A Portuguese friar living in Brazil in the early 17th century first recorded the medicinal properties of ipecacuanha, a traditional remedy used by Brazilian Indians. Its name is from the Portuguese for "sick-making plant", since in large doses it causes nausea, vomiting, and even cardiac failure. In conventional medicine, drugs derived from the root are used to loosen phlegm in the respiratory tract and to induce vomiting. Ipecac. was proved by Hahnemann in 1805 and is used especially to relieve persistent nausea. Irritability is common in those who respond best to Ipecac., and children suited to the remedy may scream and howl. When unwell, these people can be capricious and hard to please, asking for things and then changing their minds. Illness can prompt them to become morose, depressed, impatient, and contemptuous of those around them. Physical symptoms generally linked with Ipecac. are persistent nausea, with or without vomiting, and a tendency to hemorrhage. Despite any vomiting, the tongue is clean and unfurred. There is often oversensitivity to movement and a constant feeling of being hot on the inside and cold on the outside. These symptoms appear rapidly, are generally intermittent, and may also include coughing fits and breathing difficulties. Ipecac. is also used for headaches, migraines, and gynecological problems linked to the general tendency to bleed very easily. The homeopathic remedy is made from the root, the most potent part of the plant. The root is dried and then ground into a coarse powder, which is diluted either in milk sugar to be used as a dry substance or in a water- and-alcohol base. Both preparations are weakened to a nontoxic level. Ipecac. is an excellent remedy for nausea and vomiting. Physical symptoms helped include: persistent nausea with a pale face and lips; cold or hot sweats and clamminess; nausea associated with migraines; nausea that is not relieved by vomiting; and vomiting that is worse when bending over. Stomach ailments accompanied by a weak pulse, lack of thirst, fainting, and constant saliva production are also helped by Ipecac. It is effective for breathing difficulties, such as asthma, spasmodic coughing that leads to choking, and a need to cough and vomit at the same time. Profuse bleeding with loss of bright red blood that is slow to clot; for example, in a nosebleed, is also helped by this remedy. A key feature of all ailments is that the tongue feels clean, not thickly coated. The person may feel continually cold on the outside and hot on the inside. Those who need this remedy are anxious, and fear death. Nausea and vomiting - persistent nausea that is not necessarily relieved by vomiting is a key symptom associated with Ipecac. There is a bloated, swollen feeling in the abdomen, and cramping, colicky pain that may be most severe around the navel, while the stomach may seem to "flop" inside the abdomen. Vomit consists mostly of undigested food or bile. Belching and excess saliva production are common, the mouth remains moist, and there is little thirst. The tongue tends to be clean and unfurred. If gastroenteritis is the cause, there may be copious, watery, greenish-colored diarrhea that contains undigested food. If the skin is itchy, with sweat forming on the brow, then the symptom picture may indicate gallbladder problems. Coughs and wheezing - an irritating, dry, rattling, loose cough, usually triggered by warm, humid weather. Breathing may be wheezy and asthmatic, and the chest may feel constricted. Although little phlegm may be produced, coughing may be violent and accompanied by nosebleeds, retching, gagging, nausea, vomiting, or coughing up of blood. These symptoms may be indicative of conditions such as bronchitis, whooping cough, and childhood asthma. Migraine - migraine pain in the whole head, with severe nausea and vomiting. The pain extends to the face, teeth, and tongue. The face is pallid, or blue around the lips and eyes. Gynecological problems - extremely heavy menstrual flow possibly with nausea and fainting. Between menstrual periods there may be irregular spotting or a sudden, gushing flow from the uterus of bright red blood that proves slow to clot. Ipecac. may also be prescribed for morning sickness, for hemorrhaging in connection with a displaced placenta, and for bleeding and nausea in the aftermath of a miscarriage.