The ammonia remedies: their homoeopathic use in head injuries and other head conditions

Abstract

The ammonia remedies, deriving from a gas, show distinct head symptoms, generally characterized by a cerebral congestion, heaviness and confusion. Case experiences, presenting with a similar symptomatology after a traumatic impact to the head, alerted to the remedies’ use in head injuries. Ammonium carbonicum and Ammonium muriaticum were found curative. Unlike the Natrum remedies, the ammonia remedies have not been specifically linked with this particular effect, although Clarke’s Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica describes the successful use of Ammonium picricum in the head injury.

The two cases are described and an overview of the materia medica of Ammonia remedies is given, with special attention to head and face symptoms. Nerve-related head symptoms are also apparent in the materia medica.

Respiratory illness, often with a suffocative character, a diminished vitality, and impeded circulatory functions are further typical manifestations of the ammonia compounds.