Antimonium tartaricum is one of the chief remedies acting on the respiratory system, particularly in conditions with excessive mucus in the chest that the patient is too weak to expel. The hallmark symptom is rattling, bubbling, or gurgling in the chest with little expectoration. It is a great remedy for bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and asthma, especially in infants, children, and the elderly who are weak and drowsy.

The patient often appears drowsy, weak, cyanotic (bluish), and suffocative, with cold sweat. It is also used in certain skin eruptions (pustular, like smallpox or chickenpox) and gastric troubles with nausea and vomiting.