Vegetable Charcoal. C (impure). Trituration.
Clinical
*Acidity. *Acne. *Angina *Pectoris. Aortitis. Aphonia. Asthenopia. Asthma. Breast, erysipelas of. *Bronchitis. Burns. *Carbuncle. Catarrh. Chilblains. Cholera. Constipation. *Cough. Deafness. *Debility. Diarrhoea. *Distension. Dysentery. *Dyspepsia. Emphysema. Erysipelas. *Eructations. *Feet, *cold. *Flatulence. *Gangrene. Haemorrhages. *Haemorrhoids. Hair, falling out. *Headache. *Heart, *diseases of. Influenza. Intermittents. Intertrigo. *Irritation. *Laryngitis. *Lungs, *congested. Measles. Mumps. *Nose, *bleeding of. Esophagitis. Orchitis. Otorrhoea. *Pregnancy, *disorders of. Purpura. Scabies. Scurvy. *Shiverings. *Sleep, *disorders of. *Starting. *Stomach, *disordered. Stomatitis. *Trachea, *dryness of. *Tympanites. Typhus. *Ulcers. Yellow fever.
Characteristics
The deodorant and disinfectant properties of charcoal in bulk had already been discovered when Hahnemann was at work on *Materia Medica. Provings with the crude and the potentised substances showed that the latter were much more powerful in their effect on the animal organism. These brought out the fact that there is an exact correspondence between the effect of crude charcoal and potentised *Carb-v. Both are antiseptic and deodorant. The signs and symptoms of decay and putrefaction are the leading indication for its medicinal use: Decomposition of food in the stomach, putrid diseases and ulcerations, symptoms of imperfect oxygenisation of the blood. *Carb-v. antidotes the effects of putrid meats or fish, rancid fats, salt or salt meats, and also the pathogenetic action of *Cinchona, *Lachesis, and *Mercurius. It is suited to conditions where there is lack of reaction (like *Opium), to low states of the vital powers, where the venous system is engorged, debility of greater intensity than *Carbo animalis, to children after exhausting diseases, to old people. Leading symptoms are: Numbness of limbs. *Burning pains (as also *Carb-an. both the products of a *burning process). Great debility as soon as he makes the least effort. Guernsey considers *Carb-v. especially suited to cachectic individuals whose vital powers have become weakened. In cases where disease seems to have been engrafted on the system by reason of the depressing influence of some prior derangement. “Thus, for instance, the patient tells us that asthma has troubled him ever since he had whooping-cough in childhood, he has dyspepsia ever since a drunken debauch which occurred some years ago, he has never been well since the time he strained himself so badly, the strain itself does not now seem to be matter, but his present ailments have all appeared since it happened, he sustained an injury some years ago, no traces of which are now apparent, and yet he dates his present complaints from the time of the occurrence of that accident, or, again, he was injured by exposure to damp, hot air, and his present ailments result from it.” Another form of debility is that following childbirth. causing falling out of hair.
Among other effects of *Carbo vegetabilis are: Aversion to darkness. Fear of ghosts. Excessive accumulation of gas in stomach and intestines. “Stomach feels full and tense from flatulence.” “Great pain in stomach on account of flatulence, worse especially on *lying down.” Great desire for air, must be fanned, wants to be fanned *hard. worse From warmth: on the other hand it has cough worse entering cold air from a warm room. worse From brandy. Coldness is characteristic: cold breath (as in cholera), cold knees, cold, but wants to be fanned.
The mental state of *Carb-v. is one of torpor and indolence, which distinguishes it from *Arsenicum in many cases, slow thinking, worse in morning on waking. Indifference. There is also peevishness, easily in angered. Vertigo from stomach, with fainting, especially at meals. Lividity is a common indication, mottled skin round ulcers, indolent gangrene, varicose veins of arms, legs, vulva. Hippocratic countenance, cold breath. Collapse, with cold knees. Dull headache in occiput with confusion of mind, proceeding from occiput to forehead, dull, heavy aching over eyes, in warm room, buzzing in ears, very sensitive to pressure of hat. The congestive symptoms of *Carb-v. are those of poisoning by carbonic acid, pulse thready, face pale, covered with cold sweat, desire to be fanned, anxiety without restlessness, dyspnoea. Haemorrhages are frequent, epistaxis, haemorrhage from throat in dysentery, from bowels, menorrhagia and metrorrhagia, with burning pains across sacrum and spine, haemorrhage from the lungs, dyspnoea from chronic aortitis. It corresponds to fever of many types: typhoid, intermittent, yellow fever, hectic, and cholera. In intermittents of long standing where quinine has been abused, thirst only during chill, feet ice-cold up to knees, heat in burning flushes, sweat sour or offensive, weak, mind befogged. A. H. Birdsall has recorded a typical case of *Carb-v. intermittent. A man, 36, had fever eight months, partially suppressed by *Arsenic and *Quinine. Type, tertian. Headache for one or two hours before chill. Chill always from 9 to 10 a m., beginning in feet and hands, spreading over body, nails very blue. Thirst with chill. Cold stage lasts two to three hours, followed immediately by hot stage, much heat in head and face, which is flushed red, *thirstlessness. Sweating stage short, sweat sour. Apyrexia: Sweats easily, especially from least warmth, awakens in morning always with slight sour-smelling sweat. Weak, dispirited, flatulent. A single dose of *Carb-v. cured. There were only three more attacks, each of diminished intensity. There is catarrh from warm, moist atmosphere. The cough of *Carb-v. is worse on entering cold air from a warm room. Hoarseness from damp air worse morning or evening. Cough caused by a sensation as if sulphur fumes were in larynx. There is leucorrhoea, greenish yellow, worse in morning. The leucorrhoea excoriates. Many symptoms occur during menses: headache, itching burning soreness and smarting at vulva and anus, haemorrhoids. A carbon ointment made by carbonizing a wine cork by plunging it into a clear fire and then, in its still glowing state, into vaseline and mixing thoroughly, is regarded as a sovereign remedy in anal irritation and haemorrhoidal troubles. The menstrual discharge is corrosive and has a strong pungent odour. Premature and profuse. Preceded and followed by leucorrhoea. Perineum moist, raw, oozing. *Carbo vegetabilis has weak digestion with enormous production of flatulence, better by eructation. Flatulence accompanies many other complaints, as asthma and heart affections. Heaviness, full feeling and burning. Aversion to fat, to meat, to milk, which causes flatulence. Desire for coffee (which does not relieve), for acids, for sweet and salt things. Effects of alcohol, of fish, especially if tainted, ice-water, vegetables, salt or salt meats. Disorder from high living, and especially *butter-eating. Burning itching on skin, frozen limbs, chilblains, excoriations between toes. Tinea capitis or scald-head. Scalp very sensitive, feels as if bruised. Whooping-cough with pain at base of brain. Excessive gagging cough in the morning, compelling him to vomit everything in his stomach immediately after breakfast. *Drosera is complementary to *Carbo vegetabilis in this. Enuresis, which is worse in morning after the first sleep.
Relations
*Antidoted by: Arsenicum, Camph., Coffea, Lachesis, Nit-s-d., Ferrum (Teste). *It antidotes: Effects of putrid meats of fish, rancid fats, salt or salt meats, Chi., Lachesis, Mercurius *Complementary: China, Drosera, Kali-c. (stitches in heart, etc. Carb-v. contains potash). Carb-an. has more pronounced *induration of glands and is suited to cases which have been opened too soon, is more appropriate to cancer and syphilis than Carb-v. Carb-v. has weak digestion in nursing women, every particle of food disagrees, Carb-an. has coldness at stomach, better by hard rubbing or hard pressure, piles, with oozing of inodorous fluid. Carb-v. is near- sighted, Carb-an. far-sighted. In ear affections Carb-an. has swelling behind ear. Carb-v. is more suited to sequelae of exanthemata. Many of the effects of Carb-v. are like those in Lycopodium, and an occasional dose of Carb-v. assists the action of Lycopodium Compare also Raphanus in flatulence. *Compatible: Arsenicum, chi., Drosera, Kali-c., Ph-ac., Belladonna, Bryonia, Nux-v., Sepia, Sulphur *Compare: Graphites and all the carbons. Causticum, Lachesis, Eup-per., Phosphorus and Rumex in hoarseness (Rumex is worse 4 a.m.and 11 p-m. Causticum worse in morning, from dry cold. Carb-v. worse evening, from damp evening air) Camph., Chi. in haemorrhages, intermittents, hectic affections of drunkards, Ip. in haemorrhages and intermittents, Meny. in intermittents with coldness of legs, Opium, Sulphur and Psorinum in deficient reaction, Sul-ac. in dyspepsia of drunkards. (Carb-v. has more putridity, Sul-ac. more sourness), Phosphorus in easily bleeding ulcers, Pulsatilla, bad effect from fat food and pastry, Sulphur in acrid-smelling menses, erysipelas of breasts, Arsenicum and Bellis in effects of ice- cream and ice-water in hot weather. Nux-v. in dyspepsia, easily angered, effects of debauchery (Nux-v. is thin, spare, yellow, wiry, Carb-v sluggish, stout, lazy), Secale in haemorrhages, cold breath, coldness worse by warmth. Calcarea, Carb-an., and Stramonium in aversion to darkness, Lachesis in weak digestion (Lachesis craves milk, Carb-v. has aversion to it), intolerance of clothing round waist, intermittent fever, flashes of burning heat without thirst. Sepia in bearing-down in rectum and vagina (Carb-v. has strong odour of menses which Sepia has not). Rhus in strains, in typhus, Colchicum in cholera, cold breath, prostration. Cuprum
