Magnesium sulphuricum

Magnesium sulphuricum
(epsom salt)
* The skin, urinary, and female symptoms are most marked.
* The purgative action of Sulphate of Magnesia is not a quality of the drug, but a quality of
its physical state, which renders its absorption impossible.
* The properties inherent in the substance itself can only be discovered by attenuation. (Percy
Wilde.)
Head
- Apprehensive; vertigo; head heavy during menses.
- Eyes burn, noises in ears.
Stomach
- Frequent eructations, tasting like bad eggs.
- Rising of water in mouth.
Urinary
- Stitches and burning in the orifice of the urethra after urinating.
- Stream intermits and dribbles.
- The urine passed in the morning copious, bright yellow, soon becomes turbid, and deposits
a copious red sediment.
- The urine is greenish as passed; is of a clear color, and in a large quantity.
- Diabetes. [Phos. ac.; Lact. ac.; Ars. brom.]
Female
- Thick leucorrhoea, as profuse as the menses, with weary pain in the small of the back and
thighs, on moving about.
- Some blood from the vagina between the menses.
- Menstruation returned after fourteen days; the discharge was thick, black, and profuse.
- Menses too early, intermit.
Neck and back
- Bruised and ulcerative pain between the shoulders, with a feeling as of a lump as large as
the first, on which account she could not lie upon her back or side; relieved by rubbing.
- Violent pain in the small of the back, as if bruised, and as before menstruation.
Extremities
- The left arm and foot fall asleep in bed, in themorning after waking.
Skin
- Small pimples over the whole body, that itch violently.
- Suppressed itch.[ Sulph.]
- Crawling in the tips of the fingers of the left hand; better on rubbing.
- Warts.
- Erysipelas (applied locally as a saturated solution).
- Dropsy (physiological doses).
Fever
- Chill from 9 to 10 a.m.
- Shuddering in back; heat in one part and chill in another.
Relationship
- It is claimed that the addition of a small amount of Magnes. Sulph. to the usual hypodermic
of Morphine increases the value of the hypodermic from 50 to 100 %.
Physiologic dosage
- Magnes.
- Sulph. is of diagnostic and therapeutic value inGallstone colic.
- From 2 to 4 teaspoonfuls in glass hot water taken at onset of a colicky attack may abort or
stop the colic.
- Epsom salt is one of the most active saline cathertics, operating with little pain or nausea,
especially if pure.
- It has but little if any effect on intestinal peristalsis, its action causing a rush of fluid into the
intestine, which by producing a distention of the bowel produces evacuation.
- It causes little or no irritation in the intestine.
- In common with the other salines, it is the classical evacuant to be employed in connection
with mercurials and anthelmintics and in cases of poisoning.
- Epsom salt usually acts within from one to two hours, more quickly if taken in hot water
and in the morning before breakfast.
- The ordinary dose as a mild laxative is a heaping teaspoonful; as a cathartic, two to four
teaspoonfuls.
- The taste may be improved, if necessary, by the addition of a little lemon juice and sugar.
- Besides its chief use as a saline cathartic, magnesium sulphate is used to a considerable
extent externally in saturated solution as an antiphlogistic and antipruritic in erysipelas, ivy
poisoning, cellulitis and other local inflammations.
- Use on compresses saturated with solution.
Dose
- The pure salt to the third potency.
- Locally 1 : 4 in water in septic conditions, erysipelas, orchitis, boils, etc.