Kali bichromicum
(Kalium bichromicum · Potassium dichromate)
The remedy of thick, stringy mucus. In the materia medica, Kali bichromicum is associated with sinus and chest catarrh that produces tough, sticky discharge drawn out in strings, and with pains felt in small spots that move about quickly.
Source
Potassium bichromate, an orange crystalline salt of chromium
Kingdom
Mineral
Abbreviation
Kali-bi.
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)
Tough, ropy, yellow-green mucus that sticks and pulls out in long strings
Pressure and fullness at the root of the nose, with crusts and plugs from the nostrils
Pains in small spots that could be covered with a fingertip, shifting quickly from place to place
Headache over the eyebrows, often preceded by blurred vision
Tends to feel better
Heat
Tends to feel worse
Morning
Hot weather
Beer
Undressing
How it compares
(remedies that are often confused with Kali bichromicum)
-
Pulsatilla
(Pulsatilla pratensis)
Pulsatilla's discharge is thick but bland and its pains wander too; Kali bichromicum's mucus is tough, stringy and hard to clear.
Read moreCompare side by side -
Hepar sulphuris
(Hepar sulphuris calcareum)
Both have croupy coughs worse from undressing; Hepar is far chillier and more sensitive, with yellow, smelly discharge rather than strings.
Read more -
Kali sulphuricum
(Kalium sulphuricum)
Also yellow discharges and wandering pains, but looser and slimier, and clearly worse in a warm room.
Read more
Side-by-side comparisons
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From the classic texts
“Catarrh of pharynx, larynx, bronchi and nose, and a tough, stringy, viscid secretion is produced, which condition is a very strong guiding symptom for this drug.”
“Pains: in small spots, can be covered with point of finger (Ign.); shift rapidly from one part to another (Kali s., Lac c., Puls.); appear and disappear suddenly (Bell., Ign., Mag. p.).”
Looking for more than a quick remedy?
Acute remedies can be a starting point for short-term complaints. Ongoing or recurring issues call for a full case: a detailed conversation about your physical, mental and emotional symptoms, so the remedy fits you as a whole person.
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