Podophyllum

A native North American herbaceous plant with umbrella-like leaves and a yellowish fruit; the rhizome is toxic and highly purgative, rich in podophyllin (a powerful cathartic resin).

First proved by Dr. Williamson and detailed in Hering’s Guiding Symptoms and Allen’s Encyclopaedia

Podophyllum is the archetype of violent, draining elimination—its essence lies in purging, emptiness, and collapse. A remedy of explosive diarrhoea, liver congestion, and rectal or uterine prolapse, it is suited to patients who become weak and dazed after discharge. Often needed in children during teething or acute summer diarrhoeas, as well as in adults with hepatic or gastrointestinal pathology. The keynote is the painless yet profuse discharge, coupled with right-sided abdominal complaints and marked exhaustion.

• Liver and gall-bladder – biliary dysfunction, congestion, jaundice
• Gastrointestinal tract – explosive diarrhoea, gurgling, prolapse
• Abdomen and rectum – rumbling, distension, colic
• Right ovary and female pelvis – ovarian pain, prolapse
• Teeth and head – headaches alternating with diarrhoea
• Nervous system – dullness, confusion, restlessness in fever

The Podophyllum mental state is characterised by a dull, heavy, languid stupor—as if intoxicated or sedated. There is mental confusion with a dazed or indifferent expression, often alternating with loquacity or hilarity, especially during fever. [Hering] described the peculiar state of “silly laughter during fever.” Children may show sudden impulses to strike or bite. Anxiety and depression may be secondary to liver congestion. During gastrointestinal crises, the patient may exhibit irritability or hypersensitivity to noise or light.

Restless sleep, especially after 2 a.m. Jerking of limbs on falling asleep. Drowsiness during the day but disturbed sleep at night. Dreams of falling, death, or diarrhoea.

Unpleasant, vivid, anxious dreams. Dreams of falling, flying, or soiling oneself. Nightmare-like dreams during fevers or liver affections.

Marked right-sidedness, diarrhoea, prolapse, and hepatic symptoms. Weakness and exhaustion from stool or vomiting. Diarrhoea alternates with constipation. Worse in the morning and in summer. Affections during dentition, pregnancy, or after delivery. Sudden, explosive discharges followed by collapse.

Fever with hot face, cold feet, and thirst. Sweating profuse during fever with abdominal symptoms. Alternating chills and flushes. Heat may centre in head or liver region.

Chilliness alternates with heat, especially in gastrointestinal infections. Chill begins in lower limbs or spreads from abdomen. Sweat relieves restlessness. Sweating often sour, offensive.

Headaches are often alternating with or following diarrhoea, suggesting portal congestion. Pain is typically dull, pressing, or throbbing, located in the forehead or occiput. Worse from motion, sun, or during stool. [Clarke] notes an “empty” sensation in the head with a hot face. Vertigo accompanies nausea and hepatic congestion. Head drawn backward during diarrhoea spells in children, especially in hot weather.

Heavy, drooping eyelids with aching behind the orbits. Pupils dilated or sluggish in fever. Yellowish sclera with jaundiced liver states. Burning in the eyes with blurred or dim vision. Photophobia worse in the morning. Lachrymation or dryness depending on systemic condition.

Buzzing or humming in ears during fever. Ears feel stopped up or dull. Hearing diminished. Tearing pains extending to the jaw or temples. Twitching or jerking of ear muscles in children.

Coryza with watery discharge or dryness in hot weather. Nose may bleed during heat or in children during dentition. Diminished smell. Itching of nostrils and sneezing on waking.

Face pale, sunken, and yellowish—especially in children with diarrhoea. Expression anxious or dazed. Jaw may tremble or be tightly clenched. Neuralgic pains during liver or digestive troubles. [Allen] notes one cheek hot and the other cold.

Tongue broad, flabby, and often covered in a yellow or white coating. Taste bitter, metallic, or putrid. Salivation increased. Burning of the tongue and palate. In children: grinding of teeth, foul breath, and sticky lips during dentition. Aphthae in mouth during gut affections.

Toothache during dentition, worse at night or from touch. Grinding of teeth in fever or during diarrhoea. Teeth feel elongated or sensitive. Teeth decay rapidly in children with digestive issues.

Dry, rough, or burning sensation in the throat. Throat feels constricted. Swallowing difficult from dryness or stiffness of the neck. Rawness from gastric reflux or bile. Mucous accumulations in morning.

Oppression with sense of heat and congestion. Palpitations during digestive disturbance. Pains shooting into left chest or shoulder. Spasmodic cough with gagging or vomiting.

Palpitation during fevers or from digestive derangement. Weak, irregular pulse. Beating felt in epigastrium. Pain in cardiac region with liver complaints.

Shortness of breath during diarrhoea. Deep sighing or gasping. Oppression of the chest after meals. Respiratory weakness from debility or hepatic derangement.

Nausea, retching, or profuse vomiting of bile. Empty sinking sensation in epigastrium, better from lying on stomach. Craves cold water but vomits after drinking. Gurgling and borborygmi before diarrhoea. [Hering] noted desire for sour fruits or pickles. Heartburn with regurgitation of sour fluid. Vomiting relieved by diarrhoea.

Centre of action. Bloated, distended, and full of gurgling, rumbling, and shifting wind. Cutting colic, mostly in the right side, radiating to back and thighs. Liver region sore, enlarged, or tender. Pain with a dragging sensation, as if the intestines would fall out. Worse after eating or early in the morning. [Clarke] reports a “sensation of emptiness or looseness in the abdomen.”

Painless, profuse, offensive, gushing diarrhoea, worse in the early morning (4–5 a.m.). Stools watery, yellow, green, or frothy. May contain mucus, undigested food, or have a cadaverous odour. Stools often exhausting. Rectal prolapse frequent, especially in children or after hard stools. Tenesmus rare, but may be present in cases of irritation. Anus sore, burning, or itching. Alternate constipation and diarrhoea in hepatic conditions.

Scanty, dark urine with sediment. Frequent urging in children with diarrhoea. Pain in kidneys during liver affections. Yellow staining on linen. Burning in urethra on urination.

Craving for sour fruits, cold drinks, and juicy items. Aversion to meat and fat. Worse from milk, fruit, or rich food. Diarrhoea often follows indulgence or dietary errors.

Seminal emissions with weakness and aching in back. Pain or heaviness in testicles. Prostatic irritation from bowel dysfunction. Dull dragging pain in spermatic cord.

Useful in prolapsus uteri with dragging pain and bearing down. Ovarian pains, particularly right-sided. Pain before and during menses, better from warmth or pressure. Diarrhoea accompanying menses. Leucorrhoea thick, yellow, and profuse. Post-partum prolapse with lochia retained or suppressed.

Pain in sacrum and lumbar region, often extending downward. Weakness or dragging pain in lower spine, worse during diarrhoea. [Allen] notes sharp, shifting pains along the spine. Cold spots between shoulder blades.

Limbs weak, heavy, and tremulous. Cold feet with hot head in children. Jerking or twitching of legs in fever. Aching in calves during diarrhoea. Hands cold, feet sweaty.

Yellow, sallow, or earthy skin tone. Moist eruptions in children during dentition. Pruritus ani and eczema near anus. Peeling or cracked skin in creases. Sweat with a sour smell.

• Mercurius solubilis – Also has diarrhoea with tenesmus and mucus, but more offensive, painful, and with salivation
• Aloe socotrina – Diarrhoea with involuntary stool, worse in the morning, but more rectal fullness and urgency
• Chamomilla – Diarrhoea in irritable children during dentition; Cham is more emotional and hot-headed
• Colocynthis – Colic relieved by pressure, but more cramping and angry disposition
• Ipecacuanha – Nausea and vomiting with clean tongue, but less hepatic involvement

• Complementary: Mercurius dulcis, Nux vomica
• Antidotes: Camphora, Nux vomica
• Follows well: Chamomilla, Belladonna
• Precedes well: Sulphur, Lycopodium

• Excellent in infantile diarrhoea during summer
• Remedy of choice in painless, profuse morning diarrhoea
• Use in post-partum prolapse of uterus or rectum
• Strong indication in right-sided ovarian pain with loose stools
• Effective in gastroenteritis with jaundiced appearance

Mind

• Laughs involuntarily during fever
• Dullness, dazed, stupefied
• Confusion with diarrhoea

Abdomen

• Rumbling, gurgling before stool
• Pain, right-sided, dragging
• Looseness, empty sensation

Rectum

• Diarrhoea, painless, profuse
• Prolapse, during stool
• Offensive, cadaverous stool

Female

• Prolapse, uterus, after delivery
• Ovarian pain, right
• Leucorrhoea profuse, yellow

Generalities

• Weakness after stool
• Morning aggravation
• Summer diarrhoea

C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms: Provided exhaustive notes on diarrhoea, liver, and female symptoms

T.F. Allen – Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica: Source of early provings and toxicological data

William Boericke – Pocket Manual: Gave concise clinical indications and organ affinity

John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Described alternation of mental and abdominal symptoms

Samuel Hahnemann – Chronic Diseases (as referenced by followers): Commentary on its liver action and psoric relationship