Calcarea carbonica

Calcarea carbonica
Short name
Calc.
Latin name
Calcarea carbonica
Common names
Calcium carbonate | Oyster shell | Precipitated chalk | Lime of oyster shell | Carbonate of lime | Mother-of-pearl
Miasms
Primary: Psoric
Secondary: Sycotic, Tubercular, Syphilitic
Kingdom
Minerals
Family
Animal minerals
Last updated
15 Nov 2025

Substance Background

A trituration of precipitated calcium carbonate traditionally obtained from the middle lamella of oyster shell (not the outer dirty crust), then potentised. Chemically CaCO₃ with traces of organic matrix (conchiolin) in shell sources; pharmacologically inert in crude doses save for antacid effects, yet in the potentised state displays a constitutional action marked by imperfect assimilation, slack tissue tone, and reactive glandular and osseous changes [Hahnemann], [Hughes], [Clarke]. The remedy’s sphere spans nutrition, growth, bone and teeth, lymphatic glands, skin, and neuro-endocrine balance with the classic picture of the “Calcarea child”: plump yet flabby, sweats profusely about the head, enlarged abdomen, cold, damp feet, slow dentition, delayed milestones, fearful and conscientious—together with adult types who are over-worked, easily fatigued, chilly, and anxious about health and responsibilities [Hering], [Kent], [Boericke], [Tyler]. Toxicologic data are sparse; the logic of action is inferred from [Proving] symptoms and abundant [Clinical] confirmations correlating with mineral metabolism and endocrine tendencies (thyroid/parathyroid) [Hughes], [Clarke].

Proving Information

Hahnemann’s proving (precipitated chalk) produced a wide constitutional picture: head sweat, chilliness, acid dyspepsia, ravenous yet weak digestion, sour vomiting/eructations, chronic catarrh, glandular swellings, bone pains, back weakness, menstrual irregularity, leucorrhoea, fatigue with depressive anxieties, and numerous fears (heights, insanity, misfortune) [Hahnemann], [Allen]. Later compilers confirm slow development, teething problems, otitis/adenoids, polypi, musculoskeletal laxity with cramps, exhaustion from exertion, and sweats on the least effort, with marked chilly, damp aggravation [Hering], [Clarke], [Kent]. [Clinical] material is vast in rickets, scrofula, failure to thrive, chronic otorrhoea, mastitis, uterine fibroids, hypothyroid states, anxiety-obsessive temperaments, and convalescence [Boericke], [Tyler], [Phatak], [Nash].

Remedy Essence

Calc-carb. embodies the architecture of securitybuilding, bearing, and maintaining the organism in the face of cold, damp, and demand. The constitution is heavy yet weak, plentiful yet poorly assimilated: a body that perspires, tires, enlarges glands, and worries, while bones lag and mucosae weep. Psychologically, it is the dutiful provider/child, conscientious, home-centred, averse to risk, who fears collapse—of health, sanity, finances, or structure [Kent], [Tyler]. This security drive seeks warmth, routine, rest, and predictability; it flounders in cold, damp, exertion, and sudden demand.

Kingdom signature (mineral salt) confers structure, boundaries, density, and stability; when impaired, we see laxity, sag, delays, enlargement (glands, abdomen), and suppuration. The metabolic idiom is sour: sour stool, sour vomit, sour sweat; the thermal idiom is chilly with head-sweat. Mind–body isomorphic motifs recur: fear of heightsvertigo on ascending; fear of exertionpalpitation/sweat climbing; need for securityroutine-seeking; structural laxityhernias, ptoses, prolapses. At the bedside, triangulate: (1) the constitution (flabby, chilly, sweaty, large abdomen), (2) organs (bones/teeth, glands/adenoids, catarrh/otitis), (3) mind (fears of collapse, conscientiousness), (4) modalities (worse cold, damp, exertion; better warmth, rest). When these resonate across two or more systems, Calc-carb. stands prominent. Cure appears as stamina to mount stairs, dry, warm feet, scalp no longer drenched, catarrh dwindles, child steadies in growth and confidence—the body’s architecture restored. [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Kent], [Boericke], [Tyler], [Phatak], [Boger], [Nash].

Affinity

  • Nutrition & Assimilation — fundamental mal-assimilation: ravenous hunger yet poor muscle; acid, sour by-products (stool, vomit, sweat). See Stomach/Bowels/Generalities. [Hahnemann], [Clarke].
  • Bones & Teethdelayed dentition, fontanelles open too long, rickets, curved limbs, osteitis/caries, fragile nails/teeth with crumbling enamel. See Head/Teeth/Extremities. [Hering], [Kent].
  • Lymphatic & Glandsenlarged tonsils, adenoids, cervical/mesenteric nodes, thyroid tendencies; scrofulous habit. See Nose/Ears/Neck. [Clarke], [Hughes].
  • Skin & Appendagesprofuse sweats esp. head & nape, cold damp feet, chaps, warts/polypi, eczema in fat, chilly subjects. See Skin. [Hering], [Boericke].
  • Mucosae (Upper air) — chronic catarrh, otitis media, thick, purulent discharge; nasal polyps, snoring. See Ears/Nose. [Clarke], [Tyler].
  • Gastro-intestinalacid dyspepsia, sour vomiting in children, craving eggs, aversion to fat, constipation with large, hard stools, or pappy sour diarrhoea in dentition. See Stomach/Abdomen/Rectum. [Allen], [Hering].
  • Endocrine & Metabolic — thyroid-parathyroid tone, obesity with chilliness, sweat on effort; menses disordered. See Female/Generalities. [Clarke], [Kent].
  • Mind & Sleepfears (insanity, heights, mice, illness), anxiety about security/duties, slow to comprehend, drowsy, sleep unrefreshing with sweating. See Mind/Sleep. [Kent], [Tyler].
  • Back & Spineweak back, must sit down, lassitude, lumbago on exertion. See Back/Generalities. [Hering].
  • Female Pelvis & Breastsprofuse milky leucorrhoea, mastitis, engorged, tender breasts, fibroids, menorrhagia in flabby women. See Female/Chest. [Clarke], [Boericke].
  • Circulationpalpitation on effort or emotion, worse ascending; easy perspiration (exertional). See Heart/Generalities. [Kent].
  • Feeticy, damp, offensive; wakes from cold, wet-like feet in bed. See Extremities/Sleep. [Hering].
  • Recovery/Convalescenceslow, easily relapses, needs building; a constitutional “bone-housekeeper.” See Generalities/Clinical tips. [Nash], [Boericke].

Better For

  • Warmth and warm coverings, especially head and feet; warm room. [Hering], [Kent].
  • Dry weather, fair, settled conditions; sea-breeze sometimes suits the scrofulous child. [Clarke].
  • Rest, sitting down, lying on the back after exertion; support to the back. [Hering].
  • After eating (transient), though heaviness follows; small frequent nourishment. [Allen].
  • Slow, methodical work instead of haste; mental calm. [Kent].
  • Pressure/support to enlarged glands/breasts (gentle). [Clarke].
  • Eggs (craved) sometimes relieve nausea/weakness in the Calc-subject. [Tyler].
  • Short sleep/nap when over-borne, though night sleep is unrefreshing. [Kent].
  • Constancy of routine, predictable schedule reduces anxieties. [Tyler].
  • Drying perspiration and keeping head cool-dry (thin cotton cap that wicks). [Hering].
  • Magnesia phos. or heat as adjuvants for cramps (palliative alongside constitutional). [Clinical].
  • After stool (abdominal bloating eases for a while). [Allen].

Worse For

  • Cold, damp, east winds, washing in cold water, getting wet, cold feet. [Hering], [Clarke].
  • Exertion: ascending, hurrying, lifting; palpitation, sweat, back gives way. [Kent].
  • Full moon and before menses; teething periods in children. [Hering].
  • Mental effort, over-work, anxiety about duties; confusion, heaviness. [Kent].
  • Milk (in some)—aggravates catarrh/diarrhoea; fatty foods disgust and disagree. [Allen], [Clarke].
  • Pressure of clothes on pit of stomach/chest; tight garments. [Hering].
  • Stooping (vertigo), looking up (giddiness), heights. [Kent].
  • Suppressed sweat or getting chilled in perspiration. [Hering].
  • Noise, crowds, scary stories—stir fears. [Tyler].
  • Vaccination sequelae in scrofulous children (otitis, glands) [Clinical]. [Clarke].
  • Sour fruits; cold drinks cause stomach cramp. [Allen].
  • Early morning for looseness; evening for weariness/chill. [Hering].

Symptomatology

Mind

The Calc-carb. psyche is marked by insecurity and conscientiousness. They are anxious about health, money, the future, and responsibilities, fearing failure in their duty—overwhelmed by tasks yet ploddingly persistent [Kent], [Tyler]. Classic fears: heights, going insane, illness, accidents, poverty, mice, ghosts, that something terrible will happen—especially in the evening or on waking [Hering], [Kent]. In children: bashful, clingy, cries if observed, startles easily; aversion to new places, change, rough play; demands parental reassurance [Tyler]. Adults: slow to comprehend, difficulty concentrating, mental prostration after small effort; dread of work in the morning (feels unequal to it) yet improves as the day goes on [Kent]. Obsessive, careful, order-loving (counting, arranging)—but cannot keep up physically; the will exceeds energy. Oversensitive to horror stories or news; night terrors in the imaginative child after hearing frightening tales (Mind ↔ Sleep). Irritability arises when hurried; otherwise mild, yielding, affectionate. Depressive colour: sadness, weeps when thanked or praised, homesick; consolation helps if kindly given. Case vignette [Clinical]: A book-keeper, cool-damp aggravated, with fear of insanity, palpitation on stairs, sour dyspepsia, cold feet, and head sweat in sleep, improved notably under Calc-carb. 200C [Kent], [Tyler], aligning with the core modalities.

Head

Fontanelles open, head large, sweats profusely about the scalp and nape—pillow wet; sweat sour; worse during sleep and teething [Hering]. Headache from mental effort, from cold wind, or after washing the head, with chilliness; throbbing temples on ascending stairs. Vertigo on ascending, turning head, or looking up; worse heights; must sit [Kent]. Scalp sensitive, eczema with scabs in scrofulous children; crusta lactea. Dandruff copious, dry, with itching. Bony nodes (exostoses) on skull in rickety children [Clarke]. Improvement when wrapped warm and after nourishment.

Eyes

Photophobia in the scrofulous, with lachrymation to cold wind; thick, bland or acrid discharges; phlyctenular keratitis; recurrent styes; granular lids; convergent squint in brain-fatigued children [Hering], [Clarke]. Corneal vascularity chronic; blepharitis with thick crusts. Vision fatigues on reading; black motes on rising suddenly. Better with warmth and constitutional building; worse cold, damp, night work.

Ears

Chronic otitis media with thick, purulent, sometimes foetid discharge; eardrum perforations tend to linger; hearing dull; glue ear; pulsations in ear on ascending [Clarke], [Tyler]. Adenoids and enlarged tonsils accompany. Earache in teething. Polypi of ear in sycotic habit. Worse cold damp, bathing, night.

Nose

Adenoids; nasal obstruction, mouth-breathing, snoring; chronic coryza with thick, yellow, sometimes green mucus; foetid crusts; frequent epistaxis in children [Clarke]. Nasal polyps; anosmia. Coryza worse cold air, damp, washing; better warm room. Sore, cracked alae in the sallow child.

Face

Pale, puffy, round face; upper lip swollen; cold sweat on face in dentition; eczema around mouth and nose; warts [Hering]. Sallow or chalky complexion in mal-assimilation. Glands of jaw enlarged; sagging tissues in adults; premature ageing look from fatigue. Rosacea in stout, chilly women with dyspepsia [Clarke].

Mouth

Aphthae in infants; salivation during teething; sour odour. Tongue often white; imprints of teeth. Gums spongy; bleed; slow to heal [Hering]. Taste sour, or bitter in morning. Mouth dryness with thirst at night. Speech fatigues; children late to talk relative to peers [Clinical].

Teeth

Slow dentition; teeth crumble, chalky, enamel defects; early caries; pain from cold; grinds teeth in sleep [Hering], [Clarke]. Teething diarrhoea sour, greenish, excoriating. Bleeding gums; fistula dentalis in scrofulous habit. Jaw and alveolar soreness. Compare Calc-phos. for thin, restless growing pains vs Calc-carb. flabby, chilly, sweaty type [Kent].

Throat

Tonsils enlarged, recurrent tonsillitis, chronic follicular pharyngitis; swallows with difficulty, worse cold drinks [Clarke]. Thick, tenacious mucus in mornings; hawking. Goitre tendency in some, with chilliness and flabby tissues (contrast Iod. thin, hot, ravenous). Adenoid voice in children.

Stomach

Hunger soon after eating; craves eggs, sweets, indigestible things (chalk, coal—pica); aversion to fat, milk may disagree [Allen], [Hering]. Acid dyspepsia: sour eructations, sour vomiting, heartburn, pressure like a stone in epigastrium after meals; tight clothes intolerable. Waterbrash; nausea on ascending. Cold drinks chill the stomach; warm food better.

Abdomen

Large, distended belly—“drum” abdomen—despite thin limbs; mesenteric glands enlarged; gurgling, flatulence [Clarke]. Colic from cold or fruit. Liver enlarged in scrofulous; constipation with large, hard, knotty stools or pappy sour diarrhoea during dentition. Umbilical hernia in infants; muscle laxity. Worms (pin, round) with perineal itching.

Urinary

Profuse urine especially at night; enuresis in cold, flabby children—wets bed from deep sleep with head-sweat [Clarke]. Urine sour odour. Calculous tendency in some (phosphatic sediment). Frequent urging with cold feet. Milky leucorrhoea stains linen like milk (Female link).

Rectum

Constipation: stool large, hard, pale, difficult, causes fissure/bleeding; child dreads stool; or sour diarrhoea during teething/after cold [Hering]. Itching anus; pruritus. Prolapsus ani from laxity in children. Haemorrhoids bleed with burning soreness in sedentary adults.

Male

Sexual power weak from fatigue; pollutions with little excitement leaving exhaustion; cold genitalia [Hering]. Hydrocele in infants. Prostatic enlargement symptoms in stout, chilly men (late age) [Clinical]. Herniae from laxity.

Female

Menses early, profuse, prolonged, or late and scanty—often irregular; menorrhagia in flabby, chilly women with palpitation and sweat on exertion [Hering]. Leucorrhoea milky, thick, profuse, worse before/after menses; pruritus vulvae. Mastitis during lactation: engorged, hard, tender breasts, milk scant or too abundant, chills with sweat—Calc-carb. often constitutional here [Clarke]. Fibroids, uterine enlargement with bearing-down. Infertility in chilly, easily-fatigued, glandular women [Clinical].

Respiratory

Dyspnoea from ascending or cold damp air; chronic hoarseness in scrofulous; tendency to catch cold at the least change [Hering]. Snoring with open mouth (adenoids). Whooping-cough convalescence slow in Calc-subjects, with sweat and weakness [Clinical].

Heart

Palpitation from exertion, ascending, emotion; worse lying on left side; accompanied by sweat and anxiety [Kent]. Pulse soft, easily quickened. Anaemic murmurs in the growing or exhausted; cold, damp extremities. Emotional fear aggravates palpitation; rest and warmth relieve.

Chest

Shortness of breath on ascending, must stop to breathe; palpitation with anxiety; tight chest from cold [Kent]. Chronic catarrh, thick expectoration, worse mornings. Sweat on least exertion soaking the linen. Mastitis (see Female). Tender sternum to pressure when dyspeptic.

Back

Weak back, feels as if it would give way; lumbago on lifting; stiff neck in drafts; scoliosis/kyphosis tendencies in rickets [Hering], [Clarke]. Cold, damp aggravates; support, rest, warmth relieve. Sweat on nape.

Extremities

Cold, damp feet, often sweaty with offensive odour; burning of soles at night with desire to uncover—paradox of peripheral dysregulation [Hering]. Cramps in calves and soles, especially at night or ascending. Knock-knees, curved tibiae, late walking; sprains from lax ligaments; deformities in rickets. Hang-nails, brittle nails, white spots. Hands moist, clammy, easily chapped.

Skin

Soft, flabby, unhealthy; wounds suppurate easily; eczema of scalp/face/flexures; intertrigo in fat infants; warts, polypi; cold, damp sweat esp. head; sour odour [Hering], [Clarke]. Urticaria from cold; chaps in winter. Acne rosacea in stout, chilly dyspeptics. Boils recurrent; cellulitis indolent in mal-nourished.

Sleep

Sleepiness by day, sleepless by worries at night; unrefreshing sleep; drowsy after meals [Kent]. Children sleep with head in sweat, covers thrown off feet or feet uncovered from heat of soles then chilled; start in sleep from frightful images [Hering]. Snoring, mouth open; grinds teeth; dreams of robbers, fire, misfortune; night terrors after scary stories. Bed-wetting toward first sleep or second half of night. Cannot fall asleep for plans and anxieties; when asleep, drenched head-sweat. Wakes tired, back weak, dreads the day’s work; better later morning. Infants cry out in sleep; want light in room; fear dark. Naps help briefly but do not restore.

Dreams

Of misfortune, death, business cares, heights, falling, pursuits; anxious, realistic; wakes with palpitation or head sweat. Children dream of monsters, mice, being observed. Dreams abate as security grows and sweating lessens [Kent], [Tyler].

Fever

Chilliness predominates; chilly even in warm room; sweats easily on least exertion, at night about head/neck; sweat sour [Hering]. Fever from teething, otitis, adenitis; low-grade, prolonged with fatigue. Thirst moderate; desires warm drinks. Heat alternates with chill in damp weather.

Chill / Heat / Sweat

Chill: from cold damp, bathing, drafts; gooseflesh easily; hands/feet like ice.
Heat: flushes on exertion or emotion with palpitation; head hot while feet cold.
Sweat: profuse, sour, especially head, nape, during sleep; on exertion generalised; sweat chills if exposed. [Hering], [Clarke].

Food & Drinks

Craves eggs (a keynote), sweets, indigestibles (chalk, coal), salt sometimes; aversion to fat and often milk (or milk disagrees) [Hahnemann], [Allen], [Tyler]. Desires warm food; cold drinks/fruit may sour stomach. Appetite ravenous yet weak digestion; or loss of appetite with flabby weakness.

Generalities

Calc-carb. is a deep constitutional remedy for defective nutrition with chilliness and sweat. The triadhead-sweat, cold damp feet, fat-flabby with large abdomen—is classical, but even without the full triad, mal-assimilation, glandular enlargement, and fearful, dutiful temperament guide the choice [Hering], [Kent], [Tyler]. The modal matrixworse cold, damp, exertion, ascending, mental effort, and at full moon/teething; better warmth, rest, support, routine—repeats across Mind, Respiration, Heart, Back, and Skin. Tissue tone is lax: ligaments, vessels, mucosae; hence hernias, ptoses, prolapses, varicosities, and sprains recur. Secretion quality is sour, thick, cheesy (milk-white leucorrhoea, thick otorrhoea), and suppurative disposition is common. The pace is slow, chronic, relapsing; convalescence lingers; growth is delayed yet bulky. The thermal state is chilly, damp-aggravated, with sweat on effort or sleep; paradoxically soles burn at night. Fears and conscientious over-responsibility interlock with somatic fatigue; the will is sound but the frame is unequal. Differentiate from Calc-phos. (thin, restless grower, craves smoked/salty; bone pains in growth), Sil. (chilly, sweaty but fragile will, splintery suppuration), Bary-carb. (dwarfed mind/body, extreme shyness), Nat-mur. (reserved, worse sun, thin mucous), and Graph. (oozy thick skin but less osseous). The direction of cure is signalled by: (1) sweat lessens, especially head; (2) feet warm and dry, (3) stamina improves on stairs, (4) catarrhs diminish, ears clear, (5) child grows steadily with timely dentition.

Differential Diagnosis

Constitutional growth / glands

  • Calc-phos. — Thin, tall, peevish, restless grower; bone pains, desires smoked/salty; school-headache; less sweat triad. Calc-carb.: plump, flabby, head-sweat, craves eggs, fearful duties. [Kent], [Tyler].
  • Bary-carb. — Dwarfish body/mind, extreme bashfulness, enlarged glands; more childish dependence. Calc-carb.: better comprehension but over-conscientious with fatigue. [Kent].
  • Silicea — Chilly, sweaty feet, suppurative tendency, lack of grit; but will-power fragile; head-sweat too. Calc-carb.: fearful but dutiful; more mal-assimilation and craves eggs. [Kent], [Clarke].
  • Graphites — Obese, chilly with oozing, honey-like skin and constipation; less bone/growth delay; more skin fissures. [Clarke].
  • Nat-mur. — Thin, anaemic, reserved; headache from sun; desires salt; dryness more than sweat; not the flabby Calc child. [Kent].

Bone / rickets / dentition

  • Phos. — Tall, slender, haemorrhagic, craves cold drinks, open personality; not flabby; diarrhoea watery. [Kent].
  • Fluor-ac. — Bone overgrowths, varices in warm-blooded, better cold; sexual drive high—unlike chilly Calc. [Clarke].
  • Tuberculinum — Recurrent colds, restlessness, travel desire; thin with adenoids; fevers; not plodding Calc. [Tyler].

Ears/adenoids

  • Puls. — Bland, yellow-green discharges in mild, weepy, warm-averse; seeks open air. Calc-carb.: chilly, sweat, fear, large belly. [Clarke], [Kent].
  • Kali-sulph. — Chronic catarrh, yellow mucous, better cool open air; less constitutional flabbiness. [Boericke].

Stomach/bowels

  • Ant-crud. — Thick white tongue, aggravated by fats, irritable child; but less constitutional fear/duty. [Allen].
  • Carbo-veg. — Bloating, belching, collapse tendency, desires fanning; not especially head-sweaty child. [Clarke].
  • Lyc. — Flatulent, right-sided, 4–8 p.m. worse, authority issues; Calc-carb. more security-fear with egg craving. [Kent].

Female

  • Sepia — Bearing-down, pelvic laxity, indifference to family; better violent exercise. Calc-carb.: dutiful, attached, anxious, chilly. [Kent].
  • Ferr-phos. — Menorrhagia with anaemia, flushes; less sweat triad. [Clarke].
  • Thyroidinum — Obesity with hypothyroid signs but usually heat-seeking; Calc-carb. is chilly, sweat-heavy. [Clinical].

Skin

  • Sulphur — Burning heat, worse heat of bed, philosophical egoist; Calc-carb.: chilly, sweat, timid, sour. [Kent].
  • Hepar-s. — Suppurative tendency with extreme chilliness and irritability; less growth/egg-craving keynote. [Clarke].

Heart/Exertion

  • Cactus — Constriction “iron band,” hot; Calc is chilly, weak with sweat. [Kent].
  • Gels. — Dull, drowsy, tremulous without duty-anxiety; exertion intolerance differs. [Nash].

Remedy Relationships

  • Complementary: Bell. in acute attacks of the Calc child (fever, congestion) transitioning back to Calc constitution. [Kent].
  • Complementary: Sil. in chronic suppuration or after Calc builds frame but splintery processes persist. [Hering], [Clarke].
  • Complementary: Puls. in catarrhal ear/nasal states of soft, gentle children; alternation by indications. [Clarke].
  • Complementary: Nat-mur. for later adolescent anaemia and headaches once Calc groundwork set. [Kent].
  • Follows well: Calc-phos. after a growth spurt when thin, peevish traits dominate; or precedes it when frame is flabby. [Tyler].
  • Follows well: Hepar-s. in suppurative otitis once acute sensitivity abates and constitutional flabbiness remains. [Clarke].
  • Precedes well: Sulph. to open cases in psoric skins where reaction is low; then Calc consolidates. [Kent].
  • Precedes well: Thuja when sycotic warts/polypi remain after Calc’s building. [Clarke].
  • Compatible: Ferr-phos. (anaemia), Kali-mur. (glandular catarrh), Mag-phos. (cramps) as tissue-salt supports [Clinical].
  • Related: Bary-carb., Graph., Sil., Calc-phos., Lyc., Puls., Nat-mur., Sep., Sulph. as differentials above.
  • Antidotes (functional): Warmth, rest, nutritive regimen support action; Nux-v. may antidote medicinal aggravation [Clinical].
  • Inimical: None strongly classical; avoid frequent alternation with Sil. without clear phase-shift.

Clinical Tips

  • Scrofulous child with adenoids/otitis + head-sweat + big belly: Calc-carb. 200C weekly or 30C daily in short courses; track snoring, ear discharge, sweat as KPIs. [Clarke], [Tyler].
  • Mastitis in chilly, flabby nursing mother: Calc-carb. intercurrently (30C–200C) alongside local measures; if very sensitive, Hepar-s. acutely, then back to Calc constitution. [Clarke], [Boericke].
  • Menorrhagia in stout, chilly women with palpitation on stairs: Calc-carb. (constitutional), adjunct Ferr-phos. short term for pallor. [Kent], [Clarke].
  • Slow dentition, teething diarrhoea (sour) with head-sweat: Calc-carb. 30C t.i.d. for a few days, then space; compare Calc-phos. if thin/restless grower. [Hering], [Tyler].
  • Enuresis in head-sweaty child with cold feet: bedtime dose Calc-carb. (200C) weekly; warm socks; adenoid/otitis management. [Clarke].
  • Back “gives way” with damp cold exertion: Calc-carb. 200C at onset; heat, rest, core support; chronic phase constitutional. [Hering].
  • Pearl cases:
    • Adenoid child (puffy, head-sweat, big belly, glue ear): Calc-carb. 200C weekly × 4 → snoring ceased, otorrhoea dried; growth chart improved. [Tyler], [Clarke].
    • Menorrhagia + palpitation on stairs in a chilly, conscientious teacher: Calc-carb. 200C q10d; bleeding normalised over two cycles; stair tolerance returned. [Kent].
    • Mastitis with hard, tender lobule, chilly sweats: Hepar-s. 200C 12-hourly × 2 then Calc-carb. 200C weekly; pain, fever settled; supply stabilised. [Clarke].

Selected Repertory Rubrics

Mind

  • Fear — insanity, misfortune, heights; evening aggravation. (Security theme.) [Kent].
  • Anxiety — about health, future, money; conscientious about duty. (Constitutional.) [Kent], [Tyler].
  • Timidity — bashful, averse to observation (children hide face). [Tyler].
  • Slowness — comprehension, answers slowly; mental fatigue on small effort. [Kent].
  • Desire for home & routine, aversion to change; homesick. [Tyler].
  • Startles — easily; frightful stories aggravate night terrors. [Hering].

Head

  • Perspiration — scalp — profuse — during sleep. (Keynote.) [Hering].
  • Fontanelles — open too long; skull large. [Clarke].
  • Vertigo — on ascending; looking up; heights. [Kent].
  • Headache — from mental exertion; from cold exposure. [Hering].
  • Eczema — scalp; crusta lactea. [Hering].
  • Exostoses — skull (rickety). [Clarke].

Eyes

  • Keratitis — phlyctenular; scrofulous. [Clarke].
  • Blepharitis — crusty lids; styes recurrent. [Hering].
  • Photophobia — to cold wind. [Hering].
  • Lachrymation — chronic, thick. [Clarke].
  • Strabismus — convergent — in weakly children. [Clarke].
  • Vision — black motes on rising suddenly. [Allen].

Ears

  • Otitis media — chronic — purulent discharge. [Clarke].
  • Hearing — dull — from adenoids. [Clarke].
  • Polypus — ear. [Clarke].
  • Pain — teething children — night. [Hering].
  • Eustachian — catarrh with adenoids. [Clarke].
  • Perforation drum — discharging. [Clarke].

Nose / Throat

  • Adenoids; mouth-breathing, snoring. [Clarke].
  • Coryza — thick, yellow/green; chronic. [Clarke].
  • Nasal polypus. [Clarke].
  • Tonsils — enlarged, recurrent inflammation. [Hering].
  • Posterior pharynx — thick mucus mornings. [Hering].
  • Epistaxis — children. [Clarke].

Mouth / Teeth

  • Aphthae — infants. [Hering].
  • Dentition — delayed. [Hering].
  • Teeth — crumble; early caries. [Clarke].
  • Grinding teeth — during sleep. [Hering].
  • Gums — spongy — bleed easily. [Hering].
  • Tongue — white coat; teeth-marks. [Allen].

Stomach / Abdomen / Rectum

  • Craves — eggs. (Keynote.) [Tyler].
  • Aversion — fat; milk disagrees. [Allen].
  • Eructations/vomiting — sour. [Hering].
  • Abdomen — enlarged — children. [Clarke].
  • Constipation — large, hard stools; fissure. [Hering].
  • Diarrhoea — during dentition — sour. [Hering].
  • Hernia — umbilical (infants). [Clarke].
  • Mesenteric glands — enlarged. [Clarke].

Urinary / Genital

  • Enuresis — children — cold feet, head-sweat. [Clarke].
  • Urine — profuse at night. [Hering].
  • Leucorrhoea — milky, profuse. [Hering].
  • Menses — early/profuse or late/scanty — irregular. [Hering].
  • Mastitis — hard, tender breasts. [Clarke].
  • Fibroids — uterus (constitution). [Clarke].

Chest / Heart / Respiration

  • Palpitation — on ascending; emotion. [Kent].
  • Dyspnoea — on exertion; cold damp. [Hering].
  • Cough — chronic catarrh — thick expectoration. [Clarke].
  • Sweat — on least exertion. [Hering].
  • Cannot lie on left side — palpitation. [Kent].
  • Snoring — children — adenoids. [Clarke].

Back / Extremities

  • Back — weakness — gives way. [Hering].
  • Lumbago — from exertion, damp. [Hering].
  • Feet — cold, damp, offensive sweat. [Hering].
  • Burning soles — at night — uncovers feet. [Hering].
  • Cramps — calves/soles — night. [Hering].
  • Knock-knee; curved tibia — rickets. [Clarke].

Skin / Generalities

  • Perspiration — profuse — head; sour. [Hering].
  • Wounds — suppurate easily. [Hering].
  • Eczema — infants — intertrigo. [Clarke].
  • Warts / polypi (sycotic tendency). [Clarke].
  • Cold — damp — aggravates. [Clarke].
  • Exertion — aggravates; ascending. [Kent].
  • Warmth — ameliorates. [Hering].

References

Hahnemann — Materia Medica Pura (1821–1834): primary proving—sour secretions, head-sweat, chilliness, fears, dyspepsia, gland/bone notes.
Hering, C. — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): constitutional portrait—Calc child, glands, bone, sweat triad, modalities.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): proving details—GI sourness, cravings/aversions, mental fears, exertional weakness.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): scrofula/adenoids/otitis, female breast/fibroids, polypi/warts, rickets.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870s): mineral rationale—assimilation, osseous/glandular tropism; endocrine hints.
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1905): mental—duty, fears; modalities (cold/damp, exertion); heart/back weakness.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1901): concise keynotes—egg craving, head-sweat, large abdomen, cold feet, leucorrhoea.
Tyler, M. L. — Homoeopathic Drug Pictures (1942): vivid portraits—Calc child/adult; clinic pearls.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key (1915): general analysis; climate modalities; gland/bone relations.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1899): convalescence, slow cases; comparative insights.
Phatak, S. R. — Materia Medica of Homoeopathic Medicines (1977): terse generals—fears, sweat, chilliness, gland/ear.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (1887): comparative mineral family notes; bone and catarrhal states.
Dunham, C. — Lectures on Materia Medica (1879): organ-remedy reflections—assimilation and constitution.
Boger & Boericke — Repertory/Keynotes (various): rubric mapping for glands, sweat, head, adenoids.

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