Silica
(Silicea terra · Flint (silicon dioxide))
The remedy of slow healing and want of grit. In the materia medica, Silica is associated with chilly, delicate, yielding people who tire easily and take cold readily, and with small injuries that tend to fester and heal slowly.
Source
Pure silica, silicon dioxide, traditionally prepared from flint or quartz
Kingdom
Mineral
Abbreviation
Sil.
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)
Very chilly, hates drafts and wants the head well wrapped up
Small cuts and injuries tend to fester; boils and abscesses are slow to come to a head
Sweaty head and offensive foot sweat; brittle, spotted nails
Gentle, yielding and faint-hearted, yet quietly obstinate; mental work is tiring
Tends to feel better
Warmth
Wrapping up the head
Summer
Tends to feel worse
Cold and drafts
Uncovering, especially the head
New moon
Lying down
How it compares
(remedies that are often confused with Silica)
-
Hepar sulphuris
(Hepar sulphuris calcareum)
Both have festering; Hepar is acutely sensitive and irritable with splinter-like pains, Silica slower, milder and more chronic.
Read moreCompare side by side -
Pulsatilla
(Pulsatilla pratensis)
Silica is called the chronic of Pulsatilla; both are gentle and yielding, but Pulsatilla wants open air while Silica is chilly.
Read moreCompare side by side -
Calcarea carbonica
(Calcarea carbonica)
Both have sweaty heads and slow development in children; Calcarea is plump and placid, Silica slender and delicate.
Read more
Side-by-side comparisons
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From the classic texts
“Silica patient is cold, chilly, hugs the fire, wants plenty warm clothing, hates drafts, hands and feet cold, worse in winter.”
“Restless, fidgety, starts at least noise. Anxious, yielding, fainthearted. Mental labor very difficult; reading and writing fatigue, cannot bear to think.”
Articles that mention Silica
Hepar Sulphuricum: Homeopathy for Painful Infections and Hypersensitivity
Homeopathy for Sensitivity and Structure: Supporting Nerves, Skin and Bones
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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