Phosphorus 30c Uses, Benefits – Phosphorus Homeopathy Materia Medica

Burning in spots, especially along the spine

Vomiting; water is thrown out as soon as it gets warm in the stomach

Nausea from placing hands in warm water

Source: Mineral kingdom
Synonyms: Yellow phosphorus
Prover: Dr Hahnemann
Formula: P
Duration of Action: 40 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora, syphilis and sycosis
Temperament: Sanguine, bilious, lymphatic and irritable temperament Diathesis: Haemorrhagic and tubercular
Thermal Relationship: Chilly patient but craves for cold, cold food, cold drinks and cold applications

Introduction and History: Phosphorus is one of the best polychrest remedies of very definite characteristic symptoms. Phosphorus was first discovered by the Alchemist Brand. It is called Phospho. ‘Phos’ means light, ‘phrer’ means to carry, for it ‘glow’s’ in the dark. In Allen’s Encyclopaedia, it has more than 3,900 recorded symptoms. It is a great local irritant. Under the allopathic system of therapeutics, it is administered on general surmise, for the betterment of the deranged conditions of the nervous and the bony structures.

Description: It is a colourless or pale yellow semi-translucent or transparent substance with a waxy lustre. It has a disagreeable odour and no taste. It is brittle and crystalline at low temperatures, but soft and malleable at ordinary temperature. When exposed to air, it emits white fumes which are luminous in the dark and have a garlicky odour. It is insoluble in water but dissolves in absolute alcohol at 15° C. It should be kept carefully under water, in a secure and moderately cool place, protected from light or else there is danger of fire. At room temperature, it burns to form phosphorus pentoxide.

Preparation: It is dissolved in alcohol, from which higher potencies are prepared.

Constitution and Physiognomy: It is best suited to tall, slender persons with narrow chest, who are good and beautiful to look at, having a fair, thin, transparent skin, delicate eyelashes, brownish-red hair. Indicated in young people who grow too rapidly and are inclined to stoop. Also in chlorotic anaemia at the time of puberty.

Ailments From: Strong emotions, mental exertion, gas vapours, strong odours, lightening, thunderstorm, wounds, fluids, sprains, sexual excesses, loss of vital fluids, tobacco, excessive use of table salt, having a hair cut, by washing clothes, exposure to the drenching rain.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Brain, nerves, spine, circulation, blood, blood vessels, heart, lungs, sexual organs, stomach, bowels, bones, jaw, skin, etc.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. It acts on the vegetative nervous system; manifests more specially as paralysis consequent upon the destruction of nerve fibres.
2. The most essential action of Phosphorus is upon blood. It diminishes the coagulation power of blood, thus predisposing to haemorrhage.
3. It has a strong action over the nervous system. Acts upon the brain and spinal cord producing softening or atrophy, prostration, trembling, numbness and complete paralysis.
4. It acts specifically upon the nerves of voluntary motion and on the muscles themselves. It impedes, diminishes and then completely destroys the power of movement or rather, it destroys the irritability of the motor nerves and the contractility of muscle fibres and then completely paralyses the power of movement.
5. It acts on sexual organs causing at first general excitement and then depression.
6. It has a very strong action over the bones and periosteum, particularly the jaw bones where it causes the process of necrosis to take place.
7. It acts on the stomach, irritates it and causes loss of appetite, nausea, uneasiness along with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea.
8. Therapeutically it produces increased activity in the development of bones. Cartilaginous epiphysis ossify with undue speed and completeness; spongy bone tissues increase in thickness and grow compact and hard.
9. It acts on Various organs and tissues. There is fatty degeneration notably in the liver and heart.
10. It causes nephritis, inflammation of kidneys, hepatitis and acute yellow atrophy of liver.
11. It acts on all mucous membranes causing inflammation and degeneration, specially throughout the alimentary canal and respiratory tracts causing gastritis, enterocolitis and dysentery, all characterised by destructive processes and haemorrhages.
12. It has a very strong action over the bones and periosteum, particularly the jaw bones where it causes the process of necrosis to take place.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Weary of life, full of gloomy forebodings.
2. Sadness and anxiety, regularly recurring at twilight from nervous exhaustion.
3. Mind is overactive, great flow of thoughts, difficult to arrange.
4. The patient is very apathetic and indifferent to friends and surroundings.
5. Thinks slowly, unwilling to talk, moves sluggishly.
6. Shamelessness, uncovers herself and wishes to go naked, as if insane.
7. Mentally, the patient is quite and very intelligent, but physically weak.
8. Fear of darkness, fear of death when alone, as if something was creeping out of every corner.
9. Oversensitive to all external impressions – light, odour, noise, touch, etc.
10. Great aversion to mental as well as physical work.
11. Restless at twilight when alone, during thunderstorm. Filled with gloomy forebodings as if about to die.
12. Mind is overactive, irritable, excitable, loquacious; does not like to be alone.
13. The patient wants to be magnetised.
14. Hysterical alternation of laughing and weeping.
15. Feeling of apprehension at the pit of the stomach; weak feeling in head.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Burning: It is one of Nash’s Trio of Burners. Burning in spots along the spine; between the scapula or intense heat running up the back; of palms, of hands, in chest and lungs; of every organ or tissue of the body.

Restlessness: Restless, fidgety; moves continually, cannot sit or stand still a movement.

Sensation: A weak, empty, all gone sensation in head, chest, stomach and entire abdomen.

Diarrhoea: Diarrhoea as soon as anything enters the rectum; profuse, pouring away as from a hydrant; watery, with sago-like particles; sensation as if the anus remained wide open.

Nausea: Nausea from placing hands in warm water; sneezing and coryza from putting hands in water.

Bleeding: Frequent and profuse, pouring out freely and then ceasing for a time; metrorrhagia, in cancers, haemoptysis; vicarious from nose, stomach, anus, urethra, in amenorrhoea.

Suddenness: Sudden attacks of symptoms; sudden prostration; sudden fainting; sudden sweat; sudden attacks of blindness.

Cravings: Craves for juicy, refreshing things. Desire for fish, cold milk, acid things and spicy food.

Vertigo: Many complaints are associated with vertigo. Vertigo when seated. Falls back on attempting to rise from bed.

Oversensitiveness: Extremely sensitive to external impressions such as, slight odours, light, noise, touch, storm, electricity, etc.

Vomiting: Desire for cold water, but it is thrown up as soon as it gets warm in the stomach.

Desires and aversions: Desire for cold things, ice cream, cold water, acids, wine, fatty foods, salts, sour things but aversion to beer, coffee, sweets, tobacco, tea and pudding.

Intolerance: Intolerance of water during pregnancy, unable to drink water; sight of it causes nausea and vomiting. Must close her eyes while bathing.

Sweat: Perspiration of Phosphorus smells like Sulphur.

Heaviness: Heaviness of chest, as if a weight were lying on it.

Cough: Cough on going from warm to cold air, worse from laughing, talking, reading, drinking, eating, lying on the left side.

Constipation: Faeces slender, long, dry, tough and hard; voided with great straining and difficulty.

Hairfall: Dandruff, falling out of hair in large bunches with itching of scalp. Baldness of single spots.

Prostration: Great weakness and prostration; with nervous debility and trembling of whole body; weakness and weariness from loss of vital fluids.

Necrosis: Necrosis of the left lower jaw.

Pain: Pain acute especially in the chest; worse from pressure, even slight, in intercostal spaces and lying on left side; excited by slightest chill; open air intolerable.

Eyes: Eyes hollow, surrounded by blue rings; lids, puffy, swollen, oedematous. Swelling of both the eyelids.

Sexual desire: Increased sexual desire, leading the patient to mania followed by impotency.

Blindness: Phosphorus has a tendency to be blind. Blindness after sexual excesses; after loss of fluids; after typhoid, etc.

Violent thirst: Burning thirst for ice: cold water. Violent hunger, which returns soon after eating.

Important Characteristic Features

Bleeding (haemorrhage): A great antihaemorrhagic remedy. Patients have haemorrhagic diathesis. Small wounds bleed profusely and very easily. Haemorrhage is caused by degeneration of tissues and from small injuries or cuts. The character of blood is bright red, watery and noncoagulable. Bleeding from various organs and parts of the body. Flow of blood is intermittent. This remedy is more indicated in acute haemorrhages. Small wounds bleed freely and then cease suddenly for a time, as seen in metrorrhagia, haemoptysis, haematemesis, epistaxis, etc.

Vomiting: A very useful remedy for gastrointestinal disorders. It produces degeneration of mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract. Great burning in stomach which is better from cold food and drink, but as soon as the water becomes warm in the stomach, it is thrown up in the form of vomit. Sometimes there is vomiting of bright red blood. Empty, all gone sensation in stomach. The patient craves cold food and drink, icy cold, refreshing, juicy things; ice cream relieves the gastric pain. Nausea from putting hands in warm water.

Diarrhoea: Diarrhoea as from paralysis of intestinal canal. Indicated in old people suffering from morning diarrhoea. Sensation as if anus remained wide open, and the stool is profuse. Involuntary stool; stool is watery with sago-like particles. Also indicated in cholera. Diarrhoea is aggravated in the morning. Indicated in cirrhosis of liver due to excessive indulgence, after strong liquors; fatty degeneration of the liver; with malignant jaundice accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

Constipation: Due to the paralytic effect of drugs it produces constipation. Stool is hard, dry; stool is long and slender, resembling dog’s stool; it is voided after straining and difficulty. Anus and rectum are paralysed; produces haemorrhoids, both externally and internally with a burning sensation and bleeding which is active, bright red in colour.

Hoarseness: Phosphorus is very useful in hoarseness, cough and pneumonia. Hoarseness can lead to aphonia. Pain in the larynx, sore throat, rawness of larynx and the person cannot talk. Sensation as if a piece of skin or flesh is hanging loose in the throat. Hoarseness is aggravated in the evening, while talking, coughing, reading, in cold air, etc.

Cough: Also a great remedy for cough, especially when the left side of the chest is affected. Sensation as if some weight is lying on the chest. Cough hard, dry, tight, with congestion of lungs; sputum is rusty, reddish or purulent, has a salty or sweetish taste. Cough is aggravated from laughing, talking, reading, drinking, eating, but most characteristic is lying on the left side. Sharp stitching pain in the chest, quick respiration, whole body trembles while coughing.

Pneumonia: It is the best selected remedy for pneumonia in the hepatisation stage of the disease. The upper lobe of the left lung is affected. Sensation of heaviness in the chest; burning sensation in the chest with dryness of air passages, especially in the upper chest. Cough dry, tickling, hard. Irritation of larynx excites cough. While coughing, there is stitching pain in the chest, sputum is rusty, blood coloured or purulent. Desire for cold and refreshing drinks. It is aggravated by lying on the left side or on the painful side, when going from a warm room to a cold room, from eating, laughing, towards the evening and from talking. Symptoms are relieved by lying on the right side.

General Modalities

Aggravation: Morning, evening, before midnight, before falling asleep, on waking, before breakfast, lying on the left or painful side, during a thunderstorm, from weather changes, either hot or cold.

Amelioration: In the dark, lying on the right side, from being rubbed or mesmerised, from cold food, cold water.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Ars, All-c.

Follows well: Ars, Carb-v, Rhus-t, Sulph.

Antidotes: Calc, Camph, Coff, Mez, Nux-v, Sep, Ter.

Antidotal to: Camph, Iod, Rhus-t, Ter.

Inimical: Caust.

Compare: Brom, Med, Sulph, Spong, Rumx, Hyos, Am-c.

Comparison

Cough; chronic of years duration, worse morning on waking; evening on lying down: Phos, Tub.

Cough from lying on left side: Phos, Rumx.

Day blindness; mist before eyes; pressure and smarting in eyeballs: Ran-b, Phos.

Vicarious menses: Bry, Phos, Dig.

Desire to be magnetized, which relieves: Phos, Sil.

Leucorrhoea, with debility which seems to proceed from abdomen or pelvis: Phos, Sep.

Hoarseness worse in the evening: Carb-v, Phos.

Metrorrhagia, with cancer of uterus: Phos, Thlas, Ust.

Disposition to haemorrhage, with ringing in ears, fainting, loss of sight, general coldness, sometimes convulsions: Chin, Ferr, Phos.

Infantile diarrhoea: Crot-t, Kali-br, Phos.

Predisposed lung and hepatic affections: Calc, Lyc, Phos.

Red sand in urine, on child’s diaper: Lyc, Phos.

Attacks of anxiety and restlessness during thunderstorm: Nat-c, Phos.

Potency: 3x, 6x, 12x, 30, 200, 1000.

Dosage: Third to thirtieth potency or higher. Should not be given in too low or in continuous doses.

Repetition: Single dose; to be repeated when the symptoms call for it.

Therapeutic Value: Anaemia, Asthma, Bone diseases, Brain affections, Cancer; Catarrh, Constipation, Cough, Diarrhoea, Dropsy, Ecchymosis, Enteric fever, Epilepsy, Epistaxis, Eye affections, Flatulence, Gastritis, Haemorrhage, Headache, Heart affections, Jaundice, Liver affections, Locomotor ataxia, Marasmus, Menstrual disorders, Neuralgia, Numbness, Paralysis, Rheumatism, Rickets, Throat and lung affections, Tuberculosis, Ulcers, Vomiting, etc.

Note

1. ‘Phosphorus’ is our great tonic for the heart (venous heart) and lungs. (Lilienthal).
2. It is incompatible with Causticum; must not be used before or after it.
3. Phosphorus removes the bad effects of Iodium and excessive use of table salt.
4. Hahnemann says: It acts most beneficially when the patient suffers from chronic loose stool or diarrhoea.
5. ‘It is often well to give a single dose of a high potency of Nux vomica, a few hours before beginning with Phosphorus, particularly in cases coming from allopathic hands’ (J. B. Bell).
6. Phosphorus is very useful for the bright red haemorrhage after the extraction of teeth (Kent).
7. One should be very cautious in prescribing this violent remedy. In advanced cases of tuberculosis, it should not be given in very high potencies.