The foundation of the healing art of homeopathy, relying on the basic principles of cure, is actualized primarily through its vast array of remedies, that originate from all kinds of sources, active or inactive.
One such inert substance whose deep remedial effect remains latent until potentized, is the commonly found mineral, Calcium Carbonate. Comprising more than 4% of the earth’s crust, it is also found abundantly within the human body as one of the main constituents of our bones. Perhaps it is the profusion of this mineral on all planes which explains its wide usage spanning over ages, making it as old as the Mother Earth itself and being one of the major polychrests of the homeopathic Materia Medica, the symptomatology of this remedy is as broad as its abundance in nature.
The remedy made from the oyster shell is as close as one can get to it being of a pure nature having an organic as well as an inorganic source. When born, the oyster is a free-floating micro-organism which slowly absorbs Calcium Carbonate from the saline ocean to begin the process of forming a shell around itself to protect its vulnerable body. Once encased with a sufficient amount, it sinks to the bottom to find a rock or a sedentary structure to adhere to for the rest of its life. These bivalves then become an essential part of the marine biome, because just like sponges, oysters are filter feeders keeping the ocean waters clean. The shells of oysters accumulate on the ocean floors after they die, turning into lime that gradually forms reefs which provide an important habitat for other species that need protection, which is why it is known as a keystone species, the keystone being that crucial stone in centre of the arch that holds it together.
Now keeping those characteristics of an oyster in mind, one can progressively form a picture of the Calc Carb person.
“In Calc, the child is father to the man- or woman. If you know the Calcarea child, you realize Calc, later on in life.”
Homeopathic Drug Pictures- Margaret L Tyler
The Calc Carb’s journey, starting early on, one sees a child, who is fair, rosy, a chubby little mass of goodness, perhaps even the poster child, of all things healthy yet it’s exactly this little bundle of joy that seems to be predisposed to reacting to shocks to the system due to the poor assimilation of nutrients. And of all the nutrients it is mainly due to the malabsorption of calcium, the crucial “keystone” element, that issues arise in the first place, the child shall have soft bones and teeth, yet will have a fleshy body with minimal resistance to it’s surroundings, Margaret Tyler emphasises it as, “tissues of plus quantity and minus quality.” The muscles are affected so is the skin, the glands, blood and the heart. The cold, clammy, spineless oyster is reminiscent of the smooth, pearlescent, soft and fragile Calc child, who is chilly, perspires easily specially around the head and the neck area, the underdeveloped bones do not function as expected.
One could also perhaps imagine, “An oyster without a shell,” says Misha Norland, when thinking of the restraints this person is subjected to.
The immobility found in the lifecycle of an oyster, whence this remedy is derived, one gets a helpful idea of the stasis characterized in the Calc Carb child. Affixed and stationary in its hard protective exterior, the soft oyster is likened to this delicate child wanting to be surrounded by secure surroundings, like family members, the comforts of familiar places, in order to protect its vulnerable state, when its body has failed to provide that stability at the structural level. Exertion in any form irritates highly so he starts to form a habit of staying put and that builds an idea that he is slow, but he shouldn’t be considered wanting to be slow, for he is just constitutionally unable to perform normally, so any deviation from his normal routine is avoided at all costs. The child will grow up to develop a deeper symptomatology on the emotional and mental levels as it consistently arrives late at its milestones, leaving him significantly behind amongst its peers.
In order to protect itself from injury, the oyster secretes nacre within its mantle to encyst any foreign irritating material that enters the bivalve while it opens for its feeding or respiration purposes. That’s the beginning of the formation of the much-coveted pearl, which just happens to be a defence mechanism of the exposed oyster and is likened to the Calc carb’s tendency towards forming defensive barriers around him to protect its sensitive nature from that which irritates it or the encysting of irritants within the economies, in the form of glandular swellings or fibroids.
On the mental level, this is portrayed as a slow thinking child devoid of spontaneity, who prefers to sit quietly and absorb the world with his mind rather than partake in it actively through physical means. Although he compensates for his physical limitations quite remarkably later in life, developing a deep understanding of the world around him i.e., if no other pathology develops, and he grows up to be a dependable and a solid individual. But which if effected, results in an adult full of fears who is unable to cope with the threatening outer world. This weakness slowly manifests itself on the emotional level as timidity in a person who does not like to be challenged in any way which will cause commotion and exertion to its economy, so he remains closed off in his shell, his fortress, his home. This vulnerable person does not want the world to know of his confines and resultantly he will become obstinate and develop a habit of getting affixed on small ideas. This is his way of compensating for the weakness he feels within and can slowly develop into a form of neurosis, his fearful mind imagining the worst.
