Kalium Bichromicum


James Tyler Kent describes the symptoms of the homeopathic medicine Kalium Bichromicum in great detail and compares it with other homeopathy remedies. …


This remedy is recognized by most physicians by the copious ropy mucous discharges from all mucous membranes, but it is also a most important remedy in rheumatic affections of the joints with swelling, heat and redness, whenever these conditions wander around from joint to joint.

The bones all over the body feel bruised, and caries is reckoned among its symptoms. A marked feature of this remedy is the alternation between catarrhal symptoms and rheumatic pains. Exudations from mucous membranes, somewhat like croup, are found in the larynx, trachea and in the rectum. it is not surprising, therefore, that it has proved a very effective remedy in diphtheria. It emaciates, like the rest of the Kali salts. We have running through it the cachectic conditions, or malignant diseases with ulceration; and especially is it indicated when the ulceration period is present.

Ulceration: is a striking feature of this remedy. Its ulcers are deep; are said to be as if punched out and are very red. Gouty conditions are as common in this remedy as in the other Kalis. It is especially like Causticum with its cracking in the joints. Syphilitic conditions have been cured in the most advanced stages. It has the sharp stitching pains like Kali carb., it has one feature quite its own very severe pain in small spots that could be covered by the end of the thumb.

Pains: It has wandering pains from place to place, and wandering rheumatism in from joint to joint. There are pains in all parts. Pains are sometimes very violent; sometimes shooting; sometimes stitching stinging; again aching. Burning is a very marked symptom of the remedy. The pains appear rapidly and disappear suddenly.

Cold and warm: The patient is sensitive to cold. There is a lack of vital heat. In fact, he wants to be wrapped up and covered warmly, and many of his complaints are much better when he is perfectly warm in bed. All the pains and his cough are relieved from the warmth of the bed, and yet there are other complaints, like rheumatic conditions, that come on in hot weather.

The cough is better in warm weather and worse in winter. Catarrhal conditions of the larynx and trachea are worse in winter, especially in the cold, damp weather, like Calcarea phos. when the snow melts. Sensitive to cold winds. Causticum, it ill be remembered, is sensitive to cold, dry winds.

The Kalis generally are sensitive to cold, dry weather, but Kali bichromicum throat troubles are continuous in the winter and during cold, damp weather, and are worse in cold, damp winds. It is a most useful remedy in septic and zymotic fevers.

Many of its symptoms are aggravated about 2 or 3 A.M., like Kali carb. Most of the symptom are worse in the morning yet some come on in the night. A marked feature of Kali. bichromicum is a feeling of great weakness and weariness. When the pain has passed off, if in the limbs, the limbs are felt very weary. Great prostration and cold sweat.

It has neuralgia every day at the same hour, showing its periodicity. Like the rest of the Kalis it has cured epilepsy. Ropy saliva and mucous discharges from the mouth during the convulsion has led to its use in epilepsy. The symptoms generally, especially the pains, are worse from motion, except the sciatic and some of the pains in the lower limbs, which are better from motion. The patient pulsates all over the body.

There are very few mental symptoms owing to the fact that the remedy has been proved only in crude form. It needs to be proved in potencies to bring out the mental symptoms.

Head: It has violent headaches and its headaches are mostly associated with catarrhal conditions. A Kali bichromicum patient always suffers more or less from catarrh of the nose, and if he is exposed to cold weather the catarrhal condition will turn to dryness; then will come on violent headache; also headaches during coryza.

Headaches during coryza when the discharge of the coryza slacks up a little. Headaches often begin with dim vision. Pains are violent. Headaches are better from warmth, especially warm drink; better from pressure; worse from stooping; worse from motion and walking; worse at night and still much worse in the morning. Pain is pulsating, shooting and burning. Headaches come on with vertigo. Headaches are often one-sided. It has been a very useful remedy in syphilitic head pains.

Pains over the eyes and in the forehead. It is very useful when the headaches are with retching and vomiting; when the pain is confined to a very small spot that could be covered with the thumb and is violent; when the headaches come periodically and with dizziness. Headaches are somewhat ameliorated in open air if it is not too cold. It has cured eczema of the scalp with thick, heavy crusts from which ooze a yellow, thick, gluey substance.

Eyes: Daylight brings on photophobia, There are sparks before the eyes; dim vision before the headache, as mentioned above. Rheumatic conditions affecting the eyes, hence it is said rheumatic affections of the eyes. Granular lids. Ulceration of the cornea. The ulcer is deep with pulsation in it. The eyes are much inflamed and red. The lids are red and swollen. Eyes and lids are injected.

Croupous inflammation of the eyes. Burning and itching in the eyes. Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyes with copious flow of thick mucus. Margins of the lids are red and swollen. It has cured polypus on the conjunctiva, swelling of the lids and stringy mucus.

Ears: There are yellow, viscid discharges from the ears, with stitching pains and pulsating in the ears. Chronic suppuration of the middle, ear with perforated tympanum; eczematous eruptions on the ears, itching of the whole external ear.

Nasal passages: The symptoms of the nasal passages are very numerous. The most prominent are the catarrhal symptoms. It has catarrhal symptoms both acute and chronic, with copious, thick, viscid, yellow or white mucus. Foetid odor from the nose.

Troubled much with a sensation of dryness in the nose. Loss of smell, and the nose is obstructed nights with thick yellow mucus, too viscid to be blown out. Accompanying this catarrhal condition there is a hard pain at the root of the nose.

Ulcers form all over the nasal mucous membrane. There are ulcers, crusts, mucous plugs; must blow the nose constantly without success, but finally blows out large green crusts or scabs from high up in the nose. Sometimes they are drawn into the posterior nares.

There is burning and pulsating in the nasal cavities. When the nasal cavity is in this state of ulceration and catarrh there is shooting pain from the root of the nose to the external angle of the eye through the whole forenoon. Extreme soreness inside of the nose.

Expired air feels hot and causes a sensation of burning. He has snuffles and increased catarrhal conditions in damp weather. There are also burning. excoriating, watery discharges from the nose, as in acute catarrhal conditions. Coryza is fluent, excoriating, with loss of smell. With the chronic condition there comes perforation of the septum and pressing pains of the frontal sinus.

A very strange condition then is observed. Scabs form upon the nasal septum; when these are removed there comes photophobia, then dimness of vision, followed by hard frontal headache. The septum is sometimes destroyed by ulceration. Much thick blood is blown out of the nose. Now, it has cured these conditions when they were syphilitic. It has cured nasal polypus. It has cured lupus of the nose.

Face: The bones of the face are often very sore, with shooting pains in the malar bones. Pain in the malar bones on coughing. With the catarrhal conditions there is much suffering from the malar bones, like Mercurius It has cured lupus exedens. It has cured ulceration of the lip. Swollen parotid is quite a common feature in its proving. It has cured impetigo.

The tongue: is smooth, shiny, sometimes cracked. This is especially observed in low forms of fever, like typhoid. The tongue is often coated, thick and yellow at. the base. Papillae raise on the dorsum of the tongue, making it look like strawberry tongue. Again the tongue is coated a thick brown. The provers seemed to be much annoyed by a sensation of a hair on the base of the tongue. It has produced and cured ulceration of the tongue; even when syphilitic, it is a useful remedy. Ulcers deep as if punched out; with stinging pains.

There is great dryness of the mouth; ropy saliva and mucus ulcers anywhere in the mouth; aphthous patches; ulcers of the roof of the mouth; even when these are syphilitic it is a most useful remedy; deep punched out ulcers.

The throat: symptoms are very numerous. I will only mention a few of the most characteristic ones. Inflammation of the throat in general, involving all the tissues in it, extending up into the nose, and down into the larynx, even with a high degree of ulceration with copious, ropy mucus.

It has cured diphtheria exudation in the throat when it is confined to the throat, and also when it has extended to the larynx. A marked feature of the Kali bichromicum throat is its oedematous uvula: This symptom, is also found in Apis, Kali i., Lachesis, Acid Muriaticum, Nit ac., Phosphorus, Sulphur ac., and Tab.

James Tyler Kent
James Tyler Kent (1849–1916) was an American physician. Prior to his involvement with homeopathy, Kent had practiced conventional medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He discovered and "converted" to homeopathy as a result of his wife's recovery from a serious ailment using homeopathic methods.
In 1881, Kent accepted a position as professor of anatomy at the Homeopathic College of Missouri, an institution with which he remained affiliated until 1888. In 1890, Kent moved to Pennsylvania to take a position as Dean of Professors at the Post-Graduate Homeopathic Medical School of Philadelphia. In 1897 Kent published his magnum opus, Repertory of the Homœopathic Materia Medica. Kent moved to Chicago in 1903, where he taught at Hahnemann Medical College.