Natrum Muriaticum – Concise Study

Dr.Sunila

Natrum Muriaticum is a polychrest among polychrests. Nat. mur is one of the 12 tissue remedies of the Schussler. If Natrum carb is the typical salt of the Natrum group, Nat-mur is the most important. Nat-mur is one of Dr.Hahnemann’s topmost constitutional deep-acting remedies which ranks in the first order for its power. It is prepared from the common salt which is a very common article of the diet and it had been taken for granted that it would be of no use as a medicine. But it possesses a wonderful hold on the human economy when it is served in a potentized form. Nat-mur has been extensively proved both in lower triturations and in 30^th & higher potencies and the latter produced the most marked effects.

Synonyms
Sodium Chloride, Chloruretum sodicum, Ntarum Chloratum purum, sodii chloridum, Chloride of Sodium.

Common names
Common Salt, Table Salt

Chemical properties
It occurs abundantly in nature, nearly everywhere. It crystallizes from aqueous solutions in colourless, transparent, anhydrous cubes. It is soluble in three parts of cold water but is insoluble in absolute alcohol.

Preparation
One part by weight of pure chloride of sodium is dissolved in 9 parts by weight of distilled water.

Clinical

• Anaemia, Marasmus, Rickets
• Catarrhal and glandular affections- goiter, hyperthyroidism, Addison’s disease
• Intermittent fever
• Heart affection
• GIT troubles- constipation
• Respiratory troubles
• Urinary affection, Diabetes
• Skin troubles etc. 

Spheres of action
It acts on blood and lymphatic system, alimentary tract, genital organs, urinary organs, skin, mind etc.

Pathogenesis
Nat. mur was reproved by Austrian physicians. Some of them died from the effects of their proving. One of them, when he published his proving about Natrum mur said that the higher potencies of the drug produced the most symptoms and these symptoms were more valuable than those produced by the low. 

Natrum mur enters into every tissue of the body, even into the enamel of the teeth. It exists in quite considerable quantities in the various humors of the eye. Virchow, in his pathology, quotes an authority who gave chloride of sodium to dogs until he produced opacity of the crystalline lens. Hence, cataract may be produced by Natrum-mur.

Sodium chloride in the stomach stimulates digestion in various ways. Firstly, it improves the flavour of the food. Salt also acts on the stomach itself by favouring the secretion of gastric juice. 

Schussler argues that salt is excreted through the mucus. Therefore he says that as salt has a function here, it must be the remedy for all catarrhs. It also acts upon the sebaceous glands and as a result the skin becomes oily in appearance, particularly face and scalp.

Salt also has a stimulating effect in the nervous system, keeping up its tone. Muscular tone is also favoured by the presence of salt within the tissue of the muscles. Therefore, common salt may be used as an external application in the weakness of muscles and nerves that favor the deformities of the limbs (E. A. Farrington). But it cannot cure all deformities, e.g. Deformities arising from inflammation of the anterior gray cornua of the cord.

Nat.mur is indicated in scorbutic states of the system when the patient suffers more or less from scurvy. It is quite likely that the prolonged use of salt meat is common cause of scurvy.

Excessive use of salt causes deterioration of the blood in quantity as well as in quality, producing anaemia & leucocytosis. 

As a result of this impoverishment of the blood, we find the nervous system suffering secondarily.

It has marked action on male genital organs causing great weakness and giving rise to seminal emission during sleep

Constitution : It covers all the three miasms.

Diathesis: Scrofulous diathesis.

Nat. mur is suited for the anaemic and cachectic persons. Anaemia from loss of vital fluids; profuse menses, seminal emissions or mental affections.

The skin is shiny, pale, waxy, looks as if greased. There is weakness and nervous prostration with blue ring around the eyes; most weakness felt in the morning in the bed.

Great emaciation; losing flesh while living well (abort, Iod); throat and neck of children emaciate rapidly during summer complaint (Sanic)

Descending type of marasmus; upper part is emaciated & lower part is dropsical.
Coldness and great liability to take cold easily.

It is suited for the bad effects of anger, acid food, bread, quinine, excessive use of salts, of cauterization of all kinds with silver nitrate, of grief, vexation, mortification or reserved displeasures (staph).

Mind
All the mental symptoms are due to the bad effects of anger, grief, vexation, excessive use of salt, bread, quinine, fright, loss of vital fluids etc 

Irritability: Child crosses when spoken to, crying from slightest cause, gets into passion about trifles. Consolation aggravates. He stores in mind every little real or imaginary offence. He wakes up night & can’t go sleep again because past unpleasant events occupy his mind.

The lachrymal disposition & hypochondriacal mood are the two striking features.

Marked disposition to weep; weeping mood without cause (puls), but consolation <. Wants to be alone to cry. Depressed particularly in chronic diseases. Natrum mur finds a sort of happiness in indulging in painful thoughts. Patient is sensitive to music. Tearful condition is associated with palpitation of the heart & intermittent pulse. This intermittent pulse does not necessarily imply organic disease of the heart, but simply a nervous weak heart.

• Hypochondriasis is directly associated with indigestion, as in Natrum carb.
• Patient is awkward & hasty & drop things from the hand due to nervous weakness.
• Dreams of robbers at night & on waking do not believe to the contrary unless a thorough search is made. Dreams of burning thirst.
• Forgetful. Brain fag from study. 

Natrum mur patients are emotionally very sensitive. They become enclosed in their worlds. They avoid being hurt at all costs. Their primary concern in life is not to hurt & not to be hurt. They tend to be self contained, desiring to solve problems by themselves.

Mentally they have a high degree of objectivity and awareness, as well as a great sense of responsibility. They enjoy receiving affection from others- indeed they expect and demand it, even though they themselves don’t express affection easily.

A Natrum mur child is very sensitive to disharmony. If the parents fight, they do not react immediately but will suffer inside, perhaps even to the point of acquiring a physical ailment.

Hysterical condition of the mind and the body; weeping alternating with laughing. Irresistible laughing at unsuitable times.

The hysterical tendency of Nat. mur in children is seen readily when they are severely reprimanded. Ordinarily Natrum mur people do not express emotions readily, they do not cry easily. At a party, they tend to sit on in sidelines, enjoying themselves by watching others. A young girl who needs Natrum mur will easily fall in love with a married man or someone unattainable. She knows that it is foolish, but lies awake with love for him. This then causes intense anguish and grief and the result is an even greater introversion.

Mentally Natrum mur is the chronic of Ignatia. In many respects they are virtually identical. Generally Ignatia acts more superficially. Natrum mur patients have greater strength, they can tolerate more emotional stress and more intense and shokes with out breaking down. In Ignatia, the person breaks down with relatively minor stress. In addition, the Ignatia pathology does not readily affect the physical level. Thus Ignatia is more indicated in emotional reactions appearing after ordinary grieves experienced in life spheres Nat. mur is more commonly indicated in instances of extraordinary stress. The characteristic Ignatia sighing is an attempt to relieve the sensation of constriction in throat, following an emotional shock. Ignatia cries more easily than Natrum mur. 

Pulsatilla is some times confused with Natrum mur. Both are intolerant to heat, aggravated in the sun and averse to fat. Pulsatilla is emotionally highly expressive, automatically giving affection. When a Pulsatilla patient cries, it is a sweet gentle crying whereas Natrum mur weeping is spasmodic, loud sobbing which shakes the whole body. Pulsatilla will actively seek help from others. But Natrum mur is self reliant.

Physical generals
Complaints come in the warm room and there is general > in the open air.

Patients have a strong desire for salt and aversion to bread, fats, slimy food and rich things. Most of the symptoms are worse from sunrise to sunset; esp. from 10 -11am, but are relieved by perspiration. (Psorinum,; reverse;  Merc. Sol, Verat. Alb)

They drink enormous quantity of water there is extreme dryness of all mucous membranes.

Particulars
Head:  Headache: of anemic school girls (Calc. Phos). Aches as though a thousand little hammers were knocking in the brain in the morning or awakening, before, during and after menstruation and during fever; especially left sided clavus as if busting with red face, nausea and vomiting.

Chronic head ache 

• Headache starts with blindness, Zig zag, dazzling, like lighting in eyes (Gels, Kali Bi)
• < Sunrise to sunset especially from 10- 11 am, eye strain
• > Perspiration. 

EYES:

• Eyes fee bruised with headache in school children. Muscles weak & stiff. Fiery, zig zag appearance around all objects.
• Lachrymation tears stream down face whenever he cough down (Euph). Aesthenopia due to insufficiency of internal recti muscles.
• Pain in eyes when looking down. Incipient cataract

EARS: Cracking when chewing.

NOSE:  Violent, fluent coryza lasting form 1 to 3 days; then changing into stoppage of nose making breathing difficult. Discharge thin and watery  like raw white of egg., Violent sneezing coryza. Infallible fro stopping a cold commencing with sneezing. Use thirtieth potency (W. BoeRicke).  Loss of smell and taste.

MOUTH: Sense of dryness.

Numbness &  tingling of tongue.  Sensation as of a hair on tongue.

Tongue

• Mapped,with real insular patches like ringworm on sides (Ars, Lach, Merc, Nit. Ac, Tarax)
• Heavy difficult speech. Children slow in learning to talk.
• Immoderate thirst.

STOMACH: 

• Hungry, yet loose flesh (Iod)
• Sweats while eating
• Craving for salts
• Aversion to bread, fat etc 

RECTUM: 

• Constipation:  sensation of contraction of anus.
• Stool: dry, hard difficult,Crumbling (Am-c, Mag. m).Torn, bleeding, smarting feel after stool, with stitches in rectum.
• Painless, copious diarrhea; Involuntary stool, knows not whether flatus or faeces escape (Aloe, Iod, Mur,ac, olean,  podo) 

URINARY SYSTEM:
Cutting pain in urethra just after urinating (Sars). Urine involuntary when walking coughing, laughing ( Caust, Puls, Squilla). Has to wait a long while for urine to pass if others are present.(Hep Mur. ac). Must wait before the urine will start and then it come slowly; there is no much force in the flow. After urination there is sensation as if more urine remained in bladder.

GENITALIA:
Male: Seminal emission soon after coition with increased desire or weakness of organs with retarded emission during an embrace; impotence, spinal irritation, paralysis after sexual excesses.

Gonorrhea: The discharge is usually clear though it may be sometimes yellowish.

Female:

• Menses: Irregular, usually profuse. Hot during menses.
• Vagina dry. Loss of sexual desire and aversion to coition.
• Leucorrhoea:  acrid and watery
• Prolapsus: pressing, pushing towards genitals every morning, Must sit down to prevent prolapsus (Lil, Mur, Verat) uterine complaints> lying on back on a pillow. 
• Hairfalls out when touched in nursing women.
• Useful after labour when the mother doesn’t progress well. 

HEART:

• Fluttering of heart with a weak faint feeling.
• < Lying down
• The hearts pulsation shakes the whole body.
• Intermits on lying down. 

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM: Whooping cough with bursting pain in head with flow of tears when coughing. Shortness of breath especially from going upstairs (calc).

BACK AND EXTEMITIES:

• Painful contraction of hamstrings (Caust). Ankles weak and turn easily. Cracking in joints on motion. Coldness of legs with congestion to head, chest and stomach.
• Pain in back with desire for support. > lying on back on a pillow. 

Intermittent fever:

• Nat mur not only removes tendency to intermittents but restore the patient to health.
• Old, chronic, badly treated cases, especially after suppression of quinine.
• Paroxysm at 10 or 11 am; every day, every other day, every 3^rd or 4^th day with unconsciousness during chill & heat.
• Sweats on every exertion & > by perspiration.
• Coldness of the body & continued chilliness very marked.
• During the entire attack there is thirst for cold water.
• During coldness; not ameliorated by heat but wants cold water.
• Fever blisters like pearls about the lips. Lips dry, sore & cracked & ulcerated. 

SKIN 

• Eczema:  raw, red, inflamed especially in edges of hair.
• < eating too much salt, at seashore. 
• Urticaria: acute or chronic; over whole body especially after violent exercise ( Apis, Calc, Hep, Sanic, Urt) 
• Wart: warts on palm of hands (sore to touch: Nat- c) 
• Herpes: especially around the edges of hair. 

GENERAL MODALITIES
Aggravation : Sunrise to sunset especially from 10- 11 am, at seashore, heat of sun or stove, mental exertion, talking, writing, reading, lying down, consolation.

Amelioration : Open air (Apis, Puls), cold bathing, going without regular meals & lying on right side.

RELATIONS

• Complementory: Apis.
• Natrum mur is the chronic of ignatia: which is its vegetable analogue but in mental plane only.
• It is followed well by Sepia & Thuja.
• Cannot be repeated in chronic cases without an intercurrent.
• Should never be given in fever paroxysm.
• If vertigo & headache be persistent, or prostration be prolonged after Natrum, Nux will relieve. 

Reference: 

• Lectures on Materia Medica by J. T. Kent
• Allen’s Keynotes by H. C. Allen.
• Clinical Materia medica by E. A. Farrington.
• Text Book of Materia Medica by S. K. Dubey

Dr.Sunila BHMS,MD(Hom)
E mail: babuabu@gmail.com