Acids: Inorganic Acids & Organic Acids
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2000 Jan / Feb VOL II NO 1.
Abstracted From Universal Mineral Materia Medica
Dr R D Jain & Dr Smita Trivedi

Reducing agent (Organic acids, Muriatic-acid); Oxidising agent (Mineral acids).

Pathogenesis:

• Irritant, cathartic action. Inflammation, infection with severe pain leading to ulceration and painless condition ie,gangrene.
• Toxemia, septicemia, ulceration and malignancy.
• Allergy, hypovolumic shock.
• Blood: Anemia, Leukemia, hemolytic jaundice. Metabolic acidosis.
• Slow, progressive metabolic disorders.
• Burning, bleeding, cracks, fissures, fistula.
• Fever-all types.

Acids
Introduction: An acid may be defined as a substance that can provide H+ (Proton donor). A base is a substance that can accept H+ (Proton acceptor).
Acid < = = = = = > Base + H+ (Hydrogen) ion.

Common Medicines Of Acid Group:
Inorganic acids: Bromic-acid, Chromic-acid, Fluoric-acid, Hydrocyanic-acid, Muriatic-acid, Nitric-acid, Sulphuric-acid, Phosphoric acid,
Organic acids: Acetic-acid, Acetyl-acetic-acid(Aspirin), Anthranillic-acid, Benzoic-acid, Carbolic-acid (Phenol), Cinnamic-acid, Citric-acid, Formic-acid, Lactic-acid, Oxalic-acid, Phthalic-acid, Picric-acid, Salicylic-acid, Succinic-acid, Sulphanilic-acid, Uric-acid, Tartaric- acid.

Common Indications Of Acid Group:
Ailments from: Surgical socks, injury, bad effects of bites and stings, after anaesthesia, abuse of narcotics, occupational hazards, infection-bacterial, viral etc.

1. Direction of action: Mineral acids have centrifugal as well as centripetal actions. They are used in severe acute infections and during generalized toxic conditions. During chronic disease where acidic organ and acidic tissue are involved, mineral acids are used.
   
   Organic acids are used in chronic disease. They have centripetal as well as centrifugal action. They are used to antidote bad effects of increased secretion of acidic organs and tissues where excretory organs are damaged.
   
   
2. Miasm: Mineral acids cover all the miasm, more of syphilitic misam. Organic acids have sycotic and tubercular miasm.
   
   
3. Constitution: Person belonging to acid group has thin, weak broken down constitution. They look pale and anemic. Hair loss and baldness.
   
   
4. Pain and inflammation: All mineral acids have inflammation. Inflammation leads to ulceration, gangrene or toxaemia. In initial stage of inflammation there is severe pain which remains for hours like Nitric-acid. Advance stage of disease is painless like Muriatic-acid.
   
   In the organic acid, lower molecular weight aliphatic acid like oxalic-acid and acetic-acid, have more pain and less inflammation, while higher molecular weight aromatic acids like phenolic and Sulphanilic-acid, have less or no pain.
   
   
5. Sphere of action: Mineral acids have action have action on acidic secretions and acidic organs, hard tissues. Organic acids have action on muscles, tendons, connective tissues, endocrine organs, soft tissues, etc.
   
   CNS: Paralysis, sclerosis, brain fag, convulsion, etc. (Respiratory paralysis-Acid-hydrocyanic, Brain fag-Acid-picric. Multiple sclerosis-Acid-oxalic). They are used in Malignancy: Cervix: Acid-fluor; Ac-nit;
   Osteo-sarcoma-Acid-fluor; Tongue: Acid-butyric; Acid-acetic
   GIT: Hyperacidity, irritable bowel movement, ulceration.
   RS: Asthma, eosinophilia, malignancy. Nasal Polyp and adrenoid: Acid-chromic.
   CVS: Hypovolumic shock, angina
   GUT: Stone, glycosuria, albuminuria; diabetes mellitus and insipidus. Calculi, Oxaluria: Acid oxalic
   Extremities: Varicose vein and varicose ulcers; Rheumatic pain - burning, pricking needle like.
   Gout and Rheumatism (Ac. Benz.; Acid Carbolic).
   Bone: caries, necrosis; Blood: Anaemia, leukamia, haemolytic jaundice.
   Teeth: erosion of enamel. Sensitive to touch, biting, chewing, cold.
   Skin: Inflammation and ulceration, sepsis
   Sensory organs: Hypersensitive and acrid discharge.
   
   
6. Depth Of Action: All acids are very deep acting, they act up to pathological changes. Mineral acids are deeper acting than organic acids.
   
   
7. Tongue, Taste and Discharge: Tongue: - thin, burning, cracked, ulcerated, blackish and brownish coated. Malignancy. Taste: - sour, metallic, putrid.
   Discharges: Discharges are acrid, excoriating, offensive, burning and haemorrhagic. (Dark Offensive-Acid-benz. Offensive breath-Acid-carbolic. Offensive discharge from throat-Acid- acetic. Offensive Urine-Acid-nit.; Acid-benzoic)
   
   All acids decrease acid secretions of body and by rebound phenomena increase alkaline secretions and produce profuse salivation.
   
   
8. pH reaction: All have acidic pH except Carbolic-acid and uric-acid which is neutral in reaction. Mineral acids are more acidic than organic acid.
   
   
9. Thermal modality: All are chilly except Acid-fluoric and Acid-picric. Even when close to fire, person feels chilly.
   
   
10. Sensibility and susceptibility (Reactivity): Passive, lack of reaction, susceptibility poor, immune response poor.
    Mineral acids: toxic, sepsis, ulceration and malignancy Organic acids have
    1. Allergic manifestations, e.g. skin and asthma < summer (Kali- bich).
    2. Chronic non healing cases, lingering cases and alternating states of disease.
    3. Slow progressive metabolic disorder and malignancy.
    
    
    
11. Reversibility and irreversibility: Mineral acids are useful in acute inflammatory disease, which either end in death or recovers. Organic acids are more useful in chronic non-reversible diseases.
    
    
12. Electro-magnetic forces: Mineral acids are affected by electro-magnetic forces like radiation, moon phases, sea, pressure changes, change of weather, etc. Organic acid are poorly affected or not affected by the elctro-magnetic.
    
    
13. Food habits: Desires: Acidic food, citrus fruits, tamarind, indigestible food like chalk, pencil, mud, paint, egg, Meat, etc., but they aggravate. Aversion: Heavy food, pulses, sweets, oily, fatty food, cheese, icy cold, ice cream etc.
    
    
14. Guiding Indications:
    • They have burning, extreme weakness, debility destruction, haemorrhage, ulcer, septicemia, etc.
    • They have cracks, fissures and fistulae. Cracks and fissures in the mouth and at anus-Acid nitric. Fistual dental. Lachrymal, ano-rectal-Acid flouric.
    • All are useful for diabetes, rheumatic complaints and hyperacidity.
    • Burning of acidic organs, chest, urethra. Symptoms appear and disappear suddenly (Acid- carbolic , Acid- chromic, Acid-nitric). Spotty pain < thinking of complaints - Acid carbolic.
    • Trembling, shivering and debility after loss of vital fluids, diarrhea. Vomiting, seminal emission, lactation, profuse sweating, etc.
    • Debility at both, at the level of mind (emotional and intellect) and at physical level, (except Acid-fluor which has vigor). Physical level- Acid-picric, Acid-phos.
      Debility after acute fever - Acid-sarcolactic, Debility after Diptheria - Acid-carbolic. Debility after neurasthemia - Acid-picric, Acid-phos. Debility associated with sex - Acid picric, Acid-phos.).
    • Skin: Sepsis, loss of hair and brittle nails. It is more marked in mineral acids than organic acids.
    • Soapy, thick, stringy alkaline secretion (like water brash) from alkaline organs after burning, pricking pain of acidic organs.
    • Pseudo-membrane at the surface of alkaline organs e.g. Acid-mur, Acid-nitric, Acid-gallic.
    • Weakness with destruction tissue mineral acid. Weakness without destruction organic acid.
    • Haemorrhagic tendency and bleeding disorders. Destruction of blood, black brown non coagulable blood.
      Mineral acids: Active bleeding e.g. epistaxis, haematemesis, malaena, haematuria, menorrhagia, injury after, petechial bleeding, etc.
      Organic acids: Passive bleeding like slow oozing of blood in ulcer, scorbutic gums malaena, etc.
    • Septicemia, allergic, immune disorders.
      Mineral acids: Acute infection like Typhoid, typhus relapsing fever, asthma, urticaria etc.
      Organic acids: Chronic infections, auto-immune disorders.
    • Ulceration with sloughing, starts with painful to painless.
      Mineral acids: Hard and soft tissues. (Bones and periosteum - Acid-fluoric, Acid-phos.
      Caries of nasal bone-Acid-nitric, Acid-fluoric, Acid-phos.).
      Organic acids: Soft tissues e.g. tongue-Acid-benzoic, vocal cord-Acid-lactic.
    • Action and behavior disorders is predominant in mineral acids. Toxemia, delirium, hallucination and impulsive behavior.
    • Over sensitive to external stimuli at mental as well as physical level, e.g. noise-Acid nitric. Pain -Acid-muriaticum, light exercise shaving - Acid-carbolic, Acid-oxalic, smell-Acid-carbolic, light - Acid-allic.

Integrity of intellectual faculty and higher centers of brain are damaged or disturbed. His perceiving power is decreased. Their understanding and interpretations are wrong. All the painful complaints turn into painless. They are dependent on family members for nursing and care. weary of life and despair of recovery. Nature- coward, malicious, jealous and suspicious and loquacious.

Persistent thoughts of suicide. Behaves foolishly. Memory is weak and lack in self-confidence. He has a confused state of mind and lacks concentration. He has vacant look and wants to be quiet and does want to be disturbed or answer or argue. He must be occupied in some work otherwise physical complaints increases < when free or thinking of complaints. Person is in extremes of dual state of mind.

1. Schizophrenia or insanity.
2. Delirium. Both the states lead to alter action and behavior in person.

1. Schizophrenia or insanity: In this phase he is exhilarated in his own word. A contradictory state of mind develops. His actions are irrelevant to the situation. He laughs at serious matter and becomes serious at laughable matter or on trifles. Vindictive ideas and behaviors. He has different gestures and grimaces on his face.
   Person has disorientation of time, space and identity. He does not recognize his relatives. He always requires supervision for his care. He cannot be left alone as he may harm himself or others. He has an aversion to company. He does not participate in any pleasurable events. He is anxious and excited and becomes angry when upset. He is obstinate. He develops obsessive compulsive neurosis. He dwells constantly on sex and exposes his genitals and wants to be naked. He has lewd thoughts and lascivious mania. Nymphomania. He develops addiction and enjoys troubling others. On withdrawal of the drug he moves recklessly. Mania-o-potu. He feels he is under super natural power. Free mind is evil's mind. He is a nuisance in the family and in the society.
   
   
2. State of delirium develops after loss of function and structures of the body after accumulation of toxins. He is drowsy with muttering and moaning constantly. He has altered action and behavior. His speech is irrelevant and incoherent. He has various delusions. He constantly complaints about seriousness of the disease, For him contradiction is intolerable. He is constantly buried in negative thoughts. He has abundant ideas. He wants to fulfill his desires urgently, as his disease is fatal. He loses all hopes of recovery. He loses control over eliminating discharges like urine and stool etc. He is violent, furious and impulsive then he goes into mania. He has repeated impulse to kill.

Modalities: Aggravation: Night, exertion, cold food and cold drink, loss of vital fluids, loss of sleep, mental tension anxiety, eating after , relief from discharge like profuse urination, etc.

Remedy Relationship:
Complementary and antidoted by: Weak acids, weak base, and strong alkali; organic acids after mineral acids. Weak organic acids and weak base for strong organic acids. Inimical: Mineral acids after organic acids.

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