Natrum sulphuricum

What is Natrum sulphuricum?

Natrum sulphuricum is a homeopathic single remedy. It is made from sodium sulphate, a salt also called Glauber's salt. Homeopaths give it to people who feel worse in damp, wet weather.

The salt is watered down again and again, with shaking at each step. At the common 30C strength, none of the salt is left. What you take is a plain sugar pill or a few drops of liquid.

Trials do not show that it works better than a dummy pill. It does have a long record of use in homeopathy. That record is history, not proof that it works, and this point is not repeated below.

How does Natrum sulphuricum work?

Homeopaths say a tiny dose can ease the same signs that a big dose would cause. They also say that shaking each dilution makes the remedy act more strongly. These ideas do not fit what chemistry and biology tell us about how drugs work.

At 30C the pill holds no sodium sulphate at all. So there is no known way for it to act on your body.

Some people do feel better after a visit to a homeopath. A long talk, time, and rest can all change how you feel. That is not the same as the pill treating the illness.

What forms does Natrum sulphuricum come in?

It comes as small pills or pellets that melt under the tongue. Common strengths are 6C, 12C and 30C.

It also comes as liquid drops, which often contain alcohol. Some shops sell it as a 6X tissue salt tablet, the form used in the Schuessler system.

Low strengths such as 1X to 3X are less common. These may still hold enough real salt to loosen the bowels.

Where it comes from:

Glauber's salt is named after Johann Glauber, a chemist who wrote about it in the 1600s. For a long time people took it as a laxative, and drank it in spa water.

Homeopaths brought the salt into their own system in the 1800s. Wilhelm Schuessler later listed it as one of his twelve tissue salts in 1873. It has been a staple of homeopathy ever since, but of that one tradition only.

What does Natrum sulphuricum help with?

• Feeling worse in damp or rainy weather: This is the picture homeopaths look for before they choose this remedy. It comes from old case notes, not from trials. No study shows that the pill changes how damp weather affects you.
• Asthma that flares in damp air: Homeopathy books list this as a classic use. There is no trial showing it helps asthma. Asthma can kill, so keep using your inhalers and your doctor's plan.
• Loose stools early in the morning: Old texts describe stools that hurry you out of bed. This use rests on case reports alone. Watery stools that last, or stools with blood, need a doctor.
• Wind, bloating and a heavy feeling under the right ribs: Homeopaths call this a 'liver' picture, but that is their own wording, not a test result. No human trial supports it. Pain under the right ribs can come from gallstones or liver disease, so get it checked.
• Aching joints in wet weather: Traditional use only. No trial has tested the remedy for joint pain. Joints that are hot, red or swollen need medical care.
• Warts: Some homeopaths use it for warts on the hands. There is no trial evidence for this. Most warts fade on their own over months or years.
• Low mood or headache said to date from an old head injury: This is one of the best known claims in the old books, and one of the least supported. No trial backs it. New or worsening headache after a head injury is a medical emergency, not a job for a sugar pill.

Which foods are rich in Natrum sulphuricum?

1. Some bottled mineral waters: they hold natural sodium sulphate, which is what the remedy is made from
2. Spa or 'bitter' waters: long drunk as a laxative for the same reason

Practical Tips:

Food sources of the salt have nothing to do with how the diluted remedy is said to act.

What are the side effects of Natrum sulphuricum?

• Usually nothing at all, because a 30C pill holds no active salt
• Stomach upset or loose stools in people who take low strengths such as 1X to 3X
• Wind or cramps in people who cannot digest lactose (milk sugar), from the pill base
• A brief flare of symptoms, which homeopaths call an aggravation and which has not been proven to be real
• Alcohol from liquid drops, which matters if you avoid alcohol
• Delay in getting real treatment, which is the main risk

Good to know:

At 30C the pills are very unlikely to harm you. The bigger risk is using them in place of care that works. Very low strengths that still hold real sodium sulphate can loosen the bowels and cause water and salt loss, which matters most for older people, babies, and anyone with kidney or heart disease.

How much Natrum sulphuricum should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been shown to work, because the remedy has not beaten a dummy pill in trials. In practice, homeopaths suggest two to five pills of a 30C strength, once or twice a day. Tissue salt tablets at 6X are often taken three or four times a day. Follow the label on the pack you bought.
• Best time of day: There is no proven best time. Most labels say to take it on waking and at bedtime.
• With or without food: Labels usually say to take the pills between meals, about 15 to 30 minutes away from food, drink, mint or strong smells. This is custom, not a tested rule.
• Time to effect: No reliable time can be given. Any change you notice is most likely the illness passing on its own.
• How long to take it: Homeopaths usually suggest a few days for a short-term problem. Stop if nothing changes. If your symptoms last more than two weeks, get worse, or keep coming back, see a doctor instead of trying a higher strength.