Sulphur – Homeopathic Medicine: Its Uses, Indications and Dosage

Sulphur is an element that occurs in nature as a brittle crystalline solid. The homeopathic medicine is prepared from brimstone. To obtain the medicine, “Flowers of Sulphur” are triturated (a process by which homeopathic medicines are prepared). Use of this remedy as a medicine dates back to many years. It is said by Dr. Hahnemann that Sulphur has been used to treat itching since 2000 years ago. As a homeopathic medicine, it is majorly used to treat skin complaints, hot flushes, early morning diarrhoea and piles.  

The ‘Sulphur’ Constitution

It is a suitable medicine for people who are lean, are untidy and have stoop-shoulders, who walk and sit in a stooped position and do not like to stand for too long. It is suited to those with a greasy skin, matted hair, and who are prone to skin affections. People having complaints from suppressed eruptions and who are warm blooded having frequent hot flushes all over body can be treated with Sulphur.

Drug Action

This is a deep acting medicine and has marked action on almost all the organs of body out of which skin remains prominent.

It has a marked action on circulatory system and helps to relieve flushes of heat and treat piles wonderfully. Next, it helps check inflammatory conditions with marked redness, congestion and heat. It acts on the skin and helps to heal a number of skin lesions attended with itching and burning sensation. Use of Sulphur is also thought in cases where a well-indicated remedy fails to act.

Scope as a Homeopathic Medicine

1. Skin Complaints

This remedy leads the chart of homeopathic remedies to treat a huge number of skin affections.

It offers great help to treat skin itching. Persons needing it have an intense burning on the skin along with itching. Most times the itching is  worse at night and from warmth of bed. They complain of sleeplessness from itching. They usually explain that itching is wandering in nature that shift from one place to another. Burning on the skin is also complained by them after scratching. Sometimes they have bleeding from skin after scratching. Affected skin areas also gets sore and painful from scratching. The skin is dry, rough and scaly along with above symptoms. Prickling sensation in the skin is also prominent. The common skin complaints that are treated effectively with Sulphur are scabies (contagious itchy skin condition caused by burrowing mites called Sarcoptes scabiei), eczema, urticaria (raised itchy bumps on skin from an allergic reaction), skin ulcers, boils (infections with pus filled lumps on skin), and pimples.

2. Headache

This is a useful medicine for treating periodical headaches that occur every week or every two weeks. Persons needing it feels throbbing all over head but especially on top of the head (vertex). Top of head is very sensitive to touch. Heat on the top of head is marked, and the forehead and eyes are tensed. There is rush of blood to head with heat. Tingling sensation may also appear on head and headache leads to weakness. They may specifically have increase in the pain from walking and going in open air. A roaring or humming sound in ears may be experienced by them along with headache.

3. For Itching and Burning in Eyes

Sulphur works very well to manage itching and burning in eyes. Person needing it also have sensation of sand in eyes. Other complaint that they have is watering from eyes. This gets more in open air. It is very suitable to treat inflammation, swelling and redness of eyes.

4. Rectal Complaints 

When it comes to treating complaints of the rectum, Sulphur offers major help in cases of constipation, diarrhoea, piles and anal itching. Use of tis remedy is considered in cases of constipation when stool is hard, dry and seems as if burnt. This is attended with frequent and ineffectual want to evacuate especially at night time. Stool is unsatisfactory with sensation as if some still remained in the rectum. Heaviness on the top of head is felt along with constipation. It is also a well-indicated medicine for prolapse of rectum, especially when passing a hard stool.

Next, it is very useful to correct complaint of early morning diarrhoea. In such cases urgency is marked and person has to rush immediately to pass stool without any wait. There is rumbling and rolling in the rectum and stool drives the person out of bed in a great hurry. Redness about the anus is marked.

Other indication to use this medicine is a complaint of piles. For using it the piles are large, swollen and painful. Persons requiring it have throbbing, shooting, stitching, smarting, burning pain in the piles both during and after stool. Soreness, itching, stinging and swelling in anus is also prominent. The person has a constant desire to scratch parts. Sometimes there is exudation of a viscid, slimy fluid from piles. They also have constipation and stool is hard that appear once in two to four days. Along with this they feel fullness in the rectum. violent bearing – down pains from small of back towards the anus are also felt. Other symptom experienced by them is pulsating pain in anus felt throughout the day. It is also indicated in bleeding piles when blood is dark in colour.

Apart from above one can use this medicine to relieve itching at anus which is intense and intolerable. It is most worse at the night time. Itching makes the person sleepless. Along with itching, a sore feeling of anus and burning are marked. Itching from piles and from worms is managed well with this medicine. It is helpful to treat worms including thread-worms, ascarides and taenia.

 5. Urinary Tract Infections

In cases requiring Sulphur for UTI, burning in the urethra during urination is main symptom. Along with this redness and inflammation of orifice of urethra is there. Stream of urine is also thin, weak. Sometimes urine stream is intermittent. In some cases urine passes slowly in drops. In addition to above symptoms, there is constant desire to urinate and  marked urgency to pass urine. Discharge of mucus or blood in urine may be there in some cases. Itching in urethra is yet another complaint. 

 6. For Male Complaints

This is a significant medicine to treat cases of weak erections. Males needing it have weak sexual power with coldness of penis. Weakness in back may be attending feature. They may also have complaint of quick discharge of semen during coition. Sometimes they have involuntary discharge of semen with burning in urethra.

Secondly, this is a beneficial medicine to relieve itching on male genitals. It also helps to reduce any associated burning and redness of parts. Any sort of eruptions also heal with its use. Offensive sweat on genitals may be felt along with above symptoms. It is also indicated to treat itching ulcers on male genitals. Such ulcers may be covered with crust with discharge of pus from underneath.

Next, it is indicated for treating chronic gonorrhoea (sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria, Neisseria gonorrhoeae). In these cases it helps to manage discharge of white or yellow mucus from urethra. It also helps to relieve associated shooting burning pains in urethra.

7. Female Disorders

This is a significant medicine to treat a number of female complaints. These mainly include vaginal discharges, itching in genitals, hot flushes and cracked nipples.

It is a very valuable medicine to treat chronic vaginal discharges in women. The females needing this medicine have very profuse, milky, yellow or greenish yellow vaginal discharge. The discharge tend to get worse at night time. It is excoriating in nature that lead to soreness, smarting and burning sensation in vagina. They have a desire to scratch parts till they bleed.
Secondly, it has a great scope to manage itching in female genitals. Females requiring this medicine also have burning in vagina along with itching. There may also be pimples on vulva with itching.

Next, it has proven to be highly effective medicine to treat hot flushes in women at their menopausal period. They mainly suffer from intense heat in head, hands and feet during their menopausal period.
Other than these, Sulphur is a magnificent medicine to heal cracked nipples. It also helps to ease associated stinging pain and burning in the  nipples. Women having bleeding from the nipples when nursing are also benefited with it.

8. Back Pain

In ancient times some countries used a bag filled with flowers of sulphur to relieve back pain. Such bag when applied heated to the back  promptly helped relieve the pain. In homeopathy its use is made in backache located in the lower back which is worse on stooping. It makes a person unable to walk erect as a result he have to walk bent over. In some cases pain in back is felt on rising from a seat or from heavy lifting. Back also feels stiff.

Dosage

Sulphur is recommended in both low and high potencies. Since it is a deep acting medicine so should not be repeated frequently.

Relationship to Other Remedies

Complementary medicines are Arsenic Album, Nux Vomica Aloe and Psorinum. These medicines can be used after Sulphur  to complete its action when it is no longer acting.

Antidotes are Camphor, Chamomilla, China, Nux Vomica and Sepia. These antidote medicine can be used to neutralize the action of Sulphur in case it has aggravated the problem due to high sensitivity towards it.