Argentum Nit.

Argentum nitricum

Key Symptoms

anxiety; impulsiveness; phobias; craving for sweet foods, which aggravate symptoms; digestive problems with flatulence; tendency to feel hot

Medieval alchemists called this compound lunar caustic. They used its antibacterial and caustic properties for cauterizing wounds. If ingested in large amounts, silver nitrate is highly poisonous and may turn the body blue. It is now used in the manufacture of photographic film and plates, and as a backing for mirrors. Argentum nit. was originally proved by Hahnemann, but then given a more thorough proving by Dr. J. O. Müller of Vienna in 1845.

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Remedy Profile

Argentum nit. is best suited to people who are extroverted, cheerful, and impressionable. Suggestible and impulsive, they may have difficulty in controlling their far-ranging minds and emotions, and readily laugh, cry, lose their tempers, or become anxious. They may be nervous, phobic, and superstitious. Motivated people who think, talk, and act rapidly, they are always in a hurry, and are frequently to be found in careers that require quick thinking and a good memory, or where the emphasis is on performance. Typical physical symptoms include a "sensitive" digestion, a lack of physical control, with awkwardness and tremors, and a tendency to feel the heat. Argentum nit. is used for certain nervous, mental, and digestive problems where these key physical and mental symptoms are evident.

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Anxiety & phobias

Symptoms: Anxiety, possibly accompanied by palpitations, tremors, awkwardness, sweats, insomnia, and even vomiting. There is typically a feeling of being out of control, and the imagination may become overactive, spiraling off to exacerbate fears and heighten anxieties or phobias. Common triggers include stage fright, anticipatory anxiety, and phobias such as claustrophobia, vertigo, or fear of water or the dentist. People who respond to this remedy usually feel very anxious about their health.

Symptoms better: For fresh air; in cool surroundings; for pressure on the head, such as a tight bandage around it.

Symptoms worse: For warmth; in hot weather; at night; for movement; for lying on the left side; for emotional stress; for overwork; for talking.

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Digestive disorders

Symptoms: Diarrhea, loud, explosive belching, a distended abdomen, and flatulence. The stools are smelly, watery, and green. There may be vomiting exacerbated by nervousness or anticipatory anxiety. If symptoms persist, colitis or irritable bowel syndrome may develop. The digestion is "sensitive," with possible cravings for salty or sweet foods, although the latter may trigger headaches or diarrhea.

Symptoms better: For fresh air; in cool surroundings; for pressure on the abdomen.

Symptoms worse: For warmth; in hot weather; for lying on the left side; for emotional stress; for cold or sweet foods.

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Irritable bowel syndrome

Symptoms: Constipation that alternates with flatulence and diarrhea. There is a fluttery, tense feeling in the stomach and pain in the upper left abdomen; stools are usually coated with mucus.

Symptoms better: For fresh air; in cool surroundings; for pressure on the abdomen.

Symptoms worse: For warmth; in hot weather; for lying on the left side; for emotional stress; for cold or sweet foods.

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Nervous disorders

Symptoms: The limbs feel weak, bruised, and trembling. There is often giddiness and a tendency to stagger in the dark. The remedy is also used for twitching with numbness, which may follow a stroke or brain injury, or which may be linked to epilepsy, especially if attacks occur after a fright or during menstruation. The weakness and heaviness of the limbs may eventually lead to a feeling of paralysis.

Argentum nit. may also be prescribed for multiple sclerosis, if the mental and physical symptoms fit the profile.

Symptoms better: For fresh air; in cool surroundings.

Symptoms worse: For warmth; at night; during menstruation.

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