Sanguinaria Canadensis

or simply Sanguinaria

(Blood Root)

Is a right-sided remedy pre-eminently, and affects chiefly the mucous membranes, especially of the respiratory tract. It has marked vaso-motor disturbances, as seen in the circumscribed redness of the cheeks, flashes of heat, determination of blood to head and chest, distention of temporal veins, burning in palms and soles, and has been found very applicable to climacteric disorders. Burning sensations, like from hot water. Influenzal coughs. Phthisis. Sudden stopping of catarrh of respiratory tract followed by diarrhea. Burning in various parts is characteristic.

Head
Worse right side, sun headache. Periodical sick headache; pain begins in occiput, spreads upwards, and settles over eyes, especially right. Veins and temples are distended. Pain better lying down and sleep. Headaches return at climacteric; every seventh day (Sulph; Sabad). Pain in small spot over upper left parietal bone. Burning in eyes. Pain in the back of head "like a flash of lightning".

Face
Flushed. Neuralgia; pain extends in all directions from upper jaw. Redness and burning of cheeks. Hectic flush. Fullness and tenderness behind angle of jaws.

Nose
Hay-fever. Ozena, with profuse, offensive yellowish discharges. Nasal polypi. Coryza, followed by diarrhea. Chronic rhinitis; membrane dry and congested.

Ears
Burning in ears. Earache with headache. Humming and roaring. Aural polypus.

Throat
Swollen; worse, right side. Dry and constricted. Ulceration of mouth and fauces, with dry, burning sensation Tongue white; feels scalded. Tonsillitis.

Stomach
Aversion to butter. Craving for piquant things. Unquenchable thirst. Burning, vomiting. Nausea, with salivation. Sinking, faint all-gone feeling (Phos; Sep). Spitting up of bile; gastro-duodenal catarrh.

Abdomen
Diarrhea as coryza improves. Pain over region of liver. Diarrhea; bilious, liquid, gushing stool (Nat sulph; Lycop). Cancer of rectum.

Female
Leucorrhea fetid, corrosive. Menses offensive, profuse. Soreness of breasts. Uterine polypi. Before, menses, itching of axille. Climacteric disorders.

Respiratory
Edema of larynx. Trachea sore. Heat and tension behind the sternum. Aphonia. Cough of gastric origin; relieved by eructation. Cough, with burning pain in chest; worse, right side. Sputum tough, rust-colored, offensive, almost impossible to raise. Spasmodic cough after influenza and after whooping-cough. Cough returns with every fresh cold. Tickling behind sternum, causes a constant hacking cough; worse at night on lying down. Must sit up in bed. Burning soreness in right chest, through to right shoulder. Severe soreness under right nipple. Hemoptysis from suppressed menses. Severe dyspnea and constriction of chest. Offensive breath and purulent expectoration. Burning in chest as of hot steam from chest to abdomen. Fibroid phthisis. Pneumonia; better, lying on back. Asthma with stomach disorders (Nux). Valvular disease with lung development, phosphates in urine and loss of flesh. Sudden stoppage of catarrh of air passages brings on diarrhea.

Extremities
Rheumatism of right shoulder, left hip-joint and nape of neck. Burning in soles and palms. Rheumatic pains in places least covered by flesh; not in joints soles of feet burn. Right-side neuritis; better touching the part.

Skin
Antidotes: Rhus poisoning. Red, blotchy eruptions; worse in spring. Burning and itching; worse by heat. Acne, with scanty menses. Circumscribed red spots over malar bones.

Modalities
Worse, sweets, right side, motion, touch. Better, acids, sleep, darkness.

Relationship
Complementary: Tart em.

Compare: Justicia (bronchial catarrh, coryza, hoarseness; oversensitive). Digitalis (Migraine). Bell; Iris; Melil; Lach; Ferr; Op.

Dose
Tincture in headaches; sixth potency in rheumatism.

(Reference: Homeopathic Materia Medica by William Boericke)