Ichthyolum – Ammonium Bituminosulphonate

(Ammonium Bituminosulphonicum)

The attenuations are prepared from the carbonisation oil obtained from dry distil- lation of bituminous slate, sulphonated with sulphuric acid and neutralised with ammoniac.

The main indications are:

Pustular acne. Violent pruritus (facial).

In practice, Ammonium Bituminosulphonicum (Ichthyol) is used principally in the form of Ichthyol ointment. This serves to soften and clear out abscesses and as stimulative treatment in inflammations.

About 35 years ago the author began a proving of Ichthyol, but had to break it off because incrasingly unpleasant symptoms were making their presence felt, as follows: On taking Ichthyol 30X, 5–8 drops three times a day (hand-successed potencies, prepared from bottle to bottle), no symptoms of any kind were produced. On taking Ichthyol 27X, every evening on lying down to sleep a considerable itching set in, typically on the cheek-bone on both sides, round about the place where acne rosacea tends to be located. The complaints increased, and intensified with the eruption of

small vesicles and, on taking the 25X, inflamed pustules.

As the author was practising every day, this eruption caused him not a little incon- venience. Along with his wife, who was also doing the proving and had the same symptoms, he therefore discontinued the proving.

Bearing in mind the high degree of biological activity of the slate-oils, this remedy should have a more thorough homoeopathic proving.

The German Monograph-Preparation Commission for the Homoeopathic Field of Therapy has, under the Preparation Monograph for Ammonium bitumino-sulfon- icum, published the following indication(s) in the German Bundesanzeiger (German Federal Gazette) for ichthyolum: suppurative dermal inflammations; chronic bron- chitis.