• Slightest noises, like crackling of paper drive him to despair
• Red parts become white
• Vertigo on seeing flowing water
• Vomiting immediately after midnight, while eating, leaves table suddenly and with one effort, vomits everything eaten, and can sit down and eat again
• Cough only in the daytime
• All symptoms relieved by walking about slowly

Source: Mineral kingdom
Synonyms: Ferrum reductum, lron
Prover: Dr Samuel Hahnenmann
Formula: Fe
Duration of Action: Upto 50 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora
Temperament: Sanguine and irritable
Diathesis: Haemorrhagic
Thermal Relationship: Hot patient

Introduction and History: It is a medicine of very ancient lineage. In allopathic school, it is prescribed in anaemia and chlorosis since a very long time as iron is a component part of human blood. It is supposed to be a good supplement for deficiency of blood, wherever found. This theory is based on a fallacious conception of the working of the human system. The want of proper proportion of iron in the blood cannot be rectified by the addition of extra iron in the form of food or medicine. The defect lies in the lack of power to assimilate it. In other words, to the incompatibility of the vital force in adapting itself to the changing environments. Iron plays a vital role in the manifestation of anaemia; hence the word ‘ferrum’ is invariably associated with ‘anaemia’.

Description: Iron is an odourless, grayish-black, fine powder, almost lusterless, insoluble in water and in alcohol; it is soluble in dilute mineral acids with the evolution of hydrogen.

Preparation: Triturations are prepared from pure iron with sugar of milk, according to the directions given in the homeopathic pharmacopoeia.

Constitution and Physiognomy

1. Especially suited to young, weak people, who are anaemic and chlorotic, with pseudoplethora, who flush easily and feel fatigued.
2. Women are pale, weak, delicate and have a fiery red face.

Ailments From: Fear, anxiety, loss of animal fluids, abuse of brandy, abuse of quinine, tea and tobacco.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Blood, circulation, brain, mucous membranes, nerves, haemoglobin of red blood cells, muscles, digestive tract, female genital organs and skin.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. It acts mainly on the blood, producing more rapid oxidation with rise of temperature.
2. Due to the disturbance of equilibrium it causes relaxation. The walls of the vessels dilate resulting in congestion.
3. Due to the action on blood, at first increases the red blood cell count and red colour causing false plethora but subsequently a diminition of red corpuscles occurs producing profound anaemia.
4. It acts on the gastrointestinal tract causing weakness of peristalsis, diarrhoea, constipation and vomiting.
5. Due to the action on circulation, it increases blood pressure and there is haemorrhage in the intestinal canal.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Confused mind, with cold feet and stiff fingers.
2. Peevish, excitable, anger on least contradiction.
3. Hysterical feeling, nervous and proud.
4. Restless, nervous; no inclination to talk or study.
5. Choking sensation in throat, as if swollen outside.
6. Tendency to laugh or weep with depression of spirits.
7. Vertigo on rising suddenly.
8. Irritable, slight noises unbearable, excited by the least opposition.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Haemorrhage: Blood vessels are distended, bleeding from anywhere and everywhere; during haemorrhage, blood is bright red and coagulates easily.

Vertigo: Vertigo on seeing flowing water, when walking over water, on descending and when crossing a bridge.

Weakness: Weakness and dyspnoea after rapid motion or exertion with sinking and fainting.

Hunger: Extreme dislike for all types of food but there is canine hunger or loss of appetite alternately.

Paleness: Extreme paleness of the face, lips and mucous membranes which become red and flushed on the least pain, exertion or emotion.

Irritability: Patient is very irritable; slight noises like crackling of paper also cause irritability.

Headache: Headache – pulsating, beating and hammering, with an aversion to drinking or eating.

Vomiting: Vomiting, after midnight, as soon as food is eaten; everything is vomited in one effort only.

Dropsy: Dropsy after loss of vital or animal fluids, by suppression of intermittent fever or by abuse of quinine.

Diarrhoea: Painless diarrhoea while eating or drinking with a good appetite, undigested stools at night time.

Cough: Cough is only at night time; better by eating and lying down.

Constipation: Ineffectual urging, stools very hard and difficult, followed by cramping pains in the rectum and backache.

Tongue: Fiery red tongue is a characteristic feature of Ferrum metallicum.

Menses: Menses are too profuse, too early, too long lasting, with a fiery red face. Menses return after a gap of two or three days; flow is pale and watery, with ringing in the ears.

Changeability: Red parts become white, such as lips, tongue, face and mucous membrane of the mouth.

Desires and aversions: Great desire for bread, but aversion to milk, beer, meat, sour things and eggs.

Emaciation: Great prostration with anaemia, weakness and trembling; emaciation in general.

Contradictory symptoms: Pains and suffering come on during rest but are better by moving about gently in the house. Better from slow movement but then again inability to raise the arms.

Relaxation: Prolapse of rectum, uterus, vagina; dragging down sensation.

Abortion: Prevents abortion, promotes expulsions of moles, spasmodic labour pain with full and hard pulse.

Pains: Rheumatic pain and paralytic weakness of left shoulder and deltoid; sensation of hammering, bitting weakness.

Important Characteristic Features

Anaemia: It is a great homeopathic remedy for anaemia and chlorosis. Anaemia due to loss of vital fluids, especially from haemorrhage. First the patient has an appearance of plethora which is followed by paleness or earthiness of the face and puffiness of the extremities. Dropsical condition of the skin which pits on pressure. The patient is easily exhausted. Vomiting of food after eating. Anaemic murmur, palpitation, full pulse but soft and yielding. Heart suddenly bleeds into the blood vessels and as suddenly draws reflex, living pallor of surface.

Constipation: Constipation from intestinal agony. Stool is dry, knotty with ineffectual urging. Stool is followed by backache and cramping pain in the rectum. Prolapse of rectum and itching of anus at night.

Menses: Menses bright red, easily coagulable; too early, too profuse, too long lasting. Discharge of long pieces of membrane from the uterus, intermittent flow, returns after two or three days. In women who are too weak, debilitated, chlorotic and extremely pale, yet have a fiery red face with pale, watery, debilitating flow.

General Modalities

Aggravation: At night, sudden motion, at rest, while sitting, while sweating, overeating, cold washing and midnight.

Amelioration: Walking slowly, in summers from pressure, after rising, in solitude.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Alum, Ham, Chin.

Follows well: Bell, Con, Acon, Merc, Phos, Lyc, Chin.

Inimical: Acet-ac.

Antidotes: Chin, Puls, Ip, Ars, Hep.

Antidotal to: Iod, Merc, Ars.

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

Dosage: 3 to 30 potency, single dose.

Repetition: According to the condition of the patient.

Therapeutic Value: Abdominal disorders, Anaemia, Asthma, Chlorosis, Chorea, Constipation, Convulsions, Cough, Cramps, Dropsy, Goitre, Haemorrhage, Headache, Menstrual disorder; Palpitation, Pregnancy disorders, Prolapse of rectum and uterus, Spasms, Shoulder affections, Vertigo, Whooping cough.

Note: Ferrum metallicum should never be given in syphilis, it always aggravates the condition.