Zincum Met

HOMEOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA
by William BOERICKE, M.D.

ZINCUM METALLICUM
Zinc
(ZINC)

The provings picture cerebral depression. The word "fag" covers a large part of zinc action. Tissues are worn out faster than they are repaired. Poisoning from suppressed eruptions or discharges. The nervous symptoms of most importance. Defective vitality. Impending brain paralysis. Period of depression in disease. Spinal affections. Twitchings. Pain, as if between skin and flesh. Great relief from discharges. Chorea, from fright or suppressed eruption. Convulsions, with pale face and no heat. Marked anćmia with profound prostration. It causes a decrease in the number, and destruction of red blood corpuscles. Repercussed eruptive diseases. In chronic diseases with brain and spinal symptoms, trembling, convulsive twitching and fidgety feet are guiding symptoms.

Mind.--Weak memory. Very sensitive to noise. Averse to work, to talk. Child repeats everything said to it. Fears arrest on account of a supposed crime. Melancholia. Lethargic, stupid. Paresis.

Head.--Feels as if he would fall to left side. Headache from the smallest quantity of wine. Hydrocephalus. Rolls head from side to side. Bores head into pillow. Occipital pain, with weight on vertex. Automatic motion of head and hands. Brain-fag; headaches of overtaxed school children. Forehead cool; base of brain hot. Roaring in head. Starting in fright.

Eyes.--Pterygium; smarting, lachrymation, itching. Pressure as if pressed into head. Itching and soreness of lids and inner angles. Ptosis. Rolling of eyes. Blurring of one-half of vision; worse, stimulants. Squinting. Amaurosis, with severe headache. Red and inflamed conjunctiva; worse, inner canthus.

Ears.--Tearing, stitches, and external swelling. Discharge of fetid pus.

Nose.--Sore feeling high up; pressure upon root.

Face.--Pale lips, and corners of mouth cracked. Redness and itching eruption on chin. Tearing in facial bones.

Mouth.--Teeth loose. Gums bleed. Gnashing of teeth. Bloody taste. Blisters on tongue. Difficult dentition; child weak; cold and restless feet.

Throat.--Dry; constant inclination to hawk up tenacious mucus. Rawness and dryness in throat and larynx. Pain in muscles of throat when swallowing.

Stomach.-- Hiccough, nausea, vomiting of bitter mucus. Burning in stomach, heartburn from sweet things. Cannot stand smallest quantity of wine. Ravenous hunger about 11 am (Sulph). Great greediness when eating; cannot eat fast enough. Atonic dyspepsia, feeling as if stomach were collapsed.

Abdomen.--Pain after a light meal, with tympanitis. Pain in spot beneath navel. Gurgling and griping; distended. Flatulent colic, with retraction of abdomen (Plumb). Enlarged, indurated sore liver. Reflex symptoms from floating kidney. Griping after eating.

Urine.--Can only void urine when sitting bent backwards. Hysterical retention. Involuntary urination when walking, coughing or sneezing.

Rectum.--Hard, small, constipated stool. Cholera infantum, with tenesmus; green mucous discharges. Sudden cessation of diarrhśa, followed by cerebral symptoms.

Male.--Testicles swelled, drawn up. Erections violent. Emissions with hypochondriasis. Falling off of hair (pubic). Drawing in testicles up to spermatic cord.

Female.--Ovarian pain, especially left; can't keep still (Viburn). Nymphomania of lying-in women. Menses too late, suppressed; lochia suppressed (Puls). Breasts painful. Nipples sore. Menses flow more at night (Bov). Complaints all better during menstrual flow. (Eupion; Lach). All the female symptoms are associated with restlessness, depression, coldness spinal tenderness and restless feet. Dry cough before and during menses.

Respiratory.--Burning pressure beneath sternum. Constriction and cutting in chest. Hoarseness. Debilitating, spasmodic cough; worse, eating sweet things. Child grasps genitals during cough. Asthmatic bronchitis, with constriction, of chest. Dyspnśa better as soon as expectoration appears.

Back.--Pain in small of back. Cannot bear back touched (Sul; Therid; Cinch). Tension and stinging between shoulders. Spinal irritation. Dull aching about the last dorsal or first lumbar vertebrć; worse sitting. Burning along spine. Nape of neck weary from writing or any exertion. Tearing in shoulder-blades.

Extremities.--Lameness, weakness, trembling and twitching of various muscles. Chilblains (Agar). Feet in continued motion; cannot keep still. Large varicose veins on legs. Sweaty. Convulsions, with pale face. Transverse pains, especially in upper extremity. Soles of feet sensitive. Steps with entire sole of foot on floor.

Sleep.--Cries out during sleep; body jerks; wakes frightened, stared. Nervous motion of feet when asleep. Loud screaming out at night in sleep without being aware of it. Somnambulism (Kali phos).

Skin.--Varicose veins, especially of lower extremities (Puls). Formication of feet and legs as from bugs crawling over the skin, preventing sleep. Eczema, especially in the anćmic and neurotic. Itching of thighs and hollow of knees. Retrocession of eruptions.

Fever.--Frequent, febrile shiverings down back. Cold extremities. Night-sweat. Profuse sweat on feet.

Modalities.--Worse, at menstrual period, from touch, between 5 to 7 pm; after dinner, from wine. Better, while eating, discharges, and appearance of eruptions.

Relationship.--Compare: Agaric; Ign; Plumb; Argent; Puls; Helleb; Tuberc. Inimical: Nux; Cham. Compare in amelioration by secretions: Lach; Stan; Mosch.

Compare: Zincum aceticum (effects of night-watching and erysipelas; brain feels sore; Rademacher's solution, five-drop doses three times a day in water, for those who are compelled to work, on an insufficient amount of sleep); Zinc, bromatum (dentition, chorea, hydrocephalus); Zinc oxydatum (Nausea and sour taste). Sudden vomiting in children. Vomiting of bile and diarrhśa. Flatulent abdomen. Watery stools with tenesmus. Debility after grip. Fiery red face, great drowsiness with dreamlike unrefreshing sleep. Similar to effect of night watching. Mental and physical exertion (Rademacher). Zinc. Sulph, not repeated frequently (high potency) will clear up opacities of the cornea (McFarland). Corneitis; granular lids; tongue paralyzed; cramps in arms and legs; trembling and convulsions. Hypochondriasis due to masturbation; nervous headaches; Zinc cyanatum (as a remedy for meningitis and cerebro-spinal meningitis, paralysis agitans, chorea, and hysteria, it has received some attention); Zinc ars (chorea, anćmia, profound exhaustion on slight exertion. Depression and marked involvement of lower extremities); Zinc carb (post-gonorrhśal throat affections, tonsils swollen, bluish superficial spots); Zinc phos (herpes zoster 1x); Zinc muriat (disposition to pick the bedclothes; sense of smell and taste perverted; bluish-green tint of skin; cold and sweaty); Zinc phos (neuralgia of head and face; lightning-like pains in locomotor ataxia, brain-fag, nervousness, and vertigo; sexual excitement and sleeplessness); Ammon valerian (violent neuralgia, with great nervous agitation); Zinc picricum (facial paralysis; brain-fag, headache in Bright's disease; seminal emissions; loss of memory and energy). Oxide of zinc is used locally as an astringent and stimulant application to unhealthy ulcers, fissures, intertrigo, burns, etc.

Dose.--Second to sixth potency.