Ferrum picricum
Iron picrate · Mineral
Ferrum Picricum is best suited to dark-haired, plethoric patients with sensitive livers presenting with vascular deafness, warts, prostate enlargement, and tendency to failure of organ function under exertion. A dirty appearance about the joints from bile pigment staining is a guiding indication.
Key symptoms
- Failure of organ function under exertion, e.g., voice fails after public speaking
- Senile hypertrophy of the prostate with frequent nocturnal urination
- Multiple warts and epithelial growths especially on hands
- Vascular deafness with humming tinnitus like telegraph wires
- Crackling in ears and chronic deafness from gout
- Corns with yellowish discoloration
- Epistaxis; pseudo-leucaemia
Picrate of Iron
Is considered a great remedy to complete the action of other medicines. The symptom that specially calls for it is failure of the function of an organ under exertion; e g, the voice fails after public speaking. Acts best in dark-haired patients, plethoric, with sensitive livers. Warts and epithelial growths; corns with yellowish discoloration. Senile hypertrophy of the prostate. Epistaxis. Chronic deafness and tinnitus due to gout. Meatus dry. Pseudo-leucæmia.
Ears
Deafness before menses. Crackling in ears and low-pitched voice. Vascular deafness. Dental neuralgia, radiating towards ears and eyes. Humming in ears as from telegraph wires. Tinnitus.
Stomach
Indigestion, furred tongue, headache after meals, especially in bilious, dark-haired persons.
Urinary
Pain along entire urethra. Frequent micturition at night, with full feeling and pressure in rectum. Smarting at neck of bladder and penis (Barosma). Retention of urine.
Extremities
Pain in right side of neck and down right arm. Locomotor ataxia, ocular stage. Hands covered with warts.
Dose
Second and third trituration.
Picrate of iron. C6 H2 (NO2)3 OFe. Trituration. Tincture.
Clinical
Albuminuria. Corns. Deafness. Ears, diseases of. Fatigue. Jaundice. Liver, disorders of. Lupoid warts. Lupus. Nose-bleed. Prostate, diseases of. Rheumatic arthritis. Rodent ulcer. Tinnitus. Voice, loss of. Warts.
Characteristics
This is an unproved medicine, but Dr. Cooper, who introduced it, has given the leading indications for its use, and these are so clear that it has taken a definite position in the materia medica. It is a liver medicine, and is particularly suited to persons with dark hair and eyes, and bilious-looking patients. A dirty appearance about the joints indicates it; the stain being due to bile pigments. It has cured many cases of warts and corns, as I have repeatedly verified. Dr. Cooper has reported a case of lupoid wart cured by it. Dr. Cooper was led to give Fe. pic. in cases of warts by a symptom produced in a patient (to whom he was giving it for deafness), "sensation as if a wart were growing on the thumb." He considers …
Phatak's chapter on Ferrum picricum is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
