# Picricum Acidum ## Remedy Classification - **Type:** Homeopathic Remedy - **Miasm:** Psoric Miasm - **Temperament:** Hot - **Aggravation Time:** Morning ## Keynote Indications Source: Derived from picric acid (2,4,6-trinitrophenol), a synthetic organic compound, prepared for. homeopathic use through trituration and serial dilution to enhance therapeutic action while. eliminating material toxicity, in accordance with homeopathic pharmacopeia standards. Traditional Context: Historically employed in homeopathy for neurological, psychological,. systemic, and genitourinary disorders , particularly those involving mental exhaustion, physical. fatigue, and nervous debility. It is noted for symptoms such as brain fog, profound weakness,. apathy, and burning pains, often aggravated by mental exertion, heat, or stress, and ameliorated by. rest, cold applications, or solitude. Modern Context : Indicated for neurological conditions (e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome, mild. cognitive impairment), psychological conditions (e.g., major depressive disorder, generalized. anxiety disorder), systemic conditions (e.g., post-viral fatigue syndrome, anemia), and. genitourinary conditions (e.g., sexual dysfunction, urethritis). It suits patients with acute or. chronic symptoms characterized by mental exhaustion, physical fatigue, apathy, burning pains,. or nervous debility, typically exacerbated by mental exertion, heat, stress, or overwork, and often. seen in individuals with depleted, sensitive constitutions. The remedy is particularly relevant for. those with neurological or psychological conditions, often presenting with symptoms like cognitive. dullness or profound fatigue, commonly observed in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, major. depressive disorder, or burnout triggered by overwork, stress, or heat. ## Modalities (Aggravations / Ameliorations) Worse from: Mental exertion, heat (weather, rooms, drinks), stress, overwork, morning,. night, noise, emotional stress, solitude, exertion, fasting. ## Symptoms by System ### Mind - Anxiety. - Dread offailure at examination. - Mental weakness after prolonged strain and anxiety. - Memory, weakness. - Forgetfulness. - Mental exertion aggravates. - Mental prostration after reading a little, worse after writing a little. - Inability to collect thoughts or to study. - Brain-fag. - Inability to exert the mind, talk or think. - Lack of willpower, disinclined to work. - Aversion to talking or movement, during headache. - Sits still and listless, does not take interest in surroundings. - Cerebral softening. - Dementia with prostration, sits still and listens. - In women, although enjoying the society of men, idea of marriage unendurable. - Lascivious thoughts in presence of any woman. - Lewdness. - Delusion that parts of body enlarged. - As if stairs or ground coming up to meet him. - Anxiety. - Dread offailure at examination. - Mental weakness after prolonged strain and anxiety. - Memory, weakness. - Forgetfulness. - Mental exertion aggravates. - Mental prostration after reading a little, worse after writing a little. - Inability to collect thoughts or to study. - Brain-fag. - Inability to exert the mind, talk or think. - Lack of willpower, disinclined to work. - Aversion to talking or movement, during headache. - Sits still and listless, does not take interest in surroundings. - Cerebral softening. - Dementia with prostration, sits still and listens. - In women, although enjoying the society of men, idea of marriage unendurable. - Lascivious thoughts in presence of any woman. - Lewdness. - Delusion that parts of body enlarged. - As if stairs or ground coming up to meet him. ### Vertigo - Vertigo and noises in ear. - COMMENTS - Grimmer said this remedy's sphere of action centers in the brain, spinal cord and the bloodstream. - It produce in the provings a marked cachexia and pernicious anemia and these conditions in the sick have many times been cured. - In some experiments by Parisel, symp toms were observed including buzzing and whistling in ears, sparks, whirling arou nd of objects, heaviness of head alternately with sense of emptiness. - Copious, oily -looking, yellowish stool with amelioration of cerebral symptoms. - Pulse slow, small, very feeble. - Great weak ness, compelling to lie down, limbs hardly able to stir themselv es, no anxiety, profound calm. - Vivid coloration of sclerotics and tis sues, urine colored blood -red. - These were effects of 0.5 grains doses. - Slow poisoning set up an intermittent fever of quotidian type and “anorexia, thirst often sweat, cancerous tint about skin, tendency to cachexia.” These observations give the chief features of the remedy's action: fatigue, mental and bodily, symptoms worse by least exertion, fatigue going into actual paralysis, brain fatigue, nerve fatigue, at the same time absence of anxiety indifference. - The right upper part of the body is more affected than the left, the left leg more than the right. - Cachectic tint to skin, suggestion of ma lignancy, skin merging into a jaundice as the disease advances. - Cachexia and cancerous tints. - “Tired-out, washed-out feeling must give in.” Jaundice, with itching. - Small, pain- ful furuncles, particularly in the auditory meatus. - Fig warts. - Erythema and itching of abdomen and feet. - Heat and congestion of the head, with nosebleeds. - Heaviness of head a lternates with emptiness. - Frequent severe headache. - Pain in eyes, worse from lamp light, strong light, moving the eye. - Spinal congestion. - Colds. - Chilliness predominates. - Amorous fancies. - Lascivious thoughts in the presence of any women. - Great sexual desire with emissions. - Terrible erections, disturbing sleep. - Long -continued erections at night with emissions, followed by more erections and lewd dreams, priapism day and night. - Priapism, penis distended almost to bursting. - Gonorrhea. - Burning during and after urination. - Exhaustion and complete prostration of mind and body from sexual excesses, mental and physical fatigue. - Over-excitement of sexual system is associated with spinal or cerebral disorders in either sex. - A. - C. - Blackwood detailed the uses of Pic -ac. - for burns of the first and second degree. - He used a saturated solution diluted with one quart of water. - The clothing was removed and the burnt surface cleansed with the solution and absorbent cotton. - Blisters were opened but he carefully preserved the epith elial covering. - If extensive, the whole surface might be bathed with the solution and strips of steril ized gauze soaked and applied to entirely cover it, a layer of absorbent cotton held with a light bandage over all. - After three or four days the dressing was removed carefully after thorough moist ening, as it adhered closely. - The second dressing was applied as at first and allowed to remain a week. - The staining of the hands and linen caused by the dressing can be removed by boric acid. - Blackwood found it painless, anodyne, antiseptic, preventing inflammation, sup puration and septic poisoning. - It coagulates the albuminous exudation and healing takes place under the coagulum. - Gaucher removed acute vesicular eczema by the same treatment. - He noted that the sk in and kidneys are intimately related and Pic- ac . - has a powerful action on the latter. - Among other disorders, it has cured diabetes. - Kent said Pic-ac. - cures fig-warts and gonorrhea, he was led to infer its relation by its power over pernicious anemia, which he had often traced to a gonorrheal base. - In a case of spinal irritation, Clarke relieved with Pic-ac. - 30c a pain which shot up from the spine into the head. - The pains referable to the spinal cord are strongly marked. - Any attempt to study causes burning along spine with great weakness of back and legs, soreness of muscles and joints. - Halbert reported a case illustrating the power of Pic-ac. - over the effects of fatigue in professional neuroses. - A stenographer and typewriter, after using her right index finger continuously for six years, noticed weakness of her thumb and index. - Then, she noticed the inability to hold a pen or pencil. - Next there was difficulty in strik ing correctly the keys of the typewriter and some wrist-drop. - The finger, when Halbert first saw her, was quite rigid and straight, showing extreme spasticity. - Massage, electricity, etc., had failed to give any relief. - Pic-ac. - 3x six times daily cured the case and made great improvement in the patient's general health. - Halbert reported the case of Mrs., C., 49, who had “nervous prostration” since the shock of the loss of a child three years before. - Wasting with great appetite. - Intense thirst and copious urination, especially at night. - Great perspiration and some jaundice. - Heart flabby, mi tral bruit, Dyspnea, emacia tion, anemia, exhaustion. - Urine 1040,7 1/2 percent of sugar and some albumen. - Pic -ac. - 6x six times daily was given, rapid and continuous improvement followed. - Nash cured an old man who have been failing for a year with Pic -ac. - 6c trituration. - The man complained of heaviness in the occiput, inability to exert the mind, talk or think and general “played -out” feeling. - Nash had feared brain softening. - Evans found it curative in girls and young women who, under the strain of many studies, show signs of breaking down. - They lose appetite, sleep lightly and lie awake, exhaustion after the day's studies, fatigued even from a short walk, twitchings of muscles when asleep or awake, hysterical state, loss of will power, constant headache, irregular menses. - Such patients are usually given iron, which does little or no good. ### Head - Headaches, relieved by bandaging tightly. - Headache, worse mental exertion, better nosebleed. - Headache, worse with sexual excitement and violent erections. - Headache during daytime better in sleep. - Headache of businessmen, teachers and students from grief and other depressing emotions. - Brain-fag. - Occipital pain, worse slightest mental exertion. - Heavy Picricum acidum occiput, down spine and lower limbs. - Kidneys - Inflammation of kidneys with profound weakness, dark, bloody, scanty urine. - Dribbling urine. - Albuminuria. - Ammoniacal. - Urine contains much indican, granular cylinders and fatty degenerated epithelium. - Uremia with complete anuria. - Diabetes. - Nightly urging. - Headaches, relieved by bandaging tightly. - Headache, worse mental exertion, better nosebleed. - Headache, worse with sexual excitement and violent erections. - Headache during daytime better in sleep. - Headache of businessmen, teachers and students from grief and other depressing emotions. - Brain-fag. - Occipital pain, worse slightest mental exertion. - Heavy Picricum acidum occiput, down spine and lower limbs. - Kidneys - Inflammation of kidneys with profound weakness, dark, bloody, scanty urine. - Dribbling urine. - Albuminuria. - Ammoniacal. - Urine contains much indican, granular cylinders and fatty degenerated epithelium. - Uremia with complete anuria. - Diabetes. - Nightly urging. ### Eyes - Pupils dilated. - Eyes yellow. - Catarrhal conjunctivitis with copious, thick yellow discharge. - Lachrymation. - Styes with a sore pain. ### Ears - Boils within ears and back of neck. - Painful boils in meatus. - Puffy and burn ing sensation in ears. - Buzzing and hissing in ears. - Noises in ears with vertigo and headache at the base of brain. - Chronic deafness. ### Mouth - Bitter taste with thirst. - White, frothy saliva hang in strings to the floor. - Nose - Boil in left nostril. - Sting ing on right side of nose. - Acne. - Nose full of mucus, can breathe only through mouth, better open air. ### Throat - Redness of throat with raw, scraped, stiff and hot feeling. - Soreness back of and above soft palate with debility. - Dry and husky. ### Chest - Tightness of chest, as if encircled by a band. - Numbness in lower part of sternum. - Constitutions - Suited to dark complex - ioned persons with a dirty appearance from bile pigments, anemic and cachectic persons. - Worn-out person, overtaxed mentally and bodily. ### Stomach & Abdomen - Vomits suddenly, without warning. - Vomit bright yellow, bitter. - Fullness of the abdomen. - Sharp pain in left side of umbilicus. - Shooting, wandering pain. - Crawling, stinging. - Rumbling in small intestines with colic. - Crampy pain and flatus. - Emission of flatus during the day in evening. - Appetite increased, then lost for breakfast. - Aversion to food, at noon. - Great thirst with bitter taste, unquenchable. - Thirst for cold water. ### Urinary & Genital - Enlargement of the prostate gland. - Hard erections with pain in testicles up spermatic cord. - Priapism, penis distended. - Lascivious thoughts in presence of any woman. - Extreme prostration from fre quent seminal emissions. - Impotency with tendency to boils and carbuncles. - Pain in left ovary and leucorrhea before menstruation. - Extreme exhaustion at menstrual periods. - Pruritus vulvae. ### Extremities - Great weakness, tired, heavy feel ing all over body, especially limbs. - Worse exertion. - Acute ascending paralysis. - Feet cold. - Cannot get warm. - Liver - Liver full of fat granules. - Stick ing through hepatic region, worse in muscles. - Tendency to jaundice. - Jaundice with itching. ### Neck & Back - Burning along spine. - Painful boils on nape of neck. - Backache with languor, patient is unable to sit straight and burning along spine, worse study. - Keeps legs wide apart when standing. - Aching, tired legs. - Writer's cramps orpalsy. - Back seems as if bandaged, also limbs. - Anesthesia of legs as if one h as on elastic stockings. - Legs weak, heavy like lead, lifts with difficulty. ### Skin - Profound fatigue or weakness, with a sensation of prostration or collapse, resembling. - post-viral fatigue syndrome, worse with heat, exertion, emotional stress, or morning,. - often with cold sweat or pallor. - Anemia or emaciation, with a tendency to weight loss or pallor, resembling iron. - deficiency anemia, aggravated by heat, poor diet, or overwork. - Chilliness or heat intolerance, with a sensation of alternating cold and heat,. - resembling menopausal symptoms, worse with heat or stress. - Tendency to systemic depletion, with aggravation in heated or fatigued states. - Genitourinary:. - Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido, with a sensation of weakness or apathy,. - resembling erectile dysfunction, worse with heat, stress, overwork, or night, often. - with mental preoccupation or anxiety. - Burning urination or irritation, with a tendency to urgency or discomfort, resembling. - urethritis, aggravated by heat, emotional stress, or night, often with scanty or. - frequent urination. - Picricum acidum (Picric Acid) 1558. - Weakness of bladder or prostate issues, with a sensation of heaviness or burning,. - resembling benign prostatic hyperplasia, worse with heat or stress. - Tendency to genitourinary irritability, with aggravation in heated or stressed states. ### Sleep - Sleepy during day and sleepless during night. - Sleepiness. - Sleep sound but unrefreshing. ### Generalities - As if sand or sticks in eyes. - As i f throat would split. - As of a lump back of thyroid cartilage. - As if chest encircled in a tight band. - As if legs enclosed in elastic stockings. - Pricking as from needles in legs. - As if stairs or ground coming up to meet him. - As of ants crawling over surface.