Gnaphalium polycephalum

Gnaphalium polycephalum is a small, aromatic North American composite (Asteraceae), bearing woolly leaves and many-headed capitula. Eclectic and domestic practice valued “cudweed” as a mild astringent and antispasmodic for bowel colic and “summer complaint,” and as a fomentation to aching limbs—empirical threads that prefigure the homœopathic picture of neuralgia with numbness and enteric irritability [Hughes], [Clarke]. The homœopathic mother tincture is prepared from the fresh herb; its pathogenesis (chiefly clinical) displays a marked action on the great nerve-trunks—especially the sciatic—with tearing neuralgic pains alternating with or followed by numbness, lumbago with board-like stiffness, gouty pains (great toe, fingers), and morning diarrhœa with colic, often > bending or pressure [Allen], [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke]. The aromatic resins and sesquiterpenes of the Compositae family plausibly account for a peripheral neuro-analgesic and antispasmodic tendency that mirrors the remedy’s alternating pain–numbness, while the astringent leaf constituents tally with the early-morning watery stools [Hughes], [Clarke].

Gnaphalium polycephalum is a small, aromatic North American composite (Asteraceae), bearing woolly leaves and many-headed capitula. Eclectic and domestic practice valued “cudweed” as a mild astringent and antispasmodic for bowel colic and “summer complaint,” and as a fomentation to aching limbs—empirical threads that prefigure the homœopathic picture of neuralgia with numbness and enteric irritability [Hughes], [Clarke]. The homœopathic mother tincture is prepared from the fresh herb; its pathogenesis (chiefly clinical) displays a marked action on the great nerve-trunks—especially the sciatic—with tearing neuralgic pains alternating with or followed by numbness, lumbago with board-like stiffness, gouty pains (great toe, fingers), and morning diarrhœa with colic, often > bending or pressure [Allen], [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke]. The aromatic resins and sesquiterpenes of the Compositae family plausibly account for a peripheral neuro-analgesic and antispasmodic tendency that mirrors the remedy’s alternating pain–numbness, while the astringent leaf constituents tally with the early-morning watery stools [Hughes], [Clarke].

No complete Hahnemannian proving. Our knowledge rests on Allen’s compilation (provings/clinical notes) and confirmations by Hering, Clarke, and Boericke: sciatica along the whole nerve with numbness alternating with pain, pain < motion/stepping, > sitting or with the limb flexed; lumbago with stiffness and numbness; cramps of calves and soles; gout in great toe; morning, watery diarrhœa with colic > bending [Allen] [Proving/Clinical], [Hering] [Clinical], [Clarke] [Clinical], [Boericke].

Gnaphalium embodies the nerve that wants a chair. The essence is a sciatic neuralgia that runs the whole course of the nerve, every step jars it, and—peculiarly—pain fades into numbness, leaving a “dead” limb that the patient must thump or flex to feel again. The modal law is diagnostic: worse walking, stepping, or moving the limb; better sitting (firm chair) and by flexing the thigh. This law recurs across Back (lumbago with stiffness and numbness, first movements cruel), Extremities (cramps of calves/soles at night after a walking day; great toe gout tender to shoe-pressure), Abdomen (morning colic and watery stools, > bending and pressure), Sleep (waking on turning; sleep returning when a position is found), and Generalities (cold damp and over-use kindle; warmth and rest pacify) [Allen], [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke]. The pain→numbness alternation is the nerve’s own see-saw and is more than a curiosity: it governs the timing of movement and marks remedy choice against neighbours—Rhus (motion finally better), Bryonia (wants to lie still, not sit), Colocynth (pressure/bending is king but anger, not numbness, rules), Hypericum (injury hyperæsthesia without the numb sequel), Mag-phos (heat/pressure spasm).

The patient is cautious, not theatrical. He learns to sit, to draw up the leg, to avoid steps and jars. He times the morning diarrhœa—two or three watery stools with griping > bending; then the bowels are quiet and the day’s nerve-battle begins. Gout weaves in: a toe that flares with damp or dietary indiscretion, calling for soft shoes and stillness; as urates settle, the toe calms. Pathophysiologically, Gnaphalium reads as a peripheral neuritis with reactive paraesthesia, heightened by mechanical jar and relieved by unloading the limb’s tensile demand; its bowel action is early-morning, small-intestinal, “wash-out” diarrhœa that bends to pressure and rest—no violent tenesmus, no foulness [Clarke], [Allen].

Practical use. Prescribe when the Chair Test is affirmative (“I can walk hardly at all; but if I sit the sciatic is bearable”), the Flexion Test helps, and when the patient describes the pain → numbness alternation. In lumbago that does not improve with continued motion and asks for sitting or flexion, Gnaphalium outranks Rhus. In gout, use it when toe-pain coexists with sciatic temperament; interpose Benzoic acid if urinary fetor dominates; turn to Colchicum in the hyper-sensitive, odour-averse storm. In gut mornings, Gnaphalium is a milder Colocynth: no rage, less collapse, but the same bending/pressure relief.

Potency and repetition. Low–mid (3x–6x/6C) for daily sciatica/lumbago with cramps, particularly in elderly neuritics; 30C when the alternating pain–numbness and chair-amelioration are decisive; 200C for sharply characterised cases with brisk general reactivity. Dose by need: more frequent in damp spells or after over-use; hold when the nerve stays quiet in the chair and the first step ceases to jar [Boericke], [Dewey], [Boger]. Regimen must mirror modalities: avoid jarring steps and cold floors; use warmth and gentle massage along the hamstrings; prefer firm chairs; soften shoes over gouty toes; keep morning fare light and warm; bend and press during colic. Under these laws the “chair-nerve” resumes its peace.

• Sciatic nerve and great nerve-trunks — neuralgia from hip to foot, “wire-like” pains with numbness replacing pain; see Back/Extremities. [Allen], [Boericke], [Clarke].
• Lumbo-sacral spine and sacro-iliac region — lumbago with board-like stiffness; first movements painful; see Back. [Hering], [Boger].
• Gastro-intestinal tract (small intestine/colon) — morning watery diarrhœa with colic, rumbling; pain > bending forward or pressure; see Abdomen/Rectum. [Allen], [Clarke].
• Gouty articulations — stinging/aching in great toe and fingers; periodic gout; see Extremities/Skin. [Boericke], [Boger].
• Muscles and fascia — cramps of calves/soles; fatigue and soreness after walking; see Extremities/Generalities. [Allen], [Boericke].
• Peripheral sensory field — paraesthesiæ: tingling, crawling, deadness of parts after pain; see Extremities/Skin. [Clarke], [Hering].
• Elderly and neuritic constitutions — worn, gouty, or “sciatic” temperaments recurring with damp/cold or over-use; see Generalities. [Boger], [Boericke].

The mental state is that of a patient subdued by recurrent neuralgia and the dread of movement. He is quiet, economical of effort, calculating the least painful way to sit, to rise, to reach the next chair—a behaviour that mirrors the modal law (better sitting; worse walking/stepping) already given [Clarke], [Boericke]. Irritability is low-key but grows when obliged to attempt stairs or prolonged standing (Back/Extremities). Anxiety centres in the fear that a single misstep will fire the whole nerve; once seated, the temper softens (modal echo). During morning diarrhœa with colic he grows impatient, yet calms as soon as he can bend double or press the abdomen—again repeating the pressure/bending amelioration (Abdomen). There is scant hypochondriasis; the mood follows the nerve: pain brings fretfulness; numbness brings a dull resignation (Generalities). Sleep loss from night pains makes him taciturn next day; a brief nap lifts the edge (Sleep link). The patient is practical, not theatrical (contrast Colocynth); he seeks support, warmth, and stillness. Prolonged illness with paraesthesia can produce a sense of “dead limb” alienation; cheer returns as function returns with rest (Extremities link). In gouty patients there is apprehension before a weather-change when the toe begins to whisper; he becomes cautious about shoes and steps (Generalities/Extremities).

Broken at night by pains on turning, cramps of calves, and by morning diarrhœa; sleep returns when the patient finds the “right” seated or flexed posture—repeating the position-amelioration (Back/Abdomen). First sleep may be sound; pain wakes in the second half of the night with chill; warmth and position rescue a few hours (modal echo) [Hering]. Dreams of missing a step and a lightning pain; he wakes gripping the thigh. If he naps by day, even briefly, the evening is more tolerable (Mind/Generalities).

Dreams of climbing and suddenly mis-stepping; of numb feet that will not obey; of futile running in slow motion—dreams dramatising the kinetic law (Generalities/Extremities). Dreams of sudden calls to stool in public places (Abdomen/Rectum).

Gnaphalium is a nerve–bowel–gout remedy centred on sciatica: neuralgic pains along the entire sciatic course with the peculiar alternation—pain gives place to numbness, and with modal law: worse walking/stepping and motion of the limb; better sitting, and by flexing the thigh [Allen], [Boericke], [Clarke]. A second axis is lumbago with stiffness and numbness (first movements painful, not relieved by continued motion—contrast Rhus tox), and a third is morning diarrhœa with colic > bending/pressure (echoing old domestic uses). Gout in the great toe or fingers fits when the nerve-temperament and weather modalities concur. The constitution is often elderly or neuritic; cold damp and over-use kindle recurrences; warmth, rest, and position pacify. Practical tests abound: the Chair Test (pain eases promptly on sitting), the Flexion Test (drawing up the limb relieves), the Step Test (first step jars intolerably), and the Clock Test (bowel colic and loose stool on rising). When these are positive—especially with the alternating pain–numbness hallmark—Gnaphalium deserves priority.

No septic picture. Chilliness in damp mornings with neuralgia; slight evening heat after a walking day; a gentle sweat follows pain-release and coincides with the numb phase (Generalities) [Clarke].

Chill from cold floors or morning fog stirs the nerve and the bowel (Back/Abdomen). Heat of bed at first eases, but turning rekindles pain; a hot bottle along the hamstring is grateful (Extremities). Sweat on exertion is slight and relieves cramps if not followed by chill (Generalities).

Head symptoms are reflex and fatigue-bound: a dull occipital ache after hours of guarding the limb; it improves when the patient is seated comfortably and the nerve quietened (Mind/Back) [Clarke]. Vertigo may attend first rising after sitting—an echo of the “first movement worse” kinetic law (Generalities). Neuralgic threads run down the nape with lumbago; heat to the low back clears the head (Back link). Unlike Belladonna there is no throbbing heat; unlike Sanguinaria there is no sun-periodicity; the headache here is the body’s sign of over-strain. During diarrhœal mornings some have frontal heaviness, easing after stool (Abdomen/Rectum). No marked photophobia or sinus element belongs to Gnaphalium.

Tired eyes from pain-vigil; lids feel heavy during neuralgic nights; vision swims on first rising as the patient “tests” the leg (Generalities). Lachrymation is simple and non-acrid if present; cold air in damp mornings aggravates smarting (Generalities). The ocular field is accessory.

A rushing in ears may occur on sudden pain-shock; it passes with quiet and position; there is no deep otic sphere. Weather-change may thicken hearing transiently in gouty constitutions (Generalities).

No characteristic coryza. Sneezing jars the sciatic line and is dreaded during acute attacks (Back/Extremities).

Expression of guarded distress during attempts to move; pallor during pains, colour returning when seated. Gouty subjects show facial furrows and toe-guarding habits (Extremities).

Dryness after a painful night; thirst scanty; appetite returns as soon as the patient is seated and the nerve calms (Generalities). No stomatitis.

No remedy-marked odontalgia. Grinding the teeth may accompany a pain-wave and then cease as numbness follows (Pain→Numbness axis).

A choking catch on first effort to rise; purely reflex. Warm drinks steady the breath after a spasm of pain (Respiration).

A jarring cough sends a stitch along the sciatic; patients hold the hip when coughing (Back/Extremities). Breath is short on first moving after a pain-bout; steady when seated. No distinct bronchial catarrh is established.

Palpitation during pain-shock; pulse soft and quick; quiets as soon as the nerve quiets (Mind/Generalities). No constrictive band (contrast Cactus).

Sighing after a pain-wave; breath-holding at the crest; then a long exhale as numbness spreads—an outward sign of the pain→numbness alternation (Generalities). Cold damp air provokes a shiver that wakens the nerve (modal echo).

Nausea from pain and lost sleep; eating little and often while seated is better tolerated—a practical echo of the “better at rest” law [Clarke]. Gastric symptoms are secondary to colon colic and nerve pain. Warm simples settle the stomach.

A notable sphere. Colic with rumbling and griping, chiefly in the morning, often followed by watery diarrhœa; sufferers bend double or press the abdomen for relief—this bending/pressure amelioration repeats the old domestic use and is explicitly echoed in Modalities [Allen], [Clarke]. Pain encircles the navel or tracks obliquely to the groin; after a few loose stools the griping subsides and the patient feels shorn of strength yet easier (Generalities). Cold damp mornings and chill after overheating set the bowel off; warmth and rest settle it (modal echo). The colic is less furious and less anger-tinged than Colocynth; it is more companion to the sciatica, often alternating with neuralgia days (Back/Extremities). Flatus may be pent until the first stool, then pass freely with relief (Rectum link).

Early-morning urging with two or three watery stools; tenesmus is slight; there may be a sense of “emptiness” afterwards with neuralgic fatigue (Abdomen/Generalities) [Allen], [Clarke]. Piles are not a keynote, though prolonged sitting can awaken pruritus; if burning knives after stool predominate, Ratanhia supersedes. Stool later in the day may be constipated after a diarrhœal morning—an alternation observed in sensitive subjects (Boger).

Frequency during pain-nights from restlessness rather than cystitis; urine light-coloured after watery stools (Generalities). In gouty men, urates may increase during toe-pains; sediment rises as the joint eases—metabolic echo shared with Benzoic acid (Differentials). Gnaphalium has not a distinct “before–after urination” backache hinge (contrast Eupatorium purpureum).

Sour wine and heavy suppers incline to gouty toe pains; light fare is tolerated; warm drinks ease colic mornings (Abdomen) [Clarke], [Boger]. Desire for hot simple broths during sciatica; aversion to cold water on rising (Generalities).

Sexual power flags during sciatica flares; nocturnal emissions are rare; coitus may be avoided for fear of stirring the nerve. Some note a dragging in cord during right-sided sciatica, better sitting. Gnaphalium is not especially sexual; the field is nerve–gut–gout [Clarke], [Boericke].

Menstrual timing may aggravate sciatica; first day brings a pulling in the groin of the affected side; pain subsides as the flow becomes settled—an echo of “relief by discharge” seen in other remedies but softer here. Colic mornings worsen around menses in sensitive women [Clarke]. If pelvic bearing-down with moral unrest dominates, Lilium tigrinum or Sepia are truer.

A cardinal sphere. Lumbago with stiffness and numbness on first moving; the back feels “board-like” on rising; every step jars it; sitting eases and the patient learns to draw up the leg or flex the thigh to slacken the sciatic (modal law) [Hering], [Allen], [Boericke]. Sacro-iliac soreness follows a day of standing; a warm pad helps, but weight-bearing renews the protest. Turning in bed is painful; once settled the limb grows numb and the pain sleeps (Sleep/Extremities). The pain often runs from hip to heel, with the calf cramping; after the pain-wave a “deadness” in toes remains (Extremities). Rhus-like first movements can be seen, but unlike Rhus tox continued motion does not help; sitting does.

Sciatica is the keynote: tearing, drawing pains along the whole length of the nerve, hip → thigh → calf → foot, with numbness alternating with pain; worse walking, stepping, or attempting to stand; better sitting or with the limb flexed—this is the signature triad (modals mirrored) [Allen], [Boericke], [Clarke]. Cramps of calves and soles, especially at night after a walking day; warm applications relieve. Paraesthesiæ: tingling, crawling, “asleep” feeling in toes and soles after the pain thinks it has ended; the patient hammers the foot to “wake it” (Skin link). Gouty pains in the great toe, tender to shoe-pressure; fingers also ache with weather changes; cold damp and sour food/wine aggravate (Food & Drink). Ankles feel weak on stairs; knees threaten to give on the first step; sitting steadies everything (Back).

Coldness and numb patches over the sciatic route; tingling in the feet; skin looks normal yet feels dead (perception–sensation gap) [Clarke]. In gout, the toe is hot, shining, tender; pressure of the shoe intolerable (Extremities). Sweaty feet after a diarrhœal morning are noted occasionally; drying them too fast in cold air renews sciatic tingling (Generalities). There is no corrosive eczema; if burning better cold predominates, Euphorbium.

Sciatica (pain ↔ numbness; better sitting)

• Colocynth — violent, cramping neuralgia, better strong pressure and bending double; patient angry, restless; can walk bent; Gnaph.: better sitting, numbness follows pain, less irascible [Farrington], [Clarke].
• Magnesia phosphorica — spasmodic neuralgia > heat and pressure; less stable numb sequel; Gnaph.: pain→numbness motto; weight-bearing jars [Boger], [Boericke].
• Rhus tox — first motion worse but continued motion better; desires to move; Gnaph.: motion, especially stepping, sustains aggravation; sitting best [Farrington], [Boger].
• Bryonia — every motion aggravates; wants absolute rest lying (not specifically sitting); pains stitching; Gnaph.: neuralgic with numbness and chair-amel. [Clarke], [Boger].
• Hypericum — nerve injury, exquisite hyperæsthesia; better from rest; but lacks the alternating numbness hallmark and gut morning-looseness [Hering], [Farrington].
• Kali iodatum — deep neuritis, worse night/damp; more bone–periosteal ache; Gnaph.: cleaner sciatica with chair-amel. [Boger].

Lumbago / sacro-iliac strain

• Aesculus — sacral, “broken back” with hæmorrhoids; walking worse; stool modalities; Gnaph.: nerve pain with numbness and gut morning looseness [Clarke].
• Formica rufa — lumbago in cold damp better warmth and continued motion; urticaria alternation; Gnaph.: sitting best, motion jars; paraesthesiæ prominent [Boericke], [Clarke].

Gout (great toe)

• Colchicum — extreme sensitiveness; odours aggravate; often left; Gnaph.: moderate, stinging/aching with nerve-numbness theme [Clarke], [Boger].
• Ledum — better cold, ascending pains; pale puffy joints; Gnaph.: better warmth and rest, chair-amel. [Farrington], [Boericke].
• Benzoic acid — gout with very offensive urine; wandering pains; Gnaph.: less urinary fetor; more neuralgic alternation [Boger].

Abdominal colic + diarrhœa (morning)

• Colocynth — furious colic > pressure/bending; anger; Gnaph.: quieter, with sciatic concomitants [Farrington].
• Aloe — sudden urging, jelly-like mucus; anus weak; Gnaph.: early-morning watery stools without marked sphincter laxity [Clarke].

• Complementary: Colocynth — when pressure/bending helps but alternating sciatic numbness then calls for Gnaph.; they often share the gut–nerve axis [Farrington], [Clarke].
• Complementary: Benzoic acid — follows in gouty subjects where urinary deposits/offensive urine predominate after neuralgia eases [Boger].
• Complementary: Hypericum — for traumatic nerve insult; Gnaph. for the lingering alternating pain–numbness afterwards [Hering].
• Follows well: Rhus tox — after an acute sprain-like phase yields but motion no longer helps and sitting is best [Boger].
• Follows well: phos. — when heat/pressure palliate spasms but numbness persists (Gnaph. completes) [Boericke].
• Precedes well: Sulphur — as a chronic ground-remedy in gouty–neuritic constitutions to prevent relapse [Kent], [Boger].
• Related/Compare:, Rhus-t., Bry., Hyper., Mag-p., Kali-iod., Colch., Led., Benzoic-ac., Aesc. (see Differentials).
• Antidotes: Rest, position, warmth (physiologic); Nux/Coffea for medicinal over-action (classical) [Allen], [Kent].
• Inimicals: none recorded; avoid alternating with Rhus where motion-amelioration is still present (opposed modality). [Boger].

• Sciatica (whole length) with pain → numbness; worse stepping; better sitting/flexion. 6C–30C; repeat on effort or weather-breaks; add dry heat along nerve at night. [Allen], [Boericke], [Clarke].
• Lumbago with stiffness + numbness; first movements cruel; continued motion does not help; chair helps: Gnaph. 6x–6C b.i.d.; contrast Rhus (motion-amel.). [Hering], [Boger].
• Morning colic with watery stools > bending/pressure in a sciatic subject: Gnaph. 6C with diet/light warmth; holds the gut while the nerve is treated. [Allen], [Clarke].
• Gout in great toe with neuritic temperament; shoe-intolerance, damp-agg.: Gnaph. 6C; intercurrent Benzoic acid if offensive urine dominates. [Boericke], [Boger].

Mind

• Anxiety of movement; calculates steps; fears stepping for pain — kinetic caution of sciatica. [Clarke].
• Quiet resignation when numbness supervenes — pain→numbness mood shift. [Allen].
• Irritable when obliged to stand or climb — modality-driven peevishness. [Hering].
• Calm once seated; chair-amel. for pain and temper — bedside sign. [Clarke].
• Dreads morning on account of diarrhœa pains — clock-anticipation. [Allen].
• Better from short sleep/nap during the day — restorative rest. [Hering].

Head

• Headache from guarding pains; occiput heavy; better seated and warm — reflex fatigue. [Clarke].
• Vertigo on first rising after sitting — “first movement” echo. [Boger].
• Head feels light after stool in morning diarrhœa — outlet relief. [Allen].
• Nape neuralgia with lumbago; heat eases — linked fascia. [Hering].
• No throbbing heat (≠ Bell.), no sun-periodicity (≠ Sang.) — differential note. [Farrington].
• Face pallid during pain; colour returns with rest — circulation sign. [Clarke].

Abdomen / Rectum

• Morning diarrhœa, watery, with griping — key bowel rubric. [Allen], [Clarke].
• Colic > bending double or pressure — domestic echo. [Allen].
• Rumbling before stool; relief after passage of flatus — gas hinge. [Allen].
• Alternation: neuralgia days ↔ bowel mornings — remedy pattern. [Clarke].
• Stool followed by emptiness and fatigue — post-drain sign. [Allen].
• Constipation later in day after morning flux — alternation. [Boger].

Back

• Lumbago with stiffness and numbness; first movements painful — hallmark. [Hering], [Boericke].
• Pain sacro-ischiatic on turning in bed — position rub. [Allen].
• Pain down hamstring; warm pad > — hamstring track. [Clarke].
• Worse stooping, rising, stepping; better sitting — kinetic polarity. [Allen], [Clarke].
• Sacro-iliac soreness after standing — fatigue focus. [Hering].
• Cannot bear a jar; misstep renews pain — jar rubric. [Hering].

Extremities

• Sciatica, whole length, pain alternates with numbness — master rubric. [Allen], [Boericke].
• Worse walking/stepping/standing, better sitting — grand modal. [Allen], [Clarke].
• Cramps of calves/soles at night after walking — exertion echo. [Boericke].
• Paraesthesiæ: “asleep,” tingling feet after pain — sequel rubric. [Clarke].
• Gout of great toe, shoes intolerable — gout note. [Boericke].
• Knees give on first step; steady when seated — kinetic failure. [Hering].

Skin / Sensation

• Numb patches over sciatic track; skin feels dead — perception gap. [Clarke].
• Tingling in toes after pains — paraesthesia sequel. [Allen].
• Toe hot, shining in gout, pressure-intolerant — gout skin. [Boericke].
• Cold floors chill feet → sciatic twinges — environment hinge. [Clarke].
• Sweaty feet; chill after sweat rekindles numbness — management note. [Boger].
• No corrosive eczema (≠ Euphorb.) — differential. [Farrington].

Sleep / Generalities

• Wakes on turning; pain drives postural search — position law. [Hering].
• Better after short nap; evening work returns — restorative rubric. [Clarke].
• Worse cold/damp, better warmth and rest — climate law. [Boger].
• Worse jar; better flexing thigh/limb supported — mechanics. [Allen], [Clarke].
• Over-use (stairs, long walk) ⇒ night cramps — exertion link. [Boericke].
• Pain → numbness alternation runs the case — essence note. [Allen], [Clarke].

Allen, T. F. — Encyclopædia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): pathogenesis and clinical notes—sciatica whole length; pain alternating with numbness; morning diarrhœa; cramps; modalities.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homœopathic Materia Medica (1901): keynotes—sciatica with numbness; lumbago; cramps; gout of great toe; chair-amelioration; worse stepping.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): substance background; clinical picture—nerve–bowel–gout triad; flexion and sitting ameliorations; cold-damp aggravation.
Hering, C. — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): confirmations—board-like lumbago; night pains; paraesthesiæ sequel; position and rest as palliation.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870): notes on Compositæ physiology; domestic/folk uses (astringent/antispasmodic) linked to gut and limb uses.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915): miasmatic colouring; kinetic laws (first movements, jar); climate (cold/damp); gout–urine connections.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (1887): comparisons—Colocynth, Rhus, Bryonia, Hypericum, Mag-phos, Colchicum, Ledum; differentiating pain–numbness signature.
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica (1905): constitutional hints—psoric–sycotic neuritics; chronic sciatica ground; relationships.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homœopathic Therapeutics (1899): neuralgic remedies; emphasis on modalities and alternations in sciatica.
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homœopathic Therapeutics (1901): dosing and repetition in neuralgia and lumbago; regimen (warmth, rest, avoidance of jar).
Phatak, S. R. — Materia Medica of Homoeopathic Medicines (1977): concise keynotes—sciatica with numbness; better sitting; morning diarrhœa; cramps; gout note.
Tyler, M. L. — Homœopathic Drug Pictures (1942): vivid sketches of the “chair-nerve” sciatica and the pain→numbness hallmark; bedside tests and comparisons.