Loss of appetite. — Frequent nausea with the dull frontal headache. — Sour stomach. — Burning distress in epigastrium. — Sensation as if indigestible substance in stomach; > by eating. — Nausea and distress after riding in cold air. — Hard sickening pains in epigastric and umbilical region; awaking him at night. — Sinking in epigastrium.

Dull pain in r. hypochondrium, < by walking; with nervousness and dull headache. — Dull pains in r. lobe of liver with sour eructations. — Retraction of umbilicus. — In umbilical region: frequent, hard sickening, cutting pains; extending into hypogastrium; with desire for stool; with borborygmi and tenesmus; neuralgic pain; constant distress. — Rumbling; flatus; pain waking him in night. — Bowels felt as if bound by lead poisoning.

Rectum feels sore; protruded feeling after stool. — Stool: loose; bilious with tenesmus and straining; loose without tenesmus; tenesmus followed by diarrhœic stool; mushy with burning at anus and tenesmus; small, natural; dark-coloured, natural; black, dry lumps 6 p.m.; very black.

Back so painful, can hardly turn in bed; cannot sit up ( > by Macro., Bry., Nux ). — Dull pain in whole dorsal region; extending into l. hypochondrium. — Constant lumbar and sacral pain, < stooping or walking.

Arms and legs: aching; dull pains.

Fine drawing rheumatic pains in l. fingers, morning.

Awoke several times with cramp-like pain in lower limbs, < walking. — Drawing pains in r. ankle.

Nervous, languid, weak, uneasy.

Constant desire to yawn. — Sleep restless, as after strong tea.

Cold, chilly about shoulders. — Gentle sweat over entire surface, with feeling of weakness.