American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy

In dilatation of the left ventricle, without compensatory hypertrophy, it
restores energy of the heart, which tends to become more and more feeble
and dilated. In dilatations of the heart, with or without fatty
degeneration, with or without sclerosis of muscular tissue, the
indications for convallaria majalis are clear.
In all cardiac affections indifferently, from the moment that watery
infiltrations appear, convallaria has an action evident, prompt and
certain.
In lesions with dyspnea the effect is less marked. To combat cardiac
dyspnea, convallaria is inferior to Quebracho. The combination of
convallaria majalis with iodide of potassium in the treatment of cardiac
asthma constitutes one of the most useful methods of treatment. One is
often obliged to suspend the employment of digitalis on account of
vomiting, digestive disturbances, cerebral excitation, the dilatation of the
pupil, which it so often produces after prolonged use. No such results
obtain from the use of convallaria.
CONVOLVULUS. Convolvulus scammonia.
Synonym—Scammony.
CONSTITUENTS—
Resin (scammonin, identical with jalapin), gum, fibre, starch.
PREPARATIONS—
Regina Scammoniae, Resin of Scammony. Dose, from three to eight
grains.
Therapy—Scammony is a vermifuge and is useful in combination with
other vermifuges to increase their action. It also acts as a cathartic for
their removal, as its cathartic influence is of considerable importance. It
is hydragogue and irritating in large doses and more or less depressing.
It has a certain eliminative influence, and like podophyllum, has been
given in conjunc. tion with alteratives. It is greatly superseded in this
line of action, by many other of our agents better known.
Ellingwood’s American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy - Page 153