Abstract:
This article is a quick memoriser into the basic theme of Acid group remedies. One can quickly short list a remedy from the clinical totality of symptoms in a case of a disease. The extreme weakness of acids in physical and mental planes has been explained in a short comprehensive manner. Fine lines of differentiation between similar remedies has been drawn.
Introduction
Basically there are three kingdoms from where remedies in homeopathy are obtained— Animal, Mineral and Vegetable. Apart from this, the morbid products of disease are also employed as remedies (nosodes). Another source is product of a disease for the disease itself i.e. administering same thing in an attenuated form (isopathy). Kingdoms have their kings and princes. Let me introduce to you little naughty princes of both mineral and vegetable kingdoms called ‘Acids’ whom we utilize in our healing process. Most of them play hide and seek with ‘general debility’ in great or less degrees. If the acid is from vegetable kingdom, it causes great debility but in a less degree than the acid from mineral kingdom and it shows a tendency to the production of a membrane in the throat. If the acid is from mineral kingdom, it produces a scorbutic state of the system with tendency to ulcers and low forms of disease—typhoid diseases. (Dewey)
Acids are eddy, bitter, burning, sour, offensive, acrid, irritating, deep, periosteal, osseous, connective, membranous and with many other different features but still called with a common surname ‘acids’. Being a clan of one surname, acid, all of them act upon mucous membranes of the body, right from mouth, throat, alimentary canal, and intestines and up to rectum.
LEARNING THROUGH PHILOSOPHY OF ACIDS
Behind the philosophy of acids is debility, weakness or exhaustion etc. Most common and known characteristic of the Acids is weakness or exhaustion. Vithoulkas states that Picric acid has mental, Phosphoric acid has emotional and Muriatic acid has physical exhaustion. What a splendid explanation? When does weakness come? When a person has over acted or used energy at a high rate, exhaustion takes place but such persons do not make any complaints at this stage. They use energy at high rate, which means they are initially very active or overactive. This is first symptom of all acids.
Why a person is overactive? It is because the person has hurried nature. In a hurry only, one goes on working. The second symptom of acids is hurried nature. Sulphuric acid is one glaring example.
When a person is overactive and has hurried nature, the outcome is weakness or exhaustion of which we have already discussed. This is the primary symptom of all acids. Let us not break this link of thoughts. When a person is overactive, he/she has certain freshness before working or acting otherwise he/she would not be active or overactive. This means the person is enterprising and full of optimism. Full of optimism, energy and enterprising has a direct link with freshness. If one is fresh, he or she will have these qualities. Such people will talk openly; show expressions easily and in other words they will be extroverts. Being extroverts means that they are perfectionists, lively and have high sexual desires. The example is Phosphoric acid (Allen).
We can say that there are four basic elements common in all the acids.
- Exhaustion
- Overactive
- Hurried
- Extroverts
There are about 28 listed, proved and not fully proved acids. These are Acetic, Benzoic, Chromic, Carbolic, Camphoric, Chrysophonic, Citric, Fluoric, Formic, Gallic, Hippuric, Hydrocynic, Hydrobromic, Lactic, Muriatic, Nitromuriatic, Nitric, Oxalic, Phosphoric, Picric, Sarcolactric, Succinic, Sulphuric, Sulphunum, Salicylicum, Tannic, Serraric and Uric. Out of these 28 acids, most commonly used are only 15.
EASY WAY TO REMEMBER
For debility, remember sentence ‘PMG SLAPS’ wherein P stands for phosphoric, M for muriatic, G for Gallic, S for Sulphuric, L for Lactic, A for Acetic, P for Phosphoric and S for Sarcolacticum.
For hemorrhage in general, remember sentence, PMG CATS’ in which P stands for Phosphoric, M for Muriatic, G for Gallic, C for Carbolic, A for Acetic, T for Tannic and S for Sulphuric.
For offensive urine, remember ‘NBC’ in which N stands for Nitric, B for Benzoic and C for Carbolic.
For general urine problems, think of ‘TOP FLAG’in which P stands for both Phosphoric and Picric, T for Tannic, O for Oxalic, F for Fluoric, L for Lactic, A for acetic and G for Gallic.
In sweating problems, think of ‘BOAST’ in which B stands for Benzoic, O for Oxalic, A for Acetic, S for Sulphuric and T for Tannic.
In Diabetes, remember the word ‘CLAP’ in which C stands for Carbolic, L for Lactic, A for Acetic and P for Phosphoric.
SHORT DEFINITION OF SOME ACIDS
Fluoric acid: Mixture of Hydrogen and Fluorine, it eats glass and acts on bones and skin.
Muriatic acid: It is hydrochloric acid, acts upon the ganglionic system, and through it on blood, skin and alimentary tract; useful for bed sores and dark blue haemorrhoids.
Nitric acid: Combination of Nitrogen, Oxygen and Hydrogen that acts upon mucous membranes especially where skin and mucous membranes join. General tendency to destructive ulcerations, foul odor to all discharges and with sharp splinter-like pains.
Phosphoric acid: Mental and physical exhaustion. Purified glacial phosphoric acid that produces nervous prostration, debility, and atonic condition of the gastro-intestinal tract and bone affections.
Sulphuric acid: Acts upon mucous tissues, alimentary canal and the respiratory tract. Useful in purpura haemmorrhagica with dark blood or ecchymotic spots.
Acetic acid: In dropsies acting midway between Arsenic and Apis.
Picric acid: Organic compound of Nitric acid and a member of Phenol series, it has symptoms of neurasthenia or brain fag and action on sexual organs and destroys properties of red blood corpuscles. Speedy exhaustion from slight exertion.
Oxalic acid: It has pain in spots over body, Neuralgia of spermatic cord and excessive hyperaesthesia of retina. Pains in small areas, last for short time but are violent.
Benzoic acid: It has strong smelling urine (horse like), pain in small joints, gouty nodosites, irritable bladder and dribbling.
Carbolic acid: It has imperfect digestion, flatulence of aged, acidity and burning. To be thought over in malignant types of disease with tendency to destruction of tissues and putrid discharges, collapse and cold sweats.
Lactic acid: It has copious urine, saccharine urine, debility, voracious appetite and constipation.
Citric acid: Made from lemon juice, it has malnutrition, excessive menstruation and anemia.
I think by this study we can probably say that all acids in our materia medica are although naughty yet weak.
