Minor Homoeopathic Remedies I-K

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Iberis amara

Bitter candytuft This small, flowering annual plant grows throughout Europe and is a familiar garden flower. It grows to a height of about six inches and produces white or pink flowers in the summer months. All parts of the plant are used in herbal medicine, but the seeds alone are gathered and prepared to make a tincture used in homoeopathy. The remedy was investigated and proved by the American homoeopath Dr Edwin Hale, and it is used to treat heart disorders. It may be given for angina, palpitations, oedema, breathlessness and chest pains. It is also a treatment for bronchitis and asthma and sickness and vertigo.

lodum

Iodine Iodine is a nonmetallic element that is an essential substance for the normal functioning of metabolic processes within the body. It is mainly concentrated in the thyroid gland and is a major component of thyroid hormones, which themselves regulate many body processes. A deficiency of iodine causes a gain in weight, swelling of the face and neck, a dry skin and mental apathy.

The person feels excessively tired, and the hair starts to fall out. This deficiency is not usually seen in western countries because iodine is added to table salt. Iodine is found naturally in seaweed and deposits of saltpetre (an evaporate mineral found in dry, desert-like conditions, particularly in Chile). Tincture of iodine is used in homoeopathy as a remedy for hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland).

The symptoms include weakness and wasting, noticed especially in the limbs, pain and bulging of the eyes, excessive hunger, restlessness, nervousness, sweating, breathlessness, intolerance of heat and rapid heart beat. It is also used for severe, hacking coughs, shortness of breath, laryngitis and throat disorders and pain in the bones. People who benefit from this remedy like to be busy and may be talkative and excitable.

However, they may also be forgetful so that their activities may be inefficient and disorganized. Symptoms are made worse by heat in any form and are relieved by cool, fresh air. They also improve for movement and exercise and after meals.

Iris versicolor

The blue flag, water flag, poison flag, liver lily, flag lily, snake lily, dagger flower, dragon flower This attractive but poisonous flowering plant is a native species of North America and Canada, growing in damp, low-lying conditions. It is a popular garden plant in the British Isles, growing to a height of about two or three feet and producing deep blue-purple flowers.

Preparations made from the rhizome have a diuretic and stimulant effect and cause sickness and diarrhoea. They are mainly used for liver and digestive complaints. The fresh rhizome or underground stem is used to prepare the homoeopathic remedy, which is used for indigestion, vomiting and nausea, diarrhoea, colicky pains and also for migraine where the headache is on the right side.

Kali hromatum

Kali brom.; potassium bromide This white, crystalline substance, which is obtained from a chemical process, is used in the photographic industry and has also been given as a remedy in conventional medicine. It was given to men to reduce an excessive libido and particularly to male prisoners. It was also given for some other psychiatric disorders and as a treatment for epilepsy. The homoeopathic remedy is given as a treatment for severe acne and skin disorders, excessive menstrual bleeding especially during the menopause, impotence, epilepsy, nervous exhaustion and depression. People suitable for Kali brom.

Tend to be restless and anxious and have a need to be busy. During their teenage years they may require a lot of reassurance and tend to feel guilty about their emerging sexuality. They may have strong religious beliefs and feel that sexual needs are immoral, and this causes mental stress and conflict. They are prone to acne, especially at puberty and during times of hormonal change. In women, symptoms are worse during menstruation. All symptoms improve if the person is fully occupied.

Kali sulphuricum

Potassium sulphate Potassium sulphate is another of the SCHUSSLER TISSUE SALTS {see Glossary), which is used in homoeopathy for catarrhal conditions in which there is a thick white or yellow discharge. This may occur in bronchitis and other infections of the nose and throat. Also, it is used to treat infected skin conditions, such as erysipelas and eczema, in which there is a pus-like discharge. It may be used as a remedy for such infectious illnesses as measles and scarlet fever, which affect the skin, and also for rheumatism. Symptoms are made worse by hot surroundings and heat in any form and are relieved by coldness and fresh air.

Kalium carbonicum

Kali carb; potassium carbonate Potassium carbonate occurs naturally in all plants, and is obtained from the ash of burnt wood or other vegetation, or by a chemical process. Potassium carbonate was used by the ancient Egyptian civilization in the manufacture of glassware. The remedy is used for complaints affecting the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory system and digestive organs.

It is used for coughs and bronchitis with stitchlike pains, menopausal and menstrual problems, pains in the back and head. The person feels cold and fluid is retained (oedema), causing swelling of the face, especially the upper eyelids. The person feels chilled and may be likely to catch colds or influenza. Symptoms are worse for physical exertion, bending the body forwards and for cool conditions. They are worse in the very early morning between 2 and 3 a.m. Symptoms improve in warm, dry conditions and weather.

People who are suitable for all the Kalium remedies have a strict sense of duty and firm ideas about right and wrong. They are possessive and may be jealous and difficult to live with. They cope badly with any kind of emotional trauma and may feel as though they have been kicked in the abdomen if they receive upsetting news.

Kalium muriaticum

Kali mur.; potassium chloride This white or colourless crystalline substance is found naturally as the mineral sylvite, which occurs in beds of evaporite deposits. It is much used as a fertilizer, and in homoeopathy is one of the SCHUSSLER TISSUE SALTS {see GLOSSARY). A deficiency of potassium chloride affects blood-clotting capability.

The Kali mur. remedy is used to treat inflammations and infections of the mucous membranes. Typically, there is a thick, mucus discharge, and this may occur with middle ear and throat infections, glue ear in children and tonsillitis. The throat may be very sore and swallowing painful and difficult, and the person may have a fever and swollen glands. Symptoms are worse in cold, damp weather and in cold fresh air. Also, they feel worse for eating fatty foods and, in women, during a period. Symptoms are better for sipping ice-cold drinks and for gently rubbing the painful part.

Kalmia latifolia

American laurel, broad-leaved laurel, sheep laurel, calico bush, lambkill, kalmia An attractive but poisonous evergreen shrub that is a native species of some states of the United States of America. It grows to a height of anything up to twenty feet and produces an abundance of pink flowers. The leaves are the part of the plant used medicinally, and they have narcotic and astringent properties and also sedative effects on the heart.

The plant was known to the native Indian people and has been used in the treatment of skin diseases, fevers, syphilis, neuralgia, blood disorders, haemorrhages, diarrhoea and dysentery. The homoeopathic remedy is made from the fresh leaves of the plant and is used to treat symptoms occurring on the right side of the body, such as facial and other neuralgia, shingles, rheumatic pains, numbness and paralysis, and heart problems such as angina. Symptoms are made worse by cold in any form, touch or pressure, and are relieved by warmth.

Kreosotum

Creosote in spirits This remedy is used for infected conditions in which there is pus or other discharge that often has an offensive smell. Hence it is used for skin eruptions such as boils, gum disease and tooth decay with bad breath, and infections of the womb, bladder, pelvic organs and prostate gland. The person may suffer from general weakness and debility with nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and colicky pains. Symptoms may occur mainly on the left side.