Sepia. [Sep]
**Sepia is more often found useful in women, but the symptoms agreeing it may, of course, be used in men. It is a remedy which has the vehemence and irascibility of Nux and the tearful despondency of **Pulsatilla, and also the aversion to household affairs more marked than in **Natrum muriaticum. Then, too, there are hot flashes as in **Sulphur, with hot hands and cold feet, but in **Sepia the face is apt to have the characteristic yellow saddle across the nose. There is a white-coated tongue and a sour or putrid taste in the mouth. The most characteristic symptom, however, is a feeling of goneness in the pit of the stomach, which is not relieved by eating. This is similar only to Carbo animals, for in **Anacardium, Natrum carbonicum, Phosphoricum and Sulphur this gone sensation is always better after meals. There is nausea at the smell or sight of the food, and **Colchicum has nausea at the thought of the food; even mention food and he vomits. The abdomen of **Sepia is flatulent and the liver is sore and has sharp pains in it; but here again **Sepia is different from all others, for it is relieved by lying on the right side. The urine of **Sepia may help to decide between it and **Lycopodium and **Kali carbonicum, in that while it always deposits a lithic acid sediment it adheres tenaciously to the side and bottom of the vessel and is offensive. The Sepia patient is worse in the forenoon and evening, and there is great longing for acids and pickles. It may be useful in dyspepsias from the overuse of tobacco.
Sulphur. [Sulph]
**Sulphur is a wonderful remedy in dyspepsia, but its value is seldom appreciated. It has bitter or sour taste and putrid eructations, sour vomiting, congested liver, and like **Nux vomica, constipation. It is useful in the flatulent dyspepsia of those who drink heavily, and it has a feeling of satiety after eating a small quantity of food, being in the former symptom like Carbo vegetabilis and in the latter like **Carbo vegetabilis, Lycopodium and Sepia. It is aggravated from starchy food like both **Natrum carbonicum and **Natrum sulphuricum. There is a ravenous desire for sweets which make him sick; only one other remedy has this, and that is **Argentum nitricum, which has a diarrhoea caused by it, while under **Sulphur sweets cause a sour stomach and heartburn. The **Sulphur patient also craves alcohol, and milk, contrary to custom, increases the acidity of the stomach and causes vomiting; he also has aversion to meat. There is canine hunger; the patient can hardly wait for meals and is forced to get up at night to eat, which is like **Phosphorus, and when he eats he feels puffed up; or else there is loss of appetite. If we have the general characteristics of **Sulphur present, the hot flashes, the hot head and cold feet, the early morning diarrhoea, the “cat nap” like sleep, the aversion to washing etc., the choice will be easy.
” Drinks much, eats little,” is a good **Sulphur indication.
**Robinia causes excessive acidity, one of our best remedies in hyperchlorhydria. Vomiting sour. Starch digestion is impeded. It has burning in epigastrium. When stomach is empty frontal headache, frequent acid eructations. Colic sometimes sufficient to cause the patient to double
up.
**Capsicum is very useful in gastric hyperchlorhydria, chronic pyrosis. Dr. Cartier praises this remedy highly in hyperacidity, he prefers the 3 and dilutions.
Phosphorus. [Phos]
**Phosphorus corresponds to ***rumination and ***regurgitation. Craving for cold food and cold drinks is characteristic of **Phosphorus, and they relieve momentarily, but are vomited as soon as they become warm in the stomach; spitting up of blood without nausea is also common. The gone, weak feeling in the stomach at 11 A.M., which we find under **Sepia, Sulphur and Natrum carbonicum, is also present under **Phosphorus, and here it also extends to the bowels. There are sour eructations, and as a concomitant we have sometimes the characteristic burning of this remedy, between the scapulae. The tongue has projecting papillae, a verified symptom, and is white more along the middle, as in **Bryonia. As in **Sulphur, the patient hungry at night and lies awake until he gets something to eat. It is a useful remedy in the vomiting of chronic dyspepsia; the patient vomits as soon as the food strikes the stomach. **Bismuth also has the symptom that the patient vomits as soon as the food strikes the stomach; with this remedy, too, there is much pain and burning. **Phosphorus has a special relation to destructive and disintegration processes, and hence is one of the remedies for cancers, indurations, erosions, etc.; a burning, gnawing, circumscribed pain is characteristic. Rapid loss of flesh and anaemia are also symptoms. The 3d potency has seemed to act well.
Professor of Materia Medica in the University of Michigan Homeopathic Medical College. Member of American Institute of Homeopathy. In addition to his editoral work he authored or collaborated on: Boericke and Dewey's Twelve Tissue Remedies, Essentials of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Essentials of Homeopathic Therapeutics and Practical Homeopathic Therapeutics.