Anshutz "New, Old & Forgotten Remedies" from Encyclopedia Homepathica
History and description of effects
- The Xxxxxx is a vetch, and a member of the leguminosae family grown in
India.
- This remedy which produced a perfect tincture of certain spinal
affections, has been known foe over a century.
- In Christison's Toxicology it is stated that it causes paraplegia,
dragging gait, turning in of the toes, stiffness, and semi-flexion of the
knee-joints.
- The attention of the homoeopathic profession was directed to the drug as
a possible remedy in paraplegia, in the British Journal of Homeopathy Vol
III
- Here is found an account of a wheat famine in India where the peas of the
plant were substituted for wheat and used as a food.
- Those who subsisted on it were taken, even during sleep, with sudden
paralysis of the lower limbs; this occurred without warming, in young men
more than in young women, and was never recovered from.
- Another observer records fifty cases who had eaten the Xxxxxx bread and
all stated that they became paralytic during the wet season of the country,
that they went to bed quite well and awoke with stiff legs, unsteady gait,
and aching, but no severe pain.
- The upper extremities were free.
- Another who saw the disease in Algeria and described the symptoms found
in ten cases observed that they came on suddenly, in damp weather, with some
pain in the loins, trembling, motor paralysis, and exaggerated reflexes.
- He attributed these phenomena to an acute transverse myelitis with
degenerative changes in the cord.
- A German writer states that the drug produces disturbances of nutrition
of the muscles of the lower extremities, paresis and that the muscles of the
trunk, neck and face remain unaffected.
- Sensation remains normal.
- It seems to produce a sclerosis of the pyramidal tracts of the cord.
- In animals the same condition is found namely, paralysis of the hind
legs.
- Pigs drag their hind legs and horses give out.
Aggravated symptomatology
- From all the sources which I have been able to find, the following seem
to be the symptoms caused by the drug :
- Sudden loss of power in the lower extremities from the waist down.
- Tremulous, tottering gait.
- Great exaggeration of the reflexes.
- Stiffness and lameness of the ankles and knees.
- Excessive rigidity of the legs; flexion difficult; spastic gait, the legs
becoming interlocked, and walking is difficult or impossible.
- Sudden onset of the trouble and apparent aggravation in cold and damp
weather.
- Emaciation of the gluteal muscles also observed.
- Those having taken it walked on the metatarso-phalageal articulation, the
heel not touching the ground.
- Impossible to stand steady; swayed from side to side, but closing the
eyes had no effect.
- This with the exaggerated reflexes would exclude its use in locomotor
ataxia.
- Debility and tremors of the legs.
- Rigidity of the abductors of the thighs
- Staggering gait, with eyes fixed on the floor.
- Could not extend or cross the legs when sitting.
- Sensibility unimpaired.
Correspondence to spinal disorders
- From these symptoms it will be seen that the effects of the drug
correspond to many spinal symptoms, but more especially to what is known as
spastic paraplegia.
- Indeed, Struempel asserts that it produces a perfect picture of this
disease.
- It is not so often that such a perfect picture of disease can be had as
in this instance.
- The disease itself is easily recognized by the stiff, spastic gait; the
spasm of the abductors causing the knees to strike each other or to become
locked causing the patient to fall; the shuffling of the feet; the excessive
muscular rigidity; and the other well-known symptoms of paraplegia.
- Therefore, reasoning from our law we would expect the drug to be of
service in such cases, and although our pathogenesis of it is coarse we may
be permitted to apply it to a disease whose symptomatology is of the coarse
order; for it is often difficult to elicit any fine and characteristic
symptoms in disease like ataxic and spastic paraplegia.
- It has been recognized as a remedy by but few of our writers on nervous
diseases.
- O'Connor finds that marked benefit follows its use in old cases of
myelitis with marked spastic symptoms.
- Bartlett, in Goodno's Practice, recommends it in excessive knee-jerk and
rigidity.
- Hart speaks of it as a remedy in locomotor ataxia but the absence of
sensory symptoms and the presence of exaggerated reflexes would seem to
contra-indicate it in this disease.
- He also speaks of it in spinal anaemia, giving as symptoms : "Numbness,
followed by pain in the lower extremities; sensation of a band around the
body; unable to step or distinguish one limb from another" - symptoms which
I am unable to find that the remedy produced.
- Elliott also speaks of it.
Clinical resume
- The clinical record of Xxxxxx, though very meagre, gives great hope that
it may prove useful in numerous cases of bedridden paraplegias and in
infantile spinal paralysis, as well as in certain forms of myelitis.
- The following is a resume of all that I can find published :
- I. Case of spinal paraplegia relieved.
- II. A case of multiple sclerosis in a young man of twenty-eight who had
been ill for seven years and unable to walk for six years was greatly
benefited by Xxxxxx 3x.
- III. Case of paraplegia, could walk after taking the remedy for some
time.
- IV. Case of paraplegia, no improvement.
- V. Rheumatic paralysis, with stiff knees, could walk after use of Xxxxxx.
(Clark Homeopathic World).
- VI. In a case of a clerk with loss of power of the lower limb; reflexes
exaggerated, knee-jerk violent, locomotion difficult and unsteady; probably
a case of transverse myelitis, Xxxxxx 3x, night and morning gave most
satisfactory results.
- The patient could walk a mile without assistance (Simpson, Homeopathic
Review.)
- VII. In a man aged fifty-two who had been unable to wolk for six years,
the paraplegia coming on after a "stroke" from exposure to wet, Xxxxxx 3x
practically cured in eight months.
- He had been tied to a chair for six, and at the time he stopped treatment
he was walking four miles daily. (Blake, Homoeopathic Review).
- From the fact that the Xxxxxx disease occurs frequently in certain
mountainous regions of Asia it has been remarked that it is akin to
Beri-Beri, which has been traced to eating the Xxxxxx bread.
Dave Hartley
www.localcomputermart.com/dave
Santa Cruz, CA (831)423-4284