SPHERE OF ACTION
Through the great vegetative nervous system, salts acts especially on the blood, lymphatic vessels, and glandular system.
On the blood, it causes a dyscrasia resembling very closely a scorbutic disorganization, with disposition to angry eruptions, ulcer, and inflammations. On the lymphatic system, it deteriorates its fluid, leading to disintegration of the tissues.
It increases the secretions of the glandular system.
Salt, which is a normal constituent of the animal body, especially of the blood, by which circumstance it is made evident that this agent is necessary to the animal body, is a local excitant, causing a very considerable degree of local irritation; a moderate quantity of it taken internally, excites the mucous membranes and muscular fibres of the primae viae, promotes their secretions, the peristaltic motions of the intestines, and the digestion; in a large dose, it causes burning and pain in the fauces and stomach, thirst, dryness, and redness of mucous lining, desire to vomit; in still larger doses, it causes vomiting and diarrhoea, which may terminate in fatal inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. It also produces vascular enlargement of the spleen; lastly it affects the genito urinary organs, and also the posterior portion of the spinal cord.
GRAND CHARACTERISTICS.
Inveterate, badly treated, or recent cases of intermittent fever.
There soon appears an eruption of hydroa, or fever blisters, which cover like pearls the upper and lower lips.-RAUE.
These hydroa upon the lips in intermittents are a certain indication for Natrum m.
Lips dry, cracked; upper lip swollen; breaks out round the mouth.
Spinal intermittents, where the chill and heat are long- lasting, and followed by slight perspiration.
Hard chill about 11 a.m, with great thirst, which continues through all stages; the heat is characterized by the most violent headache.-RAUE.
Chill predominates; chilliness internally, as from want of natural heat, with icy coldness of the hands and feet.
Continuous chilliness from morning till noon.
Continuous heat in the afternoon, with violent headache and unconsciousness; they are gradually relieved during the perspiration which follows.
Especially useful in intermittents after the abuse of Quinine; sallow complexion; great debility; great congestion of blood of the head, during the hot stage; excessive thirst, and hydroa upon the lips.
Head.-Great despondency is a prominent key-note.
Dreams at night of robbers being in the room, so vividly, that she will not be satisfied till the house has been searched.
Somnambulistic rising, and sitting about the room.
Headache as if bursting; beating, or stitches through to the neck and chest; with heat in the head, red face, nausea and vomiting, before, during, and after catamenia, or during the fever stage, decreasing gradually after the sweat.-B.
Awakens every morning with a violent bursting headache.
Great inclination to weep, with great debility and great thirst.
Grief; consolation only increases her tears and affliction.
Excessively sore, red, disgusting eye-lids.-RAUE.
Sallow complexion, or very pale.
Digestive Organs.-White coated tongue or map tongue.-RAUE.
Great complaints about the dryness of the tongue, which is not very dry.-L.
Scorbutic, putrid inflammation of the gums; bloody saliva and difficulty of talking, as if the organs of speech were weak.- RAUE.
Great aversion to bread, of which she was once very fond.- Bread is disgusting to the patient.
Feeling of great hunger, as if the stomach were empty, but no appetite.
Very much nausea, particularly in females using salt food.
She always has heart-burn after eating.
Great longing for salt.
Pressure and distention of the stomach.
Constipation, with sensation of contraction of the anus.- Constipation is a great key for the use of salt.
Difficult expulsion of stool, fissuring the anus, with a flow of blood, leaving a sensation of much soreness in the anus.
Ripping up sensation in the anus after a stool.
No desire for stool; prolonged constipation, perspiring from the slightest movement.
Excoriating diarrhoea like water, only in the day time; the throat and neck of children emaciate rapidly, particularly during summer complaint.
Generative Organs of Women.-Scanty and delaying menstruation, is a prominent key for the use of salt.
This remedy is indicated in females, whose menses delay and decrease more and more, and every morning they awaken with a violent headache.
Very sad and gloomy during the menses, with much palpitation of the heart, and morning headache.
Terrible sadness during the menses.
At the menstrual nisus, sweet risings from the stomach, and spitting of bloody saliva.
Pressure and pushing towards the genital organs every morning; she has to sit down to prevent prolapsus uteri.
Uterine cramps, with burning and cutting in the groins.
Greenish leucorrhoea, particularly when walking in the morning.
Dryness of the vagina, which is painful during an embrace.
Much itching of the vulva, with pimples on the mons veneris.
Falling off of the from the mons veneris and labia.
Chlorosis, chronic cases; cachectic individuals,
with dead dirty skin; frequent of the heart; oppression and anxiety in the chest.
Generalities.-Losing flesh while living well.
After great bodily exertion, an itching nettle-rash appears.
Hangnails; skin around the nails dry and cracked.
Painful contraction of the hamstrings.
After all kinds of cauterizations, with Nitrate of Silver.
I believe this remedy should never be used lower than the 30th dilution. I always use it in the 30th, and am satisfied with it and have not tried it higher, but in the 3rd and 6th in has not given me satisfaction.
(1836-1897)
Characteristic materia medica Published 1873
Physiological materia medica, containing all that is known of the physiological action of our remedies; together with their characteristic indications and pharmacology. Published 1881