Carbo Vegetabilis – Activated Charcoal

The attenuations are prepared from well-burnt charcoal from red Beech or Birch wood.

Carbo Vegetabilis, wood charcoal, is well-known as a general absorbent and detoxifying remedy, with which numerous poisons, e.g. alkaloids, but also albumin etc. can be antidoted. A similar detoxifying action may be seen in the homoeopathic preparation of charcoal, even though here it is not simply a question of adsorption of the toxins, but as in all homoeopathic remedies, a question of stimulating the major defensive system. When Carbo Vegetabilis is given in homoeopathic potency and di- lution, these adsorption factors obviously no longer play a direct part; it seems rather that, by means of the dynamisation of Carbo Vegetabilis, especially in the highest potencies, defence mechanisms with specific adsorptive action on poisons are acti-

vated, such as e.g. the reticulo-endothelial, which is well-known for its storage mechanisms.

Thus Carbo Vegetabilis is homoeopathically indicated when severe toxic states are present, i.e. when states of exhaustion arise as a consquence of toxic overloading in some serious disease, no matter whether it be a heart disease, apoplexy, typhus, whooping cough, asthma, emphysema, ulceration of the lower leg, or some other symptom. In such cases, Carbo Vegetabilis in a suitable potency (experience shows that high potencies work best here), can save lives; this has been shown again and again. There is a special leading symptom, which is icy coldness of the skin in col- lapse, of the body also, and yet a desire for fresh air, such as may appear in cases of incipient respiratory paralysis. These patients, no matter whether it is asthma, weak heart, or collapse of some other origin, e.g. even after accidents, often lie there un- covered and appear to feel well, even demanding air, although the weakness in ciru- clation is obviously only being worsend by it. In such sick people or accident-vic- tims the autonomic centres of the mid-brain and the bone-marrow are almost ex- hausted. The breath is cold, the pulse ceases or is thready, and cold sweat breaks out on the limbs, as in Veratrum Album. A bluish discolouration of the skin may also occur similar to terminal cyanosis, a result of weakness in circulation and exhaustion of the sympathetic nervous system with consequent stagnation of arterial blood and inability to satisfy the need for oxygen through respiration, e.g. also in asthmatic at- tack. Ecchymoses and bruises are also possible. Despite this extinguishing of his vital warmth, the patient still constantly craves for cool air and must be fanned; he is right on the brink of ultimate physical exhaustion. In such cases, e.g. when severe in- fectious diseases such as typhus etc. are present, haemorrhages may also occur from the gums, intestines and mucosa. However, these are not the decisive factor in the prescription of Carbo Vegetabilis, but the Hippocratic countenance, the exhaustion, the collapse, from all of which the patient can often surprisingly be rescued by Carbo Vegetabilis.

There are other states of collapse, e.g. post-operative or after implantation of fresh cells, or in shock-symptoms of any and every kind, where Carbo Vegetabilis is called for quickly, and even more obviously in combination with Veratrum Album; indeed one could describe this combination of Carbo Vegetabilis and Veratrum Album, par- enterally administered, as the homoeopathic circulatory injection. So long as the body’s powers of resistance are still capable of arousal, this will often be achieved with Carbo Vegetabilis and one will witness the recovery of patients whose situation was otherwise clearly hopeless, and this even in cases of collapse and lowered vital- ity, in asthma, whooping cough, accidents etc.

It is an astonishing thing that such a deep-reaching homoeopathic remedy, and one which is virtually fail-safe, is no longer in use in general medicine. It may be that for many colleagues the high potencies (12X, 30X) are a stumbling-block, and it is these which must be used in such cases. In spite of this, it is precisely in such cases that one can demonstrate the value of the higher potencies, with the same results re- peatedly occurring on the same indication.

Carbo Vegetabilis has a considerable number of other symptoms which have noth- ing to do with collapse, such as degenerative, spongy gums which bleed on touch or when sucked and which separate from the teeth, as one finds in periodonitis. Carbo Vegetabilis will also have a beneficial effect in a sensation of weakness in the stom- ach, lined with hyperacidity and heartburn, especially in cases where Pulsatilla is not effective. Flatulence is characteristic of Carbo Vegetabilis, especially when it occurs in the epigastrium. Carbo Vegetabilis will also be beneficial for burning in the stom- ach, such as one finds in neoplasm phases or in a pre-cancerous state. It will likewise be beneficial in laryngitis and hoarseness, which is worse in moist air and occurs mainly in the evenings; by contrast, hoarseness in the mornings will be helped by Causticum. In bronchitis and asthma in elderly people with an exhausted constitu- tion Carbo Vegetabilis is often a life-saver, e.g. also in incipient or full-blown pul- monary oedema. It is only natural that Carbo Vegetabilis should offer excellent as- sistance in bronchial asthma, especially in status asthmaticus, where it is best pre- scribed along with Sulphur and Bryonia.

Carbo Vegetabilis should be used in asthma if there is rattling respiration and the patient cannot raise the mucus, and also, as already mentioned, in pulmonary oede- ma. It will also often relieve burning, as from glowing coals, with a sensation of tiredness on the chest, in the stomach and in other organs.

Apart from cold breath and cold, damp skin, cold knees are also symptomatic of Carbo Vegetabilis, especially at night, causing the patient to wake.

The Carbo Vegetabilis patient cannot tolerate alcohol which causes dyspeptic symptoms. Aphthous glossitis, often so difficult to relieve, is likewise an indication for Carbo Vegetabilis, also protruding haemorrhoids, bluish and knotted. Carbo Veg- etabilis has also done good work in ulceration of the lower leg.

A good alternating remedy to use with Carbo Vegetabilis is China, which is like- wise a remedy for weakness, though better indicated in chronic states.

Carbo Vegetabilis is one of the remedies which offers the possibility of classical experimental demonstration of the action of high potencies with proof, especially in cases which can no longer be reached by orthodox therapy: the most serious cases of exhaustion and collapse. When the situation appears hopeless, when death from cir- culatory failure is obviously only a matter of minutes away, when stimulants no longer have any effect, even in cases of a general nature with no obvious indications for Carbo Vegetabilis, then let one more attempt be made with this great polychrest, whose effects are often so incredible as to cause the medically-trained practitioner embarrassment when telling of them.

The Carbo Vegetabilis effect really spurs us on to further attempts to explain the working of the high potencies through untiring research, even though so far only hy- pothetical explanations exist which are not sufficient to explain the experimental re- sults. However, the impossibility so far of a precise explanation is in no way an ob- stacle to the use of such highly effective preparations in high potency, for the results achieved with high potencies of Carbo Vegetabilis in suitable cases are clear for all to see.

If we now categorise the symptoms of Carbo Vegetabilis once more, the following remedy-picture emerges:

1. Remedy for coldness: cold damp skin, cold breath, cold knees.
   1. States of collapse in a wide variety of illnesses, in typhus, apoplexy, cardiac weakness, states of shock (after road accidents), etc., with demands to open the windows. Palpitations.
   1. Cardiac muscular weakness with typical dyspnoea, and possible pulmonary oedema and incipient respiratory paralysis.
   1. Bronchial asthma with air-hunger, cold sweat, collapse.
   1. Flatulence in the stomach with burning in the epigastrium.
   1. Aphthous glossitis with bleeding, shrinking gums. Periodontitis.
   1. Bluish haemorrhoids, protruding and knotted.
   1. Whooping cough at night with suffocative sensation and desire to be fanned.
   1. Intolerance of alcohol, dyspepsia, flatulence and distension after it, especially in the stomach.
   1. Laryngitis with hoarseness in the evening.
   1. Ulceration of the lower leg with burning.
   1. General exhaustion and deterioration of vital energy, also in neoplasm phases.

The German Monograph-Preparation Commission for the Homoeopathic Field of Therapy has, under the Preparation Monograph for Carbo vegetabilis, published the following indication(s) in the German Bundesanzeiger (German Federal Gazette) for carbo vegetabilis: varicose veins; inflammations of the respiratory passages; hoarseness; insufficiency of digestive organs accompanied by flatulence; mucosal bleeding; cardiac and circulatory insufficiency.