Graphites

Graphite, the soft black carbon of pencil leads, traditionally used in homoeopathy for dry, cracked skin, sticky oozing eruptions and constipation.

Graphites is graphite, a soft, greasy, grey-black form of pure carbon and the 'lead' of ordinary pencils. It is found in rocks around the world, and Sri Lanka has long been known for its high-grade deposits. For homoeopathy it was traditionally prepared from the finest English pencil lead, ground for hours with milk sugar.

Homoeopaths traditionally use it for skin that is rough, dry and cracked, especially behind the ears, at the corners of the mouth and on the fingertips, with eruptions that ooze a sticky, honey-coloured fluid. It is also associated with thick, crumbling nails, stubborn constipation and a chilly, easily tired constitution.

• Dry, cracked skin
• Oozing eruptions
• Thick, brittle nails
• Constipation