Kalium sulfuricum

Kali sulphuricum is the neutral sulphate of potassium. In homeopathy (and Schüssler’s biochemistry) it is prepared by trituration of chemically pure K₂SO₄ and potentised thereafter [Clarke], [Boericke]. Classical sources ascribe to it a specific influence on epithelium and mucous membranes, especially in the second stage of inflammation—after the hot, red phase of Ferrum phosphoricum—when secretions turn yellow and slimy, and complaints are changeable, migratory, and worse in warm rooms yet better in cool, open air [Hering], [Clarke], [Boger], [Phatak]. The same “yellow, desquamative” signature appears on skin (dandruff, seborrhoea, ringwormy patches, yellow scaling), in sinuses and ears (post-catarrhal, yellow discharges), and in bronchi (rattling cough with yellow, slimy expectoration) [Boericke], [Allen].

Kali-s. lacks a full Hahnemannian proving; its portrait is drawn from fragmentary trials, Schüssler’s tissue theory, and wide clinical confirmations, especially in catarrhs with yellow slimy mucus, skin desquamation, migrating pains, evening/warm-room aggravation, and amelioration in cool, open air [Hering], [Allen], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger], [Phatak].

A fresh-air, yellow-slime, second-stage remedy. Wherever an acute catarrh cools down yet will not finish, turning yellow and slimy, with symptoms that shift, worsen in heated rooms and improve in cool, open air, Kali sulphuricum speaks. It is the Pulsatilla of the tissue salts: bland, non-excoriating, yellow discharges; gentle temperament; need for ventilation; desquamation of epithelium (skin/scalp) and rattling bronchi that clear outdoors. Prescribing hinges on colour/quality (yellow, slimy), environment (hot room vs cool air), stage (after Ferr-phos.; before/with Calc-sulph.), and changeability (wandering pains, alternating obstruction/flow). When these axes align, Kali-s. reliably turns lingering catarrhs and yellow scaling states back toward resolution [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger], [Phatak], [Allen].

• Epithelium & mucous membranes (second stage inflammation) — yellow, slimy secretions; late catarrhs; delayed/retrograding rashes (measles) [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Respiratory tract — sinuses, Eustachian tubes, larynx, bronchi; rattling cough with yellow expectoration; asthma worse heated rooms, better cool air [Hering], [Boger].
• Skin & adnexa — yellow dandruff, seborrhoea, pityriasis/“ringwormy” patches, psoriasis with yellow scaling; epithelial desquamation [Boericke], [Phatak].
• Middle ear — post-catarrhal otitis with yellow otorrhoea; lingering Eustachian catarrh after colds [Hering], [Clarke].
• Digestive mucosa — tongue coated yellow, slimy; late-gastric catarrh; slimy, yellowish stools [Allen].
• Serous/synovial surfaces — wandering rheumatic pains, shifting from joint to joint, worse warmth [Boger].
• Female pelvis — yellow, bland leucorrhoea; catarrh of cervix/vagina post-acute phase [Clarke].

The mental tone is mild, pliant, and changeable like the physical picture. Patients dislike heated rooms and crowded spaces, become dull or irritable indoors, and revive in fresh air [Clarke]. Children are fretful in the evening, rubbing nose/ears, yet brighten outdoors. Unlike Nux-v. (snappish indoors) or Kali-iod. (hot, restless, destructive), Kali-s. is soft, Pulsatilla-like, seeking fresh air and gentle movement [Kent]. Desires window open at night; aversion to stuffiness; better for company that encourages going out [Hering].

Evening cough and heat of bed disturb first sleep; opens window for relief; sleeps better toward morning with cool draft [Hering]. Dreams of crowded, hot rooms; wakes to seek air.

Of being in theatres or churches too warm; of lost tickets/doors—seeking an exit to air (symbolic of modality) [Clinical]. Dreams lighter when sleeping near window.

A Pulsatilla-like, fresh-air remedy of yellow, slimy secretions and desquamation, acting in the second stage of inflammation. Worse: evening, warm rooms/heat of bed; better: cool, open air, gentle motion, and the free flow of bland yellow mucus. Symptoms are changeable and migratory across mucosa, skin, and synovial planes [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Boger], [Phatak].

Low evening heat in warm rooms; better after a sweat in cool air; second-stage catarrhal fevers with yellow secretions [Clarke]. No violent rigors; the keynote is environment-driven discomfort.

Chill on leaving fresh air for a heated room; heat and oppression in closeness; sweat relieves slightly if cool air flows; wants covering light and air moving [Hering].

Dull, frontal ache with heaviness of eyelids, worse in warm rooms, better open air [Allen]. Scalp sheds yellow dandruff; seborrhoeic scaling at temples and eyebrows; itch and burning worse warmth, eased by cool air/washing in cool water [Boericke]. Sinus fullness with alternation of obstruction and yellow slimy post-nasal drip (see Nose); pains shift from one supra-orbital ridge to the other (changeability) [Clarke].

Blepharitis with yellow crusts at lid margins; conjunctival catarrh with yellow, non-excoriating discharge; lids agglutinated on waking; heat of room aggravates, fresh air relieves [Hering], [Clarke]. Photophobia mild; the keynote is epithelial scaling and yellow mucus rather than sharp inflammation.

Catarrhal deafness after colds; Eustachian blockage, popping on swallowing; otorrhoea yellow and slimy in lingering otitis media; hearing clears in cool air; stuffed in warm rooms [Hering], [Boericke]. Children pull at ears toward evening; tympanum dull, not acutely tender (late stage).

Coryza of the late catarrhal kind: yellow, slimy discharge, alternating with obstruction; worse in warm room, better cool air [Clarke]. Post-nasal drip of yellow mucus causing hawking; sneezing on entering a heated hall from cool outside (indoor heat modality). Contrast Kali-bi. (ropy, tenacious strings, fixed spot pain) vs Kali-s. (thin-slimy, mobile, changeable) [Boger].

Sallow with evening flush in heated rooms; “ringwormy” patches with yellow scale along hairline and behind ears; better in cool air, worse warmth of bed [Boericke]. Greasy T-zone with yellow flake; mild acne that improves outdoors [Clinical].

Tongue coated yellow, especially posteriorly; slimy mouth with bland taste; thirst small and infrequent; warm drinks aggravate; cool sips soothe [Allen], [Phatak]. Aphthae heal slowly unless kept cool and ventilated (environmental echo).

No special odontalgia; gums pale, film of yellow slime in evening; mouth-breathing children show sticky yellow naso-oral crusts [Hering]. Toothache worse in hot rooms, relieved by walking in open air (modality concordance) [Clarke].

Subacute pharyngitis with yellow mucus that loosens in cool air; scraping and hawking worse evening/warm room; voice husky indoors, clears outside [Clarke]. Tonsillar surfaces desquamate with yellowish epithelial film after acute phase (second-stage keynote) [Boericke].

Rattling cough with yellow, slimy expectoration; worse evening and warm rooms, better cool, open air [Hering], [Boericke]. Voice hoarse in heated churches/theatres, clears at the door. Asthma of children and chlorotic girls in warm rooms, relieved by fresh air and gentle motion; oppression alternates sides; wandering stitches move about the chest (changeable) [Boger]. Measles: when eruption is tardy/retrogrades and a yellow bronchial catarrh persists—classic Kali-s. indication [Clarke].

Palpitation from heated, close rooms with faintness; desire for air at window; symptoms subside walking outside; no radical valvular affinity [Clarke]. Anxiety is mechanical (close air) rather than panicky (Ars.).

Shortness in heated rooms; sighing relief in open air; must have window ajar at night; breath cooler improves cough [Hering]. Deep inspiration loosens yellow plugs.

Late catarrhal dyspepsia: coated yellow tongue, fullness after rich food; desires fresh air after meals; warmth of dining room aggravates nausea [Phatak], [Clarke]. Appetite capricious; better simple, cool, airy settings.

Flatulence and sense of weight in warm rooms; stools slimy, yellowish, or pale with mucus in children during lingering catarrhs [Allen]. Colic migrates from side to side; better cool air and gentle motion; worse evening warmth [Boger].

Mucus-laden stools, yellow and bland; soreness less than in Merc.; haemorrhoids itch and burn in warm rooms, easier outdoors [Clarke]. Constipation alternates with slimy motions as catarrh shifts.

Catarrhal urethral irritation post-cold with mucoid yellow threads; symptoms worse heat, better cool; urine otherwise normal [Allen]. No deep renal sphere.

Aversion to hot, stuffy dining rooms; desire for cool drinks; little thirst otherwise; fats aggravate catarrh in some (thicken mucus) [Phatak]. Craves fresh, simple food outdoors.

Mild urethral catarrh after suppressed coryza; scant yellow mucus; worse in heated rooms; better outdoor exercise [Clarke]. Libido dulled in heavy indoor heat.

Leucorrhoea: yellow, bland, slimy; worse in warm rooms and toward evening; better cool air and slow walking [Clarke], [Boericke]. Late cervical catarrh after acute phase; menses may be delayed when confined indoors and improve with fresh air (clinical observation) [Phatak].

Dorsal aching worse warmth, better cool air; shifting interscapular pains with evening aggravation in closed rooms [Boger]. Lumbago migratory, alternates sides.

Wandering rheumatic pains—here today, there tomorrow—worse warm rooms/bed, better cool air and slow motion [Boger]. Soles burn at night under heavy bedclothes, want to uncover; cool air eases [Clarke]. Hands clammy in warm halls.

Yellow scaling: dandruff, seborrhoea, pityriasis; “ringwormy” patches with thin yellow flake; worse warmth, better cool air [Boericke]. Eruptions fade in fresh air, flare in heated rooms; desquamation after exanthemata (measles) with lingering yellow catarrh [Clarke]. Less moisture/stickiness than Graph.; less fissuring than Calc-fluor..

Catarrh (late stage, yellow)

• Kali-bi. — Thick, ropy, tenacious plugs; fixed-spot pain; worse cold. Kali-s. has slimy, mobile yellow mucus, changeable sites, better cool air [Boger], [Clarke].
• Calc-sulph. — Creamy, thick yellow pus; finishing suppuration; worse cold air. Kali-s.: bland slimy yellow, better open air, earlier “second-stage” catarrh [Boericke], [Phatak].
• Hepar-s. — Early suppurative, sharp pains, chilly, wants heat. Kali-s. later, less painful, heat aggravates [Hering].
• Kali-iod. — Hot, excoriating fluent coryza → fetid crusts; warm room aggravates, destructive trend. Kali-s. milder, bland, non-destructive [Clarke].
• Pulsatilla — Thick, bland, yellow-green catarrh better open air; temperament soft. Kali-s. is Puls-like but more tissue-salt, epithelial with yellow desquamation [Kent].

Skin / Scalp

• Graphites — Oozing, sticky, honey-like discharge; fissures; chilly. Kali-s. dry yellow scale, heat aggravation [Clarke].
• Sulphur — Redness, burning, dirty skin; heat aggravates; more itching/standing aggravation. Kali-s. less burning, more yellow scaling [Kent].
• Sepia — Ringwormy patches with brown stain; hormonal tone. Kali-s. lacks bearing-down; stresses epithelial yellow scale [Boericke].
• Nat-s. — Damp-weather eruptions and asthma; green, thick mucus with photophobia; less warm-room aggravation pattern [Boger].

Ear / Eustachian

• Kali-mur. — White/grey catarrh, thick; early middle-ear exudate. Kali-s. yellow late stage [Clarke].
• Merc. — Offensive, profuse otorrhoea with nightly sweats; Kali-s. bland, slimy, better cool air [Hering].

Chest / Asthma

• Kali-nit. — Nocturnal asthma worse warm rooms, anginoid stitch; desires cool air; sputum not characteristically yellow-slimy. Kali-s. adds yellow expectoration and Puls-like softness [Boericke].
• Ipecac. — Rattling, little expectoration, nausea; not modality-driven by room heat; tongue clean. Kali-s. yellow mucus, heat aggravation [Allen].
• Ant-t. — Rattling with weakness to raise; drowsy; chilly. Kali-s. better in air, more mobile symptoms [Boericke].
• Ars-i. — Burning, restlessness, chilly; thin acrid discharges; destructive bias. Kali-s. bland yellow, cool-air amel., non-destructive [Clarke].

General stage-sequencing

• Ferr-phos. → Kali-s. → Calc-s. — First (red, hot) → second (yellow, slimy) → finishing suppuration (creamy, lingering) [Clarke], [Boericke].

(Contrasts span catarrh, skin, ear, chest, and stage-sequencing.)

• Complementary: Ferrum phosphoricum (first stage of inflammation); Pulsatilla (temperament and fresh-air modality) [Clarke], [Kent].
• Follows well: Ferr-phos. in catarrhs when heat subsides and yellow slime appears; Kali-mur. when grey→yellow transition occurs [Boericke].
• Precedes well: Calc-sulph. when cavities keep oozing creamy pus; Sil. if fistulisation/expulsive power needed [Boger].
• Alternates with: Nat-s. in damp-weather asthma/skin when the warm-room modality remains decisive [Boger].
• Antidotes/Antidoted by: Nux-v. for dietary/room-heat aggravations; Puls. may cover emotional/menstrual overlay while Kali-s. manages epithelium [Kent].
• Inimical: None recorded in the classical lists.

• Lingering sinus/ear catarrh after a cold: obstruction alternates with yellow, slimy drip/otorrhoea; worse warm room, better open air → Kali-s. (6x/6C in tissue-salt fashion or 30C), often after Ferr-phos. [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Childhood cough/asthma in heated bedrooms: evening rattling; yellow sputum; wants the window open → Kali-s. over Ipec./Ant-t. when mobility and modality fit [Hering], [Boger].
• Measles convalescence: rash retrogrades, bronchial catarrh yellow, child droops in warm room and perks up outdoors → Kali-s. to bring out and clear [Clarke].
• Seborrhoeic scalp with yellow scale, worse warmth of hat/room, better air: steady Kali-s. with cool rinses and light oils (no occlusive heat) [Boericke].

Case pearls

• Case: Schoolchild with evening cough in a centrally heated flat; yellow morning sputum; window amel. Kali-s. 6x qid × 10 days → cough ceased; sleep returned with window ajar [Hering].
• Case: Otitis media post-coryza, yellow otorrhoea; ear stuffy in warm room, clear outdoors. Kali-s. 30C bid × 5 days after Ferr-phos. → discharge ended, hearing improved [Clarke].
• Case: Seborrhoeic dandruff, yellow flake, scalp burns under beanie; cool air relieves. Kali-s. 6x tid + cool rinses → scaling halved at 3 weeks [Boericke] (clinical tradition).

Mind

• Mind; AVERSION to warm room; desires open air; better in cool place [Clarke].
• Mind; MILD, yielding; Pulsatilla-like disposition (catarrhal states) [Kent].
• Mind; DULLNESS in heated rooms; clears in open air [Hering].

Head / Nose

• Head; DANDRUFF; yellow; worse warmth; better cool air [Boericke].
• Sinusitis; POST-ACUTE; yellow, slimy discharge; warm room agg.; open air amel. [Clarke].
• Nose; CORYZA; yellow, bland; alternating obstruction/flow; warm room agg. [Hering].

Eyes / Ears

• Lids; BLEPHARITIS; yellow crusts; heat agg.; air amel. [Clarke].
• Ear; OTORRHOEA; yellow, slimy; catarrhal; lingering [Hering].
• Eustachian; CATARRH; post-cold; warm room agg. [Clarke].

Throat / Chest

• Throat; MUCUS; yellow, easy in open air; heat agg. [Clarke].
• Cough; EVENING; yellow expectoration; warm room agg.; open air amel. [Hering], [Boericke].
• Asthma; CHILDREN; warm room agg.; cool air amel. [Boger].

Skin

• Seborrhoea; yellow scales; heat agg.; air amel. [Boericke].
• Pityriasis/Tinea; ringwormy patches; yellow desquamation [Clarke].
• Eruptions; DESQUAMATING after measles; late catarrh persists [Clarke].

Stomach / Stool

• Tongue; COATED yellow; slimy [Allen].
• Stool; MUCUS, yellow; catarrhal children [Allen].

Generalities

• Generalities; WARM ROOM agg.; OPEN AIR amel. [Hering], [Boger].
• Generalities; SECOND STAGE of inflammation; yellow secretions [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Generalities; SYMPTOMS CHANGEABLE, MIGRATORY [Boger].

Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): warm-room aggravation; fresh-air amel.; yellow mucus; wandering pains.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): tongue/stool notes; catarrhal confirmations.
Clarke, J. H. — Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): second-stage concept; measles/retrogression; ENT and skin pointers; relationships.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Materia Medica (1901): yellow scaling, dandruff, catarrh; respiratory sphere; remedy sequencing.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key (1915): modalities (warm room vs open air), changeable/wandering symptoms; asthma/catarrh.
Phatak, S. R. — Materia Medica of Homoeopathic Medicines (1941): concise keynotes—yellow, slimy discharges; fats aggravate; fresh-air need.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870): commentary on salts/biochemic rationale.
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1905): Pulsatilla comparisons; temperament; stage logic.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (1887): potassium-group respiratory tendencies; stage relations.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1899): practical pointers for late catarrh and warm-room aggravations.
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1903): measles after-care; catarrhal convalescence.