Silicea

Prepared from silicon dioxide (SiO₂)—a naturally occurring mineral found in quartz, flint, sand, and rock crystal. It is chemically inert, crystalline, and structurally stable. Used in both homeopathy and industry.

First proved by Samuel Hahnemann, with additional verification by Hering, Boericke, and Clarke

Silicea is the remedy of perseverance and perfection hidden beneath fragility. It is suited to the timid, the introspective, the chilly, and the delicate—those who seem to break easily but, with the right support, prove deeply resilient. It is the silent builder, repairing tissues, bones, and character alike, clearing long-held infections, and reawakening vitality. It transforms weakness into quiet strength, and timidity into inner resolve.

• Connective tissue: nails, bones, joints, ligaments, skin
• Lymphatic and glandular system: chronic suppuration, abscesses
• Nervous system: fatigue, chilliness, oversensitivity
• Mind: timidity, indecisiveness, performance anxiety
• Feet and extremities: offensive sweat, weakness
• Spine and meninges: scoliosis, neuralgia, slow development in children
• Left side and lower right quadrant (e.g., right inguinal region)

Silicea individuals are often delicate, sensitive, and highly conscientious, with deep-seated insecurity. They are prone to chronic fear of failure, public speaking, or being judged. There is mental weakness, particularly from overexertion, yet they may be quietly determined, even obstinate. Despite timidity, once committed, they display a slow but persistent will [Kent]. They are often emotionally fragile, feeling overwhelmed by responsibility. Lack of confidence, especially in decision-making or asserting opinions, is prominent. Easily discouraged, weepy when confronted. Marked anticipatory anxiety, especially before public events or exams, which may even cause diarrhoea [Boericke].

Disturbed by heat, pain, or anxious dreams. Night sweats common. Wakes frequently, especially from cold feet. Sleep unrefreshing. Drowsy in daytime. Children have restless or twitchy sleep.

Vivid, anxious dreams of falling, injury, or failure. Dreams reflect daytime worries and anticipatory fear. May dream of exams, being unprepared, or being humiliated. Children may scream or talk in sleep.

Chilly, even in warm weather. Slow healing, slow development. Lack of vital heat. Sensitive to cold, noise, and touch. Weakness from exertion, nervous strain, or illness. Symptoms follow vaccination, suppressed discharges, or foot sweat. Tendency to chronicity. Fatigue > warmth, < drafts. Deep-acting in delicate, undernourished constitutions.

Low-grade, lingering fevers. Chill predominates. Heat is slight but exhausting. Sweat follows fever, but does not relieve. Fever with night sweats and emaciation. Useful in slow-healing infections or suppurations.

Chilly even in warm weather. Coldness in limbs and spine. Night sweats offensive or sour. Profuse sweating on head during sleep. Heat may be internal but not perceived externally.

Headaches begin in occiput and travel to forehead or eyes, often due to mental exertion or suppressed discharges. Sensation of pressure, as from a band or a weight on the vertex. Open fontanelles in children; skull development slow. Perspiration of scalp, especially at night, with a sour odour. Hair thin, dull, and falls out easily. Vertigo from motion or fasting. Chronic sinusitis with forehead pressure and blockage [Clarke].

Weakness of vision, especially after strain or from systemic weakness. Styes, recurrent and stubborn. Blepharitis with crusts and lash loss. Lachrymation in wind or sunlight. Eyes sensitive to light, especially after illness. Floaters, dim vision, or flashes. Abscesses in canthi or behind eyeballs. Pain behind the eye extending to occiput. Sluggish eye focus in students or children with slow learning.

Chronic otitis media, with thick, offensive, purulent discharge [Hering]. Ear abscesses and mastoiditis. Deafness after chronic discharge suppression. Itching in ears with dryness or scaliness. Sensitivity to noise.

Coryza with thick, yellow-green discharge, particularly in children. Dry scabs and crusts inside nostrils. Nosebleeds from blowing. Nose cold, even in warm weather. Anosmia in chronic catarrh. Snuffles in infants. Nasal bone sore to touch.

Pale, sallow, often sunken cheeks. Lips dry, cracked, or peeling. Swelling and abscesses of jaw or cheeks. Facial eruptions that persist. Acne, particularly in teenagers who are shy or anxious. Maxillary sinus affections. Painful cheekbones.

Gums tender, bleed easily. Aphthae in mouth or on tongue. Offensive breath, particularly in the morning. Ulcers slow to heal. Tongue shows impressions of the teeth. Speech slow or stammering in shy children. Metallic taste. Increased salivation.

Teeth decay at roots. Abscesses at root tips, recurring and discharging. Toothache worse from cold air or liquids. Weak enamel. Sensation as if teeth are loose. Difficulty with teething in infants. Caries despite good hygiene [Clarke].

Tonsils chronically enlarged or scarred from past infection. Recurrent tonsillitis with thick yellow pus. Sore throat worse from cold drinks. Stitching or splinter-like pains. Sensation of a lump or plug. Fistulas or scarring from chronic inflammation.

Slow-developing chronic cough, often dry at first, then productive. Cough < cold air, < talking. Purulent expectoration, greenish, offensive. Chest feels tight, weak, or painful when coughing. Tuberculosis or post-tubercular states. Chest abscesses or empyema. In children: delayed chest development or deformity.

Palpitations from minimal exertion or emotion. Weakness of heart muscle. Fatigue with fluttering sensation. Pulse irregular, soft, or intermittent. Heart complaints from emotional suppression or chronic illness.

Breath short, worse from ascending or exertion. Difficulty breathing in cold air. Asthmatic tendency in thin, chilly individuals. Breath offensive in chronic lung disease. Periodic dyspnoea with fatigue.

Aversion to milk, which causes flatulence and bloating. Hungry but easily satiated. Sour eructations. Nausea from thought of food. Sensitive epigastrium. Pain from indigestible food or cold drinks. Constipation from weak peristalsis.

Bloated, tender abdomen with frequent passage of gas. Pain around inguinal region, especially right. Chronic inflammation of glands. Hernias in children and adults with weak abdominal walls. Stitching pains in sides or during movement.

Constipation with soft stool that requires great straining—classic keynote. Rectum feels paralysed. Stool may recede after partial expulsion. Painful cracks in anus. Fistula in ano. Abscesses around anus. Haemorrhoids, worse from sitting and touch. Offensive flatus.

Frequent urging with scanty urine. Incontinence in children, especially during first sleep. Urine cloudy, milky, or with heavy sediment. Burning during urination. Retention or difficulty initiating stream. Enuresis from spinal weakness.

Craves: eggs, cold food, ice cream, sweet things
Aversion: milk, meat, warm food
Worse from: milk, cold drinks, eggs (in some), bread
Better from: warm soups, bland food, frequent small meals

Weak sexual desire or impotence from mental exhaustion. Nightly emissions with weakness and lassitude. Prostatitis with burning and straining. Abscess or boils on scrotum. Painful ejaculation or aversion to sex.

Menses late, scanty, and painful. White vaginal discharge, offensive and persistent. Induration of breasts or glands. Suppressed lactation, or milk dries too soon. Chronic pelvic abscesses. Cracked nipples that won’t heal. Weakness or prolapse of uterus from poor tissue tone. Profuse night sweats during menopause.

Spine sensitive to pressure. Curvature or deformity, particularly scoliosis. Back pain with weakness and chilliness, especially in lumbar region. Abscesses along spine. Stiff neck with glandular swelling. Sharp pains in back when coughing or moving.

Nails brittle, deformed, or split easily. White spots on nails. Hands and feet cold, sweaty, and offensive. Bone pains in long bones, especially at night. Weak ankles, slow to learn to walk. Panaritium (felon) on fingers. Suppuration of joints. Cracks in heels. Weakness after exertion.

Skin is slow to heal, thin, or ulcerates easily. Tendency to form abscesses, boils, carbuncles, and fistulas. Suppuration is thick, offensive, and persists. Old scars may reopen. Warts, especially on fingers. Skin prone to cold sores and cracks.

• Calcarea carbonica – Similar chilliness, sweat of head, and development issues; Calc. is fatter, rounder, more fearful; Sil. is thinner, more delicate, anxious about performance
• Hepar sulphuris – Both produce suppuration and sensitivity; Hepar is more irritable, oversensitive to pain, with sudden onset; Sil. is more slow, passive, and focused on chronic suppuration
• Phosphorus – Also chilly, sensitive, and prone to lung complaints; Phos. is more open, extroverted, and has bleeding tendencies
• Sulphur – Similar offensive sweat and poor healing; Sulph. is more extroverted, egotistical, and hot
• Tuberculinum – Also tubercular miasm, chronic fatigue, and recurrent infections; Tub. is more restless, destructive, and nomadic

• Complementary: Calc., Fluor-ac., Puls.
• Antidotes: Camph., Nux-v., Puls.
• Inimical: Merc.
• Follows well: Hepar., Calc., Sulph.
• Precedes well: Tub., Lyc., Nat-m.

• Top remedy for chronic suppuration, abscesses, fistulas, and boils
• Essential in chronic otitis media, sinusitis, and delayed development in children
• Indispensable in performance anxiety, anticipatory diarrhoea, and chronic fatigue
• Use in slow-healing wounds, post-vaccination states, and recurrent infections
• Useful in brittle nails, bone pains, and deformities
• High potencies (200C–1M) for deep constitutional traits
• Avoid in active tubercular conditions with great heat or rapid wasting

Mind

• Timidity, public appearance
• Fear, failure of
• Obstinate, quiet
• Anxiety, anticipation
• Discouraged, trifles about

Head

• Perspiration, scalp, night
• Fontanelles, open
• Headache, occiput to forehead
• Hair falling

Ears

• Discharges, offensive
• Otitis media, chronic
• Hearing loss, post-suppression

Rectum

• Constipation, soft stool, difficult to expel
• Fistula in ano
• Haemorrhoids, painful, protruding

Extremities

• Sweat, feet, offensive
• Nails, brittle
• Panaritium, recurring
• Bone pains, long bones, night

Skin

• Boils, recurrent
• Abscesses, slow healing
• Cracks, heels
• Ulcers, indolent

Generalities

• Chilliness, general
• Worse, uncovering
• Better, wrapping up
• Worse, full moon
• Better, discharges, from

Samuel Hahnemann – Materia Medica Pura: Original proving data, particularly on mental weakness and bone tissue

James Tyler Kent – Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica: Rich insights into Silicea’s mental profile, healing capacity, and keynotes

C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica: Supplied detailed observations on chronic suppuration, bone and glandular disease

William Boericke – Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica: Provided clinical focus on abscesses, foot sweat, and constitutional traits

John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Extended commentary on modalities, chronic discharges, and delayed development