American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy

the morning. It may be followed shortly by a tablespoonful of castor oil in
a teaspoonful of hot milk. The patient should fast, until the oil operates.
All nervous phenomena dependent upon the irritation caused by the
presence of the worms will abate with the destruction of the worms. This
is not due to any nerve sedative influence of the turpentine, however.
Whitford treated thirty cases of trichina spiralis at one time with the
persistent use of turpentine. Five drops every three hours was sufficient.
The diagnosis in the larger number of the cases was confirmed by the
microscope. As every case recovered which was so treated, his confidence
was naturally confirmed in this use of turpentine. At another time two
parties were known to have eaten of a certain lot of pork which on
examination was found teeming with trichina. Both were affected in the
same manner and death seemed imminent. One was treated with
turpentine and recovered; the other died. In nearly all of the cases, the
beneficial results were plainly traceable to this remedy.
URTICA. Urtica dioica.
Synonym—Nettle.
CONSTITUENTS—
Formic acid, or a substance closely allied to it, volatile oil, gum,
starch, albumen, sugar, salts.
PREPARATIONS—
Specific Urtica. Dose, from one to ten minims.
Fluid Extract Urtica Dioica. Dose, from one to twenty minims.
Therapy—Urtica has been employed for the general purposes of ,an
astringent, both internally and externally, in hemorrhages, illconditioned
ulcers, and in chronic disease of the mucous membranes of
the bronchi, bowels and urinary organs, and it is generally agreed to be
an efficient remedy. It, however, appears to have a dynamic action, as in
post-partum hemorrhage, suppression of the milk in nursing women,
retrocedent eruptions, urticaria, jaundice, dropsy, ague and corpulency
its influence in small doses is reliable.
The fresh leaves have been used as a powerful revulsive in lethargy,
paralysis, intoxication, congestion of the brain, and hysterical
insensibility.
Ellingwood’s American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy - Page 446