The vegetable carbon i.e. coal prepared from wood, is called Carbo Veg. Dr. Hahnemann experimented with this on himself and noticed its long-lasting effects and therefore used it in the treatment of deep, chronic illnesses. In allopathy, Carbo Veg tablets are used to combat gas in the abdomen. To some extent, they absorb some gas, but have no effect on the acid production by the stomach. In homoeopathy too, Carbo Veg is used for excessive gas in the stomach. In addition, it controls production of gas by suppressing the causative mechanism.
Carbo Veg is one of the most potent life-saving treatments. When a
serious sickness advances and brings the patient on the
verge of death, Carbo Veg plays a very important role in reviving the dying
patient. It is extremely difficult to encompass the basic mechanism of its extraordinary
functions, but it has been repeatedly found to be very effective in bringing a
dying person back from the verge of death. It restores the body temperature. In
view of this, I thought that Carbo Veg would certainly raise a lowered blood
pressure. On use, I found that it
definitely elevates the blood pressure. I also noted that it does
not elevate the blood pressure blindly. There is certainly no danger that Carbo
Veg would unnecessarily raise the blood pressure to an abnormal level, it
simply normalizes the blood pressure after it has seriously dropped. Normally,
the blood pressure drops profoundly when the patient is at the point of death.
A single dose of Carbo Veg starts warming up the body. Once I happened to see a
patient who had suffered a very severe heart attack. He was virtually dead when
I saw him. His forehead was covered with profuse cold sweat and the breathing
was hardly noticeable. I dropped two or three drops of Carbo Veg into his
mouth. Within a very short time, he started breathing normally. The cold sweats
disappeared from the forehead, and his body started to warm up gradually. I
then gave him the specific remedies to strengthen his heart which, with the
help of Carbo Veg, became very effective. I have used Carbo Veg in many other patients
and have always found it very effective. It should be in the first-aid kit for
saving lives.
Carbo Veg is also deeply related to asthma, especially when
the patient’s temperature has dropped, there is profuse cold
sweating and the patient is so weak that he cannot expel the secretions
from his chest. This kind of patient may be of two types: one
exhibiting the symptoms of Ammonium Tart whose initial symptoms have been of Ipecac.
The symptoms of Antimonium Crude are the worst type of symptoms of Ipecac. The
stomach becomes inflammed, resulting in the tongue being covered with a dirty
white coating. When the condition of this patient further aggravates, and he is
unable to expel the sputum from his chest due to severe weakness, Antimonium
Tart may well stabilise the condition of the patient and bring him back from
this dangerous situation. However, Antimonium Tart is not curative for asthma.
Carbo Veg resembles Antimonium Tart. Once I saw a patient who was seriously
sick with asthma. When I gave him Carbo Veg and his body gained strength. He
coughed out the expectoration and his sturtrous breathing became normal. When
given the appropriate asthma treatment, he recovered completely. It proves once
again that Carbo Veg is a vital homoeopathic remedy when the patient is in
moribund state. Typically, the asthmatic patient sweats profusely, is cold and
has air hunger. For this purpose, fanning on the face helps. On the contrary,
the Arsenic patient does not sweat, and his chest does not rattle with
accumulated secretions. Carbo Veg is
very useful in treating the failing
heart muscle. It is the best tonic for the muscles.
When the pressure of gas from the stomach is
directed upwards, Carbo Veg is very beneficial. The accumulation of gas in the
stomach is mentioned in reference to many homoeopathic medicines. This alone
will not help to arrive at the correct diagnosis. One has to try different
medicines. There is no equal to the long, vigilant experience of the treating
physician. With repeated use, the remedies start manifesting their symptoms
which may not have been detected with formal proving. Gas in the stomach is
also mentioned in relation to Arsenic Iodide. In fact, it is the treatment for
the peptic ulcer of the stomach and its deleterious effects. In Carbo Veg, the
gas is in the upper part of the abdomen and smells foul. The stools in Carbo
Veg diarrhoea also smell foul and the patient feels extremely weak. As such,
its symptoms resemble those of Baptisia. Baptisia however, works more
profoundly in such a condition as well as for the treatment of foul-smelling
diarrhoeal stools of typhoid. Carbo Veg is of no use in typhoid diarrhoea. The symptoms of Carbo Veg also include numbness of hands and feet.
Legs feel numb too,
especially the calf muscles. In medical terminology, the calf muscles are called the second heart,
because they pump back the venous blood towards the heart. One may feel
light headed on sudden standing up, showing that the calves have
not pumped the blood back up sufficiently. Carbo Veg is very useful to treat
this condition, because it not only elevates the blood pressure but also
invigorates the calf muscles. This is how it helps to revive a dying patient.
Another important characteristic of Carbo Veg is that it
prepares the body to properly react to Kali Carb. Many of the symptoms of Kali Carb
resemble those of Carbo Veg, but Carbo Veg is a relatively mild remedy while
Kali Carb produces a strong body reaction. Most Kali Carb diseases are chronic
in nature. The direct initial use of Kali Carb may produce a serious reaction.
Therefore, Carbo Veg should be given first before administering Kali Carb,
especially for the treatment of joint pains in hands, feet and wrists.
When I first started homoeopathy, I used Carbo Veg. My
experience showed that Carbo Veg itself has some beneficial effects on the
pains and aches, especially backache
and muscular pains. However, if blood
pressure is high and the face is flushed with blood, Belladonna and
Aconite are more effective than Carbo Veg. In addition to Aconite and
Belladonna, Carbo Veg and Kali Carb may also be used after Rhus Tox. After
these, Calcarea Carb would further prolong the effect of Aconite, Belladonna
and Rhus Tox. All these homoeopathic remedies contain the element of Carbon,
which is deeply related to the muscles.
In a Carbo Veg patient, the acidity in the stomach is not
due to excess of hydrochloric acid but rather due to the lack of it. When the
normal acidity of the stomach (hydrochloric acid) is not sufficient, food
starts decaying and produces foul acidic substances, resulting in severe compromise
of the process of digestion. In simple terms, it may be said that the stomach
has two ends that are capable of remaining open or closed. The upper end of the
stomach is the cardic end, and the lower end is known as the pyloric end. The
foul acidic matter puts both ends into a state of contraction and the blocked-up
food containing foul acidic contents produces gas, distending the stomach.
Under pressure, the upper end may open letting the
foul-smelling gases, as well as the acidic contents of the stomach,
regurgitate. This produces burning and foul eructation or belching. The
pyloric end opens only under very high pressure. Normally, digestion of
the food in the stomach takes about three hours. After this, the
stomach contents are let to pass into the intestines and the foul
gas also enters the gut. These foul contents work as a good medium for the
growth of germs and worms which cause further putrefaction. Carbo Veg is used
in controlling this vicious symptom complex and after use for some period, it
normalises the digestive system. When
given in appropriate potencies, Carbo Veg as well as Carbo Animalis, helps to
kill germs and worms in the intestines. However, some kinds of bacteria and
worms settle permanently inside the stomach and intestines and are difficult to
completely eradicate. In my experience,
the most effective medicines to kill worms
in the intestines are Santoninum, Cina and Teucrium. I have also
used Sabadilla for the same purpose, even though most of homoeopathic books
only describe Sabadilla in reference to sneezing and irritation of the nose due
to allergies. I believe that the allergy of the nose and itching can be
secondary to the presence of worms in the intestines. The irritation they produce inside the stomach and the intestines
also gets referred to the nose and the face. In Boericke, Sabadilla has been mentioned
for the treatment of worms, although Boericke does not specifically describe
its use for worms under Sabadilla. Carbo Animalis is probably the most
effective remedy for hookworm
infestation of the abdomen. Besides these, there are many more homoeopathic
remedies for the treatment of worms. A detailed repertory should be consulted
as needed.
In Carbo Veg, there is a tendency towards hoarseness of the throat in
the evening. Hands and feet
become numb. There is physical as well as mental lethargy. In fact,
the entire life process becomes sluggish. There is a feeling of burning inside,
while the patient feels cold outwardly. The patient takes no interest in any
kind of news, be it of sorrow, happiness or something startling, as if he does
not care. It seems as if he is not
tuned to think any more.
In Carbo Veg, the headache
is usually towards the back of the head. It starts with the onset of cold and then makes the entire head
throb as if being hammered. This also happens in Natrum Mur. The hair tends to fall. Cold
sweats appear on the forehead. Its patient gets frightened at night and thinks
of demons and the devil. The ears
discharge foul smelling material indicating the presence of deep infection
and fever. In Carbo Veg, the chronic
cold can afflict any part of the body making the patient permanently
sick. If the chronic cold of a Carbo Veg patient is suppressed by some other
treatment, it may result in serious consequences later. Hence, the chronic cold
should better be treated with Carbo Veg.Carbo Veg will also clear the picture of suppressed
diseases. Carbo Veg will best treat sores in the mouth and white blotches, inflammation
of the gums and loosening of the teeth, if its other symptoms are also present.
It is also very useful for the treatment of ulcers in the stomach, which
result in foul smelling diarrhoea and swelling of the liver. The limbs become
flabby and the legs and feet gradually start withering away. The feet may suffer in many different ways.
Carbo Veg is also useful in the treatment of varicose
veins. Carbo Veg is also very useful in the treatment of the
early stages of whooping
cough and rattling chest. The cough of a Carbo Veg patient resembles
that of Lachesis. Asthma comes on suddenly at night.
Carbo Veg should be the treatment of choice for a
prolapsed uterus associated with foul smelling, darkish vaginal discharge.
Carbo Veg is also very useful in the treatment of lactating mothers when the
milk is not enough; they are very weak and suffer from remittent fever. Carbo Veg
patients usually see fire, stealing and accidents in their dreams.