Know Your Remedies: Cuprum Metallicum (Cupr.)

Common Names: Copper.

General Information

Cuprum Metallicum (Cupr.) is a remedy for types of epilepsy, and mental-emotional or physical cramping. Emotions may be convulsive or ‘jerky’ while physical cramps, spasms, twitching, and jerking occur with or without seizure disorders. Rigidity from suppressed emotions or impulses occurs. Outbursts, spasms or convulsions break the rigidity and suppression. Cramping of the respiratory system may present as types of asthma or spasmodic cough.

Cuprum is also a significant remedy for the behavioural problems of children when striking, spitting, and headstrong behaviour are present. The child may imitate, engage in antics, or hold their breath. Cuprum symptoms often worsen with touch and hot weather but improve with perspiration and drinking cold water.

Mental-Emotional Symptoms

• Seriousness with ‘cramped’ emotions. Mental dullness and slowness.
• Extremely closed from rigid control of emotions or symptoms.
• Behavioural problems in children.
• Dislike of touch.

Convulsions / Seizures

• Convulsions after suppression of skin eruptions or foot sweat.
• Convulsions start with bellowing or shrieking.
• Convulsions start in fingers and toes.

Face

• Grimaces, twitching, and unusual movements.
• Blueness of face during convulsion or asthma.

Eyes

• Move like a pendulum or roll back into head.
• Loss of vision before a convulsion.

Chest and Respiration

• Severe, spasmodic cough. Types of whooping cough.
• Cough relieved by cold drinks.
• Sudden attacks of constricting suffocation.
• Asthma at 3am.

Oesophagus

• Gurgling noises while drinking.

Limbs

• Cramps of muscles, especially fingers, hands and legs.
• Clenching of thumbs and fingers. Thumbs clenched within fists.
• Cramps during sleep or sexual intercourse.

Where do I find it?

Cuprum Metallicum (Cupr.) is available from our online store as a single remedy in liquids or pills, and as part of the following Complex (combination remedy): Cramps (Muscular).

Important

While above self-limiting or acute complaints are suitable for home treatment also contact your healthcare provider during emergency situations or if symptoms worsen or fail to improve. Chronic or persistent complaints, which may or may not be mentioned above, require a different treatment and dosage protocol so are best managed by a qualified homeopath for good results.

Dosage Instructions (suitable for babies to adults)

For the home treatment of acute and self-limiting complaints take one pill or five drops of the remedy every 1 minute to 4 hours (1 minute for intense or emergency symptoms (plus seek emergency help), 4 hours for milder ones). Once an improvement is noticed, stop dosing and repeat the remedy only if symptoms return. If there is no improvement at all by three doses, choose a different remedy or seek professional guidance.

Note: Chronic symptoms or complaints require a course of professional treatment by a qualified homeopath to manage the changes in potencies and remedies that may be required.

More Information

Guidelines on which potency to use

From Past Masters

Homeopathy is a 200-year system of medicine. Early medical homeopaths recorded initial provings, remedy relationships, and their early experiences with each remedy in great detail.

These writings were then shared with others to advance homeopathic knowledge and practice.

Today, these same writings give a fascinating insight into the symptoms and clinical conditions for which each remedy was used.

The following extract, with minor editing, is one example.

CUPRUM METALLICUM.

SPASM is the one word characterizing this remedy. Cramps or convulsions, in meningitis, cholera, cholera morbus, whooping cough, scarlatina, etc.

Spasms begin in fingers and toes and spreading from there become general.

Mental or bodily exhaustion from over-exertion of mind or loss of sleep.

Affections arising from suppressed skin troubles, especially from acute exanthemata.

* * * * *

The grand central characteristic symptom is expressed in one word –spasms. If in brain affections, congestions, meningitis or apoplexy Cuprum is to do any good, spasm will be present in some degree, at least, from a simple twitching of the fingers and toes to general convulsions. If in cardialgia, there is violent spasmodic griping and pressure, followed by vomiting. In cholera, cholera morbus, or cholera infantum the cramping pains are sometimes terrible. Dunham said: “In Camphor collapse is most prominent; in Veratrum album, the evacuation and vomiting; in Cuprum, the cramps.” In whooping cough “children get stiff, breathing ceases, spasmodic twitchings; after a while consciousness returns, they vomit and recover but slowly;” or the child coughs itself into a complete “cataleptic spasm with each paroxysm of cough.” In all kinds of repercussed exanthematic spasms, Cuprum is the first remedy to be thought of (see comparison with Zincum).

These spasms may also be found in dysmenorrhśa, in child bed, or in after pains. Then, aside from any and all kinds of local affections, Cuprum may be found indicated in epilepsia, chorea, and other purely nervous spasmodic affections of a general nature. There is one thing peculiar in the spasms of Cuprum that I have often observed, and it is a strong indication for the remedy, viz.: The spasm begins by twitching in the fingers and toes, and, spreading from there, becomes general.

There is another symptom which Farrington thought very valuable, viz.: “Mental and bodily exhaustion from overexertion of mind, or loss of sleep.” This is similar to Cocculus and. Nux vomica. The other symptoms must decide between them. I have always used the metal instead of the acetate, because I used the potencies, and it acted promptly.