.
(Common Potash Alum)
Alumen is the common alum, which is used to control bleeding from
any wound. It is famous for cl umping together the suspended
particles in a solu tion (colloids). However, it cannot clump suspended
matter in air or in gas. The venom of several kinds of snakes acts
similarly on the blood. The clots/ clumps thus formed, precipitate
heart attack by blocking the blood vessels of the heart.
If Alumen is directly added to the blood, it will clump the red and white cells, but the fluid part of th e blood i.e. serum, which contains
the 12 salts in a properly balanced form, is not affected by it. The
alum is also used to clean dirty wa ter. The dust particles in colloidal
form precipitate to the bottom of the container and the clean water comes to the surface. In this proce ss, a slight amount of alum remains
in the water. Therefore, Alum en symptoms are not uncommon in
areas such as the Sindh province in Pakistan.
In Alumen, the patients develop deep ulcers or abscesses. The
abscesses may gradually progress to cancer formation. Chronic
ulcers, as well as cancer of the tongue and throat can develop. The lymph glands become swollen and i ndurate. The tonsils enlarge and
become firm. Hard nodules develop in the uterus, as well as in the
mammary glands (the breast).
Like Sulphur, there is a feeling of heat and pressure on the scalp.
Being very sensitive, the patient of Sulphur cannot tolerate the pressure of the hand or even the touc h of a cloth, while the patient of
Alumen feels comfort with pressure.
In Alumen, the muscles are very weak as in Plumbum. In other
words, the paralytic features of Alumen and Plumbum are very much
similar. All these ill effects of Alumen, as already mentioned, are amenable to
the homoeopathic potency of Alumen, irrespective of the cause of the
symptoms. If these symptoms a nd signs are of Alumen and the
constitution of the patient is also of Alumen, then Alumen will offer
.
Alumen 54 cure. In addition, prolapsed uterus due to weaker pelvic muscles
will also get better with Alumen. One of the salient features of Alumen is persistent hoarseness of the
voice . Transient hoarseness is treatable with Borax, Coca or Arsenic.
However, as a matter of principle, one should not merely depend upon
hoarseness of the voice to establish the diagnosis. Other relevant features of these remedies should also be sought. The illnesses of the throat will benefit from this prope r constitutional remedy. Persistent
hoarseness is the nature of Alumen. Alumen acts profoundly and for long time. Nevertheless it can also
cure acute illnesses. It is very useful in diseases of the intestines ,
obstinate constipation and intractable bleeding tendency. It is of
great use in the breathing problems of the elderly. It is also very
beneficial in relieving the tightness of the air passages, difficulty of
swallowing liquids and the i ndurate glands under the tongue.
A severe headache associated with heaviness of the head is also a
symptom of Alumen. Pressure applied locally offers comfort. All the
muscles feel weak. The cold weat her aggravates all the symptoms
except the headache, which the cold relieves.
Antidotes:
Potency: Chamomilla, Nux Vomica, Sulphur, Ipecac
30 – 200
(Oxide of Aluminium – Argilla)
The chemical compound Alumina is prepared from aluminium, a metal from which numerous utensils are made. Most cooking pots and bathroom appliances are made from it. Early on, this metal was very costly, only the rich and the el ite could afford aluminium pots.
Now, due to industrial development, this metal is vastly available and is quite cheap with the poor tendi ng to use these utensils the most.
Modern research has indicated that the prolonged use of aluminium
pots for cooking produces a very harmful effect on the health of the users. This poison affects slowly, but becomes a permanent part of the human body. The aluminium constric ts the walls of blood vessels.
Cholesterol starts depositing its elf inside the blood vessels.
Progressive narrowing or even to tal blockage can ensue. Thus,
cholesterol can cause a heart attack due to the blockage of the arteries
leading to the heart. Similarly, it affects the blood ve ssels going to the
brain. This process of progressive hardening and narrowing of the
arteries is called “Art eriosclerosis”. The ag eing process starts to
manifest itself fast. The memory becomes weak. The blood pressure fluctuates. Mental and physical deterioration sets in. Alumina, being
a slow acting remedy, should be us ed for long periods extending over
years. To achieve permanent cure , one should use Alumina in high
potency at long intervals, such as 1000 or 10,000 given once in a
month. A potency 200 will have to be given every ten days, extending
over many months or years. In th e beginning of th e treatment, no
beneficial effect will be noticed . Once the improvement begins, the
dead and dying fibres of the circular muscles start reverting to life.
The patient must be told to continue the treatment for at least a year or
two without fail in order to get relief from this long-established disease. The Alumina itch does not exhibit lumps or bumps. At first, the
itching begins on apparently clean , healthy-looking skin. Itching
leads to inflammation which leads to formation of pimples or, on
scratching intensely, blister formati on. One may bleed as a result of
scratching. The affected part be comes insensitive and subject to
infection and further complication. In general, (unlike Alumina), in
Alumina 56 most of the remedies, the bumps over the skin appear first and the
itching comes on later. The eyelids swell and become thick and heavy. The eyelashes fall.
The vision becomes blurred. The eyes are very sensitive to light, especially in the morning. The ey elids are sticky and the objects look
pale or yellow. The stomach fails to function. There is a complete loss of appetite and dislike for meat. The patient craves to eat indigestible things like clay
and coal. The stomach becomes inflamed and goes into spasms. One of the main features is marked acidity. Nothing tastes right. There is
frequent acidic belching. Alumina is useful in all these symptoms.
The dysfunction of the stomach is du e to the narrowing and thickening
of its blood vessels. Alumina is very useful in acute hyperacidity , as well as the chronic
illnesses of the stomach. It relieves long-standing haemorrhoids . It
also relieves acidity in both men an d women. It is particularly useful
in the leucorrhoea associated with ac idic discharge. This discharge is
so acidic, that it may lead to other illnesses. Normally, women do not get constipated during pregnancy, in Alumina however, they do.
Constipation associated with pregnancy , which is transient or of
long-standing, will respond to Alumina administration. Alumina is very important in a chronic cough originating from the
lungs, as are Bacillinum, Phosphorus, Arsenic, Iodide and Kali Carb.
If the other symptoms of Alumina are also present, this would be the most appropriate remedy. In Alumina, typically, reasoning and decision-making deteriorate.
One may not easily decide one way or the other. The mind becomes
cloudy and suspicious. Whatever the pa tient sees or hears, it appears
to him as if somebody else is seeing or hearing it. He loses his self-
identity. Sometimes, he wishes to occupy someone else’s mind so
that he may observe things better. This slowly progressive trend of
his drives him insane. However, he is not dangerous to others, he
simply gets lost in himself. Mentally, the patient shows impatience. For him, time stands still, but he likes it to pass quickly. At the sight of sh arp weapons, he is afraid,
Alumina 57 lest he may hurt himself. Such pa tients frighten others by pretending
to commit suicide, though actually they do not do so. Sometimes,
people look down from a height and ot hers get terrifie d, in case they
may leap to their death. The Alumina patient is very sad and sallow. He has the desire to distance himself from hi s surroundings. He worries that he may be
going insane. Such negative thought s are at their climax in the
morning. Sometimes, the alumina affects the throat muscles , resulting in
difficulty in swallowing. Due to weakness of these muscles, the food may enter the windpipe or nose. Paralysis may affect the sphincte r muscles of the bladder and the
rectum, resulting in difficulty in pass ing urine and stools. The patient
has to strain his abdominal muscles, even if the stools are soft. Urinary symptoms resemble those of enlarged prostate gland. Many a
time, the stools resemble the droppin gs of a goat, camel and horse, in
the shape of small or large balls, which stick to each other. The stools may be soft or thick but are difficult to pass.
In Graphites and Plumbum too, stools are similar. The urine may leak
unknowingly due to the paralysis of the muscles of the neck of the
bladder. Involuntary defeacation can also occur due to weakness of the sphincter muscles at the anus. The Alumina patient experiences dizziness and imbalance during walking. The feet tend to be numb. Pain radiates from one point to
all directions, like the spokes of a wheel. When all these symptoms
are together, Alumina is the remedy. The movements of the limbs, lower as well as upper, may not remain under voluntary control, thus resulti ng in a staggering gait. In this
situation, long term use of Alumina is beneficial. In Alumina, catarrhal and skin symptoms are very frequent. The
patient has chronic catarrh, which is full of dry encrustations with long strings. The catarrh may result in the dimness of the eyesight. The inner linings (mucus membranes) of the stomach, intestines and
kidneys become inflamed. Headache also, is common with the cold.
Alumina 58 Like the mucus membranes, the skin also becomes subjected to many
ailments. As a result of intense itching, the skin becomes thick and sore and may even ulcerate. As in Sulphur, the warmth of the bed intensifies the itching. The face feels as if a cobweb is spread over it.
The tip of the nose shows cuts. The eyes burn and trachoma may
develop. Alumina affects both flexor as well as extensor muscles (the
flexor muscles bend the joints, while th e extensors stretch the joints).
Salt, alcohol, vinegar, chillies, potatoes, and fi zzy drinks aggravate the
symptoms of Alumina. P iles and anal fissuring are typical of
Alumina. Male sexual impotence and nocturnal emission are common. The
prostate gland enlarges along with the feeling of heaviness and
fullness around it. Sexual organs become partially paralyzed. The
man becomes sexually impotent in spite of being in good general
health.
As a result of prolonged catarrh the women develop chronic
leucorrhoea . The uterus tends to sag downwards, much more so on
standing and walking. If gonorrhoea has merely been suppressed by
some kind of treatment, but not cu red, the residual inflammation of
the pelvic organs results in the se nsation of heat and discomfort.
Alumina may be of use in this situation. The cough of Alumina may be associ ated with sneezing and the throat
feels as if it is being gently tickle d with feathers. In Alumina, at the
point of backache, the patient feels intense heat, as if a hot iron has
been placed on the numbed part. The soles of the feet become soft, swollen and tender. The side the pa tient sits or lies on becomes numb.
The legs tend to be numb also. The patient feels cold and likes to wrap himself well, but he likes the face to be exposed to the cool breeze. The patient likes the warmth of the bed for a while, but intense itching begins when the bed becomes too warm. The hands usually remain cold and warm up slow ly on retiring to bed. The skin
is dry and sweats only sparin gly, or not at all.
Adjuvant: Bryonia
Antidotes: Ipecac, Chamomilla
