Homoeopathy — Page 53
. Alumen 53 Alumen (Common Potash Alum) Alumen is the common alum, which is used to control bleeding from any wound. It is famous for clumping together the suspended particles in a solution (colloids). However, it cannot clump suspended matter in air or in gas. The venom of several kinds of snakes acts similarly on the blood. The clots/clumps thus formed, precipitate heart attack by blocking the blood vessels of the heart. If Alumen is directly added to the blood, it will clump the red and white cells, but the fluid part of the blood i. e. serum, which contains the 12 salts in a properly balanced form, is not affected by it. The alum is also used to clean dirty water. The dust particles in colloidal form precipitate to the bottom of the container and the clean water comes to the surface. In this process, a slight amount of alum remains in the water. Therefore, Alumen symptoms are not uncommon in areas such as the Sindh province in Pakistan. In Alumen, the patients develop deep ulcers or abscesses. The abscesses may gradually progress to cancer formation. Chronic ulcers, as well as cancer of the tongue and throat can develop. The lymph glands become swollen and indurate. The tonsils enlarge and become firm. Hard nodules develop in the uterus, as well as in the mammary glands (the breast). Like Sulphur, there is a feeling of heat and pressure on the scalp. Being very sensitive, the patient of Sulphur cannot tolerate the pressure of the hand or even the touch of a cloth, while the patient of Alumen feels comfort with pressure. In Alumen, the muscles are very weak as in Plumbum. In other words, the paralytic features of Alumen and Plumbum are very much similar. All these ill effects of Alumen, as already mentioned, are amenable to the homoeopathic potency of Alumen, irrespective of the cause of the symptoms. If these symptoms and signs are of Alumen and the constitution of the patient is also of Alumen, then Alumen will offer