• Gall stone disease with enlarged liver
• Cirrhosis. Nausea, retching, vomiting of green, acrid fluid
• Diseases of miners, associated with asthma
• Varicose veins and varicose ulcers

Source: Plant kingdom
Synonyms: St. Mary’s thistle, Blessed thistle
Family: Compositae

Introduction and History: This liver and spleen remedy was discovered by Rademacher, the medical alchemist.

Ailments From: Abuse of alcoholic beverages, especially beer.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Despondency.
2. Forgetful.
3. Apathetic.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

1. The action of this drug is centered on the liver and portal system, causing soreness, pain and jaundice. It has specific relation to the vascular system.
2. Abuse of alcoholic beverages, especially beer. VARICOSE VEINS and
   ulcers.
3. Diseases of miners, associated with asthma. Venous stasis due to portal congestion. Varicose veins and ulcers (Clem-vit). Cachexia of miners working in deep regions where breathing is difficult.
4. Dropsical conditions depending on liver disease, and when due to pelvic congestion and hepatic disease.
5. Disturbs sugar metabolism.
6. Influenza when liver is affected.
7. Debility.
8. Haemorrhages, especially connected with hepatic disease. Hepatic hemorrhagic diathesis (Lept).
9. Chilliness; on awakening, at night, worse uncovering.
10. Disturbs sugar metabolism.
11. Vertigo with a tendency to fall forward, better nosebleed.
12. Liver engorged, especially left lobe, laterally swollen in the transverse direction, painful to pressure (Chel liver enlarges in the vertical direction).
13. Pain in liver most marked when lying on the left side. Worse deep inspiration. Worse motion.
14. Liver disease affects lungs causing vomiting of blood from the lungs.
15. Jaundice and dull frontal headache; bitter taste in the mouth and white tongue, especially in the middle, with a red tip and edges.

Important Characteristic Features

Head: Contractive feeling above the eyebrows. Dull, heavy, stupid, with a foul tongue. Vertigo with a tendency to fall forward. Burning and pressure
in eyes. Nose bleed.

Stomach: Taste bitter. Aversion to salt meat. Appetite small; tongue furred;
NA– USEA; RETCHING, VOMITING OF GREEN, ACID FLUID. Stitches in the left side of stomach, near spleen (Cean). Gall stone disease with an enlarged liver.

Abdomen: Pain in the region of liver. Left lobe very sensitive. Fullness and soreness, with a moist skin. Constipation; stools hard, difficult, knotty; alternates with diarrhoea. Stools bright yellow. Swelling of the gall bladder with painful tenderness. Hyperaemia of liver, with jaundice. Cirrhosis, with dropsy.

Rectum: Haemorrhagic piles, prolapse of rectum, burning pain in anus and rectum, hard, knotty, clayey stools. Profuse diarrhoea due to rectal cancer. Take in 10 drop doses (Wapler).

Urine: Cloudy; golden coloured.

Chest: Stitching pains in lower right ribs and front; worse moving, walking, etc. ASTHMATIC RESPIRATION. Pain in chest, going to shoulders, back, loins and abdomen, with an urging to urinate.

Skin: Itching on lying down at night. VARICOSE ULCERS (Clem-vit).
Eruptions on the lower part of sternum.

Extremities: Pain in the hip joint, spreading through the buttocks and down the thighs; WORSE FROM STOOPING. Difficult rising. Weakness felt in feet, especially after sitting.

General Modalities

Aggravation: Beer, lying on left side, eating, touch, motion, cellars, lying on right side, stooping, pressure, warm damp weather.

Amelioration: Nosebleed, sitting up in bed, lying on the unaffected side, dry weather, open air.

Remedy Relationships

Compare: Chel, Chion, Merc, Podo, Bry, Aloe

Comparison

Carduus benedictus (strong action on eyes, and sensation of contraction in many parts; stomach symptoms similar).

Potency: Tincture and lower potencies.

Repetition: Frequent repetition.

Quotations

Card-m will cure arteriosclerosis. It gives marked benefit to patients. The dose is 5 drops of the tincture, t.d.s. to be carefully administered – Dr O. Hutchison

Therapeutic Value: Biliousness, cirrhosis, Oedema, Gall stones, Headache, Hepatitis, Liver disorders, Nausea, Varicose veins, Vomiting, etc.

Note: When other remedies fail for pain in the region of the liver with dizziness, foul tasting mouth and jaundiced skin – give Card-m.