• Ailments after suppressed foot sweat, which is offensive
• Carrion-like odour from feet; acrid foot sweat – eats up the shoes
• Stools recede again when partly expelled
• Discharge of blood from vagina when child takes the breast
• Promotes expulsion of foreign bodies from tissues; for example, fish bones, needles, bone splinters, etc
• Hair-like sensation on tongue
• Fistula in ano

Source: Mineral kingdom
Synonyms: Pure silica, Silicic oxide. Pure funk
Prover: Dr Hahnemann in 1828 and Dr W. H. Schussler
Duration of Action: 40 to 60 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora, syphilis and sycosis, but predominantly antipsoric
Temperament: Sanguine and irritable
Diathesis: Scrofalous
Thermal Relationship: Very chilly patient

Introduction and History: Silicea is a boon to the suffering humanity – serves the purpose of a ‘surgeon’s knife’ in the hands of a homeopath. It is a great polychrest and powerful remedy. It is one of the twelve tissue remedies of Schussler. It is a long and deep acting constitutional remedy. Silicea is an oxide of silicon occurring in a great variety of forms. It is commonly known as silicious earth flint or quartz. It is found in the hair, nails, skin, periosteum, nerve sheath and even in the bony tissues. It is also used in the making of dynamite.

Though inert in its crude state because of its insolubility, it becomes a very powerful remedial agent when potentized. Silicea, a chemically inert material, gives rise to foreign body reactions. It forms silicic acid, sodium silicate or silico fluoride compounds in living tissues. The hydrophilic colloid – silicic acid can retain water in varying amounts as reserves and prevents drying in plants growing in deserts and sandy areas.

Silicea is dispersed as a negative colloid and found where chemical metabolism is very low or has ceased; for example, in connective tissues, skin and appendages, like nails, hair, etc. Silicea is the precursor for fluoride action. It is a supporting and structure giving component, which is a counter pole to the supporting action of Calcarea.

Description: It is a white, amorphous powder which is tasteless and odourless. It is insoluble in water as well as in alcohol. It is soluble only in hydrofluoric acid. It is insoluble in dilute acids. When a small fragment of silica is introduced in a bead of microcosmic salt (sodium ammonium phosphate) and heated, silica will float in the bead while hot and after cooling, it will become opaque.

Preparation: Pure silicea is triturated with sugar of milk upto 3c potency. Higher potencies are prepared with alcohol. For biochemic purposes, decimal triturations are used.

Constitution and Physiognomy

1. It is best suited to persons with a lean and thin body, sickly appearance and dry skin.
2. Suits people having a weak and lax musculature, with a pale face.

Ailments From: Exposure to draught of air, vaccination, chest complaints of stone cutters, suppressed foot sweat.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Mucous membranes, skin, cartilages, elastic and cellular tissues, bones, eustachian tube, nerves, lachrymal duct, glands, etc.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. It acts on the nervous system producing well defined irritability with extreme sensitiveness.
2. Initially, Silicea decreases phagocytosis followed by an increase in phagocytosis, due to an increase in the nuclear maturity of neutrophils and macrophages. Thus, it protects against pus producing bacteria like staphylococcus and streptococcus.
3. It acts on the sphincters and causes remote pains.
4. In lower triturations, Silicea precipitates proteins, agglutinates red blood cells, typhoid bacilli and spermatozoa. Therefore, higher triturations must be used.
5. It produces perverted nutrition, thus resembling two great dyscrasia – scrofula and rachitis.
6. Silicea forms sodium silicate, a thin, watery, transparent liquid around foreign bodies and provokes the opening of the tract by applying pressure, and facilitates expulsion of foreign substances. Hence, Silicea is known as a ‘surgeon’s knife.’
7. Crude silicea promotes uniform connective tissue growth as silicotic nodules. Distinctly encapsulated in the lungs, it is called ‘chalicosis pulmonum’ by activating fibroblastic tissues, which favour the development of tuberculosis, asbestosis and fibrosis. It lowers the vital capacity of the lungs.
8. It acts on fibrous tissues producing inflammation and suppuration.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Want of grit, absentmindedness, fidgety feeling.
2. Anticipatory anxiety, fear of appearing in public.
3. Aversion to be spoken to or touched.
4. Shy, timid, capricious, careless.
5. Difficulty in concentration, lack of self-confidence.
6. Confused mind; wants to be magnetized, obstinate.
7. Cries when spoken kindly to; weeping tendency.
8. Thinks of pins; pin mania during delirium state; fear of pins of being pricked by them, therefore wants to collect them.
9. Fixed ideas, lack of stamina, anticipatory anxiety about his performance but once he starts, he gains back his usual self-confidence and command, and he does the task well.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Discharge: Thin, watery, transparent, offensive initially, followed by yellowish, lumpy, offensive discharge which is difficult to evacuate.

Tongue: Soft, flabby, indented, with increased salivation. Thin, white coating on tongue. Inflamed spots, excoriations or phagedenic ulcers.

Taste: Sour, bitter; bad or loss of taste.

Sensation: Sensation of a splinter in the throat when swallowing. Sensation of a hair on the tongue.

Vertigo: Vertigo spreading from the occiput when looking upward.

Constipation: Stool large, hard, impacted – requires mechanical aid; from inactivity of rectum; before and during menses, constipation occurs.

Headache: Headache starts at the occiput, ascends to the vertex and finally settles over the right eye.

Night walking: The patient gets up while asleep, walks about and lies down again, all quite unconsciously.

Chilliness: Highly chilly patient. Wraps himself up with warm clothing even in hot summer weather.

Sweat: Sweat of hands, toes, feet, axillae is very offensive, intolerable, Sour; carrion-like odour from feet, without perspiration.

Sensitiveness: The patient is very sensitive to all impressions, especially noise and becomes anxious.

Desires: Desire for cold drinks, cold food, ice cream. Wants to be magnetised.

Malassimilation: There is malassimilation of food, lack of strength, vital heat and stamina. Retarded growth in children with an enlarged head, open fontanelles and sutures.

Skin: Unhealthy, suppurative and ulcerative tendency.

Hairfall: Hair falling from the scalp and beard; nails grow very fast, are painful, brittle with white spots; whitlow.

Acne: Acne on the face, forehead, neck, back, with indeterminate and infiltrated borders.

Keloid: Keloid formation, bunions, hard callosities and keratinization.

Cracks: Cracks, fissures and fistulas; for example, rectal, lachrymal and dental; are tender and indurated.

Offensiveness: Ulcers are very bad smelling. So are breath and sweat, especially foot sweat. Chronic gonorrhoea with thick, foetid discharge.

Growth: Rachitis. Stunted, deformed, overgrowth.

Ulceration: Ulceration, indolence, deterioration; skin is unhealthy; every injury tends to ulceration.

Upward direction: Symptoms proceed upwards and also outwards.

Alternation: Fistula in ano alternates with chest symptoms.

Menses: Menses too early, too profuse. Discharge of blood from the vagina every time the child is nursed, also between menstrual periods.

Abortion: Threatened abortion; haemorrhage after abortion. Expels vesicular mole.

Important Characteristic Features

Skin: Silicea is one of the best remedies for inflammation and suppuration. It has a tendency to promote and expel foreign bodies from the tissues wherever they may be present. Unhealthy skin; every injury suppurates, crippled nails on fingers and toes. Felons, abscesses and old indurated tumours. It has a control over the suppurative process, thereby reducing excessive suppuration. Delicate, pale, waxy skin. Small wounds heal with difficulty and suppurate profusely. There are painful pustular eruptions, which form suppurating ulcers, on forehead, occiput, sternum and spine. Eczematous or herpetic eruptions, disposition to boils in various parts, which are very painful to touch; fistula, in-growing toe nails; panaritium, blood boils, carbuncles, ulcers of all kinds. Fistulae, are very painful and offensive with high spongy edges and proud flesh in them. The baby suffers from various kinds of skin troubles caused by bad effects of vaccination. Every little injury suppurates.

Headache: Silicea is a very useful remedy in headache; when a patient with a headache has her head tied up with a towel or handkerchief it will probably indicate Silicea. Headache arises from the nape of the neck, ascends to the vertex and finally settles over the right eye; pressing and bursting headache, as if eyes and brain were forced out. Violent tearing in head with pressive pain in the morning. Jerking headache extending to the brain. Tearing in vertex as if it would burst. Headache with bruised pain above the eyes. Difficulty in holding up the head. Headache causes chilliness and nausea. Scalp is very sensitive to touch. The patient is very chilly with low vitality. He is usually constipated. Sensation of roaring or shattering in the brain; generally right sided headache.

Baby: Silicea baby is psoric and highly chilly, It is best suited to growing children who suffer from malnutrition, due to no assimilation of food properly. It has a scrofulous and tubercular diathesis. The baby generally suffers from bad effects of vaccination. Baby has a large head with open fontanelles and sutures, and a pot bellied abdomen. The baby is obstinate, cries when kindly spoken to. Child has aversion to mother’s milk. The baby suffers from various kinds of skin troubles caused by bad effects of vaccination. Every little injury suppurates; inflammation, swelling and abscess formation after vaccination. Baby wants much covering around the head but likes cold food and drinks. Constipation; stools are large, hard, impacted; require mechanical aid due to inactivity of rectum. The baby is very slow in learning to walk due to weak ankles resulting from a deficiency in bone forming substances. The baby desires to be magnetised. Has very offensive foot sweat; also in axillae and hands; sweating behind the neck and in the region of occiput.

Glandular affections: Silicea is one of the top ranking remedies for glandular affections. Inflammation and swelling of all the glands, both external and internal; all in a crop or singly, especially in the region of the throat and neck with threatened suppuration. Inflammation, swelling and suppuration of glands. Painful haemorrhoids which cause irritation and spasm of the sphincter ani muscles.

General Modalities

Aggravation: Cold, during new moon, during menses, lying down, uncovering, especially the head.

Amelioration: Warmth, wrapping up the head, in summer.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Calc, Fl-ac, Puls, Sanic, Thuj, Sulph.

Follows well: Ars, Asaf, Bell, Calc, Clem, Fl-ac, Graph, Hep, Lach, Lyc, Nux-v, Phos, Puls, Rhus-t, Sep, Sulph.

Antidotes: Camph, Fl-ac, Hep.

Antidotal to: Merc, Sulph.

Inimical: Merc.

Compare: Hep, Pic-ac, Kali-p, Hyper, Ruta, Sanic.

Comparison

Takes cold from exposure of feet: Con, Cupr, Sil.

Bad effects from suppressed foot sweat: Cupr, Sil, Zinc.

Imperfect assimilation: Bar-c, Calc.

Whitlow; deep seated periosteal pain: Am-c, Dios, Sil.

Short cough and chest complaints after operation for fistulae: Berb, Calc-p, Sil.

Vertigo, spreading from occipiut: Gels, Sil.

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

Headache worse from noise, light and motion: Lac-d, Mag-m, Sil.

Faeces protrude and recede: Op, Sil, Thuj.

Nervous, weak, desires to be magnetised: Phos, Sil.

When child nurses, pain goes from nipples to uterus: Puls, Sil.

Vertigo on looking upwards: Puls, Sil.

Sensation as if a thread were hanging down on the tongue: Nat-m, Sil.

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

Dosage

1. Schussler recommends 6x and 12x potencies.
2. Kent recommends high and highest potencies when the constitutional symptoms are present.
3. It is to be applied externally on ulcers, carbuncles and ulcerated pyogenic parts.

Repetition

1. Repeated doses are indicated on specific and biochemic symptoms.
2. Single dose in high potencies, in case of constitutional indications.

Therapeutic Value: Abdomen distended, Abdominal disorders, Boils, Bone affections, Cancer; Carbuncles, Constipation, Cough, Debility, Dentition, Diabetes, Enuresis, Epilepsy, Foreign body expulsion of Glandular swelling, Headache, Hernia, Perspiration offensive, Pleurisy, Rheumatism, Rickets, Sexual organs, Skin troubles, Somnambulism, Suppuration, Tenesmus, Ulcers, Urinary trouble, Vaccination, Vertigo, etc.

Note

1. Silicea is the chronic of Pulsatilla (it is both complementary and chronic of Pulsatilla, for Pulsatilla plant grows well in the land where Silicea is abundant).
2. It should not be used before or after Mercurius.
3. In lower triturations, Silicea precipiates proteins, agglutinates red blood cells, typhoid bacilli and spermatozoa. Therefore, higher triturations must be used.