# Picricum Acidum (HMT)

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

## Keynote Indications
Generally patients of acidic types are chilly and feel better in heat.
However, in Picric Acid, patients are intolerant to heat and feel better
in cold weather. Their ailments a ggravate in hot weather, while the
cold breeze feels very pleasant and s oothing.  Picric Acid is the drug
of choice for this latter group.  Picric  Acid plays an important role in
the treatment of mental fatigue and general weakness.  Usually, the
symptoms of mental fatigue appear  in old age with the onset of
arteriosclerosis i.e. the thickening, hardening and narrowing of the
blood vessels going towards the brai n and the resultant  decrease in
blood flow to the brain. Similar symptoms are also seen temporarily in
“Brain Fag”.  The brain fag occurs due to a transitory spasm of the
cerebral vessels decreasing the blood flow to the brain and is usually
related to stomach upset.  When a pa tient of arteriosclerosis develops
stomach upset, the brain fag become s more obvious.  In brain fag,
there is a sudden temporary loss of recent memory.  For example, the
patient forgets what he had eaten a few minutes ago and becomes
angry with his relatives for not feed ing him.  He keeps on insisting
that nobody does his work when in fact it has already been done.  The
patient is unable to recognise faces.  Loss of recent memory and
retention of the old memory is typical of brain fag .  It is brain fag
that is more pronounced in Picric Acid.  There is no cure for the
chronic mental deficiency resulting from arteriosclerosis.  However,
the severity of the symptoms may keep on fluctuating.  If the
symptoms like brain fag are not due to arteriosclerosis but due to some
other temporary conditions, like poisoning and toxaemia, then the
appropriate treatment can be readily effective.

The brain fag of Picric Acid closely resembles arteriosclerosis.  Picric
Acid is very useful in the treatm ent of frequent episodes of loss of
recent memory.  Picric Acid is beneficial for a headache, only if it is
caused by prolonged mental overwork and a prolonged period of grief.
Some students who are very hardworking, and are always afraid of
examinations develop permanent headache .  Picric Acid is an
important remedy for these patients.  Picric Acid is an effective
treatment for headaches, no matter whether these are severe or not.
Sleep comforts the Picric Acid patients.

In Picric Acid, the eye muscles become weak  and the patient feels
heaviness in the eyes.  The feeling of dryness and heaviness and sand
in the eyes, are very conspicuous.  In Picric Acid, like Ruta, fine
visual work hurts the eyes.  The strain of reading fine print hurts
the eyes also.  When the muscles around the eyes become weak, this
interferes with the performance of da ily activities of life.  Picric Acid
is useful for relieving this weakness, as is Ruta.  In Onosmodium also,
the headache starts on reading fine print.  The cause of this headache
is different, though the end result i.e. the headache is similar.

Onosmodium is stated to be good in the treatment of sexual
weakness of men and women. In particul ar, it is said to be very
effective in treating some weaknesses of young men.

In the patient of Picric Acid, there is an increase of uric acid and
phosphates and a decrease of sulphate .  It is readil y detectable on
urine examination.  There are several remedies whose symptoms are
related to the lower half of the body , while there are some related to
the upper part of the body.  The homo eopathic form of Picric Acid
relieves the heaviness of the lower part of the body.  For the weakness
of the spine and the legs, Conium and Phosphorus are also useful.

For all symptoms resulting from the ill effects of grief  or emotional
upset besides headache, Picric Acid is very useful.  Furthermore,
Ambra Grisea, Ignatia, Natrum Mur, Acid Phos and Silicea, are
excellent remedies for relieving the ill  effects of grief and sorrow.  It
is not difficult to differentiate them from Picric Acid.

Picric Acid is also very useful for the treatment of pimples and
acne.  For those who are anaemic and get tired of hard physical and
mental work, Picric Acid is very us eful.  In a Picric Acid patient, the
headache becomes less by lying down and on tightly tying the head.
However, the headache becomes wo rse with movement, bending over
and mental exertion.  The patient feels comfortable in the open and
cold air.  However, in the humid weather, the pain increases.

Potency: 30 to 200

## Symptoms by System