• inability to walk with eyes closed in darkness, tottering and falling when closing eyes
• Constipation; even for soft stool has to strain, sticks to rectum like clay, has to strain at stool to urinate
• Diarrhoea when she urinates
• Allergy to salt, wine, vinegar, pepper; immediately produces cough
• Sensation of a cobweb or dried white of an egg on the face

Source: Mineral kingdom

Synonyms: Oxide of aluminum, aluminum hydrate

Prover: Dr Hahneman

Duration of Action: 40 to 60 days, it is a long and deep acting medicine

Miasmatic Background: It is a deep acting antipsoric and antisycotic remedy

Temperament: Melancholic and hypochondriacal

Diathesis: Tubercular and scrofulous

Thermal Relationship: Very chilly patient

Introduction and History: It is a very well known medicine to the world. Now-a-days, in this modern world, the use of Alumina is very common for different purposes. In olden days aluminium poisoning was very common due to the use of aluminium utensils for cooking food.

Description: It is a white viscous suspension. The dried gel is a white, odourless, tasteless, amorphous fine powder, which is insoluble in water and alcohol but soluble in acids and alkalies. When treated with a solution of cobalt nitrate, a blue residue is formed.

Preparation and Parts Used: It is prepared chemically and triturated with sugar of milk.

Constitution and Physiognomy: It is specially adapted to old, broken down constitutions; thin, weak, chilly persons with dark complexion who lead a sedentary life; women of relaxed phlegmatic habit, sad and hypochondriacal.

Ailments From: Taking salt, wine, vinegar, full moon and new moon.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Nervous system, spinal cord, skin, mucous membranes, rectum, intestine and vagina.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. It has great depth of action, but has slow pace.
2. It acts on the mucous membrane producing dryness to an extent that it may produce cracks also.
3. It acts on muscles and lessens muscular power; therefore causes fissures and constipation.
4. It acts on the motor nervous system and produces a paralytic condition.
5. It acts on the mucous membrane of intestines and rectum producing a condition of extreme dryness which leads to constipation like Bryonia. Also acts on the vagina producing dryness.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

• Loss of memory and confusion of intellect.
• The patient makes mistakes in writing and speaking, uses Wrong words.
• Time passes too slowly, an hour seems half a day.
• Changeable moods, sad thoughts. Inclined to Weep, involuntary tears.
• The patient is very impulsive, when he sees sharp instruments or blood, impulses rise up suddenly and he commits suicide.
• The patient is very hasty and hurried.
• Mental symptoms mostly make their appearance in the morning and on waking.
• Low spirited, fears loss of reason, consciousness, of his personal identity, confused.
• Sensation of a splinter in the throat.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

1. Dryness: There is complete dryness of mucous membranes of the body along with dryness of the skin.
2. Diarrhoea: There is diarrhoea with urination.
3. Burning: Burning with inflammation and itching of eyes, female genital organs, anus, etc.
4. Constipation: Very obstinate due to dryness of intestines and rectum; and also paretic condition of the same; even soft stool requires great straining, still it adheres to the rectum.
5. Leucorrhoea: Profuse, transparent and acrid leucorrhoea running down to the feet, during day time.
6. Craving: Craving for indigestible and unnatural things like starch, chalk, rags, charcoal, etc.
7. Heaviness: Great heaviness of lower limbs, can scarcely drag them and has to sit down.
8. Pain: Pain in the back region, as if a hot iron were thrust through the vertebrae.
9. Numbness: Numbness of heels when stepping, excessively tired and must sit down.
10. Sluggishness: Hasty but slow to execute, everything is sluggish.
11. Cough: Morning, dry hacking cough with frequent sneezing, cough aggravated by taking wine, salt, pepper, vinegar.
12. Falling of hair: Falling of hair all over the body; eyelashes fall out.
13. Chilly: Very chilly patient, lack of animal heat, better by warmth in general.
14. Inability to walk: Inability to walk, except with the eyes open and in the day time; tottering and falling when closing the eyes.
15. Inactivity to rectum: Constipation of nursing children, even soft stool requires great straining.

Important Characteristic Features

Constipation: A chief remedy among all other remedies. Constipation due to dryness of the intestinal tract and paretic condition of the intestines; also due to inactivity of the rectum. Much straining for passing stool, even soft stool is expelled with difficulty. There is no urging for stool. The stool is hard and knotty like sheep’s dung or may be soft. This remedy is very useful in constipation of small children. Rectum feels sore and painful after passing stool.

Leucorrhoea: Leucorrhoea in chlorotic girls, profuse and copious, transparent or of yellow mucous, ropy in nature. The discharge of leucorrhoea is thick, acrid and excoriating. It may be white and albuminous, running down to the heels, more during daytime and greatly exhausting, better by cold bathing.

General Modalities

Aggravation: In cold air, from salt, wine, vinegar, pepper, during winter, at new and full moon, while sitting, on alternate days.

Amelioration: From Wet weather, from warm drinks, mild summer weather, While eating.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Bry, Ferr.

Follow well : Lach, Bry, Sulph, Arg-met.

Antidotes: Lach, Cham, lead poisoning, painter’s colic.

Antidoted by: Puls, Ip, Cham.

Comparison

Constipation in infants, bottle fed: Alum, Nux-v, Op.

Aggravation at new moon: Alum, Caust, Clem, Sil.

Hoarseness of professional singers, public speakers: Alum, Arg-n, Arum-t.

Great weakness of lower extremities, with trembling, cannot walk with eyes closed: Alum, Arg-n.

Gait unsteady, muscles refuse to obey will: Alum, Aster, Gels.

Enlarged tonsils with cough, worse after a slight cold: Alum, Bar-c.

Soft stool, voided with difficulty: Alum, Carb-v.

Bladder weak, is unable to finish, seems as if some urine always remains: Alum, Hep, Sil.

Skin symptoms are better in hot weather: Alum, Petr.

Constipation, no desire until there is a large accumulation: Alum, Meli.

Diarrhoea; great straining but little passes, as if faeces remained and cannot be expelled: Alum, Nit-ac.

Regurgitation of ingesta by mouthfuls: Alum. Phos.

Stool adheres to rectum and anus is like soft clay: Alum, Plat.

Constipation during pregnancy: Alum, Sep.

Aggravation from drinking wine even in a small quantity: Alum, Con, Zinc.

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

Dosage: The action of Alumina is slow in developing and the remedy should not be changed quickly, 6 to 30 potency in acute conditions, 1M to CM in chronic conditions.

Repetition: Single dose acts for a long time. To be repeated only when the symptoms call for it.

Therapeutic Value: Constipation, Cough, Diarrhoea, Dysentery, Gonorrhoea, Impotency, Leucorrhoea, Locomotor ataxia, Menstrual disorder; Paralysis, Skin diseases, Ulcers, etc.

Note: Alumina is the chronic of Bryonia.