Selenium


Selenium 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 Selenium is used…


      Selenium. An Element. Se. (***A. W. 79.5). Trituration.

Clinical

Alcoholism. Ankle, itching eruption about. *Comedo. Constipation. Debility. Enuresis. Hair, falling out. Headache. Hoarseness. *Impotence Laryngitis, scrofulous, tubercular. Liver, affections of, rash over region of. Priapism. Prostatitis. Prostatorrhoea. Psoriasis palmaris. Reveries. Scabies. Scalp, eczema of. *Skin, unhealthy. *Spermatorrhoea. Stammering. Sun, effects of. Syphilis.

Characteristics

*Selenium was discovered in 1818 by Berzelius, and was named by him after the moon because it is found associated with *Tellurium (Tellus, the earth). It is also found associated with *Sulphur. All three belong to the same group of elements. “When precipitated it appears as a red powder, which melts when heated, and on cooling forms a brittle mass, nearly black, but transmitting red light when in thin plates. When heated in air it takes fire, burns with a blue flame, giving a gaseous *Oxide of Selenium, which has a most penetrating and characteristic odour of putrid horse-radish. *Selenium undergoes a remarkable change in electrical resistance under the action of light: hence the use of Selenium cells” (*Cent. *Dict.). *Selenium was introduced and proved by Hering. A leading feature of it is the weakness it causes, a weakness involving all parts of the body, easy fatigue from any labour, night-watching, mental exertion, and especially from hot weather. The hotter his body the weaker he is: strength rises as the sun sinks. This debility causes sluggishness: wants to sleep from sheer exhaustion, and is worse after. Cannot bear any nervous drain, hence worse after coitus or seminal emissions. Impotence. Debility after fevers. When the patient begins to walk after typhoid and feels great weakness in the spine and fears paralysis *Selenium is indicated. Irritability, headaches, and other troubles following or worse by seminal emissions. The headaches are accompanied by profound melancholy, and may be caused by indulgence in alcoholics or in tea, by hot weather, by over- study, and they are worse by strong odours, as of musk, roses, &c. The headaches may be periodical, and are frequently located above the left eye. Many chronic liver affections are met with *Selenium, the guiding symptoms in such cases being: Enlargement of liver with loss of appetite in the morning, sharp stitching pain worse on any movement or pressure, sensitiveness of liver, and, especially, “find rash over liver region.” There is constipation from atony, with impacted faeces: and dribbling of semen after stool, and also after micturition. Sufferings after seminal emissions mental confusion, headache, almost paralytic weakness of spine, involuntary escape of prostatic fluid. I have cured with *Selenium many cases of hoarseness, the special indications being hoarseness of singers, appearing as soon as they begin to sing, or after long use of the voice, with frequent necessity to clear the throat from accumulation of clear, starchy mucus. Scrofulous and incipient tubercular laryngitis have been cured with *Selenium The parallelism with *Sulph. Is seen all through the pathogenesis of *Selenium, and perhaps more especially in the skin. *Selenium causes itching in folds of skin, as between fingers and about joints, especially the ankle-joint. The itching may occur in small spots, and be accompanied by tingling (showing involvement of the nervous system). The scalp is affected with an eczematous eruption which oozes thin fluid after scratching. Hair falls off scalp and all parts of body. I have frequently relieved “psoriasis palmaris” with *Selenium, which shows that it has a relation to syphilis. Among the *Peculiar Symptoms of *Selenium Are: Very forgetful in business, but during sleep dreams of what he had forgotten. Coryza ending in diarrhoea. Hungry at night, longing for spirituous liquors, an almost irresistible maniacal desire. Sensation as if a biting drop were forcing its way out of the urethra. Irresistible desire to lie down and sleep, strength leaves him suddenly, especially in hot weather. Very great aversion to a draught of air, either warm, cold, or damp. Aversion to salted food. Pulsation in whole body, especially in abdomen after eating [which I have verified]. Great emaciation of face, hands, legs, feet, affected parts, and single parts. *Selenium is *Suited to blondes and persons of light complexion. The symptoms are worse by touch and pressure. Worse By motion. Better By rest. Worse After sleep. Worse By mental exertion. Worse After seminal losses. Worse From draft of air, even if warm. Worse In open air. Worse From tea, sugar, salt, lemonade, wine. Worse In hot weather. Worse By sun, and with the sun’s increase ( worse towards noon, better as sun declines). better Taking cold air or cold water into mouth. Worse Every afternoon (headaches).

Relations

*Antidoted by: Ignatia, Pulsatilla (Acid Muriaticum in a case of mine). *Incompatible: Chi., Wine. *Compatible after: Caladium, Nat-c., Staphysagria, Pho-ac. (In sexual weakness). Itch checked by Mercurius or Sul. often requires Selenium *Compare: Hunger at night, Cin., Pso., Ignatia, Lycopodium Impacted stool, Alo Calcarea, Sanicula, Sepia, Selenium Impotence (Chlorum sudden). Priapism, glans drawn up, Berberis, (glans drawn down, Cantharis). Aphonia of singers, Causticum, Arg-m., Stannum, Ar-t., Graphites Prostatitis and urethritis, Lithium carb., Digitalis, Cyc., Causticum, Lycopodium, Copaiva Hot weather fatigue, Lachesis, Camph., Nat- c., Natrum mur. Bad effects of mental exertion and loss of sleep, Sul. Impotence, Sul. (Sul. Has more coldness and shrivelling of the organs, Selenium more total relaxation, so that semen escapes involuntarily and dribbles). Exhaustion consequent on protracted diseases, Sul. (Sul. Has flushes of heat on least motion, and gone feeling in forenoon). Periodical headaches, Sul. (Selenium every afternoon, worse from tea, Sul. once a week, worse from coffee). Headaches of drunkards or debauches, Sul. (Sul. Worse from all forms of alcohol, Selenium headaches are sometimes better from brandy, also its gastric symptoms). “Cat-naps,” Sul. (Selenium wakes precisely at same hour, before rising time, at which all symptoms worse, Sul. Has not the periodic hour for waking, and does not fall asleep again). Itching in folds of skin, Sul. (Selenium Has also “tingling in spots”). Chronic enlargement of liver, Sul. Loss of appetite in morning, Sul. (Sul. Has increase of thirst, Selenium Has not. Selenium Has white tongue, Sul. Has not). Emaciation, Natrum mur., Chi. Debility from loss of fluids, Chi. Twitching of face, Tell. Bores fingers in nose, Cin., Ar-t. Throbbing after meals, Natrum carb. worse From tea, Thuja, Ferrum Pain in back with emissions, Cob. Fatigue, Pic. ac. Sun effects, Sol. Larynx, Nat. Seli.

Causation

Alcohol. Tea. Sugar. Salt. Lemonade. Debauchery. Walking. Exertion. Masturbation. Loss of fluids. Symptoms.

Mind

Reveries of a religious and melancholy character.-Great loquacity, found of conversing, especially in evening.-Excessive forgetfulness, especially in matters of business.-Great forgetfulness when awake, with distinct recollection during half sleep.- A kind of stammering, he uses syllables of words in wrong connections, therefore pronounces some words incorrectly.- Difficult comprehension.-Absolute incapacity to execute any business whatever.- Mental labour fatigues him.- Dread of society.

Head

The head becomes affected by intellectual labour.-Vertigo: on lifting head, rising from a seat, raising himself in bed, moving about, with nausea, vomiting, faintness, worse (an hour) after breakfast and dinner.- Headache every afternoon. Headache after drinking lemonade, wine, or tea.- Violent attacks of lancinating pains in head above (left) eye, with desire to lie down, sensibility in exterior of head, copious emission of urine, anorexia, and melancholy, excited by walking (in the sun) and by strong smells.- Headache of drunkards, headache after debauchery. Falling off of the hair when combing it, also of eyebrows, whiskers, and genitals, with tingling-itching on scalp in

evening, oozing after scratching, and with tension and sensation of contraction of scalp, with emaciation of face and hands.-Pain in scalp, as if hair were pulled out.

Eyes

Pains deep in orbits. Spasmodic twitching of left eyeball. Itching vesicles on eyebrows and margins of lids.- Falling off of eyebrows.

Ears

Ear stopped.- Hardening of wax in (left) deaf ear.

Nose

Itching in nose, in nostrils, and on margins of alae nasi.- Tendency to bore fingers into nose.- Complete obstruction of nose (chronic).- Coryza ending in diarrhoea.- Fluent coryza in evening.- Yellow, thick, gelatinous mucus in nose.

Face

Greasy, shining skin of face.- Twitching in muscles of face. Great emaciation of face and hands.- Upper lip cracked.- Comedones.

Teeth

Toothache which compels use of toothpick till the blood comes.- Boring in molars.- Teeth covered with mucus.- Toothache from tea. The teeth become free of mucus, hard, and smooth, and crack when rubbed.-Toothache with feeling of coldness, better taking cold water and cold air into mouth.

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