Ferrum phosphoricum

Great weakness, and desire to lie down. Nervous at night. Rheumatic conditions.

While it has been used by Schuessler's followers for the first stage of inflammatory fevers, it is useful in the higher potencies in chronic diseases, and is a deep acting anti-psoric, It could not be less than the Ferrum and Phosphoric acid that form it.

For many years I followed the Schüessler indications, but by the aid of new provings, homeopathic aggravations, and clinical experience the present arrangement of symptoms furnishes my guide for this valuable homoeopathic remedy.

The time of aggravation: of some complaints is in the morning, some in afternoon; others come in the evening and night, and after midnight. The patient is sensitive to the open air, and many symptoms are aggravated in open air.

The most noticeable features are anaemia and chlorosis (like Ferrum ). The general physical anxiety is more like Phos. acid . Lack of vital heat, and aggravation in cold air and from becoming cold. Always taking cold. Congestion of head and organs, with fever and red face.

The general weakness is like the low vitality of the phtisical inheritance. Dropsical conditions. Symptoms worse after eating, from physical exertion. Fainting spells. Cold drinks bring on symptoms. Sour food aggravates. Vascular fullness and distension of veins.

The haemorrhagic condition is a strong feature, as it is in Ferrum, Phos. acid and Phos . The nervousness of hysteria and hypochondriasis is found in this remedy. Soreness through the body, especially in congested parts; with aggravation from jar and walking. Complaints from lifting and straining muscles, and from sprains.

Many symptoms are worse lying in bed and from rest, and ameliorated by moving slowly about (like Ferrum), but the great lassitude compels him to lie down. Motion that is a real exertion aggravates, but slow. motion ameliorates. Numbness of parts and suffering parts. Surging of blood in body and head.

Stitching, tearing pains. Tearing downwards. False plethora. Strong pulsation over body, and in head. Strong, full, frequent pulse. Generally oversensitive, and sensitive to pain. Standing aggravates many complaints. Trembling limbs. All combine to give us a remedy broad and deep acting.

Mind

This remedy has marked anger, even to violence; producing weakness, headache, trembling, sweat, and other nervous manifestations. Anxiety at night, as if he had done a great wrong to somebody; after eating; with apprehensiveness; during fever; about the future; hypochondriacal. Cheerful, talkative and hilarious; unnatural excitement, mingled with sadness. This remedy has been used in delirium tremens.

Aversion to company and feels better when alone. He is unable to concentrate the mind, or reflect ordinary questions; can not study. Confusion of mind when trying to think, in the morning, in the evening, after eating; ameliorated by washing the face in cold water.

He is dissatisfied with everything he possesses, and with his surroundings. Very excitable in the evening. The fullness in his head makes him fear apoplexy. Fear of going into a crowd, or death, that some evil will come to him, of misfortune, of people. Forgetful. It is an excellent remedy for hysterical girls, when other symptoms agree.

His ideas are abundant, and there is unusual clearness of mind ( Coff.). Again, extreme indifference to all pleasure and exciting events. Aversion to work. It might well be thought of for puerperal mania from the note,

"Sows eat up their young."

It has plenty of cerebral hyperemia, then why not madness? Irritability. Alternating moods. Morose. Obstinate. Restlessness at night in bed, tossing about much during fever. Sadness in the evening before menses. Extremely sensitive to noise. Stupefaction. Indisposed to talk. Aversion to thinking. Weeping. Aversion to mental work.

Vertigo

Vertigo in afternoon from hyperaemia of brain, during chill, on closing the eyes; tendency to fall forwards; during headache; as if intoxicated; looking downwards; during menses; with nausea; on rising up; on rising from bed. Staggering when walking, with vanishing of sight. Sensation as if the head were pushed forward while walking.

The head: feels cold and the vertex is sensitive to cold air. Hyperaemia of the brain. Constriction of the scalp. Empty sensation in the head; during menses. Sensation of fullness in the head. The hair falls out. The head feels very hot. Flushes of heat, and red face. Heat in head; in vertex; during menses.

The head feels heavy during menses. Weight in forehead and occiput. Itching of the scalp. Headache, in morning in bed, in afternoon, in evening. Cold air ameliorates the general headaches; ascending steps aggravates; blinding headache; catarrhal headaches.

Headache during chill, aggravated, on closing the eyes; cold applications ameliorate; with coryza; aggravation on coughing, after eating, excitement.

Headache during menses, worse from light and noise. Hammering headaches. Headache, aggravated from a jar. He is compelled to lie down. Lying ameliorates. Headache during menses; on motion, and on moving the head; noise. Paroxysmal pains.

Pressure ameliorates. Pulsating pains. Riding in a carriage aggravates. Sitting. Stooping; walking. Wrapping up the head brings on or aggravates the headache. Pulsating in head and temples, worse on right side. Headache with hot, red face and vomiting food.

Severe frontal headache with epistaxis, which ameliorates. Predominance of suffering on right side of forehead, aggravated in the morning on waking, evening; ameliorated in open air; aggravated on coughing. Pain above the eyes.

Pain in the occiput, on coughing, jarring; during menses. Pain in sides of head and temples, in vertex. Pain in vertex during profuse menses. Boring pain in temples. Bursting pain in head. Pressing pain in whole head, pressing outward, forehead, in frontal eminence, temples; vertex like a stone.

Soreness of the scalp, of occiput, vertex. Stitching pains in head, in forehead, over eyes occiput extending to forehead, on stooping; sides of head, temples, vertex. Tearing pains in head. General pulsation in head, aggravated by motion, and stooping; strong in forehead; in occiput on coughing, in temples, in vertex. Shocks in the head.

Eyes

Discharge of mucus from the eyes. Conjunctivitis with photophobia. Can not see on stooping. Blood vessels enlarged. Lachrymation. Half open lids.

Pain in eyes; aching, burning; sand. Stitching. Sensation of protrusion. Redness of conjunctiva, of balls and lids. Sunken eyes. Swollen lids. Sclerotics jaundiced. Vanishing of sight as from fainting.

Ears

Purulent discharge from the ear. Itching in ear. Noises in the ear; roaring, buzzing, humming, ringing and singing. Catarrh of Eustachian tubes. Inflammatory pains in the ear. Otitis media. Pain deep in the ear. Drawing. Stitching. Pain and swelling of the parotid glands. Sensitive to noise. Impaired hearing.

Nose

Catarrh of nose.

Coryza; discharge bloody. Crusts form in the nose. Discharge excoriating, purulent. When this remedy has been given on the biochemical theory in the low potencies its use has been limited to the acute stage of coryza, but when used homoeopathically this limitation does not hold good.

Who would think of limiting Ferrum or Phos. acid or Phos . to the acute or first stage of an acute, disease?

Epistaxis with coryza, during fever, or headache when the head is hot and full. Epistaxis in the morning, on blowing the nose, with cough, Sneezing.

Face

Chlorotic face. Dark circles under the eyes. Earthy, pale, sallow face. Pale lips. Red face alternating with paleness. Circumscribed redness of cheeks. Red during fever; during headache. Yellow. Liver spots. Dryness of lips.

Heat of face; flushes; while sitting; with toothache; with pains. Hippocratic face. Inflammation of the parotid. Pain in face, from inflammation of teeth, neuralgia, ameliorated by cold applications, aggravated by motion. Pulsating pains. Stitching. Perspiration of face. Sunken face.

Mouth

Swelling oedematous, from toothache.

Swollen parotids. Bleeding from mouth and gums. Tongue dark red and swollen. Tongue white. Dry mouth. Inflammation of gums, fauces, tongue and tonsils. Pains in teeth, with red, hot, swollen gums; ameliorated by holding cold water in the mouth, and aggravated by warm things. Pains in the teeth after eating. Burning of the tongue. Salivation. Taste insipid, putrid, sweetish.

Throat

Constriction of throat.

Redness in throat and tonsils. Swollen tonsils. Heat in throat. Inflammation of throat and tonsils. Lumps in throat. Pain on swallowing. Burning. Soreness.

Stomach

Appetite diminished.

Ravenous appetite without relish of food. Appetite entirely gone. Aversion to food, meat, milk. Desires sour things. Distension of stomach after eating. Eructations, after eating, better, empty, of food, foul, sour. Water-brash. Fullness after eating.

Heat in stomach. Hiccough. Indigestion. Inflammation of stomach. Nausea after eating, during pregnancy. Sudden attacks of nausea, coming at any moment; sometimes waking her out of sleep, lasting a short time. Nausea felt in the throat.

Nausea while walking. Pain in the stomach after eating. Burning in the stomach. Cramping. Pressing after eating. Soreness. Great thirst for much water. Vomiting, morning, on rising, on coughing, after drinking, after eating, during fever, during headache, during pregnancy, riding in a carriage. Violent vomiting; blood, food, green, sour. Vomiting with inflammation and pain in the stomach.

Abdomen

The abdomen is distended, and the liver and spleen are enlarged.

Much flatulence, fullness and rumbling, gurgling. The abdomen is hard. Weight in the abdomen. Inflammation of the peritoneum. This remedy is curative in many complaints of the liver. Severe pain in the bowels, in the morning, evening, night; on coughing; during diarrhoea; after eating; during menses; as if menses would come on; paroxysmal, before stool, when walking.

Pain in hypochondria, in liver. Cramping, colicky pains. Dragging; pressing. Sore bruised pains. Tension.

Constipation; difficult stool. Constriction of anus. Diarrhoea, in morning, afternoon, night, after midnight; after eating; painless. Flatus.

Rectum and anus: Hemorrhage from anus, from piles.

Haemorrhoids, external. Involuntary stools. Itching of anus. Moisture about the anus.

Pain in rectum during stool; with dysentery, and fever. Burning during stool, after stool. Tenesmus. Pain in rectum from inflammation, constant, aggravation by pressure on stomach. Prolapsus of anus, during stool. Ineffectual urging to stool. Stool is excoriating, bloody, brown, frequent, hard, lienteric, slimy, green mucus, thin, watery, green watery.

Bladder: Hemorrhage from the bladder or urethra.

Inflammation of the bladder with fever. Pain in the bladder and neck of the bladder. Tenesmus. Urging; constant; frequent; with pain in neck of bladder and end of penis, must urinate immediately, which ameliorates the pain; aggravated standing; only in the daytime.

Sudden urging. Must hasten or urine will escape. Frequent urination. Involuntary urination in the daytime, ameliorated lying down; at night in sleep; on coughing; while walking. Pain in the kidneys with fever.

Men: Gleety discharge from the urethra.

Gonorrhea with heat in urethra in inflammatory stage; scanty, watery or mucous discharge. Haemorrhage from urethra. Burning in urethra during flow of urine.

Urine albuminous, bloody, burning, cloudy on standing, dark, red, copious with headache; amoniacal, scanty; much sediment, mucus, much uric acid; high specific gravity.

Troublesome nightly erections and seminal emissions. Erections feeble, or entirely wanting. Sexual passion increased, or entirely absent.

Women: In the woman there is slight change of symptoms; predisposition to abort, aversion to coition, or desire much dimished.

Leucorrhoea, excoriating, before menses, milky, thin, white.

Chlorotic girls. Menses absent. Menstrual flow bright red, clotted, copious, dark, too frequent, intermittent, irregular, late, painful, pale, protracted, scanty, suppressed, thin, watery.

Uterine haemorrhage. Pain in vagina during coition. Dysmenorrhoea with fever and red face. Bearing down in pelvis with dull pain in ovarian region. Prolapsus of the uterus. Sterility. Sensitive vagina.

Respiration

Acute catarrh of air passages.

Inflammation of the larynx, with mucus, raw feeling and rattling in chest, fever, red face. Mucus in larynx and trachea. Dryness in larynx. Burning in larynx. Roughness in larynx. Hoarseness during coryza. Voice lost, weak.

Respiration asthmatic. Spasmodic asthma. Dyspnea, evening, night, with cough, while lying. Rattling. Short. Suffocative respiration. Stitching in chest on deep inspiration.

Cough

Cough, daytime, morning on rising, evening, night; cold air aggravates; asthmatic; acute.

Short, spasmodic and very painful cough. Deep breathing aggravates. Constant cough, with coryza. Dry cough. Cough after eating; exhausting; with fever. Hacking cough. Cough from irritation in larynx and trachea. Loose cough. Lying aggravates cough. Cough in bed, Paroxysmal cough. Rattling cough.

Spasmodic. Talking aggravates. Tickling. Tormenting cough, aggravated on walking. Whooping cough. Touching larynx on bending head over. Increased cough from taking cold in phthisis.

Expectoration in daytime, morning, bloody, bright red, dark, copious, difficult, frothy, greenish, mucus, offensive, purulent, scanty, putrid, thick, viscid, whitish, yellow.

Anxiety in chest and region of the heart. Catarrh of the chest. Congestion of the chest. Constriction of chest and heart. Sensation of fullness. Haemorrhage of lungs. Heat.

Inflammation of bronchial tubes, lungs and pleura; oppression of chest. Pain in chest during cough, during inspiration; in sides of chest, during deep inspiration. Soreness in chest on coughing. Stitching in chest, in sides of chest, on coughing.

Right sided pleuritis. Stitches, aggravated coughing and breathing. Palpitation at night with anxiety, on exertion and motion, while sitting, walking rapidly. This is a valuable temporary remedy in the acute colds during the course of phthisis. In acute phthisis. Spasms of the chest with suffocation, fever and red face. Rheumatism in the upper thorax.

Back

Coldness in back.

" Crick " in the neck or back. Pain in the back at night, during menses, on motion, rising from a seat, while sitting, while walking, cervical region, between shoulders, lumbar region during menses. Aching. Stitching pains in back. Tearing. Stiffness in back of neck.

Cold extremities. Cold hands and feet. Cold feet evening in bed. Cold feet during headache. Contraction of fingers, result of rheumatism. Cramps in thighs, legs, calve, feet.

Limbs: Blueness of linger nails.

Hot hands, palms; soles. Heaviness of the limbs, upper limbs; legs. Inflammation of joints. Numbness of hands and fingers, legs and feet. Rheumatic pain in right shoulder and upper arm, of a drawing, tearing character, aggravated by violent motion of arm, ameliorated by gentle motion ( Ferr .), part sensitive to touch.

Deadness of the right hand, could not lift with the hand. Acute rheumatism of right shoulder joint, red, swollen and sore.

Rheumatism of right deltoid. Rheumatism of wrist. Rheumatism of knee joint with fever. Gouty affection of joints. Sciatica. Pain in thighs. Sore bruised pain in limbs. Stitching pains in limbs, upper limbs; shoulders; hips.

Tearing pain in shoulders, upper arms, hips. Shooting pains in both knees, extending down legs, with fever. Restless legs. Stiffness of lower limbs, of feet. Swollen joints, upper limbs, forearm, hands; feet.

Dropsical and rheumatic swelling. Great weakness of limbs, of joints, knees, legs. The rheumatism goes from joint to joint, aggravated by the slightest motion.

Sleep

There are many dreams, anxious, confused, of failing, nightmare, vivid.

Late falling asleep. Restless sleep. Sleepiness in the evening. Sleepless before midnight, with sleepiness. After once waking up he is sleepless.

Chill afternoons; 1 P.M. daily. Chill at night in bed. Chilliness. Shaking chill. The fever predominates. Fever at any time with inflammation of organs, joints, or mucus membranes. Fever without chill.

Dry heat with thirst. Flushes of heat. Hectic fever and night sweats. Internal heat. Remittent fever. Heat after sleep. Perspiration in daytime, morning; clammy; with great weakness, on slight exertion, following the fever; copious; during sleep.

Skin

Burning skin.

Coldness. Desquamation. Pale, red skin. Dry skin, Formication. Great sensitiveness of the skin. Skin feels sore. Ulceration. Small withered warts.