Common Name: Wolf's Club; Club Moss
Family: Lycopodiaceae
Constitution.-- Persons intellectually sharp, but physically weak. Upper part of body emaciated, lower part semi-dropsical. Persons predisposed to lung and hepatic affections.
Indications.-- Diseases of extremes of life, i.e. of childhood and old age. Deep-seated, progressive, chronic diseases. Ailments from fright, anger, mortification, or vexation with reserved displeasure. Bad effects of onions, bread, wine, spirituous liquors, tobacco smoking and tobacco chewing.
Generalities.-- Pains: aching-pressure, drawing; chiefly right-sided; worse four to eight p.m. Affects right side, or pain goes from right to left throat, chest, abdomen, ovaries.
Mind.-- Greedy, miserly, malicious, pusillanimous. Irritable and cross on waking. Kicks and screams. Easily angered; cannot bear opposition or contradiction: looking for quarrel. Very sensitive. Weeps all day. Cannot calm herself. Even cries when thanked. Dread of men, of solitude and of being alone.
Face.-- Complexion pale, dirty; unhealthy; sallow, with deep furrows. Looks older than he is.
Nose.-- Fan-like motion of alae nasi. Catarrh: dry nose stopped at night, must breathe through the mouth; snuffles, child starts from sleep rubbing its nose; of root of nose and frontal sinuses; crusts and elastic plugs.
Throat.-- Diphtheria: fauces brownish-red, deposit spreads from right tonsil to left, or descends from nose to right tonsils; worse after sleep and from cold drinks.
Stomach.-- Everything tastes sour; eructations, heartburn, waterbrash, sour vomiting. Canine hunger; the more he eats, the more he craves; head aches if he does not eat; Wakes at night feeling hungry. Constant sensation of satiety; good appetite, but a few mouthfuls fill up to the throat.
Abdomen.-- Excessive accumulation of flatulence. After few mouthfuls he feels bloated. Fermentation in abdomen with loud grumbling, croaking, especially lower abdomen; fullness, not relieved by belching. Hernia: right sided.
Stool.-- Constipation: since puberty; since last confinement; when away from home; of infants; with ineffectual urging, rectum contracts and protrudes during stool, developing piles.
Urine.-- Red sand in urine, on child's diaper. Child cries before urinating. Pain in back, relieved by urinating. Renal colic; right side.
Male.-- Impotence: of young men, from onanism or sexual excess: penis small, cold, relaxed; of old men, with strong desire but imperfect erections; falls asleep during an embrace; premature emission.
Female.-- Dryness of vagina. Burning in vagina during and after coition. Physometra. Discharge of blood from genitals during every stool. Foetus appears to be turning somersaults.
Respiratory.-- Pneumonia; neglected or maltreated, base of right lung involved especially. Hastens absorption or expectoration. Cough deep and hollow. Raising mucus in large quantities gives little relief.
Children.-- Children weak and emaciated. Head well developed but body weak and sickly. Baby cries all day, sleeps all night.
Extremities.--One foot hot and the other cold.
Aggravation.-- From 4 to 8 P.M.
Amelioration.-- Warm foods and drinks; from uncovering the head; loosening the garments.
Relationship.-- Complementary: Iodine.
Follows well: after, Calc., Carbo v., Lach., Sulph.
Unless clearly indicated Lyc. should not be used to begin the treatment of chronic disease. It is better to give first another antipsoric. Lyc. is a deep-seated, long-acting remedy, and should rarely be repeated after improvement begins.