The dry irritative cough of ammonium carb. is also aggravated by every effort and on entrance into a warm room. A scratchy feeling as if from a foreign body is frequently present. Huskiness and aphonia accompany the localization in the larynx; blood- flecked sputum frequently, the bronchitis. In inflammation of the nose the occlusion of the nose at night is so high grade that the patient is awakened out of sleep by the respiratory oppression. In the persistent coryzas the secretion should be acrid, burning, and watery. (The dry, spasmodic, nocturnal irritative cough arising from the throat combined with burning in the throat and feeling of suffocation will often find ammonium bromatum given wherein the bromine linkage is leading for the throat organs and the reflex spastic nerve irritation. The nocturnal aggravation on lying and particularly toward three in the morning is also present here. The spasmodic element is strongly stressed, therefore also the use in whooping cough.)
OTHER ORGAN ACTIONS
The symptoms on the gastro-intestinal canal which may be provoked through a chronic influence of ammonia or ammonium carb., like many gastro-intestinal disturbances, have no therapeutic significance because nausea, acid burning, hunger and rapid satiety as well as pain in the gastric region give no differential signs in particular of ammonium carbonicum.
It is the same with the urinary symptoms, increased urgency with irritative manifestations of cutting and burning, increased urine and copious red or white sediment. The menstrual type and the accompanying manifestations at the time of the menses have been mentioned under disturbances of a general type. An acrid, corrosive leucorrhoea is an accessory manifestation of subordinate significance.
SUMMARY
Accordingly for the selection of ammonium carbonicum are essential:
1. The relaxed, tired type with defective power of reaction, with weakened musculature of heart, especially depressed and hypochondriacal at the time of the menses, tendency to dark bleeding and the signs of the hydrogenoid constitution, sensitivity toward cold, damp weather and water.
2. The chief trend is toward the respiratory passages with failure of compensation through the cardiac power and regulating brain centers tendency to respiratory paralysis and collapse of the vascular system.
3. The modalities: aggravation: outside of the already mentioned general (cold,, damp weather, application of water, menses), especially for cough and respiratory disturbances are the nocturnal and in particular 3 A.M. aggravation moreover from excretion and in warm rooms. There is reported a preference of the right side for ammonium carb.
DRUG PROVINGS
Provings of ammonium carb. are found in (1) Hahnemann: Chronic Diseases, Bd. II (7 proving conductors); (2) Homoopathische Vierteljahrsschrift, Bd. X, 1 (12 provers).
Study with large doses: (3) Wibmer: Wirkungender Arzneimittel und Gifte, Bd. 1, p. 131, 1831.
(A characteristic proving has not yet been made).
RARELY USED PREPARATIONS
Ammonium iodat. is not proven. Ammonium acet. and ammonium nitr. only with large doses (Wibmer).
Of ammonium bromatum: (1) Cushing: Trans. of Amer. Inst. Homo. 1870, 2nd morning, also 1890.
Outside of the already mentioned spasmodic laryngeal symptoms, for ammonium bromat., eye inflammation is especially mentioned; moreover, an irritation under the finger nail which is relieved by biting on it.
Ammonium phosphor. is mentioned for chronic gout without the symptoms of even a short proving giving the occasion. (C. Voigt: compression of the precordium and chest, nausea, thirst; hard, small rapid pulse, collapsed circulation: fulness and tension in the head, heaviness in the extremities, uncertain, stumbling gait). Allen’s report of facial paralysis is likewise not exactly suited to awaken confidence.
If ammonium benz. is recommended for gout of the great toe, then, this refers more to the benzoic acid component.
AMMONIUM MURIATICUM
Salmiac, NH4Cl, dissociates as the salt of a strong acid and in contrast to the carbonate is stronger electrically and less hydrolytic. The lack of odor of this salt suggests that no ammonia is set free. Therefore in the organism the liberation of ammonia is less stormy so that the elaboration to urea and the excretion through the urine and sweat in general is more extensive.
With larger doses an increased excretion of a urinous smelling sweat is observed. Moreover, the disturbances of the digestive canal appear stronger: coated tongue, scurvy-like alterations in the gums, burning sensation in the stomach, nausea, constipation, more rarely also diarrhea and colic besides nausea and vomiting and from persistent use emaciation.
SPECIAL ASPECTS OF AMMONIUM MURIATICUM
One may expect from ammonium muriaticum a more prolonged ammonium action and moreover in the liberation from hydrochloric acid and its neutralization (through sodium) an approximation of acidum muriaticum and natrium muriaticum. Likewise magnesium muriaticum is recalled particularly by the gastro-intestinal symptoms.
The general type with relaxed fibres and loss of power corresponds also to ammon. mur., but on the other hand it lacks the hydrogenoid trend, the aggravation from damp and cold; likewise it lacks the nocturnal aggravation.
In ammon. mur., in contrast to ammon. carb., there exists a great tendency to periodic febrile states. Thereby the chill should predominate (stronger evenings) and the thirst is absent; at night the sweat appears. With this is associated the characteristic symptom of ammon. car.: sensation of coldness between the shoulder blades. This is particularly guiding in the catarrhal processes.
The periodicity (the seven-day type is observed) has also given occasion for use in malaria -like states. This tendency to febrile states is probably to be traced to the chloride fraction. Generally there exists in ammon. mur. a greater erethism in the vascular system, an unrest in the circulation.
ORGAN ACTIONS
The symptoms of the respiratory passages are indeed like those of ammon. carb. but less stormy, joined with less disturbance on the part of the heart and the central regulatory apparatus. Dyspnea and feeling of suffocation are not so prominent. In place of this the direct influence on mucous secretion appears more in the foreground in ammon. mur. (In ammon. carb. the collection of mucus with rales is secondary and conditioned more through weakness, especially of the heart.) Indeed, ammon. mur. is used by the old school exactly for an increase in mucous secretion. In order to loosen cough, to lighten expectoration, large doses are necessary. The indication is dry, irritating cough with stitches in the chest, worse on lying on the back or on the right side, worse toward morning; noon and evening the cough is loose with copious expectoration and rales.
The laryngitis is combined with huskiness and burning. Burning in small spots in the chest is reported. The colds have an acrid, hot, watery secretion which leads to nasal occlusion as well as loss of smell but not to paroxysmal respiratory oppression as with ammon. car. Likewise in the throat, in the tonsils, there is merely a simple catarrhal swelling with abundant tenacious mucus present with ammon. mur. Through stimulation of secretion, glandular swelling in the throat should find alleviation, indeed even in persistent goiter.
Among the gastro-intestinal symptoms, deviating from ammon. carb., the constipation with crumbling stools is noteworthy, a symptom which recalls natrium muriaticum and magnesium muriaticum and which may be ascribed to the anion. With ammon. mur. the stool is often coated with shiny mucus. Green, slimy diarrhea are more rarely encountered, hemorrhoids, itching, sticking, burning, soreness in the rectum are accessory manifestations, similarly as in ammon. carb. The other gastro- intestinal symptoms are just as non-characteristic as with ammon. carb.
A chronic hepatic swelling with burning and sticking appears as a clinical indication together with sensations in both hypochondria. That the liver is the site of ammonium detoxication is hardly enough to make this indication plausible. An old indication of prostatic hypertrophy has been incorporated in homoeopathy without foundation.
The menses are of the same type as with ammon. carb., and still the bleeding should occur more profusely at night with ammon. mur. A protein- like leucorrhoea or brown, slimy discharge after urination is incidental.
The more prolonged, more deeply penerating ammonium action than in the ammon. mur., picture is found in the number of neuralgic complaints: most important is a sciatica, worse from sitting, somewhat better from moving, lessening on lying, a tensive and contracting-like pain; moreover neuralgia in amputations; coccygodynia, like a bruise; lancinating, drawing and cutting pains in the fingers, toes and heels, the heel pain better from rubbing.
PROVINGS
(1) Hahnemann: Chronic Diseases; Bd. 2.
(2) Gumpert: Medorrhinum Zeitung d. Vereins f. Helikunde in Preussen Bd.III, 179.
Leeser, a Consultant Physician at the Stuttgart Homeopathic Hospital and a member of the German Central Society of Homeopathic Physicians, fled Germany in 1933 after being expelled by the German Medical Association. In England Otto Leeser joined the staff of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. He returned to Germany in the 1950s to run the Robert Bosch Homeopathic Hospital in Stuttgart, but died shortly after.
Otto Leeser wrote Textbook of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Leesers Lehrbuch der Homöopathie, Actionsand Medicinal use of Snake Venoms, Solanaceae, The Contribution of Homeopathy to the Development of Medicine, Homeopathy and chemotherapy, and many articles submitted to The British Homeopathic Journal,