ANDROGRAPHIS PENICULATA

Andrographis Peniculata

(Kalmegh)

Pharmacy - androg-p. Andrographis peniculata. Kalmegh.

N. O. Acanthaceae. The entire fresh plant.

Historical dose: All potencies.

Clinical

• Abscesses
• Boils
• Catarrh
• Constipation
• Cough
• Debility
• Diarrhea
• Dysentery
• Dyspepsia
• Fever
• Flatulence
• Headache
• Intermittent fever
• Jaundice
• Kala-azar
• Liver disorders
• Malaria
• Vomiting
• Worms
• Wounds

Herbal

Common in India, especially in Bengal. It is an annual plant, 1 to 3 feet high, common in hedgerows throughout the plains of India from Lucknow to Assam. It is also cultivated in gardens in some parts of India.

The shrub is well-known under the name of Kalmegh and forms the principal ingredient of household medicine called alui, which is extensively used in Bengali.

The macerated leaves and juice, together with certain spices, are made into little globules, which are prescribed for infants to relieve griping, irregular stools, and loss of appetite.

The roots and leaves have also a reputation of being a febrifuge, tonic, alternative, and anthelmintic.

In general debility, dysentery, and certain forms of dyspepsia associated with gaseous distension of the bowels, the decoction or infusion of the leaves have been used with satisfactory results.

Ayurvedic physicians use it with success singly or as a principal ingredient with other medicines in worms of children, vomiting of children, infantile liver, enlargement of liver and spleen, fever with the enlargement of liver and spleen, fever with constipation, fever in malaria, fever in infantile liver, fever in kala-azar of children, and also in boils, abscesses, and septic wounds.

The people of India prize it to be a highly efficacious remedy in all sorts of liver complaints from very early times.

The Ayurvedic physicians of India use it in enlarged liver or any derangement of liver, especially in children with jaundiced skin or without it, in the first stage of cough and cold, in general debility, and in convalescence after a long-continued fever. They also employ it in cutaneous ailments.

In intermittent fevers, the fever comes on daily between 8 and 9 a.m. or between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. During fever, there is slight thirst. Loose stools, catarrh, cough, and pain in the hepatic region are the accompanying symptoms. There may be constipation in place of diarrhea.

Burning sensation in eyes, face, hands, and feet, especially in the palms, are keynote symptoms for its administration. During fever, the patient is disinclined to move, with a desire to keep quiet. During fever, there is intermingling of chilliness and burning sensation.

Sometimes the patient likes cold applications. Sometimes he dislikes them; in this way, contradictory and conflicting symptoms manifest themselves.

It is generally used in an attack of remittent or intermittent fever where there is double accession of the seizure associated with predominance of bilious symptoms and headache. In some cases, headache may be absent.

In show fevers of children with derangement or enlargement of liver, it is very useful. In infantile jaundice where eyes and urine have become yellow, it is used with efficacy. It is an excellent remedy in chronic fever associated with the enlargement of liver and spleen along with burning of hands, feet, eyes, and face, and headache. Its efficacy is found also in kala-azar of infants. The following are the principal guiding symptoms of Kalmegh:

• Sensation of heat and burning in hands and feet
• Mental depression and despondency
• Bad taste in the mouth, bitter and putrid taste over the tongue
• Constipation
• Scantiness of stools
• Changeableness of symptoms
• Heaviness of the whole body for which the patient walks slowly

The patient wants to wash the hands and the feet with cold water in order to be relieved of the burning sensation felt over the parts; he feels considerable relief from cold, and he does not desire to move.

Kalmegh is a domestic medicine for flatulence and diarrhea of children, and it is also used for worm symptoms as it is considered to be anthelmintic. It is used in torpidity of liver, neuralgia, dyspepsia, in general debility, in convalescence after fevers, and in the fully developed stage of dysentery. In short, Kalmegh is a sovereign remedy for the above-mentioned ailments.

Homeopathic

Dr. Pramada Prasanna Biswas of Paflla and Dr. N. Sinha made provings of this drug. Both the provings are, no doubt, incomplete and fragmentary, but they cannot be brushed aside with indifference. They lead us to think that it will turn out to be an excellent remedy in our materia medica.

Mind

• Despondency
• No desire to do any work
• No desire to talk
• Restlessness
• Easily angered

Abdomen

Heaviness of abdomen. Heat and burning of abdomen.

Chest

Burning in chest.

Eyes

Redness of eyes. Yellowish tinge of eyes.

Fever

Double type of fever is a grand characteristic of this drug. Fever is associated with slight chilliness, heat remaining all along, heat marked with burning sensation all over the body. Burning sensation is relieved by cold air and application of cold water. Intermittent and remittent fevers are almost specific in the fever which comes on with double accession. Fever comes on after 1 p.m. and again appears at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.

Head

Giddiness of head. Throbbing pain on the occiput, sometimes very painful. Headache and thirst.

Liver

Enlargement of liver. Liver painful to touch. Pain felt over liver on pressure. Many disorders of liver. Jaundice. Infantile derangement of the liver and its enlargement.

Modalities

Cold water relieves the burning sensation of the body; sweat also relieves these symptoms; all symptoms are worse during fever; there is an intermingling of contradictory symptoms.

Mouth

Bitter taste in the mouth. White coating of the tongue.

Nose

Watery discharge from the nose. Symptoms of catarrh present. Occasional sneezing.

Rectum

Jaundice and constipation manifest themselves. Ineffectual urging of stool. Loose stools, loose bilious stools. Constipation. Frequent urging for stool, but no evacuation takes place. Blackish hard stools. Yellow loose stools of infants. Sometimes constipation, sometimes easy motion. Tendency to costiveness.

Stomach

Occasional eructations.

Throat

Burning in throat. Dryness of throat.

Urine

Urine high-colored in infantile jaundice. Urine is thick and yellow.

Relations

Compare: Chin., Chin-ars.

References

Ghose.