Carbo vegetabilis

- VERMEULEN Frans,
COAL
 Carb-v.
He that burns his house warms himself for once.
[English proverb]
Signs
Vegetable Charcoal.
CONSTITUENTS Vegetable charcoal is the carbonaceous residue of the combustion of wood under the limited access of air. With the volatile components, like methane and hydrogen, baked away, the residue is just 20 to 25 per cent of the original volume of the wood. It is chiefly carbon, with traces of volatile chemicals and ash [rich in potassium]. Hahnemann used birch [Betula] for his preparation. Formerly, charcoal production from wood was an important source of acetone, methyl alcohol, and acetic acid.
USES Vegetable charcoal burns long, hot and steady. Considered superior to wood, it provided fuel for the furnaces and forges of the ironmaster and blacksmith. It may have been used in Europe as early as 5500 years ago and was the 'smelting fuel of the bronze and iron ages.' Across many centuries charcoal was used in the smelting and shaping of metals, the production of glass, as a purifier of food and water, and in gunpowder; its by-products included a liquid used in the Egyptian embalming process.
ACTIVE CHARCOAL The use of special manufacturing techniques results in highly porous charcoals that have surface areas of 300-2,000 square metres per gram. The charcoal is activated by means of steam, air, CO2, zinc chloride, sulphuric acid, or phosphoric acid at temperatures of 500-900 degrees Fahrenheit. These so-called active, or activated, charcoals are widely used to adsorb odoured or coloured substances from gases or liquids, as in the purification of drinking water, sugar, and many other products, in the recovery of solvents and other volatile materials, and in gas masks for the removal of toxic compounds from the air. They are also used as catalysts in making certain chemicals [e.g., phosgene, sulphuryl chloride] or as supports for other catalytic agents. 1
ADSORBENT The adsorbent [molecule-binding] properties of charcoal were first described in 1791. In 1830, the French pharmacist Touery conclusively demonstrated the protective ability of charcoal by ingesting several times the lethal dose of strychnine together with 15 g of charcoal with no ill effects. In 1979 the use of charcoal was described in the prevention of absorption of various drugs. The adsorptive properties of activated charcoal make it an effective general-purpose antidote, antidiarrhoeal, and antiflatulent agent. It can also adsorb vitamins and minerals from the gastrointestinal tract, but the amounts are insignificant when it is administered for acute treatment. Charcoal will bind nearly all organic compounds except for caustic alkalis, mineral acids, or ethanol or methanol. The drug is not effective in adsorbing inorganic molecules such as cyanide, ferrous sulphate, or lithium. 2
MEDICINAL Two double-blind placebo-controlled studies found activated charcoal highly effective in decreasing flatulence, bloating, and irritable bowel syndrome. Another study of seven patients with high levels of cholesterol in the blood suggested that charcoal might also be good at reducing cholesterol. Administration of 8 grams of activated charcoal three times daily for a month induced an average 25 per cent reduction in total cholesterol and an average 41% reduction in the harmful LDL cholesterol, whilst their good cholesterol, HDL, went up an average of 8 per cent. The only side effect was black stools. Previous studies have shown that activated charcoal can be useful in the long-term management of kidney patients who are at particular risk of developing high cholesterol levels and atherosclerosis. High doses of charcoal [20 to 50 grams daily] have helped kidney patients to excrete waste products. Not being absorbed by the intestine, charcoal passes through the system, binding with cholesterol toxins, toxins and other waste products and excreting them. It will do the same with some therapeutic drugs and supplemental nutrients.
CARBON CYCLE The carbon cycle designates a natural sequence of chemical reactions, involving conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide to carbohydrates by photosynthesis in plants, the consumption of these carbohydrates by animals and oxidation of them through metabolism to produce carbon dioxide and other products, and the return of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. "Although marine organisms contain very little carbon, they have a profound influence on the distribution of carbon in the oceans. They convert soluble carbonate ions from seawater into insoluble ocean sediments by depositing carbon in their shells and skeletons, which eventually sink to the bottom. Biological processes move carbon between the atmospheric and terrestrial compartments, removing it from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and returning it to the atmosphere during respiration. Growing plants at middle and high altitudes in the Northern Hemisphere incorporate so much carbon into their bodies during the summer that they reduce the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide from about 350 parts per million in winter to 335 parts per million in midsummer. This carbon is released back into the atmosphere by decomposition in autumn. At times in the remote past, large quantities of carbon were removed from the global carbon cycle when organisms died in large numbers in environments without oxygen. In such environments, detritivores do not reduce organic carbon to carbon dioxide. Instead, organic molecules accumulate and eventually are transformed into oil, natural gas, coal, or peat. Humans have discovered and used these deposits, known as fossil fuels, at ever-increasing rates during the past 150 years. As a result, carbon dioxide, the final product of burning these fuels, is being released into the atmosphere faster than it is being transferred to the oceans and incorporated into terrestrial biomass. ... Based on a variety of calculations, atmospheric scientists believe that 150 years ago, before the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide was probably about 265 parts per million. Today it is 350 parts per million. ... Enough carbon is being released by the burning of fossil fuels to alter the heat balance of Earth, even though the absolute quantity is small relative to other components of the carbon cycle. The build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide will warm Earth during the 21st century. Like the glass in a greenhouse, carbon dioxide is transparent to sunlight but opaque to radiated heat. Carbon dioxide thus permits sunlight to strike and warmth Earth, but it traps some of the heat that Earth radiates back toward space."3 Since the burning characteristics of charcoal and mineral coal are very similar, charcoal use results in high volumes of carbon dioxide emissions, as well as of carbon monoxide and CH4 [but not SOx]. If charcoal were produced on a sustainable basis [without causing deforestation], it would be neutral to the carbon cycle; the burning of charcoal would release timescale carbon dioxide back into the air. Worldwide, humans annually release about 7 billion tons of carbon from fossil fuel burning. Of that amount, 3 billion tons remain in the atmosphere, 2 billion tons are absorbed into the ocean, and the rest is assumed to be absorbed by land vegetation.
BLACK The symbolism of charred wood is closely linked with that of fire. There is a certain ambivalence about it, for it sometimes appears as a concentrated expression of fire, and sometimes as the negative [black, repressed or occult] side of energy. "Symbolically, black is most often seen in its cold and negative aspect. As the antithesis of all colour it is associated with primeval darkness and primal, formless matter. ... When so set beneath the world, black expresses absolute passivity, a state of unchanging and complete death, sandwiching the two 'white nights' during which night becomes day and day becomes night. Black is therefore the colour of mourning and is unlike white by being far more overwhelming. ... To wear black, it could be said, is to mourn hopelessly in a sign of irrevocable loss and of a plunge into a nothingness from which there is no return. When the Zoroastrian equivalents of Adam and Eve had been seduced by Ahriman and driven from Paradise, they dressed in black. Black is the colour of guilt and also the colour of renunciation of the vanities of this world, hence for both Christians and Muslims a black cloak is a proclamation of their faith. ... In the West, black is the colour of mourning, yet originally it was the symbol of fertility, in Ancient Egypt, for example, and in North Africa, being the colour of rich earth and of rain-clouds. If it is as black as the ocean depths, it is because the Underworld contains the treasury of hidden life and because it is the storehouse of all things. ... Blackness cloaks the cosmic womb where the red of blood and fire, symbols of the vital force, work in the darkness of gestation. ... Alchemical 'work' began with black, a death and return to formless chaos, leading on to the white and finally to the red of spiritual freedom. ... Black, as the colour of melancholy, pessimism, sorrow and misfortune, is applied in everyday language in such terms as black magic, black books, blackmail, black market, black mass and so on. The Romans distinguished unlucky days with a black stone and different disasters have stigmatized Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays as 'Black'. ... Black is classed among the Devil's colours, its combination with red suggesting smoke and flame. Satan is called the Prince of Darkness and Jesus himself, when tempted by the Devil, is sometimes depicted in black, as though covered with the black veil of temptation."4
PROVINGS [1] Hahnemann - 4 [male] provers; method: unknown.
•• [2] Additional symptoms from Adam, a Russian physician, von Gersdorff, and Caspari; methods: unknown.
•• [3] Wesselhoeft - 10 provers [9 males, 1 female], 1876; method: 1-2 grains of trit. of 1c, 2c, or 3c, three times daily for periods ranging from 3 to 18 days.
[1] Encyclopaedia Britannica. [2] Clinical Pharmacology Online. [3] Purves et al, Life : The Science of Biology. [4] Chevalier and Gheerbrant, Dictionary of Symbols.
Affinity
MUCOUS MEMBRANES [DIGESTIVE TRACT; STOMACH]. HEART [VENOUS CIRCULATION; blood]. occiput. * Left side.
Modalities
Worse: WARMTH. DEPLETIONS [loss of fluids]. Cooling off. EXHAUSTING DISEASES. Old age. HIGH LIVING. DEBAUCHERY. Overlifting. Pressure of clothes. Weather [extreme temperatures; cold night air; frosty weather; warm damp weather]. Cold air. Wind on head. Suppression [of discharges]. Flatus. Singing or reading aloud. After menses. Lying down. Morning. Night. Before falling asleep. Rising from the bed. Walking in the open air.
Better: ERUCTATIONS. Cool air. Elevating feet. Passing wind. Being fanned. Loosening clothing around the waist. Lying down.
Main symptoms
M Indolent and fearful.
• "On the mental and emotional level, the asthenic disposition manifests itself in different ways. The patient is listless, indolent, sluggish, indifferent, too inert to have interest in anything, or otherwise can be irritable and easily excited, with alternating moods. The latter stage shows itself especially in the evening or after dinner. There is an aversion to darkness. The anxiety in the dark can be so acute that the patient doesn't dare to lie down and close his eyes. A striking characteristic is the fear of ghosts." [Gibson]
M Stagnation.
• "Carbo vegetabilis fails to heed the call of age which demands emotional limitation and physical restriction. He continues a life of complacency and physical expectation as though he were still a youngster. He does not accept his shrinking life; he stagnates in complacency and high living."1
M Reduced in volume.
[Charcoal is 20 to 25 per cent of the original volume of the wood.]
• "The picture of the constitutional Carbo vegetabilis patient is usually completely different [from the profound apathy to all aspects of life in the acute state]. He or she typically is a person with a tremendous amount of energy. Think of the charcoal, when it is put into a fire. It produces a lot of heat for a very long time. Similarly the Carbo-v. personality is one of excessive vitality. A typical example would be a businessman who occasionally does not leave his office in the evening but keeps on working during the whole night. Then at dawn he goes home just to take a shower, put on a clean shirt and have breakfast before returning to his office. Therefore Carbo vegetabilis is usually very successful at his job. A fat, sluggish and lazy [Phatak] patient who needs this remedy, is an exception according to our experience. Carbo vegetabilis has many traits in common with Nux vomica. He is materialistic, extravagant and loves a good meal. He however is not primarily a social person, but feels uncomfortable especially among strangers. He may have a red face due to a lot of small veins which are visible. The female Carbo vegetabilis is someone who typically does not have any difficulty to impose herself among men and therefore is doing well in business. ... The essence of Carbo vegetabilis personality lies in the quick change between the two states described above. In his good and healthy days he is full of strength and energy. But once he catches a virus or is struck by a disease, his life force sinks very rapidly and drastically. His health deteriorates quickly and he soon reaches a serious, maybe life-threatening state. This fall from extreme heights of vitality to complete weakness and exhaustion usually happens on the physical as well as on the mental sphere. On the other hand, recovery from these lowlands of health is usually quick too. ... Enormous power or deadly weakness, and nothing much in between."2
M Indifference.
To everything; to pleasure and suffering; to loved ones; to duties.
• "George Vithoulkas has described the psychological similarity between Carbo vegetabilis and Sepia. We find great indifference and apathy in both remedies. There is a flatness of affect in Carbo vegetabilis, an indifference to everything that is quite reminiscent of Sepia. A kind of hardness develops, as it does in Sepia. When we are indifferent to those around us, it easily becomes anger and irritability. Thus, the flatness is punctuated by flares of irritability. The Carbo vegetabilis patient is prone to making harsh, cutting remarks far beyond the requirements of the situation. They don't care if they hurt other people's feelings. Like Sepia, they may say, 'I say things that I know are damaging to my child, and I can't stop myself.' They can tolerate only the most calm and gentle demeanour from those around them and become infuriated with minor inconsiderateness. The emotional flatness can lead Carbo vegetabilis patients to take on large and challenging projects in order to excite themselves and alleviate the apathy they feel about life. Or they may be attracted to things such as horror movies and books, seeking mental and emotional stimulation. Carbo vegetabilis does not usually have the amelioration from exercise, dancing, and electrical storms that Sepia has. In those cases where we find ourselves astonished that Sepia has not acted, it is wise to consider Carbo vegetabilis. This is true even when we do not find the typical keynotes of bloating, distension, and desire for fanning."3
M Fear in DARK.
G Acute complaints after exhausting diseases.
G "Bad effects from wine intoxication the previous day." [HANGOVER] [Lippe]
G Shock.
• "SHOCK after operations; body cold, face pale, cold breath, profuse clammy perspiration and desire to be fanned." [Mathur]
G Ailments and DISORDERED DIGESTION.
[indigestion, nausea, eructations, flatulence, pain in stomach, fullness]
Easily disordered digestion.
• "Persons who are sensitive to any irregularity in their diet." [Mathur]
G LOW vitality, exhaustion with cold and clammy skin; collapse.
Persons never fully recovered from exhausting diseases, loss of blood, injuries.
G General SLUGGISHNESS; sluggishness of digestion; sluggishness of circulation.
G Desire for OPEN AIR.
G Wants to be FANNED; craving for fresh air. Chronic Carb-v. is chilly.
G ICY COLDNESS of whole body, esp. nose, hands, feet and knees.
Cold skin, cold breath.
G Internal burning and external coldness.
G Easy satiety; fullness after eating a little.
G Intolerance of FAT and MILK.
G Addiction to smoking.
• "Smokers sometimes benefit from Carbo vegetabilis, a remedy they inhale in massive doses with each puff of a cigarette. Anxious in the face of life's difficulties, these individuals feel a need to relive the sequence, 'carbon oxide - inhalation - pleasure', which takes them back to their first breath of oxygen at the moment when they uttered their primal cry." [Grandgeorge]
G < BEFORE SLEEP. G < WARM WET weather. < Summer; < exposure to sun. G Cannot bear TIGHT clothing around waist and abdomen. G Sensation as if blood STAGNATED. G VARICOSE VEINS - blue - network in skin. G CYANOSIS; asthma and blue skin. P EXTREME FLATULENCE, esp. in upper abdomen and stomach. One of the most bloated remedies. ERUCTATIONS > temporary.
P Asthma or dyspnoea.
And Gall bladder problems.
Asthma or dyspnoea.
And Hernia diaphragmatica.
Asthma or dyspnoea during last months of pregnancy [on account of increased pressure in abdomen from growing foetus]. [Ghegas]
Asthma and blue skin.
Asthma < while lying, wants doors and windows open, > eructations.
P Hoarseness in the evening.
Chronic hoarseness after acute affections of air passages [coryza, bronchitis].
[1] Whitmont, Carbo animalis; BHJ, Jan. 1963. [2] Springer, The full mind picture of Carbo vegetabilis; HL 1/99. [3] Morrison, The Carbon Remedies; IFH 1992.
Rubrics
Mind
Anxiety, on closing eyes [3], in dark [1], in the presence of strangers [2]. Confusion, compelled to arouse himself [3], when lying [2], > mental exertion [1/1]. Delusions, parts of body were enlarged [1], walls seem to fall inward before an epileptic attack [1], of hearing footsteps [1], as if body were smaller before an epileptic attack [1/1]. Dulness, from wet air [2]. Excitement, as if being too much hurried or overworked in business [1/1HA]. Fear, of accidents [2], of being alone, at night [1], on closing eyes [2], of ghosts, at night [2], of strangers [2]. Indifference to joy and suffering [1], to music which he loves [2]. Mannish looking girls [1]. Sadness, from slightest pain [1/1]. Slow flow of thoughts, always revolving around one subject, and sensation as if head were bandaged too tightly [1/1HA]. Weeping, even before strangers on the street [1/1HA].
Vertigo
Objects seem to vibrate [2/1].
Head
Numbness, occiput, as if too tightly bound [2]. Pain, < darkness [2], > eructations [1], from fat food [2], on cessation of menses [2], from loss of sleep, late hours [2].
Eye
Sensation as if wide open [1]; unable to open eyes at night [1]. Pain, burning, during headache [1]; pressing, as if eyes were pressed back in sockets as far as a line drawn from ear to ear [1/1HU].
Hearing
Acute, for voices and talking, on waking [1].
Nose
Epistaxis, from emotions [1/1], before vertigo [1/1], on becoming warm [1/1]. Sneezing, constant, during night [1].
Face
Bloated, when speaking in company [1/1]. Discolouration, bluish, when speaking in company [1/1]. Eruptions, acne, with stomach complaints [2]. TEETH: Pain, from salty food [1/1].
Throat
Choking, on swallowing solids [2].
Stomach
Eructations, sour, while lying on back [1/1]. Nausea, in heat of sun [2/1].
Rectum
Diarrhoea, from heat of sun [1], from shellfish [1].
Bladder
Urging to urinate after even slight exertion [1/1HU].
Larynx
Voice, lost, on exertion [3].
Chest
Palpitation, > eructations [2], on slightest motion [2], when listening to music [1], on going to sleep [2].
Limbs
Heat, hands, during anxiety [1], during menses [1].
Sleep
Waking, from coldness of limbs [3].
Skin
Itching, of parts lain on [1].
Generals
Weakness, from nursing and staying up with sick person [1].
* Repertory additions, Hahnemann [HA] and Hughes [HU].
Food
Aversion: [2]: Fats and rich food; meat; meat, fat; milk; salt food.[1]: Butter; cabbage; coffee; fish; salted, pickled meat; soup.
Desire: [3]: Salt. [2]: Coffee; sour; sweets. [1]: Cold drinks; eggs [*]; salt + sweets; tobacco; warm drinks.
Worse: [3]: Butter; fat; pork; rich food; sour; vegetables, decayed. [2]: Cold drinks; cold food; farinaceous; fish, spoiled; frozen food; fruit; high game; meat, spoiled; milk; pungent; salt; vinegar; warm food. [1]: Baked food; beer; beans and peas; cabbage; cheese; coffee; eggs; fat, rancid; fish; flatulent food; hot food; ice cream; onions; oysters; pastry; poultry; salads; salads; sauerkraut; shellfish; soup.
Better: [2]: Cold food. [1]: Effervescent drinks; hot food.
* Repertory addition [Morrison].

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Homeopathic Remedies for Over Sensitive to Noise&Tinnitus

The Effective treatment of Urethral stricture with Homeopathy

Dr.Devendra Kumar Munta MD Homeo,International Homeopathic Consultant