Petroleum, also known as crude rock oil, is a widely used homeopathic remedy known for its ability to address skin ailments, mental disturbances, and digestive complaints.
This remedy is particularly useful for people who suffer from catarrhal conditions of the mucous membranes and skin issues that worsen in winter.
It is often indicated for individuals with a weak constitution, recurring ailments, and susceptibility to environmental and emotional triggers.

Table of Contents
ToggleSOURCE INFORMATION
Scientific Classification
- Division: Crude mineral product
- Family: Fossil Fuel Derivative (Hydrocarbons)
- Common Name: Crude Rock-Oil, Petroleum
Origin
- Petroleum is a naturally occurring liquid found beneath the Earth’s surface.
- It is formed over millions of years from the remains of ancient sea creatures and plants that have been exposed to intense heat and pressure.
- This crude oil is a mix of hydrocarbons, which include both liquid and gas forms.
- It is extracted through drilling and is refined for use in various industries, including pharmaceuticals.
- Historically, crude oil has been used for a variety of purposes, from medicinal uses in ancient times to modern industrial applications.
- In homeopathy, its medicinal use was discovered due to its effects on the skin, gastrointestinal system, and nervous system.
DRUG PATHOGENESIS
- Petroleum acts profoundly on the skin, digestive system, and the mind.
- It has a specific affinity for chronic skin conditions, particularly those that worsen in cold weather or due to mechanical irritation.
- The remedy works by addressing deep-seated constitutional imbalances, and its effects are more pronounced in people with a tendency to suffer from irritability and skin eruptions.
- Mind: People requiring Petroleum may experience confusion, memory problems, and the sensation that they are “double” or another person is present.
- Skin: Known for its powerful action on dry, cracked skin, especially on the hands, scalp, and around the ears.
- Gastrointestinal: Can address chronic digestive issues, including sour eructations, heartburn, and diarrhea.
PHYSICAL CONSTITUTION
- Petroleum is suitable for individuals with a weak constitution, prone to recurrent illnesses and chronic conditions.
- These individuals may have a history of suffering from cold, damp environments and emotional disturbances.
WHAT IS CONSTITUTION IN HOMOEOPATHY?
DIATHESIS
- The remedy is suited for individuals with a strumous (scrofulous) diathesis, which refers to a tendency toward lymphatic disorders, tuberculosis, or glandular swellings.
WHAT IS DIATHESIS IN HOMOEOPATHY?
TEMPERAMENT
- People needing Petroleum tend to be irritable, anxious, and easily offended.
- They often feel mentally confused, lose their way, and may experience states of great fatigue and weariness.
WHAT ARE TEMPERAMENTS IN HOMOEOPATHY?
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
- Winter Aggravation: Symptoms, particularly skin conditions, worsen in cold, damp weather or during winter.
- Dry, Cracked Skin: Deep cracks on the hands, fingers, or other parts of the body, often painful and slow to heal.
- Mental Confusion: Individuals may feel lost, confused, or have strange delusions such as feeling as though they are someone else.
- Motion Sickness: This remedy is indicated for individuals who suffer from nausea or discomfort while riding in vehicles.
- Worse from Stress: Emotional stress, vexation, or fright often worsens the overall condition.
PSYCHOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

Confusion and Disorientation
One of the hallmark psychological features of Petroleum is a profound sense of confusion and disorientation.
Individuals feel lost, mentally and physically, and may have difficulty navigating familiar environments.
This sensation of being lost even in known places is a distinct psychological marker of this remedy.
For example:
- Loses Way in Familiar Places: They might feel bewildered when trying to find their way home, despite knowing the route well.
- Disoriented in Routine Activities: Routine tasks become mentally taxing, and there is a sense of confusion about performing everyday functions.
Duality and Detachment
People needing Petroleum often experience a strange psychological sensation where they feel “detached” from themselves.
There is a sense of duality or of not being fully present in their own body or mind.
- Feels Double: These individuals may describe feeling like two people, or they might believe that someone else is lying next to them, even though they are alone.
- Detachment from Reality: They may feel detached from their surroundings or experience their life as if they are an observer, not an active participant.
Fear of Death and Urgency
Another notable mental state in Petroleum is the fear of imminent death.
This feeling often creates an irrational sense of urgency to settle personal affairs, despite there being no clear danger.
This fear may manifest suddenly, accompanied by panic or anxiety, even when there is no immediate reason to feel threatened.
- Sense of Impending Doom: These individuals feel that something terrible, often death, is near, and they must rush to complete or resolve their tasks.
- Panic and Anxiety: They may have anxious episodes centered around their fear of death, which can lead to agitation or disturbed sleep.
Irritability and Vexation
People who benefit from Petroleum often show heightened irritability and are easily vexed or offended.
Small provocations can lead to anger, frustration, or a generally sour mood.
This irritability is often irrational and out of proportion to the trigger.
- Easily Offended: The person may feel vexed or agitated by minor annoyances, leading to a quick temper and conflict with others.
- Restlessness: Alongside the irritability, there is often a sense of restlessness, both mental and physical, as if the person cannot find comfort in any situation.
Depression and Hopelessness
In deeper psychological states, Petroleum can induce feelings of low-spiritedness and depression.
These individuals may feel a pervasive sense of hopelessness about their life circumstances, which can result in a lack of motivation or a passive approach to life.
- Pessimism: There is a general feeling of doom or negativity about the future, which makes it difficult to see any positive outcomes.
- Emotional Withdrawal: Depression may cause the individual to emotionally withdraw from relationships or daily activities, preferring isolation.
Emotional Fragility
Mental states influenced by Petroleum are often fragile and easily disrupted by emotional or environmental stressors.
Individuals may become highly sensitive to criticism or conflict, leading to an exaggerated emotional response.
This emotional instability can lead to mood swings, anxiety, or bouts of crying without clear provocation.
- Overreaction to Stress: Even minor emotional stress can create overwhelming feelings, leading to breakdowns or emotional outbursts.
- Sensitive to Criticism: Criticism or perceived slights from others can lead to disproportionate emotional distress, exacerbating feelings of inadequacy or anger.
Psychological Conditions Treated by Petroleum
- Motion Sickness with Anxiety: People who suffer from extreme motion sickness may develop anxiety or panic around the idea of travel.
- This anxiety worsens their physical symptoms and makes travel-related situations deeply distressing.
- Mental Confusion After Emotional Trauma: People who have experienced emotional trauma or shock, such as a fright or long-term vexation, may develop a lingering sense of confusion, disorientation, or loss of identity, for which Petroleum can provide relief.
- Postpartum Depression: For mothers who experience emotional instability, hopelessness, or irritability following childbirth, Petroleum can be helpful when the mental symptoms are accompanied by physical exhaustion, cracked skin, or digestive troubles.
- Delusions or Hallucinations of Duality: In extreme cases, people might feel as though they are not themselves or that they are seeing or experiencing someone else near them.
- These sensations can be disturbing and may lead to feelings of fear or terror.
Conclusion
The psychological profile of Petroleum in homeopathy revolves around mental confusion, disorientation, duality, irritability, and deep-seated fear of death.
This remedy is especially suited to individuals who feel mentally scattered, emotionally unstable, and physically exhausted.
By addressing the mental-emotional aspect alongside the physical symptoms, Petroleum brings balance to the mind and body in those who exhibit these unique psychological characteristics.
DETAILED ORGAN SYMPTOMS
HEAD
- Vertigo on rising: Feels dizzy when standing up, as if intoxicated or experiencing sea-sickness.
- Moist eruptions on scalp: Often accompanied by itching, worse at the back and behind the ears.
- Cold sensation: A feeling of cold air blowing on the head, even when the environment is warm.
EYES
- Loss of eyelashes: Due to skin eruptions or chronic conditions around the eyes.
- Dim vision: Patients may become far-sighted, needing glasses to read fine print.
EARS
- Intense itching: Eczema and intertrigo inside and behind the ears, causing constant discomfort.
- Ringing and cracking sounds: Especially when there is a build-up of dry catarrh leading to diminished hearing.
STOMACH SYMPTOMS
- Heartburn: Petroleum patients frequently experience burning sensations in the stomach and chest, often related to gastric acidity.
- These may come after eating certain foods, especially fats or meats.
- Sharp, Sour Eructation (Burping): Belching or regurgitation of acidic contents from the stomach is common.
- This causes discomfort, contributing to the sensation of heartburn.
- Distention: There’s often a feeling of bloating or fullness in the abdomen, which can be distressing after meals, particularly following the consumption of foods like cabbage.
- Feeling of Great Emptiness: Despite the fullness and bloating, people who benefit from Petroleum may experience a paradoxical feeling of emptiness or hunger, particularly after bowel movements.
- Aversion to Fat Food and Meat: Individuals may develop a strong dislike for fatty foods and meats.
- Consumption of these foods often worsens symptoms like nausea or heartburn.
- Nausea and Water Accumulation in the Mouth: The remedy addresses nausea that’s accompanied by an increased flow of saliva, often signaling digestive disturbances.
- Gastralgia When Stomach is Empty: Gastric pain or a burning sensation in the stomach occurs when it is empty.
- This is a common symptom in Petroleum patients, and the discomfort tends to be relieved by continuous eating, even in the middle of the night.
- Ravenous Hunger: Despite their digestive issues, Petroleum patients can experience bouts of extreme hunger, particularly at odd hours, like the middle of the night.
- Odor of Garlic: Interestingly, the breath or stomach contents in some patients may emit a distinct odour of garlic, even if garlic hasn’t been consumed.
ABDOMEN SYMPTOMS
- Diarrhoea in the Daytime: Petroleum commonly produces a distinctive type of diarrhea that occurs only during the day, leaving the patient symptom-free at night.
- This diarrhea is often watery and sudden.
- Watery and Gushing Stool: The diarrhea is characterized by the sudden and profuse expulsion of watery stool, leading to a weakened and exhausted state.
- Itching of Anus: Along with diarrhea, patients frequently experience itching around the anus, which may be due to irritation from repeated bowel movements.
- Cabbage Aggravation: Eating cabbage often triggers or worsens digestive issues like diarrhea or a feeling of emptiness in the stomach.
- Empty Feeling After Stool: After passing stool, the patient may feel like their stomach is still empty, which leads to an odd mix of discomfort and hunger.
SKIN SYMPTOMS
- Itching at Night: The skin becomes extremely itchy, particularly at night, disturbing the patient’s sleep.
- This can be related to various skin conditions such as eczema or dry skin.
- Chilblains (Moist, Itchy, Burning Skin): Petroleum is well-known for treating chilblains, a condition where the skin becomes red, swollen, and itchy, often aggravated by cold weather.
- The affected areas may also feel hot and burn.
- Bed-sores: This remedy helps heal bedsores, open wounds that develop in bedridden patients due to prolonged pressure on the skin.
- Dry, Constricted, Sensitive Skin: Patients often report that their skin feels dry and tight, with heightened sensitivity to touch.
- This dryness causes the skin to crack, especially during colder months.
- Rough, Leathery Skin: The texture of the skin becomes rough and hard, similar to leather, often seen in patients with chronic eczema or psoriasis.
- Herpes: Petroleum is effective for treating herpes, especially when the sores are raw, burning, and sensitive to touch.
- Suppuration from Minor Scratches: Even the smallest scratch or injury on the skin can turn into a wound that suppurates (produces pus).
- This indicates that the skin has a reduced capacity for healing.
- Intertrigo: This remedy works well for intertrigo, where skin in body folds becomes irritated, moist, and sometimes infected.
- It’s especially common in areas where skin rubs together, such as between the thighs or under the breasts.
- Psoriasis of Hands: Petroleum is frequently used to treat psoriasis, particularly on the hands.
- The condition is characterized by thick, greenish crusts that are burning, red, and raw.
- The cracks bleed easily, making everyday tasks difficult.
- Eczema and Rhagades (Cracks): Petroleum is especially suited for eczema, where the skin is dry, cracked, and fissured.
- The condition is worse in winter, with the cracks often bleeding and causing intense discomfort.
RESPIRATORY
- Hoarseness: Especially in the morning or during cold weather.
- Cough: Dry, hacking cough, worse at night and in cold air.
MODALITIES
- Worse: In winter, during cold and damp weather, from riding in cars or carriages, and during emotional stress.
- Better: In warm weather, by lying down with the head raised, and in dry environments.
WHAT ARE MODALITIES IN HOMOEOPATHY?
RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER REMEDIES
- Complementary: Sepia works well in tandem with Petroleum for skin and menstrual problems.
- Antidotes: Nux Vomica and Cocculus can help alleviate some of Petroleum’s negative effects.
- Compare With: Carbo Veg, Graphites, Sulphur, and Phosphorus for skin, digestive, and respiratory conditions.
DOSE
- The typical dosage of Petroleum ranges from the third to the thirtieth potency.
- In some chronic cases, higher potencies may be used under professional supervision.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the common uses of Petroleum in homeopathy?
- Petroleum is primarily used for skin conditions like eczema, cracked skin, and chronic digestive disorders such as heartburn and chronic diarrhea.
Is Petroleum safe to use for long periods?
- Yes, when prescribed in homeopathic potencies, Petroleum is safe for long-term use. However, self-prescription is not recommended for chronic conditions.
Can Petroleum be used for motion sickness?
- Yes, Petroleum is an excellent remedy for nausea and discomfort caused by motion, such as car or sea sickness.
Glossary
- Strumous Diathesis: A constitutional tendency toward lymphatic or glandular diseases.
- Blennorrhoea: Excessive secretion of mucus.
- Intertrigo: Inflammation caused by skin friction, often in skin folds.
- Catarrh: Inflammation of the mucous membranes, particularly in the respiratory tract.
- Eczema: A skin condition that causes red, itchy, and inflamed patches.
- Rhagades: Deep fissures or cracks in the skin.