SODIUM SULPHATE-GLAUBER’S SALT-Na2SO4 plus 10H2O.
Introduction
Glauber’s salt, discovered in 1653 by J. R. Glauber, a German chemist (d.1668), is a well-known cathartic and a constituent of many mineral waters.
Natrum sulph. was first proved for us by Schreter, an Austrian;physician, and by nenning, an Austrian surgeon, the results being published in 1832 and 1833, respectively.
Symptoms
Natrum sulph. stands out prominently as a remedy where all the conditions are worse from dampness (9). Dr. von Grauvogl, of Neuremberg, Germany, first called our attention to it as a remedy for what he calls the “hydrogenoid” constitution, or a constitution that is affected adversely by dampness, damp weather and places (9),.a nd feels every change in the weather from dry to wet.
Hering and Farrington continue won Grauvogl’s definition of the “hydrogenoid” constitution by saying that the patient “cannot tolerate sea air, nor-eat plants hat thrive near water,” we can keep this latter definition in mind if we find ovation for its use, but the former, that all conditions are worse from damp weather, or from living in damp places of house, we will have frequent need for.
Natrum sulph, is also great remedy for lithaemia, or the uric acid diathesis.
Some of the symptoms of the remedy are better from being in the open air (9) and there is decided aggravation from lying on the 1.side, especially in liver troubles (8).
The earache of Natrum sulph is of sharp, lightning-like stitches, worse from lying on damp ground, or during wet weather 964).
While the toothache is “worse from warmth or hot drinks” (Hering), it is better from tobacco-smoke, coo. air or holding cold water in the mouth (187).
In nasal, post-nasal (143) and pharyngeal catarrhs, a Natrum sulph is of value, a leading indication for its use being that the discharge is mope profuse during damp of stormy weather (142). the discharge is naturally profuse during damp or stormy weather (142). The discharge is naturally profuse, thick, and tenacious (142) yellow or white on color. That from the nose is often streaked with blood and is offensive, both in appearance and odor; that from the throat is apt to b salty to the taste (70).
There is a dirty grayish-green coating at the root of th tongue, bitter taste and thirst for cold drinks. There is nausea, more or less bilious vomiting, with bitter or sour taste and sensitiveness of the liver and aggravation from lying on the l. side (8). It is useful in jaundice (122) and is one of the remedies to be thought of in lead colic (126).
As in the other sodium salts, we find Natrum mur, useful in acid dyspepsia (178), with flatulence and heartburn (179). While the differentiation between the various salts of soda in acid dyspepsia would include many of their concomitant symptoms, we can keep in mind for ready reference in conditions of acidity;
Natrum carb-diarrhoea from milk; palpitation. Natrum mur-goneness, thirst, emaciation. Natrum phos-vomiting of curdled milk; flatulence.
natrum sulph-general bilious condition; brought on or aggravated by dampness.
The diarrhoea of Natrum sulph, is yellow, thin and watery, washing (59), with much spluttering and often involuntary. It is worse in the morning, after rising and moving about (58), and is preceded by rumbling in the abdomen (11) and flatulent colic, relieved by kneading th e abdomen (174). This colic is often worse when the stomach is empty, or as Hering so prettily puts it,”belly-ache in the morning before breakfast.”
The diarrhoea is often associated with stitches in the 1.chest, or in the liver, with soreness sand pain in the region of the liver, aggravated by touch (12) or by any jar of the body. with the diarrhoea there is usually great desire for ice-water and aggravation from drinking it (57).
The stools are often involuntary when passing gas (59), aggravated from eating (57), from cold food and drink, from pie and :”farinaceous food” (Hering (6) and from dampness or damp weather (58). Remember it in chronic diarrhoea (58), the aggravations between rising and breakfast time, and from dampness being the leading indications.
While there seem to be no especially characteristic urinary symptoms, we must remember that it is one of several remedies having an excess of uric acid in the urine (124), and the presence of this sediment, together with the gastric and rheumatic pains, will often help us in prescribing the remedy,
Schussler looks upon natrum sulph, as the chief remedy in diabetes (56), giving as the “special reason for its use deficiency of pancreatic secretion.”
Dr. von Grauvogl, who did so much towards enlarging our therapeutic application of this remedy, claimed that in the “hydrogenoid” constitution a gonorrhea history is ‘nearly always to be discovered” (Hughes). With this in mind, let us think of Natrum sulph, in chronic gonorrhoea (83), with aggravation of all symptoms during damp weather,
The cough of Natrum sulph is worse 3-4 A.M. (40), with soreness in the chest and with relief from sitting up and holding the chest with both hands (49); the cough is worse in damp weather (44), as is also the asthma (19), and both are aggravated at might on lying down.
During damp weather we find shortness of breath, with desire to take a long breathe, and oppression of the chest (29) that is better in the open air.
Natrum sulph is useful in paronychia, or run-rounds (163), with relief of the pains out doors and associated, perhaps, with the morning diarrhoea of the remedy,
In the lower extremity we have “stiffness of the knees and cracking of the joints ” (Hering) when moving (125), a nd it is useful for “rheumatic pains in limbs, with gastric symptoms”: and for sciatica, with “no relief in any position” (Hering).
Dearborn speaks of Natrum sulph, four “warts (208) on head, trunk or about anus, which first appeared after long for frequent exposure to dampness, or after gastro-hepatic disorder.’
I use natrum sulph, 3d.
