TISSUE SALTS


Calc-Fluor

Calc-Phos

Calc-Phos

Ferr-Phos

Kali-Mur

Kali-Phos

Kali-Sulph

Mag-Phos

Nat-Mur

Nat-Phos

Nat-Sulph

Silica

Synonyms. - Potassium Chloride. Kali Chloratum. Kali Chloridum. Potassii Chloridum.
Common Names. - Chloride of Potash or Chloride of Potassium. (N. B. - This drug must not be confounded with Kali Chloricum, whose synonyms are Potassium Chlorate, Potassae Chloras and Potassii Chloras, whose common name is Chlorate of Potash, and whose formula is K Cl O3. This has been proved, and the authors of the "Guiding Symptoms" have deemed them sufficiently similar to Schuessler's Kali mur. to incorporate them in their work. See Vol. VI., " Guiding Symptoms.")
Chemical Properties. - Formula, K Cl. Occurs in nature in mineral carnallite. It may be prepared by neutralizing pure aqueous hydrochloric acid with pure potassium carbonate or hydrate. It crystallizes in cubes, occasionally in octahedrons. The crystals are colorless or white, melt at a low red heat and volatilize at a high temperature without decomposition. It is soluble in three parts of cold and two of boiling water, and is insoluble in strong alcohol.
Preparation. - The pure chloride is prepared by trituration according to homeopathic pharmacy rules.
Physiological - chemical Data. - This salt, according to Schuessler, stands in a chemical relation to fibrin; disturbances in its molecular action cause fibrinous exudations. Without the presence of this salt no new brain - cell formation would take place. This salt is found in the blood corpuscles, muscles, nerve and brain - cells, as well as in the inter - cellular fluids. In its physiological character it is closely related to the sodium chloride, many of the properties of which it shares. It is found in the blood in greater quantity than any other inorganic salt except its close relative Sodium chloride. The relation being as follows: Kali mur., 4 parts in 1,000; Natrum mur., 5.1/2 parts in 1,000. If the cells of the epidermis, in consequence of any irritation, lose molecules of Kali mur., fibrin in the form of a white or whitish - gray exudation, is thrown off. This, in drying, becomes a mealy eruption. If the irritation extends to the tissues beneath the epidermis, both fibrin and serum will exude, and the involved part of the skin will be pushed up in the form of blisters. This is exactly what takes place in small - pox, cow - pox, vaccine disease. Similar processes can take place within and amongst epithelial cells. If the integrity of the affected tissue is again restored by the administration of Kali mur. molecules, then a reabsorption or throwing off of the exudation occurs. Either result is attained probably by the production of hydrochloric acid formed by one part of chlorine from the K Cl with hydrogen. The action of this hydrochloric acid consists in dissolving the fibrin in the formative (nascent) state.
General Action. - Kali mur. corresponds to the second stage of inflammations of serous membranes when the exudation is of a plastic or fibrinous character. If leucocytes remain after the absorption of the fibrin of a plastic exudation, Natrum phosph. is serviceable. Kali mur. answers to croupous or diphtheritic exudations, and hence is useful in such diseases as diphtheria dysentery croup, croupous pneumonia, fibrinous exudation in the interstitial connective tissues lymphatic enlargements, infiltrated inflammations, cutaneous eruptions from bad vaccine virus, etc. The principal general characteristic symptoms are a white or gray coating at the base of the tongue, white or gray exudations, glandular swellings, discharges or expectorations of a thick, white, fibrinous some or phlegm from any mucous surface, or flour like scaling of the skin, torpor of the liver, etc.
Kali mur. is one of the most useful and positive of all our remedies in the hands of the aurist - chiefly suited to the second or later stages of catarrhal states.
Guiding Symptoms and Characteristic Indications.

Mind
Mental Symptoms. - Patient imagines he must starve.

Head
Head and Scalp. - Headache with vomiting, hawking up of white, milk - like mucus. Sick headache with white - coated tongue, or vomiting of white phlegm, arising from a sluggish liver, want of appetite, etc. In meningitis as a second remedy. Crusta Lactea. Dandruff.

Eyes
Eyes. - Discharge of white mucus from the eyes, or yellow, greenish matter and yellow, purulent scabs. Specks of matter on the lids. Superficial, flat ulcer of the eyes arising from a vesicle. Blisters on cornea. Feeling of sand in the eyes. Iritis. Cataract, after Calc fluor. Ulcers of asthenic type, tedious cases, redness not excessive, dirty white, yellow, discharge moderate. Onyx and hypopyon. Trachoma. Parenchymatous keratitis. Retinitis when exudation sets in.

Ears
Ears. - Chronic catarrhal conditions of the middle ear. Deafness or earache from congestion and swelling of the middle ear or Eustachian tubes, with swelling of the glands, or cracking noises on blowing the nose or swallowing. Deafness due to throat troubles, white tongue, etc. Deafness from swelling of external ear. Moist exfoliation of epithelial layer of the tympanic membrane. Granular conditions of external meatus and membrane. Granular conditions of external meatus and membrana tympani. Excessive granulations. Proliferous form of middle ear inflammation, stuffy sensation, deafness and naso - pharyngeal obstruction. Closed Eustachian tubes. "When Politzer bag fails to open tubes after a few doses of Kali muriaticum they may be inflated easily." (R. S. Copeland.) Retracted membrana tympani. Walls of external meatus atrophied. Seems to act more on right Eustachian tube. Glands about the ear swollen. Snapping and noises in the ear.

Nose
Nose. - Catarrh, phlegm white, thick. Stuffy cold in the head, whitish - gray tongue. Dry coryza. Vault of pharynx covered with adherent crusts. Nosebleed in the afternoon. (Holbrook.)

Face
Face. - Cheeks swollen and painful. Faceache from swelling of face or gums.

Mouth
Mouth. - Aphthae, thrush, white ulcers in the mouths of little children or nursing mothers. Canker, excoriation and rawness of the mouth. Swollen glands about jaw and neck.
Tongue. - For the swelling in inflammation of the tongue, Coating of tongue grayish - white, dryish or slimy. Mapped tongue.
Teeth. - Gumboil before matter forms. Toothache with swelling of the gums and cheeks.

Throat
Throat. - The sole remedy in most cases of diphtheria, with Ferr-phos. Gargle also with same. Mumps, swelling of the parotid glands. Pharyngitis, throat swollen, spots or pustules appear with gray or whitish exudation ( Follicular). Adenoids are frequently cured by it. Hawks up offensive, cheesy, small lumps. Pain on swallowing. Syphilitic sore throat. Second remedy in tonsillitis as soon as swelling appears. Tonsils inflamed, enlarged so much can hardly breathe. Grayish patches or spots in throat. White deposits. Tonsils spotted gray or white. Adherent crusts in vault of pharynx. A proving of the 6x trituration is reported in the Homeopathic Recorder, 1900. The drug caused a bad sore throat, pain on swallowing even water, tonsils inflamed, throat filled with tough, stringy mucus ankle joints puffy. Prover was perfectly well until he commenced to take the Kali mur.

Stomach
Gastric Symptoms. - Want of appetite. Biliousness with gray or white tongue. Dyspepsia and indigestion, with a whitish - gray tongue, sick feeling after taking fat, pain and heavy feeling on the right side under the shoulder. Fatty or rich food causes indigestion. Indigestion with vomiting of white, opaque mucus; water gathers in the mouth. Gastritis when caused by taking too hot drinks. Pain in the stomach, with constipation, vomiting of thick, white phlegm, or dark, clotted, viscid blood. Bitter taste with obstinate constipation. Jaundice with these symptoms (Holbrook.)

Abdomen
Abdomen and Stool. - Jaundice if caused by a chill resulting in catarrh of the duodenum, stools light in color. Sluggish action or complete torpidity of the liver, pain in right side, pale yellow evacuations, constipation and furred tongue. Typhoid or enteric fever, looseness of bowels, flocculent evacuations. Abdominal tenderness and swelling. Typhus, with constipation. Small white thread worms, causing itching at the anus ( Natr-phos. ). Flatulence, abdominal swelling, etc. Second stage of peritonitis, typhlitis and perityphilitis (see clinical case under typhlitis.). Constipation, light - colored stools denoting want of bile, sluggish action of liver, or occurring in consequence of some primary disturbance, especially where fat and pastry disagree. Diarrhea, after fatty food, and in typhoid fever, with pale yellow, ocher or clay colored stools, white or slimy stools. Dysentery, purging, with slimy stools. Hemorrhoids, bleeding piles, blood dark and thick, fibrinous, clotted.

Urinary organs
Urinary and Sexual Organs. - Acute cases of inflammation of the bladder, in the second stage, when swelling has set in and discharge is thick, white mucus. Chief remedy in chronic cystitis. Inflammatory affections of the kidneys. Dark colored urine, deposit of uric acid. The principal remedy in gonorrhea and orchitis, resulting from a suppression of the same. In bubo for the soft swelling, and in soft chancres it is also the chief remedy (3x). Chronic stage of syphilis with characteristic pathological conditions. Gleet combined with eczema, visible or latent. Menstruation too late or suppressed, checked or too early, excessive discharge, dark clotted or tough, black blood, like tar. Amenorrhea, menses suppressed. Periods too frequent. Leucorrhea, discharge of milky - white mucus, thick, non - irritating, bland. Ulceration of the os and cervix uteri, with the characteristic discharge of thick, white bland secretion. Chronic congestion of the uterus, hypertrophy, second stage (See Calc-fluor. ).

Female
Pregnancy. - Morning sickness with vomiting of white phlegm. Puerperal fever, chief remedy. Mastitis, gathered breast, to control the swelling.

Respiratory
Respiratory Symptoms. - Loss of voice, hoarseness from cold, tongue white. Asthma with gastric derangements, mucus white and hard to cough up. Bronchial asthma, second stage of bronchitis, when thick, white phlegm forms. Cough in phthisis, thick, white, milky sputa. Loud, noisy stomach cough; cough short, acute and spasmodic, like whooping cough, expectoration thick and white. Protruded appearance of eyes, white tongue, croupy, hard cough, harsh and barking. In croup the principal remedy for the exudation. Pneumonia, second stage, white, viscid expectoration. Pleurisy, second stage, with plastic exudations and adhesions. Wheezing rales, or rattling sound of air passing through thick, tenacious mucus in the bronchi, difficult to cough up; hard cough. Chill grasps at throat during a coughing spell.

Heart
Circulatory Organs. - Embolism, blood in a condition favoring formation of clots, which act as plugs. Second stage of pericarditis, plastic exudation, adhesions, etc. Palpitation from excessive flow of blood to the heart in hypertrophic conditions.

Extremities
Back and Extremities. - Glands of neck swollen. Rheumatic fever, exudation and swelling around the joints. Acute articular rheumatism. Rheumatic gouty pains, if worse. On motion and if tongue be coated white. Rheumatic pains felt only during motion or increased by it ( Ferr-phos.). Nightly rheumatic pains worse from warmth of bed; lightning - like from small of back to feet; must get out of bed and sit up. Hands get stiff while writing. Chronic rheumatism and swelling, when all movements cause pain. Chronic swelling of the legs and feet, painless, itching violently. Second stage of hip - joint disease. Ulcers on extremities, fibrinous discharges, bunions. Tenalgia crepitans, creaking of the tendons on the back of the hand. Chilblains on hands or feet or any part.

Nerves
Nervous Symptoms. - The specific or chief remedy in epilepsy, especially if occurring with or after suppression of eczema or other eruptions. Should be persisted in for some time. Tabes dorsalis.

Sleep
Sleep. - Startled at the least noise. Somnolence. Restless sleep.

Fever
Febrile Symptoms. - Congestions and inflammations, second stage of any organ or part of the body. The second remedy in gastric, enteric or typhoid fever. In puerperal fever, the chief remedy for the exudation; also in rheumatic fever. In scarlet fever, with Ferr-phos. suffices to cure most cases. Typhus fever, for the constipation. Intermittent fever, with characteristic accompaniments of this drug. Scarlet fever, as preventive. Catarrhal fever great chilliness, the least cold air chills him through, has to sit close to the fire to keep warm and is chilly. Better covered up in bed. (Hol - brook.)

Skin
Skin. - Abscess, boils, carbuncles, etc., in the second stage, when interstitial exudation takes place, and to cause swelling to disappear before matter forms. Acne, erythema, eczema and other eruptions on the skin, with vesicles containing thick, white contents. Albuminoid eczema, or other skin disease, arising after vaccination with bad vaccine lymph. Eczema from suppressed or deranged uterine functions. Dry, flour - like scales on the skin. Obstinate eczema, crusta lactea, scurfy eruption on the head and face of little children. Its use in obstinate eczema has been repeatedly verified. Burns of all degrees (externally also), blisters, etc. The 3x dissolved in water will frequently instantly relieve the pain of severe burns. Bunions, chilblains, eruptions, connected with stomach or menstrual derangement. Erysipelas vesiculosa, the principal remedy. Herpes, shingles, lupus, measles, hoarse cough and glandular swellings, also for after effects. Pimples on the face, neck, etc. Smallpox, principal remedy; controls formation of pustules. Ulcers with whitish, flour - like coating, or fibrinous, white discharge. Sycosis, primary remedy. Ingrown toenail. Warts on hands.
Tissues. - Anemia, as an intercurrent if skin affections be present. Hemorrhages, dark, black, clotted, or tough blood. Effects of blows, cuts and bruises, for the swelling. Dropsy. Arising from heart, liver or kidney disease, from obstruction of the bile - ducts, from weakness of the heart with palpitation. Whitish liquid is drawn off; white mucous sediment in the urine and white tongue. Fibrinous and lymph exudations in the interstitial connective tissues not becoming absorbed. Chief remedy in glandular swellings, follicular infiltrations. Proud flesh, exuberant granulations. Scrofulous enlargement of the glands. Scurvy, hard infiltrations. Second remedy in sprains, strumous conditions. Bad effects of vaccination. Syphilis.

Aggravation
All the stomach and abdominal symptoms of this drug are worse after taking fatty food, pastry, or any rich food. The rheumatic and other pains are increased and aggravated by motion. "It is a sluggish remedy for sluggish symptoms and sluggish constitutions, being anti - scrofulous, anti - sycotic and anti - syphilitic." (Saunders.)

Text
Homeopathic Data. - Hering's Guiding Symptoms, Vol. VI, contains a complete resume of symptoms of this drug, but unfortunately they are mixed up with symptoms of Kali chloricum with no distinguishing sign, rendering the collection of symptoms less valuable for purposes of study than would be the case had they been kept separate.
Administration. - Triturations and dilutions. Schuessler's preference is for the 6x or 12x, though latterly he has given low potencies. In diphtheria he recommends gargle of the 3x, 10 or 15 grains in a tumbler of water. Its external application is also recommended in burns, boils, carbuncles, skin affections, warts, etc., to be applied on lint dressings.

Relationship
Relationship - Corresponding as it does to the second stage of all inflammatory troubles, immediately upon appearance of exudation, its nearest concordants are Bryon., Mercur., Apis, Thuja, Spongia Iodine, Pulsat., Rhus and Sulphur.
Analyses of the following drugs show them to contain Kali mur. in quite considerable quantities (homeopathically considered): Phytol., Sanguin., Iodine., Pulsat., Rhus and Sulphur.
Analyses of the following drugs show them to contain Kali mur. in quite considerable quantities (homeopathically considered): Phytol., Sanguin., Stilling., Pinus Can., Asclep., Ailanth., Anis stell., Hamam. Virg., Cimicif., Berber. Most of these possess many symptoms in common with Kali mur. When full chemical analyses shall have been made of the various drugs, vegetable and animal, we shall be able to compare the symptoms of each drug with those of its component parts. Compare in Eustachian tube troubles Merc-dulc. In syphilis follow with Kali sulph. and Silicea. In lupus, Calc. Phos.
In Schuessler's Therapeutics. Kali mur. assumes a role much like Sulphur in pure Homeopathy, as a deep - acting remedy with eradicating tendencies, useful as an intercurrent, and to prepare the way for other indicated remedies. Kali mur. is frequently followed by Calc., Sulph., which latter completes the action of the former. Kali mur. follows Ferr-phos. when the true lymph - exudation of ripening interstitial inflammation sets in. It also supersedes Natr-mur. when the deeper layers of epithelium; adjoining the connective tissue basement, are involved, and even suffer exfoliation, causing a white - coated tongue and an opaque - whitish secretion. (Morgan.)
Kali mur. may be compared with the chlorate Kali color., the most poisonous of all the potash salts, a violent irritant of the whole gastro intestinal mucous membrane, producing gangrenous ulceration. Compare in aphthae, dysentery, epithelioma and nephritis. See Allen's Handbook.