Arsenicum

Ars. alb.

Arsenicum album

This remedy, also called Ars alb by homeopathic practitioners, is an extremely dilute form of arsenic, a metallic poison derived from the chemical element of the same name. Weak preparations of arsenic have had a history of medicinal use; but slow accumulation of the element in body tissues can cause chronic poisoning, leading to gastrointestinal disorders, nausea, dehydration, and even paralysis and death. In step with the homeopathic theory that like cures like, Ars alb is preferred by practitioners to treat patients with various digestive complaints that are accompanied by signs of dehydration and burning pains, the same symptoms that are induced by arsenic.

In its homeopathic form, arsenic is separated from other metals like iron, cobalt, and nickel by baking at high temperatures. The extracted powder is then finely ground and weakened by mixing successively greater amounts of lactose (milk sugar) with the poison.

Parts Used

Arsenic oxide.

Uses

Arsen. alb. is given for anxiety and fear caused by an underlying insecurity and oversensitivity.

Arsenicum remedy is effective for a range of digestive disorders including: food poisoning that causes burning vomiting; indigestion; diarrhea; and gastroenteritis from eating too much ripe fruit and vegetables, iced foods, and drinking too much alcohol.

Children suffering from fever and diarrhea that causes severe dehydration are also helped by this remedy.

Arsen. alb. is effective for asthma with severe breathlessness; stinging mouth ulcers; cracked, dry lips from a burning nasal discharge; tiredness due to a physical illness, such as anemia or asthma, or mental strain, eye inflammation with watery, stinging eyes; headaches with dizziness and vomiting; and fluid retention, especially around the ankles.

When ill, those who need Arsen. alb. feel chilly, despite the burning pain that characterizes their symptoms. They are better with warmth but prefer their heads to be cool. This remedy is given for fever where the person is either hot to the touch but feels cold inside or is cold to the touch but feels burning hot inside.

Source

Arsenopyrite, which is found in Sweden, Germany, Norway, England, and Canada.

Personality profile

To understand the Arsenicum individual, one has to understand the 'anal-retentive type', to use a Freudian term. (It is no small coincidence that neat arsenic is a powerful purgative.) According to Freud, the anal-retentive type has become stuck emotionally at the stage in early childhood when the child has learned to say "no", and punishes the parents by refusing to cooperate, especially by retaining his stool defiantly. The adult anal type is always saying no, resisting, and holding his anger in. To quote Freud, the anal type becomes orderly, parsimonious and obstinate. Parsimony may appear in the exaggerated form of avarice; and obstinacy can go over into defiance, to which rage and revengefulness are easily joined. In these few words Freud summed up most of the characteristic negative qualities of Arsenicum.

Arsen. iod.

Arsenicum iodatum

There are no known orthodox medical uses for this substance, which was used homeopathically for tuberculosis in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It has also been used for lymphatic cancer.

Parts Used

Iodide of arsenic.

Uses

Arsen. iod. is good for hyperactive children who tend to be very hot (although some are cold). It is also used to treat psoriasis and chest complaints such as bronchitis. Any nasal discharges are burning; this is very evident in hay fever or allergic rhinitis in which the upper lip becomes raw. Asthma may accompany the hay fever. This remedy is also given for hard lymph glands due to psoriasis and eczema.

Source

Prepared chemically from metallic arsenic and iodine.