Calcarea carbonica : (From Oyster shell) A pearl, lustrous personality (Mozart, Helen

Keller), can be a very hard worker. Understands others, by nature a nurturer. When
stressed or ill may become isolated, defensive, obstinate, insecure, lethargic, and inactive

Curious symptoms of Calcarea Carb from

our masters
March 3, 2012
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Dr Sushil Devkota Nepal

All of us recognize this well known remedy calcarea carb, which we study even in the very
beginning days of our company with Homeopathy. Most of us remember calcarea as a fatty,
obesed person with habitual, but not bothering, constipation, chilly by nature and timid in
outlook, liking sweets and eggs, having delayed dentition or growth milestone. But all of us do
agree in the fact that only this explanation of calcarea carb is not sufficient. It is far more than
this. So in this presentation those interesting, but not well known, aspects of calcarea carb are
presented, which will surely draw the attention of the physician towards this remedy once they
find these symptoms in a calcarea carb type patients.:

 Coldness of single parts (kali-bi); head, stomach, feet and legs (H C Allen)
 Sweat of single parts; head, scalp, nape of neck, sexual organs, chest, axillae, hands,
knees, feet (Allen)
 Diseases brought about by standing on cold, damp pavements or working while standing
in cold water (Allen)
 Painless hoarseness < morning (Allen)
 Calcarea child scratches its head on awakening from sleep. The change from sleep to
ACTIVITY seems to excite the tching of the existing eruption (E A Farrington)
 Sees imaginary things like rat, mice, horrible objects on closing the eyes (Farrington)
 Eyes inflamed, injected at every exposure to cold (Acute is Bell), (Ghosal)
 Relaxation of muscles, veins etc.(Kent)
 Calcarea is useful in tubercular formation, calcareous degeneration, induration..(Kent)
 < when weather changes from warm to cold (Kent)
 Feels as if she would like to run up and down and SCREAM (Kent)
 Talks about little foolish things, murder, fire, rat etc (Kent)
 Aversion and quits work, quits after OVEREXERTION (Kent)
 Feets cold, difficult to get warm but when warm they are very hot, burning so that he
must keep them out of bed (Kent)
 So weak in the back that that he slides down in the chair while sitting (Kent)
 Slight mental effort produces heat (of head—Boericke). The least mental excitement
causes profuse return of the menstrual flow (S.K. Dubey)
 Pit of stomach is swollen like an inverted saucer and is very painful to pressure ( Dubey)
 General amelioration lying on painful side like Bryo. and Puls. (Dubey)
 Apprehensive : Uneasily fearful (Boericke)
 Deafness from working in water (Boericke)
 Catarrhal symptoms with hunger; coryza alternates with colic (Boericke)
 Swelling of Upper lip (Boericke)
 Burning pain at tip of tongue (Boericke)
 Loss of appetite when overworked (Boericke)
 Sourness of all the discharges (Boericke)
 Pain in head and Nape of neck > sneezing (Boericke)
 Shouldn’t be repeated too frequently in elderly people (Boericke)
 Misplaced words, tendency to express wrongly (Mohanty)
 Lascivious, amorous dreams before menses (Mohanty)
 Dreams of being bitten by dog (Mohanty)
 Dreams of unsuccessful efforts to do various things (Mohanty)
 The characteristic calcarea hand is soft, moist and warm (Clarke)
 Painful dryness of the nose (Clarke)
 Urgent inclination to inspire deeply (Clarke)
 Palpitation of heart after a meal (Clarke)
 Nettle rash, mostly disappearing in fresh air (Clarke)
 Swallows in sleep (Clarke)
 Fear of poverty, dislikes borrowing money or having negative accounts in Bank (Tinus
Smits)
 Chewing motion of jaw during sleep (Tinus)
 Gain weight easily, difficult to lose it ( Vithoulkas)
 Aversion to Slimy food (Vithoulkas)
 Perspires easily, even in Sleep (Vithoulkas)
 Children feel better when constipated and worse with diarrhoea but in adult just the
reverse is true (Vithoulkas)
 Calcarea child aged between 6-12 develop an intense curiosity about supernatural things,
the UNKNOWN, the beyond (Vithoulkas)
 Over exertion, mental or physical is the greatest enemy for calcarea patients (Vithoulkas)
 They are dependent upon others. Children give answer to their parents than to doctor (R
Sankaran)
  Main feeling of calcarea is the need for STABILITY and SECURITY, and central theme
of carbonate is vital reaction (R Sankaran)
 He seeks protection he needs by expressing a lot of fears. He surrounds himself by a lot
of people who can protect him ( R Sankaran)
 When the life situation of calcarea person changes and he loses the security of his home,
he feels as if left alone in wilderness thus going to stramonium situation and if calcarea
women coming from the world of security happens to marry a violent drunkard she can
develop a rhus-tox situation; that of being killed inside her own house (R Sankaran)
 The stranger may be treated with some caution but once he has demonstrated his good
intentions, he is allowed into the oyster’s shell to enjoy the homeliness and comfort of his
interior.(P M Bailey)
 Calcarea is suspected to be present more in countryside or third-world country where it is
still possible to live simpler life( P M Bailey)
 Calcareas are good at remembering the little things which shows that they care. Such as,
birthday present, a bunch of flower, a cup of tea etc. (P M Bailey)
 Family is very important to calcarea, large family gatherings are typical and calcarea is
likely to invite her ageing mother or move in with her family as she is too frail to look
after herself. When away from home they tend to feel homesick, they are the ones who
enjoy family holidays fully.( P M Bailey)
 When calcarea is upset they have tendency to react irrationally but they tend to come
back to their senses pretty quickly. Eg, She may cry when her husband forgets their
anniversary and in sadness she may burn dinner but she’ll quickly come back to her
senses and apologise. (P M Bailey)
 Calcarea tends to fear the challenges that would result from being successful esp.
academically and professionally. (Because she feels she won’t be able to cope with the
increase in demand upon her as regards time and skill) (P M Bailey)

Calcarea carbonica Materia Medica

Nature of Calc carb

(Shell)

- Thick skinned + impenetrable like the oyster shell that is fixed to the rock
- Obstinate and dislikes change
- Passive and have a limited outlook
- Likes security of the family and likes to be close to home
- Withdraw into themselves to protect themselves from their environment
(Pearl)
- The pearly only develops if irritating sand is present
- Calc carb needs guidance, stimulation, prodding and are slow in their progress
- Mental symptoms are ameliorated by physical exertion
Typical Subject/Appearance

- Fair, fat, flabby. Gain weight easily and have difficulty losing it. Child or adult have little muscle tone
- Thin persons – lean face with fine wrinkles
- Enlarged head and abdomen (can look flat in am and look pregnant in pm) in both types

Calc Carb Child

- Fontanel’s slow to close.

- Big head
- Perspires in sleep on head
- Cradle Cap
- Sour smelling, sour vomiting
- Constipated >>>
- Slow to walk, learn/intelligent
- Abdomen distended as day goes on
- Tendency to colds, earaches, bronchitis,
- Spotted deformed nails
- Swollen glands
- Dilated pupils
- Hands short and square
- Late teething
- PQRS - child feels better for being constipated

Characteristics of Calc carb

- Sourness of discharge
- Perspiration of single parts i.e. feet or hands or head
- Relaxation of tissues, muscles and blood vessels -à flabbiness
- Congestion – arterial and venous à throbbing, anxiety with hot flushes and palpitations
- Swelling and indurations of glands i.e. hardening of glands
- Growths such as polyps in the nose, ears and vagina and exotose i.e. bony growths
- Sensation of heat and burning

Sleep position

- on Stomach
- better lying on painful side

Mentals

- Likes to be at home and protected

- Oversensitive to cruelty of animals or people
- Upset by injustice
- Sensitive to criticism + admonition
- Cannot be teased – they sit in a group and observe
- Timid and sense their own limitations
- Identify strongly with the victim
- Pities himself
- Very vulnerable
- Very upset by injustice to others and themselves
- Mental symptoms ameliorated by physical exertion

Fear

- That other people will observe their confusion

- Fear of death and the dark – can be obsessive
- Fear of insanity
- Fear that something bad will happen
- Fear of contamination D/D Lachesis
- Fear of heights
- Great anxiety about their own health

Indolence

- Start and continue slowly with mental and physical work

- Overexertion of the mind --> poor concentration + confusion
- Exertion of physical body --> feeling a lot better mentally

Pessimism/Optimism

- Feel depressed and want to go home

Obstinate

- Will not give in until they get what they want

- Resistant to change – can’t adapt

Religious Affections

- In childhood sees angels, devils, images of religious figures

- Psychic powers – clairvoyant

Causation

- Ailments – bad news, dentition

- Suppressed sweat, menses or eruptions
- Cold moist wind, dampness
- Injury to lower spin, over-lifting, straining and over exertion, childbirth in women

Desires, aversions, aggravations

- Worse for change of weather, don’t like hot to cold weather. Better for dry weather
- Likes soft boiled eggs
- Crave – indigestible, raw potato, dirt,
Eggs, chocolate, cheese, ice cream
- Aggravated milk and cheese
- Aversion to meat, milk and fats

PQRS

- child feels better for being constipated

- Head pain better for sneezing

Keynotes of Calc Carb

- Glandular enlargement is chronic

- Anxiety and apprehension – fear
- Poor co-ordination
- Dullness of the mind
- Deficient circulation with coldness of single parts
- Ailments from over exertion mentally and physically
- Dentition is difficult
- Sourness of discharges
- Cravings for soft boiled eggs, ice cream and milk

Complementary Remedies

Acute – Belladonna, Rhustox

Chronic – Silica, follows Sulphur well, Baryta carb, Lycopodium

Calcarea carbonica - Homeopathic remedy

Calcarea carbonica is a very broad remedy with many
ramifications. Perhaps the best way to describe it is to take
each of the three levels separately.
The fundamental disturbance of calcium metabolism which
Cal. carb. epitomises seems to manifest in two different body
types. Most Calc. carb. cases, of course are the fair, fat, flabby
types so well described in the literature. These people gain
weight easily and have difficulty losing it even when consuming
very few calories. This is so characteristic of Calc. carb. that it is
almost always present. There is another type of appearance
which can occasionally be seen; a lean, thin, person with a lean
face covered by fine wrinkles. The fine wrinkles are arranged in
horizontal and vertical lines producing small squares; the
overall appearance is of a person who has suffered a great deal.
This lean type of Calc. carb. patient undergoes all the typical
stages of Calcarea pathology, even though his or her
appearance does not resemble the classic stereotype.
It is interesting that a large percentage of infants and children
seem to need Calc. carb. Although it should never be prescribed
routinely, to infants or children, it is nevertheless true that it is
probably the most commonly prescribed remedy in the age
group. To me, this fact suggests that one of the most
fundamental disturbances in the human organism is that which
affects calcium metabolism.
It is for this reason that whenever you encounter a patient 60
or 70 years of age who clearly needs Calc. carb., you can be
assured that the patient has a basically strong constitution.
Typically, these elderly Calc. carb. patients have lived active lies
with very few health problems. Finally perhaps due to over-
exertion or excessive life stresses, they show some pathology.
In such cases, the prognosis is quite good. Anyone who can
maintain into old age the same remedy image which is
characteristic of childhood can be said to have a basically sound
constitution.
Calc. carb. children present a fairly typical picture. They are
generally somewhat plump, soft, and flabby. Their compleions
tend to be rather waxy and pale. They do not have much
stamina, so they generally avoid physical activities. By nature
they are rather reserved, withdrawn and self-reliant. They
would rather sit and watch than, actively join the games of
other children.
Calc. carb. children definitely display a tendency to profuse
perspiration. This may arise after even slight exertion, but most
characteristically it comes on within the first ten minutes or so
of sleep. The perspiration is most prominent in the (cervical
region) then in the head and face, and finally the upper torso.
In children, the lower torso is almost never affected, although
adult Calc. carb. patients may perspire there as well. In adults,
there is a clammy sweat of the palms and feet. Also adults are
likely to sweat even in a cold environment; there is some
unusual reaction in the body which causes them to perspire in
the cold.
Calc. carb. children usually have a history of frequent colds
during the winter and a strong tendency toward glandular
swellings. Calc. carb. are usually constipated, but they do not
notice it themselves, nor dot hey suffer from it. It is the mother
who notices that the child has gone 3 or 4 days without a bowel
movement, and then she becomes concerned. This is
characteristic for Calc. carb. children and they generally feel
better when they are constipated. It is when the diarrhoea
comes on that they begin to whine and complain and feel
discontented.
The situation is reversed in adulthood. The condition of the
bowels is frequently a major focus of attention in adult Calc.
carb. patients. Here, the opposite situation holds true;
diarrhoea relieves and constipation aggravates the patient. It is
interesting how frequently such reversals occur in different
stages of many remedies in homoeopathy.
The typical aggravation from cold wet weather seen in adults is
not exhibited in Calc. carb. children. Sometimes one might be
misled into believing they are actually warm-blooded people
because of the perspiration. They perspire from the slightest
exertion. Also, the perspiration during early sleep may cause
them to throw covers of the upper half of the body.
Calc. carb. children exhibit a definite desire for soft-boiled eggs
and for sugar.
Calc. carb. children usually are good students once they get
into school. They are intelligent, but their comprehension may
be a bit slow. It takes them a bit longer to understand the
material being presented, and for this reason they often feel
hurried in their work. They are capable of hard work, however,
and they may spend hours completing their homework.
 If Calc. carb. pathology reaches into the emotional plane
during childhood, you may see a lot of whining and moaning, a
discontentment. You ask the child what he wants, and he
cannot tell you. It is a state of complaining and dissatisfaction.
Also, between the ages of about six and twelve Calc. carb.
children commonly develop an intense curiosity about
supernatural things, the unknown, the beyond. The seriously
ask such questions as, "What is God? What does God intend to
do with us? Who are the angels? How do angels behave? Why
do people die? What happens to us after death?" These
questions, of course, depend on the type of background of the
child, and they are natural in many children. In Calc. carb.
children, however, this curiosity can be carried to a pathological
extreme. Such a child may say she is actually waiting for an
angel to come and take her to paradise.
I cannot exactly explain this predilection in Calc. carb. children.
It seems to arise out of the observation of the world around
them. They see suffering and injustices; perhaps there is some
conflict between the parents. Then someone mentions God and
this concept seems to penetrate readily into their minds. God,
angels, and supernatural influences seem to explain the world
to them. They keep on thinking about these things, asking
questions and imagining various fancies.
In adulthood, this predilection expresses itself as a fear of
insanity. In Calc. carb. the fear of insanity is fear of losing
control, a fear of the unknown. These people have learned to
resort to the mind a great deal, to rely upon it to overcome
difficulties. Consequently, when they finally collapse under too
much stress and overexertion, the major fear is that of losing
the mind, their primary means of maintaining control.
In Calc. carb. pathology comes on under the demands of stress
and a prolonged effort to overcome it. They are able people,
generally healthy under ordinary circumstances. However,
prolonged stress and overexertion finally leads to a breakdown,
first on the physical level, and later on the emotional and
mental levels. Overexertion - either physical or mental - is the
greatest enemy of Calc. carb. patients.
Pathology on the physical level in the adult Calc. carb. patient
primarily affects the musculo-skeletal system. Rheumatism and
arthritis are the main manifestations on the physical level. In
the adult, there is definitely an aggravation from cold, wet
weather, and an amelioration from warmth. The first region
affected in Calc. carb. patients is the lumbar region. The trouble
starts there and then spreads to the cervical region and out to
the extremities. Whenever you see a patient who is slightly
obese, affected by cold wet weather, and his main complaints
centre around arthritis and rheumatism, there is already a
strong possibility of Calc. carb.
Calc. carb. patients have cold extremities. They wear socks to
bed at night. However, they end up taking the socks off later in
the night because the feet begin to burn.
Simultaneously with the emotional plane, the mental level
begins to break down as well. They tend to focus on little
things, to obsess about irrelevant details. They make silly little
jokes, or they keep talking about insignificant things which are
unimportant to anyone else.
At this point, the previous anxiety about the future gives way
to anxiety about health. There is fear of infectious diseases, of
tuberculosis, of heart disease, of cancer etc. Nowadays, Calc.
carb. patients are particularly susceptible to fears of cancer and
heart disease. Naturally, there is a strong fear of death.
Eventually, this fear-ridden state leads of a hysterical state.
they seem to lose their powers of comprehension and
concentration. They don't know what they want, and they
become very agitated. They pace up and down. They have
impulses to smash things, to jump out of the window, to shout
and scream. All this is without provocation, or very little
provocation. They are in a state of turmoil, and they just want
to shout or do something desperate.
At this point, these patients truly are on the verge of insanity. If
they do progress into true schizophrenia or other psychosis,
however, Calc. carb. is not indicated in an actually psychotic
patient.
A characteristic symptom which appears in Calc. carb. as the
mental plane breaks down is the fear that others will observe
their confusion. They are aware of the dullness of mind, the
inability to sustain their concentration, and the resulting
confusion. They live in dread that this confusion will be
discovered by others. This, however, is a symptom, that Calc.
carb. patients will never voluntarily divulge. You must ask this
question directly in order to confirm it. Usually they will answer
you with an emphatic "Yes"! and a tremendous expression of
relief. They feel so grateful that someone else understands.
During the development of mental and emotional pathology,
you will very likely see a disappearance of many physical
symptoms. First to go, of course, is the perspiration. These
deeply suffering people may not be as affected by cold wet
weather. They may still feel the cold, but not nearly so
emphatically as previously. The desire for eggs and sweets may
disappear altogether.
At this stage, it can be easy to confuse Calc. carb. with
Phosphorus. If the patient retains the typical thirst for cold
drinks, the desire for ice cream, and the desire for salt, the
decision can be quite difficult. The anxiety about health, fear of
death, and suggestible fears of cancer and heart disease can
suggest Phosphorus as well as Calc. carb. Calc. carb. can have
fear of thunderstorms and fear of the dark. Calc. carb. often
had heart palpitations which resemble Phosphorus.
There are a few points which can differentiate Calc. carb. from
Phosphorus, however. Calc. carb. does not need company
nearly as much as Phosphorus. Calc. carb. tends to sleep on the
left side, whereas Phosphorus prefers to sleep on the right.
Calc. carb. prefers hot food, whereas Phosphorus wants cold
food. Both can be very thirsty for cold water, but this is much
more strongly emphasised in Phosphorus; such thirst in Calc.
carb. would be underlined once, or at the very most twice,
whereas it would be underlined two or three times in
Phosphorus. Finally, the physical appearance is quite different.
Phosphorus is tall, thin, and delicate. Calc. carb. usually is obese
and flabby; even the lean Calc. carb. patient is full of wrinkles
and not so delicate in appearance.