Alumina

Alumina is the oxide form of aluminium (Al₂O₃), a white, odourless, tasteless powder. It is widely distributed in nature as bauxite and is refined industrially for various uses. In homeopathy, the trituration of pure aluminium oxide is used to create the remedy. Although aluminium in large doses is neurotoxic, in potentised form it addresses profound disturbances in nerve conduction, perception, and volition.

First proved by Hahnemann in the Chronic Diseases and extensively developed by Hering, Allen, and Clarke. The proving revealed an unusual action on the mind, reflexes, mucous membranes, and motor coordination.

Alumina expresses the essence of delayed expression and internal dryness. The patient cannot act, think, or eliminate without great effort. They feel paralysed by indecision, both physically and mentally. Constipation without desire, skin eruptions with dryness, and mental apathy with anxiety form the core triad. The theme of suppressed vitality—emotions held in, eruptions repressed, elimination blocked—underlies the remedy’s entire profile. Whether in the slow child, the confused elder, or the hypersensitive adult, Alumina restores motion and clarity when the body and soul are dry, heavy, and inert.

• Nervous system – especially brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves
• Mind and will – indecision, slowness, confusion
• Mucous membranes – dryness, sluggish secretion
• Rectum – inactivity, dry stool, straining
• Skin – chronic eruptions, itching < warmth
• Throat – dryness, difficulty swallowing without fluid
• Female organs – leucorrhoea, prolapse
• Children and the elderly – slow development or degenerative states
• Left side – more commonly affected

The mental picture of Alumina is one of slowness, indecision, and confusion. The mind feels paralysed—unable to act or decide without great effort. There is a marked fear of losing control of the mind, or of going insane [Kent]. Time seems to move too slowly, creating a sense of agonising delay. The patient may have a dual personality feeling, as if their thoughts and actions are not their own. Sadness, melancholy, and irritability without cause are common. They may cry easily, yet feel emotionally numb. Memory is weak; they forget words while speaking or what they are about to do. Thoughts come slowly; responses delayed. Lack of volition is a keynote—they may know what to do but cannot bring themselves to do it. Children may be passive, overly polite, and obedient to the point of self-neglect [Clarke].

Unrefreshing sleep. Wakes tired and dull. Sleep disturbed by dreams or urination. Dreams anxious, disconnected. Yawning and drowsiness during the day. Children grind teeth in sleep.

Dreams of falling, danger, or confusion. Dreams vivid, yet leave no clear impression. Dreaming of past events or future worries. Dreams induce physical restlessness.

Slowness, dryness, and suppression dominate the Alumina picture. Every process—mental, physical, eliminative—is delayed or difficult. Suited to delicate, chilly, sensitive individuals with neuralgic weakness, especially in children and the elderly. Worse from suppression—of emotions, discharges, or eruptions. A prominent remedy in chronic constipation, skin disorders, mental confusion, and spinal debility. Often indicated in early senile states or vaccination-related weakness.

Chilliness without thirst. Internal coldness. Heat flushes alternating with cold limbs. Low-grade fever with mental apathy. Fever during suppressed eruptions or menses.

Chilliness even in warm rooms. Cold hands and feet. Heat in face, with cold limbs. Profuse night sweats. Sweat offensive or sour-smelling.

Dullness and heaviness of the head, especially in the forehead. Vertigo, especially in the morning, < closing eyes. A peculiar sensation as if a band were tightly encircling the head. Headaches in the vertex or occiput, worse from mental effort or stooping. Hair falls out, especially during washing or combing. Scalp dry, sensitive to touch and cold air. A sense of coldness on top of the head may occur. Neuralgic pains from back of head to eyes.

Dryness, burning, and itching in eyes. Vision blurred, worse in artificial light. Lids stick together on waking. Feeling of a foreign body under the lids. Lachrymation on going out into cold air. Photophobia, especially in the morning. Twitching of eyelids. Weakness of ocular muscles—cannot fix gaze. Reading causes eye fatigue and mental confusion.

Dryness and itching in ears. Cracking and roaring noises, as if cellophane crinkled. Difficult hearing, especially in left ear. Sensation as if ears were stopped. Noises worsen with exertion. Stitching pains deep in ear canal.

Dryness of nasal passages, often with scabs and bleeding. Obstructed nose in dry weather. Fluent coryza in early morning. Discharge thick, yellow, sometimes offensive. Loss of smell after colds. Crusting at nostrils. Children pick at nose persistently.

Pale, expressionless, often anxious. Twitching of facial muscles. Facial neuralgia on the left side. Lips dry, cracked, and peeling. Pimples and eruptions on cheeks and chin. Tension of facial skin as if bound tight.

Mouth dry, even with thirst. Tongue feels numb, heavy, or clumsy. Speech slow and deliberate. Taste altered, metallic or bitter. Teeth may ache without obvious cause. Tongue coated, thickly white or yellow. Aphthae on tongue or inside lips. Excessive salivation in some cases.

Toothache from cold air or hot drinks. Gums recede and bleed easily. Teeth feel loose or elongated. Grinding of teeth in children. Decay progresses silently, without pain until late stage.

Great dryness, especially in the morning. Swallowing difficult unless aided by liquids. Pain extends to ears. Feeling of a lump in throat, worse on empty swallowing. Rawness, roughness, and scraping. Constant desire to clear throat. Worse from talking. Chronic hoarseness in speakers.

Tightness, worse on waking. Oppression, as if lungs could not expand. Hoarseness and tickling cough. Sensation of a weight on chest. Dry cough in morning. Cough from laughing or speaking. Soreness of chest wall. Palpitations with anxiety.

Palpitations from least exertion. Irregular pulse. Constriction of chest during palpitations. Cold sensation in heart area. Weakness after emotional strain.

Shortness of breath on exertion. Chest feels stiff. Dyspnoea < lying down. Need to take deep breaths, but feels incomplete. Sighing frequently. Worse in dry, heated rooms.

Appetite variable; sometimes ravenous, sometimes absent. Nausea in morning or after eating. Pain and fullness after small meals. Desires dry food, but needs liquids to swallow. Aversion to meat, potatoes, and slimy food. Thirst for cold drinks. Eructations empty, with no relief. Sensation of coldness in stomach.

Distended and bloated. Sluggish digestion, often with flatus and rumbling. Dull aching around umbilicus. Colic with nausea. Sensitive to pressure. Cutting pains before stool. Constipation followed by diarrhoea or vice versa. Discharges insufficient.

The keynote of Alumina is severe constipation without desire. The rectum feels paralysed; stool is dry, hard, and must be forced out mechanically [Hering]. Even soft stool requires great straining. No urging. Stools may be thin, ribbon-like. Children may be unable to evacuate for days without distress. Rectal itching, fissures, and bleeding. In the elderly, atony of bowel. Involuntary stool while passing flatus.

Dribbling of urine, especially after micturition. Urine slow to start, weak stream. Burning or tingling in urethra. Incontinence during sneezing or coughing. Urination infrequent despite thirst. Urine pale, sometimes cloudy. Children wet bed from nervous debility.

Aversion to meat, potatoes, and slippery food. Desire for dry food. Needs liquids to help swallow solids. Thirst moderate. Aversion to alcohol. Appetite poor.

Impotence with little desire. Erections weak or absent. Itching and dryness of scrotum. Prostatic issues with dribbling. Sexual dreams without emissions. Desire may return briefly after long abstinence.

Leucorrhoea profuse, acrid, and transparent, leaving a yellow stain. Worse during the day, with walking. Itching of vulva < evening. Menses too early, scanty, or delayed. Vaginismus with dryness and burning. Prolapse of uterus in weak women. Anxiety before menses. Ovarian pain < left side.

Pain in lumbar spine, < sitting. Stiffness in neck and upper back. Weakness in spine; cannot hold torso upright for long. Coldness along spine. Burning between scapulae. Sciatic pains extending to feet. Twitching in dorsal muscles.

Heaviness and weakness in limbs. Numbness and formication. Hands tremble while writing. Legs give out while walking. Twitching of fingers and toes. Dryness and cracking of skin. Nails brittle. Gait unsteady, as if drunk. Fingers curl involuntarily. Coldness of feet.

Keynote: Dryness, itching, and eruptions. Skin rough, chapped, with deep cracks. Itching worse from warmth of bed, better from scratching, yet bleeding may follow. Suppressed eruptions. Eczema with thick crusts. Nails deformed. Skin feels constricted, as if too tight.

• Plumbum metallicum – Paralysis and constipation, but more destructive and sudden
• Silicea – Similar slowness, but with more coldness, suppuration, and sensitivity
• Baryta carbonica – Slowness in children and elderly, but more fearful and withdrawn
• Gelsemium – Dullness and trembling, but more acute, with less dryness
• Nux vomica – Constipation with urging, versus Alumina’s absence of urge

• Complementary: Bryonia, Silicea, Lycopodium
• Antidotes: Chamomilla, Ipecac
• Follows well: Sulphur, Calcarea
• Precedes well: Sepia, Phosphorus
• Inimical: Zincum (in some cases)

• One of the top remedies for constipation with no urge
• Useful in neuralgic weakness after vaccination or suppression
• Effective in chronic dry eczema with itching < warmth
• Excellent for children who are slow to develop, especially if quiet and obedient
• Often indicated in early senile dementia or paralytic weakness
• Consider for post-convalescent fatigue where functions remain sluggish

Mind

• Confusion of mind
• Indecision, cannot act without advice
• Fear of insanity
• Duality of thought

Rectum

• Constipation, no desire
• Stool dry, hard, must be removed manually
• Atony of rectum

Skin

• Dryness, itching, < warmth
• Eruptions, crusty, chronic
• Chapped hands

Extremities

• Heaviness, weakness
• Numbness, crawling
• Trembling of hands

Generalities

• Slowness in action and thought
• Worse from suppression
• Worse dry weather
• Sensitive to cold

• Samuel Hahnemann – Chronic Diseases: Original proving, focus on constipation, mental symptoms, dryness
• C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms: Emphasised rectal inactivity, dual personality, and neuralgic aspects
• William Boericke – Pocket Manual: Clear modalities and use in skin and nervous complaints
• James Kent – Lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica: Deep mental picture—slowness, fear of madness
• John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Expanded detail on children, skin symptoms, and sluggish elimination