Antimonium crudum

Derived from the natural mineral Stibnite, a black, crystalline sulphide of antimony (Sb₂S₃). Used historically in cosmetics (kohl), medicine, and alchemical processes. In its crude form, it is toxic, causing gastrointestinal irritation and systemic weakness. It is prepared homeopathically via trituration and potentisation.

Proved by Samuel Hahnemann and included in his Materia Medica Pura. Later expanded by Hering, Allen, Clarke, and others.

At its core, Antimonium crudum is the remedy of excess and hypersensitivity. It speaks to those who are irritable, overindulgent, and physically intolerant of touch, heat, or contradiction. Whether it is a child who cannot bear affection, or an adult with indigestion from rich food, or an elder with calloused skin and stiff joints, Antimonium crudum provides relief when internal congestion manifests externally—as pustules, moodiness, or gastric burden. It suits individuals who retreat into irritability and self-protection, often mirroring the thick crusts and calluses that define its skin and soul.

• Gastrointestinal tract – stomach, intestines, tongue
• Skin and mucous membranes – pustules, crusts, callosities
• Mind and mood – irritability, sentimentality, oversensitivity
• Limbs and joints – painful, stiff joints with aggravation from heat and touch
• Nails and extremities – thickened nails, corns, calluses
• Respiratory mucosa – chronic catarrhal states
• Children – especially for gastric and behavioural complaints
• Elderly – for weakness, indigestion, and skin issues

• Heat in any form – sun, heated room, warm bathing (especially skin symptoms)
• Cold bathing (some exceptions)
• After overeating or indulgence
• Fatty, sour, or acidic foods
• Wine, vinegar, acidic fruits
• Emotional rejection or criticism
• Night (especially skin and cough symptoms)
• Touch (especially of painful areas)

Drowsiness after eating. Sleep disturbed by itching or coughing. Dreams unpleasant, related to food or childhood. Children wake crying. Sleep < after large meals.

Dreams of feasting, childhood, or humiliation. Restless, unrefreshing sleep with confused dreams. Nightmares in children during illness.

Antimonium crudum expresses a robust intolerance—to indulgence, interference, and heat. It suits children, the elderly, and those prone to gastric and skin affections. Skin and digestive symptoms often coexist. Patients may appear physically tough, but emotionally fragile. Symptoms are often aggravated by bathing, warmth, or touch. There is a consistent thread of excess and overreaction—whether in diet, emotions, or skin eruptions.

Low-grade fevers with digestive upset. Heat in face with cold extremities. Fever from suppressed eruptions or indigestion. Sweats offensive.

Chilliness alternating with hot flushes. Extremities cold. Sweats profuse at night. Sweat acrid or sour. Heat aggravates all symptoms.

Heaviness and fullness in the head, especially after eating. Frontal headaches with nausea. Headache from sun exposure, worse from heat and exertion. Head feels compressed or tightly bound. Dandruff thick, white, and sticky. Hair falls out in patches. Itching and burning of scalp, worse from scratching and heat. Headache better in open air and worse in stuffy rooms.

Dryness, burning, and itching of lids and canthi. Lids inflamed and crusty, worse in children. Sensitivity to light and heat. Lachrymation in open air. Vision blurred after reading. Spots or sparks before eyes. Redness of conjunctiva, especially after sun exposure. Sty formation common.

Noises in the ears—roaring, ringing. External ear swollen, red, and sensitive to touch. Itching deep inside. Cracking noises when chewing. Otorrhoea in children with thick, yellow discharge. Hearing diminished from chronic catarrh.

Dryness or fluent coryza, alternating states. Nostrils sore, crusty, and often scabby. Discharge thick, white or yellow. Sensitive to cold air. Bleeding from nose in morning. Nose red, swollen, and pustular—“clown nose” appearance seen in drinkers and those with gastric derangement.

Pale or bloated. Redness of cheeks or nose, often with acne, pustules, or crusts. Facial neuralgia from cold. Corners of mouth cracked and sore. Lips dry and fissured. Eruptions about the chin and nose are frequent. Tendency to “milk crust” or thick seborrhoea in infants.

Tongue is a key diagnostic point: thickly white-coated, like milk or snow, especially in gastric conditions [Hering]. Taste bitter or metallic. Dryness without thirst. Teeth sensitive, especially to cold water. Gums inflamed or bleeding. Painful aphthae or ulcers. Excess salivation in children.

Toothache < at night, < cold air or drinks. Pain drawing or tearing. Teeth feel elongated. Gums spongy and bleed easily. In children, teething is slow and painful, often with diarrhoea and irritability.

Dryness and roughness. Burning pain extending to stomach. Difficulty swallowing, especially solids. Sensation of a lump or plug. Hawking of thick mucus. Inflammation < from acid foods. Voice hoarse from gastric reflux.

Oppression with sighing respiration. Tickling cough < at night, < in warmth of bed. Chest sore to touch. Cough with vomiting of food. Rattling in chest in elderly or weak patients. Pain radiates to back. Cough < overindulgence or suppressed eruptions.

Palpitations after eating or from indigestion. Fluttering with anxiety. Heart feels heavy. Worse after wine or rich food. Pulse slow and weak in elderly.

Shortness of breath from tight clothing. Asthma-like symptoms < after eating. Cold air relieves. Breathing irregular during sleep. Mucus rattling in chest.

Dryness and roughness. Burning pain extending to stomach. Difficulty swallowing, especially solids. Sensation of a lump or plug. Hawking of thick mucus. Inflammation < from acid foods. Voice hoarse from gastric reflux.

Distension and flatulence with rumbling. Cutting pains with diarrhoea. Cramping colic in children during teething. Abdomen sore to touch. Heat aggravates pain. Constipation alternating with diarrhoea. Sensitive to tight clothing.

Diarrhoea in children—greenish, slimy, or frothy—accompanied by irritability and desire to be left alone. Stools offensive and painful to pass. Constipation with large, hard stools. Itching and burning in anus. Prolapsed rectum in infants after stool.

Scanty urine with burning in urethra. Urging with little output. Pain in bladder region. Dark-coloured urine with sediment. Incontinence in children with gastric upsets. Offensive odour of urine.

Craves pickles, acidic or indigestible things. Aversion to meat, wine, and sour things. Indigestion from overindulgence. Wine and vinegar aggravate. Water may provoke vomiting. Desires cold drinks but vomits soon after. Disgust for food, yet continues eating.

Erections absent or weak after overindulgence in food or drink. Genital eruptions or itching. Seminal emissions with dreams. Prostate pain in elderly with stomach complaints. Aversion to sexual contact.

Menses irregular, profuse or scanty. Flow dark and clotted. Leucorrhoea thick, white, and irritative. Nausea or headache before menses. Vaginal itching or dryness. Aversion to touch or sexual activity. Childbirth recovery delayed in those who overeat.

Pain between scapulae. Stiffness in cervical spine < damp weather. Lumbar pain < bending or pressure. Sacral soreness in elderly. Worse on waking.

Joints stiff, red, and swollen. Pain worse from heat, bathing, and touch. Cracking of joints. Callosities and corns painful. Nails thickened, brittle. Tips of fingers rough and cracked. Great desire to walk barefoot. Children crawl rather than walk. Gouty pains < wine or rich food.

Eruptions thick, crusty, honey-coloured, especially around face and scalp. Pustular acne, especially in adolescents who overeat. Warts, calluses, and corns hard and painful. Itching worse from heat and bathing. Skin sensitive to touch. Fissures in winter. Chilblains. “Cradle cap” in infants with gastric issues. Nails deformed or ingrown.

• Sulphur – Also has skin and gastric symptoms, but more burning and intellectual restlessness
• Calcarea carbonica – Also sensitive children with scalp eruptions, but more sweat and constitutional weakness
• Pulsatilla – Similar indigestion, but more emotional softness and weepiness
• Hepar sulphuris – Skin eruptions with hypersensitivity and suppuration, but more intense irritability
• Lycopodium – Digestive issues with flatulence and fear of public failure

• Complementary: Sulphur, Pulsatilla
• Antidotes: Hepar sulph., Chamomilla
• Follows well: Nux vomica, after overindulgence
• Inimical: Vinegar, wine (incompatible substances aggravate all states)

• Excellent for gastric affections from overeating
• A top remedy for cradle cap, acne, and thick skin eruptions
• Helpful in children who are irritable, chunky, and resist affection
• Useful in gout and joint pain < heat
• Consider in elderly with indigestion and skin disorders
• White-coated tongue is a leading keynote in gastric cases

Mind

• Morose, sulky
• Irritable from contradiction
• Aversion to being touched
• Sentimental, weeps from music

Stomach

• Nausea with white-coated tongue
• Indigestion from overeating
• Eructations tasting of food

Skin

• Eruptions crusty, pustular
• Warts, thick skin
• Itching < heat, < bathing

Extremities

• Corns and callosities
• Pain < heat and touch
• Nails thick and brittle

Generalities

• Worse heat, bathing, touch
• Better open air
• Better rest and solitude

• Samuel Hahnemann – Materia Medica Pura: Core proving symptoms including white-coated tongue, irritability, and gastric aggravations
• C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms: Noted skin, gastric, and mental features; therapeutic applications in children
• James Kent – Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica: Emphasised mental sensitivity, skin callosities, and heat intolerance
• William Boericke – Pocket Manual: Practical insights on gastric and skin applications
• John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Full picture of skin, mind, and stomach, with therapeutic guidance