• Standing is the worst position
• Weak, empty, gone feeling. Pain in the stomach at about 11am
• DIRTY, FILTHY PEOPLE, prone to skin affections (Psor). Aversion to being washed
• DIARRHOEA, DRIVES HIM OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING, AROUND 5-6 AM

Source: Mineral kingdom
Synonyms: Flowers of sulphur, Brimstone
Formula: S
Prover: Dr. Hahnemann
Duration of Action: 40 to 60 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora it is the king of antipsoric remedies Temperament: Nervous
Diathesis: Scrofulous
Thermal Relationship: Hot patient

Introduction and History: Sulphur as a remedy was known to the world as early as 2000 years ago, almost at the very dawn of medical science. It is Hahnemann who developed it’s latent medicinal virtues by the process of potentization and thereby revealed it’s true sphere of action on the human organism in sickness. It is the leading antipsoric remedy. In fact, it is the king of antipsoric remedies. It is one of the greatest polychrest remedies of materia medica. The first proving of Sulphur contained 151 symptoms in Materia Medica Pura of Dr Hahnemann. Allen’s Encyclopaedia contains 4083 symptoms. It is a deep acting, antipsoric, constitutional and specific remedy.

Description: Sulphur is a non-metallic, yellow, brittle substance. It is found plentifully in Sicily and Italy. In the organic world we meet with Sulphur everywhere, as this element forms an essential component of the albuminoids, a class of compounds contained in all vegetable and animal structures. Of organic materials rich in sulphur, we may mention animal hair and the essential oil of onion, garlic and mustard.

Preparation and Parts Used: Triturations of ‘flowers of sulphur’ are prepared with sugar of milk and higher potencies are prepared from 3c, a saturated solution of sulphur in absolute alcohol constitutes the mother tincture.

Constitution and Physiognomy

1. Sulphur is especially adapted to lean, thin, slender persons with stoop shoulders; they walk and sit stooped, are nervous, plethoric, active and quick tempered. Standing is the most uncomfortable position.
2. Suited to those who are dirty, filthy and prone to skin affections.

Ailments From: Heat of the sun, alcohol, overexertion, suppression of skin diseases.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Circulation, nutrition, mucous membranes, joints, serous membranes, rectum, skin, glands, vertex, portal system, urethra, soles.

Physiological Action

1. Sulphur is a mild laxative and a diaphoretic.
2. In full doses, it is an irritant to the stomach and intestines; increases the secretions of the intestinal glands and promotes peristaltic action.
3. Its repeated ingestion for any length of time causes anaemia, emaciation, tremor and great debility.
4. It is eliminated through the skin, producing roughness and exfoliation, vesicular, eczematous, furuncular and other forms of eruptions.
5. Symptoms of poisoning are those of asphyxia and muscular tremors followed by convulsions and death.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. It acts specially upon the nervous system affecting primarily the venous capillary system and through it affecting profoundly the entire vegetative sphere.
2. Acts upon the venous circulation, producing a sort of plethora; it is the result of irregularities in the distribution of blood by which certain parts of the body are congested. Blood is darker in colour and richer in white corpuscles. Its action is centrifugal, from within outwards.
3. Has a great affinity for the skin, producing various forms of eruptions mostly papular and resembling scabies with itching and burning.
4. Produces venous plethora. It has portal stasis manifesting as redness at the muco-cutaneous junctions like, nostrils, lips, anus, etc.
5. Acts on the rectum producing diarrhoea or constipation. Also produces haemorrhoids. It affects the brain, producing some alterations in the functions of that organ. It also acts on the spine producing irritation.
6. Sexual organs are always excited by Sulphur. It also particularly affects the lymphatic glandular system.
7. Acts upon mucous membranes of the eyes, bronchi, urethra and rectum.
8. Sulphur has been reputed as a capillary stimulant to the circulation of the skin and mucous membranes, and to the venous system of the pelvis.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Very forgetful; great weakness of memory for proper names.
2. Very selfish, no regard for others.
3. Dwells on religious or philosophical speculations.
4. Strong tendency to weep. Timidity and great tendency to be frightened. Strong Suicidal tendency.
5. Everything looks pretty which the patient takes a fancy to; even rags seem beautiful.
6. Difficult thinking. Delusions; that he is immensely wealthy.
7. Busy all the time. Childish peevishness in grown up people, irritable.
8. Averse to business, imagines giving wrong things to people, causing their death.
9. The patient wears a paper crown, thinking he is his majesty, the king.
10. Sensation of movement in the abdomen, as of a child.
11. Nervous temperament and hypochondriacal nature.
12. Happy dreams wake him up singing at night.
13. Great obstinacy, dislikes having anyone near him.
14. Dullness; misplaces or cannot find proper words when talking or writing.
15. Vertigo while sitting or standing.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Faintness: Faint, sinking, all gone sensation at 11 am, must have something to eat; in dyspepsia of drunkards; cannot wait for lunch.

Burning: Burning in various parts of the body. Constant heat on top of the head, vertex with burning in soles and palms at night, wants to cool them so puts them out of the bed.

Congestion: Congestion of single parts like, eyes, nose, chest, etc.

Air hunger: Feels suffocated, wants doors and windows open, particularly at night.

Diarrhoea: Diarrhoea after midnight, painless, driving patient out of bed early in the morning.

Constipation: Large stools, painful; afraid to pass stool on account of pain; alternating with diarrhoea.

Menses: Too early, profuse, protracted, menorrhagia; has not been well since her last miscarriage.

Boils: Coming in crops in various parts of the body, or a single boil is succeeded by another as soon as the first is healed.

Redness: Orifices of the body very red, very red ears, red nostrils, red eyelids, red mouth of urethra, red vulva; lips bright red as if blood would burst through.

Itching: Violent itching of skin at night, burning when scratched, the parts are painfully sensitive to air, touch, Washing.

ill-nourished: Dirty, sallow, impoverished child.

Periodicity: Everyday at 11 am appears ravenous hunger; weak, empty feeling in stomach at about 11 am every day, relieved by eating. Periodical headache, occurring once every week; asthma every eight days.

Relapses: Complaints that are continually relapsing, patient seems to get almost well when the disease returns again and again.

Ascending: In paralysis of legs, numbness extends upto the navel. In rheumatism, symptoms extend to the upper portion of the body.

Absorbing power: Sulphur absorbs serous or inflammatory exudations into the pleura, brain, lungs, joints, etc.

Excoriation: Discharges are offensive and excoriating. Catarrhal discharges excoriate the parts over which they flow.

Offensive: All discharges are dirty and very offensive.

Uncomfortable: Standing is the most uncomfortable position for a Sulphur patient, they cannot remain standing. Every standing position is uncomfortable and intolerable.

Cravings: Intense craving for sweets, acid, alcohol, beer, whisky, etc.

Aversions: Great aversion to milk, meat and business.

Hot: Though Sulphur is a hot patient, yet persistently refuses to take a bath.

Reactive powers: When carefully selected remedies fail to produce a favourable effect. Especially in acute diseases, it arouses the reactive power of the system.

Skin: Itching, scratching ameliorates; feels good to scratch; scratching causes burning, worse from the heat of the bed.

Suffocative attacks: Nocturnal suffocative attacks, wants the doors and windows open; is suddenly wide awake at night; drowsy in the afternoon, after sunset, wakeful the whole night.

Chronic alcoholism: Dropsy and other ailments of drunkards; ‘they reform,’ but are continually relapsing.

Important Characteristic Features

Skin: A very useful remedy in skin diseases. It is indicated in all sorts of skin eruptions. Skin is dry, scaly, unhealthy; every little injury suppurates. Itching, burning, worse scratching and washing. Pimply eruptions, pustules, rhagades, hang nails. Excoriation, especially in folds. Sensation of a band around the bones. Skin affections after local medication. Pruritus, especially from warmth, in the evening, often recurs at spring time, in damp weather. Suppression of skin disease causes diarrhoea. Also a good drug for suppuration. Every little injury suppurates. There are boils and abscesses, especially during summer season. Boils come in crops or a single boil is succeeded by another.

Baby: It is best suited to psoric, scrofulous babies who are pot bellied. The child is dirty, filthy and yet cannot bear to be washed or bathed. This type of baby suffers from morning diarrhoea which is painless and involuntary, acrid, causes redness and soreness of the anal orifice with itching. Boils which come in crops or a single boil is succeeded by another as soon as the first one is healed. Babies are prone to worm infestations with intense craving for sweets. The child cries before stool. These children are mentally lethargic, they cannot stand in a place, even for sometime, standing is the worst position for them.

Diarrhoea: The diarrhoea of Sulphur is very characteristic. It has changeable stools, yellow, slimy and in scrofulous children may contain undigested food. It is worse in the morning at about four or five o’clock, when it awakens the patient, driving him out of bed in great haste. Diarrhoea is caused by suppression of skin disease and alcoholism. Involuntary and painless diarrhoea. Stool contains undigested particles; is whitish, greenish, Very offensive and acrid. Diarrhoea alternates with constipation.

Constipation: It is a very good medicine for constipation. Constipation is caused by alcoholism and suppression of skin eruptions. The patient is afraid to pass stool on account of pain. Stool is very hard, knotty, dry, as if burnt, large and painful. Difficult and painful defaecation. Constipation alternates with diarrhoea. Pain compels the patient to give up the effort; discharge of faeces is painful to parts over which it passes. There is an ineffectual urging to stool, with a sensation of heat and discomfort in the rectum.

Piles (haemorrhoids): This remedy corresponds to ailments producing haemorrhoids and to troubles resulting from piles which have stopped bleeding; constipation is present, desire for stool and itching in the anus. Piles are very painful. They may be blind or bleeding. Anus is red and sore. Blood is venous; with itching and burning in anus.

General Modalities

Aggravation: When standing, at rest, warmth of bed, washing, bathing, changeable weather.

Amelioration: Dry warm weather, lying on the right side, open air, motion.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Acon, Aloe, Bad, Nux-v, Psor.

Follow well: Calc, Psor.

Antidotes: Acon, Camph, Chin, Merc, Puls, Rhus-t, Sep.

Antidotal to: Chin, Iod, Merc, Nit-ac, Rhus-t, Sep.

Inimical: Sulph; follows Lyc.

Compare: Psor, Rumx, Aloe, Alum.

Comparison

Epilepsy from suppressed eruptions: Agar, Psor, Sulph.

Children dislike washing: Am-c, Ant-c, Sulph.

Canker sores in the mouth: Ant-c, Arg-n, Sulph.

Patient improves for sometime then comes to a standstill: Caust, Psor, Sulph.

Burning round spot on vertex: Calc, Graph, Sulph.

Suffers from hunger, must eat every few hours, anxious and worried if he does not eat: Cina, Iod, Sulph.

Burning and smarting during and after micturation: Kreos, Sulph.

Headache with burning in vertex during menopause: Lach, Sang, Sulph.

Fever returning annually; paroxysms every spring: Carb-V, Lach, Sulph.

Constant desire to urinate on seeing running water: Canth, Lyss, Sulph.

Craying for sweets: Med, Sulph.

Tendency to faint: Nux-m, Nux-v, Sulph.

Constipation from inactivity of rectum: Bry, Op, Sulph.

Alternate constipation and diarrhoea: Nux-v, Sulph, Verat.

Menses never at night time; stopping and starting again: Nux-v, Sulph

Burning of every organ or tissue of the body: Ars, Phos, Sulph.

Diarrhoea – sudden, imperative, must run for the stool: Aloe, Sulph, Psor.

Painful enlargement of breasts during climacteric: Sang, Sulph.

Attacks of fainting from least exertion: Carb-v, Sulph, Verat.

Potency: 3x, 6x, 12x, 30, 200, 1000, 10M.

Dosage

1. 12c potency is a good one to begin treatment with, going higher and higher when the symptoms again call for it.
2. Acts in all potencies from lowest to highest potency according to the susceptibility of each patient. 200c or higher potencies in chronic diseases.

Repetition: Bears repetition well in certain specific diseases. Single dose of high potency in chronic conditions or suppressions.

Therapeutic Value: Acne, Anaemia, Asthma, Biliousness, Boils, Catarrh, Cough, Diarrhoea, Dysentery, Eczema, Emaciation, Enuresis, Epilepsy, Eructation, Eye affections, Feet burning, Fever; Gout, Haemorrhoids, Headache, Lung affections, Menstrual disorders, Neuralgia, Pleurisy, Pregnancy disorders, Rheumatism, Skin affections, Throat affections, Vertigo, Worms, etc.

Note

1. Sulphur is the chronic of Aconitum and follows it well in pneumonia and other acute diseases.
2. Calcarea must not be used before Sulphur.
3. To a sleepless patient, if Sulphur is given at night, it produces sleep, otherwise it gives rise to insomnia or atleast disturbs sleep.
4. When Sulphur fails, think of Psorinum and Tuberculinum.