Ammonium tartaricum (Am-t) = Ammoniumtartrat/= Salz der Weinsäure/= E 334
= Am-m. + Neuralgie + schlaflos;
Vergiftung: Acute
poisoning: On swallowing a dose there is an immediate onset of symptoms - a
metallic taste in the mouth, burning in throat and stomach, violent and
incessant vomiting, severe purging and tenesmus. Profound depression follows
with vertigo, extreme thirst, subnormal temperature, thready pulse, cyanosis,
cramps, coma, collapse, and death in 12 - 24 hours. Skin cold and covered in
clammy sweat.
Chronic poisoning characterized by anorexia,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, emaciation and great depression, associated with
headache, giddiness, mental confusion, dimness of vision and drowsiness. Finally extreme exhaustion ends in
death.";
Negativ: Dick/indolent, trockene Husten nach jeder Erkältung;
Repertorium:
Allgemeines: 3 h.
Husten: Hüsteln
Vergleich: Sulph. ‡ Ammoniums haben Sulphur-eigenschaften ‡
[Frans Vermeulen]
An odorless and colourless crystal [sugar or
sand-like] material or white powder. The crystals effloresce on exposure to
air.
In itself inflammable, but in fire or near acid
a poisonous gas is produced. Though only slightly reactive, its effects on
contact are severe and corrosive. Soluble in water and highly persistent
in water [with a half-life of longer than 200
days], it has high acute and chronic toxicity to aquatic life.
It is incompatible with mineral acids, tannic
acid, gallic acids, alkali hydroxides and carbonates, lead and silver salts,
mercury bichloride, lime water, albumin, soap.
It is used in medicine [as an expectorant and
in the treatment of schistomiasis japonicum], in dyeing [as a mordant], as an
insecticide, and in hair dyes. Formerly it was used as an emetic in
bronchial ailments, pneumonia's, psychosis, and
particularly as "poudre de tranquillité" [tranquillizer] in
alcoholism.
Promotes body waste and the rapid excretion of
waste products. In small doses, it stimulates the secretions of the stomach and
intestinal canal, the salivary glands, liver and pancreas. In larger
doses, it produces vomiting and purging, with
evacuations much like the 'rice water discharges' of cholera. In toxic doses it
paralyzes the heart muscles, combines with red blood cells, depressing
their oxidizing power, lowering the blood
pressure, and reducing the temperature. Being eliminated by all the excretory
organs, including the skin, it excites follicular inflammation therein,
resulting in a papular eruption on the skin,
which becomes vesicular and pustular, the pustules being umbilicated, like
those of variola. This may also be produced by rubbing tartar emetic into
the skin.
An extremely toxic compound and must be
administered very slowly intravenously. When breathed in, by ingestion or by
passing through the skin, it can cause poor appetite, rash, nausea,
headaches, sore throat, irritation of air
passages, and cough. Higher levels can cause abdominal pain, fluid build-up in
the lungs, phlebitis, tachycardia, and hypotension. Sudden death can occur
from circulatory collapse. It is excreted with
the urine, faeces, milk and gall. Deposits may build up in the liver and
kidneys. Contrary to arsenic, there is no habituation. In the 17th
century its
abuse claimed numerous deaths.
Tartar emetic, apomorphine, ipecacuanha,
senega, and squill are called central emetics due to the fact that they act upon
the medulla.
"The substance has been used for homicidal
purposes, though much less frequently than arsenic. It produces symptoms very
similar to those resulting from arsenic poisoning, but the symptoms
are more rapid in onset and graver in effect
...
Tartaric acid is one of the most widely
distributed of fruit acids. It is found in grapes and other fruits, either free
or combined with potassium, calcium or magnesium. Deposited in wine, its
crystals are called "the precious stones
of noble wines." Tartaric acid is chiefly manufactured as a by-product of
the wine industry. It is widely used as an acidulant in fizzy drinks,
effervescent tablets, gelatine desserts, and fruit jellies. As effervescent
acid it is used in bath salts, denture powders, nail bleaches, hair-grooming
aids, hair rinses, depilatories, and hair colouring. It occurs in products as
confectionery, jams, marmalades, tinned tomatoes, tinned asparagus, processed
tomato concentrates, tinned fruits, cocoa powders, and frozen dairy products. "Antioxidant;
capable
of increasing the antioxidant effect of other
substances [synergist]; to adjust acidity in frozen dairy products, jellies,
bakery products, beverages, confectionery, dried egg whites, sweets,
preserves and wines; sequestrant; diluent for
food colours; constituent of grape and other artificial flavours; acid in some
baking powders."
The homoeopathic drug picture is mainly based
on experiments with the crude substance and on intoxications. A good example of
the dedication of experimenters is Noebeling, source nr. 11
in Allen's Encyclopedia. Noebeling took daily
small doses, gradually increasing them to 0.013 gr., for 17 consecutive days.
Though he after the 8th day was prevented from continuing the experiment, due
to extreme weakness and prostration, his heroic proving begins to look like
self-punishment when he starts on the 11th day to inject himself with strong
solutions. "I had scarcely emptied the syringe when I experienced a raging
headache, saw sparks of fire, had burning heat in the face, and distressing
pressure in the brain; at the same time there was violent precordial
anxiety. I suffered from dyspnoea, it became
black before the eyes, I reeled, so that I was obliged to sit down; I vomited
green masses with great effort. At the same time there was very free
haemorrhage from the place of the injection, which was stopped only by
persistent compression. Through the day I felt very weak, as after a terrible
illness. Unfortunately it had been impossible
to count the pulse, on account of the violence
of the symptoms." On the 17th day he injects himself again, "in spite
of the unpleasant remembrance of the former injection." The result is the
same:
a frightful headache, heat of the face, vision
of sparks, and very anxious sensation in the stomach. He then takes the
appearance of albumen in the urine as an indication to discontinue further
self-experimentations. By then, he has lost seven pounds in weight, and he
frequently suffers from digestive troubles for more than two months afterwards.
Affinity
MUCOUS MEMBRANES. Pneumogastric nerve [= nervus
vagus] [bronchi; lungs; heart; CIRCULATION; respiration]. Stomach. Bowels.
Sleep. Lumbar region.
Skin. * Left side. Right side.
Modalities:
<: 16 h. (cough)/morning/night/WARM
[room/wraps/weather]/anger/lying/overeating/cold/dampness/change of
weather/spring/motion/touch/being looked at/lying on affected side;
>: Expectoration/sitting upright/motion/cold
open air/lying on right side;
Main symptoms
Apathetic, drowsy, dull or easily annoyed.
Wants to be left alone when irritated. Doesn't
want to be looked at or touched.
Bad mood, noise is intolerable.
• "Everything displeases her of which she
thinks [after two hours]." [Allen]
Great irritability on waking.
Does not want to be alone when nervous.
• "Dreaded to be left alone even for a few
moments, lest he 'should be dreadfully nervous and not know what to do with
himself.'" [Allen]
Defective reaction. INCREASINGLY WEAK, DROWSY,
SWEATY and RELAXED.
• "This remedy is indicated in those who
are of a slow phlegmatic constitution, who are melancholy, bad humoured, and
despair of their recovery." [Blackwood]
Old people and children.
Ailments from bad effects of vaccination when
Thuj. fails and Sil. is not indicated. [This referred to smallpox vaccination!]
Apparent death.: "Apparent death from
drowning, from mucus in bronchi, from impending paralysis of lungs, from
foreign bodies in larynx or trachea, with drowsiness or coma." [Mathur]
Pregnancy: During pregnancy, vomiting of mucus;
belching; disgust for food; salivation; nausea with faintness, and amblyopia.
[Hering]
No remedy excels Ant-t. to dilate a rigid os in
labour. [Burt]
Desire for ACIDS, sour drinks and apples, which
<.
Irresistible thirst for cold water; vomits the
smallest quantity taken. After every drink, nausea and pressure in the pit of
the stomach.
Great sleepiness or irresistible inclination to
sleep with nearly all complaints. < Milk.
• "Infants and children allergic to milk,
vomit immediately." [Mathur]
< AUTUMN and SPRING.
< WARM ROOM; HEAT.
YAWNING with many complaints. [Agar.] P NAUSEA;
in waves; and weakness and cold sweat, loathing or anxiety. Vomiting > lying
on right side.
And Tremor of hands.
And Great sensitiveness of pit of stomach to
touch or pressure.
And Eructations like rotten eggs.
MUCH SECRETION OF MUCUS; coarse rattling but
scanty expectoration.
SUFFOCATIVE shortness of breath # cough; LOOSE,
COARSE, RATTLING COUGH: chest seems FULL, yet LESS AND LESS is RAISED, followed
by vomiting or sleep.
Cough tends to be < 4. [Kali fraction of the
compound]
LOUD, COARSE RALES IN THE AIR PASSAGES.
• "The chest seems to refill constantly
with foamy mucus. At the beginning the patient can evacuate some tenacious light,
white mucus by retching, but finally he is unable to do so, an asphyxial state
impends and signs of collapse with cold, clammy sweat, white ala nasae and
hippocratic facies is noted. The increasing weakness expresses itself in the
type of cough: attacks of coughing decrease slowly in duration and severity
with increasing weakness; the cough alternates with yawning." [Leeser]
MUCH SECRETION OF MUCUS; coarse rattling but
scanty expectoration.
Intensely painful lumbago.
Slightest motion = retching and cold, clammy
sweat.
• "No remedy in the material medica can
equal this drug in this painful malady; if given so that it will produce slight
nausea, it will cure about every case." [Burt]
Rubrics
Mind: Anger #
cheerfulness. Desire to be carried upright, in children with respiratory
troubles. Delusions, visions of fire; he wades in water.
Wants to set things on fire. Irritability in
children, shriek when touched.
Head: “As if
head were separated from body”.
Eye: One eye
open only. Shooting like electric shocks in inner canthi.
Face: Upper
lip drawn up, exposing teeth. Twitching when coughing.
Mouth: remains
wide open after yawning.
Stomach: Ravenous
appetite while walking. Nausea after fruit. Thirst after perspiration, for
small quantities often.
Abdomen: seems
full of stones when sitting or on stooping.
Rectum:
Diarrhoea after vaccination.
Respiration:
Difficult after midnight, 3 h. > expectoration. Gasping inspiration,
expiration long and slow.
Cough: >
Eructations. < Heat of sun.
Chest:
Sensation of heat in region of heart. “As if the heart were revolving”.
Back:
Sensation of heaviness in coccyx, “As if a heavy weight were tugging at it”.
Pain in lumbosacral region from least motion,
and retching.
Limbs:
Perspiration in hands on coughing.
Perspiration cold, from dyspnoea. Perspiration
profuse, on affected parts.
Skin:
Sensitiveness of skin to every change of the weather.
Food and Drinks:
Aversion to: Alcohol/apples/bread/during
pregnancy/cold drinks/cold food/fruit/(mother's) milk/sour/tobacco;
Desires: Fruit/cold food/juicy
things/sour/alcohol/apples/beer/buttermilk/cold
drinks/fruit/sour/milk/sour/refreshing;
<: Hot
food/alcohol/apples/beer/butter/eating/fat/(sight of) food/thought of/(sour)
fruit/milk/pork/sour/vinegar/warm food;
>: Cold drinks (drinks)/cold food;