Natrum Carbonicum


Natrum Carbonicum signs and symptoms of the homeopathy medicine from the Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica by J.H. Clarke. Find out for which conditions and symptoms Natrum Carbonicum is used…


      Sodium carbonate. (The common “Soda” of the shops, purified, not the Bicarbonate of Soda, NaHCO3). Na2CO3 10H2O. Trituration. Solution.

Clinical

Albuminuria. *Anhidrosis. Ankles, weak. Burns. Cornea, ulcers on. Corns. Coryza. Deafness. Dysmenia. Dyspepsia. Goitre. *Hands, chapped. Headache. Heels, blisters on. Herpes: iris, circinatus. Hypochondriasis. Hysteria. *Ichthyosis. Lisping. Moles. Nose, swollen, eruptions on, red. Ozaena. Post-nasal catarrh. Presbyopia. Priapism. Rheumatism. School-headache. Scrofula. Stammering. Sterility. Sunstroke, chronic effects of. *Throat, *mucus in. Toothache. Warts.

Characteristics

*Nat carb. is the typical salt of the *Natrum group. It was proved by Hahnemann, and is one of the antipsoric remedies of the *Chronic Diseases. In old-school practice its chief uses are as an external application in solution to burns and eczema, as a douche in nasal or vaginal catarrh. *Nat.c. forms the alkaline basis in most soaps, and most persons know by experience the effect of using soap with an excess of alkali. It almost burns off the superficial layers of the epidermis, and leaves the skin dry and cracked. The provings, while developing in *Nat.c. a remedy of polychrest importance, confirms its irritating action, and show *Nat.c. to be a true remedy for chapped hands and faces, rough, dry skins, eczema, herpes, warts and scrofulous conditions of skin. On the mucous membranes the effects are no less irritating. The whole alimentary tract from mouth to anus is irritated _ vesicles, ulcers, catarrh. In the eyes the irritation goes on to keratitis and ulceration of cornea. The nose is swollen and ulcerated, with a thick yellow or green offensive discharge. Thick, yellow, putrid leucorrhoea. The predominant mental condition of *Nat.c. is one of profound sadness, depression, and melancholy, constantly occupied with sad thoughts, though there is also the opposite, great gaiety and talkativeness. The hypochondriacal mood is often an accompaniment of the condition of the digestive mucus membrane. The depression and irritability is worse after a meal, the aggravation diminishing as digestion advances., “as the food passes through the *duodenum.” Such patients, says Farrington, are decidedly averse to society, even that of their own family. The indigestion is worse from vegetables and starchy foods. Worse From milk. The tongue has some characteristic symptoms, notably affection of the under surface and fraenum, and it is so heavy and unwieldy that the patient has difficulty in speaking. The common practice of taking Bicarbonate of Soda for indigestion and heartburn is founded on a true relationship (though *Nat.c. is the *Carbonate and not the *Bi-carbonate), but the indiscriminate and excessive use of it only intensifies the trouble. The nearest analogue of *Nat.c. in this and in the female sexual sphere is *Sepia. The nervous system is strongly affected, and symptoms of hysteria appear. A leading note is worse from exertion, mental or bodily. Great debility from any exertion, unsteady walk, any little obstruction on pavement causes falling, or he falls without any apparent cause. There are contractions of muscles and tendons, and also relaxation of tissues. Ankle-joints are weak and burn. Twitching in muscles and limbs. I have cured with *Nat.c. “Jerking of hands on going to sleep.” Among the *Peculiar Sensations are: As if head too large. As if forehead would burst. As if head would be drawn back. As if ears were closed up. As of a bubble bursting in ear. As if tip of tongue were cracked. Dryness of mouth as if caused by heat of breath. As if veins of right leg were bruised. Motion as from a foetus in uterus. Blisters on points of toes as if scalded. Emaciation, anaemia, bloating are prominent effects of Nat.c., as also is swelling and induration of glands. *Nat.c, is *suited to: Light-haired people, persons of leucophlegmatic constitution with aversion to open air, and to exercise, mental or physical. Stitches go from within out. Right upper and left lower are particularly affected. A peculiar symptoms of *Nat.c. is “discharge of mucus after an embrace” in the woman, and sterility as a result. In *Medorrhinum *Adv., xviii. 248 and 370, are two cases in point, one cured by J.C. Guernsey and the other by W. Jefferson Guernsey. In both cases the woman complained that she “could not retain the semen” after the embrace. Some of the grand keynotes of the remedy are to be found in its modalities. Prominent among these are worse from sun, heat, gas-light. Worse From mental exertion, from physical exertion or strain, from least effort, worse From music. *Nat.c. has great debility from heat of summer, from chronic effects of sunstroke, every spell of warm weather causes headache. Headache from sun or working under gaslight. At the same time there is great aversion to cold air, worse from draft of air, change of clothing, getting wet, drinking cold water, worse damp weather, change of weather. Worse From storms. *Nat.c has extreme sensitiveness to electric changes. There is great thirst for cold water, but worse on drinking it (stitches in spleen). worse By rest, worse lying on left side (palpitation, stitch in back to anus), worse sitting. Moving better. Moving head causes cracking in cervical vertebrae. Moving causes profuse sweat. Most symptoms come on or are worse in morning. “Sinking” 10 to 11 a.m. worse On alternate days. Worse During full moon. Eating better sinking, worse dyspepsia and hypochondriasis. Worse From milk, from vegetable diet, from cold drink when over-heated. Better By pressure, rubbing, scratching, wiping with hand. Better Boring into ears and nose with fingers.

Relations

*Antidoted by: Camph., Sp. nit. Dulcamara *It antidotes: Chi. *Complementary: Sepia, (Kali salts). *Compatible: Calcarea, Nux-v., Pul., Sepia, Sul. *Compare: Nat-sul. (Nat-sul. is preferable for yeast-like vomiting, with pallid, dirty, livid tongue). Natrum mur. (hypochondriasis. That of Nat-c. keeps pace with indigestion, that of Natrum mur. with degree of constipation, head and face better uncovering, leucorrhoea). Sepia (Indifferent to family, melancholy, apprehensive, worse by music, backache worse by sitting, bearing down, boring through from tip of left scapula, _ Sepia has more empty feeling, and it does not “fill up” till after supper, Nat-c. sinking worse 10 to 11 a.m., better eating, which causes distension). Pic-ac. (priapism, towards morning, emission and no desire). Nux (hypochondriasis: morning retching _ Nux-v., of pregnancy, or after debauch). Pho., Rho., Silicea, Pet., worse from thunder storm. Sul-ac., Sul., Causticum (falls easily). Lycopodium ( better uncovering, ulcer on heel. Lycopodium on instep, right upper, left lower). Am. C., Am-m., Bryonia (cough in warm room). Sepia (eruption on back of hands, Sepia ulcers about joints of hands). Calcarea (coldness in abdomen, _ Icy coldness in stomach, Calcarea, Colchicum, Arsenicum, Ambr., _ burning heat in stomach, Arsenicum, Apis). Sil

(intolerance of draft, cough from draft of air, _ worse open air, Calcarea, worse change of temperature, Lachesis). Agaricus, Naja. (ulcer on frenum linguae). Aco., Calcarea, Gloninum (headache from sun’s rays). Zincum met., Sul., Ind. (Weakness and goneness at stomach 11 a.m.). Calcarea (chapped hands). Kali-ca., chapped face. Debility from heat of summer, Ant-c. Headache from sun or gaslight, Gloninum, Lachesis Worse From music, Sabi. Catarrh, profuse discharge by day, stopped at night, Nux. Bearing down as if everything would come out, Agaricus, Lilium t., Murex. Easily sprained ankles, Ledum Foot bends under, Carb., an., Natrum mur. Boring fingers into nose, etc., Cina (the boring of Nat-c. better, that of Cina does not).

Causation

Cold drink when over-heated. Milk. Sun’s rays (chronic effects). Gaslight. Heat. Change of temperature. Storms. Electric states. Over-study. Strains., Sweat, suppression of.

SYMPTOMS.

Mind

Marked degree of gaiety. Joyous talkativeness. Inclination to sing. Sadness and discouragement, with tears, and inquietude respecting the future. Inquietude, with fits of anguish, especially during a storm, and while engaged in intellectual labour. Mind much agitated, every event (music) causes trembling. Timidity. Estrangement from individuals and from society. Hypochondriacal humour and disgust of life. Dejection. Disposition to take alarm. Irritable. Spite and malevolence. Disposition to be angry, and violent fits of passion. Difficulty in conceiving and combining ideas when reading or listening. Makes mistakes in writing. Difficulty of comprehension, which is unnatural to him when in health, imbecility, or weakness of intellect. Unfitness for intellectual labour and meditation, which fatigue the head. Infirmity of purpose.

Head

Dulness and confusion of the head. Confusion of head especially in a room, and during repose. Vertigo, especially after drinking wine, and after intellectual labour. Headache, in the sun, or on turning head quickly. Sensation of pressive fullness in head, as if forehead were going to burst. Pressive headache, with nausea, risings, and cloudiness of eyes. Eructations and dimness of sight, in evening, worse in room. Cramp-like tearing in forehead, extending to eyes and point of nose. Headache, with shootings, sometimes across eyes (and stitches out of eyes). Shocks across head. Pulsative headache in vertex, every morning. Congestion and heat in head. Tearing in exterior of sinciput, every day at a certain hour. Drawing and tension in right side of occiput as if head would be drawn back. Profuse falling out of hair. Boil on occiput. Both occipital protuberances sore to touch.

John Henry Clarke
John Henry Clarke MD (1853 – November 24, 1931 was a prominent English classical homeopath. Dr. Clarke was a busy practitioner. As a physician he not only had his own clinic in Piccadilly, London, but he also was a consultant at the London Homeopathic Hospital and researched into new remedies — nosodes. For many years, he was the editor of The Homeopathic World. He wrote many books, his best known were Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica and Repertory of Materia Medica