Leptandra virginica

Lecture XXXVII — Scrophulariaceae — Digitalis purpurea, Linaria vulgaris, Verbascum, Gratiola, Leptandra virginica and Euphrasia

Leptandra Virginica.

Leptandra Virginica is a drug which acts prominently on the liver. Locally, we find dull aching in the right hypochondrium, in the region of the gall-bladder, and also posteriorly in the posterior portion of the liver. This aching is often accompanied by soreness. At other times the congestion is great enough to produce burning distress in and about the liver. This often spreads to the stomach and abdomen. As accompanying symptoms ; we find drowsiness and despondency, which belong to liver affections of this character, and also diarrhoea, in which the stools are black, almost as black as pitch. These stools are accompanied by burning, distressing, colicky pain at the umbilicus. In other cases we have vomiting of bile with this burning distress, and occasionally clay-colored stools. The tongue is coated yellow or more frequently black, or dark-brown, and black down the middle. With these symptoms present, Leptandra may be indicated in bilious and typhoid fevers.

Leptandra resembles Mercurius. The main distinction between them is that Mercurius almost always has, characteristically, tenesmus continuing after stool. Leptandra has not this symptom, although it may have griping colicky pains after stool.

Iris versicolor should also be mentioned here. This drug irritates the whole alimentary tract, hence there are burning, serous diarrhoea, even rice-water discharges; cramps and vomiting. In cholera morbus coming at 2 or 3 A. m. it is superior to Veratrum. It also produces inflammation of the pancreas. Leptandra acts more on the liver; if the stools are not black, they are watery, muddy, and worse in the morning after beginning to move.