Kreosotum


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


Generalities

      This medicine is a mixture of phenols obtained from distillation of wood tar. It affects the mucous membranes of the DIGESTIVE TRACT; female genitals; disorganizes the BLOOD. Excoriations. Burning like fire. Profuse, ACRID, HOT, FOUL, DISCHARGES; eructations, sputum etc.; redden the part. Lumpy discharges; menses etc. Haemorrhages; passive, brown, dark; from small wounds. Tumefaction. Fulness. Heaviness. Scurvy. Cancerous affections. Gangrene. Great debility, with miserable feeling. It is suitable to lean persons, old women (post climacteric diseases); over grown poorly developed children; marasmus. Blackness, of teeth, leucorrhoea, lochia etc. Rapid emaciation. Complaints accompanying yawning. Children would not sleep unless caressed and fondled. Pulsations all over the body. Severe old neuralgias. Congenital syphilis.

Worse

      DENTITION. Pregnancy. Rest. Cold. Eating. Lying. Summer. Bad smells. During menses. 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Coitus. Touch. Sprains.

Better

      Warmth. Hot food. Motion. Pressure. After sleep.

Mind

      Dissatisfied, with everything; wants things then throws them away and wants something else. Screams at night. (children). Music causes weeping and palpitation. Fear at the thought of coition in women. Cross; wilful and obstinate. Stupid. Longs for death. Child moans constantly or dozes with half open eyes or is cross and sleepless during dentition.

Head

      Dull pain as from a board pressing against the forehead. Buzzing in head. Scalp sensitive worse combing hair. Falling of hair.

Eyes

      Hot, acrid smarting tears. Lids red and swollen. Suffering of eyes alternating with limbs. Constant quivering of eyelids.

Ears

      Difficulty of hearing during and before menses.

Nose

      Offensive smell and discharge. Chronic catarrh of old people.

Face

      Yellow pallor with red blotches; during chill or heat. Sick suffering expression; old looking children. Burning pains worse talking or exertion; better lying on affected side. Lips red, bleeding. Moistens lips frequently without being thirsty.

Mouth

      VERY RAPID DECAY OF TEETH; with putrid odour from mouth.Black spots on teeth. Puffy, bluish, spongy, bleeding gums. Intolerable toothache during pregnancy. Very painful dentition. Aphthae, or salivation during pregnancy. Taste bitter low down in throat. Foul breath. Pegged teeth.

Throat

      Burning choking sensation. Bitter taste, when swallowing food; after drinking water.

Stomach

      Eructations, hot; frothy. Nausea; vomiting; of food several hours after eating; of sweetish water in the morning; in pregnancy; of undigested food; of uterine ulcer; cancer of the stomach. Icy coldness in. Haematemesis. Craves smoked meat. Cold food worse. Fasting worse, dare not remain fasting. Disgust of food during convalescence. Painful hard spot at stomach.

Abdomen

      Distended. Diarrhoea; bloody, dark, brown, lienteric; offensive stools. Green stools during dentition. Child struggles and screams during stool, as if it would go into a fit. Sore pain worse deep breathing. Constriction of rectum, with uterine cancer.

Urinary

      As of a lump pressing down on bladder. Urination; hurried; involuntary, when lying, on coughing. Can urinate only when lying. Dreams of urinating. Enuresis in the first part of the night. Urine offensive. Frequent urination, with copious urine, during day. Diabetes. Drinks much but passes little at a time.

Male

      Burning in genitals during coition, from coming in contact, with acrid vaginal discharge, penis swells next day. Prepuce, bluish black, with haemorrhage and gangrene.

Female

      Menses; profuse, lumpy; intermittent; worse lying; better sitting, or walking. Leucorrhoea; gushing, like bloody water; offensive; corrosive; causing itching, staining the linen yellow; with accompanying complaints; white, having odour of green corn. Violent pain during coition; burning in parts, followed by discharge of dark blood; next day. Violent itching of vulva and vagina worse during urination. Lochia, lumpy, offensive, intermits. Cancer, erosion of cervix. Dwindling of mammae with small hard painful lumps in them. Menses worse lifting, over exertion. Stitches in vagina, make her start.

Respiratory

      Hoarseness with pain in larynx, better sneezing. Cough; with little expectoration or copious purulent expectoration, after every cough; after influenza. Winter cough of old people, with heavy pressure on sternum. Deep pain in chest. Burning as of hot coal in chest. Gangrene of lungs. Periodical haemoptysis. Neglected phthisis.

Heart

      Stitches in heart region. Pulsation in all arteries when at rest.

Neck and Back

      Dragging pain in back extending to genitals and down the thighs; as if everything would come out (in women); with urging to stool and urination, with leucorrhoea. Burning in sacrum, scapulae as if bruised.

Extremities

      Pain in the hip joint (left); with sensation as if leg was too long when standing. Pain in left thumb as if sprained.

Sleep

      Disturbed, caused by restlessness of the whole body or with sensation of fatigue and pains in all limbs. Tosses about whole night without any apparent cause. Dreams of urinating.

Fever

      Cold sweat.

Skin

      Violently itching, moist or scruffy eczema on eyelids, face, joints, back of hands. Small wounds bleed freely. Ulcers break out and heal; bleed after coition. Urticaria, after menses.

Related

      Ars; Arum-t; Carb-ac; Graph; Nit-ac; Psorinum

Complementary

      Sulph.

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'.