Argentum Group of Homeopathy Medicines

Dr Satheesh Kumar P K 

Homoeopathic Medicines made out of Silver and their preparation, properties and clinical indications.

At the time of Hahnemann only silver nitrate was employed and it appears quite remarkable that at that time Hahnemann should have seen metallic silver effects in the organism. Because the general view present in that time was “ Metallic silver is insoluble in the animal organism and therefore cannot serve as a medicament.” Now there are about sixteen medicines in Argentum group.

Medicines:

1. Argentum aceticum
2. Argentum arsenicum
3. Argentum bromatum
4. Argentum chloratum
5. Argentum colloidale
6. Argentum cynatum
7. Argentum fluratum
8. Argentum iodatum
9. Argentum metalicum
10. Argentum muriaticm
11. Argentum nitricum
12. Argentum oxydatum
13. Argentum proteinatum
14. Argentum phosphoricum
15. Argentum sulphuricum
16. Argentum vitelinicum

Centers of action 
Argentum group of medicines has six special centers of action: 

1. Mucous membranes: – Up on the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum, the main action of the Argentum is to produce atony with great flatulence; but when given in large doses, it causes vomiting, purging and violent gastro intestinal inflammation. It causes Inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, mouth, pharynx, larynx, urethra and vagina.

2. Cartilaginous system: – Especially that of the ears, nose, false ribs, tarsal cartilages, tendons and ligaments of joints producing destructive inflammation.

3. Glandular system: – Induration and fatty degeneration of glandular system.

4. Blood: – Here it produces defective oxidation, destruction of the red corpuscles, anaemia and depressed temperature.

5. Skin: – Nodular and vesicular inflammation.

6. Cerebro-spinal system: – Silver has a special action upon the cerebrospinal system, as shown by the titanic convulsions, paralysis, and insensibility that ensue from large doses.

Symptoms of poisoning:
Acute symptoms of poisoning are severe gastro intestinal symptoms, spasms, loss of consciousness, loss of sensitivity over the body and involvement of cardiac activity, widening of the pupils, which do not react to light
In animals after injection of silver compounds paralysis of the central nervous system and soon after death is observed.

Empirical uses:
Silver was employed by the Arabian physicians against dropsy, but can also produce a fatal dropsy.
Silver nitrate has been used for several years as a dye for the hair.
The 200th or 1000th potency in watery solution as a topical application in ophthalmia neonatorum has relieved when the crude silver nitrate failed.

General features

Mental features
Mentally dull and sluggish

• Concentration difficult. Dullness of mind. Aggravation from mental exertion. Prostration of mind. Ideas deficient. Indecisiveness. Irresolute.
• Arg. nit- Mental operations sluggish. Thought requires effort. Complete loss of consciousness. Memory impaired, cannot find the correct word.
• Arg. met- Dullness with sensation of emptiness in the head. Confusion as if caused by smoke and sensation of intoxication, with tingling in the head.
• AnxietyHealth about— Arg met, Arg nit.
• Anxiety at night— Arg met, Arg nit.
• Anxiety with apprehension.

Various phobia or fear

• Fear, phobias in general—Arg met, Arg nit.
• Fear of dark – Arg nit
• When alone — Arg nit
• Of crowds — Arg nit
• Airplanes – Arg nit
• Claustrophobia, closed places –Arg nit
• Ailments from fear –Arg met, Arg nit.
• Arg. nit – Fears and anxieties and hidden irrational motives for actions. Fear of height and high buildings.

Oversensitive- weeping tendency to

• Arg met – Melancholy.
• Arg met – Melancholic, apprehensive of serious disease.
• Time passes too slowly – Arg. met, Arg. nit.
• Wants to do things in a hurry- Arg. met
• Arg. nit — Always in a hurry but accomplishes nothing. Always in continual motion. He walks fast. Hurries restlessly to fulfill engagements, fears to be late when there is plenty of time. Impulsive; impulse to jump out of window.

Physical features
1. Lean, thin emaciated, tall with pale face

• Arg met –Tall, thin irritable persons. Emaciation, a gradual drying up.
• Arg nit — Withered dried up old looking patients. Emaciation progressing every year; most marked in lower extremities.

2. Defective coordination

• Manifested as loss of control mentally and physically.
• Arg nit – Symptoms of incordination, loss of control and want of balance everywhere, mentally and physically. Trembling of affected parts.

3. Want of power

• Limbs feel powerless, cramps, involuntary movements, and staggering gait. Speech, stammering, eyes nystagmus
• Arg nit – Great weakness of lower extremities, with trembling; cannot walk with eyes closed.
• Arg met – Legs weak and trembling, worse descending stairs. Involuntary contractions of fingers, partial paralysis of forearm. Writer’s cramp.

4. All discharges are thick and profuse

• Arg met – Thick, white and glairy
• Arg. Nit — offensive, thick, yellowish, purulent and bloody

5. Pains are sharp, cutting and splinter like—Gradual onset 

6. Side affinity: – predominantly left sided

• Arg met – Left sided pain are characteristic. Dull paroxysmal neuralgia over left side, gradually increasing and ceasing suddenly. Pain between left eye and frontal eminence. Pain in left ovary.
• Arg nit – Painful affections of left ovary. General aggravation left side. Ulcerative pain in left side under ribs.

7. Loud /noisy symptoms

•  Noisy flatus. Stool belching

8. Predominant action over the mucous membrane and causes great dryness of it.

• Great dryness of mouth with increased thirst. Dryness of larynx and hoarseness.
• Arg nit is an irritant to mucous membranes producing violent inflammation of the throat and a marked gastro-enteritis.
• Arg iodatum has a predominant action over the mucous membrane of the throat and larynx and causes hoarseness

9. Craving for sweets (sugar) coffee and ices

• Desires coffee—Arg met and Arg nit.
• Desires ice — Arg met and Arg nit.
• Desires ice cream – Arg nit
• Desires Sweets – Arg met and Arg nit
• Desires sugar — Arg nit

10. Aversion smoking

• Tobacco aversion – Arg nit
• Aversion to smoking — Arg met

11.  General aggravation during night and from emotions

• Aggravation night – Arg met and Arg nit
• Ailments or aggravation from strong emotions or excitement — Arg met and Arg nit

12.  General amelioration in open air and from pressure and motion

• Amelioration in open air — Arg met and Arg nit
• Pressure – amelioration — Arg met and Arg nit
• Motion — amelioration — Arg met and Arg nit

13. Ailments from anger (vexation) fear, fright and onanism

• Ailments from anger — Arg met and Arg nit
• Ailments from vexation — Arg nit
• Ailments from fear — Arg met and Arg nit
• Ailments from onanism — Arg met and Arg nit

Dr Satheesh Kumar P K  BHMS,MD(Hom)
Medical Officer, Dept. of Homoeopathy, Govt. of Kerala