Zincum metallicum

Widely used in industry (galvanisation, alloys, batteries), medicine (ointments, supplements), and historically in epilepsy and spasmodic conditions. Zinc oxide is a common component in topical skin treatments.

Originally proved by Hahnemann and his colleagues; included in Materia Medica Pura. Later expanded by Hering, Allen, Hughes, and Kent. The remedy is notable for its deep action on the nervous system, particularly in cases of long-standing suppression or overwork

• Nervous system – especially the spine, medulla, and peripheral nerves
• Cerebrospinal axis – symptoms of suppression, weakness, twitching, restlessness
• Mind – depression, dullness, loss of memory from prolonged mental strain
• Extremities – restless legs, jerking, trembling, formication
• Skin – eruptions, suppressed exanthema, itching
• Urinary tract – retention, dribbling, neural irritation
• Genital organs – sexual excitement or suppression
• Eyes – twitching, photophobia, visual fatigue
• Spinal cord – reflexes heightened or diminished, twitching from dorsal irritation
• Children and the aged – particularly suited to nervous children or senile nervous degeneration

• Discharges (onset of menses, eruption of rash, etc.)
• Profuse menstruation (relieves mental and physical symptoms)
• Motion (especially in legs—relieves restlessness)
• Warmth (generally improves mental state and peripheral symptoms)
• Gentle pressure or rubbing (relieves nerve pains)
• Open air (especially in headache)
• Mental diversion (can ease anxiety or confusion)

• Suppression (skin eruptions, menses, discharges)
• Mental exertion (overstudy, overwork)
• Alcohol or stimulants (exacerbates neurological symptoms)
• Noise and bright lights (sensory overstimulation)
• Emotional suppression (grief, anger held in)
• Evening and night (restlessness and twitching worsen)
• Touch (hypersensitive nerves and skin)
• Sexual excess or suppression
• During dentition (in children with convulsions or slow development)

• Phosphorus – More open, sensitive, bleeding; Zinc more suppressed, internalised
• Argentum nitricum – More anticipatory anxiety and digestive symptoms
• Cuprum metallicum – More tonic spasms and deeper convulsions
• Agaricus muscarius – Prominent twitching, but more exhilaration and chilliness
• Arsenicum album – Restless, anxious, but more burning and periodicity

• Complementary: Pulsatilla, Cuprum, Sulphur
• Antidotes: Nux vomica, Camphora
• Follows well: Belladonna, Ignatia
• Precedes well: Natrum mur., Lycopodium
• Inimical: Coffea (may overexcite)

Zincum metallicum is the archetype of neuropsychiatric suppression. The individual is inwardly agitated yet outwardly restrained—a picture of nervous restlessness, emotional repression, and mental fatigue. Whether from overstudy, emotional trauma, or suppressed discharges, the system becomes chaotic beneath the surface. The motor system compensates: twitching, jerking, fidgeting, restless legs, and spasms all reflect this bottled vitality. Children who never fully “bounce back” after fevers or vaccinations may show the classic Zinc picture—dull, restless, pale, and twitching. It is a remedy for submerged expression, where vitality is trapped beneath layers of unspoken trauma or physical suppression.

• Top remedy for restless legs, especially at night
• Consider for children with developmental delay after suppression (measles, rash, vaccination)
• Useful in exhausted students, overworked professionals
• Excellent in meningitis, especially when eruptions are suppressed
• May be indicated in senile dementia or Parkinsonian twitching
• Often indicated when mental and physical symptoms alternate

Mind

• Mutism with restlessness
• Dullness, apathy, < mental exertion
• Involuntary sighing
• Aversion to talk

Extremities

• Restless legs at night
• Jerking of limbs
• Paralysis, post-vaccination
• Numbness, tingling

Skin

• Suppressed eruptions
• Burning, itching, < night
• Post-vaccination disorders

Female

• Menses suppressed with headache
• Nervous disorders < before menses
• Vulval pruritus

Generalities

• Twitching, jerking
• Worse from suppression
• Coldness, exhaustion
• Paralysis after fever

• Samuel Hahnemann – Materia Medica Pura: Initial proving symptoms, especially mental and neurological
• C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms: Offered extensive guidance on suppression, twitching, and neuralgia
• William Boericke – Pocket Manual: Practical clinical indicators including restless legs and collapse
• James Kent – Lectures on Homeopathic Materia Medica: Mental symptoms, suppression, and differential nuance
• John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Added unique clinical details on post-suppression states and nervous children