Impure Calcium Carbonate. Ca CO3. Including symptoms of Calcarea acetica and Calcarea ostrearum, a trituration of the middle layer of oyster shells, of both of which Hahnemann made provings. Koch’s provings were made from carbonate of lime precipitated from a solution of chalk in hydrochloric acid. Trituration.
Clinical
*Abdomen, large. *Acidity. Alcohol, effects of. *Anaemia. *Ankles. weak. *Appetite, depraved. *Beard, sycosis of. *Bone, disease of. Brachial neuralgia. *Breasts, painful. *Bronchial glands, *affections of. *Calculus. Caries. Cataract. Chilblains. Chorea. Cold. *Consumption. *Corpulency. Coryza. *Cough. Coxalgia. *Croup. Crusta lactea. *Debility. Delirium tremens. *Dentition. Diabetes. Diarrhoea. *Dropsy. *Dyspepsia. *Ear, affections of. *Epilepsy. Epulis. *Eyes, affections of. Fever, intermittent. Fistula. Gall-stones. *Glandular swellings. Gleet. *Goitre. Gonorrhoea. Gouty swellings. Headache. *Hernia. Herpes. *Hydrocephalus. Hypochondriasis. Hysteria. Impotence. *Joints, affections of. *Lactation, *defective. *Leucocythemia. *Leucorrhoea. *Lupus. Masturbation. Melancholia. *Menstruation, disorders of. Milk-fever. Miller’s phthisis. *Miscarriage. *Molluscum contagiosum. *Naevus. Nervous fever. Neuralgia. Night terrors. Paralysis. Parotitis. *Peritonitis. *Perspiration. Plethora. *Polypus. *Pregnancy. Prosopalgia. Psoriasis palmaris. *Ranula. Renal colic. Rhagades. *Rheumatism. Rickets. *Ringworm. Sciatica. Scrofula. Skin, affections of. Sleep, disorders of. Sleeplessness. *Smell disorder of. Spinal affections. Stone- cutter’s phthisis. Strains. Sycosis. Sycosis menti *Tabes mesenterica. Tapeworm. *Taste disordered. *Teeth, carious. *Toothache. *Trachea, affections of. *Tuberculosis. *Tumours. Typhoid. Urticaria. *Uterus, affections of. Varices. *Vertigo. *Walking, *late. *Warts. Whitlow. *Worms.
Characteristics
*Calcarea is one of the greatest monuments of Hahnemann’s genius. His method of preparing insoluble substances brought to light in this instance a whole world of therapeutic power formerly unknown. Moreover, *Calcarea is one of the polychrest remedies, and ranks with *Sulphur and *Lycopodium at the head of the antipsorics. It is absolutely essential to a correct appreciation of the homoeopathic materia medica that these three medicines should be thoroughly known, as these are in a sense the standards around which the rest are grouped. All three have a very wide range and deep action. They have many symptoms in common, but *Calcarea is somewhat sharply distinguished form *Sulphur in that it is a chilly remedy, the patient seeking warmth, whilst the *Sulphur patient is worse by heat, and better by cold. *Calcarea has cold, clammy feet, “as if there weep damp stockings on,” *Sulphur has characteristically hot, sweaty feet. The “sinking sensation” common to all three is most marked with *Sulphur at 11 a m., with *Lycopod. at 4 p-m., with *Calcarea at any time. *Calcarea is closely allied to *Belladonna, Nux-v., Pulsatilla, and Rhus in its action. It follows well *Sulph. and *Nit- ac., to both of which it is complementary. It is inimical to *Bryonia, and should not be given immediately before or after that medicine. Like many of the other carbonates, *Calcarea carb. corresponds to persons of soft fibre with tendency to be fat. “This remedy is particularly adapted to the real *Leucophlegmatic Constitution. Where we find a large head, large features, pale skin, with a chalky look, and (in infants) open fontanelles, we may think strongly of *Calcarea c.” (Guernsey). The scrofulous constitution embraces a large number of *Calcarea’s characteristic effects: fat children rather bloated than solid, pale but flushing easily. Fair, slow in movement, of irregular growth, large heads, with wide-open fontanelles, large abdomens, irregular and partial sweats: the head sweats profusely, wetting the pillow for a space around the head, enlarged and hard lymphatic glands. Icy coldness in abdomen. In addition there are night terrors, child wakes at 2 or 3 a.m. screaming, cannot be made to understand, remembers nothing of it in the morning. Children are slow in teething and walk late. Sourness is one of the characteristic notes of *Calcarea c., the body is sour, taste sour, sour stool and urine. All the symptoms are made worse by taking cold. In all cases where there is improper nutrition and imperfect digestion, such as described above, and where there is chilliness, aggravation from contact with water and from cold,, clammy feet and sinking sensations, *Calcarea will most likely prove the remedy. *Calcarea also corresponds to ailments following losses of fluids, such as from self-abuse, and it corresponds to a form of menorrhagia, the flow being excessive and the intervals shortened. Periods return too soon after excitement. There is often pain in the breasts before the flow commences, as with *Conium. But if the menses are scanty or absent, and the *Calcarea characteristics of chilliness and cold, clammy feet are present, *Calcarea will still be the remedy. Suppression of menses in women of full habit after working in water. Bearing-down pains. Ovarian or uterine pains, right side, extending down thighs, worse on reading or writing (left, *Lil-t.). In addition to the cold symptoms there are sensations of heat and burning: heat in and on the vertex. In connection with this the sweat of the head must be remembered. It occurs chiefly on occiput and forehead (that of Silicea is all over). There is better uncovering during the heats (as with *Lycopodium and unlike *Silicea). Burning in soles of feet at night, burning in back of hands. The characteristic *Calcarea hand is soft, warm, and moist, a boneless hand. Also hands inclined to chap. There are copious night sweats, which may be sour or odourless. Foot-sweat, sour or odourless. The sweats of *Calcarea give on relief. Bloody sweats. Among other heat symptoms is hot breath with heat in mouth. Rumination is among the *Calcarea effects. Nausea after drinking water, even ever so little, *but not if iced. The “sinking” sensation of *Calcarea has some modifications. There is ravenous hunger, hunger and feeling of emptiness immediately after a meal, and in the early morning. If he doesn’t have his breakfast at the proper time, a headache comes on. Craving for eggs, for indigestible things, chalk, coal, etc. Nausea when fasting. Sour eructations. Sour diarrhoea. Sour body smell. Milk disagrees, sour vomiting of large curds. Inability to swallow solids. Chronic disease of left tonsil, feeling of lump in left side of throat which he wants to swallow pain from left tonsil to ear. Semilateral swelling of tongue. The Prosopalgia of *Calcarea is better warm fomentations, like *Pulsatilla Biliary colic: cutting pain under right scapula running to right hypochondrium and epigastrium. Crawling in rectum as from worms. Burning in rectum. Weight in lower rectum. Stools hard and pasty, like chalk or clay, offensive, undigested. Ardor urine, offensive urine. Impotence, penis cold and relaxed. *Calcarea is related to the pretubercular stage of phthisis, it is more especially suited to affections of the right apex. Stitching in chest and sides of chest when moving and when lying on affected side. The cough is provoked by going into a cold room, by chilliness. Tickling cough, sensation of feather in throat. I have cured with *Calcarea a “fat cough”_i.e., a cough with easy expectoration of a little mucus_and an arsenical cough (brought on by sleeping in a room having an arsenical wallpaper) which waked the patient in the middle of the night, causing him to sit up and cough till phlegm was raised. Rattling in the chest, miller’s and stone-cutter’s phthisis, old suppurating cavities. Swelling of cervical and bronchial glands. Scrofulous glands and scrofulous diseases of bones, spinal curvature, rickets. Swellings, false appearance of fat, milk leg better by elevating the limb, worse hanging it down. The same conditions mark the sciatica of *Calcarea, which follows on working in water. Rheumatic and gouty conditions from wetting. Joints crack and crepitate as if dry. The skin is rough and scaly and inclined to chap. Rhagades. Chapped hands. Chilblains from wetting. Eruptions. Cooper has cured with it psoriasis palmaris. Eruption behind right ear. Warts and polypi. *Calcarea is an eminently sycotic medicine, as the early morning aggravation would indicate.
The mental and nervous systems of *Calcarea are no less remarkable than the bodily. The Calcarea patient is slow in movements (*Sul. quick and active). The state of mind is one of apprehension. The patient fears she will lose her reason, or that people will notice her mental confusion. Fears she has some fatal disease, especially heart disease. Shuddering and dread as evening draws near. Sees visions on closing eyes (hence useful in delirium tremens). Cries out, twitches, grasps at flocks, restless and anxious though unconscious (nervous and typhoid fever), beside herself with anguish, on the borders of acute mania. Evil forebodings, talks of mice, rats, murders. Forgetful. The epilepsy of *Calcarea has an aura spreading up from the solar plexus, in which case the convulsion comes on immediately, or it may be like a mouse running on the arm, or it may run down from epigastrium into uterus or limbs. The causes are fright, suppressed eruptions and discharges, sexual excesses. Rush of blood to head, a sensation of something rising up from epigastrium to head is very characteristic. Trembling, twitching, internal trembling sensation on awaking. Fainting, coming on in the street with sensation of something rising from stomach to head. Talking causes a feeling of weakness which compels him to desist. Exertion or excitement causes exhaustion, though he may feel well before. Ascending causes great weakness. Exhaustion in the morning. Vertigo: tendency to fall to left, to either side, backward. Caused by turning head, worse looking upward, going (especially running) upstairs. Sensation as if in a dream. *Calcarea is one of the remedies that has been used for the sensation of levitation. Aversion to darkness. Cloud coming over head. In sleep the mental symptoms come out again: the patient is either abnormally sleepy or sleepless. Wakes 3 a m., and cannot get to sleep again, tosses about. Horrible phantasms. The child wakes in the night screaming and cannot be pacified, in the morning remembers nothing of it. Chews and swallows in sleep. Frightful dreams of sickness, death, and smell of corpses.
