Schuessler Salt No. 20, potassium aluminum sulfuricum (potassium aluminum sulfate, alum), is said to help with dementia and forgetfulness and prevent fluid loss. In addition, the alum-based Schuessler salt is said to cleanse the connective tissue and support the elimination of aluminum. Find out more about the effects and uses of alum here.
Symptoms and diseases of alum deficiency
Potassium aluminum sulfuricum is the crystallized hydrous double salt of potassium and aluminum containing sulfuric acid. Schuessler salt 20, known as alum, consists of potassium aluminicum and potassium sulfuricum (Schuessler salt 6).
Schuessler salts are not a dietary supplement. Schuessler Salt No. 20 Alum also only contains the eponymous salt in homeopathic doses and can therefore not directly compensate for a corresponding salt deficiency.
The goal of ingestion is to alleviate symptoms similar to those that would occur with an alum deficiency. The Schuessler salt should also work if there is a completely different cause behind the symptoms. According to Schuessler, potassium aluminum sulfuricum should basically have a cleaning, detoxifying and fluid-preserving effect.
Schuessler salt no. 20, alum, is said to be useful for the following complaints and symptoms:
- Colic, flatulence, constipation, chronic inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis)
- Dementia, poor memory, learning disabilities, nerve diseases (neuropathies)
- dry mucous membranes
- dry, brittle skin, wounds that are difficult to heal, hair loss
- mild depression, sleep disorders, burnout, dizziness
- bladder weakness
- Bone problems and muscle diseases (myopathies)
In the cold and in the morning, the listed symptoms tend to get worse, in warm weather and moderate exercise an improvement is more likely to be observed.
In the case of persistent, severe symptoms or suspected serious illnesses (such as Crohn’s disease), medical advice is absolutely necessary. Treatment with Schuessler salts alone cannot be recommended.
Application of alum
According to the alternative method, alum influences oxidative processes in the body and has a cell-cleansing effect. Furthermore, potassium aluminum sulfate is said to stabilize membranes, regulate the permeability of the cell membrane and thus protect against water and mineral loss.
Aluminum deposits can form in the brain over the course of life. This is said to contribute to forgetfulness and dementia, especially in older people. According to the Schuessler teaching, alum should balance out this imbalance.
Alum is primarily used externally. Therapies with the potencies D12, D6 and D3 are described. The potentiation depends on the area of application. For example, D3 is supposed to have a strengthening effect on muscle fibers, while D6 has a regulating and moisturizing effect on the mucous membranes.
Alum is usually combined with the following basic remedies: Calcium fluoratum, Ferrum phosphoricum, Potassium phosphoricum, Potassium sulfuricum, Magnesium phosphoricum and sodium chloratum and Silicea. A combination with No. 8 sodium chloratum can be suitable if mucosal dryness occurs.
External use of alum
Externally, alum can have a styptic effect on minor wounds and soothe insect bites. The tablets can be dissolved in water or mixed and applied to the affected areas.
Internal use of alum
Depending on the extent of the symptoms, the naturopath decides which alum dosage makes sense. According to the healing method, the tablets must slowly dissolve in the mouth so that the minerals are absorbed directly through the oral mucosa.
This double salt is part of the “Schuessler vaccination mixture”: Alum is recommended by naturopaths before and after vaccinations – especially if aluminum salts are contained in the vaccines. Aluminum is added to vaccinations to boost the immune response. In addition to alum, Schuessler’s vaccine mixture also includes Schuessler salts No. 2 (Calcium phosphoricum), No. 3 (Ferrum phosphoricum), No. 4 (Potassium chloratum), No. 8 (Natrium chloratum) and No. 10 (Natrium sulphuricum).
If alum is used as part of the vaccine mixture, it should be started two weeks before vaccination and continued for a further two weeks thereafter.
Locations for Alum
The Schuessler method does not name any special storage for alum. However, aluminum is often found in the human body as a trace element. It can be found in the skin, hair, teeth, bones and muscles, in the brain, liver, kidneys, pancreas and spleen as well as in the lungs and thyroid gland. A physiological significance for our body has not yet been determined.
Characteristic causes of alum deficiency
The Schuessler theory establishes a connection between compulsive character structures and certain mineral deficiencies. However, it is doubtful to draw conclusions about certain character traits based on a salt deficit. Typical signs of a mineral salt deficiency should sometimes help an experienced therapist to recognize stressful character problems. According to the theory, the affected person should be supported in working on their obsessive character structures by taking a Schuessler salt in a targeted manner by releasing inner blockages and restoring a biochemical balance.
Alum should therefore need people who have lost touch with the “now”. These individuals are often desperate and disoriented as they are currently unable to find help or solutions to their problems. They appear indecisive, rushed and unable to rest. On the other hand, there is a great sense of duty and a distorted ability to judge. Those affected are advised to be careful with themselves and their environment and to be awake and present in the “here and now”.
Signs of deficiency on the face
Naturopaths look for signs in their patients’ faces that may indicate a specific mineral salt deficiency. Characteristic of insufficient amounts of alum should be:
- a skin bulge on the lower eyelid
- dry and scaly skin with itching
Other important information about alum
The success of the therapy with potassium aluminum sulfate appears to be rather slow, but it should have a lasting effect.
Daily consumption of food that has been in contact with aluminum foil and drinking fruit juice from aluminum-coated tetrapacks promote aluminum exposure.
In older people, the combination with Silicea can support the tissues in maintaining organ function.
A metallic taste may appear initially after beginning the intake of potassium aluminum sulfuricum (alum).
