• Extraordinary craving for apple
• Great rattling of mucous but very little is expectorated
• Coarse rattling, like death rattle
• Vomiting in any position except when lying on the right side.

Source: Mineral kingdom
Synonyms: Tartar emetic, Tartrate of antimony and potassium
Prover: Hartlaub and Trinks
Duration of Action: 20 to 30 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora and sycosis
Temperament: Nervous
Diathesis: Scrofulous
Thermal Relationship: Neither hot nor cold

Introduction and History: It is an excellent remedy. As every homeopath will testify, its range of action is very broad. It is a chemical salt of antimony and potassium. It is a colourless, transparent crystal or a white, granular, odourless powder having a sweet metallic taste. The crystals effloresce upon exposure to air; it is soluble in twelve parts of water and three parts of boiling water. It is insoluble in alcohol. The aqueous solution is slightly acidic.

Description: It is available in chemist shops in the market.

Preparation and Parts Used: It is prepared by dissolving a mixture of ten parts of potassium bitartrate with eight parts of antimony oxide, in 75 parts of boiling water, filtering while hot and allowing it to crystallize.

It was also introduced by Glauber and proved by Dr Hartlaub and Trinks. Triturations are made from the potassium tartrate of antimony.

Constitution and Physiognomy: The constitution of Antimonium tartaricum is hydrogenoid and sycotic. it is best suited to torpid, phlegmatic persons with broken down health.

Ailments From: Vaccination, living in damp houses, anger, debauchery, smallpox, debility, after eating, vexation.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Mucous membranes, respiratory tract, brain, nerves, heart, skin, circulatory system, salivary glands, etc.

Physiological Action

1. Applied to the skin, it produces a papular eruption, which becomes vesicular, then pustular with central umbilication.
2. Small doses taken internally cause nausea, increase saliva, gastric and intestinal juices and mucous in the bronchi.
3. Large doses produce vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps in the epigastrium; depresses heart action, with consequent falling of blood pressure, lowers body temperature; greatly increases bronchial mucous; causes fainting, coldness and paralysis of both motor and sensory centers and diminishes reflex excitability.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

• It is an irritant and depressant.
• It acts directly on the mucous membrane of the stomach. Secondly, when absorbed, it acts upon the medulla oblongata and through the vagus the depressant action continues; nausea and vomiting are the manifestations of its influence.
• It acts on the pneumogastric nerve, causes depression of respiration producing pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, etc. It makes the local catarrh more serious and may induce a degree of asphyxia.
• Due to the action on the pneumogastric nerve, it causes depression of circulation.
• It also acts on the skin producing pustular eruptions like smallpox; also acts on all tissues and promotes rapid waste.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

• Apprehension and restlessness during the evening.
• Vertigo on closing the eyes, alternates with drowsiness, dullness and confusion.
• Confusion of head with a feeling as if he should sleep.
• Vertigo when walking; flickering before the eyes when lifting the head, so she must lie down.
• Fear of being alone, muttering delirium and stupor with great despondency.
• Child will not be touched without whining, clings to those around, wants to be carried.
• Headache as if from a band compressing.
• Frightened at every trifle, bad humour.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Nausea: Nausea is intense and persistent but there is relief after vomiting.

Vomiting: In any position except when lying on the right side; vomits until he faints, followed by drowsiness and prostration. Vomiting is accompanied by trembling and fainting.

Rattling: Great accumulation of mucous in air passages with coarse rattling. It seems as if much would be expectorated but little or nothing comes up.

Pains: Rheumatic pains with fever and sweating which does not relieve. Violent pain in the sacrolumbar region.

Trembling: Trembling of head and hands after motion and exertion.

Heaviness: Great heaviness in all the limbs followed by leprous eruptions.

Yawning: Much stretching and yawning with many complaints and great debility.

Coated tongue: Tongue is coated, pasty, thick and white with reddened papillae and red edges.

Cravings and aversions: Desire for apples, acids but aversion to all food.

Prostration: All complaints are accompanied with great prostration, debility, weakness and sleepiness.

Asphyxia: Mechanical, apparent death from drowning, from mucous in bronchi, from foreign bodies in larynx or trachea, with drowsiness and coma.

Cough: Coughing and gasping, bronchial tubes overloaded with mucous. Oedema and impending paralysis of lungs.

Palpitation: Much palpitation with an uncomfortable, hot feeling; pulse rapid, weak, trembling.

Child: At birth, child is pale, breathless, gasping; asphyxia neonatorum. Relives the death rattle.

Important Characteristic Features

Respiratory affections: A Wonderful remedy for respiratory diseases like cough, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, pertussis, etc. The cause may be bad effects of vaccination or exposure to damp basements and cellars. Cough is provoked every time the child gets angry, or when the patient is asleep. There is constant dilatation of nostrils and rapid movement of thorax. The patient wants to be supported in bed in a sitting posture. Such oppression of breathing in generally relieved by expectoration of phlegm. It also relieves asphyxia by mechanical causes, as in drowning. Cough is also provoked by crying, eating and drinking. Suffocation in the evening and at 3 am. Loud rattling due to large accumulation of mucous in bronchi which can be heard across the entire house. In the last stage of pneumonia when resolution takes place much more rapidly than absorption and expectoration, so that the lung is filled with mucous and pus. Face becomes hippocratic and is covered with beads of cold sweat. Rapid, weak and trembling pulse. Patient has an irresistible desire to sleep. Tongue is coated, pasty, thick with reddened papillae and red edges. Face becomes cyanotic, blue and pale.

Cardiovascular system: It is a very good medicine for the heart and circulatory system. There may be complete cyanosis all over the body due to accumulation of CO2 in blood. Hence, there is congestion of lungs with mucous. There may be pain in the region of the heart with anxiety when lying on the right side.

Cholera: It is one of the top ranking medicines for Asiatic cholera. There is constant diarrhoea and vomiting until the patient faints. Great praecordial anxiety, pressure and distention in the hypochondriacal region. The patient breaks out into cold sweat while vomiting. All these indications lead one to believe that it will make an excellent remedy in cholera morbus; tenesmus, and after loose stools, drowsiness, coma and profuse perspiration leading to collapse, Great disgust for food and constant nausea; relief is only obtained after vomiting. Desire for acids, fruits and cold drinks. Diarrhoea and constipation alternate.

Skin: It is the medicine of choice in smallpox or eruptions after pustules. It is particularly adaptable to that stage and condition, where after one batch of eruptions dries up, a fresh lot makes its appearance and as some get dry, others mature. Painful crusts with itching on genitals, anus, back and scrotum with a cyanotic condition of the face. The whole upper part of the body is red as if covered with scarlatina; red spots on the skin.

General Modalities

Aggravation: Lying down at night, in damp cold weather, warmth of a room, change of weather in spring, from all sour things.

Amelioration: Lying on the right side, cold open air, sitting upright, expectoration, eructation.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Ip.

Follows well: Camph, Carb-v, Sil, Sulph, Bar-c.

Antidotes: Bry, Camph, Caust, Sep, Bar-c.

Antidoted by: Chin, Merc, Op, Puls, Rhus-t, Sep.

Comparison

Fan-like motion of alae nasi: Ant-t, Brom, Lyc.

Complaints appears diagonally – upper left and lower right: Ant-t, Agar, Stram, Led.

Ailments from bad effects of vaccination: Ant-t, Sil, Thuj.

All the complaints are accompanied by drowsiness and sleepiness: Ant-t, Nux-m, Op.

Danger of suffocation from mucous in bronchi: Ant-t, Nux-m, Op.

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

Antimonium Tartaricum Dosage

1. The lowest potencies sometimes aggravate.
2. It acts well from 30C to CM potency.

Repetition: It should be repeated in acute conditions till the action of the drug is noted.