Synonym.-Potassium Nitrate. Common names.-Salt-petre. Nitrum. Nitre. Preparation.-The.1x and.2x dilutions are made with distilled water, the.3x with dilute alcohol, and subsequent dilutions with alcohol. Also triturations.
GENERAL ANALYSIS
Kali Nitricum acts directly upon the spinal system, paralyzing the spinal cord and the heart, arresting the action of the latter in its diastole. It also produces and antiplastic and spoliative effect upon the blood. It acts upon the kidneys, and upon the respiratory and alimentary mucous tracts as a decided irritant, in the former producing excessive action, diuresis, the solid constituents being also increased, and in the latter irritation, leading to congestion and inflammation.
CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS.
Mind. Difficult thinking in the morning. Anxiety; Ennui, melancholia, weeping mood (Natr. mur., Nux moschata, Ignatia, Pulsatilla)
Head. Confusion of the head; vertigo. Dullness, stupefaction and heaviness of the head. Violent pressive headache, especially in forehead. Constrictive pain in back of head; parts feel as if stiff; forcing to bend head backward; better after tying up the hair. Hot spots on the head Headache on vertex, like pulling of he hairs. Sensitiveness of the scalp to touch (Carb v., Cinchona, Mercurius, Natr. mur., Nitr. ac.). Small, scurfy spots spots on head; itching.
Eyes. Transient blindness. Rings of variegated colors before the eyes. Burning in eyes, lachrymation, and aversion to light, especially in morning; after washing in cold water.
Ears. Deafness; rushing, ringing and roaring in. the ears (Cinchona, Mercurius, Silicea, Sulphur). Stitches in ear worse at night, and when lying on the effected side. Tensive pain behind the ear.
Nose. Loss of smell, with coryza; sneezing; mucus passes through posterior nares into fauces. Sore pain in upper part of right nostril. Nosebleed; dryness and stoppage of nose. Nostril swollen and painful to pressure. Bones of nose sore to touch. Swollen feeling in right nostril.
Face. Pale, sickly expression; sunken; nose cold (Arsenicum, Camph., Veratrum alb.). Acute tearing pains in cheeks (Cinchona, China s., Spigelia).
Mouth. Gums red, swollen bleed easily (Mercurius, Nitr. ac.). Throbbing, tearing toothache; worse from cold things (Antim crud., Calcarea c., Staphysagria). disagreeable, disgusting taste, Sour taste in throat., in morning, on rising. Dryness of mouth and tongue (Arsenicum, Bryonia, Nux moschata,). Tongue burns at top, as if cut; burning pimples. Tongue coated with white mucus. Offensive odor from the mouth. (Arsenicum, Hepar s., Mercurius, Iodi., Nitr. ac.).
Throat. Burning in throat]t; cutting pains, with impeded deglutition. Hawking of sweetish, tough mucus from throat. Rawness. and scraping in throat (Ammonium carb., Caust). Sore throat; uvula and tonsils red (bell.).
Stomach. violent hunger, or loss of appetite. Violent thirst Cannot drink for violent vomiting of mucus,. with blood. Faint-like weakness at it of stomach (Comic., Ignatia, Petrol., Pulsatilla). cold feeling of burning in stomach; inflammation. Sharp, sticking pains; hinder breathing. Pressure and gnawing in pit of stomach.
Abdomen. Violent colic, worse on right side: griping and cutting about the umbilicus (Colic). Abdomen distended with much rumbling (Carb. v., Cinchona, Lycopodium, Sulphur); emission of offensive flatus.
Stool. Watery, thin, faecal soft with colic. Bloody. with tenesmus. Stool containing membranous portions of intestines mixed with blood. With great pressure. Diarrhoea from eating veal. Constipation.
Urinary Organs. Frequent urination, and discharge of much pale urine, with reddish clouds. Mucous sediment, salts increased; sp. gr. 1030- 1040. Dysuria; frequent desire, with burning, only a few drops at first; after irritating medicines; gonorrheal extensions.
Male Organs. Violent erections, with increased desire.
Female Organs. Menses suppressed;too early and profuse. Menstrual blood black as ink (Croc., Cyclamen, Sabina.); pains in abdomen, small of back and thighs (Cimic., Pulsatilla).
Respiratory Organs. Aphonia; roughness and scraping in larynx with hoarseness. Cannot drink for want of breath; has to take drink in little sips; little children take hold of the cup with both hands, and take greedily one sip after another. Constriction of lungs in morning in bed. Burning in forepart of chest. Burning in morning extending into throat, expectoration is loosened. Paroxysms of difficult and rapid breathing, evening and night; less in morning; oppressed breathing on ascending stairs (Arsenicum, Ascl., Calcarea c., Mercurius). Asthma; cannot lie in horizontal position; violent gasping and suffocation (Arsenicum, Ipecac., Sambucus). Cough; awakens AT 3 A.M. with violent, stupefying headache; in open air; worse ascending, or when holding breath; with cutting and stitches in chest; expectoration of coagulated blood; after hawking mucus. Dull tightness and constriction of chest, as if lung were constricted from back. Stitches on drawing long breath, or coughing (Bryonia). Congestion to chest. Heaviness and tightness of chest, like a great load, pressing thorax together; dyspnoea to suffocation; the latter out of proportion to the slight congestion or hepatization. Suppuration of lungs, with profuse (colliquative) sweat (Hepar s., Phosphorus).
Heart and Pulse. Palpitation on rising or moving about quickly, with heat of face and oppression of chest. Violent audible palpitation (Spigelia), with dyspnoea and great anxiety; has to sit up in bed (Aconite). Pulse usually full, hard, accelerated; slow, mornings, weak and thready.
Neck and Back. Stiffness and paralyzed feeling in neck and back. small of back feels bruised. Pressure and burning in back, relieved by motion. Drawing pain in region of kidneys.
Limbs. Trembling, lameness and paralytic feeling in limbs. Rheumatic pains; stitching pains at night. Parts feel as if made of wood. Paralysis of limbs; debility of limbs.
Generalities. Twitching and trembling of muscles over whole body. Great exhaustion and debility; tremulous weakness. Sensation as if parts, or whole of body were of wood. Formication; constrictive feeling in many parts. Hemorrhages of bright-red blood (Aconite, Erig., Hamamelis, Ipecac., Secale) Sudden swelling of body, neck, thighs.
Skin. Itching pimples; small pustules. Pricking like needless, then burning. Burning vesicles filled with yellow serum; on scratching they burst.
Sleep. Yawning and drowsiness. Restless sleep at night; sleepless after midnight; nightmare.
Fever. Chill and coldness in afternoon and evening;l increased from motion; passing off when lying. Chill, with subsequent sweat; no intervening heat. Coldness and shivering, with thirst, Heat at night, without thirst, and without subsequent sweat. Debilitating sweat from least exertion (Calcarea c., China, Sulphur, Hepar s., Mercurius, Phosphorus, Sulphur). Profuse, cold, clammy night sweats (Arsenicum, Phosphorus, Mercurius).
Compare. Aconite, ars., Cantharis, Terebintha
Antidotes. Nitr. sp. d. Camph. increases the pains. Nitr. relieves strangury after abuse of Cantharis turpentine and the abuse of condiments.
THERAPEUTICS.
Has not been so extensively used as other Potash salts. Has cured mucous polypus of right nostril. Diarrhoea after eating veal. Dysentery after Aconite when that remedy fails to relieve the cutting pain, great thirst and cold hands and feet. Peritonitis. Dysuria. Enuresis. diabetes insipidus. Pneumonia, with excessive heat and thirst. Asthma with great dyspnoea, stitching pains, rather free expectoration. Useful in all states of phthisis, but particularly for acute exacerbations, with much cough, pain and dyspnoea. Acute rheumatism with endocarditis. Other cardiac diseases with symptoms mentioned.
ALLEN CORSON COWPERTHWAITE was born at Cape May, New Jersey, May 3, 1848, son of Joseph C. and Deborah (Godfrey) Cowperthwaite. He attended medical lectures at the University of Iowa in 1867-1868, and was graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia in 1869. He practiced his profession first in Illinois, and then in Nebraska. In 1877 he became Dean and Professor of Materia Medica in the recently organized Homeopathic Department of the State University of Iowa, holding the position till 1892. In 1884 he accepted the chair of Materia Medica, Pharmacology, and Clinical Medicine in the Homeopathic Medical College of the University of Michigan. He removed to Chicago in 1892, and became Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics in the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College. From 1901 he also served as president of that College. He is the author of various works, notably "Insanity in its Medico-Legal Relations" (1876), "A Textbook of Materia Medica and Therapeutics" (1880), of "Gynecology" (1888), and of "The Practice of Medicine " (1901).