Sulphur
The king of antipsorics and greatest polychrest. Burning sensations everywhere. Ragged philosopher — brilliant but untidy. Worse from heat, bathing, standing. Hungry at 11 AM.
Source
Prepared from purified sublimated flowers of sulphur (S), triturated.
Available Potencies
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Keynote Symptoms
Burning is the hallmark — burning pains, burning feet at night thrust out of bed, burning vertex, burning itch. Dirty, untidy, offensive discharges. Aversion to bathing. Sinking, empty feeling at 11 AM. Standing is the worst position. Skin eruptions of every kind, dry, scaly, itching, worse from warmth of bed.
Mind & Emotional Symptoms
The ragged philosopher — brilliant intellect but slovenly appearance. Selfish, lazy, discontented. Imagines beautiful things look ugly. Too lazy to rouse himself. Irritable, quarrelsome, critical. Delusions of grandeur alternating with lack of self-confidence. Full of ideas but cannot carry them out. Religious melancholy. Anxiety about salvation.
General Symptoms
Burning everywhere. Offensive discharges — sweat, stool, breath. Worse from standing, bathing, warmth of bed, 11 AM, milk, alcohol. Better from dry warm weather, drawing up affected limbs, lying on right side. Lean, stooped, red-faced with red lips and ears. Hot patient, kicks off covers. Craves sweets, fats, alcohol, spicy food.
Physical Symptoms
Head
Hot vertex — burning on top of head. Sick headache recurring periodically. Scalp dry, itching, scratching causes burning. Hair dry, falls out.
Eyes
Burning, itching, watering. Lids red, ulcerated margins. Halo around light. First stage of ulceration of cornea. Black spots before eyes.
Ears
Offensive discharge. Whizzing and roaring. Deafness preceded by oversensitiveness to sound.
Nose
Alae red, scabby. Black pores on nose. Chronic dry catarrh with dry crusts that bleed when loosened. Imaginary foul smells.
Face
Lips dry, bright red, burning. Acne, especially on forehead. Freckles.
Mouth
Dry, burning. Tongue white with red tip and borders. Bitter or sweetish taste in morning. Jerks during sleep.
Throat
Burning, dryness. Ball rises in throat. Pressure as if from a lump.
Stomach
Complete loss of or excessive appetite. Sinking, faint, empty feeling at 11 AM, must have something to eat. Craves sweets, fat, spicy food, alcohol. Milk disagrees, causes sour vomiting. Burning, sour eructations.
Abdomen
Sore, sensitive to pressure. Colic after drinking. Rumbling and flatulence. Liver region sensitive.
Rectum
Morning diarrhea — drives out of bed at 5 AM. Stools offensive, burning. Redness and excoriation around anus. Piles — burning, itching, worse from warmth. Alternation of diarrhea and constipation. Sensation of a lump in the rectum.
Urinary
Frequent urination, especially at night. Burning in urethra during and after urination.
Respiratory
Oppression and burning in chest. Difficult breathing, wants windows open. Cough with purulent expectoration. Stitches through left lung.
Chest
Flushes of heat, worse evening. Violent palpitation at night, worse lying on left side.
Back
Drawing pain between shoulders. Stiffness of nape. Curvature of vertebrae.
Extremities
Burning soles of feet at night — puts them out of bed or seeks a cool place. Hot palms. Joint stiffness. Trembling of hands. Cramps in calves and soles.
Skin
Dry, scaly, unhealthy; every little injury suppurates. Itching and burning, worse from scratching and washing, worse from warmth of bed. Pimply eruptions, pustules, boils. Freckles. Skin ailments alternating with internal complaints.
Sleep & Dreams
Talks, jerks, and twitches during sleep. Wakes frequently. Catnaps — sleeps in short naps. Cannot sleep after 3 AM.
Fever / Chill / Perspiration
Frequent flushes of heat. Night sweats. Chilliness in forenoon, burning heat at night. Perspiration offensive, sour.
Modalities
Better From
Dry warm weather, lying on right side, drawing up affected limbs, open air, motion, warm applications to local pain
Worse From
Suppressed eruptions, bathing, warmth of bed, standing, 11 AM, milk, alcohol, periodically, full moon, at rest, overexertion
Constitutional Type
Lean, stooped, unwashed philosopher. Red orifices (lips, ears, nostrils, eyelids, anus). Dry, rough, scaly skin. Aversion to washing. Selfish but intellectually brilliant. Hot-blooded, kicks off covers. Can also suit stout, plethoric individuals with portal congestion.
Clinical Indications
Eczema, psoriasis, acne, boils, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, alcoholism, skin diseases of every variety, asthma, bronchitis, suppressed eruptions, burning feet, portal congestion, hot flushes
Comparative Materia Medica
Arsenicum album also has burning but is chilly, restless, and fastidious — the opposite of Sulphur's warm-blooded untidiness. Psorinum is the chilly, hopeless version of Sulphur. Nux vomica shares the irritability and GI symptoms but is chilly, fastidious, and overdriven.
Safety Information
Aconitum, Camphora, Chamomilla, China, Mercurius, Pulsatilla, Rhus tox, Sepia, Thuja. Sulphur antidotes many remedies.
Crude sulphur is relatively non-toxic when ingested in small amounts. Large doses cause GI irritation. Topical sulphur is used medicinally. Safe in all potencies.
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