Asclepias tuberosa
The pleurisy remedy. Sharp, stitching pains in chest worse from motion and deep breathing. Dry, hacking cough with pleuritic pain. Dysentery with griping. Promotes perspiration and expectoration.
Source
Prepared from the fresh root of Asclepias tuberosa (Asclepiadaceae).
Available Potencies
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Keynote Symptoms
Pleurisy — sharp, stitching chest pains worse from motion and deep breathing. Dry, hacking cough with soreness in chest. Promotes free perspiration and expectoration. Dysentery with stitching abdominal pains. Acute bronchitis and pneumonia with pleuritic pains. Rheumatic pains alternating with GI symptoms.
Mind & Emotional Symptoms
Dull, listless. Irritable during pain.
General Symptoms
Sharp, stitching pains, especially chest. Worse from motion, deep breathing, lying on affected side. Better from bending forward, lying on right side, sweating.
Physical Symptoms
Chest
Pleurisy — sharp, stitching pains. Worse from motion, deep breathing, coughing. Dry, hacking cough. Expectoration difficult, then free. Pain under left or right scapula. Intercostal pain.
Respiratory
Cough — dry, hacking, painful. Bronchitis. Catarrh. Promotes free expectoration.
Abdomen
Colic with stitching pains. Dysentery. Flatulence.
Rectum
Dysentery — griping, stitching pains. Mucous and bloody stool.
Fever / Chill / Perspiration
Promotes perspiration. Useful to break a fever with dry skin.
Extremities
Rheumatic pains in joints. Aching.
Modalities
Better From
Bending forward, lying on right side, sweating, expectoration, pressure
Worse From
Motion, deep breathing, lying on affected side, cold, damp, tobacco
Constitutional Type
Not constitutional. Used for acute pleurisy, bronchitis with stitching pains, dysentery.
Clinical Indications
Pleurisy, intercostal neuralgia, bronchitis, pneumonia with pleuritic pain, dysentery, diaphoretic
Comparative Materia Medica
Bryonia has stitching chest pains worse from motion but more thirsty and dry. Ranunculus bulbosus has intercostal pains but more from atmospheric changes. Kali carbonicum has stitching pains but at 2-4 AM.
Safety Information
Not well established.
Pleurisy root contains cardiac glycosides. Large doses cause nausea, vomiting, and cardiac effects. Used traditionally by Native Americans. Use potentised forms for internal use; MT in small doses.
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