Calcarea carbonica

This remedy is prepared from the middle layer of the oyster shell (inner calcium carbonate-rich layer), which is washed, triturated, and potentised according to homeopathic methods. Chemically, calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) is a widely found compound occurring in rocks (chalk, limestone, marble), and the shells of marine organisms.

First proved by Samuel Hahnemann, and described in detail in Chronic Diseases (1828). It is one of the central polychrests of homeopathy, with wide-ranging action on physical, emotional, and constitutional levels.

Calcarea carbonica typifies the solid, dependable, cautious type who becomes overwhelmed by demands and collapses into fatigue, anxiety, and physical stagnation. The body becomes heavy, slow, and cold; the mind becomes anxious, fearful, and controlling. Children needing this remedy are slow to develop, sweat profusely on the head, and crave eggs.

Bones and joints; glands (especially lymphatic and mesenteric); skin; gastrointestinal tract; female reproductive organs; head and scalp; respiratory mucosa; metabolic processes.

The Calcarea carbonica constitution is known for its anxiety, timidity, and deep-seated insecurity, often centred around fears for the future, health, or insanity. Kent describes this individual as cautious, conscientious, and overwhelmed by responsibility, easily exhausted by mental work. Clarke remarks on the fear of losing control or going mad, especially at twilight or night. There is a strong desire for stability and routine. Children are often shy, clingy, and slow to warm to strangers. Adults may be intellectually capable but withdrawn and overwhelmed by the pace of life. Delusions include fears of burglars, ghosts, or that something bad will happen. These patients are deeply attached to their family and home and resist change of any kind.

Drowsy in the daytime, difficulty falling asleep at night. Clarke recorded nightmares, grinding of teeth, and waking in fright. Dreams may involve fire, falling, or being pursued.

Disturbed, vivid dreams. Fearful or anxious. Hering mentioned dreams of thieves, death, or quarrels. Sleep is not refreshing.

Cold, clammy, tired, and sluggish. Clarke emphasised chilliness as a guiding symptom. Worse from physical exertion, cold, damp, and bathing. Children are slow to develop: teething, walking, and talking delayed. Tendency to glandular swellings and obesity.

Chilliness predominates. Fever tends to be low-grade, lingering, and accompanied by sweating. Clarke noted sweat on exertion or at night, especially on the head.

Chill with thirst. Sweats profuse, sour-smelling, worse at night and on the head and neck. Children often sweat while sleeping. Clarke described coldness of hands and feet even during fever.

Headaches tend to be chronic, dull, and worse from cold, exertion, or mental strain. Clarke noted cold, clammy sweats on the scalp, particularly in children. Fontanelles (especially anterior) remain open longer than normal. Hering recorded a sensation of weight or pressure, often frontal or occipital. Vertigo on climbing stairs, standing up, or turning the head is frequent.

Red, sore, and easily strained. Lachrymation with redness, photophobia, and itching. Clarke recorded chronic blepharitis and styes, especially on upper lids. Vision becomes blurred when reading. Eyes tire easily from slight exertion.

Tinnitus, especially a humming or ringing. Clarke noted deafness with chronic catarrh and swelling of glands. Sensation of obstruction in the ears, or pain on swallowing. Children may be prone to otitis media with thick discharges.

Nasal obstruction or catarrh, especially in cold, damp weather. Clarke mentioned frequent sneezing, crusts, and post-nasal catarrh. Children may have “snuffles,” with thick yellow mucus and mouth breathing. Nosebleeds occur easily.

Pale, puffy, and often clammy. Clarke observed red blotches or eruptions on cheeks. The lips may be dry and cracked. Children have a characteristic large head with chubby cheeks, open mouth, and slow dentition.

Dry, with a sour taste in the morning. Hering noted excessive salivation and delayed teething in children. Clarke described ulcers, swollen gums, and a tendency toward dental caries. Speech may be slow or unclear.

Delayed eruption; decayed or brittle. Clarke recorded grinding of teeth at night. Painful dentition in children who are slow to develop. Gums may bleed or swell easily.

Mucus accumulation; difficult swallowing. Sensation of a plug or swelling in the throat. Clarke reported chronic tonsillitis and glandular swellings. Worse from cold drinks.

Chronic cough with expectoration of thick, yellow or green mucus. Clarke observed cough from deep inspiration, motion, or cold. Children may have rattling in the chest, worse lying down. Used frequently in cases of pneumonia or bronchitis during recovery.

Palpitations from excitement, exertion, or climbing stairs. Clarke noted irregular pulse and sensation of oppression or anxiety in the chest. Heart action may be weak and slow.

Shortness of breath from exertion or lying on the left side. Clarke reported dyspnoea on ascending or during sleep. Children may snore or breathe noisily.

Discomfort from the slightest dietary indiscretion. Clarke noted sour eructations, heartburn, and vomiting of curdled milk in children. Desire for eggs is a keynote, along with aversion to milk. Hering recorded nausea in the morning or from exertion.

Enlarged, distended, and sensitive—especially in children. Clarke referred to “pot-bellied” appearance. There is rumbling, gas, and pain after eating. Affection of mesenteric glands is prominent.

Constipation with difficult, large, hard stools; “too big to pass.” Clarke emphasised the child straining for hours with little result. Alternating constipation and diarrhoea. Rectum feels inactive.

Frequent urination, especially at night. Clarke noted turbid, sour-smelling urine with a white sediment. Urinary incontinence or involuntary urination in children at night. Cutting pain in urethra post-micturition.

Desire for eggs, sweets, indigestible things (chalk, coal), and aversion to fat and milk. Clarke emphasised that milk disagrees and causes bloating. Thirst for cold drinks.

Sexual desire diminished. Clarke observed phimosis, swelling of the testes, and chilliness during intercourse. Emissions may be weak or premature.

Delayed, suppressed, or heavy menses. Clarke referenced leucorrhoea resembling milk, especially before menses. Breasts tender before menstruation; prone to swelling and nodularity. Menses may cause bearing-down pains, backache, and fatigue.

Backaches from strain or prolonged sitting. Clarke noted coldness between the scapulae. Spine is weak; cannot support upright position. Children may be slow to walk due to poor muscle tone.

Hands and feet cold, damp, and clammy. Clarke observed weakness in limbs, especially on exertion. Cramp in calves at night; fingers may feel stiff. Nails brittle or misshapen.

Prone to eruptions: eczema, warts, and itching that worsens from bathing. Clarke noted unhealthy, cracked skin that heals slowly. Skin may be dry or clammy, with sour perspiration.

• Silicea: Also slow to develop, chilly, but more shy, refined.
• Calcarea phosphorica: More growing pains and school-aged children.
• Sepia: Also fatigued and sluggish but more irritable and disconnected.
• Sulphur: More heat and offensive discharges.
• Baryta carb.: Greater mental deficiency and childishness.

• Complementary: Belladonna, Silicea, Lycopodium
• Antidotes: Camphor, Nitric acid
• Inimical: Bryonia
• Follows well: Nux vomica, Pulsatilla
• Precedes well: Sulphur, Calc. phos.

Useful for failure to thrive, slow teething, developmental delay, chronic fatigue, eczema, and obesity. Ideal in those prone to chilliness, sweat, and glandular swellings. 30C to 200C for acute and constitutional prescribing; LM for chronic, slow-moving states.

Mind

• MIND – Fear of insanity
• MIND – Anxiety about health
• MIND – Obstinacy in children

Head

• HEAD – Perspiration, scalp, during sleep
• HEAD – Fontanelles, delayed closure

Gastrointestinal

• STOMACH – Desire for eggs
• RECTUM – Constipation, stool large, difficult

Generalities

• GENERAL – Cold, easily
• GENERAL – Exertion, from, aggravates
• GENERAL – Development, slow

Samuel Hahnemann, Chronic Diseases
James Tyler Kent, Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica
John Henry Clarke, A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica
William Boericke, Pocket Manual of Materia Medica
Constantine Hering, Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica