Nitric Acid

Has a particular affinity for mucous outlets, where skin and membranes join; cracks; rhagades, fissures.

Pricking pains as of a splinter in the parts.

Urine strong smelling; like horse urine.

Hemorrhages from all outlets of the body; blood bright red.

Pricking ulcers; excrescences; condylomata; figwarts (sycosis).

Nervous, irritable, dark complexioned persons.

Modalities: > riding in carriage.

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Nitric acid is one of our most effective antidotes to the effects of allopathic dosing with mercury in syphilis. For the other bad effects of the abuse of mercury other remedies are better, notably, Hepar sulphur. calc. Nitric acid has a particular affinity for the outlets of mucous surfaces, where the skin and membrane join, such as the mouth (corners), nose and anus. In the mouth we find the corners cracked, ulcerated and scabby; also aphthæ, stomatitis with ptyalism, swelling of the gums, fcetor oris, etc.

If Mercurius has already been used without avail Nitric acid follows well and will often cure.

This ulcerated, swollen and spongy condition of the gums will extend into the throat, and if it is the result of combined syphilis and mercurialization of the old school Nitric acid is the first remedy. The action of this remedy is just as positive upon the other outlet of the alimentary canal.

The anus is cracked and fissured similarly (Ratanhia), and hemorrhoids protrude, crack, bleed and are very sore. No remedy has more decided action upon the anus, and one very characteristic symptom is, “great pain after passage of stool, even soft stool.” He walks the floor in agony of pain for an hour or two after a stool (Ratanhia). In dysentery this symptom distinguishes this remedy from Nux vomica, which is relieved after stool and Mercurius, which has tenesmus all the time, or before, during and after stool.

Another very strong characteristic of this remedy in all these affections is, “Pricking pain as of a splinter in the part.” Nitric acid has hemorrhages from all outlets of the body, and the blood is generally bright red. It is especially so in typhoid and hemorrhoids. Nitric acid is one of our best remedies in chronic diarrhoea. It is one of the celebrated trio, viz.: Thuja, Staphisagria and Nitric acid for condylomata. It is one of three remedies having very offensive odor to the urine, viz.:

Benzoic acid, Nitric acid and Sepia.

Benzoic acid, urine is very dark with very intense urinous odor.

Nitric acid, dark, smelling like horse urine.

Sepia, offensive and sourish.