Kreosotum
Made from wood-tar creosote — the coal-tar distillate of the antiseptic era, and the classical remedy of the child with crumbling teeth and acrid discharges.
The whole picture, in one breath
Think of everything acrid and corrosive in a child: teeth that decay the moment they appear, gums spongy and purple, discharges that burn — nose, eyes, ears, vagina — hot and offensive; bed-wetting of deep sleep; and small wounds that ulcerate rather than heal. The acrid, corroding child: that is Kreosotum.
The substance, in plain words
Creosote is the smoky distillate of wood tar — the antiseptic chemistry that fumigated the nineteenth century, related to the carbolic acid of Lister's operating theatres. Its phenols genuinely kill germs and genuinely burn flesh; the proving gave the remedy its acrid-everything portrait.
The traditional picture Classical sources
The inner state
- Irritability and restlessness. Cross, fidgety, worse at night; the books paint the uncomfortable, corroded child.
- Anxiety and fear. Fear of being alone, of the dark, of death; starts at sounds.
- Whining dissatisfaction. Nothing pleases; weeps and rejects by turns.
The body
- Teeth decay on appearance. The keynote: teeth crumble as they come through — the books' great dental decay remedy of childhood.
- Acrid, burning discharges. Every discharge — nasal, ocular, aural, vaginal, from wounds — burns the part it touches, hot and offensive.
- Bed-wetting of deep sleep. The child wets the bed in profound, difficult-to-wake sleep — the quoted Kreosote sign.
- Bleeding, offensive. Small injuries bleed and ulcerate; the blood smells foul.
- Worse cold and rest Cold air and lying still aggravate; warmth and motion ease.
- Vomiting of sweetish Vomiting and diarrhea of the acrid, fermenting kind.
Modalities (worse and better factors)
| Worse from ⬇ | Better from ⬇ |
|---|---|
| cold air; lying; rest; night. | warmth; motion; open warm air. |
Where it acts (organ affinities)
Teeth and gums, mucous membranes (acrid discharges), bladder (bed-wetting), skin and wounds.
Where the classical picture comes from
The antiseptic tar's corrosive chemistry — burn and preservation in one bottle — gave the proving its acrid portrait; the remedy became the classical companion of the child whose teeth crumbled and whose discharges burned.
The substance in real medicine Pharmacology
What this section is: the pharmacology and toxicology of the source substance. It is not clinical evidence that a homeopathic preparation of it treats any condition. What controlled trials do and do not show is set out on the Evidence page.
Creosote's phenol chemistry is the real ancestor of antiseptic surgery: coal-tar distillates fumigated Lister's wards and preserved the railways' sleepers, and the family's safer descendants (modern antiseptics) still work on the same principles. The remedy's territory — dental caries and infected discharges — is today fluoride, fillings and antibiotics: the tar's job, done better.
Look-alikes (how the classical authors told it apart)
| Remedy | Looks similar because… | Tells it apart because… |
|---|---|---|
| Mercurius solubilis | Offensive mouth, gums | Mercurius is sweaty, foul and salivating; Kreosotum is acrid and corroding with crumbling teeth. |
| Chamomilla | Cross child, teething | Chamomilla is the one-hot-cheeked teether; Kreosotum the acrid corroder with decay. |
| Psorinum | Offensive child, skin | Psorinum is filthy, freezing and scabby; Kreosotum burning, acrid and toothless. |
| Sulphur | Hot skin, discharge | Sulphur is hot, red and itchy; Kreosotum acrid, burning and corrosive. |