Boletus Laricis

(White Agaric)

Pharmacy - bot. Boletus laricis. White agaric. Boletus purgans. Agaricus laricis. Larch agaric. Polyporus officinale.

N. 0. Fungi. Trituration. Tincture of the dried mushroom.

Historical dose: Trituration and all potencies.

Clinical

• Chills
• Diarrhea
• Dysentery
• Faintness
• Fever
• Gallbladder disorders
• Headaches
• Intermittent fever
• Liver disorders

Homeopathic

Burt proved the crude substance and the third trituration. The gastro-enteric irritation common to the fungus was very well marked. Motion will aggravate the headache. Disposition to yawn and stretch when chilly. Great restlessness after midnight. Faintness after stool. Aching distress in all joints.

MIND

Very gloomy and despondent. Irritated at the least trifle. Absent-minded.

Abdomen

Aching in liver and umbilicus. Severe cutting pains in abdomen every few minutes. Dull, aching distress in umbilicus and loud rumbling in bowels all night. Severe, aching pain just below stomach, causing great faintness.

Back

Chilliness along spine with frequent hot flashes of fever. Dull, aching distress in back and legs.

Eyes

Agglutination of eyelids morning with dull, aching pains in eyeballs.

Face

Hot and flushed with severe frontal headache. Hands hot and dry.

Head

Head feeling very light and hollow with deep frontal headache and great faintness.

Liver

Heavy dragging pains in liver, more in right lobe. Dull, burning distress, drawing, aching in right lobe of liver with frontal headache. Sharp cutting pains in right lobe of liver and whole dorsal region on full inspiration. Sharp cutting pains near gallbladder. Burning distress in region of gallbladder all afternoon with sharp pains in stomach and heavy aching in liver.

Mouth

Teeth and gums very sore.

Perspiration

Profuse perspiration at night with hectic chills and fever. Sweat is light and without relief. Night-sweat in tuberculosis.

Rectum

Thin, yellow pasty stool, mixed with something looking like oil in large and small drops. Black, lumpy, dry stools mixed with bile, blood, and mucus, with high fever. Lienteric. Straining after stool.

Skin

Hot and dry, especially in palms. Itching more between scapulae and on forearms.

Stomach

Constant nausea and vomiting. Feeling in fauces as if would vomit. Great faintness at epigastrium. Severe cutting pains in stomach.

Temperature

Quotidian intermittent fever. Chilliness along spine with frequent hot flashes. Yawns and stretches when chilly. Severe aching in shoulders and joints and small of back. Waking at midnight in a profuse perspiration.

Tongue

White coat, thick yellow coat showing marks of teeth. Taste is flat, coppery, unnatural of all food, lost.

Comments

Anshutz noted two cases. The first consisted of a case of fever. "Intermittent fever: Type Quotidian Duplex. In a large lymphatic woman, weight about 180 lbs., aged thirty-nine. November 4th. For the last five weeks has had the ague. At first, it was simple quotidian. Took quinine, which broke it for four days, when it returned took quinine in massive doses, which checked it for one week.

"It returned two weeks since in the form of a double quotidian. The chill comes on every day at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The chill lasts from one to two hours each time, hands and feet get icy cold, chills run up and down the spine with severe pains in the head, back, and limbs, followed by high fever for three hours and then profuse sweat.

"Tongue furred whitish yellow with large fissures in the tongue, flat, bitter taste, has had no appetite for five weeks, craves cold water all the time, bowels rather costive, has nausea during every chill, but no vomiting, very weak, can only sit up about one hour in the morning. Great depression, cried during the whole examination, face very much jaundiced.

"Treatment: Ars. 2c, every two hours, for three days. It produced constant nausea and lessened the chills, but aggravated the fever. I then determined to try the Boletus le, two grains every two hours. Took two doses when the chills came on, she then ceased to take the medicine until 5 p.m. Took three doses and then fell asleep. 8th. She says she is feeling a little better continued treatment, 10 a.m., commenced to have a severe diarrhea, an effect of the medicine, discontinued the powders until 5 p.m.

"The fever did not come on until 3 p.m., had no chill, fever lasted three hours, perspired profusely all night, slept well for the first time in a number of weeks. 9th. Feeling much better. Fever came on at 4 p.m., had no chill, fever lasted four hours, nausea all the evening, sweat all night. 10th. Feeling quite well. Had no more fever, but had night sweats for a week after. Convalescence was very slow, she had no more fever it was three weeks before she felt perfectly well.

"This case demonstrated the fact to us that the Boletus is superior to our greatest remedial agents in the case of intermittent fevers. I believe if I had not been acquainted with the therapeutic properties of the Boletus I would have been compelled to treat this lady every few weeks for two or three months with our usual remedies."

His second case, "Intermittent fever: Type quotidian. November first, Mrs. 8, aged fifty-six. Temperament nervous. Three weeks since had an abscess in left ear, which made her quite sick for a week.

"Since then has had fever every afternoon and night. Feels chilly whenever she moves. Walking produces nausea. Does not perspire any. Tongue coated white. Loss of appetite, bowels loose. Very restless at night, cannot sleep any, getting very weak, keeps to her bed most of the time. Gave Boletus laricis. She had the fever but one day after."

Relations

Compare: (1) Boletus luridus. Boletus satanus. Cocc. (head hollow). (2) Agaricin, active constituent of Polyporus officinale - tubercular and other enervating night sweats 14 to 1-2 grains doses, also in chorea in dilatation of heart with pulmonary emphysema, fatty degeneration, profuse perspiration, and erythema.

References

Anshutz. Clarke.