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Ammonium carbonicum (Am‑c.)

Ammonium carbonicum (Am‑c.) appears in the repertory in 625 rubrics. Of these, 31 are single-remedy rubrics in which only this remedy is listed, and 33 are small rubrics with at most two other remedies. The emphasis is on Morose, Anxiety and Fear, Mistakes in speaking, Delusions and Irritability, as well as Children. These yield the picture of a person whose mood depends on the weather and the time of day and who, in the evening and at night, dwells brooding on wrongs suffered.

Weather and mood

The most striking trait is the dependence on the weather. The repertory lists a morose mood during thunderstorms, during storms, in rain, and in cloudy skies; the rubric "Morose – weather – bad, from" sums it up. The same sensitivity shows as being beside oneself in bad weather, as forgetfulness during storms, and as general aggravation in wet weather. The mood follows the sky, without the person herself being able to name a cause. She also becomes morose after fever, and irritability remains after heat.

Times of anxiety

Anxiety and fear are bound to particular hours. Listed are anxiety in the afternoon between 5 and 7 p.m., in the evening between 7 and 8 p.m., fear of misfortune in the forenoon and in the morning, restlessness at 7 p.m., as well as remorse and anguish of conscience in the afternoon. A single-remedy rubric records: "Anxiety – afternoon – 5-7 p.m." With the fear there often remains an undertone of cold, and the delusion of committing a crime is likewise tied to the time between 5 and 6 p.m. The evening anxiety ameliorates in bed.

Dwelling on wrongs suffered

In the evening and at night the person turns inward. She thinks of everything others have done to her and lies awake over it, yet in the morning she has forgotten everything again: "Dwells – thinks of everything others have done to her/him – lies awake and thinks of it – forgotten, in the morning she/he has everything." In the same direction stand the excitement on thinking of things others have done to her displeasure, insulting and scolding in the evening, and an aversion to female family members. The menses change the character: the person is then reserved, quiet, and quarrelsome at the same time.

Speech and language

A striking group concerns speaking. Mistakes in speaking and writing increase in old age, speaking is difficult after eating and is felt as painful. In sleep the person talks and betrays secrets; she speaks out what she thought while awake, as the single-remedy rubric reads: "Talking – sleep, in – what she/he thought while awake." The voice becomes hoarse when she speaks. One can see in this a need to communicate that is not discharged during the day.

Delusions and restlessness

The delusions are brief but peculiar. The surroundings seem to turn in a circle, difficulties threaten, and the person might commit a crime. To these are added turning movements that aggravate, and involuntary movements of the hands. Restlessness, starting, and groaning on waking combine with helplessness in heart complaints.

Children

Among Children (34) stands, beside irritability, a rubric of its own: the child makes everything dirty. It fits into a picture in which ill humor and disorder go together.

Summary

In the repertory, Ammonium carbonicum shows a person whose condition is determined by external rhythms: by the weather, by the hour, by the menses. Where she is left to herself, in the evening and at night, she broods over insults suffered, speaks out in sleep what she keeps silent about during the day, and in the morning finds a relieved emptiness.

A reference work for professionals; it does not replace diagnosis or treatment.