Ipecacuanha is prepared from Cephaelis Ipecacuanha plant of Rubiaceae family.
It is a small, perennial tropical plant. The roots when matured, have a dark brown or red covering, bitter taste and a musty odor.
Ipecacuanha produces vomiting due to its irritant action on the intestinal walls. It causes reflex vomiting and diarrhea.
Earlier, it was used as a remedy for dysentery. The dried roots and rhizomes are used as medicinal substances.
It has been used in a syrup form as a potent and effective emetic.
At the onset of influenza, Ipecacuanha powder has been used a powder to induce sweating.
The emetine derived from the roots of Ipecacuanha has been used for more than a century.
It is prepared from the tincture and trituration of the dried root.
The emetic effect of the Ipecacuanha wine is well known.
The main action of this medicine is focused upon the branches of the pneumogastric nerve.
This medicine has a good effect on treating the spasmodic irritation of the chest and stomach.
Ipecacuanha is of incredible benefit to patients who have any complaints associated with persistent nausea and vomiting.
The chief guiding symptoms of Ipecacuanha are persistent nausea and vomiting.
It is helpful in cases of indigestible food, raisins and cakes. It is especially indicated for fat children and adults who are feeble and catch a cold easily in a relaxing environment (warm and moist weather).
Ipecacuanha is a useful medicine for patients with spasmodic affections, and bright red and profuse hemorrhages.
Ipecacuanha Constitution/Personality
The patient of Ipecacuanha is fat. Fat children and adults are benefitted from this medicine.
The patient is physically weak. They easily catch a cold in a relaxing atmosphere such as warm and moist weather.
People who suffer from spasmodic affections, bright red and profuse hemorrhages are more likely to get help from Ipecacuanha.
Ipecacuanha Uses
This article will cover from head to toe all the organs of the body. And wherever symptoms are matched, this medicine can be used-
Mind Complaints
The Ipecacuanha patient is mentally irritable. He holds everything in contempt.
The patient is full of desires for things that he might not know very well.
The patient is impatient, anxious, and angry with the slowness of concepts.
He cannot endure the least noise. Cries and howling of children make him irritable.
There is anxiety and fear of death in the Ipecacuanha patient. The patient is morose with contempt for everything.
Head Complaints
The patient complains that the bones of the skull feel as if crushed or bruised.
The headache extends to the teeth and root of the tongue. The patient has attacks of headaches with nausea and vomiting.
Eyes Complaints
The eyes are inflamed and red. The patient experiences pain through the eyeballs.
There is profuse lachrymation and discharge of water from the eyes. The cornea becomes dim.
The eyes have problems in the near vision. The state of the vision is constantly changing.
The patient may suffer from a spasm of accommodation from the weakness of the ciliary muscles in the eyes.
Looking at moving objects causes nausea.
Ears Complaints
The patient feels coldness and chilliness in the ears during febrile heat.
Ipecacuanha can treat bright red hemorrhages from the ear accompanied by a feeling of constant nausea and vomiting.
Nose Complaints
The patient suffers from coryza with a stoppage of the nose. This is accompanied by nausea.
It is a helpful medicine for bright red bleeding (Epistaxis) from the nose.
Ipecacuanha is a useful medicine for patients with a loss of smell.
Mouth Complaints
There is a painful sensibility in all the parts of the mouth. The patient feels a burning sensation at the margins of the tongue.
The secretion of saliva is copious. The tongue is clean, white, yellow or pale.
Face Complaints
The Ipecacuanha patient has blue rings around the eyes. There is neuralgic pain in the surrounding area of the eye orbits.
There is lachrymation, smarting and burning in the eyes with photophobia ( eyes are sensitive to bright objects and light).
Throat Complaints
The patient experiences difficulty in swallowing on the account of the paralysis of the tongue.
There is a sore throat with swelling of the pharynx and difficulty in swallowing.
Chest Complaints
There is difficulty in breathing with a feeling of constant constriction in the throat.
Ipecacuanha is a helpful remedy for patients with asthma with yearly attacks of difficulty and shortness of breath.
There is constant sneezing, coryza, wheezing and cough. The cough is incessant and violent in every attack.
The chest seems full of phlegm but it does not come out easily. The cough is suffocative, the child becomes stiff and blue in the face.
There is whooping cough with a nose bleed and bleeding from the mouth.
There is bleeding from the nose with nausea, a feeling of constriction and a rattling cough.
Cough with bleeding on slight exertion may occur. It is a helpful medicine for patients with croup.
The patient experiences hoarseness at the end of a cold. Ipecacuanha can treat a temporary complete loss of voice.
Heart Complaints
There is an oppression of the chest with shortness of breath as if dust had been inhaled.
Loss of breath on least movement may occur. The patient experiences a spasm in the chest.
There is a pain in the chest as if excoriated. There is palpitation of the chest with red spots on the chest.
The itching spots burn after scratching.
Stomach Complaints
The tongue of the Ipecacuanha patient is usually clean. The mouth is moist with much saliva.
Nausea starts from the mouth with copious saliva, empty risings and violent itching.
There is retching especially after consuming something cold or after smoking.
Vomiting occurs with sweet, heat, foul breath and thirst. It is a helpful remedy for vomiting and diarrhea, vomiting on stooping.
Vomiting of a black matter-looking like pitch. There is a sensation of extreme uneasiness in the stomach and the upper part of the abdomen.
The patient experiences a horrifying, indescribable pain and a sick feeling in the abdomen.
The patient feels as if the stomach is empty or flaccid. Sometimes, there is swelling in the region of the stomach.
The patient feels as if there is pressure on the stomach with vomiting.
There is constant nausea and vomiting with a pale twitching of the face.
The patient vomits food, blood, bile and mucus. The stomach feels relaxed as if hanging down.
Ipecacuanha is a helpful medicine for patients who suffer from hiccoughs.
Abdomen Complaints
Ipecacuanha can treat amoebic dysentery patients with tenesmus in the abdomen.
The straining pain is so great that it creates nausea. The patient has a little thirst.
There is a cutting and clutching pain in the abdomen worse around the navel. The body becomes rigid, stretched out and rigid.
Rectum Complaints
The stools are pitch green as grass, like frothy molasses. This is accompanied by griping pain in the navel.
Ipecacuanha is a useful medicine for patients who suffer from slimy stools and dysentery.
There are loose discharges from the rectum-like matter in a state of fermentation.
Ipecacuanha is a helpful medicine for patients with obstinate diarrhea. The stools are loose, greenish, yellow or lemon coloured with a putrid smell.
The stools are sometimes, grassy green with white mucus. There are loose watery evacuations.
Diarrhea occurs with nausea, colic and vomiting. Diarrhea with much griping around the navel can be treated by this medicine.
It can be used in the treatment of diarrhea in children with an inclination to dysentery.
Ipecacuanha is a helpful medicine for patients who suffer from profusely bleeding hemorrhoids ( piles).
Itching of the anus can be treated by this medicine.
Urinary Complaints
The urine is turbid with brick dust-like sediment. The urine is red and scanty.
There is unsuccessful urging to urinate. There is a pain in the region of the bladder and navel while urination.
This is accompanied by a burning sensation in the urethra with an inclination to vomit.
Male Complaints
Male patients with red sanguine urine with an almost constant inclination to vomit and nausea can be benefitted from this medicine.
Pain in the loins and at the pit of the stomach with a burning sensation in the urethra and pus in the urine can be treated by Ipecacuanha.
Female Symptoms
Female patients suffer from bleeding from the uterus which can be profuse, bright, and gushing with nausea.
Ipecacuanha is good medicine for vomiting during pregnancy. The patient complains of pain from the navel to the uterus.
The menses come too early and are too profuse.
Hand Symptoms
Ipecacuanha patient complains that there is coldness in one hand while the other is hot.
The body gets stretched stiff followed by spasmodic jerking of the arms towards each other.
Legs Symptoms
The patient experiences convulsive startings of the legs and of the feet.
Pain occurs on sitting as if from a dislocation of the hip joint. There are cramps in the muscles of the legs at night.
The patient feels violent itching in the calves of the legs.
Back Symptoms
The Ipecacuanha patient feels cramp-like pain between the shoulders on walking.
There is tetanic stiffness and bending of the back ( backwards or forwards )in Ipecacuanha patients.
Skin Symptoms
Ipecacuanha is a useful medicine to treat milliary rash. The skin is pale and lax.
There are blue rings around the eyes. There is violent itching in the skin of the thighs and arms.
It is a helpful medicine to treat the suppressed rash. During vomiting, the patent scratches himself to get relief.
Fever Symptoms
Ipecacuanha is a great medicine to treat intermittent fever and irregular cases after quinine.
The patient experiences the slightest chill with much heat, nausea, vomiting and difficulty in breathing.
The fever may recur due to an improper diet.
Modalities
Modalities are the factors that, increase or decrease the complaints in a patient.
They are categorized as aggravating factors and amelioration factors.
Aggravating factors make the condition of the illness worst, while the amelioration factor makes the condition of the disease better.
It can be time, any part of the day, season, position, or any applications, etc.
Aggravated By-
The symptoms of Ipecacuanha patients get aggravated periodically by lying down, moist warm wind.
Amelioration By-
The symptoms of Ipecacuanha patients get ameliorated by rest, pressure and closing the eyes.
Relationship with Other Medicine
Complementary Medicines-
Cuprum Met
Antidoted by-
Arnica
Arsenic
China
Nux Vomica
Tabacum
It antidotes-
Alumina
Apis Mel
Arnica
Arsenic
China
Dulcamara
Ferrum
Laurocerasus
Opium
Sulphuric Acid
Tabacum
Followed well by-
Arsenic
Belladonna
Bryonia
Cadmium Sulph
Calcarea
Chamomilla
China
Cuprum Met
Ignatia
Nux Vomica
Phosphorus
Pulsatilla
Sepia
Sulphur
Antim Tart
Tabacum
Veratrum Alb
Ipecacuanha Dosage & Potencies
Ipecacuanha 30 Uses-
Ipecacuanha 30 is considered a mild potency. It is safe to be given to patients of any age and sex including small children, young adults and older age groups people.
Ipecacuanha 30 should be used when the symptoms are mild and few.
It can be used for Head complaints, eyes complaints, ear complaints, nose complaints and skin complaints.
Ipecacuanha 30 can be used in liquid form or it can be mixed with globules.
The ideal dose of Ipecacuanha 30 is four pills or drops thrice daily till improvement occurs.
Ipecacuanha 200 Uses-
Ipecacuanha 200 is considered a moderate potency. It is safe to be given to adolescent age groups, adult age groups and older age groups people.
Ipecacuanha 200 should be used when the symptoms are moderate in intensity.
It can be used for mouth complaints, face complaints, throat complaints, chest complaints and Heart complaints.
Ipecacuanha 200 can be used in liquid form or it can be mixed with globules.
The ideal dose of Ipecacuanha 200 is four pills or drops twice daily till improvement occurs.
Ipecacuanha 1M Uses-
Ipecacuanha 1M is considered a high potency. It is safe to be given to adults and older age groups people.
Ipecacuanha 1M should be used when there are man symptoms and the intensity of symptoms are severe.
It can be used for stomach complaints, abdomen complaints, rectum complaints, urinary complaints and mental complaints.
Ipecacuanha 1M can be used in liquid form or it can be mixed with globules.
The ideal dose of Ipecacuanha 1M is four pills or drops once a week for two to three months.
Ipecacuanha Q (Mother Tincture) Uses-
Ipecacuanha Q (Mother Tincture) is considered a physiological dose. It is safe to be given to patients of any age and sex including small children, young adults and older age groups people.
Ipecacuanha Q (Mother Tincture) should be used when the symptoms cause changes in physiology i.e. when there is a structural change in the body.
Ipecacuanha is used in Q ( Mother Tincture ) form when there is a requirement of physiological change such as the dissolving of kidney stones and reversing prostate enlargement.
It can be used for urinary complaints, male complaints, female complaints, hands complaints and leg complaints.
Ipecacuanha Q (MotherTincture) can be used in liquid form.
The ideal dose of Ipecacuanha Q (Mother Tincture) is ten drops in half a cup of water twice daily till improvement occurs.
Ipecacuanha 3X/6X Uses-
Ipecacuanha 3X/6X is considered a low potency. It is safe to be given to young adults and older age groups people.
Ipecacuanha 3X/6X should be used when the symptoms are mild and few.
It can be used for urinary complaints, back complaints, skin complaints, fever complaints and chest complaints.
Ipecacuanha 3X/6X can be used in tablet form.
The ideal dose of Ipecacuanha 3X/6X is two tablets thrice daily for two to three months.
Ipecacuanha Side Effects
A homeopathically prepared Ipecacuanha does not have any side effects. It is safe to be given to infants, children young adults and older age group people.
The dose and potency should be carefully selected only after matching the mental symptoms and physical symptoms of the patient to the symptoms of the medicine.
Overdosing and unnecessarily consuming high doses of Ipecacuanha can produce some new symptoms in the body which may seem like side effects.
But these symptoms will disappear on their own after stopping the medicines.
In some cases, homeopathic aggravation takes place at the start of the treatment which is a slight intensification of the already existing symptoms.
This occurs due to the process of healing through homeopathy. This is a temporary stage lasting for a few hours only.
It is a part of homeopathy treatment and the patient should not panic during the homeopathic aggravation.
The doctor may warn the patient about the homeopathic aggravation. Some patients may get skin eruptions along with a slight intensification of the existing symptoms.
Ipecacuanha in its crude form may cause some side effects which are described further.
These side effects may include diarrhea, fast or irregular heartbeat, nausea and vomiting continuing for more than 30 minutes), stomach cramps or pains, troubled breathing, weakness, stiffness or aching of muscles (especially those of the neck, arms and muscles).
Remember that homeopathic remedies are prescribed based on individual symptoms and characteristics. It’s crucial to consult with a qualified homeopath for proper evaluation and personalized treatment. Homeopathy focuses on treating the whole person, so a detailed case study is necessary to select the most appropriate remedy.
Homeopathic medicines should be taken only when prescribed by a homeopathic physician. Self-medication may aggravate the original conditions.