Ipecac is a very important anti-malarial treatment. Malaria is strongly
connected with nausea and also attacks the stomach. From this point of view,
Ipecac is naturally related to malaria. A distinctive feature of Ipecac is that
the patient feels severe cold in his back with constant waves of cold up and
down. The pain also undulates similarly in the back. A child struck with
malaria obviously cannot explain the symptoms himself. However, the symptoms of
feeling severe cold, shivering and chattering of the teeth will indicate the
need for Ipecac. If such a child presents other symptoms of Ipecac also, then
there should be no delay in treating him with Ipecac. A severe stabbing pain is
felt over the stomach, moving from left to right. The patient feels as if the
stomach has been cut with a knife. The patient becomes riveted in one position.
However, the pain disappears after a short while. Pains that are not of a
permanent nature, which come on fast like a spell of lightning and then leave
the patient weak and exhausted, typify Ipecac. In every ailment of Ipecac,
nausea is a must. Even coughing
provokes nausea. Ipecac ailments become worse in hot and humid climate.
Ipecac is the best treatment
for bleeding. The bleeding is of a sudden and forceful nature. In Ipecac, bleeding is always
associated with a feeling of nausea. The patient does not feel thirsty
at all. Like the patient of Arsenic, the Ipecac patient may feel very
weak and restless, but other symptoms of course are different. Every
ailment comes on in the form of an attack, whether in the form of
weakness or feeling cold. Similarly, there can be an episode of bleeding
which will end after some time. These attacks are usually not that
long. The Ipecac ailments do not stay permanently. However, there is a possibility of rapid progress of the disease. Whenever an
ailment starts, it progresses rapidly and then goes away equally
fast In Ipecac, convulsions
occur. Like Cicuta and Dioscorea, the body tends to bend backwards
due to severe muscular contractions (opisthotonus). Ipecac is one of the best
treatments for stomach disorders, such as distension
of the abdomen and dysentery
associated with severe cramps and frequent motions. In the dysentery of children, the
stools contain greenish mucus. Stools may also be mixed with blood and there is
a definite tendency of nausea and vomiting. There is a kind of pinching
sensation around the navel. The entire
body becomes stiff. Ipecac is useful in the treatment of all these symptoms.
Ipecac is also closely related to asthma. Its patient has a
full face, glowing with good circulation, while in Antimonium Tart, the asthma patient
is very weak and has near-death appearance. This difference is only arbitrary
and manifests in later stages. Instead of waiting for this clear distinctive
appearance, one should be able to distinguish between the two at the outset of
the disease. In Ipecac, the illness is sudden, progresses rapidly, and the face
becomes flushed. But in Antimonium Tart, on exposure to cold the child becomes
weak slowly and steadily, and once the disease has well established the
symptoms become extremely aggravated, more than in Ipecac. Moreover, the
defensive body response does not develop. In Ipecac, the entire body of the patient
reacts to the illness, but in Antimonium Tart, even if the chest is full of
phlegm and there is difficulty in breathing, the patient does not have the
desire to expel the phlegm. The result is that the patient becomes overwhelmed
by the severity of the disease. If initially, the diagnosis for Antimonium Tart
has been made the treatment should be started without any delay. Once the
symptoms aggravate, the condition becomes dangerous. One distinctive point
between the two is that if there is nausea but no vomiting, then it is probably
due to Ipecac. However, if there is a tendency to vomit with or without nausea,
it is a symptom of Antimonium Tart, except in the case where the chest becomes
full of secretions, which the patient cannot expel due to marked weakness.
Ipecac is also useful in the treatment of uterine conditions. Ipecac is very effective to treat the excessive red menstrual bleeding associated
with nausea. It is also useful in the vomiting of pregnancy. If the placenta happens to be partially retained
in the uterus after the childbirth and if the patient has other
symptoms of Ipecac, then it will help in the expulsion of the placenta.
If the patient develops Puerperal Fever after childbirth, then Sulphur
and Pyrogenium should be considered.
The nasal
catarrh of Ipecac gets rooted in the nose. The nose becomes stuffy
at night and the patient sneezes a lot. The nasal discharge drips into the
throat and the chest, causing pain and tightness of the chest. Asthma develops. The cold
starting at the nose and then affecting the throat and the chest, leading to
asthma, can be cured with Ipecac. The standard formularies are mostly meant for
those who do not understand much homoeopathy. At the same time, it is difficult
to think of a unique prescription keeping in view the detailed symptoms of the
patient. After the attack of asthma is over, the illness should be studied,
keeping in mind the constitution of the patient. An asthmatic should be very
careful about his diet. He should make every effort to avoid contracting nasal
cold or sore throat.
When the kidneys
become infected, the patient feels severe chills. So in the beginning of the disease, the
patient should be well covered and given hot fluids to sip. Many a time, the
symptoms of kidney infections and the onset of malaria resemble each other
therefore undue haste should be avoided. Initially, symptomatic treatment should
be given and once the symptoms have been clearly defined, then the proper
treatment should be started.
Ipecac is also useful in the treatment of whooping cough in view of the associated
symptom of spasmodic constriction of the air passages.
If during a convulsion, the entire body becomes stiff, the face becomes flushed
and there is nausea, then Ipecac will prove to be extraordinarily beneficial.
One may think of Belladonna in this condition, though Ipecac should first be
tried.