ANTIMONIUM TARTARICUM


Therapeutic symptoms of homeopathic remedy Antimonium Tartaricum, described by E.B. Nash in his book, Leaders in Homeopathic Therapeutics, published in 1898….


Great accumulation of mucus in the air passages, with coarse rattling with inability to expectorate;impending paralysis of the lungs.

Face very pale or cyanotic from unoxidized blood.

Great coma or sleepiness in the most complaints.

Vomiting, intense nausea, with prostration;general coldness, cold sweat and sleepiness.

Trembling;internal, head and hands.

Thick eruptions like pocks, often pustular;as large as a pea.

Modalities : better from expectoration.

Both ends of life, childhood and old age; clings to those around; wants to be carried; cries and whines if any one touches it; will not let you feel the pulse.

ANT-T., is another powerful emetic. I can remember the time when the old allopaths used it almost as generally as the botanics did LOBELIA INFLATA, to ” CLEAN OUT THE STOMACH.” Nowadays, washing out the stomach by lavage, and the rectum and colon by enemas, according to ” Hall’s method,” is quite fashionable, and is withal much more sensible, in as much as they are so lame in their therapeutics.

Notwithstanding these improvements, there is still a great deal of “GUT SCRAPING” going on in the name of ” cleaning out the system,” as though the alimentary canal was not a self cleaning institution, if kept, or put into a healthy condition, but must be regularly “gone through” once in about so often, on the “house cleaning”principle. To be sure it is folly, but they do the best they know. Neither ANT-T., nor any other emetic is used by us for emetic purposes from a therapeutic standpoint.

Our therapeutic uses of it are the same as those of any other remedy, on the principle of SIMILIA SIMILIBUS CURANTUR. The nausea of this remedy is as intense as that of IPECAC, but not so persistent, and there is relief after vomiting. I have found it nearest a specific (of course use know there is no absolute specific for any disease) for cholera morbus of any remedy. For more than twenty fine years. I have seldom found it necessary to use any other, and then only when there were severe cramps in the stomach and bowels, when CUPRUM METALLICUM relieved.

It has the nausea, vomiting, loose stools, prostration, cold sweat, and stupor or drowsiness found in almost all bad cases of this disease, and I have seldom been obliged to give more than 2 or 3 more doses, one after each vomiting, before the case was relieved. It is not generally recommended in the text books for this ailment, but it is a gem, as I know from abundant experience and observation.

If ANT-T., possessed only the one power of curing, that it does upon the respiratory organs, it would be indispensable. No matter what the NAME of the trouble, whether it be bronchitis, pneumonia whooping cough or asthma, etc., if there is great accumulation of mucus with COARSE RATTLING, or filling up with it, but, at the same time, there seems to be inability to raise it, TARTAR EMETIC is the first remedy to be thought of. This is true in all ages and constitutions, but particularly so in children and old people.

There is one symptom that is very apt to be present in these cases, and that is, GREAT DROWSINESS or sleepiness, sometimes amounting to coma. This is found, not only in diseases of the respiratory organs, but in cholera infantum cholera morbus and intermittent fever. In pneumonia, both TARTAR EMETIC and OPIUM may have great sleepiness; but there is no need for any confusion here as to choice, for in OPIUM the face is dark red or purple, and there may be sighing or stertorous respiration. With TARTAR EMETIC the face is always pale, or cyanotic, with no redness, and the breathing is not stertorous.

Three remedies are remarkable for sleepiness Viz OPIUM; TARTAR EMETIC and NUX-M, but aside from this one symptom they are not alike. ANT-T., is also one of our best remedies for hepatization of lungs remaining after pneumonia. There is dullness on percussion, and lack, or absence of respiratory murmur, and shortness of breath, and patient continues pale, weak and sleepy.

If SULPH., should not promote absorption in such a case, tARTAR EMETIC will often do it. I have used it from the 200th to the C.M. potencies with equally good results.

E.B.Nash
Dr. E.B. Nash 1838- 1917, was considered one of our finest homeopaths and teachers. He was Prof. of Materia Medica at the N.Y. Homoeopathic Medical College and President of International Hahnemannian Assoc. His book Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics is a classic. This article is from: :The Medical Advance - A monthly magazine of homoeopathic medicine - edited and published by H.C. Allen, M. D.