Sulfur

Description

Sulfur is a homeopathic remedy that is used to treat a variety of chronic or acute ailments. Elemental sulfur is present in all living tissues. Sulfur is often referred to as brimstone or flowers of sulfur.

Sulfur was used during biblical times as a remedy for skin disorders such as acne and scabies . Flowers of sulfur were burned to disinfect the rooms of persons with infectious disease. Sulfur was also taken with molasses as an internal cleanser, and was used to treat chronic bronchitis, constipation , and rheumatism. In the early 2000s the element is used in the manufacture of dyes, gunpowder, insecticides, fungicides, sulfuric acid, and rubber (as a hardening agent).

General use

Sulfur is known as the king of homeopathic remedies because it has such a wide range of use. It works well with almost every other remedy and it acts on many different maladies and ailments. This polychrest has a deep, long-lasting effect on the body and is often used to bring out symptoms for further treatment. For this reason, sulfur is generally used to treat chronic ailments, although it is also used for acute conditions such as fevers and colds. Sulfur stimulates the body's natural healing powers, causing a general improvement of symptoms and sometimes causing new symptoms.

Homeopaths prescribe sulfur to treat skin ailments such as herpes, rashes, psoriasis, eczema , and acne. Other conditions helped by this remedy include arthritis, colds, coughs, flatulence, gastrointestinal disturbances, and headaches.

Ailments are caused by loss of vital fluids, drug abuse, overeating, becoming chilled, a change from cold to warm weather, effects of a debilitating disease, or from suppression of skin eruptions, hemorrhoids , or bodily discharges.

Typical sulfur patients are fair-haired, blue-eyed persons with red faces and lips that become cracked when they are ill. Their tongues often have a white coating and are red around the edges and on the tip. They are lean, stoop shouldered, lazy, averse to bathing, untidy, and disorderly. They don't pay attention to what they are wearing and often walk around with unmatched socks or missing ties. Patients are oversensitive to odors, especially their own, which are usually smelly.

Sulfur patients have often been called the "ragged philosopher," referring to the patient's disorderly ways. For instance, a sulfur type might be an inventor or scholar who is so absorbed in his project that he forgets to wash or change clothes. Patients are very bright but they spend a lot of time wandering about and studying strange subjects. They are dreamers and philosophers who lack perseverance to see their dreams through to fruition. They start many projects but complete few.

Physical symptoms include excessive thirst, swollen glands, profuse sweat, sensitivity to heat, burning pains, hot feet, boils , and acne. Symptoms generally appear on the left side. Bodily discharges are hot, burning, and sour smelling. The patient is extremely intolerable of the cold and other weather conditions. Arthritis, coughing, and hoarseness of the throat are all caused by damp weather or a change in weather. Skin conditions are often caused by a change in weather.

These patients are very sensitive to food and the times they eat. If a meal is delayed they may become nauseous and weak. At 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. they get an empty feeling in their stomachs and feel an intense hunger. Patients generally suffer from indigestion and other gastrointestinal disorders. They crave alcohol, sweets, spicy foods, fatty foods, and stimulants, but dislike milk and meat. Bread, cold food or drinks, fats, milk, and sweets aggravate their systems.

Mentally, patients are irritable, critical, discontented, impatient, depressed, quarrelsome, restless, hurried, anxious, easily offended, fearful, timid, absent-minded, sad, and weepy. They would rather not work; their symptoms often occur as a result of physical or mental exertion. The patient is always tired and lacks endurance. If made to stand for long periods of time he may feel faint.

Symptoms are aggravated by bathing, cold air, motion, itching, fasting , heat, milk, or standing. They are worse from 10-11 a.m., after eating, or in a stuffy room. Symptoms such as headaches may recur on a regular basis, i.e. every seven or ten days. Patients are worse after a long sleep and may not want to get up. All sulfur symptoms are better from fresh air and warm drinks.

Specific indications

The backache typical of sulfur is aching, sore, and stiff. The back feels weak, tired, and bruised. It is worse from standing or walking, after sitting for long periods, during menstruation , or at night.

Sulfur patients catch colds easily and often. They cannot become overheated, remain in a cold place, or overexert themselves without catching a cold. The sulfur cold is accompanied by smelly nasal discharge, congestion, sneezing , eye inflammations, and an itchy, dry nose that, when blown, may bleed.

The sulfur cough is generally dry in the evening and loose in the morning. The chest is congested and the sides hurt from coughing. There is a feeling of dust in the throat. The discharge that is expectorated from the cough is of a greenish color. Patients may often awake from coughing. The cough is better when the patient is exposed to open air.

Diarrhea that occurs early in the morning around 5 a.m. is indicative of sulfur. The diarrhea is painless, slimy, watery, and foul smelling. It is accompanied by flatulence and is somewhat relieved by expulsion of the gas .

Earaches are accompanied by aching and lacerating pains. The earache is worse in the left ear. There is a ringing or roaring noise in the ear. The ears are frequently plugged and itchy.

Eye inflammations often accompany a cold. The eyes are itchy, watery, burning, dry, and sensitive to light. The eyelids itch in the daytime only. The patient may wake up with his eyes glued shut. Washing them, however, aggravates the condition.

Fatigue is worse in the evening or from talking. It is caused by sun exposure, hunger, or walking.

Fevers are hot and are accompanied by chills , shivering, and sweating. They are worse in the evening, after waking, or from mental exertion. The feet become extremely hot; therefore, the patient may stick his feet out from under the bedcovers to cool them.

The patient is very gassy and suffers from gas that smells like rotten eggs. The stomach is bloated and rumbles in irritation. The gas is often accompanied by a burning sensation and offensive-smelling stools.

Headaches are confined to the forehead or top of the head. They are hot and burning with hammering pains. These congestive headaches are caused by damp weather and are accompanied by nausea and vomiting . They often occur on Sunday and recur periodically. They are aggravated by motion, cold drinks, eating, bending over, blowing the nose, coughing, rising in the morning, and sneezing. Sometimes stars, zigzags, or other shapes will appear before the eyes.

Indigestion is common in sulfur patients. The patient can digest almost nothing, but he can't go long without eating. He has a weak stomach and a slow digestion. Stomach pains are sensitive to touch and a heavy feeling is present in the stomach. The patient is hungry at 10 a.m. and may need to eat to avoid feeling faint or weak. She may get a headache if she doesn't eat at that time. Indigestion is accompanied by sour belches, gas that smells rotten, bloating, and burning pains. It is worse after eating or from drinking milk.

Insomnia is caused by frequent waking in the early morning hours (3-5 a.m.). For this reason, the patient has a tendency to sleep late. However, no matter how much sleep the patient has, he always wakes up feeling tired. Short catnaps taken throughout the day refresh the patient. Patients are often unable to sleep before midnight.

Skin conditions are itchy, intense, and worse at night or in warm beds. The skin is itchy and burning and chaps easily. Ailments include herpes, rashes, acne, eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis .

The sore throat is accompanied by swollen tonsils, burning pains, and a hoarse voice upon waking. The throat is dry and raw and may feel dusty. The throat is worse from coughing and swallowing.

Preparations

The homeopathic remedy is created by adding pure sulfur powder to a water/alcohol mixture or by grinding it with milk sugar. The mixture is then diluted and succussed to create the final preparation.

Sulfur is available at health food and drug stores in various potencies in the form of tinctures, tablets, and pellets.

Precautions

If symptoms do not improve after the recommended time period, a homeopath or health care practitioner should be consulted.

The recommended dose should not be exceeded.

Side effects

There are no side effects but individual aggravations may occur.

Interactions

When taking any homeopathic remedy, use of peppermint products, coffee, or alcohol is discouraged. These products may cause the remedy to be ineffective.

Sulfur should not be taken immediately before lycopodium .

Resources

BOOKS

Cummings, Stephen, M.D., and Ullman Dana, M.P.H., Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines. New York, NY: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1997.

Kent, James Tyler. Lectures on Materia Medica. Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers, 1996.

Jennifer Wurges

sulfur or sulphur , nonmetallic chemical element; symbol S; at. no. 16; interval in which at. wt. ranges 32.059–32.076; m.p. 112.8°C (rhombic), 119.0°C (monoclinic), about 120°C (amorphous); b.p. 444.674°C; sp. gr. at 20°C, 2.07 (rhombic), 1.957 (monoclinic), 1.92 (amorphous); valence -2, +4, or +6. Sulfur was known to the ancients; it is the brimstone of the Bible. It was first recognized as an element in 1777 by A. L. Lavoisier.

Properties and Compounds

Sulfur is found in Group 16 of the periodic table . It exhibits allotropy . Solid sulfur occurs principally in three forms, all of which are brittle, yellow in color, odorless, tasteless, and insoluble in water. Two of these solid forms are crystalline, composed of molecules containing eight sulfur atoms and having molecular weight 256.512 amu. Rhombic sulfur has orthorhombic crystalline structure and is stable below 95.5°C; most sulfur is in this form. The monoclinic, or prismatic, form has long, needlelike, nearly transparent crystals; it is stable between 95.5°C and its melting point but reverts to the rhombic form on standing at room temperature. Amorphous sulfur is a dark, noncrystalline, gumlike substance. It is often thought to be a supercooled liquid; it is formed by rapidly cooling molten sulfur, e.g., by pouring it into cold water. It slowly reverts to the rhombic form on standing. The crystalline forms are readily soluble in carbon disulfide, but the amorphous form is not. Many other forms of sulfur exist. Liquid sulfur is unusual in that its viscosity increases as it is heated. This property is thought to be due to the formation of long polymeric chains of sulfur molecules.

Sulfur is a chemically active element and forms many compounds, both by itself ( sulfides ) and in combination with other elements. It is part of many organic compounds, e.g., mercaptans (thiols) and thio compounds. It burns in air with a blue flame, forming sulfur dioxide, SO ₂ .

Natural Occurrence and Processing

Sulfur is widely distributed in nature. It is found in many minerals and ores, e.g., iron pyrites, galena, cinnabar, zinc blende, gypsum, barite, and epsom salts and in mineral springs and other waters. It is found uncombined in some volcanic regions and in large underground deposits in Sicily and in Texas and Louisiana. Sulfur often occurs with coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Sulfur is found in meteorities, and deposits of it may be present near the lunar crater Aristarchus. The distinctive colors of Jupiter's moon Io are believed to result from forms of molten, solid, and gaseous sulfur. Sulfur is a component of all living cells. The amino acids cysteine, methionine, homocysteine, and taurine contain sulfur as do some common enzymes; it is a component of most proteins. Some forms of bacteria use hydrogen sulfide (H ₂ S) in place of water in a rudimentary photosynthesislike process. Sulfur is absorbed by plants from soil as sulfate ions.

Sulfur is produced chiefly by the Frasch process , although it is also produced by the Sicilian method and by other methods. In the Sicilian method the sulfur-bearing ores are piled in a mound and ignited. The heat produced by the burning melts some of the sulfur, which is collected and cast. This sulfur is impure and is usually purified by sublimation. Sulfur is also recovered from natural gas, coal, crude oil, and other sources, e.g., the flue dusts and gases from the refining of metal sulfide ores. Elemental sulfur is obtained in several forms, including flowers of sulfur, a fine crystalline powder, and roll sulfur (cast cakes or sticks).

Uses

Elemental sulfur is used in black gunpowder , matches, and fireworks; in the vulcanization of rubber; as a fungicide, insecticide, and fumigant; in the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers; and in the treatment of certain skin diseases. The principal use of sulfur, however, is in the preparation of its compounds. The most important sulfur compound is sulfuric acid . Other important compounds include sulfur dioxide, used as a bleaching agent, disinfectant, and refrigerant; sodium bisulfite, used in paper manufacture; carbon disulfide, an important organic solvent; hydrogen sulfide, sulfur trioxide, and thionyl chloride, used as reagents in chemistry; Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate), used as a laxative, bath additive, exfoliant, and magnesium supplement in plant nutrition; the numerous other sulfate compounds; and sulfa drugs .

Sulfur

melting point: 115.2°C
boiling point: 444.6°C
density: 2.06 g/cm ³
most common ions: S ²⁻, S ₂O ₃²⁻, SO ₃²⁻, S ₂O ₆²⁻, SO ₄²⁺

Sulfur has been known since prehistoric times. Because it is flammable, alchemists regarded sulfur as essential to combustion . The chemical properties of sulfur and its compounds, including the reaction of sulfur with mercury (Hg) to form a red solid, mercuric sulfide (HgS), and the use of sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) as a solvent of metals , were discovered at about c.e. 250–300. Gunpowder, a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate (KNO₃), was first used for military purposes in China in c.e. 904.

Sulfur is a tasteless, odorless, nonmetallic element. Sulfur along with selenium (Se) and tellurium (Te) are called chalcogens. The valences of sulfur are 2, 4, and 6, which can be represented by compounds such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and barium sulfate (BaSO₄), respectively. Pure sulfur is insoluble in water. The most stable variety of sulfur, rhombic sulfur, is a yellow crystalline solid.

In Earth's crustal composition, sulfur ranks thirteenth in abundance, with an estimated concentration of 0.05 percent. Sulfur exists in elemental form, as metallic sulfides, as sulfates, and, when combined with carbon and nitrogen, in organic forms. Most of the world's sulfur resource is located in North America. It is distributed, in descending order according to share of that resource, as follows: the United States and Canada have 26 percent and 22 percent, respectively, followed by Russia (11%), Saudi Arabia (5%), Japan (5%), Poland (4%), Germany (4%), and France (2%); the remaining 21 percent is distributed in other countries.

Sulfur is commercially important in the manufacture of chemicals such as sulfuric acid. The chemicals, in turn, are used in the manufacture of sulfa drugs, vulcanized rubber , acid batteries, dyes, and so on. In agriculture, sulfur is the fourth most important crop nutritive element, after nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Its use in fertilizers is increasing rapidly. Sulfur is also used to manufacture poultry feed additives, pesticides, and parasiticides.

see also Chalcogens.

Guang Wen

Bibliography

Hampel, Clifford A., and Hawley, Gessner G. (1976). Glossary of Chemical Terms. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Tisdale, Samuel L.; Nelson, Werner L.; and Beaton, James D. (1985). Soil Fertility and Fertilizers, 4th edition. New York: Macmillan.

sul·fur / ˈsəlfər/ (also chiefly Brit. sulphur) • n. 1. the chemical element of atomic number 16, a yellow combustible nonmetal. It occurs uncombined in volcanic and sedimentary deposits, as well as being a constituent of many minerals and petroleum. It is normally a bright yellow crystalline solid, but several other allotropic forms can be made. (Symbol: S) ∎  the material of which hellfire and lightning were believed to consist. ∎  a pale greenish-yellow color: [as adj.] the bird's sulfur-yellow throat. 2. an American butterfly (Colias, Phoebis, and other genera, family Pieridae) with predominantly yellow wings that may bear darker patches. • v. [tr.] disinfect or fumigate with sulfur. DERIVATIVES: sul·fur·y adj.

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