Gunpowder used as a homoeopathic remedy is the old fashioned black gunpowder used before the days of high explosives. Like many of our best remedies, it has been used empirically by the laity for many years previous to its use by the profession. The hunters and trappers of our Colonial era chewed the crude black gunpowder as a remedy for cuts and injuries, especially if infected. It acts as a vulnerary and is especially valuable if the tissues are infected. One of the principal uses that I have found for it is after the extraction of teeth, especially infected teeth. It relieves the pain to a great extent and promotes the healing of the gums, also taking care of the infection that has been turned loose in the system by breaking up the pus pockets at the roots of the teeth.
I have my patients take 2 tablets of the 3x, trituration each hour for 4 doses immediately after extraction, then extend the time to 2 hours and continue for several days. No aspirin or other anodyne will be needed, and I have frequently had dentists comment on how rapidly and well the gums had healed. Crops of boils are frequently cured by it, and it is an excellent remedy for patients with carbuncles. It will be found generally useful in all infected conditions where there are not marked indications for other remedies.
It was brought to the attention of the profession by the late Dr. John H. Clarke of London, to whom we are indebted for many other good things, especially his Dictionary of Materia Medica. Dr. Clarke first heard of it from a homoeopathic layman of Norfolk, England, who told him that the sheep-shearers of that county always ate black gunpowder before shearing time to prevent infection from sheep rot during shearing. They also used as a remedy for the same.
Unfortunately, Gunpowder had not definite proving and has to be used more or less empirically, but it will be found very useful in many cases. It consists of a mixture of three powerful remedies, Sulphur, Carbo vegetabilis and Kali nitricum. I have never been able to get satisfactory results with anything higher than the 3x trituration. RICHMOND, VA.
