Antimonium crudum


Dr. S.R. Phatak describes the clinically confirmed symptoms of the homeopathic remedy Antimonium Crudum in his Concise Materia Medica, published in 1977….


Generalities

      The choice of this remedy is determined by the symptoms which develop in mental and gastric sphere. As the meaning of the last word of its name implies, the Ant-c patient is crude mentally and physically. Patient is a Gross feeder-a glutton; he eats beyond the capacity of his digestion or without discrimination; therefore the mental and skin symptoms are due to the GASTRO-INTESTINAL DISTURBANCE. It produces lumpy effects; stools are watery, containing lumps; leucorrhoea is watery, mixed with lumps; lumps appear upon the skin; nails become thick, distorted and lumpy. There is a tendency to formation of cracks in canthi; nostrils, angles of the mouth. Mentally the patient is either sentimental esp. in moonlight, and twilight, during diarrhoea and before menses; or cross and touchy. It produces strange absence of pain, where it could be expected e.g. bed sores. It is suitable to infants and children; also to elderly persons and young persons who have a tendency to grow fat. When symptoms group recur, they change their locality or go from one side to the other; they recur every five, six or twelve weeks. Gout recedes and stomach is affected. Nervous symptoms such as restlessness, twitches in the muscles, and disposition to start on slightest noise are also found. Ill effects of disappointed love and suppressed eruptions. Chronic complaints traceable to suppression of eruptions or ulcers. Anasarca. Marasmus Trouble from swimming or falling into water. Rheumatoid arthritis. He is always sleepy and weary.

Worse

      COLD BATHING; Cold dampness; COLD WATER (on head). Acids. Sweets. Moonlight. Rising up. Ascending stairs. Touch. HEAT OF SUMMER, of sun. Radiated heat. OVEREATING. Night debauches, after getting drunk. Vinegar. Pork.

Better

      In open air; during rest; moist warmth. Lying down.

Mind

      Great anxiety about his fate; inclination to shoot himself. Fretful cross and peevish; Cries if looked at or touched or washed, esp. children; adults are sulky, do not wish to speak with anyone. Loathing; of life, of food, bathing etc. Ecstasy and exalted love. Dreamy, sentimental. Angry at every little attention. Love sick. So busy with oneself one forgets to urinate or defecate, eats only when asked. Excitability. Nervous hysterical girls and women, who are overcome by mellow light from stained-glass windows. Talks in rhymes or verses; taciturn.

Head

      Aches from bathing in cold water or from disordered stomach, worse candy or acid wines, fruits, fats, ascending stairs. Tendency to take cold about head. Heaviness in forehead, with vertigo, nausea and nosebleed. Itching of the head, with falling of hair. Headache after stopped coryza.

Eyes

      Canthi; raw, cracked, red and moist. Pustules on the margins of the lids, chronic blepharitis. Lids red and inflamed. Looking into the fire causes cough. Chronic sore eyes of children. Photophobia.

Ears

      Ringing and deafness. Moist eruptions around the ears. Otorrhoea. Deafness, as if bandaged or a leaf lying on one.

Nose

      Nostrils scabby, sore and cracked. Nosebleed, after headache. Eczema of nostrils. Feeling of coldness on inhalation.

Face

      Sallow, haggard or sad. Pimples, pustules and boils on face. Yellow crusted eruptions on cheeks and chin. Cracks in the corners of the mouth. Small, sore, honey coloured granules on chin.

Mouth

      TONGUE COATED THICK WHITE, As IF WHITEWASHED. Toothache in hollow teeth, pain extends to head, worse touching the tooth with tongue, better walking in open air. Grinding of teeth, when sleeping in sitting position. Canker sores. Toothache before menses. Pimples around the mouth. Aphthae. Gums bleed easily. Taste bitter. Salivation, taste salty.

Throat

      Much thick yellowish mucus from posterior nares. Rough voice from over use. Hoarseness after cold water bath. Sensation as if a foreign body had lodged, with constant desire to swallow.

Stomach

      Loss of appetite, with disgust for food. No thirst. Desire for acids, pickles. Eructation tasting of the ingesta; food leaves an after taste or causes constant belching. DIGESTION DISORDERED easily. Vomiting worse eating or drinking; without nausea or relief. Stomach is painful to pressure. Gouty metastasis to stomach and bowels. Sweetish waterbrash. Bloating after eating. Child vomits its milk in curds, after nursing, and refuses to nurse afterwards (reverse Aeth). Appetite does not return after severe illness. Vomiting, fearful, with convulsions, which nothing can stop. Great desire to eat, but no strength to do it (child). Pork disagrees. Stomach seems to be always overloaded.

Abdomen

      Diarrhoea, alternating with constipation esp. in old persons. Stools, pappy or watery mixed with lumps. Mucous piles_prickling and burning with continuous mucus discharge from anus, staining yellow. Catarrhal proctitis. Fulness in abdomen. Haemorrhage- with solid stools piles. Stools entirely of mucus. Diarrhoea; summer, after nursing.

Urinary Organs

      Cutting in urethra while urinating. Urination; frequent, profuse, with burning and backache. Involuntary urination, on coughing. Foul odour.

Male

      Atrophy of penis and testicle. Biting, itching of scrotum, with eruptions. Excited sexual desire, with uneasiness of the whole body.

Females

      Menses; suppressed from cold bathing; with tenderness of the ovaries, pressure in womb as if something would come out during menses. Nymphomania from checked menses. Leucorrhoea, water, v containing lumps. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, during pregnancy. Ovaries painful in love sick girls.

Respiratory organs

      Cough worse coming in warm room; with burning in chest. First attack of cough is always most severe, the subsequent attacks become weaker and weaker. Looking into fire worse cough. Pain in the chest, with heat. Voice; lacks control, harsh, badly pitched better using it. Aphonia from overheating. Itching in chest. Expectoration of large quantities of mucus, exhausts the patient.

Neck and Back

      Violent pain in small of back when rising, better when walking. Itching of neck and back. Coccyx heavy.

Extremities

      Arthritic pain in the joints of fingers. Horny or split nails; nails grow slowly; out of shape; horny growth under the nails. Horny warts on hands and soles. Painful inflammation of the tendon of elbows with great redness and curvature of the arms. Shiny elbows. Feet very tender; soles tender while walking. Callosities on soles. Skin on soles is withered on account of foot sweat. Weakness and shaking of hands in writing, followed by offensive flatus. Twitching in muscles. Jerks in arms. Crippled feet. Growth beneath nails.

Sleep

      Sleepy and weary. Drowsy old people. Deep unrefreshing sleep.

Fever

      Great heat from little exercise esp. in the sun. Heat and thirst after sweat. Disturbances of stomach during apyrexia, in intermittent fevers.

Skin

      Eczema, with gastric derangement. Eruptive tendency of pimples, vesicles and pustules. Urticaria; white; with red areola, itching fearfully. Measly eruptions. Warts horny. Dry gangrene. Itching when warm in bed. Callosities from slight pressure.

Related

      Sulph.

Complementary

      Squil.

S.R. Phatak
A pioneer of Homoeopathy in Maharashtra, Dr Shankar Raghunath Phatak was born on 6th September, 1896. He did his MBBS from Grant Medical College, in 1924. Started his practice but somehow not satisfied with Allopathic Treatment.

He was convinced about Homoeopathy while going through Sir William Osler's writings on 'History of Medicine' so switched over to an entirely Homoeopathic Practice in 1932. He also started working on Homoeopathic literature along with his Practice.

He has contributed immensely to homoeopathic literature. He was an ardent follower of Dr Boger. His Repertory is based on Boger's ''A Synoptic key to Materia Medica'.