Grindelia robusta

Grindelia robusta is a resinous North American composite (Asteraceae) exuding a yellow, balsamic gum from its capitula and upper stems. Eclectic physicians used gum-weed as an expectorant and anti-asthmatic, and externally for Rhus-poisoning; pharmacologically it relaxes bronchial spasm while promoting mucous secretion, yet in excess may depress the heart–vagus axis—an observation that illuminates the homœopathic picture of asthma with embarrassed expectoration and a tendency to asphyxial spells on falling asleep when cardiac tone is weak [Hughes], [Clarke]. The tincture (from fresh, viscid tops) carries a decided action on bronchial mucosa, larynx and vagus; clinically it serves in emphysema with bronchitis, whooping-cough with “gluey” mucus, hay-asthma, and the skin effects of poison-oak/ivy (topically) [Allen], [Hering], [Boericke].

Eclectics prescribed gum-weed as an expectorant in chronic bronchitis, asthma and whooping-cough; as an antispasmodic for “hay asthma;” and externally as a wash for Rhus dermatitis (poison-oak/ivy), soothing burning and checking vesiculation—a use adopted by Clarke and Boericke though not as dose-guidance [Hughes], [Clarke], [Boericke].

Pathogenesis chiefly clinical and fragmentary (Allen; Hale), with confirmations by Hering, Clarke, Boericke: asthma and emphysema with large mucous râles, tenacious tough mucus difficult to detach, attacks on falling asleep (must be aroused to breathe), cannot lie down, must sit up; whooping-cough with exhausted, rattling chest; hay-asthma; catarrhal laryngitis; weak, irregular pulse in chest cases; skin: Rhus dermatitis and pruritus relieved (externally). Tags: [Proving]/[Clinical]. [Allen], [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes].

• Bronchi & smaller air-tubes — catarrhal bronchorrhœa with tenacious, stringy sputum that the patient cannot raise; coarse râles, dyspnœa; see Chest/Respiration. [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Vagus–cardiac axis — spells of breathing stops on falling asleep; cannot lie down; weak, irregular pulse with dyspnœa; asphyxial tendency; see Heart/Sleep/Respiration. [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke].
• Larynx — hoarseness, adhesive mucus; tickling with ineffectual cough; see Throat/Chest. [Allen], [Boericke].
• Emphysema (old people) — over-distended chest, little air-entry, much rattling; must sit propped; see Chest/Generalities. [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Whooping-cough — exhausted, “drowns in mucus,” cyanotic tendency; see Chest/Respiration. [Hering], [Allen].
• Hay-asthma / Naso-pharynx — paroxysmal sneezing, coryza with chest oppression; see Nose/Respiration. [Clarke], [Hughes].
• Skin (Rhus dermatitis) — vesicular, oozing, itching eruptions; gum-weed lotion palliates burning/itch (external); see Skin. [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Sleep centres — apnœic starts as soon as drowsy, must be waked to breathe; see Sleep. [Allen], [Hering].
• Elderly, cardiac–bronchitic constitutions — broken wind, weak heart, night suffocation; see Generalities. [Boericke], [Boger].

• Sitting up in bed; propped high with pillows—can breathe and cough; lying brings suffocation (echoed in Chest/Sleep). [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Being aroused from dozing—breathing recommences; “must be waked to get breath” (Sleep/Respiration). [Allen], [Hering].
• Expectoration when it becomes free—oppression lessens as tough mucus is dislodged (Chest). [Clarke].
• Cool, fresh air without wind; gentle fanning; room aired (Respiration). [Boericke].
• Warm drinks that loosen gluey mucus; small sips during paroxysm (Chest/Throat). [Hughes].
• Rest from exertion; least effort increases dyspnœa; quiet posture steadies pulse (Heart/Generalities). [Clarke].
• External application (lotions) to Rhus eruptions—burning/itch calmed (Skin; external use). [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Slow, deliberate breathing under guidance—reduces panic and helps to raise mucus (Mind/Respiration). [Clinical].
• After midnight towards dawn in some hay-asthmatics when coryza dries (individuals) (Nose). [Clarke].

• Lying down—cannot lie; suffocation imminent; stops breathing on falling asleep (grand aggravation; Sleep/Chest). [Allen], [Hering], [Clarke].
• Falling asleep / drowsiness—as soon as dozing, breathing ceases; must be shaken (Sleep). [Allen].
• Night—attacks after first sleep; 1–2 a.m.; cyanosis, cold sweat (Chest/Sleep). [Boericke].
• Warm, close rooms—oppression, rattling, faintness (Respiration). [Clarke].
• Exertion, ascending, speaking long; cough exhausts; palpitates (Heart/Chest). [Clarke], [Boger].
• Damp fog, sea-mist, autumn—hay-asthma and bronchitic spells (Nose/Respiration). [Hughes], [Clarke].
• Tobacco smoke, dust, pollen—tickling, whoop-like cough (Throat/Chest). [Allen].
• Suppression of skin eruptions (Rhus dermatitis stifled)—chest worse (Skin↔Chest alternation) (Generalities). [Clarke].
• Cold on chest after perspiring—rattling increased (Chill/Heat/Sweat). [Hering].
• Lying on back (graver than on side) (Sleep/Chest). [Allen].

Apnœa on falling asleep / cannot lie down

• Opium — heavy, stertorous sleep with insensibility; pupils contracted; less mucus tenacity; Grind.: mechanical choking relieved by arousing and expectoration. [Hering], [Clarke].
• Sambucus — child sits up suffocating after sleep; dry spasm; Grind.: gluey mucus with coarse râles and elderly bronchitic types. [Boericke], [Farrington].
• Lachesis — worse after sleep, cannot bear pressure; cyanotic; less adhesive mucus; more congestive throat picture. [Kent], [Clarke].

Rattling chest, cannot raise

• Antimonium tart. — loud rattling, drowsy, blue, weak; lying aggravates, but no on-dozing apnœa keynote; Grind.: must be waked to breathe, better cool air. [Hering], [Farrington].
• Senega — tough mucus of aged people, must work to raise; no sleep-apnœa; more chest soreness; Grind.: adds vago-cardiac spells. [Clarke].
• Kali bichromicum — ropy strings, sinus connection; more localized plugs; Grind.: broader bronchorrhœa with sleep-starts. [Boger], [Clarke].

Asthma / hay-asthma

• Arsenicum — midnight asthma, anxious restlessness, wants warmth and sips; Grind.: wants cool air and sleep-propping. [Kent], [Farrington].
• Ipecacuanha — spasmodic wheeze with persistent nausea, clean tongue; sputum not necessarily gluey; Grind.: nausea secondary, tenacity primary. [Boericke].
• Blatta orientalis — basement/damp asthma, fat subjects, better fan; rattles; less sleep-apnœa hallmark. [Clarke], [Boger].
• Naphthalinum — hay-asthma remedy; more violent sneezing and coryza; Grind.: milder nasal, stronger bronchial tenacity. [Clarke].

Whooping-cough

• Drosera — violent, tearing cough, epistaxis, hoarseness; less gluey mucus; Grind.: coarse râles, apnœa on dozing between whoops. [Hering], [Farrington].
• Corallium rubrum — rapid, explosive fits, purple face; Grind.: slower, drowning-in-mucus type. [Clarke].

Skin (Rhus dermatitis)

• Rhus toxicodendron — the disease picture; Grindelia useful externally to soothe; internally scant skin indications. [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Anacardium — more bullous, burning; mental features; Grindelia is topical, chest-centred internally. [Farrington].

Vago-cardiac weakness

• Digitalis — bluish face, slow weak pulse, least motion causes faintness; little tenacious bronchorrhœa; Grind.: respiratory mucus chief, with sleep-apnœa. [Clarke], [Hughes].
• Carbo vegetabilis — collapse, cold sweat, wants to be fanned; sputum not especially gluey; Grind.: less collapse, more mucus plug. [Boger], [Farrington].

• Complementary: Antimonium tart. — follows Grind. when rattling persists without sleep-apnœa; or precedes when stupefaction dominates before Grind. clears gluey plugs. [Hering], [Farrington].
• Complementary: Senega — aged with tenacious mucus and chest soreness after Grind. relieves apnœic spells. [Clarke].
• Complementary: Blatta orientalis — damp-basement asthma; alternates seasons with Grind. in hay fogs. [Boger].
• Follows well: Euphrasia/Allium cepa in hay catarrh when chest suffocation supervenes, Grind. taking over bronchial tenacity. [Clarke].
• Follows well: Aconite at onset of acute bronchitis to calm vascular storm, then Grind. for mucus–apnœa phase. [Dewey].
• Precedes well: Digitalis or Carbo veg. if cardiac collapse remains after mucus is freed. [Clarke], [Boger].
• Related/Compare:, Ipec., Ant-t., Senega, Kali-bi., Blatta, Samb., Op., Lach., Naphth., Drosera, Coral. (see Differentials).
• Antidotes: Fresh air, arousal, warm drinks (physiologic); Camphor for medicinal over-action (classical). [Allen], [Hering].
• Inimicals: none recorded; avoid alternation with near congeners without a fresh keynote. [Boger].

The essence of Grindelia is the gluey chest that cannot lie down and stops breathing on falling asleep. The organism is flooded with tenacious bronchial mucus; the cough is ineffectual, the chest full of coarse râles; the room is too warm and airless; and every time drowsiness descends, the vago-cardiac tone sinks and respiration ceases until the patient is aroused. The instant he is propped, aired, and given warm sips, the picture softens; when at last a stubborn plug gives way, the oppression relaxes and the mind steadies. This logic threads the clinical scenes: the elderly emphysematous bronchitic with a barrel chest, weak irregular pulse, purple lips, and an imperative need to sleep high; the child with whoop who drops into a doze between paroxysms only to choke and must be lifted; the hay-asthmatic of the fogs whose sneezing prefaces a drowning chest. Across all stands the modality triad: worse lying; worse on falling asleep; worse in warm, close rooms; better sitting up and in cool, steady air. [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hering].

Kingdom signature (Asteraceae) imparts catarrhal reactivity and a resinous affinity for mucous surfaces; Grindelia’s balsamic gum foreshadows the adhesive sputum that defines it [Hughes]. Miasmatically, psora–sycosis hue the chronicity: repeated attacks, thickened mucosa, emphysematous change. The cardiac–vagal participation sets it apart: where Antimonium tart. merely drowns in mucus, Grindelia stops breathing on dozing; where Arsenicum paces with anxious chills and seeks heat, Grindelia sits, is aired, and calms with expectoration; where Sambucus explodes with dry spasm, Grindelia labours under a gluey blanket. The alternation Skin↔Chest—relief of Rhus dermatitis (externally) with a risk of chest aggravation if over-suppressed—underlines the outlet philosophy that pervades classical materia medica [Clarke], [Boericke].

Practice. Think Grindelia in emphysema with night suffocation, in elderly bronchitics who say, “If I drop off I stop breathing; I must be propped,” in whooping-cough with drowsy, cyanotic spells and coarse rattling, in hay-asthma of foggy sea-mists with chest drowning. Insist upon regimen that copies the remedy: high propping, cool steady air, avoidance of close warmth, warm demulcent sips, gentle coached breathing, and prompt arousal at the first nod of sleep until the mucus flows. When the expectoration has become free and sleep no longer threatens apnœa, constitutional supports (Senega, Digitalis, Sulphur) can be considered by totality. Potencies from θ (externally) for Rhus eruptions to 3x–6x/6C for day-to-day bronchorrhœa; 30C when the sleep-apnœa keynote is decisive; 200C sparingly in clear, reactive cases with prompt general response. Repetition is guided by attacks: closer during foggy nights and whoop-paroxysms, spacing as the need to prop and to arouse abates [Boericke], [Dewey], [Boger], [Nash].

Two pearls at the bedside: The Pillow Test—if extra pillows alone markedly lessen attacks, think Grindelia; The Arousal Test—if “wake him and he breathes,” Grindelia leads.

• Emphysema with night suffocation; “stops breathing on falling asleep; cannot lie down; must sit up; coarse râles; tough mucus.” 6C–30C at bedtime and during night spells; prop high; cool steady air. [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Whooping-cough with cyanosis, drowsy spells between whoops, coarse rattling, relief after a warm drink and being propped: Grind. 6C t.i.d.–q.i.d. during paroxysmal stage. [Hering], [Farrington].
• Hay-asthma in fog/sea-mist—sneezing → drowning chest; warm rooms <; cool air >: Grind. 6C before bed and on exposure days. [Clarke], [Hughes].
• Rhus dermatitis (poison-oak/ivy): lotion of θ in water (external) for burning/itch; do not suppress violently if chest is unstable. [Clarke], [Boericke].

Mind

• Fear of suffocation on falling asleep; begs to be propped — mechanical, not metaphysical fear; Grindelia-congruent. [Allen], [Clarke].
• Anxiety in warm, close rooms; cool steady air calms — environment mirrors lungs. [Clarke].
• Irritability until tough sputum is detached; calmer “after expectoration” — outlet law in mind. [Clarke].
• Child frightened before the whoop, drowsy afterwards — whoop temperament. [Hering].
• Confusion from hypoxia in elderly; clears when sitting aired — cardiac–pulmonary link. [Boericke].
• Panic at lying down; trusts the chair and pillows — positional signature. [Allen].

Head

• Headache congestive with chest oppression; better in cool air and after expectoration — chest–head hinge. [Clarke].
• Vertigo on lying down; must sit up to breathe — positional. [Allen].
• Dusky face, cyanotic lips during paroxysm — asphyxial sign. [Boericke].
• Frontal weight with hay sneezing — catarrhal overlap. [Clarke].
• Sweat on forehead with choking fit — autonomic sign. [Hering].
• Head clearer after warm drink loosens mucus — management cue. [Hughes].

Nose / Throat

• Sneezing paroxysms with chest oppression (hay-asthma) — prelude to dyspnœa. [Clarke].
• Posterior, adhesive mucus dropping into larynx — tickle with ineffectual cough. [Allen].
• Warm rooms < coryza/hoarseness; cool air > — thermal rubric. [Clarke].
• Dust, smoke, pollen excite cough — trigger rubric. [Allen].
• Voice breaks from gluey mucus; reading aloud exhausts — laryngeal fatigue. [Boericke].
• Warm drinks loosen; dry air < — remedy management. [Hughes].

Chest / Respiration

• Cannot lie down; must sit up to breathe — master posture rubric. [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Breathing stops on falling asleep; must be aroused — pathognomonic Grindelia sign. [Allen], [Hering].
• Coarse râles with tenacious sputum difficult to detach — chest texture. [Clarke].
• Warm, close rooms <; cool, steady air > — environment law. [Clarke].
• Dyspnœa of emphysema (old people) with weak pulse — constitutional chest. [Boericke].
• Expectoration brings relief — outlet note. [Clarke].

Heart

• Pulse weak, irregular during dyspnœa — vago-cardiac. [Clarke], [Hughes].
• Palpitation from slight exertion in chest cases — exertion link. [Boger].
• Cyanosis with cold sweat in night spells — danger sign. [Boericke].
• Syncope threatens on dozing — sleep–heart hinge. [Allen].
• Better sitting propped, worse lying — positional. [Clarke].
• After warm drink and air, heart steadier — management. [Hughes].

Sleep

• Apnœa on falling asleep; must be shaken to breathe — keynote. [Allen], [Hering].
• Cannot lie; sleeps sitting propped — positional law. [Clarke].
• Night attacks after first sleep; 1–2 a.m. — timing. [Boericke].
• Dreams of drowning/smothering — symbolic. [Clarke].
• Child dozes and chokes in whoop — paediatric pointer. [Hering].
• Warm room < sleep; cool air > — environment rubric. [Clarke].

Skin

• Rhus dermatitis (poison-oak/ivy): burning, vesicles, oozing — external Grindelia soothes. [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Pruritus better lotion; beware suppression if chest unstable — management caveat. [Clarke].
• Eczema patches itch in warmth — thermal parallel. [Boericke].
• Skin pallor/blue tinge in attacks — systemic anoxia sign. [Boericke].
• Sweat cold on face during choking — autonomic. [Hering].
• Alternation skin↔chest observed — constitutional note. [Clarke].

Generalities

• Worse lying down; worse falling asleep — grand generals. [Allen], [Clarke].
• Better sitting up; better cool, steady air — grand ameliorations. [Boericke], [Clarke].
• Warm, close rooms aggravate — thermal law. [Clarke].
• Relief when expectoration becomes free — outlet law. [Clarke].
• Fog, sea-mist, autumn < in hay-asthma — weather rubric. [Hughes].
• Exertion aggravates; rest steadies — kinetic law. [Boger].

Allen, T. F. — Encyclopædia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): proving/clinical fragments—apnœa on falling asleep, cannot lie down, coarse râles, tenacious sputum.
Hering, C. — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): confirmations—whooping-cough with cyanosis and drowsy spells; necessity to arouse; sleep-start suffocation.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): substance background, hay-asthma, emphysema of the aged, Rhus dermatitis (external), modalities (cool air, sitting up).
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homœopathic Materia Medica (1901): keynotes—cannot lie; stops breathing on falling asleep; tough mucus; emphysema; relationships and external use.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870): eclectic notes—expectorant, antispasmodic; cardiac–vagal depression; management (warm drinks, cool air).
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (1887): differentials—Antimonium tart., Arsenicum, Ipecac., Sambucus, Senega, Kali bich.; whoop/bronchitis distinctions.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915): miasmatic tones; exertion/warm-room aggravations; emphysema in the aged; relationships (Blatta, Digitalis, Carbo veg.).
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica (1905): constitutional hints—after-sleep aggravations (Lachesis) contrasted; anxious/restless Arsenicum vs mechanical fear Grindelia.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homœopathic Therapeutics (1899): practical bedside remarks in bronchitis/emphysema and whoop; dosing/repetition notes.
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homœopathic Therapeutics (1901): sequencing—Aconite at onset → Grindelia for mucus/apnœa; general management of acute bronchitis/whoop.
Tyler, M. L. — Homœopathic Drug Pictures (1942): vivid portraits of the “cannot lie—must be waked to breathe” asthmatic; comparisons with Ant-t., Arsenicum, Sambucus.
Hale, E. M. — New Remedies (1875): early clinical experiences—asthma, whooping-cough, Rhus dermatitis; confirmations quoted by later authors.