Trifolium pratense
Plant · Fabaceae
Trifolium pratense suits patients with prominent salivary gland congestion (as in mumps or pre-mumps states) combined with respiratory irritation producing dry hacking cough, hoarseness, and a sensation of breathing hot air. There is a cancerous diathesis with general congestive tendency. It retards progress of cancerous tumors before ulceration and has a role in whooping cough and measles cough.
Key symptoms
- Marked ptyalism; profuse salivation; sensation as if mumps coming on
- Dry tickling hacking cough from pharyngeal and tracheal irritation
- Sensation as if breathing hot air; lungs feel full of blood
- Choking and hoarseness at night with cough; stiff neck
- Cramps in sternomastoid muscles better from heat and friction
- Persistent headache on waking in morning; dullness in anterior brain
- Sleep unrefreshing; confused on waking
- Whooping cough with paroxysms worse at night
- Cancerous diathesis; retards progress of tumors before ulceration
Worse (aggravation)
- In close room
- After sleep
- At night (cough)
Better (amelioration)
- In open air
- Heat and friction (stiff neck and sternomastoid cramps)
Red Clover
Produces most marked ptyalism. Feeling of fullness with congestion of salivary glands, followed by increased copious flow of saliva. Feeling as if mumps were coming on. Crusta lactea; dry, scaly crusts. Stiff neck. Cancerous diathesis.
Head
Confusion and headache on awaking. Dullness in anterior brain. Mental failure, loss of memory.
Mouth
Increased flow of saliva (Merc; Syphil). Sore throat, with hoarseness.
Respiratory
Coryza like that which precedes hay-fever; thin mucus, with much irritation. Hoarse and choking; chills with cough at night. Cough on coming into the open air. Hay-fever. Spasmodic cough; whooping cough, paroxysms; worse at night.
Back
Neck stiff; cramp in sterno-cleido muscles; relieved by heat and irritation.
Extremities
Tingling in palms. Hands and feet cold. Tibial ulcers.
Relationship
Compare: Trifolium repens.--White clover- (Prophylactic against mumps, feeling of congestion in salivary glands, pain and hardening, especially submaxillary; worse, lying down. Mouth filled with watery saliva, worse lying down. Taste of blood in mouth and throat. Sensation as if heart would stop, with great fear, better sitting up or moving about; worse, when alone, with cold sweat on face).
Dose
Tincture
Trifolium pratense. Red Clover. N. O. Leguminosæ. Tincture of flower heads. [In the cancer cases an extract of the blossoms of the first crop is used. "This extract," says Cooper, "is made by boiling down the flowers till nothing but an inspissated residuum is left: in this condition it seems to be caustic and for this reason is used by herbalists: I doubt its utility."]
Clinical
Cancer. Constipation. Cough. Mumps. Pancreas, affections of. Throat, sore; mucus in. Uvula, pain in.
Characteristics
Tri. p. has a reputation among eclectics in whooping-cough, and coughs of measles and phthisis. T. C. Duncan and others proved it and elicited some very decided respiratory symptoms, dry, tickling cough, oppressed breathing with fever. One peculiar symptom was, cough followed by hiccough. Many symptoms of congestion appeared. The head felt full of blood. The lungs felt full of blood. Sensation in lungs as if breathing hot air; as if air full of impurities. There was persistent headache on waking. Sleep was unrefreshing. …
Phatak's chapter on Trifolium pratense is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
