Convallaria majalis
Lily-of-the-valley. · Plant · Asparagaceae
People who respond best to Convallaria have difficulty in thinking, because their brains feel dull. They often find themselves unable to concentrate when reading, and tend to become irritable when questioned. There is a tendency to experience feelings of depression. Convallaria is prescribed primarily for heart problems. Typical heart symptoms treated by the remedy include palpitations triggered by the slightest exertion. The heartbeat may seem to reverberate throughout the whole chest and rib cage, or it may become fluttery and irregular after exercise, possibly causing nausea and breathlessness. Water retention may accompany heart problems, as may poor circulation. The remedy is often given for heart palpitations that occur in conjunction with soreness of the uterus.
Key symptoms
- Dyspnœa
- Increases energy of hearts' action, renders it more regular.
- Dyspnœa, dropsy, aneuric tendency.
Worse (aggravation)
Better (amelioration)
Lily of the Valley
A heart remedy. Increases energy of hearts' action, renders it more regular. Of use when the ventricles are overdistended and dilatation begins, and when there is an absence of compensatory hypertrophy, and when venous stasis is marked. Dyspnœa, dropsy, aneuric tendency. Anasarca.
Mind and Head
Dull intellect. Grieves easily. Dull headache; worse, ascending, hawking. Scalp sensitive. Irritability. Hysterical manifestations.
Face
Hydroa in nose and lips; raw and sore. Epistaxis. Sees imaginary gray spot about three inches square.
Mouth
Grating of teeth in the morning. Coppery taste. Tongue feels sore and scalded; broad and thick with heavy, dirty coating.
Throat
Raw feeling in back of throat when inspiring.
Abdomen
Sensitive. Clothes feel too tight. Gurgling and pain on taking deep breath. Movement in abdomen like fist of a child. Colicky pains.
Urinary Organs
Aching in bladder; feels distended. Frequent urination; offensive; scanty urine.
Female
Great soreness in uterine region, with sympathetic palpitation of heart. Pain in sacro-iliac joints, running down leg. Itching at urinary meatus and vaginal orifice.
Respiratory
Pulmonary congestion. Orthopnea. Dyspnœa while walking. Hot feeling in throat.
Heart
Feeling as if heart beat throughout the chest. Endocarditis, with extreme orthopnea. Sensation as if heart ceased beating, then starting very suddenly. Palpitation from the least exertion. Tobacco heart, especially when due to cigarettes. Angina pectoris. Extremely rapid and irregular pulse.
Back and Extremities
Pain and aching in lumbar region; aching of legs; in big toe. Trembling of hands. Aching in wrists and ankles.
Fever
Chilly in back and down spine, followed by fever, little sweat. Thirst and headache during chill. Dyspnœa during fever.
Relationship
Compare: Digit; Crataeg; Lilium; Adonis (feeble heart action due only to functional disturbance).
Modalities
Better, in open air. Worse, in warm room.
Dose
Third attenuation, and for symptoms of heart failure, tincture, one to fifteen drops.
Convallaria majalis. Lily of the Valley. N. O. Liliaceæ.
Clinical
Diarrhœa. Heart, affections of. Herpes. Pruritus vulvæ. Vomiting (of pregnancy).
Characteristics
Convallaria is a popular remedy in Russia for heart affections, and it has been introduced into old-school medicine principally as a heart remedy. It compares closely in its action with Lilium tigrinum, and also resembles its other botanical relatives, Aloe, Allium cepa, and Allium sativum. It is strongly purgative and causes morning vomiting. It has been proved, and the symptoms produced snow that its nearest analogue is Lilium tigrinum. Nash has used it in 30th with very satisfactory results in women complaining of great soreness in uterine region with sympathetic palpitation of the heart. He has also removed cardiac dropsy when this uterine soreness has been present as well. Berridge credits it with this symptom: "Movement in the abdomen as from the fist of a child," like sul., Thuj., Croc. In the case of Conval. the symptom occurs "when lying on the back." Sleepiness accompanies many symptoms. > In open air, < in warm room (like Cepa).
Phatak's chapter on Convallaria majalis is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
