THE KALI FAMILY


Organic potassium is a powerful neutralizer. It is a powerful flushing agent, hence it is good for constipation and as an improver of circulation. Potassium is one of the minerals present in blood plasma as well as all tissues. Clarke, in his Dictionary of the Materia Medica, states, “Kalis, in general, cause great disturbance in the circulation of fluids in the tissues.” The organic compounds are also good for pelvic disorders.


There have been many articles written on the individual members of this group of homoeopathic remedies, but very few which cover the entire family. Perhaps there are reasons for this. The Kalis do not have an attractive or outstanding personality. For their wide use in general practice, there are one or two remedies which have definite, easily discernible, characteristic picture, but he Kali family, as a whole, lacks that dynamic power of some of the other groups:

There is not “Gloomy Gus” Natrum carb., no gold- headed cane Arsenicum, nor any well-groomed nervous race horse Nux vomica among the Kalis. Another answer to the question may be that the element, potassium, isolated and purified, has had no recorded proving. Therefore, a compilation of the characteristics of this group must suffer from human error, for they must be sifted from a multitude of provings, poisoning and empirical uses of the individual Kalis.

The term Kali or Kable is German for potash. Potassium, as a chemical element, is a metal, having an atomic number of 19, an atomic weight of 39.1 and a valence of plus 1. Potassium and all of its compounds are water soluble, hence very universally distributed. The earths crust is 2.45 percent potassium and the human body is 0.35 percent potassium. Potassium hydroxide combined with a fatty acid forms a soft in contrast to sodium, which produces a hard soap.

We are less interested in these purely chemical or inorganic properties than the organic ones. It is true, however, that in many cases our drug pictures have come from chemical, allopathic and poisonous effect; also, as Schussler believed, a lack of the chemical salt itself or a disturbance in the motion of its molecules.

Potassium is contained in all organic vegetable foods. Those which contain most of it are dandelions, water cress, parsley, dill, fresh asparagus, Swiss chard, endive, spinach, tomatoes, mustard greens, watermelon, and beet tops. This is an excellent list to remember as an adjuvant in treating chronic cases where a Kali containing remedy is indicated.

Organic potassium is a powerful neutralizer. It is a powerful flushing agent, hence it is good for constipation and as an improver of circulation. Potassium is one of the minerals present in blood plasma as well as all tissues. Clarke, in his Dictionary of the Materia Medica, states, “Kalis, in general, cause great disturbance in the circulation of fluids in the tissues.” The organic compounds are also good for pelvic disorders.

There are some 25 or 26 combinations of potassium used homoeopathically. There are ten or twelve of these worthy of study, for among them are some of the double salts, which are often indicated. Causticum, Kali aceticum, arsenicosum, bichromicum, bromatum, carbonicum, hydroiodicum, muriaticum, nitricum, phosphoricum, and sulphuricum comprise this list and are the ones used in the study of the entire group.

It is evident that Kali, as it is most commonly used as a group, has few delineating characteristics, for it is influenced exceedingly but he elements, radicals or compounds, with which it readily combines.

These salts have been used for many centuries in scientific and empiric medicine. Perhaps the statement that they have been misused for centuries would be more correct. Allopathically, these remedies have been used in chemistry and medicine. Kali ars. as a diuretic and complexion clearer, Kali bichromicum as an antiseptic for wounds, the bitartarate as a saline purgative, the iodide for syphilis, the nitrate for fevers, and the permanganate as an oxidizing agent, are some of the empiric and so-called specific uses.

The general typical constitution of the Kali family is the fat, chubby person. So-called plethoric people who really have a false anaemia or pseudo-plethora or fleshy people who are watery, anaemic and obese give a better picture.

The group effects of characteristics include paralytic effects, weakness, ulceration of the mucous membrane and of the skin, tissue waste, myocardial weakness, deficiency of red corpuscles, early morning time aggravation-2 to 5 a.m.- which is pronounced in some of the Kalis and mild in others (a better time modality than the Natrums).

There are sharp, cutting, quick, jabbing pains; and nearly all of the pains are ameliorated by motion. Cardiac depression, as shown by a soft, irregular, and intermittent pulse is a characteristic. Kali conditions as a rule are afebrile. The mentality of the Kalis is relatively weak, being not so clear cut as the Natrums. Symptoms are apt to predominate on one side of the body only-the left-with the exception of those of Kali carb. The kalis are wonderful anti- tubercular remedies.

All of the Kalis are aggravated after any disturbance in the fluid balance in the body,particularly after coition. The family amelioration is from warmth, from rest and a plentiful amount of substantial food. In general, the Kalis are never constipated, however, each salt may have some constipation in its pathogenesis. Most of the Kalis hate cold and are made worse by it. Also, there is no offensiveness of certain excretions.

The great therapeutic applicability of this group is undoubtedly due to the presence of potassium in some of its salts in all protoplasm, all living substance in both the animal and vegetable kingdom. Hence, to enumerate the regions of the body affected would be to list anatomically all of the organs and tissues of the body. The principal points of attack are the mucous membranes, wherever they are found in the body, the cardiovascular system, including the blood itself, the kidneys, the connective tissue and the glandular organs. The motor cardiac centers are influenced by potassium.

The Kali mind is forgetful, with mental lassitude and sluggishness. Kalis are easily annoyed and irritated by trifles. They have a harsh temper when aroused and are apprehensive, ill at ease and rather averse to society. (Kali iod. is mean, especially to his own family).

In the kidneys, the Kalis produce an increase in the flow of urine and elimination of the alkali salts so that the total solids are increased.

Clarke, in his Dictionary, adds to a previous statement to say.

The potassium salts have more relation specifically to the solid tissues than to the fluids of the body; to the blood corpuscle rather than to the blood plasma. The fibrous tissues are particularly affected, the ligaments of joints, of the uterus, and of the back. It corresponds to conditions in which these tissues are relaxed-joints give way; the back feels as if broken; the patient feels compelled to lie down, even in the street.

To take up each individual member of this useful family in detail would require entirely too much time, so the characteristic rather than the general field of the more commonly used salts will be considered. This will bring out the fact that the manifestations of the Kali family are secondary to the compounds with which it is combined but still their subtle influence is present.

The indications for Kali aceticum, which should bring the remedy to mind, are the great weakness, trembling, and anxiety in the whole body and mind of transient duration and appearing in paroxysms; the peculiar profuse and offensive perspiration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., polyuria, and the 4 p.m. headache.

Kali arsenicosum is a salt showing the effect of is combined radical, the arsenic. The characteristic analysis shows a temperamental disposition to restlessness, fault finding exaction, scolding , quarrelsomeness, and discontent. The skin is the main point of attack as a result of the effect on the cardiovascular system. Here there are innumerable indications, from painful herpes, phagdenic ulcers with a deep base and turned up edges to itching psoriasis. The branlike desquamation following measles is typical.

The skin symptoms itch mainly, are worse when the patient undresses, worse at night, like Arsenicum, yet aggravated by warmth. The kali ars. skin is pale, dirty yellow, muddy. There are a few unusual symptoms, as the sensation as if the head were too large, burning and numbness of the tongue, which also feels too large, and the sensation as of a ball rising from the pit of the stomach to the larynx causing suffocation and as if a red hot iron or poker were in the anus.

There are very many indications for Kali bichromicum. The most characteristic indications are the discharges from the mucous membranes of tough stringy mucus or muco pus which adheres to the part and can be drawn out in strings. The formation of plugs or clinkers on the mucous membranes as in croup and diphtheria with a hoarse, metallic cough, and the formation of casts of bronchial tubes in fibrinous bronchitis are various manifestations of the mucous discharge.

The secretions and excretions are yellow and the discharges are of jelly-like mucus. There is occurrence of pain in small spots which can be covered with the tip of the finger, alternating shifting conditions as pains wandering from part to part. Rheumatic pains alternate with gastric symptoms or with dysentery, headache alternates with blindness. Punched out, perforating ulcers occurring on skin, mucous membranes and affecting ulcers occurring on skin, mucous membranes and affecting bones, especially the vomer and palate comprise another characteristic.

Ronald A. Davis