Senega

Senega is more especially a chest medicine. It is full of chest symptoms and its relation to the air passages makes it worthy of consideration, although many of the individualizing symptoms have not yet been brought out. From its most striking action on the mucous membrane of the air passages, its chief use has been in chest complaints, asthmatic complaints, in various forms of dyspnoea, cardiac and asthmatic. There are violent pains in the chest, especially like those of pleurisy. It has also symptoms like pneumonia; one of its most useful spheres is in pleuro-pneumonia. The pleuro- pneumonia of cattle has almost found its specific in Senega. The finding of specifics is more likely to be true of animals than of human beings, as a remedy that is only partially indicated - may cure an animal, but it requires much finer discrimination among remedies in dealing with human beings. A violent attack of pleurisy associated with pneumonia, too deep and too vicious for Bryonia, often finds its remedy in Senega. Senega is a sort of cross between Bryonia and Rhus tox. The violent symptoms are those of Bryonia, yet it is worse from rest, unlike Bryonia. The symptoms of Senega are not so much like Rhus tox., but it has an amelioration like that of Rhus tox., better from motion, the pains being worse when at rest. The chest pains, rheumatic pains and inflammatory pains are worse during rest, but the cough is made worse from motion and the asthmatic troubles are made worse from the slightest motion. The Senega patient cannot walk up hill; he cannot walk against the wind, because it brings on chest symptoms and dyspnoea. The rattling in the chest is as marked as in Antimonium tartaricum the tenacious mucus is as copious, as gluey and stringy as in Kali bichromicum, so much is this the case that he can get it only part way up, and with a spasmodic effort he swallows it, like Spongia and Causticum. Senega is a remedy of deep action, as well as an acute remedy. It is filled with sharp and acute sufferings, sufferings that come on with rapidity, from taking cold, or from a cold that involves the whole chest.

Tincture, to thirtieth potency.