Natrum Muriaticum
Description
Natrum muriaticum is the homeopathic remedy commonly known as table salt or sodium chloride. Salt is the second most common substance in nature, water being the first. Salt is an important component in regulating the balance of body fluids. Salt is a constituent in both body fluids and tissues. Excessive salt intake inhibits proper absorption of nutrients and weakens the nervous system, while a lack of salt creates a lack of fluid, resulting in an emaciated and withered appearance.
Salt was not extensively used for medicinal purposes until the time of Samuel Hahnemann, the father of
Natrum muriaticum (Nat. mur.) is a slow acting remedy that responds well to chronic ailments. It is seldom prescribed for acute conditions, and then only when symptoms specific to the remedy are present. This polychrest is a very powerful and deep acting remedy and makes long lasting changes, often continuing to bring about results for several years.
Nat. mur. increases production of red blood cells and albumin, a protein found in animal and vegetable tissues. It does not cure by supplying the amount of salt that the body needs, but acts to alter and restore the tissues of the body so they can assimilate the body's needs for salt from food. By bringing the body into a state of health, Nat. mur. reduces the patient's susceptibility to colds, fevers, and other ailments.
General use
Nat. mur. ailments typically come about as a result of emotional excitement, trauma, bad news, grief, disappointed love, fright, suppression of emotions, sexual excess, and head injuries. Exposure to the sun and intake of alcohol or salt may also cause Nat. mur. ailments. These conditions may weaken the immune system and create illness.
This remedy is frequently indicated in emaciated persons, teething children, persons who are congested and catch cold easily, the elderly, or awkward, pubescent girls who suffer from headaches and menstrual irregularities. Nat. mur. children are frequently serious. They dislike excessive physical contact and hate to be teased. These children often have frightening dreams about being robbed.
Nat. mur. is indicated when the following remedy picture is present. The patient's face is pale and waxy and her body has an emaciated appearance. Her face and hair may be oily, while the lips and corners of the mouth are dry and cracked. She is weak, both in body and mind, and is absentminded and forgetful. The mucous from bodily discharges has the constituency of egg whites. A craving for salty, sour, or bitter foods is present, as is an aversion to bread, fats, or rich foods. The patient is thirsty for cold drinks even though she is constantly chilly and suffers from a lack of vital heat. She is sensitive to light touch and pressure. Cold sores on the lips or mouth may appear frequently, often as a result of suppressed emotions or as a companion to fever. The body may exude a sour smell. Hangnails are prevalent. Complaints are better from open air, but worse from warmth or heat.
Mentally she is depressed, sad, easily startled, sensitive, anxious, irritable, restless, angry, moody, nervous, easily offended, and indifferent. She dwells on past occurrences and is fearful of crowds, of an impending situation or calamity, thunderstorms, or being robbed. The patient wishes to be alone and demonstrates introverted behavior. To avoid being hurt she may avoid intimacy. She is very emotional but does not like to express her emotions in public and retires to the safety of her own home to cry. Her emotions are exaggerated and her moods often alternate radically. She may appear to desire consolation, but when it is offered she becomes angry or rejects it. She acts in a hasty or rushed manner and cannot urinate in public.
Symptoms are generally worse in the morning around 10 A.M., at night, from the cold, the heat of summer, sun exposure, open air, consolation, suppression of sweat, physical and mental exertion, lying on the left side, after eating, from noise, from pressure or touch, and before, after, and during menstruation. Symptoms are better from bathing in cold water, lying down, from sweating, or through rest.
