Phosphorus is a pale-yellow element with a distinct odor. This element occurs in the mineral calcium phosphate in volcanic regions. The main deposits are found in North Africa. Until the 19th century, the toxic nature of Phosphorus was not known and it was used medicinally for headaches, pneumonia, measles, rheumatic pain, malaria, and epilepsy.
In Homeopathy, White phosphorus is used for the preparation of a remedy known as Phosphorus. Phosphorus is insoluble in water but dissolves completely in the alcohol. So, it is dissolved in alcohol, filtered, and then repeatedly diluted and succussed.
Phosphorus is a powerful remedy and its potency should be chosen carefully. It should always be started with lower potency, Phosphorus 30, and then if necessary, the potency may be gradually increased. It is deeply related to the functioning of inner linings i.e. the mucous membranes, nerve fibers, glands, and the brain. It also affects bones and bone marrow. It is one of the best remedies for the control of red bleed (arterial). It is the foremost remedy to stop bleeding. If, after childbirth, bleeding continues for a long time and smells putrid, it is given. Phosphorus is widely effective against the diseases of the mouth.
When the gums become diseased and there is light red offensive bleeding from them, then Phosphorus is the most effective remedy in this condition.
General Information about Phosphorus
Phosphorus is a non-metal, with an atomic weight of 30.973762. It is placed in Group 15 of the periodic table.
The name Phosphorus in Ancient Greece was the name for the planet, Venus. It is derived from Greek words which means light-bringer or light carrier. It was discovered by German alchemist Hennig Brand in 1669. It is a pale yellow element with a distinct odor, occurring in the mineral calcium phosphate in volcanic regions.
- Common names- Phosphorus, white phosphorus, Yellow phosphorus.
- Source– Mineral kingdom.
- Distribution-It is scattered all over the world.
Its main deposits are found in North Africa.
Phosphorus has a major use in agriculture as it is used as fertilizers. It is also used as a pesticide and water treatment. It is used in the preparation of sodium lamps. White phosphorus is used in making bombs.
When seen its biological role, it is a key element in all forms of life. It is found in DNA and RNA, used to transport cellular energy in form of ATP.
Discovery of Phosphorus
The discovery of Phosphorus was accidental when Brand experimented with urine, which contains considerable quantities of dissolved phosphates. He was trying to create a philosopher’s stone and accidentally found a white material that glowed in the dark and burned brilliantly. It was named phosphorus mirabilis.
Prover- Dr.Hahnemann.
He first published in Chronic Diseases (1821-34).
- Adjuvants: Arsenic, Allium Cepa, Lycopodium, Silicea, Spigelia, Mag Phos
- Antidotes: Coffea, Nux Vomica
- Potency: 30 to 1000 and occasionally CM
Homeopathic Remedy Phosphorus is suited to
Phosphorus is best suited to those people who always want to be the center of attention. These people are artistic, expressive, and affectionate. It is given to people who are easily exhausted by illness or stress. So, they are very lethargic. They have a complete lack of emotions for those people who care for them. But these people want sympathy. They feel better after short naps.
It is given to a person who likes salty, spicy, or sweet foods. They also like carbonated drinks or cold milk.
It is given to people who are very weak following any acute diseases. It is very useful to improve general health.
It is given to a person to tall slender person with fair skin and has light hair skin, children with rickets, to an old man with morning diarrhea with the tendency of T.B with morning diarrhea.
It can be given safely to children with rickets.
The patient has a tendency to take cold easily.
Patient’s Personality
Phosphorus should be given to a patient who is shameless and uncovers herself. She wants to go naked. She will behave as if mad. She is restless and lacks emotion. This can be given to a person who has no secrets and will share every feeling. She wants company as she has fear of death.
It is given in cases where a patient has increased appetite even during headache and fever. The patient is so hungry that he feels hungry soon after eating. He must eat during chill before he can get up. He has a ravenous appetite at night.
He likes cold drinks and refreshing drinks. His tongue is dry, smooth, red or white
Food which is liked by the patient– chocolate, sweets, salt and salty foods, fish, wine, cold food and fizzy drink, ice cream, and sweet.
Food which is avoided by the patient– meat, boiled milk, beer, salty fish, coffee.
Cause of Symptoms
Symptoms are seen because of mental exertion, by strong emotion, by listening to music, by a strong odor, by thunderstorms and lightning. Symptoms are also seen from over lifting things, by exposure to rain, by use of tobacco, and after washing the clothes.
The patient has all complaints on the left side.
Homeopathic Remedy Phosphorus Uses
It is given in various diseases like Gastritis, Blood in vomiting, Gastralagia, Liver Congestion, Jaundice, Fatty degeneration of the liver. It is useful in fatty degeneration of the spleen.
- It is given when a patient has the presence of albumin in the urine.
- It is useful when the lungs have congestion and inflammation.
- It is also given in half sided paralysis and pain along nerves.
- In females, it is useful in excessive menstruation and postmenopausal bleeding.
- It is useful for ulcers of the stomach when a patient has coffee grounds and bloody vomit with great thirst and very severe pains running through to the back.
- It is seen that when phosphorus is given after operation, it will certainly relieve the distress of the patient, improve the patient’s condition, and facilitate recovery.
- It is a useful remedy for the treatment of nephritis when urine contains epithelial, waxy, or fatty casts along with blood and albumin in the urine.
- It is a valuable medicine when a patient has undue sexual excitement. It can cure impotence which is related to excessive sexual desire.
- It is seen that if given properly it can cure Chronic mastitis and any kind of abscesses in the breast, with the presence of sinuses. The sinuses are often present with an opening that is surrounded by redness.
- It is a very good remedy for bronchitis, bronchopneumonia, and lobar pneumonia when this condition occurs in enteric fever. It is given for chronic bronchitis of aged or weakly people who have dilated and fatty degenerated hearts.
- It is useful in all cases of hemorrhages which can take place in any part of the body, whether in the skin from the nose, stomach, bowels, lungs, uterus, retina.
- It is useful in dilatation of the heart which is seen after an acute disease like fever or influenza.
- It is useful in the treatment of all bone disease-related diseases like caries and destruction in the region of the tibiae and jawbones. It also cures spinal caries.
- It is useful in cases where there is inflammation like dysentery, catarrh.
- It is useful in pneumonia and tuberculosis.
- It is useful in infection in the inner ear and pain in ears and bone destruction of the jaw bone.
- It can be given in rheumatism and day blindness after fever.
- It can be given for anxieties, fears, bleeding, and circulatory problems.
- It is useful in Malaria, measles, headaches, epilepsy.
Symptoms which are associated with time
It is given to those people who have unrefreshing sleep with great anxiety.
They also suffer from vertigo and intense pain in the eye in the forenoon.
They have fear in the evening and are restless before midnight. These people have diarrhea in warm weather and rainy weather causes fear.
Particular symptom in which this remedy should be given–
It is given when a patient has a headache from exposure to cold, after having a hair cut, when in hot rooms.
The patient has a sensation as if pulled by the hair. The patient experiences heat of the scalp, compelling him to uncover heat.
It is useful in Dandruff which is copious along with falling out of hair. Along with the falling of hair, there is itching from scratching. It can also be given when the roots of hair turn grey and dry.
It is given to a patient who has blue rings around eyes and lips are swollen.
A patient has difficulty in seeing objects he has to hold objects near to see distinctly at a distance. His vision is very much affected, it seems as if enveloped in smoke.
It is a very good remedy for tonsillitis when a patient has dryness of the throat day and night. There is a sensation as if cotton in the throat. Tonsils are much swollen, dry, and burning sensation. along with these symptoms, there is a great weakness as the patient cannot take proper nourishment.
The patient suffers from heartburn and sour eructation.
The patient has a continuous feeling of nausea with a feeling of confusion. It can be given in cases where the patient is not able to drink water and this feeling is so strong that even the sight of it causes nausea and vomiting. He must close her eyes when bathing.
It is an important remedy for diarrhea when the patient complains of profuse watery stool, with a sensation as if the anus remains wide open. It can also be given to old people who have an involuntary stool.
There are great rumbling and pain in the stomach with sudden urging before stool. After passing stool he feels as if his anus is wide open.
It can also be given in constipation when a patient has a long, dry, tough, and hard stool. It is passed with great difficulty.
It can also be given in cholera, where the patient has brownish fluid from the bowels. He has to drink another large quantity of water, with great weakness and difficulty in breathing. He has pain on the left side in the region of the lower ribs.
It is very useful in kidney problems when a patient has dull pain in the renal region. The patient has urine which is profuse, pale, watery, and scanty. The patient has to burn in the urethra.
It is given when a female has too early, bright red, menses, too frequent, and too profuse. Discharge of blood is also seen between periods. It can cure symptoms that are seen before menses like weeping, bearing down pain with a feeling of weakness felt in the abdomen. During menses, there are cold feet and hands with nausea and severe pain in the back. It can cure weakness after menses.
It can be given in white discharge from the vagina (leucorrhoea) with weakness in the abdomen. The discharge is white with watery mucus. The discharge is milky in the morning seen when walking.
Sometimes the discharge is very irritating causing blisters and burning after menses.
It is given in some of the respiratory problems like loss of voice. The patient is unable to utter a word. Every attempt to utter a word is painful with weakness. The patient suddenly cannot utter a loud word. It can be given for cough which is generally seen when going from warm to cold air. Cough can be worsened when laughing, talking, reading, eating, drinking, or lying on the left side.
The patient has expectoration mostly in the morning which is less in the evening. Sometimes this expectoration is yellow and filled with pus. Sometimes it is white in color and tough. Some other symptoms are associated with a remedy like the patient has intolerable pain in the larynx with a cough. There can be involuntary passing of stool while coughing. Speaking excites cough.
It can be given when a patient has the heaviness of the chest with a feeling as if a weight were lying upon it.
Pain can be felt at night with a feeling as he will suffocate.
It can be given when a patient has to burn in the chest especially on the left side.
It can be given to a patient who has a bleeding tendency. Small wounds bleed very much. Sometimes the wounds heal and break out again. It is a very good remedy for scurvy( which is caused by Vitamin C deficiency).
Patients feel worse from touch, physical or mental exertion, from taking warm food or drink, from the change of weather, from getting wet in hot weather, when lying on the left or painful side.
The patient feels better when lying on the right side, from taking cold food, from open-air, when washing with cold water.
Remedy Phosphorus Dosage
The recommended dosage of Phosphorus 30, 3 pellets 3 times a day with less frequency as improvement is made.
Manufacturers of Phosphorus
- Wilmar Schwabe
- SBL
- Precaution
This medicine should not be taken just before or after eating or before falling asleep. This medicine will give the best result if taken with icy cold water.
This remedy should not be taken empty stomach.