Acetic acid
Alias: Acet-ac., Aceticum acidum
Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica, William Boericke
Glacial Acetic Acid (ACETIC ACID)
This drug produces a condition of profound anaemia, with some dropsical symptoms, great debility, frequent fainting, dyspnoea, weak heart, vomiting, profuse urination and sweat. Haemorrhage from any part. Especially indicated in pale, lean persons, with lax, flabby muscles. Wasting and debility. Acetic acid has the power to liquefy albuminous and fibrinous deposits. Epithelial cancer, internally and locally (W Owens). Sycosis with nodules and formations in the joints. Hard chancre. The 1x solution will soften and cause formation of pus.
Mind.--Irritable, worried about business affairs.
Head.--Nervous headache, from abuse of narcotics. Blood rushes to head with delirium. Temporal vessels distended. Pain across root of tongue.
Face.--Pale, waxen, emaciated. Eyes sunken, surrounded by dark rings. Bright red. Sweaty. Epithelioma of lip. Cheeks hot and flushed. Aching in left jaw-point.
Stomach.--Salivation. Fermentation in stomach. Intense burning thirst. Cold drinks distress. Vomits after every kind of food. Epigastric tenderness. Burning pain as of an ulcer. Cancer of stomach. Sour belching and vomiting. Burning waterbrash and profuse salivation. Hyperchlorhydria and gastralgia. Violent burning pain in stomach and chest, followed by coldness of skin and cold sweat on forehead. Stomach feels as if she had taken a lot of vinegar.
Abdomen.--Feels as if abdomen was sinking in. Frequent watery stools, worse in morning. Tympanitic. Ascites. Haemorrhage from bowels.
Urine.--Large quantities of pale urine. Diabetes, with great thirst and debility (Phos ac).
Female.--Excessive catamenia. Haemorrhages after labor. Nausea of pregnancy. Breasts painfully enlarged, distended with milk. Milk impoverished, bluish, transparent, sour. Anaemia of nursing mothers.
Respiratory.--Hoarse, hissing respiration; difficult breathing; cough when inhaling. Membranous croup. Irritation of trachea and bronchial tubes. False membrane in throat. Profuse bronchorrhoea. Putrid sore throat (gargle).
Back.--Pain in back, relieved only by lying on abdomen.
Extremities.--Emaciation. OEdema of feet and legs.
Skin.--Pale, waxen, oedematous. Burning, dry, hot skin, or bathed in profuse sweat. Diminished sensibility of the surface of body. Useful after stings, bites, etc. Varicose swellings. Scurvy; anasarca. Bruises; sprains.
Fever.--Hectic, with drenching night-sweats. Red spot on left cheek. No thirst in fever. Ebullitions. Sweat profuse, cold.
Relationship.--Acetic acid is antidotal to all anaesthetic vapors. Counteracts sausage poisoning.
Compare: Ammon acet (Profuse saccharine urine, patient is bathed in sweat). Benzoin oderiferum--Spice-wood (night sweats). Ars; China; Digitalis; Liatris (General anasarca in heart and kidney disease, dropsy, and chronic diarrhoea).
Dose.--Third to thirtieth potency. Not to be repeated too often, except in croup.
Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, James Tyler Kent
This remedy is, useful in complaints of pale, sickly people.
Patients who have been weak for many years, who have inherited phthisis, Emaciation, weakness, anaemia, loss of appetite, burning thirst and copious pale urine are a combination calling for Acetic acid.
Sensation of heat with pulsation coining and going, like orgasms; chlorosis in young girls; dropsical conditions in general; bad effects from stings and bites, have been cured by this remedy.
Vinegar is an old remedy for bad effects from chloroform. It is useful in the hemorrhagic constipation. Bleeding from various mucous membranes, nose, stomach, rectum, lungs and from ulcers. Sensitive to cold.
Mind: Confusion of mind does not know her own children; forgets what has recently happened attacks of anguish; constantly borrows trouble thinks something is going to happen; peevishness, complaining.
Fainting spells in weak, anaemic subjects; headaches; face pale and waxy; epistaxis; one cheek pale and the other red; diphtheria in throat or larynx, unquenchable thirst; sensitive stomach; vomiting blood, and all food taken; ulceration of stomach; hot, sour eructations; frothy vomiting; gnawing pain; distension of stomach, with a constant commotion; burning in stomach and abdomen, ameliorated by lying on the stomach.
Abdomen: In the abdomen there is great pain, distension, flatulence or dropsy, sore to touch; diarrhea, thin, bloody or pure blood; profuse bleeding from piles; chronic diarrhea.
Urines: Copious watery urine. It has cured diabetes, with sugar in the urine or without, where there is great thirst, weakness and pallor and loss of flesh.
Genital: Weakness with seminal losses; relaxed genitals and swollen feet.
Uterine haemorrhage; copious menses, or watery menstrual flow scanty menses with chlorosis.
Larynx and chest: Weakness of larynx; croup; diphtheria. It has cured many cases of laryngeal diphtheria; hoarseness, with pale mucous membranes; chronic dry, hacking cough in sickly, pale persons, such as have inherited phthisis, with oedema of extremities, diarrhea and dyspnoea, or night sweats; haemorrhage from the lungs; burning in chest and stomach; rattling in chest; chronic bronchitis.
Extremities: Weakness and lameness in extremities, with swelling, rheumatic or oedematous; dropsy of limbs, with diarrhea.
It is a deep-acting, constitutional remedy, and when well studied will be very useful.
All substances abused as food become great remedies, such as vinegar, coffee, common salt, etc. We should look to them oftener than we do for the stubborn chronic cases.
A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke
Glacial Acetic Acid. HC2 H3 O2. (Distilled water is used for attenuations 1x and 1; very dilute spirit for 3x and up to 4; rectified spirit for 5 and higher.)
Clinical.─Anaemia. Anaesthetics, antidote to. Ascarides. Burns. Corns. Croup. Debility. Diabetes. Diphtheria. Dropsies. Fevers. Hydrophobia. Naevi. Narcotics, antidote to. Phthisis. Sausage-poisoning, antidote to. Scalds. Stings. Stomach, cancer of. Varicosis. Warts.
Characteristics.─The leading features of acetic acid are excessive wasting and debility; anaemia with waxy pallor of face; intense thirst; burning in throat; nausea, retching, and sour rising as met with in cases of cancer and debility. There are gnawing, ulcerative pains in stomach; pain and burning in abdomen. Profuse, exhausting diarrhoea. It has been used in diabetes. It corresponds to putrid and hectic fevers with night sweats; haemorrhages, varicose swellings, and dropsies. As a type of vinegar effects may be mentioned the following: A plump and blooming young woman took a small glass daily to reduce size. Soon lost flesh and colour. In a month cough set in with white concocted phlegm, fever, dyspnoea, night sweats, anorexia, dropsy, diarrhoea, death. Lungs after death were found stuffed with non-suppurating tubercles. A young German, after working twelve months in a vinegar factory, was obliged to leave from indigestion, dyspnoea, and ready fatigue. It is suited to children and old people; to lax, pale, lean persons. (Equal parts of vinegar and hot water make a refreshing sponge-down for many conditions of fever, with or without perspiration.)
Relations.─Compare: Apis, Ars. (but Acet. ac. has more preponderant gastric symptoms than either); Carbol. ac., Lac. defl., Lact. ac., Uran. nit. Large doses of Acet. ac. are best antidoted by Magnesia or Calcarea either as fluid magnesia or as lime-water. Antidotes to potencies are: For depressing, agonising feeling, Tabac., Acon.; for gastric, pulmonary and febrile symptoms, Nat. m., and afterwards Sep. It antidotes: Anaesthetics, Acon., Asar., Coffea, Euphorb., Ignat., Opium, Plumb. (colic), Sep., Stram., Tabac. It counteracts sausage-poisoning. It aggravates the effects of Bell., Merc., Arn., Lach. Disagrees when given after Borax, Caust., Nux v., Ran. b., Sars.: Scilla, Colch., and Sang. have more effect in curing some diseases when prepared with Acet. ac. than with Alcohol.
SYMPTOMS.
1. Mind.─Very dull and low-spirited; irritable.─Alternate stupor and delirium.─Confusion of ideas.─Grieves much; sighs often.─Horrible attacks of anxiety with difficult breathing.─Vertigo with feebleness and fainting.
2. Head.─Heaviness and dull pains in forehead and vertex.─Headache from abuse of tobacco, opium, coffee, or alcohol.
5. Nose.─Liable to frequent catarrhal attacks.─Nose-bleed, esp. from a fall or a blow.
6. Face.─Expression wild, pupils dilated.─Face pale, waxen, emaciated.─Left cheek (esp.) very red during fever.─Bright red flush on both cheeks.─Sweat on forehead in spots.
8. Mouth.─Teeth feel dull, breath foul.─Scorbutic ulcers; toothache.─Taste sour.─Epithelium of mouth quite white.─Tongue pale and flabby.
9. Throat.─Children thirsty, but swallow with difficulty even a teaspoonful of water.─White false membranes in throat.
11. Stomach.─Insatiable burning thirst.─Shrieks for water at night.─Intense thirst; nausea, and frequent vomiting.─Disgust for salted things and cold victuals.─Cold drinks lie heavy.─Vegetables, except potatoes, disagree, also bread and butter still more.─Contents of stomach feel as if in a ferment; violent burning pain in stomach and in chest, followed by coldness of the skin and cold sweat on forehead.─Indurations in stomach.─Scirrhus of pylorus.
12. Abdomen.─Distension of the abdomen; colicky pains.─Ascites.─Abdomen feels as if sunken in when lying on his back.
13. Stool and Anus.─Diarrhoea, with great thirst, drinking large quantities with apparent impunity.─Diarrhoea, with swelling of legs and feet (phthisical subjects).─Diarrhoea, with colic pains and tenderness of the abdomen.─Haemorrhage from bowels.─Chronic constipation.─Ascarides.─Chronic diarrhoea of children with great emaciation.─Constipation, with great thirst and excess of pale urine.
14. Urinary Organs.─Urine increased in quantity; pale; phosphatic; diabetes, with intense, burning, unending and unquenchable thirst and great debility.
15. Male Sexual Organs.─Weakening emissions; semen passes at stool.─Prepuce thickened, fissured, can't be retracted and itches fearfully.─Sexual passion, but feeble erection.
16. Female Sexual Organs.─Metrorrhagia; after parturition, with great thirst.
17. Respiratory Organs.─Hoarse, with laryngeal irritation.─Lining membrane of larynx and trachea covered with a fibrinous exudation as in true croup.─Hissing respiration, with rattling in the throat.─Croup-like cough; a hollow sound with each inhalation.─Haemoptysis.
20. Back.─Myelitis, with profuse urine; the pain in the back relieved only by lying on the abdomen.
21. Limbs.─Oedematous swelling of the feet and legs.
24. Generalities.─Convulsions.─Jumps out of bed like a madman, and crawls on the ground, howling with pain.─Great emaciation.─Skin pale and waxen.─General anasarca and dropsical affections.─Burning in inner and outer parts.
25. Skin.─Sugillations.─Tetter-like eruptions.─Naevi; warts; corns.
26. Sleep.─Sleepless.
27. Fever.─Skin cold.─Slow fever with night sweats.─Profuse perspiration.─Hectic.─Putrid and typhous fevers.
Keynotes and Characteristics with Comparisons of Some of the Leading Remedies of the Materia Medica (Allen's Keynotes), Henry Clay Allen
Glacial Acetic Acid (CH3COOH)
Adapted to pale lean persons with lax, flabby muscles; face pale, waxy (Fer.). Haemorrhage; from every mucous outlet, nose, throat, lungs, stomach, bowels, uterus (Fer., Mill.); metrorrhagia; vicarious; traumatic epistaxis (Arn.). Marasmus and other wasting diseases of children (Abrot., Iod., Sanic., Tub.). Great prostration; after injuries (Sulph. ac.); after surgical shock; after anaesthetics. Thirst; intense, burning, insatiable even for large quantities in dropsy, diabetes, chronic diarrhoea; but no thirst in fever. Sour belching and vomiting of pregnancy, burning water-brash and profuse salivation, day and night (Lac. ac., salivation < at night, Mer. s.). Diarrhoea; copious, exhausting, great thirst; in dropsy, typhus, phthisis; with night sweats. True croup, hissing respiration, cough with inhalation (Spong.); last stages. Inhalation of vapor of cider vinegar has been successfully used in croup and malignant diphtheria. Cannot sleep lying on the back (sleeps better on back, Ars.); sensation of sinking in abdomen causing dyspnoea; rests better lying on belly (Am. c.). Hectic fever, skin dry and hot; red spot on left cheek and drenching night sweats.
Relationship. It antidotes anaesthetic vapors (Amyl.); fumes of charcoal and gas; Opium and Stramonium. Cider vinegar antidotes Carbolic acid. Follows well; after Cinchona, in haemorrhage; after Digitalis, in dropsy. It aggravates; the symptoms of Arn., Bell., Lach., Mer., especially the headache from Belladonna.