Aurum Metallicum

Constitution

Physical make up :

• Aurum patient is sanguine, ruddy with black hair and eyes, lively, restless and anxious about the future.  
• Also suited to old people, with weak vision, corpulent and tired of life.  
• Also, for broken down constitutions and for the bad effects of mercury and syphilis. (1) 

Temperament : Melancholic 3, Choleric 2 (10)

Diathesis : Scrofulous 

Relation with heat & cold : Chilly 

Miasm : Syphilis (1)

Clinical Features

Clinical conditions

In Homeopathy Aurum Metallicum medicine use by Homeopathic Doctors in treatment of following Disease Conditions

Alcoholism, Angina, Ankylosing spondylosis, Anorexia, Anxiety, Arrhythmia, Arthritis, Bone pains, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Depression, Drug abuse, Endocarditis, Hypertension, Insomnia, Malignancy, Mastoiditis, Nightmares, Orchitis, Sinusitis, Suicidal states, Undescended testes, Uterine fibroids, Valvular heart disease. (6)

Sites of action / Pharmacodynamics

Mind, nerves, bones, cardiovascular system, genitourinary organs and glands. (1)

Causation (Causes / Ailments from)

Abuse of mercury, fright, anger, contradiction, mortification, vexation, dreads or reserved displeasure. (1)

Physiological action

• This agent produces irritation and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract with nausea, vomiting, flatulent colic, diarrhoea, and increased urination.  
• The glandular system shows congestion and induration, especially of the liver and testicles.  
• The periosteum is inflamed, while the bones of the nose often become carious and exostosis forms.  
• The sexual organs are excited, resulting in priapism in the male and profuse and frequent menstruation in the female. 
• There are profuse sweats and sensitiveness of the whole body to cold air. (8) 

Patho-physiological changes / Pathogenesis

• Aurum develops in the organism by attacking the blood, glands and bone. 
• Conditions bears strong resemblance to mercurial and syphilitic infections.  
• It is used for deterioration of body fluids and alterations in the tissues.  
• It is for this action that Aurum assumes great importance as a remedy.  
• Like the victim of syphilis, mental states of great depression are produced by it. (1) 

Characteristic mental symptoms (psychology)

• Patient is CONSTANTLY DWELLING ON SUICIDE. This is the keynote of Aurum Metallicum.  
• Patient uneasy and hurried; great desire for mental and physical activity.  
• Cannot do things fast enough.  
• Profound melancholy in which he feels hateful and quarrelsome. 
• Desire to die by suicide. He feels life is a burden, especially after the abuse of mercury.  
• With nearly all complaints, weak memory and lack of concentration.  
• Has great fear of death.  
• Oversensitive to noise, excitement and confusion.  
• Patient is peevish and vehement at least contradiction. (1) 

Guiding Symptoms Of Aurum Met

• A- Ailments from; fright, anger, contradictions, mortification. 
• U- Undeveloped, undescendent testis in pining boys with lack of boyish go. 
• R- Reserved displeasure. 
• U- Uterine prolapse: from over- reaching or straining. 
• M- Melancholia: dwells on suicide. 
• M- Menstrual and uterine affection: with melancholia. 
• E- Eyes: sees only lower half.
• T- Tired of life. (3)

Generalities

• Pain, like that of a bruise, with acute pulling, and paralytic weakness in the limbs in general, and chiefly in the joints, especially on uncovering the part affected, in the morning, on waking and during repose, disappearing on getting up.  
• Darting pains in the limbs, with great dejection.  
• Inflammation of the bones, with nocturnal pains.  
• Exostosis on the head, on the arms and on the legs.  
• Great acuteness and delicacy of sensation, with excessive sensibility to the least pain.  
• Over-sensitiveness to all pain, and to the cold air.  
• Extreme spasms, sometimes with alternate tears and laughter Great sensibility to cold, or strong desire to go into the open air, even in bad weather, because it is found to be a relief.  
• Great ebullitions, with congestions to the head and chest, and palpitation of the heart.

Head

• Vertigo: when stooping, as if turning in a circle, better on rising, as if drunk when walking in open air, feels as if he would fall to left, must lie down, even then for some time it returns on slightest motion. Fatigue from intellectual labour.  
• Sudden stupefaction, with loss of sense. Pain, like that of a bruise in the brain, especially in the morning, or during intellectual labour, and sometimes inducing confusion of ideas.  
• Pain in the head, as if the air passed over the brain, when it is not kept very warm. 
• Acute drawing pains in the head. Beating and hammering pain on one side of the head.  
• Congestion of blood to the head. Congestions to and heat in the head, with sparks before the eyes, and glossy bloated Ness of the face, aggravated from every mental exertion.  
• Buzzing in the head. Pain in the bones of the cranium, especially on lying down. Exostosis on the head, on the right vertex, with boring pain.  
• Falling off of the hair. 

Eye

• Pain in the eyes aggravated by touch, as if the ball of the eye were pressed inwards.  
• Tension in the eyes, with diminution of sight. Burning pain and redness in the eyes.  
• Obscuration of the sight. Black spots before the eyes.  
• Eyes very prominent. Flames and sparks before the eyes.  
• Vertical half-sight. Hemiopia, objects are seen cut in horizontal lines.  
• Eyes better by moonlight and after violent muscular exercise. Objects seem smaller and more distant. 

Ears

• Hearing too sensitive. Pain in the ears, like internal tension.  
• Caries of the mastoid process. Flow of fetid pus from the ears. 
• Oversensitive to noises, but music amel.  
• Annoying dryness in ears and nose with difficult hearing. 
• Hardness of hearing from hypertrophy of the amygdalae, with embarrassed speech. 
• Humming in the ears. Roaring in the ears.

Nose

• Pain in the nasal bones on being touched. Gnawing pricking’s. 
• Inflammatory swelling and redness of the nose, followed by desquamation.  

• Caries of the bones of the nose. Nasal cavities ulcerated and covered with thick crusts.  
• Running from the nose of a fetid greenish-yellow matter. Stoppage of the nose.  
• Fluent coryza. Nose red, swollen, tip knobby, red. Cancer. 
• Furfuraceous desquamation of the epidermis of the nose. 
• Increased sensibility, or absence of smell.  
• Sweetish putrid smell, or smell of brandy before the nose. Fetid odour from the nose. 

Face

• Face puffed, and shining as if from sweat. Inflammation of the bones of the face.  
• Parotids swollen, painful to touch as if pressed or bruised. Swelling of the cheeks.  
• Swelling of the bones of the forehead, of the upper jaw, and of the nose.  
• Red eruption, which peels off, on the forehead and on the nose. 
• Traction in the jaws, with swelling of the cheeks.  
• Tensive pain in the upper jaw. Painful swelling of the submaxillary glands. 

Mouth

• Fetid smell of the mouth, like rotten cheese.  
• Piercing pain in the velum palati.  
• Tongue swollen, with scirrhous-like hardness, after biting tongue in sleep.  
• Tongue coated, dry, ulcerated. 

Throat

• Caries in the palate, with ulcers of a bluish colour, especially after the abuse of mercury.  
• Tonsils swollen and ulcerated.  
• Drinks find a passage through the nostrils.  
• Stinging soreness in throat only when swallowing.  
• Dull, pressive pain, either with or without swallowing, in a gland below angle of jaw.

Stomach

• Pain in the stomach, as if proceeding from hunger.  
• Immoderate appetite and thirst, with qualmishness in the stomach.  
• Sensation of indescribable uneasiness in the epigastrium. 
• Swelling of the epigastrium and of the hypochondria, with shooting pains on being touched.  
• Burning at stomach and hot eructation.  
• Swelling and suppuration of the inguinal glands from syphilis or the use of mercury. 
• Windy colic by night, with pinching, grumbling, and borborygmi. Frequent emission of very fetid wind. 

Abdomen

• Burning heat and cutting pain in right hypochondrium. 
• Colic, with sensation of great uneasiness and inclination to evacuate.  
• Tensive aching and fullness in the abdomen. Abdomen inflated. 

• Exostosis in the pelvis.  
• Tendency of hernia to protrude, sometimes with cramp-like pains and incarcerated flatus. 
• Swelling and suppuration of the inguinal glands from syphilis or the use of mercury.  
• Windy colic by night, with pinching, grumbling, and borborygmi. Frequent emission of very fetid wind. 

Rectum & Anus

• Stitches. External haemorrhoids; bleeding during stool. 
•  Border of anus painfully swollen.  
• Cutting in A., with heat and scraping Burning in Anus, with tearing. Heat in perineum, with dull pain. 

Stool

• Copious evacuation.  
• Nocturnal diarrhoea. Nightly diarrhoea, with burning in the rectum.  
• Constipation, stool very large in size, or very hard and knotty.

Urinary Organ

• Painful retention of urine, with urgent inclination to make water, and pressure on the bladder.  
• Frequent emission of watery urine.  
• Urine turbid, like buttermilk, with thick mucus-like sediment. 

Sexual Organ

Male:

• Sexual desire greatly increased. The whole genital system is strongly affected.  
• Nocturnal erections and pollutions.  
• Flow of prostatic fluid, with flaccidity of the penis. Swelling of the (lower part) of the testicle (r).  
• Swelling of the testes, with aching pain on touching and rubbing. Induration of the testes.  
• Testes mere pendant shreds (in pining boys). Hydrocele. Bubo. Chancre. 

Female:

• Pains in the abdomen, as if the catamenia were coming. Prolapsus and induration of the matrix.  
• Uterine affections with depression and tendency to suicide. 
• Menses too late, and scanty or absent.  
• Drawing pain in pubes, right inguinal region sore to touch.  
• Before menses: swelling of axillary glands. During menses: colic, prolapse of rectum. 
• Leucorrhoea: profuse and corroding, yellow, thick white, not offensive, worse by walking.  
• During pregnancy: suicidal melancholia, jaundice. 

Respiratory System

• Accumulation of mucus in the trachea and in the chest, which is expectorated with difficulty in the morning. Voice nasal.  
• Cough from want of breath at night. Cough with tough yellow sputum on awaking in morning. 

Heart & Pulse

• Anxious palpitation of the heart, from congestion to the chest. 
• Beatings of the heart, irregular, or by fits, sometimes with anguish and oppression of the chest.  
• Pain in heart region extending down left arm to fingers.  
• Floundering heart. When walking, the heart seems to shake as if it were loose.  
• Sensation as if the heart stood still. Palpitation compels him to stop. 

Neck & Back

• Swollen cervical glands.  
• Tension in neck as if muscles too short, even at rest, worse stooping. Stinging pains in small of back.  
• Gressus gallinaceous (in spine disease). Pain at lower part of spine. 
• Pains, generally passive, or drawing and acute, in the back, chiefly in the morning, and sometimes so violent as to prevent any motion of the limbs. 

Extremities

• Boring in left shoulder. Aching pains in the arms and in the forearms.  
• Cramp-like and acute drawing pains in the bones of the carpus and of the metacarpus.  
• Acute drawing pains and paralytic weakness in the bones and joints of the fingers.  
• Palms itch, herpes, nails turn blue. 
• Coxalgia. Sharp pains in the thighs, especially morning and evening.  
• Paralytic and painful weakness of the knees, as if a bandage were tightly compressed above them, they are feeble and give way. 
• Drawing pains and acute pulling, with paralytic weakness, in the bones and the joints of the toes. Nodes, caries. 

Skin

• Eruption on the face, fine pimples. Swollen ulcerated lips, scrofulous subjects.  
• Pustules on the head, face and neck.

Sleep

• Weary, but cannot rest or sleep. Drowsiness after meals.  
• Nocturnal sleep till four o’clock in the morning only.  
• Awakened by bone pains, in despair.  
• Fatigue and weakness in the morning on waking. Restless sleep, with anxious dreams, of thieves.  
• Nocturnal mumbling in the form of questions. 

Fever

• Pulse small, but accelerated.  
• Febrile shivering over the whole body, while in bed in the evening, followed neither by heat nor thirst.  
• Cold of the entire body, with bluish colour of the nails, nauseous taste, with inclination to vomit, sometimes followed by an increase of heat.  
• Heat of the face, with cold in the hands and feet.  
• Copious general perspiration early in the morning, mostly about genitals. (5) 

Important characteristic features of Aurum Met

Keynotes / Redline of Aurum Met:

• A/F- grief, fright, anger, disappointed love, contradiction, reserved displeasure, prolonged anxiety, unusual responsibility, loss of property.  
• Melancholy, hopeless, profound depression, tendency to suicide, longing for death and constantly dwelling on suicide.  
• Sees only the lower half of objects.   
• Sensation as if heart stopped beating for 2 or 3 seconds, immediately followed by a tumultuous rebound with sinking at epigastrium. (6) 

Guiding of Aurum Met: 

• The mental state- a marked “inferiority complex” from a feeling of apprehension and inability to cope with daily duties up to desire to die; suicidal and religious melancholy.  
• Combined with or alternating with above, irritability and peevish outbursts; opposition excites anger. 
• A restless, hurried, nervous, fidgety condition of mind and body. 
• General craving for open air, but aversion to cold; walking in open air, however, may cause giddiness.  
• Hyperaesthesia of special senses and common sensation. 
• Ailments from grief, disappointment, fright and mental strain. 
• Pains worse at night (“from sunset to sunrise”) on the left side (except right testis and right hypochondrium); from warmth of bed and by lying still. 
• Affections of bone and periosteum, especially those due to tertiary syphilis or mercurial overdosing. 
• Nasal discharges: offensive, dry up and block nostrils: ozaena; caries. 
• Excited circulation, palpitation and pulsations local and general,” organs ” of blood to head and other parts; menopausal flushes. 
• Cardiac irregularity; cardiac asthma; cardiac myoses.
• Glandular indurations; lymphatic, reproductive, salivary, alimentary, thyroid. (7)

Confirmatory of Aurum Met:  

• Melancholy, hopeless, depression, tendency to suicide, longing for death, constantly dwelling on suicide.  
• < sunset to sunrise.  
• Tendency to neurosis, destruction of parts especially bone. (6)

Nucleus symptoms of Aurum Met: 

• A/F-grief, fright, anger, disappointed love, contradiction, reserved displeasure, prolonged anxiety, unusual responsibility, loss of property.  
• Melancholy, hopeless, profound depression, tendency to suicide, longing for death, constantly dwelling on suicide.  
• Mercurial and syphilitic dyscrasia.  
• Caries of mastoid process, of bones of nose etc.  
• < sunset to sunrise. (6) 

Therapeutic value

• Albuminuria,
• Amaurosis,
• Angina pectoris,
• Anal fistula,
• Asthma,
• Bubo,
• Cancer,
• Caries,
• Condylomata, 
• Dropsy,
• Eczema,
• Fistula,
• Gonorrhoea,
• Haemorrhage,
• Hair falling out,
• Heart affections of,
• Indurations,
• Liver affections of,
• Morvan’s disease,
• Ophthalmia,
• Ozaena,
• Periostitis,
• Phthisis,
• Pudenda over sensitiveness of,
• Spinal sclerosis,
• Spleen enlarged,
• Sterility,
• Syphilis,
• Uterine tumours,
• Haemorrhage from uterus,
• Vagina – heat, burning and itching of,
• Voice hoarse,
• Warts. (1) 

Modality

Aggravation:  

• In cold weather 
• When getting cold  
• In winter  
• From sunset to sunrise  
• At night
• From mental exertion.  

Amelioration:  

• In open air  
• Warm air  
• When growing warm 
• In the morning  
• In summers. (1)

Remedy Relationship

Follows Well

Bell, Calc, Hep, Lyc, Merc, Nux-v, Phos, Puls, Rhus-t, Sep, Sil, Sulph 

Antidoted By

Bell, Camph, Cinch, Cocc, Coff, Cupr, Puls, Sol-n.

It Antidotes

Merc, Spig.

Comparison

Am-c, Arg-m, Arg-n, Ars, Asaf, Bell, Calc, Calc-p, Caps, Cinch, Cocc, Coff, Cupr, Dig, Ferr, Glon, Hep, Iod, Kali-bi, Kali-br, Kali-c, Kali-i, Lach, Lyc, Merc, Nit-ac, Nux-v, Pall, Plat, Puls, Sep, Sil, Sol-n, Spig, Sulph, Tarent, Thuj, Verat–v.(6) 

Posology (Dose)

Dose

• Third to thirtieth potencies are commonly used.  
• Higher potencies are also effective when the mental, characteristic symptoms call for it. (1) 

Potency

• 6C,30,200,1M,10M (5)

Repetition

• It may be repeated in organopathic diseases, but for constitutional diseases, a single dose of high potency is enough unless symptoms call for it. (1) 

Duration of action

• 50-60 days (5) 

Frequently Asked Questions

Qu. 1. Describe the peculiar-uncommon symptoms of Aurum met. 

Ans. 

• Uneasy, hurried. great desire for mental and physical activity; cannot do things fast enough.
• Foul breath; in girls at puberty. 

Qu. 2. Name three anti-syphilitic medicines.

Ans. i) Aurum met. ii) Kali bich. lii) Mercurius. 

Qu. 3. Mention three medicines for weak memory from sexual abuse.

Ans. i) Aurum met. ii) Gelsemium iii) Natrum mur. 

(Others: Anac, Phos ac, Staph.).

Qu.4. Name five medicines where patient can weep at any moment. 

Ans. i) Aurum met, ii) Calc. carb, iii) Lachesis, iv) Natrum mur, v) Pulsatilla 

Qu. 5. Name few medicines for bad-effects of disappointment of love. 

Ans. Remember the tips: LAC. CAN (name of a medicine): 

• L-Lachesis. 
• C-Calc. phos. 
• A-Aurum met.  
• C-Causticum. 
• A-Antim. crud.  
• N-Natrum mur. 

Remember the tips: IVP (Intra-Venous-Push). 

I-Ignatia. V-Verat. alb. P-Phos, Acid. 

Qu. 6. Name three medicines where patient is oversensitive to pain, smell, taste, hearing. touch etc. 

Ans. i) Aurum met. ii) Nux vom. iii) Phosphorus. 

Qu. 7. Describe the heart symptoms of Aurum met.  

Ans.  

i) Sensation as if the heart stood still.

ii) As though heart has ceased to beat, and then suddenly gave one hard thump and starts again.

iii) Violent palpitation, with anxiety. 

iv) Congestion of blood to head and chest, esp. after

v) Pulse: small, feeble, rapid, irregular.

vi) Visible beating of carotid and temporal arteries.

vii) Fatty degeneration of heart. 

Qu. 8. Describe the bone symptoms of Aurum met.

Ans.  

• Syphilitic and mercurial affections of the bones. 
• Caries: a) of the nasal, palatine and b) mastoid bones; with excessive pain which worsen at night, drive to despair. 

Qu. 9. Describe the sexual symptoms of Aurum met.  

Ans: 

Male: 

• Undeveloped and undescended testes.  
• Like pendent, shreds esp. in pining boys. 
• Lacking in ‘boyish go’: low-spirited, life-less 
• Orchitis: sensation in glands, as if it were being crushed (Rhodo, Chamo.) 

Female: 

• Prolapse and indurated uterus. 
• From over-reaching or straining. 
• Hypertrophy of the uterus. 
• Menstrual and uterine affection with great melancholy agg. at menstrual period. 
• Foul breath of girls esp. in puberty.  

  Qu. 10. State the headache of Aurum met.

Ans:  

Suitability: – Headache of people with dark olive-brown complexion; sad, gloomy, taciturn; sanguine, ruddy people, with black hair and eyes. Old people; weak vision; tired of life. 

Causation: -Headache from least mental exertion, of mercurial and syphilitic origin. 

Character: –  

• Congestive headache.
• Boring & tearing in skull bones. 
• Syphilitic & mercurial affections of the bones. 

Concomitants: – 

• Disposed to constipation.  
• Falling of the hair esp. in syphilis & mercurial affections. 

Qu. 11. State the mental symptoms of Aurum met.

Ans.  

1) Mental causations: – 

• Grief 
• Disappointment of love 
• Reserved displeasure (Ref. N. M. Chowdhury) 
• Vexation, mortification, contradiction 
• Fear, fright 
• Mercurial and syphilitic bad-effect. 

2) Character: – 

A) Suicidal tendency: – Constantly dwelling on

B) Anxious: –

• Anxious about future à Because he has commited many unpardonable crimes & sins in past à Now realises themà Broods over themàThinks himself a neglected, unwanted element in the society à Self-condemnation à Melancholia of Weeping, Quarrelsome, Religious—>Anxious about future. 

C) Tired of life: –

• Profound melancholia of Weeping, Quarrelsome, Religious. Life is a constant burden to him. Tired of life, Low spirited, life-less. 

D) Modality: –

• All mental symptoms agg. At (3)

1. J.D. Patil Materia Medica,2013, section- 2, chap> Aurum Met 
2. Synoptic memorizer of Materia medica by S.K. Banerjea, 2001, Vol-I, Chap-1,> Aurum Met. 
3. Synoptic memorizer of Materia medica by S.K. Banerjea, 2001, Vol-II, Chap-2,> Aurum Met. 
4. https://www.materiamedica.info/en/materia-medica/john-henry-clarke/aurum-metallicum 
5. Boricke MM Chap > Aurum Met  
6. Zomoeo lane Chap> Aurum met 
7. Manual of homoeopathic therapeutic by Neatby.E Chap> Aurum Met 
8. Manual of MM,Therapeuitics and pharmacology by blackwood ,alexander Leslie Chap> Aurum Met 
9. Elements of homoepathy by Jan Scholten Chap> Aurum Met 
10. Temraz MM by Dr.Parinza Humranwala Chap> Aurum Met