• Symptoms appear in summer, especially skin symptoms
• Imagines another person is lying alongside him in the same bed; that there are two babies in bed
• Diarrhoea during daytime only and cough at night
• Coldness in spots – in abdomen, heart and even after scratching

Source: Mineral kingdom
Synonyms: Coal oil, Rock oil
Prover: Dr Hahneman
Duration of Action: 40 to 50 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora
Temperament: Quarrelsome and irritable
Diathesis: Scrofulous
Thermal Relationship: Very chilly patient

Introduction and History: It is one of our leading antipsoric remedies and is very similar to Graphites in many of its indications. According to Dr Kent, Petroleum is one of the drugs abused by his colleagues of the orthodox school of medicine.

Description: It is found in India, Middle east, USSR, USA and other countries where petrol is found. Petroleum is rock or coal oil. It is a colourless fluid of a peculiar smell, somewhat like that of kerosine oil and is highly inflammable. It is a highly potent remedial agent. People working in petroleum factories are often seen to suffer from diseases of the skin, malnutrition, anaemia and dyspepsia.

Preparation: Trituration and tincture of the rectified oil.

Constitution and Physiognomy: It is best adapted to people of light hair and light skin, who suffer from cutaneous eruptions, gastrointestinal disorders and catarrhal conditions of the mucous membranes.

Ailments From: Riding in a carriage, car or ship, fright, vexation and eating cabbage.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Mind, nerves, mucous membranes, skin, gastrointestinal tract, occiput, etc.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. Its acts especially upon the skin and mucous membranes producing irritation and the usual secondary conditions.
2. It produces tonic and clonic convulsions with oppression, giddiness, palpitation of the heart and faintness.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Patient is confused and loses his way while finding a street.
2. He is full of imagination; imagines that some strange person is near her.
3. Everything looks double, imagines that her limbs are double. Thinks that there are two babies in the bed. Imagines that another person lies alongside him in the same bed.
4. Low spirited with dimness of vision.
5. Feels that death is near and must hurry to settle affairs.
6. Inclination to anger and to scold. Easily offended at trifles.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Dryness: Dryness and a distressing sensation of dryness in the ears and nose. Great dryness of mouth with violent thirst.

Nausea: Sea and train sickness. Nausea during pregnancy.

Delusions: Sense of duality. Tendency to see things not actually visible.

Vertigo: Vertigo on rising; in the occiput, as if intoxicated – like seasickness.

Abnormal hunger: Ravenous hunger with diarrhoea. Sensation of emptiness in the stomach, relieved by eating. Hunger, immediately after stool.

Coldness: Cold feeling in abdomen. Coldness in the uterus. Coldness in spots.

Suddenness: Symptoms appear and disappear rapidly and suddenly.

Paretic condition: Left sided paralysis; great weakness.

Emptiness: Feeling of emptiness in the stomach, relieved by eating.

Aversions: Great aversion to meat and fatty food.

Diarrhoea: Diarrhoea yellow, watery, gushing; after eating cabbage, during pregnancy and in the daytime.

Gastralgia: Gastralgia of pregnancy with pressing, drawing pains, whenever the stomach is empty, relieved by constant eating.

Headache: Headache in the occiput, which is as heavy as lead; pressing, pulsating pain; numb, bruised, as if made of wood.

Sensitiveness: Painful sensitiveness of skin all over the whole body; all clothing is painful.

Burning: Heat and burning of soles and palms.

Sensation: Sensation of coldness about the heart.

Cracks and fissures: Skin is rough, bleeds; with numerous cracks and fissures. There is tendency for every little injury to suppurate.

Foul smelling: There is foul smelling sweat all over the body particularly in the affected area of the skin.

Oozing: Thin and watery oozing from the eczema. Coldness in parts.

Important Characteristic Features

Skin complaints: Itching, at night. Chilblains moist, itch and burn. Skin rough, cracked and leathery. Herpes. Slightest scratch makes skin suppurate. Intertrigo, psoriasis of hands. Thick, greenish crusts, burning and itching; redness, raw, cracks, bleeds easily. Eczema. Rhagades, worse in winter. Dry type of skin, eruptions; tips of fingers rough, cracked, painful and sensitive to touch. Various forms of eczema, especially of scalp and occiput. Foul smelling sweat all over the skin.

Headache: Head is sensitive, as if cold breeze blowing on it. Feels numb, as if made up of wood; occiput heavy, as if made of lead. Vertigo on rising; felt in the occiput, as if intoxicated, or like sickness. Moist eruptions on scalp, back and ears. Scalp sore to touch followed by numbness. Headache, must hold temples to relieve; provoked by shaking and while coughing.

Diarrhoea: Diarrhoea due to suppression of skin eruptions, after taking cabbage, sour things, during pregnancy and stormy weather. Diarrhoea only during daytime. Stools yellowish, watery, gushing out with itching of anus.

General Modalities

Aggravation: From carriage riding, before and during a thunderstorm, in winters and in dampness.

Amelioration: Skin symptoms are better in summer, warm air, lying with head high, in dry weather.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Sep.

Follows well: Bry, Calc, Lyc, Nit-ac, Puls, Sil.

Antidotes: Nux-v, Cocc, Phos.

Antidotal to: Lead poisoning, Nit-ac.

Compare: Lach, Med, Sang, Sep.

Comparison

Dry, tettery, itching eruptions, worse in winters: Alum, Petr.

Hangnails, skin around the nails dry and cracked: Nat-m, Graph, Petr.

Imagines all sorts of things – that she is double, lying crosswise, etc.: Petr, Stram.

Thought she was three persons, could not keep them covered: Bapt, Petr.

Symptoms appear and disappear rapidly: Bell, Mag-p, Petr.

Heat and burning of soles and palms: Petr, Sang, Sulph.

Old gleety discharge with itching and tingling in urethra and last drop drops after a long time: Agar, Petr.

Cracking in joints: Caust, Petr.

Chilblains every winter: Agar, Petr.

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

Dosage: Third to thirtieth and higher potencies.

Repetition: Single and high potency is enough. To be repeated when the
symptoms call for it.

Therapeutic Value: Abdominal disorders, Anaemia, Angina pectoris, Constipation, Diarrhoea, Eczema, Haemorrhoids, Headache, Peptic ulcer, Psoriasis, Rheumatism, Skin affections, Vomiting, etc.