vs
Hepar sulphuris vs Spongia tosta
(Hepar sulphuris calcareum · Spongia tosta)
Both are compared when a child has a hoarse, barking cough brought on by cold, dry wind.
In short
Hepar sulphuris is a looser, rattling cough set off by any cold air; Spongia tosta is a bone-dry, sawing cough that wakes the child before midnight.
Side by side
(the classic distinctions homeopaths look for)
| Feature | Hepar sulphuris |
Spongia tosta |
|---|---|---|
| Cough | Loose and rattling | Dry, barking, like a saw through wood |
| Worst time | Toward morning | Before midnight, waking with a start |
| Airways | Some mucus, sore and sensitive | Everything feels dry and burning |
| Better for | Warmth, wrapping up, damp weather | Warm food and drinks |
| Mood | Touchy and irritable | Frightened on waking, feeling short of breath |
Hepar sulphuris
Better
Warmth and wrapping up, Damp, wet weather, Covering the head
Worse
Dry, cold wind, The slightest draft or uncovering, Touch, Lying on the painful side
Spongia tosta
Better
Warm food and drinks, Going downhill
Worse
Before midnight, Dry, cold wind, Excitement, Sweets and cold drinks
From the classic texts
“Chilliness, hypersensitiveness, splinter-like pains, craving for sour and strong things are very characteristic. Feeling as if wind were blowing on some part.”
“Hoarseness; larynx dry, burns, constricted. Cough, dry, barking, croupy; larynx sensitive to touch. Croup; worse, during inspiration and before midnight.”
Read the full profiles
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Hepar sulphuris
(Hepar sulphuris calcareum · Calcium sulphide)
The remedy of extreme sensitivity. In the materia medica, Hepar sulphuris is associated with chilly, touchy states where cold air, touch and pain all feel like too much, with a strong tendency for spots and sore throats to come to a head.
Read more -
Spongia tosta
(Spongia tosta · Roasted sea sponge)
The remedy of the dry, barking cough. In the materia medica, Spongia is associated with a croupy cough that sounds like a saw going through wood, great dryness of the airways and waking with a sense of suffocation.
Read more
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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.