Rumex crispus
Yellow dock, curled dock. · Plant · Polygonaceae
Rumex crispus is best suited to low-spirited, serious people who are very restless in the evening. Their sleep is often wakeful, and unpleasant dreams and fantasies disturb them when asleep or awake. The throat and chest are the main focus of Rumex crispus. There may be whooping cough, a dry, tickling cough, croup, or other hard, hacking cough, or asthma that is suffocating and choking on going to bed. There may be great concentration on the breathing and sensitivity to cold air.
Key symptoms
- Is characterized by pains, numerous and varied, neither fixed nor constant anywhere.
- Cough caused by an incessant tickling in the throat-pit, which tickling runs down to the...
- Touching the throat-pit brings on the cough.
- Tongue sore at edges; coated; sensation of hard substance in pit of stomach; hiccough, pyrosis,...
- Jaundice after excessive use of alcoholics.
- Tickling in throat-pit causes cough.
- Brown, watery, diarrhœa early in morning, with cough, driving him out of bed.
- Valuable in advanced phthisis (Seneg; Puls; Lycop; Ars).
Worse (aggravation)
Better (amelioration)
Yellow Dock
Is characterized by pains, numerous and varied, neither fixed nor constant anywhere. Cough caused by an incessant tickling in the throat-pit, which tickling runs down to the bifurcation of the bronchial tubes. Touching the throat-pit brings on the cough. Worse from the least cold air; so that all cough ceases by covering up all the body and head with the bedclothes. Rumex diminishes the secretions of mucous membranes, and at the same time exalts sensibility of the mucous membranes of the larynx and trachea. Its action upon the skin is marked, producing an intense itching. Lymphatics enlarged and secretions perverted.
Stomach
Tongue sore at edges; coated; sensation of hard substance in pit of stomach; hiccough, pyrosis, nausea; cannot eat meat; it causes eructations, pruritus. Jaundice after excessive use of alcoholics. Chronic gastritis; aching pain in pit of stomach and shooting in the chest; extends towards the throat-pit, worse any motion or talking. Pain in left breast after meals; flatulence.
Respiratory
Nose dry. Tickling in throat-pit causes cough. Copious mucous discharge from nose and trachea. Dry, teasing cough, preventing sleep. Aggravated by pressure, talking, and especially by inspiring cool air and at night. Thin, watery, frothy expectoration by the mouthful: later, stringy and tough. Rawness of larynx and trachea. Soreness behind sternum, especially left side, in region of left shoulder. Raw pain under clavicle. Lump in throat.
Stool
Brown, watery, diarrhœa early in morning, with cough, driving him out of bed. Valuable in advanced phthisis (Seneg; Puls; Lycop; Ars). Itching of anus, with sensation as of a stick in rectum. Piles.
Skin
Intense itching of skin, especially of lower extremities; worse, exposure to cold air when undressing. Urticaria; contagious prurigo.
Modalities
Worse, in evening, from inhaling cold air; left chest; uncovering.
Relationship
Compare: Caust; Sulph; Bell; Rumex contains chrysophanic acid to which the skin symptoms correspond. Rumex acetosa-Sheep sorrel--(Gathered in June and dried, used locally for Epithelioma of face (Cowperthwaite). Dry, unremitting short cough, and violent pains in the bowels; uvula elongated; inflammation of œsophagus; also cancer); Rumex obtusifolius-Lapathum-Broad-leaf dock--(nosebleed and headache following; pain in kidneys; leucorrhœa).
Dose
Third to sixth potency.
Rumex, the yellow dock, is a neglected remedy, and one that has been only partially proved.
The mental symptoms have not been brought out, but the catarrhal symptoms have been well expressed by provers.
There is a state of sadness, low spirited; aversion to work; irritable mental excitability. This includes about all the mental state we know of this remedy, as the provings were made with the lower potencies and tincture.
The yellow dock has been used in domestic practice, as a blood medicine, to cure eruptions and boils. When used in this way it is a mild substance, and hence the provings are somewhat in this form.
The catarrhal tendency is very striking. The nose, eyes, chest and trachea, the whole respiratory tract, gives forth a copious flow, copious mucous discharge. I have seen it so copious from the nose that it seemed as one continuous flow; so copious from the trachea and bronchial tubes that the patient continually hawked up, by the mouthful, thin frothy, white mucus, so that in a little while as much as half …
Rumex crispus. Curled Dock. Yellow Dock. N. O. Polygonaceæ. Tincture of fresh root.
Clinical
Abortion. Aphonia. Asthma. Borborygmi. Bronchitis. Catarrh. Corns. Coryza. Cough. Diarrhœa. Dyspepsia. Epistaxis. Feet, tender. Gastralgia. Heart, pain in; affections of. Indigestion. Irritation. Lichen. Mouth, ulceration of. Phimosis. Phthisis. Prurigo. Rheumatism. Throat, sore ulcerated. Trachea, affections of. Urticaria.
Characteristics
The "Yellow Dock" or "Curled Dock" is a common British weed, introduced and growing wild in North America, where the provings were made. The common Dock of our fields and roadsides, Rumex obtusifolia, has a reputation among children as the best antidote to the nettle's sting; a reputation which is very well deserved, as I can testify. Rumex crispus, according to Joslin, quoted by Hale, was used by allopaths internally and externally for the cure of itch. This points to one of the leading actions of Rx. c. as developed in the provings. Among the constituents and salts of …
Yellow Dock. (Polygonaceae.)
For the tubercular diathesis, extremely sensitive skin and mucous membranes. Extremely sensitive to open air; hoarseness; worse evenings; after exposure to cold; voice uncertain. Tickling in throat pit, causing, dry, teasing cough. Dry, incessant, fatiguing cough; worse from changing air or room (Phos., Spong.); evening after lying down; touching or pressing the throat pit; lying on left side (Phos.); from slightest inhalation of cold air; covers head with bedclothes to make air warmer; little or no expectoration. The cough is < in cool air or by anything which increases the volume or rapidity of inspired air. Sensation of lump in throat; descends on swallowing, but returns immediately. Raw sensation in larynx and trachea when coughing (Caust.). Urine; involuntary with cough (Caust., Puls., Sil.). Early morning diarrhoea; from 5 to 10 a. m. (Aloe, Nat. s., Pod., Sulph.); stools painless, profuse, offensive; sudden urging, driving out of bed in morning. Skin: itching of various parts; < by cold, > by warmth; when undressing, uncovering or exposing to cold air (Hep., Nat. s., Olean.).
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Violent, incessant, dry fatiguing cough, with little expectoration, aggravated by pressure, talking, and especially by inspiring cool air and night.
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Brown. watery morning diarrhoea.
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Sensation of soreness and rawness in larynx and behind the sternum.
Phatak's chapter on Rumex crispus is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
