Argentum Nitricum


Argentum Nitricum signs and symptoms of the homeopathy medicine from the Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica by J.H. Clarke. Find out for which conditions and symptoms Argentum Nitricum is used…


      Nitrate of Silver. Lunar Caustic. Ag. NO3. Trituration and solution.

Clinical

*Acidity. *Addison’s disease. *Anaemia. Chancre. *Dyspepsia. Epilepsy. *Eructations. Erysipelas. *Eyes, *affections of. *Flatulence. *Gastric ulcer. Gonorrhoea. *Hands, *swelling of. Headache. *Heartburn. Impetigo. *Locomotor *ataxy. *Neuralgia. Ophthalmia neonatorum. *Paralysis. *Prostate, *enlargement of. Scarlatina. Small-pox. *Spinal *irritation. Syphilis. *Taste, *altered. *Throat, *affections of. *Tongue *ulcerated. Warts. Zona.

Characteristics

It was the use of *Argentum nitricum. in olden times in the treatment of epilepsy which led to the production of the lamentable cases of lead-coloured pigmentation of the skin called Argyria. homoeopathic experience has proved the applicability of the drug to many cases of epilepsy and the needlessness of employing a dosage that entails any risk whatever. The cases of epilepsy calling for this drug are those caused by fright, or occurring at the menstrual period. For days or hours before the attack the pupils are dilated, and after the attack the patient is very restless and has trembling of the hands.

Among the leading symptoms of *Arg-n. are: Great tremor. Nervous feeling, sensation as if being squeezed in a vice. Feeling of constriction in various parts as of a band of iron around chest or waist. A feeling as if the body or some part of the body were expanding. Migraine, with feeling as if head were enormously enlarged, better tightly bound. Defective coordination. Paralyses of motion and sensation, a peculiar numbness accompanied with hyperesthesia. Sensation of a splinter sticking in various parts. Burning sensations. Gowers has recorded a case in which the use of *Arg-n. for stomach trouble caused (like lead), drop-wrist, gout, and albuminuria. In allopathic practice the dyspepsia for which it is given is worse before food, when the stomach is empty. The opposite condition is the leading indication in homoeopathic practice. ***E. P. Brewer (*Hahn. *Monthly, July, 1883) has recorded a proving, (the prover, a young man, taking on three consecutive days one grain a day of *Arg-n. triturated with sugar of milk), in which a number of motor and sensory symptoms were elicited, reminding Dr. Brewer of locomotor ataxy, in which it has been used with success by old-school practitioners. This use also has led to many cases of argyria. Among the symptoms of this proving were: “Mental operations sluggish, continued thought required special effort, but exertion of mind did not aggravate the heaviness and fullness of head. Lower extremities (loins, sacrum, and particularly gastrocnemii) fatigued, as if they would suddenly fail him. Loss of ambition. Building air castles by day: monstrous dreams by night.” Another peculiar symptom was: chilly down the back beginning close to occiput extending to extreme tip of coccyx at noon every day, better by warmth, at 5 p-m. chills subsided, no sweat, but profound sleepiness, without sleep but enchanted with vivid imagination: burning heat followed. There was burning in one, spot in front of rectum, probably in prostate gland. Micturition more frequent, burning in urethra. The headache was better by *Actea r. In a proving by myself one of the most marked symptoms was a kind of numb sensitiveness of the skin of the arms _ a hyperesthetic-anesthetic state, increased sensitiveness to contact, but diminished power of distinguishing sensations. Other symptoms were sore throat with white patches, rheumatic pains in (left) wrist (which I have since confirmed), and finger joints, with external tenderness of bony prominences, pain on rising in right sacroiliac notch. Soreness of muscles of neck and back. Urticarious spots in various parts. In poisoning cases complete loss of consciousness, insensibility, and convulsions have occurred. Some of the notable digestive symptoms are: “Irresistible desire for sugar.” “Fluids go right through him.” Belching accompanies most gastric affections. Green stools are remarkable. “Green mucus like chopped spinach in flakes.” “Stool turning green after remaining on diaper.” “Stool expelled with much spluttering.” “Stool shreddy, red, green muco-lymph or epithelial substance.” There is a pain in the small of the back, better on standing or walking, but severe when rising from a seat. (*Sulph., *Causticum) *Arg-n. has irresistible desire for sugar, which at the same time worse. Kent relates a case illustrating this. A nursing infant had a grass-green diarrhoea which failed to yield to *Mercurius, *Arsenicum, and *Chamomilla At last Kent discovered that the mother ate a pound of candy a day. *Argentum nitricum was given and the candy stopped and the child soon got well. Intestinal catarrh with shreddy membranous discharges is often cured by Arg-n.

A mental peculiarity is one of apprehension and fear: when ready to go to church, etc., diarrhoea sets in. Fears projecting corners of buildings and high buildings. The sight of high buildings makes him giddy and causes him to stagger, it seems as if houses on both sides of street would approach and crush him. Imagines he cannot pass a certain point (*Kali bro.). When crossing a bridge has an almost irresistible desire to jump over. Impulse to walk very fast (*Lilium t.). Mucous membranes affected, purulent and bloody discharges, membranous diarrhoea with agonizing pains. Epithelium affected (cancers). Most symptoms are worse night, very nervous at night. Worse At night or in morning on rising (epileptic attacks). Day half more cough, night half more diarrhoea. Worse On awaking. At 11 a m. nervous attacks better by stimulants. Chill down back every day at noon. Worse In warm room, over a fire, in summer, warmth of bed, better by warm drinks. Better In cool open air, Ameliorates washing with cold water, worse from cold food, worse ice creams. Motion generally Aggravates but walking in open air better back pains, which are worse sitting. Lying on right side causes pains in abdomen, palpitation. Heat worse, but there is also worse from uncovering, aversion to uncovering. Worse Rising from sitting. Worse Inspiration. Worse Touching the parts. Better Bending double. Worse Thinking intently. Worse Riding. Better Tight bandage (headache). *Suited to: Hysteric nervous persons, headaches from mental causes characterized by dullness of head. Women with menstrual disturbances. Cachetic state. Scrawny, feeble, dried- up-looking women. Guernsey puts it, “withered and dried up by disease. A child looks like a withered old man.” It corresponds in lower potencies to Grauvogl’s carbo-nitrogenoid constitution (*Sulph., *Cuprum), in higher to the hydrogenoid or sycotic constitution. A large number of symptoms appear on the left side.

Relations

*Antidoted by: Natrum mur. (chemical and dynamic), Arsenicum, Milk. *Antidotes to *Acid nitricum and *Argentum nit.: Pulsatilla, Calcarea, Sepia, next in importance, Lycopodium, Silicea, Rhus, Phosphorus, Sulphur It *antidotes: Am. caust., effects of tobacco. *Inimical: Coffea (it increases the nervous headache). *Follows well: Bryonia, Spigelia (dyspepsia), Causticum (urethral affections), Spongia (goitre), Verat-a. (flatus). *Is followed well by: Lycopodium (flatus). *Similar to: Arg-m. (Arg-m. acts on cartilages, Arg-n. more on mucous membranes, skin, bone, and periosteum, and is suited to herpetic patients), to Aurum, Cuprum, Kali-bi., Lachesis, Mercurius, Merc-c., Merc-i., Natrum mur., nitricum acidum, Thuja In complaints from pressure of clothes, like Calcarea, Bryonia, Causticum, Lycopodium, Sarsaparilla, Stann. In congestive headaches, like Gloninum and other nitricum acidum, compounds. In fish-bone sensation in throat, Nit.ac., Hepar (Hepar worse by cold, Arg-n. worse in warm room). Pulsatilla is its nearest analogue.

Causation

Apprehension, fear or fright. Eating ices. Intemperate habits. Mental strain and worry. Onanism and venery. Sugar. Tobacco (boys).

Mind

Mental anxiety. Very impulsive, always in a hurry but accomplishes nothing, in continual motion, he walks fast. Hurries restlessly to fulfil engagements, fears to be late when there is plenty of time. Melancholic, does not undertake anything lest he should not succeed. Impulse to throw herself from the window. Frequent errors of perception, mistakes distances, fears house- corners. Time seems to pass very slowly. Apprehension when ready to go to church or opera, bringing on diarrhoea. Easily angered or excited, anger brings on symptoms, cough, pain, etc. Profound melancholy, imagines if left alone will die, apprehends incurable disease of brain. Nightly nervousness, with heat and fullness in the head. Nervous, faintish, and tremulous sensation. Awful faces appear on shutting eyes. Apathy. Mental operations sluggish, thought requires effort. Complete loss of consciousness. Memory impaired, cannot find the right word. Building castles in the air by day: monstrous visions by night.

Head

Vertigo, with headache. Morning headache (when he awakens). Excessive congestion of blood to the head. Stitches in left frontal eminence. Cannot walk, talk, or think, the head gets so giddy. Dullness, mental confusion, dizziness, tendency to fall sideways. Staggers on stooping, on shutting eyes. Dizzy at sight of high houses, feels as if they would close or fall in upon him. Momentarily blind with mental confusion, buzzing in ears, nausea, trembling. Digging up, incisive motion, through the left hemisphere of the brain. Pressing boring pains, in small spots, in bones, in left temple. Hemicrania, epileptiform, periodic, boring pain worse left frontal eminence, better tight band, from mental emotion or strain, loss of friends, loss of sleep, sometimes pain so severe he loses senses, paroxysms frequently culminate in vomiting of bile or sour fluid. Occipital headache. Occipital headache decreases, frontal headache increasing. Congestive headache with throbbing carotids, must loosen cravat, head feels much enlarged, as if bones of skull separated, with increased temperature. Sensation of constriction of scalp, as if something tightly drawn over skull. Drawing in bands over surface of brain, apparently in membranes or sinuses. Headache, with chilliness. Headache relieved by tying a handkerchief tightly around the head. Headache worse in the open air. Aching in one side of the head, with enlarged feeling in corresponding eye. Itching, creeping, crawling of the hairy scalp (as from vermin), roots of hair feel as if pulled upward.

John Henry Clarke
John Henry Clarke MD (1853 – November 24, 1931 was a prominent English classical homeopath. Dr. Clarke was a busy practitioner. As a physician he not only had his own clinic in Piccadilly, London, but he also was a consultant at the London Homeopathic Hospital and researched into new remedies — nosodes. For many years, he was the editor of The Homeopathic World. He wrote many books, his best known were Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica and Repertory of Materia Medica