An essence of Homoeopathic remedy Kalium Phosphoricum

An essence of Homoeopathic remedy Kalium Phosphoricum
(PHOSPHATE OF POTTASIUM), K₂HPO₄.

Dr. Navin Prakash Ray, M.D. (Hom), NIH.
Dr. Usha Uchat, M.D. (Hom), Reader, dept. Materia Medica, NIH.

INTRODUCTION – Kali phos. is a constituent of nissele’s granules in the neuron of brain cell and other intracellular organic material. Potassium is predominantly an intracellular cation  which maintains the electrical excitability of nerves and muscles. Thus drug has a favourable influence upon nervous exhaustion.

PREPARATION – It is prepared under class VII by the method of trituration.

PROVING – This is one of the Schussler’s remedy and most of our knowledge concerning it due to him. It had partial proving in 1892, conducted by Dr. H. C. Allen.

PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION – It is one of the greatest nerve remedies. It produce marked disturbance of the sympathetic nervous system. It corresponds to states of adynamia and decay, gangrenous conditions. 

According to Schussler : Kali. ph. is contained in the cells of the brain, nerves, muscles, blood (corpuscles and plasma), and intercellular fluids; and a disturbance in the motions of its molecules produces :  

(1) In Thought cells : Despondency, anxiety, fearfulness, home-sickness, suspiciousness, agoraphobia, weak memory.

(2) In Vaso-motor Nerves : First, small and frequent pulse; later, retarded.

(3) In Sensory Nerves : Pains with sensation of paralysis.

(4)In Motor Nerves : Weakness of muscles and nerves even to paralysis.

(5) In Trophic fibres of Sympathetic Nerve : Retarded nutrition; even total arrest in a limited area of cells and then a softening. 

USES / CLINICALS – Brain concussion, Brain-fag, Insomnia, Melancholia, Nervous dyspepsia, Neurasthenia, Night-terrors, Anaemia, Facial neuralgia, Diphtheria, Dysentery, Enuresis, Paralysis, Ptosis, Sciatica. 

Picture of this remedy is suited to Kali carb. It has all characteristics of kali like timidity easily starling from touch  noise, frightened easily. Patient is weak physically and mentally with sensitiveness to open air and general tendency of catching cold and tall lean, constantly tired and nervously exhausted and weakness in brain and nerves like phosphorus.

INDICATION :

It is chilly thirsty and left sided kali.

1. The remedy is indicated in derangements of the nervous system as neurasthenia, prostration, insomnia, loss of mental vigour and muscular debility following acute diseases. 

2. It is of service in melancholia and mania that arise as a result of overstrain of the mind or nerve centres.

3. Depression is the characteristic of its action; conversely it cures depressed states of mind and body, hypochondriasis, hysteria, neurasthenia, nervous insomnia, spasms of irritable.

MODALITIES : Most of the complaints are worse during rest and ameliorates by gentle and slow walking about. In general the patients and his pain aggravated in cold air from becoming cold on entering the cold. Aversion to open air. Draft on open air aggravates. Worse in winter. 

Complaints are worse after the coition causes irritability and backache.

Warmth of the bed ameliorates most of the complaints. 

MENTAL SYMPTOMS 

BRAIN FAG – 

• Difficulty in concentration, recollecting and thinking.  ( Kent)       

• Students often states that their brain are fatigued after overwork or exhaustive study. (Clarke) 
• Nervous and easily fagged especially by pain. (Boger) 
• Somatic symptoms are usually centred around the head and neck, includes pain, pressure, tightness and blurred vision. (Clarke) 

WEAKNESS OF MEMORY –

• Loss of memory. (Boericke)
• Can’t recollect words (Kent)
• She doesn’t recognise her surroundings. (Kent)
• Omits letters in writings use wrong words. (Schussler) 

DEPRESSION – 

• It is an excellent remedy for depression. (Clarke)
• Extreme lassitude and loathing of life. Surrounded by sadness all the time . (Kent)
• Indifferent to surrounding, to friend, to her family, to business matter . (Kent)
• Thinks she has sinned away her grace and refused to eat, aversion to answering the questions, to company. (Kent)
• Always occupied by sad thoughts , depression of spirit. (Schussler) 

IRRITABLE –

Businessman who are tense about their business and use their mental power for the same and become weak due to overuse of the mind. Then slightest thinking gives them a headache and irritability. 

In case of housewife who are over burdened with their and trying to give 100  % in her home duties due to her enthusiastic nature take responsibility of all and everything and everyone. She will not sustain the constant exertion of mind and body. Finally brain gives away and she starts feeling that if she continue to work she will be crazy. Then comes the irritability and aversion to husband child and family who constantly demand the duty and work from her.

• Irritability is very marked. (Kent) 
• Irritable in morning on waking, in evening, after coition, during headache, during menses, when spoken to, on waking at any time, after becoming exhausted from a diarrhoea. (Kent) 
• Irritable; children cry and scream, fly into passion, can hardly articulate. (S.R.Phatak) 
• She takes an antipathy to her husband. (Kent) 
• She is cruel to her husband and children. (Kent) 

NIGHT TERROR – 

• Dream anxious, amorous, of falling, frightful, of being naked and nightmares. (Kent) 
• Night terror in children. (Kent) 
• Awake from sound sleep and scream with fright. (Clarke) 
• Somnambulism . (clarke) 
• Talks in sleep. Mumbling and grinding teeth in sleep. (Clarke)

FEAR – 

• ïFear in evening. (Kent)
• ïFear of crowd, of death, of disease, of evil, of people, of solitude. (Kent)
• ïEasily frightened, which increased his many nervous and mental symptoms. (Kent)
• ïApprehensive about future, his health. (S.R.Phatak)

VERTIGO – 

• Vertigo with tendency to fall downwards ameliorates in open air. (Kent) 
• Aggravated on looking upwards, compelling him to lie down. (Kent) 
• Objects turn in a circle on rising up, when standing, when stooping, on turning the head, when walking in open air. (Kent) 
• Vertigo when facing sun; < looking up, on standing, from sitting up. (S.R.Phatak) 

HEADACHE – 

• Occipital headache, lasting all night from over mental exertion ; frequent waking, with the pain >> on rising >> eating and gentle motion. (kent)
• Before menses violent tearing in forehead and sense of fatigue, >> lying down and menses appearing. (Clarke) 
• Intense headache form emotions and physical effort.(Clarke)
• Neuralgic pain at base of brain, upper spine and right parietal eminence. (Clarke)
• Headache of students and those worn out by fatigue. (Boericke) 

FACE – 

• Neuralgic stitches, esp. from upper teeth to left ear, and from temples forward to a point just above right eye, agg. from cold air (whilst driving), >> by warmth of hand. (Clarke) 
• Pain in jawbones with stinging and aching, >> after eating, speaking, walking, and by touch. (Clarke)
• Warm feeling, as if a candle were held near left cheek. (Clarke)
• Neuralgia amel. cold application. (S.R.Phatak)

STOMACH – 

• A  nervous “gone” sensation at the pit of the stomach.(William Boericke)
• Nausea after eating, afterwards drowsiness.(Clarke)
• Eructation of bile, < after eating.(Clarke)
• Craves ice water, vinegar, sweets. (S.R.Phatak)
• Aversion to food, to bread, to meat.(S.R.Phatak)
• Hunger soon after eating, from nervous weakness.(Kent)
• Extreme thirst for cold water.(Kent)

COUGH – 

• Respiration difficult at night; rattling, short; difficult on going up stairs. Nervous cough, aggravated after eating. (Kent)
• Cough in daytime, morning, evening in bed and during the night. Paroxysmal cough. Racking cough. Short, spasmodic. Cough in cold air, from deep breathing, during chill and fever, after eating; aggravated lying. Whistling cough. (Kent)
• Cough: from irritation in trachea just below larynx, with scanty, thick, white, yellowish expectoration; without expectoration, 2 to 2.30 a.m; sudden unexpected spell preceded by pressure in throat. (Clarke)
• Sputa; like salt, fetid or sweet. (Clarke)

RECTUM – 

• Diarrhoea; foul, putrid odour, occasioned by fright, with depression and exhaustion. (Kent)
• Dysentery; stools consist of pure blood; patient becomes delirious. (S.R.Phatak)
• Cholera; stools have the appearance of rice water. (S.R.Phatak)
• Offensive flatus which ameliorates the symptoms.(Kent) 
• Rice water stools- cholera. (S.R.Phatak)
• Paretic condition of rectum and colon after removal of piles. (S.R.Phatak)

IMPOTENCY –

J. C. Nottingham consider, leading indication of Kali Phos.” nervousness arises from excessive sexual excitement whether indulged or suppressed”.

• Passion increased; priapism in morning. (Clarke)
• Sexual instinct depressed; impotence. (Clarke) 
• Strong desire, erections with desire to urinate, mornings; followed by impotence and painful seminal emissions at night. (Clarke)
• Erections very troublesome in the morning and during night without sexual desire; violent in the morning. (Kent) 
• Utter prostration and weak vision after coitus. (Clarke)

NECK AND BACK – 

• Stiff neck from swelling of glands. (Clarke) 
• Neck lame, tender to touch. > leaning against something. ( Kent)
• Aching between scapulae, while sitting, ameliorated by motion. (kent) 
• Paralytic lameness of back; must lean on a chair.(S.R.Phatak)
• Cannot sit erect without a chair to lean against. (Kent) 

SLEEP – 

• Very hard to awake, eyes hurt they feel so sleepy, yawns. ( Clarke) 
• Yawning, stretching and weariness with sensation of emptiness at pit of the stomach. ( Schussler)
• Dreams he was only partially clothed in a public place.  (Kent) 
• Lascivious dreams, with emission, wakes angry and cross. (Kent)
• Tendency to sleep on back. (Clarke) 
• Insomnia – From excessive mental exertion; after worry over business troubles; from nervous exhaustion; simple painless wakefulness.

RELATIONSHIP 

Compatible  

• Cycl. (disordered mental conditions); 
• K. mur. (puerperal fever); 
• Mag. ph. (bladder troubles); 
• Zinc ph. (brain paralysis with nephritic irritation)

Compare  

• Kali hypophosph. (Debility with wasting of muscular tissue. Phosphaturia with general anaemia or leucocytemia. Effects of excessive tea drinking. Chronic bronchitis where the expectoration is thick and fetid, sometimes scanty and tough.

Dr. H.T.Dodge give indication for kali phos – 

• Worn out nursing mother.
• Worn out business or professional man.
• Special indication- Foul breath with low nervous condition.

Dr. Boericke – “ KALI PHOS is one of the greatest nerve remedy”.

Dr. SCHUSSLER  says that KALI PHOS. “ correspond to the hosts of condition  known as neurasthenia”. 

Dr. LILIENTHAL  speak of it as grand remedy in restoring the vital force to its oar value.

CASES – 

1) J. C. Nottingham had cured a case of impotency and seminal losses on the basis of these indications and accompanying symptoms are backache, sleeplessness, pain in back of head and neck, great irritability and frequent micturition  of large quantity at night.

2) Dr. H. C. Allen had cured a pelvic abscess having orange colour  offensive discharge associated with sleeplessness. 

3) Dr. H.M. Rean reports three cases of amenorrhoea cured.

Miss B, 19. very nervous pale blond, cross and snappish. Cries easily having constantly dull headache. All time fidgedity so much could not control herself call her mother to hold her hand. Menses did not appeared till 18 and were scanty then and since. Kali phos 3x 4 times daily causes great improvement in next menstruation and within three month menses were normal n regular. 

4) Dr GRIGGS : A case of criminal abortion, pyrogen had been given with mediocre result patient was wasting and very foul discharge from the uterus – Kali phos restore and regenerate the system. 

For excessive tired feeling and occiput headache he had given often kali phos after  picric acid failed in neurasthenic condition. 

5) DR. FARRINGTON : A lady her husband fail in business and she took up a side line to help out. Buying and collecting antique furniture and selling it. That together with her worries over finances brought on a peculiar state. She had occipital headache, weakness and weariness and peculiar mental state of flying into rage over little  things and then weep. KALI PHOS clear up the condition completely.

CONCLUSION :

The individualistic study of homoeopathic Materia Medica gives us the inner essence of the drug. Study about Kali phos with special emphasis on mental symptoms which may help us to use it with a different approach and better understanding of the drug.

In todays world mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression , dementia and insomnia are common due to stress and competitive environment in case of which Kali phos works wonders and one of the effective remedy. So a detailed study of this remedy is  need and further proving is required to know the full action of this wonderful curative medicine.

Bibliography

• Allen H.C. KEYNOTE AND CHARACHTERISTICS WITH COMPARISONS OF SOME OF THE LEADING REMEDIES OF THE MATERIA MEDICA WITH BOWEL NOSODE. Low price edition. New Delhi: B.Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.; 2002.
• Kent J.T. REPERTORY OF THE HOMOEOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA. Enriched Indian ed. Kent CL, editor. New Delhi: B.Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.; 2010. 
• Boericke Willium. POCKE MANUAL OF HOMOEOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA COMPARISING THE CHARACHTERISTIC AND GUIDING SYMPTOM OF ALL REMEDIES. Reprint 9^th ed. New Delhi: Indian Book and Periodicals Publishers: June 2006.
• Farrington E.A. COMARATIVE MATERIA MEDICA. reprint edition : Delhi: B.Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.; 2006.
• Huges Richard, A MANUAL OF PHARMACODYNAMICS. Delhi: B.Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.; 214.
• Kent J.T.. LECTURES ON HOMOEOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA. 2^nd  rearrange ed: Delhi: B.Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.; 2009.
• Boger C.M. A SYNOPTIC KEY TO THE MATERIA MEDICA. low price ed: Delhi: B.Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.; 2002.
• Boriek and Dewey, THE TWELVE TISSUE REMEDY OF SHUSSLER. 6^TH ed.: Delhi: B.Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.; 2002. 
• Phatak S.R. MATERIA MEDICA OF HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINES, 2^nd  ed.; Delhi: B.Jain Publishers (P) Ltd.; 1999.

• Journal, OLDS L. CHARLES, kali phosphorium. The Homoeopathic Recorder 1930 Nov Vol XLV No 11