# Natrum Muriaticum (HMT)

## Remedy Classification
- **Type:** Remedy
- **Alternative Names:** Sodium Chloride
- **Miasm:** Tubercular Miasm
- **Temperament:** Neutral
- **Aggravation Time:** Neutral/Anytime

## Keynote Indications
In homoeopathy, Natrum Muriaticum is a wide acting remedy, despite
the fact that it is simply the homoeopathic potency of the common
table salt we consume daily.  Sodium  Chloride is abundantly present
in the human body.  It plays an important role in maintaining the
normal physiological functions of our  body.  Its deficiency results in
different kinds of diseases.  It is strange that a large variety of salts are
always present in our mouth, Sodi um Chloride being probably the
most abundant.  In spite of this, when even a minute dose of
homoeopathic potency of Sodium Ch loride is dropped into the mouth,
it provokes an immediate body reaction.  The salt already present in
the mouth does not interfere with the body’s response.

One of the diseases related to the excessive use of salt is high blood
pressure (hypertension).  Therefore,  it is generally thought that to
protect against high bl ood pressure a nd related heart problems, one
should not consume too much salt.  However, the research done by
heart specialists in England and America does not support the general
impression that those who consume less salt will not develop high
blood pressure, and those who c onsume more, must develop high
blood pressure.  High blood pressure is an independent disease with its
own specific causes.  However, if  someone is suffering from high
blood pressure, it is better that he or she abstains from eating too much
salt.  A healthy person, however, may eat as much salt as he likes.
The excessive salt is automatically  excreted from the blood, through
the urine or sweat.  People who do not  sweat due to some problem or
have abnormal kidney function should abstain from consuming an
excessive amount of salt.  Excess sa lt in the blood increases the blood
volume by retaining water, which will naturally lead to rise in blood
pressure.

Salt is an essential part of human body.  Its imbalance produces
diseases.  Excessive intake of salt will not produce any ill effects in
those who have the habit of exerci sing daily, sweat profusely and also
excrete the salt in their urine i.e. their kidneys are functioning
normally.

Natrum Mur is a profoundly active, l ong-acting medicine.  No part of
the body is beyond its influence.  Generally, the skin of a Natrum Mur
patient is very shiny.  Due to the increased content of water in the
blood, the skin feels greasy as if oil has been rubbed over it.
However, one should remember that every patient may not necessarily
exhibit all the symptoms or that all the relevant symptoms must
appear in each and every part of  the body.  For a remedy to be the
exact match, the basic as well as distinctive symptoms must be present
in a patient.  However, it is not essential for every symptom to be
expressed fully.

A patient of Natrum Mur feels tired and weak .  Weakness, either
physical or mental, is always found in  Natrum Mur patients.  This is
due to the imbalance of Hydrochloric Acid, resulting in episodes of
sudden severe weakness.

Natrum Mur is deeply related to malaria.  In swampy areas, malaria
spreads through mosquitoes.  Mala ria causes breakdown of red blood
cells, resulting in anaemia and the resulting relative dilution of the
blood (haemodilution).  These signs require the usage of Natrum Mur,
which otherwise, has no special affinity to wet marshy areas.  The real
connection of malaria is with the mosquitoes.  Wherever mosquitoes
are present, malaria must also exis t.  Generally, the mosquitoes are
found in swampy and coastal areas.  In such areas, naturally, Natrum
Mur would also be required to treat  malarial fever and is one of the
best remedies against it. However, it should never be given to the
patient while the malarial fever is  still rising, because under these
circumstances, Natrum Mur may pr oduce serious ill effects or an
immediate severe reaction.  Seve ral different ways have been
described to use Natrum Mur.  One is that either one should wait for
the temperature to drop and then give the remedy, or  it should be
given in high potency during the interval between the two bouts of
fever.  In the case where Natrum Mur becomes effective, it will
change the timing of the fever.  The fever will either come on earlier
or later than its usual time.  If only the timing of the fever alters, but
there is no decrease in the duration or the severity of the fever, it
proves that the remedy has not been e ffective.  In this situation, one
must find another remedy without further delay.  The appropriate
remedy should either result in immediate disappearance of fever with
no return, or will alter the timing and decrease the duration of the
fever.  The fever may not then retur n, or will be much milder.  If so,
the treatment should be repeated after the fever has subsided.

The mental signs of Natrum Mur ar e strange.  In the beginning, the
patient feels victimized  and is always obsessed with the feeling of
being a victim of some wrongdoings.  Despite this, the patient does
not like sympathy.  Furthermore, the patient gets captivated with
imaginary love.  Even some old women get captivated with this kind
of hypothetical love. If love could ever be cured with a medicine, then
probably Natrum Mur will be the most appropriate.

If the fever does not subside for a long time and affects the brain, then
Natrum Mur should be tried. Natrum Mur has been found to be
specifically effective against the bad effects of grief and sadness on
the mind .  Ignatia and Ambra Grisea are the best and promptly
effective remedies during the early stages of bereavement.  Ignatia is a
fast acting remedy, but its effect is very short-lived, so it needs to be
given repeatedly.  Once the deep grief becomes embedded into the
mind of a patient, then he goes out  of the range of Ignatia.  Ambra
Grisea works better in these patients.  Next, comes Natrum Mur.  It is
my personal experience that with Natrum Mur, even the totally
insane patient can be cured.  Natrum Mur patients are not aggressive;
rather they either sit quietly or become indifferent to the world
altogether and then gradually become physically weak.  They get very
angry, yet do not show violence.  Their mind becomes slow and
weak.   The patient, while talki ng, forgets and does not remember
what he wanted to say. Concentration is lost.  Break in the continuity
of thoughts in the midst of talking is the symptom of Natrum Mur.
However, if while listening, someone fails to understand or there is a
delay in understanding, then, Plumbum will be more appropriate.

One symptom of the Natrum Mur patient is that reading causes
tiredness.  He tends to cry like a ch ronic Pulsatilla patient. The
Pulsatilla patient tends to cry repeatedly, though me ntally he is
absolutely normal.  The hands and feet of the Natrum Mur patient
remain cold, and he is also weak.  He is inclined to cry with or without
a reason.  If the ill effects of grief  on the patient are not cured with
Natrum Mur and the disease appears deep-seated, then Silicea might
be helpful in such cases (Silicea is chronic of Natrum Mur).  Silicea is
also chronic of Pulsatilla. Natrum Mur should not be used repeatedly
without good reason, because its excessive use can cause an
imbalance of the salts in the blood.  There is no harm in the occasional
repetition of this remedy, but it should not be repeated too often in one
day.  The Natrum Mur patient f eels very thirsty.  During the
headache, the patient feels as if bein g hit with a hammer over various
parts of the head.  Light hurts th e eyes. Movement aggravates this
condition.  From this point of view, Natrum Mur resembles Bryonia.
Constipation in Natrum Mur is more se vere than that in Bryonia.
Natrum Mur is the chronic, as well as the antidote of Apis.

The Natrum Mur patient suffers from chronic backache .  He feels
weakness in his arms, legs and particularly the knees.  The skin
around the nails of the hands (cut icles) becomes fissured due to
dryness and the legs become insensitive.

The Natrum Mur patient does not like to eat bread or oily food.  The
patient feels very hungry but after eating food, he feels tired and weak.
He feels burning sensation in the chest, also hardness and a piercing
sensation over the liver.  After taking food, the stomach becomes
heavy and distended.  Hunger pangs cause a fainting sensation over
the stomach.

The Natrum Mur patient is highly strung and does not tolerate even
the slightest noise.  A sudden sound cau ses a headache.  The patient is
intolerant even to the rustling sound of paper.

The Natrum Mur patient is very cold.  However, his symptoms
aggravate in a heated room.  He likes  the open air. From this point of
view, half of the constitution of Natrum Mur resembles that of
Pulsatilla.  Despite feeling cold, the patient likes to go in the open air.
In the open, physical ailments ame liorate but the mental ailments
aggravate.  One must keep in mind these subtleties in the nature of this
remedy.  The constitution of a Natrum Mur patient changes frequently
and rapidly.  When the patient sweats, he catches cold, which however
gets better in the open.

Natrum Mur affects the skin also.  Eczema, itching and
inflammation are found mostly at the hair lines.  This is typical of
Natrum Mur.  Both dry pimples as well as discharging boils form.
There is itching as well as a pins and needles sensation on the skin.
Pus exudes from the itchy spots.  Scabs also form, which then peel off
in pieces.  One symptom of Natrum Mur that resembles Sarsaparilla is
that the patient starts ageing prematurely.

In Natrum Mur, the headache starts either after midnight or in the
morning after nine o’ clock. Seve re morning headache is a symptom
of Gelsemium. Usually in Natrum Mur, the ailments, which either
start due to heat stroke or during mala rial fever, continue from nine o’
clock in the morning till night.  The headache usually starts at the
nape of the neck and spreads to the backbone. Natrum Mur is related
to several back conditions.  Especia lly if there is a sudden attack of
“lumbago”, then Natrum Mur works very well in the early stages.  The
symptoms of a Natrum Mur patient usually become worse on lying
down in a soft bed.  The backbone b ecomes relatively very sensitive.
There is discomfort and pain along the nerves (sciatica).  The patient
feels comfort, when lying on a hard surface.

Symptoms related to the prostate gland are also present in Natrum
Mur.  There is considerable delay in  the onset of urin ation.  The urine
comes in drops followed by the feeling of discomfort and
unsatisfaction because of incomple te evacuation of the bladder.
Sometimes, the patient feels pain either at the end of urination or
afterwards.  During walk ing, laughing or coughing, urine may be
passed involuntarily (stress incontinence).  For bed-wetting at night,
Natrum Mur with Kali Phos is very useful.  Usually this problem i.e.
bedwetting is found in children during deep sleep.

In Natrum Mur, either there is severe constipation or diarrhoea.  In
Natrum Mur, the patient, despite having an excellent appetite, remains
slim and thin.  Along with a burning sensation in the stomach, there
is palpitation.  While eating, the patient sweats.  The patient craves
salt.  He feels better on an empty stomach.   After eating food, there is
heartburn and the acidity increases,  along with excessive salivation
from the mouth.

As it has already been mentione d, Natrum Mur is an excellent
treatment for malaria.  Every type of malaria is included i.e. whether
with daily fever or with relapsing fe ver.  The most dangerous type of
malaria is the one in which the fever returns every third day.  This
type of fever does not easily leave the patient.  Natrum Mur is very
beneficial in this kind of fever.   Repeated use has proven that by
giving Natrum Mur, the fever starts coming on the second day instead
of the third day, and then slowly di sappears completely in eight to ten
days.

If the diseases of Natrum Mur have  become very complicated or have
become chronic due to the wrong treatment, then Sulphur 200 will be
found very effective in delineating the underlying symptoms of these
patients clearly. Sulphur, being a profoundly active remedy, may also
cure some of these diseases.  Natrum Mur also clearly brings out and
clarifies the symptoms of the patients with complicated fevers that
have gone out of hand.  When the fevers become complicated, they
may adopt different forms.  When malaria deteriorates further , the
symptoms become very complicated.  Sometimes the symptoms
appear as pain and at other times, they may appear in some other way.
A very eminent English doctor has sa id about malaria that with the
exception of pregnancy, it can mimic a ny disease.  It complicates the
symptoms so much so that doctors ma y not arrive at the root cause of
the disease.  In this regard, both Natrum Mur and Sepia play a very
important role. When given in hi gh potency to a healthy person,
Natrum Mur sometimes proves to be very useful in protecting against
the general tendency towards mala ria.  Similarly, Arnica 1000 (or
higher potency) along with Arsenic 1000 (or higher potency) has often
been found to be very effective when given as a precautionary
measure against malaria.

In Natrum Mur, like Hepar Sulph, the patient feels as if something has
got stuck inside the throat .  The patient tries unsuccessfully, again
and again to remove the entrapped th ing from the throat.  He feels as
if a thorn is stuck inside.  However, if something like fishbone or
something else is really stuck in th e throat, then Silicea has the ability
to expel it.  Sometimes, in Natrum Mur, the throat becomes very dry
and ulcers develop.

Soft swellings, which pit on pressure, rese mbling those resulting from
a honeybee sting, are also found in and are treatable with Natrum Mur.
That is the reason why Natrum Mur is very effective in treating the
symptoms of bee-sting .  If Natrum Mur is used in combination with
Arsenic and Ledum, it benefits th e patient astonishingly fast.
Furthermore, Carbolic Acid is very famous as the fast acting antidote
of bee-sting venom.

Natrum Mur is chronic of Apis.  Chronic means that if a remedy,
which works for a short while and then stops working, then another
remedy takes its benefits further.  The second remedy is called the
chronic of the first.  The swelling of the Apis, if not fully cured with
Apis, will completely disappear when treated with Natrum Mur.
Similarly, some other diseases, whic h are not completely cured with
Apis, will also be cured when the patient is treated subsequently with
Natrum Mur.  Therefore Natrum Mur is called the chronic of Apis.

Natrum Mur is a good treatment for weakness following childbirth.
If a woman’s general health weakens after delivery, apart from Kali
Carb, Natrum Mur is also very effective. Natrum Mur restores the
health of the woman.  If post-childbirth backache is not cured with
Kali Carb, then it can be cured with Natrum Mur.

If there is some kind of deficiency in the mother’s milk, due to which
the child is not thriving normally or the milk dries up too soon,
Natrum Mur should be used.  Natrum Mur rectifies the internal defect
due to which the child does not grow  properly, as well as increasing
the quantity of milk according to the need of the child.  Natrum Mur is
the best treatment of the emaciating, underfeeding and wasting
disease of the children  (Marasmus).  The emaciation process starts
from the upper part of the body and then spreads downwards.
Sometimes, this disease is secondary  to some disease of the mother;
therefore the mother should also be treated.

Irregularity of periods , excessive bleeding, leucorrhoea causing
burning and itching, depression and sadness before the onset of
periods, heaviness in the lower part of the abdomen getting worse in
the morning, are all the symptoms of Natrum Mur.  The gums become
swollen and bleed.  The teeth become loose and sensitive to cold
and cold air .  Teeth hurt afte r eating food and at night, and the pain
may also spread to the ears.  A layer of dirty foam-like material
deposits over the tongue.  There is a f eeling of hissing, as  if a hair is
stuck on the tongue.

The heart beats fast on going up the st airs or lying on the left side.
Furthermore, there is a feeling of cold over the heart.  There is a
feeling of tightness and suffocation in the chest.

Whooping cough with watering of  the eyes, severe headache and
also worsening of the cough on movement on taking deep breathing
and upon getting warm in bed are common symptoms of Natrum Mur.
The symptoms of Natrum Mur aggravate in the coastal areas.

Adjuvants: Apis, Sepia, Ignatia
Antidotes: Arsenic, Phosphorus
Potency: 6X to 30 or even to CM

## Symptoms by System