Ostrya virginica
Ostrya virginiana · Plant · Betulaceae
Ostrya virginica suits patients with malarial anaemia and bilious intermittent fever presenting with liver affections, sickening pains, and characteristic yellow-coated tongue at the root. It is indicated for the debilitated anaemic patient with dull headache and nausea linked to hepatic involvement.
Key symptoms
- Tongue coated yellow at the root
- Loss of appetite especially for breakfast and dinner
- Frequent nausea with dull frontal headache
- Sickening pains in epigastric and umbilical region waking patient at night
- Dull pain in right hypochondrium with nervousness and headache
- Intermittent fever with bilious conditions
- Black stools
- Hunger waking patient at 4 a.m.
Worse (aggravation)
- Worse from moving
- Worse from stooping
- Worse from walking
- Worse at 4 a.m., 6 a.m., and 3 p.m.
Ironwood
Of great value in anæmia from malaria. Bilious conditions and intermittent fever.
Gastric
Tongue yellow; coated at the root. Loss of appetite. Frequent nausea, with dull, frontal headache. Sickening pains.
Dose
First to third potency.
Ostrya virginica. Hop-hornbeam. Iron-wood. Lever-wood. N. O. Cupuliferæ. (Corylaceæ.) Tincture of heart wood.
Clinical
Headache, dull. Head, numb. Intermittent fever. Liver, affections of. Lumbago. Malaria. Malarial anæmia.
Characteristics
The Hop-hornbeam, Ostrya virginica, is sometimes regarded as a variety of the common Hornbeam naturalised in America, though native to Southern Europe. The chief difference between them is that Ost. vulg. has pendulous and Ost. virg. upright catkins. The wood, from preparations of which the provings by Burt and others were made, is exceedingly hard and heavy. The symptoms show a marked action on the liver, with the usual dull headache and pain in back and shoulders; cutting, sinking pains in abdomen. Allen put in italics the following: "Tongue coated yellow at root." "Loss of appetite for breakfast and dinner." "Frequent nausea with the dull frontal headache." On the other hand there is increased appetite; hunger wakes the patient at 4 a.m.; and sinking at epigastrium. …
Classical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
