Sulphur

(note: the use of the pronoun 'he' in the text below is neutral, for it can also mean 'she')

It's a mineral substance, found in nature as a crystalline solid. Hahnemann recommended preparing this medicine by triturating, up to the 3rd centesimal. Sulphur has a strong affinity for the skin (and a little less for mucous membranes). It produces burning and itching all over. Scratching the skin causes burning. Sulphur causes whichever eruption one can suffer, and they're usually itchy. The itching and burning are much worse by heat, specially the heat of the bed at night. By the way, a keynote of sulphur is aggravation by heat, and intolerance to hot climates. Aggravation by use of water, and sulphur children hate to go to the bath or shower (but don't want to leave the bathroom after having entered). They also don't like to brush their teeth or have any hygienic care.

There is redness of the orifices and their surroundings. Red ears, red lips, red anus, red vulva. And these orifices are very sensitive indeed. The passage of excretions or secretions is painful. Sulphur secretions are acid and excoriating.

Its action upon the vessels is one of stagnation, congestion, so we have among the symptoms: congestion of the face and head, venous engorgement of the rectum, haemorrhoids, varicose veins. The venous congestion causes heat on top of the head, desire to uncover during sleep, desire for open air. The sulphur patient constantly puts his feet out of the coverings so to sleep, even in the coldest nights. For the same reason, he is averse to socks. There are hot flushes with fainting sensations that ameliorate when sweating begins, what makes sulphur indicated for menopausal symptoms.

There are two characteristic sulphur types: the "fat sulphur" and the "slim sulphur". The latter has imperfect assimilation of the nutrients. Very few of the food he eats is assimilated, even when the appetite is ravenous. There's an empty feeling in the pit of the stomach around 11 o'clock am. That (the imperfect assimilation) is the reason why the faeces of these patients are so strong smelling. The "fat sulphur" is sluggish and has more pronounced venous congestion.

Sulphur is useful to elicit reactions in patients suffering from chronic illnesses or recurrent diseases. It's used in patients who don't show improvement from the use of the best indicated remedy, because it acts on the psoric miasm which is the cause of this resistance to the homeopathic remedy. When we don't have evident, pronounced symptoms to base our prescription upon, Sulphur is the option to elicit a response from the latent psora.

It produces enlargement of the lymph nodes.

The sulphur patient is very mentally active, excited, anxious, full of thoughts and theories about everything. He's called the "ragged philosopher". In psora, he's lazy and irresolute and disposed to these mental speculations. He presents religious melancholia, always afraid of losing his salvation. Makes very imaginative plans, has false beliefs about facts and persons. In sycosis, he's extremely selfish, only takes into account his own conveniences; with an exaggerated idea of his own valour. In syphilis Sulphur has a mental deficit, is unable to understand what is said or to associate ideas, with debility of memory.

Sulphur patient sleeps very badly, is always changing his position in bed, wakes easily during the night. Sleeps better in the morning.