Trifolium pratense

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Red Clover.)

Description. — Red Clover is a biennial plant with several stems arising from the same root, ascending, somewhat hairy, and varying much in its height. The leaves are ternate ; the leaflets oval or obovate, entire, nearly smooth, often notched at the end, and lighter colored in the centre. The stipules are ovate, mucranate; the flowers are red, fragrant, and disposed in short, dense, ovate, sessile spikes or heads; the corollas unequal, monopelatous; the lower tooth of the calyx longer than the four others, which are equal, and all shorter than the rose-red corolla. — W. O. This plant is common to the United States, being extensively cultivated in grass lands, with herds-grass (Phleum Pratense) and other grasses, and often alone; it flowers throughout the summer.

Officinal Preparations. — Tincture of the ripe flowers; triturations, and dilutions.

Analogues. — Ipecac, Hepar sulphur, Mercurius, Spongia, Sanguinaria, etc.

Mental Sphere.

Dullness of intellect; confused; memory feeble.

Head.

Intermittent headache for half an hour; fullness of the head.

Dull aching in the anterior lobes of the brain.

Brain feels large.

Headache in the morning.

Headache all day, but worse in the evening.

Eyes.

The eyes feel dull and sore.

Nose.

Nasal mucous membrane dry.

Discharge of thin mucus; with much irritation.

Increased flow of mucus.

Coryza — like that which precedes hay-asthma.

Mouth.

Increased flow of saliva in men.

Salivation in horses.

0 Suppressed drooling in children.

Stomach. Hiccough for half an hour. Great thirst.

Abdomen.

Griping pain on rising a. m. Severe pain in the bowels. Colicky pains all day.

Stool.

Very costive, with hemorrhage from the rectum, while at stool,

for two weeks. Slight tenesmus.

Stool hard and covered with mucus. Stool loose and slimy.

Urine.

Quantity increased; bladder feels too full; clear; copious. Great urging to urinate. Urates decreased. Phosphates increased. Urine diminished in quantity.

Pharynx and Throat. Sharp pain through the uvula, causing tears to start; throat feels dry.

Irritation of the bronchi, causing a short, hacking cough.

Irritation of the pharynx and trachea, with dry, hacking cough.

Accumulation and expectoration of mucus.

Great irritation of the throat.

Throat dry; then increased flow of mucus.

Throat feels raw, as if a foreign body was stuck in it.

Sore throat, as if scalded all the way down.

Sore throat, with hoarseness.

Chest.

Oppression of the chest, with a feeling as if the air were loaded

with impurities. Oppression of chest on lying down.

Asthmatic oppression of the chest in a close room ; relieved in open air.

Cough on coming into the open air.

Feeling as if breathing hot air.

Faint feeling when in a close room.

Continual short, dry cough.

0 Hooping-cough; paroxysms worse at night.

° Hay-asthma; hay fever.

Back.

Constant uneasiness in region of the kidneys.

Extremities.

Tingling in the palm of the left hand and in left arm. Feet and hands cold.

Fever.

Pulse 72 (second day); 68 (third day); 64 (fourth day). Pulse weak, intermitting one or two beats, if stopped for a few seconds, and this was followed by a full, bounding pulse. Generalities. Better in the open air and cool room. "Worse when in a close, hot room. Headache worse in the evening.

[Extract of red clover is the sole ingredient of Dr. Thompson's Cancer plasters, and it is the principle ingredient of Dr. Howard's celebrated Cancer Salve. Many cases of cancer have been reported cured by the extract, and supported by proof which appears trustworthy. It is taken internally, 5 or 10 grains daily, and applied externally. (Hale.)]

Volume I — Appendix

{Red Clover.) Preparation. — Tincture of the flower-heads.

Head.

Head and perceptions very dull. Brain feels very dull. Has

been dull all day; cannot think nor remember. Head is hot and feels very large.

Intermittent headache; the attacks last but half an hour. Eyes feel dull, sore, and heavy.

Mucus secreted in large quantities in the nose. Nasal mucous membrane feels dry.

Throat.

Throat feels dry and hard in the forenoon. Feels raw, as if something were in it. I continually try to clear it. Throat feels much irritated. Throat all the way down feels as if scalded.

Great dryness of the trachea, causing me to clear the throat of some foreign substance. While in a close room, feel as if I could not get air enough ; feel much better while out of doors.

Throat dry in the afternoon, then after two hours it became quite moist, and there was great expectoration.

Have had continued irritation of the pharynx and trachea, causing a continued short hacking cough, with an accumulation of mucus, which I must expectorate.

A sharp pain through the uvula, causing the tears to start.

Abdomen.

Griping pains in the abdomen, continuous and severe.

Very costive. Bowels afterwards were very costive, and each defecation was followed by several drops of dark blood, attended by a bearing-down sensation, not a griping nor a true tenesmus, but more as if the bowel would prolapse from its own weight; this lasted about two weeks, after which the bowels became regular.

Urinary Organs.

Primary. Kidneys very sore; an increase in the quantity of urine. Great urging to urinate; the bladder feels full to overflowing. Whole mucous membrane of the urinary tract feels irritated.

Secondary. Urine scanty.

Respiratory Organs. Some irritation in the bronchi, causing a short hacking cough. Felt oppressed in breathing, or rather that I was breathing air loaded with impurities after retiring; pulse slow and irregular. Some dyspnoea, disappearing on going into the fresh air.

Lungs feel as if full of blood, at 2 p.m. At 10 p.m., had to leave a close room on account of the oppressed feeling in my chest ; on coming into the fresh air I was obliged to cough much; this was followed by hiccough and profuse expectoration.

On reclining or lying down my chest feels distressed as from

deficient aeration of blood in the lungs. Pulse slow and irregular ; very weak, intermitting one or two

beats; once it stopped for a few seconds, then followed a

bounding pulse.

Sleep.

Felt as if I had not been asleep, on waking in the morning.

Fever.

In a few minutes after retiring, I began to feel cold ; pulse at the wrist very weak, intermitting one or two beats; once it stopped for a few seconds; this was followed by a bounding pulse ; I became very warm, and my breathing stopped ; my lungs felt as if I were breathing in hot air. Feet and hands cold ; head hot.

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

The common red clover of the fields has long had some reputation as a remedy for cancer. A paste or solid extract is made from the blossoms, and this is applied to the ulcer constantly.

You will often hear of wonderful cures made by means of this simple preparation, but you will find it difficult to trace the reports back to a reliable source, — at least I have not been able to do so. I do not believe it possesses any more curative action in such cases than any simple poultice.

In relation to its efficacy in whooping-cough there seems to be a greater amount of positive proof, and some indications of its homoeopathicity.

It is well known that the inhalation of the odor or impalpable dust arising from the dried blossoms, will cause in some persons a severe spasmodic cough and asthma, and in horses it causes that disorder known as “heaves.” (“Heaves” may be either an emphysema, a chronic laryngitis, or a simple asthmatic affection.) It certainly causes horses to cough violently. It is supposed by some that this cough is due to mechanical irritation from spores, or dust, from the dried flowers. Certain it is that musty clover is more likely to cause cough and asthma. In fact, many farmers and horsemen deny that properly dried clover ever causes these troubles in horses.

In the provings of Duncan and others, however, the tincture caused a severe cough, somewhat spasmodic.

Eclectic writers assert that it “exerts a specific influence in some cases of whooping-cough and in the cough of measles, also in the spasmodic coughs of laryngitis, bronchitis, and phthisis.” They use a tincture of the recently dried blossoms.

We have but little recorded experience of its use in these disorders, but it seems worthy a trial after Ipecac or Drosera fail. The