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Cantharis vesicatoria (Spanish Fly)

botanicals

definition

botanical name(s): Cantharis vesicatoria, Lytta vesicata, Epicauta cinera

synonyms: Spanish fly

part(s) used: dried beetles

qualities:

affinities:

actions: diuretic, stimulant

dosage:

» tincture: 1 - 10 drops "half a gram of powder has produced death" (Felter)

specific indications: vesical irritation; paresis of the vesical sphincter; dribbling and involuntary expulsion of urine; teasing desire to urinate, accompanied with tenesmus (Felter, p. 273)

therapy: daytime enuresis of women; for men who pass urine with difficulty or dribbling, and intense, scalding heat; promotes menstruation in atonic amenorrhea with marked depression (Felter, p. 273)

toxicity: 4

» treatment for overdose: mucilage (von Oettingen, p. 77)

» contraindicated during pregnancy; an emmenagogue and abortifacient

(Ellingwood, p. 469; Felter, p. 274; von Oettingen, p. 277)

» contraindicated for use with patients with cardiac conditions such as myocarditis or with urinary tract problems, i.e. prone to recurrent cystitis; urethritis and cystitis lead to inflammation of the urinary tract and urinary retention; death may occur due to uremia

» acts locally as a strong irritant capable of producing severe blisters; a sloughing off of affected tissue followed by gangrene; overuse or misuse leads to acute nephritis; irritation of the urinary tract is followed by hematuria and albuminuria

» toxic symptoms include dysuria and the formation of vesicles and bullae which will last three to four days if they remain intact (von Oettingen, p. 277)

» Excessive doses can lead to gastroenteritis and degeneration of glomerular tissue; abdominal signs include soreness, tenderness, griping, and purging with bloody stools. Systemic intoxication results in nephritis, anuria, excessive burning thirst, halitosis, profuse ptyalism, dizziness, drowsiness, rapid respirations (Theines and Haley, p. 158).

» Other signs may include profuse urination, swelling of external genitalia, priapism, seminal emissions, and violent sexual desires; in women, menorrhagia and abortion may occur. Intoxication may end in convulsions, cyanosis, and death (Ellingwood, p. 469; Felter, p. 273; Felter and Lloyd, p. 417).

» EEG changes may occur; watch also for EKG changes and signs of myocarditis (Theines and Haley, p. 1558)

» laboratory test results: leukocytosis, eosinophilia, and uremia. Urinalysis shows presence of casts, albumin and red blood cells (von Oettingen, pp. 77, 277)

constituents:

footnotes

Ellingwood, F. 1898. American Materia Medica, Therapeutics, and Pharmacognosy. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.

Felter, H. W., and Lloyd, J. U. 1983. King's American Dispensatory, Vols. I and II. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.

Felter, H.W. & Scudder, John K., 1922. The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Cincinnati, Ohio. Reprinted in 1985 by Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, OR.

Thienes, C.H., Haley, T.J. 1975. Clinical Toxicology. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger.

von Oettingen, W.F. 1958. Poisoning: A Guide to Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders and Company.

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Felter, H. W., and Lloyd, J. U. 1983. King's American Dispensatory, Vols. I and II. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.

Felter, H.W. & Scudder, John K., 1922. The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Cincinnati, Ohio. Reprinted in 1985 by Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, OR.

Thienes, C.H., Haley, T.J. 1975. Clinical Toxicology. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger.

von Oettingen, W.F. 1958. Poisoning: A Guide to Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders and Company.

ent. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders and Company.