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Remedy reference

Graphites

(Graphites · Graphite (black lead))

The remedy of cracks and sticky oozing. In the materia medica, Graphites is associated with rough, dry skin that cracks and weeps a honey-like fluid, alongside chilliness, sluggish digestion and a cautious, hesitant nature.

Skin | Digestion | Hormones

Source

Graphite, the soft form of carbon used in pencil lead

Kingdom

Mineral

Abbreviation

Graph.

Home acute kit

Usually prescribed by a homeopath

The classic picture

(a remedy is chosen when the whole picture fits the person, not from a single symptom)

Eruptions behind the ears, in skin folds and around the mouth that ooze a sticky, honey-like fluid

Cracks in the fingertips, nipples and corners of the mouth; thick, crumbling nails

Chilly, tends toward weight gain and constipation with large, knotty stools

Timid and indecisive, easily moved to tears by music

Tends to feel better

Darkness

Wrapping up warmly

Eating (for stomach pain)

Tends to feel worse

Warmth

Night

During and after periods

How it compares

(remedies that are often confused with Graphites)

  • Petroleum

    (Petroleum)

    Both have deep cracks; Petroleum's skin is dry, bleeding and worse in winter, while Graphites oozes a sticky fluid.

    Read moreCompare side by side
  • Pulsatilla

    (Pulsatilla pratensis)

    "What Pulsatilla is at puberty, Graphites is at the climacteric": both mild and weepy, but Graphites is chillier, more hesitant and constipated.

    Read more
  • Calcarea carbonica

    (Calcarea carbonica)

    Both chilly, heavier and cautious; Calcarea sweats on the head and craves eggs, Graphites has sticky, cracking eruptions.

    Read more

Side-by-side comparisons

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From the classic texts

“Great tendency to start. Timid. Unable to decide. Want of disposition to work. Fidgety while sitting at work. Music makes her weep.”

William Boericke, Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1901)

“Unhealthy skin; every injury suppurates (Hep.); old cicatrices break open again; eruptions upon the ears, between fingers and toes and on various parts of body, from which oozes a watery, transparent sticky fluid.”

Henry C. Allen, Keynotes and Characteristics (1898)

Articles that mention Graphites

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This page is for education only and is not medical advice. Homeopathy is complementary care, not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment by a licensed medical provider. Seek medical care for severe, worsening or emergency symptoms. Please view our Disclaimer.