ACIDS Dr.
srikanth
General chemical and physical character:
They are electronegative. They combine with Electro- positive substances like sodium
and potassium . Most of them redden litmus paper. Most of them are sour.
Origin:
Acids are derived from the mineral and vegetable kingdoms.
Acids derived from the mineral kingdom: (Mineral acids)
1. Arsenious acid
2. Flouric acid ( from distillation of fluorospar- calcium fluoride)
3. Muriatic acid
4. Nitric acid
5. Phosphoric acid
6. Silica or silicic acid
7. Sulphuric acid
Acids derived from vegetable kingdom ( Organic acids)
1. Acetic acid ( principal ingredient of vinegar)
2. Benzoic acid ( obtained by sublimation of gum resin)
3. Butyric acid ( acid obtained from butter)
4. Citric acid ( found in Oranges and lemons)
5. Hydrocyanic acid ( or prussic acid contained in great number of plants )
6. Lactic acid ( source sour milk)
7. Malic acid ( source apples, pears, raspberries )
8. Oxalic acid (source rhubarb )
9. Salicylic acid ( found in Spiraea blossoms&Gaultheria)
General features of acids (physiological and medicinal effects )
1. They decrease the acid secretions in the body and increase the alkaline secretions of
the body. For example; if a quantity of citric acid is taken into the stomach it will
diminish the secretion of gastric juice. On other hand it will increase the secretion of
saliva which is alkaline in nature.
2. Antidotal and complimentary action to certain drugs.
Example;
a) Vinegar retards the action of Belladonna, but lemonade aids the action of the remedy.
b) Antimonium crudum will not tolerate acids but you may use tamarind water.
3. Dyspepsia :
Vegetable acids are useful in dyspepsia.
Example; Allow the patient to drink lemonade before meals and we can find that the
usual heart burn and sour rising after eating are diminished. Some persons are greatly
relieved by drinking sour milk ( Lactic acid). Muriatic acid and Hydrocyanic acid favor
digestion. Some persons have been cured of dyspepsia by eating peach kernels which
contain these acids.
4. Antidote for intoxication.
Vinegar ( acetic acid) has been used as an antidote for intoxication.
5. Corrosive action:
Discharges are acrid and excoriating .
Example; Lactic acid: It will eat into every tissues of the body . It will dissolve enamel of
teeth. Dr. Hering was in the habit of recommending that the teeth be washed occasionally
with milk cream that had become sour by keeping 24 hours.
6. Weakness:
Mineral acids produce irritability of fiber with weakness and prostration.
Vegetable acids produce weakness without irritability.
[Link] produce and check hemorrhages.
Example: Acetic acid, Phosphoric acid, Sulphuric acid, Arsenious acid.
[Link] produce pseudo membranes:
Hence they are indicated in the treatment of diphtheria. Example: Muriatic acid,
Phosphoric acid, Sulphuric acid, and Nitric acid. So do not permit a child, convalescing
from croup to partake of acid fruits, because any one of these acids may tend to produce
this disease again.
[Link] resulting from defective nutrition especially blood disease, blood poisoning
etc.
Example: Sulphuric acid, Phosphoric acid and Arsenious acid,
10. Useful for treatment of drunkards:
Example: Sulphuric acid.
11. Indicated in the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus.
Example: Phosphoric acid and Lactic acid.
12. Many of the acids are useful in the treatment of scurvy resulting from a diet of salty
food with deprivation of vegetables.
Common features of Acids in detail:
1. Antidotal action:
a) Acetic acid: antidote anesthetics and sausage - poisoning.
b) Muriatic acid: It is a powerful antidote to mercury and opium.
c) Nitric acid : Antidotes mercury ( after its abuse in syphilis) and kali iodide (in syphilis
or non syphilitic cases)
d) Sulphuricum acidum: Antidotes Lead poisoning.
2. Corrosive action:
a) Arsenicum album:
Fluent coryza which is corrosive, reddening the upper lip with burning.
b) Carbolic acid:
Foetid, acrid discharge from erosion of cervix. Irritating leucorrhoea causing itching and
burning.
c) Chromic acid:
Corrosive discharge from nose with ulceration scab.
d) Fluoricum acidum:
It acts on long bones causing necrosis and caries and favors the expulsion of the
necrosed part.
It produces acrid leucorrhoea.
e) Muriatic acid:
Coryza with thick yellow or serous and corrosive mucus.
f) Nitric acid :
Discharges are offensive, thin, excoriating. Discharge of thick and corrosive mucus
from the nose.
3. Dyspepsia:
a) Acetic acid:
Burning in throat, nausea, retching and sour rising. This is found in cancer stomach.
There are gnawing ulcerative pains in stomach. Pain and burning in stomach. Profuse
exhausting diarrhea with colic pains and tenderness of abdomen. Insatiable burning thirst.
Disgust for salted things and cold. Cold drinks lie heavy. Vegetables except potatoes
disagree.
b) Ars alb:
Cold food and drinks < stomach irritation. Complaint from drinking ice water and eating
ices and fruits. The lips are so dry and parched and cracked that the patient often licks
them to moisten them. Least food or drink causes distress or vomiting or stool or both
together. Thirst for little and often. Unquenchable thirst. Want of appetite. Colic pains in
stomach, nausea, vomiting, and eructation after a meal.
c) Benzoic acid:
Hiccough, pressure in stomach and eructation, weak digestion.
d) Butyric acid:
Poor appetite. Much gas in stomach and bowels. Stomach feels heavy and overloaded.
Bowels irregular.
e) Carbolic acid:
Burning in mouth to stomach. Constant belching, nausea, vomiting, dark olive green in
color. Painful flatulent distention of stomach and abdomen. Fermentative dyspepsia with
bad taste and breath.
f) Flouric acid:
Frequent eructation and discharge of flatus, which gives relief. Nausea with lassitude.
Fullness and pressure in epigastrium - pressure as from weight in stomach between
meals. Heat in stomach before meal. Bilious vomiting after slight errors in diet with
increased alvine discharges. Increased thirst. Craves refreshing drinks. Tongue deeply
and widely fissured in all directions.
g) Gallic acid:
Appetite lessened with nausea. Faint, sick, gnawing sensation in bowels; extending to
stomach with an astringent taste in mouth . Pyrosis.
h) Hydrocyanic acid:
Anorexia, repugnance to food. Vomiting of a black liquid. Burning pain in stomach.
Fluids enter stomach with gurgling noise. Taste sweetish, fetid, acrid and irritating.
Tongue coated white , afterwards dark and dingy. Hiccough and great prostration.
Sudden cessation of all discharges -cholera sicca.
i) Hippuric acid:
Acid rising. Soreness and pressure over liver.
j) Lactic acid:
Eructations of hot acrid fluid, which burns from stomach to throat which must be
constantly hawked up; < smoking tobacco. Constant nausea with waterbrash or vomiting
persisting for days < on rising in the morning; after breakfast. Tongue coated thick white
or yellow coating with bad taste in the morning. Increased salivation tasting salt.
k) Muriatic acid:
Putrid or bitter rising ; hiccough before and after dinner. Vomiting of bile at night with
and eructation . Sensation of emptiness in stomach as if it were retracted. Cannot bear the
sight or thought of meat, it is so distasteful.
l) Nitroso-muriaticum-acidum:
Evacuation of flatus and eructation. Food took longer to digest than usual. Sudden
increase in secretions of bile. Free, loose, yellowish, pappy stool after breakfast.
Constipation, with desire for stool.
m) Nitric acid:
loss of appetite. Milk is not digested. Bitter taste in mouth especially after eating.
Complaint< while eating. Dislike meat, and sugar. Vomiting from eating bread. Craving
for fat food, earth, chalk, lime, and herring. Waterbrash after drinking quickly.
Borborygmus.
n) Oxalic acid:
Pain in stomach < by thinking the complaint, and > by eating. Eructation, nausea,
rumbling in abdomen, and urging for stool after eating. Eructation with hiccough.
Unquenchable thirst. Morning diarrhea. Pain in back > after stool. Diarrhea after coffee.
p) Phosphoric acid:
Aversion to coffee. Violent thirst for cold milk or for beer. Insatiable thirst excited by a
sensation of dryness in whole body. Pressure in stomach after a meal; with confusion of
head , uneasiness, fullness and disposition to sleep , or dejection as if about to faint.
Nausea at sight of food. Sour vomiting. Painless, fetid, yellowish diarrhea.
q) Picricum acidum:
Eructation ; empty, sour, of gas and ingesta. Waterbrash. Nausea on retiring . Weight in
pit of stomach with ineffectual desire to eructate. Jaundice.
r) Salicylicum acidum:
Nausea, gagging, waterbrash, frequent vomiting - erosions and ulcer in stomach and
bowels. Burning in epigastric region. Fermentative dyspepsia. Putrid belching.
Constipated bowels. Cholera infantum. Caused expulsion of tape worms.
s) Sarcolactic acidum:
Nausea. Uncontrollable vomiting even of water, followed by extreme weakness;
especially in case of influenza.
t) Sulphuric acid:
vomiting in morning. Burning in chest and stomach. Sour, acid or foul eructation. Water
is not tolerated, unless qualified with alcohol it chills the stomach. Rumbling and
borborygmi in abdomen. After eating, pain in stomach and rising of food by mouthful.
Lassitude and flatulence after drinking milk.
u) Sulphurosum acidum:
Ulcerative stomatitis. Headache relieved by vomiting. Loss of appetite. Obstinate
constipation.
v) Tannic acid:
Loss of appetite. Obstinate vomiting of bilious substance. Violent pain in stomach.
Obstinate constipation.
w) Tartaricum acidum:
Pasty taste in morning, ceases in eating. Nausea and eructaions, continuous vomiting.
Vomited matter deep green. Pain in umbilical region. Coffee ground colored stool.
4. Pseudomembranes:
a) Acetic acid:
White false membranes in throat. Children thirsty, but swallow with difficulty even a
teaspoonful of water. Lining membrane of larynx and trachea covered with a fibrinous
exudation as in true croup.
b) Arsenic album:
Burning in throat> by eating or drinking hot things. Inflammation and gangrene of the
throat. Spasmodic constriction of throat and of the esophagus, with inability to swallow.
c) Carbolic acid:
Diphtheria with fetid breath, regurgitation on swallowing liquids; but little pain. Fauces
are red, covered with exudation.
e) Chromic acid: Diphtheria; sore throat. Tough mucus with inclination to swallow it.
c) Muriatic acid:Mucus lining of throat and fauces deep dark red, swollen and burning,
covered with grayish-white diphtheretic membrane like deposits. Attempting to swallow
produces violent spasms and choking.
d) Sulphuric acid:
Thick yellow membrane on fauces, sticks like glue. Stringy, lemon - yellow mucus hangs
from posterior nares in diphtheria.
[Link]:
a) Acetic acid:Excessive wasting and debility. Anaemia with waxy pallor of face.
b) Ars. Alb:
Prostration with desire to move or be moved constantly. The patient is exhausted from
slightest exertion. Anemia, chlorosis, pyaemia. Rapid failure of strength wishes to lie
down. Emaciation and atrophy of the whole body with colliquative sweats < during night.
Earthy face eyes sunken with dark ring surrounding them.
c) Benzoic acid: Great weakness, weariness and lassitude with increased perspiration.
d) Boracicum acidum: Collapse.
e) Flouric acid: Lassitude - Loss of strength, limbs go to sleep.
f) Gallic acid: Weakness with irritability. Profuse night sweats.
g) Hydrocyanicum acid:
Speedy failing and weakness of limbs; especially thighs. Extreme weakness and
weariness. Nervous weakness. Diminution of vital heat. Continued inclination to sleep
coma vigil.
h) Lacticum acidum:
Weakness as if from exercise with rheumatic pains in the bones. Debility with weariness
of limbs.
i) Muriaticum acidum:
Muscular poisoning from blood - poisoning; going on to paralysis; finally of brain or
heart. Excessive depression on sitting down, the eyelids close, the lower jaw hangs down,
he slides down in bed. Tottering gait, from weakness of thighs and knees. Paralysis of
tongue and sphincter ani.
j) Nitroso- muriaticum acidum: Weak, physically and mentally depressed.
k) Nitric acid:
Great weakness and general lassitude, with trembling, heaviness of legs and desire to
remain lying down, especially in evening or morning. Inclination to sleep during day
from weakness with vertigo.
l) Phosphoric acid:
Mental weakness. Marked action on emotional and sensorial faculties, a drowsy,
depressed, apathetic state is produced. Stupor, from which he is easily aroused and is then
fully conscious. Indifference prostrated and stupefied with grief, effects of disappointed
love. Confused mind. The legs tremble in walking and limbs are as difficult to control as
the thoughts. Though the weakness is very great the patient is rested by a short sleep. It is
suited to persons of originally strong constitution, weakened by loss of fluids, excesses,
violent acute diseases; chagrin; or a long succession of moral emotions. Weakness of
sexual organs with onanism and little sexual desire. Exhaustion after coition. Scanty milk
with debility and great apathy. Great weakness after walking.
m) Picric acid: Anemia, brain fag. Cancerous cachexia. Spinal exhaustion. Mental
prostration after reading a little, after writing a little. Weakness from a short walk.
n) Salicylicum acidum: Weakness and faintness. Prostration after influenza.
o) Sarcolactic acidum:
Violent retching and great prostration in epidemic influenza after Arsenic alb had failed.
Muscular prostration with tired feeling , worse any exertion. Tired feeling in morning on
getting up. Paralytic weakness. Wrist tires easily from writing . extreme weakness from
climbing stairs. Arms feel as if no strength in them.
p) Sulphuricum acidum:
Sulphuric acid is suited to cases where the weakness is out of proportion to the disease.
Weakness seems to come from deep seated dyscrasia. Useful for inebriates. Nervous
fatigue. Weakness with trembling of the body.
q) Tannic acid: Weakness with Palpitation.
r) Tartaricum acidum:
Paralysis of thighs and legs. Extreme weakness in evening. Feels very tired can scarcely
drag himself along. Paralytic debility. Frequent yawning.
[Link]:
a) Acetic acid:
Hemorrhage from bowel. Metrorrhagia after parturition with great thirst. Haemoptysis.
b) Ars. Alb:
Metrorrhagia, Haemoptysis, resulting in anemia or chlorosis. Violent bleeding of nose.
Swelling and bleeding of gums. Catamenia too early too copious, attended by much
suffering.
c) Benzoic acid: Epistaxis
d) Carbolic acid: Bloody stool like scrapings of intestine.
d) Chromic acid: Haemorrhoids- bleeding . Bloody foul smelling lochia.
e) Gallicum acidum: Pulmonary hemorrhage in phthisis. Excessive menstruation. Nose
bleed. Hemophilia.
f) Hippuric acid:Menstrual flow for three days with complete relief of muscular and joint
pains.
g) Hydrocyanicum acidum:Haemoptysis with sharp pains in chest.
h) Lactic acid: Nose bleed - every morning.
i) Muriatic acid:
Continuous discharge from nose. Scorbutic gums, swollen, easily bleeding ulcerating.
Discharge of blood during stools- bleeding hemorrhoids. Scurvy.
j) Nitric acid:
Ulcers are easily bleeding. The dressing causes bleeding and every touch causes splinter
like pains. Frequent hemorrhages, bright red, profuse. Hemorrhage from bowels with
pain after stool. In pthisical cases there is frequent hemorrhages, bright red, profuse with
sharp stitches through right chest to scapula. Haematuria, bright red, profuse with
strangury and strong odor like horse's urine. Hemorrhages occurring in cachetic women
after confinement or abortion. Epistaxis < morning, excited by weeping . Blood is black.
Gums bleed, are white and swollen.
Hemorrhoids- bleeding after every evacuation.
k) Oxalicum acid:
Gums bleed and are painful in spots. Blood coagulate very slowly. Petechiae appearing
on face, head, chest and nates.
l) Phosphoric acidum:
Scurvy- gums bleeding easily, swollen, stand off from teeth. Hemorrhage is passive,
profuse and dark. Nose bleed at the beginning of typhus. Uterine ulcer with copious,
putrid, bloody discharge. Too copious menses.
m) Picric acid: Haemoglobinuria
n) Salicylicum acidum: Retinal hemorrhage. Haematuria.
o) Sulphuric acid: Scurvy. Epistaxis in evening. Swelling and easy bleeding of gums.
Discharge of blood during evacuation. Long continued Haemoptysis.
p) Tannic acid: Haemorrhagic pharyngitis. Painless bloody discharge from bowels.
7. Diabetes:
a) Acetic acid:
Urine increased in quantity , pale, phosphatic. Diabetes with burning, unending and
unquenchable thirst and great debility.
b) Ars alb: Frequent inclination to urinate with excessive exhaustion from least exertion.
c) Benzoicum acidum: Nocturnal enuresis with strong smelling dark urine, urinous odor
is highly intensifid.
d) Boric acid: Frequent and urgent desire to urinate. Quantity of urine double. Albumen
in urine.
e) Carbolic acid: Diabetes with almost black urine. Irritable bladder with frequent
urination at night.
f) Flouric acid: Indicated after phosphoric acid. Free discharge of light colored urine.
Whitish purple colored sediment in urine.
g) Gallic acid: Excessive dryness of mouth and throat with increased urine.
h) Hydrocyanic acid:Frequent emission of aqueous urine or pale or pale yellow urine,
depositing a turbid cloud.
i) Lacticum acidum:Frequent desire to urinate large quantities. Urinate frequently day and
night, the attempt to retain it causes pain.
j) Muriatic acid:
Frequent desire to urinate with abundant emission-immoderate emission of aqueous
urine- both day and night.
Patient cannot urinate without having the bowels moved at the same time.
k) Nitric acid:Frequent want to urinate which is fetid; offensive.
l) Oxalic acid:
Thinking of urinating produce desire for urination. Frequent and copious urination; which
is clear, straw-colored. Oxaluria and albuminuria.
m) Phosphoric acid:
The child passes a great quantity of urine. Polyuria with dry mouth and throat; with
history of sexual excess or severe mental or emotional overstrain. White, milky urine.
The urine may be passed clear but, turns milky at once and is very offensive. Frequent
and profuse emission of aqueous urine which immediately deposits a thick white cloud.
n) Picric acid:
Frequent micturition in morning . Urine dark yellow with strong odor . specific gravity
increased. Urine contained much indican , numerous granular and fatty degenerated
epithelium.
o) Salicylicum acidum:
Diabetes Mellitus- albuminuria. Urine - clear, brown; three hours after passage has a
green tinge and a feathery deposit of crystals of Salicylic acid.
p) Sulfuric acid: Diabetes with lassitude, despondency. Emission of urine at night. Urine
watery and as if it contained casts.