Drosera

A small insectivorous bog plant of the family Droseraceae, Drosera rotundifolia grows in acidic marshes across northern latitudes. Its round leaves bear glandular hairs tipped with sticky mucilage used to trap insects, from which the plant derives nitrogen; this peculiar physiology mirrors, in homœopathic symbolism, a hyper-reactive, grasping irritability of the air-passages [Clarke]. Constituents reported historically include naphthoquinones (e.g., plumbagin-type bodies), flavonoids and tannins; the fresh plant tincture (φ) is prepared per homœopathic pharmacopœia from the aerial parts in flower, then potentised by serial dilution and succussion [Hughes], [Clarke]. Toxicology/herbal experience suggests an antitussive, spasmolytic tendency on the laryngeal reflex, with possible local irritation in crude doses—threads that explain its later keynote action in spasmodic coughs and laryngeal affections [Hughes], [Farrington]. Hahnemann singled out Drosera as almost specific for whooping cough when the totality agreed, and offered a distinct essay on its virtues in that disease [Hahnemann], [Hering].

Proved by Hahnemann and his circle with vivid laryngeal and cough phenomena; whooping-cough symptoms were striking and repeatedly clinically verified [Proving] [Hahnemann], [Allen]. Early confirmations flowed from epidemics of pertussis and cases of laryngeal phthisis; Boenninghausen and Hering codified its indications for spasmodic coughs worse after midnight, from lying down and after speaking [Clinical] [Hering], [Boenninghausen], [Clarke].

Drosera’s essence is the hyper-excitable laryngeal reflex of the tubercular temperament: a hair-trigger glottis that turns trivial stimuli—lying down, a word, a sip—into a storm of explosive coughs, the breath caught and re-caught until a whoop breaks through, the stomach retches, sweat beads, and sleep descends. Everything in the case orbits that pivot. The mental posture echoes it: wary, irritable, guarded, intolerant of talk or interference at critical moments, for the sufferer knows how fragile the balance is. The environment is decisive: warm, stagnant rooms and bed-heat tighten the coil; cool, fresh air and an upright posture slacken it. This explicit environmental polarity (Better open air; Worse warm rooms) and mechanical polarity (Better sitting up; Worse as soon as head touches the pillow) must be heard in the history and then re-heard inside the symptoms at throat, chest, sleep, mind, and generalities [Boger], [Kent], [Tyler].

Kingdom signature helps: a small carnivore of the bog, Drosera lives by irritation and grasping—its sticky tentacles whip on contact—just as the Drosera patient “grabs” at the least stimulus and flings himself into a paroxysm. The Tubercular colouring shows in the rapid pace, night aggravations, alternating apparent wellness, emaciation tendency, and the craving for air and space; the Psoric base gives the oversensitivity, and in advanced laryngeal ulceration a Syphilitic tint appears [Sankaran], [Vithoulkas], [Kent]. Pathophysiologically, the picture correlates with a sensitised laryngeal inlet and vagal reflex loop that, once triggered, entrains abdominal musculature and respiratory pump until a crisis event (vomiting, profuse expectoration, sweat) resets the loop. That is why “Better after vomiting/expectoration/sweat” is not a random observation but the therapeutic hinge.

Differentially, Drosera must be separated from Rumex (tickle lower, worsened by cold air on inspiration, covered mouth relieves), Corallium (extreme rapidity of cough, worse inhaling cool air), Coccus (ropy strings and morning predominance), Ipecac (vomit without relief and more constant nausea), and Antimonium tart. (wet, rattling chest with weak expulsive force). Spongia/Hepar handle the classic croup phase, but Drosera owns the post-croup midnight spasm provoked by phonation and recumbency [Farrington], [Kent]. Phosphorus is a near-neighbour in hoarseness/aphonia and bleeding, but the Drosera patient fears to speak because speaking sets the cough machine off; Phosphorus often seeks cold drinks which, in Drosera, may provoke [Farrington].

In practice: think Drosera when the history is “worse after midnight; as soon as I lie down or start to speak it explodes; drinking or swallowing catches the throat; I must sit up by the open window; after I vomit I can sleep.” In epidemic pertussis, these features are often so clean that Drosera earns the reputation Hahnemann gave it. In laryngeal TB, its role is quieter but sure when the hoarse, painfully phonating voice and night cough parade those same modalities [Hahnemann], [Clarke], [Farrington].

• Larynx and Trachea — violent reflex excitability, spasmodic closure, tickling “as from a feather,” hoarseness; whooping-cough, laryngitis, laryngeal TB; see Throat/Respiration [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Farrington].
• Vagus/Respiratory Reflex Arc — paroxysmal cough ending in retching, vomiting, epistaxis; cough on lying down or on beginning to speak; see Respiration/Chest [Allen], [Boger], [Kent].
• Lungs (Apices) — tubercular diathesis, haemoptysis streaks with spasmodic cough; see Chest/Fever [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Intercostals/Diaphragm — stitching pains, “as if bruised” ribs from coughing; see Chest/Back [Kent], [Nash].
• Nose/Nasopharynx — epistaxis during paroxysm, fluent coryza around attacks; see Nose/Fever [Hering], [Boger].
• Stomach — nausea and vomiting with cough; hunger after paroxysm; see Stomach [Allen], [Boericke].
• Voice/Phonation — deep, bass, cracked or aphonic from laryngeal irritation; see Mouth/Throat [Farrington], [Kent].
• Sleep Centres — attacks rouse 12–3 a.m.; cough as soon as the head touches the pillow; see Sleep [Boger], [Tyler].
• Mind — suspicion, easily startled, concentrated irritability during paroxysms; see Mind [Tyler], [Kent].
• Skin/Sweat — clammy sweat on forehead during fits; heat and sweat close attacks; see Perspiration [Boger], [Boericke].
• Cervical/Neck Muscles — strain from paroxysms; need to hold chest/neck; see Back [Nash].
• Ears — bursting ear pains with whoop and retching; Eustachian irritation; see Ears [Hering].

During paroxysms the mental state is taut, concentrated, and suspicious: the least movement or word feels provocative, and the patient resents interference, fearing any stimulus will “set it off” [Tyler], [Kent]. Between attacks the mood may be low and irritable, but without the great anguish of Arsenicum; rather a taut, guarded watchfulness—eyes set, listening for the next tickle [Hering]. There is distrust of people fussing about; the sufferer would prefer silence and dim light, a pattern that tallies with the modality “Better silence and resting the voice” and “Worse speaking” already noted [Farrington]. Oversensitive to external impressions—odours, dust, warm rooms—provokes fretfulness and even sudden rage if someone laughs or speaks while he is controlling a cough; such emotional hyperreactivity mirrors the respiratory reactivity [Kent]. Anxiety is anticipatory: if he lies down or lifts the cup he “knows” the fit will come; this anticipatory fear in the tubercular temperament seeks open air and a window, cross-linking to Better open air [Sankaran], [Boger]. Sleeplessness comes from fear of the midnight attack; when it comes, there is a flash of panic, then a mechanical fight for air, then exhaustion [Boger], [Vithoulkas]. Children in whooping cough become peevish, push away help, clutch the mother in a vice only at the peak of suffocation; afterwards, they want to be quiet and not spoken to—again echoing vocal provocation as a keynote [Hering]. A fastidious dislike of smoke, feathers and dust appears—he will “clear the room” before resting [Clarke]. Mini case: “Boy would glare at anyone who spoke as he prepared to lie down; if spoken to, paroxysm burst forth” [Clinical]. These mental colours—irritable vigilance, aversion to talk, anticipatory dread linked to lying down/drinking—interweave consistently with Drosera’s mechanical laryngeal spasm [Kent], [Farrington].

Sleep is undermined by fear of the midnight assault; dozing off triggers it “as soon as the head touches the pillow,” compelling the sufferer to spring up and sit by the window, where cool air and posture soften the violence (explicit echo of Worse lying down, Better open air, Better sitting up) [Boger], [Kent]. After the paroxysm breaks—often with vomit—sleep descends heavy and restorative, the child lying limp and pale (crisis-relief arc) [Hering]. Dreams are few during active illness; any mutter or laugh from others can rouse the patient and set off cough (Mind aversion to talk) [Farrington]. Early morning doze is quieter, a hint to dosing around circadian pattern [Tyler]. Snoring is not typical; mouth-breathing from laryngeal irritation occurs [Allen]. Sleeplessness breeds irritable vigilance next evening—a vicious loop (Mind link) [Vithoulkas]. Naps in a cool, airy room are tolerated better than bed warmth (Generalities echo) [Boger]. Children may fall asleep immediately after a huge paroxysm and wake cheerful until the next trigger [Hering]. Adults learn to prop with pillows; flat posture is dreaded [Kent]. Mini case: “Coughing fit every time the head reached the pillow; slept in a chair by open sash; Drosera broke the midnight spell within two nights” [Clinical].

When present: dreams of choking, of crumbs in the throat, of being unable to call for help (phonation-provoked fear); waking with a short burst of cough; these modal-tethered dreams repeat the laryngeal trigger theme (Throat/Respiration echo) [Tyler]. Children may dream of falling or running without breath; wake, whoop, then sleep [Hering]. Dreams are more active after the crisis is past, in convalescence [Vithoulkas]. Noise in dreams (people talking) provokes startle, linking to aversion to conversation (Mind) [Farrington]. Dream-sweats soak the pillow in tubercular types (Perspiration link) [Sankaran]. Pleasant dreams seldom; content anxious but soon forgotten [Allen].

Drosera concentrates on the laryngeal trigger and the neural pattern of the paroxysm: tiny stimuli (speaking, swallowing, lying down) ignite a violent, short-range, repetitive motor storm culminating in retching and sweat, after which the organism drops into sleep—this exact arc must be recognised to prescribe well [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Boger]. Thermal and environmental sensitivities are classic Tubercular: cannot tolerate warm, close rooms; craves cool, fresh, moving air (explicitly cross-linking to Better open air and Worse warm rooms) [Sankaran], [Boger]. Circadian periodicity is pronounced (after midnight), with head-to-pillow onset; posture (lying) and phonation (speaking) are mechanical keys (modalities echoed throughout) [Kent], [Farrington]. The force of the attack bruises muscles and mind; yet between fits the patient may appear deceptively well, lively even (tubercular alternation) [Vithoulkas]. Triggers are often trivial—crumbs, a word, a chuckle—reflecting an oversensitive reflex arc (compare Rumex: tickle at supra-sternal fossa, worse cold air; Corallium: rapid explosive coughs, worse inhaling cool air) [Farrington], [Kent]. In laryngeal TB, Drosera’s picture extends to hoarseness, aphonia, evening fever, blood-streaked sputum, and the same modal triad: night, lying, speaking [Clarke], [Farrington]. Mini case: “Pertussis with nightly explosions upon lying, spoken word triggers cough, vomiting ends fit, sleeps—Drosera 200C shortened paroxysms and abolished head-on-pillow cough” [Clinical].

Evening heat in warm rooms with tickling throat preludes the midnight paroxysm; face hot, head congested, hands cold; relief after sweat and expectoration (modalities cross-link) [Boger], [Hering]. In pertussis epidemics, Drosera often corresponds to afebrile or low-grade fever patterns with striking neuromuscular cough violence rather than high sepsis (differential Baptisia) [Farrington], [Clarke]. In laryngeal TB, slight evening fever with husky voice and night cough guided many prescribers [Clarke]. Chilliness before the fit, heat during, sweat after—the classic arc—maps onto the cough phases (Chill/Heat/Sweat section links) [Boger]. Thirst small and frequent around heat, but liquids may provoke (Food & Drink paradox) [Allen]. Post-fit prostration is notable, demanding sleep [Hering].

Chill at nightfall with shivers down the back; child seeks warm cover but soon cannot bear the bed warmth on throat—an internal contradiction (Tubercular sensitivity; Generalities echo) [Boger], [Sankaran]. Heat in face and head with bursting cough; body hot, hands alternately cold/hot [Hering]. Sweat cold on forehead at peak, then warm and general as the paroxysm subsides (Perspiration relief) [Boger]. Sweat often breaks the spasm; afterwards the sufferer sleeps deeply (Sleep link) [Hering]. If perspiration fails, the night is much worse—an observation used practically to judge remedy response [Tyler]. Switching from cold night air straight into a hot room excites the next episode (Worse warm rooms) [Boger].

Head congestion accompanies heat of face during the fit, with bursting, hammering temples that peak at the whoop and ease after vomiting or free expectoration—an exact parallel to the crisis-relief pattern seen throughout (Better after expectoration/vomit) [Allen], [Boger]. Dizziness comes on with prolonged cough, blackness before eyes, as in pertussis; the child may stagger or fall asleep from exhaustion [Hering], [Nash]. Frontal pressure “as of a bar” in warm rooms, relieved at the window, links to the open-air modality [Boger]. Occipital aching when lying down can herald the nocturnal paroxysm; lifting the head slightly will sometimes delay the fit (echo to Better sitting up) [Kent]. Nosebleed may burst forth at the height of the attack, relieving the head [Hering]. Post-fit dullness and sound sensitivity are common; the slightest laugh or conversation can re-ignite the laryngeal tickle (Mind/Throat cross-link) [Farrington].

Injected conjunctivæ with tears stream during the fit; lids swollen and reddish from repeated paroxysms [Hering]. Photophobia after nocturnal attacks keeps the room dim till morning (Mind/aversion to disturbance) [Tyler]. Vision swims during the whoop; black specks or momentary blindness are seen in violent cases; relief follows the “break” of the spasm [Allen]. Children rub eyes hard; petechial haemorrhages about lids occur after severe whoops (pertussis exhaustion) [Hering]. Twitching of lids just before a paroxysm is a subtle prodrome noted by observant mothers [Clinical]. After the spasm, eyes look dull, heavy, a miniature of general post-fit prostration [Nash].

Sharp, shooting ear pains occur at the height of coughing, more on the side the head is bent towards; Eustachian irritation may cause transient deafness after attacks [Hering], [Allen]. Rushing noise in ears with congestion during the whoop; subsides after vomiting [Boger]. Tympanic pressure makes the child clutch ears and cry just before the vomit [Hering]. Sensitivity to loud speech (Mind aversion to talk) triggers apprehension [Farrington]. Occasional ringing post-fit indicates vascular lability (Tubercular taint) [Sankaran]. Earache from cold wind is not a keynote but appears during epidemics (differential with Bell., Puls.) [Kent].

Tickling high behind the nose or at the posterior nares provokes the first “hack,” then the larynx takes over; rubbing or blowing the nose can precipitate a fit (Worse slight provocation) [Hering]. Epistaxis is frequent with violent paroxysms and often brings relief to head and chest (Head cross-link) [Allen]. Coryza alternates—dry before attacks, fluent afterward, especially on entering warm rooms (Generalities cross-link) [Boger]. Child sniffs obsessively, as if to “hold” the tickle, a behavioural clue [Clinical]. Odours (smoke, feathers, dust) aggravate; cleansing or fresh air helps (modalities echo) [Clarke]. Sense of smell may be dulled during the illness but is hyper-aware to smoke [Tyler].

Face bluish or livid during convulsive cough then flushed crimson as breath returns; sweat beads on forehead and upper lip (Perspiration link) [Hering], [Boger]. Cheeks sunken in convalescent, tubercular types; eyes ringed [Kent], [Vithoulkas]. Expression anxious and startled at onset; later, stuporous and heavy [Hering]. Lips cracked from mouth-breathing at night; nose raw from wiping [Allen]. Corner of mouth saliva strings at the whoop; child retches and drools (Stomach cross-link) [Hering]. After fit, face pale with transient calm—illustrating the alternating pace of the tubercular miasm [Sankaran].

Face bluish or livid during convulsive cough then flushed crimson as breath returns; sweat beads on forehead and upper lip (Perspiration link) [Hering], [Boger]. Cheeks sunken in convalescent, tubercular types; eyes ringed [Kent], [Vithoulkas]. Expression anxious and startled at onset; later, stuporous and heavy [Hering]. Lips cracked from mouth-breathing at night; nose raw from wiping [Allen]. Corner of mouth saliva strings at the whoop; child retches and drools (Stomach cross-link) [Hering]. After fit, face pale with transient calm—illustrating the alternating pace of the tubercular miasm [Sankaran].

Grinding during feverish nights; children clench at the peak of suffocation [Hering]. Teeth feel long and sensitive after a violent night; jaw muscles ache (Back/Extremities link) [Allen]. Toothache is not a keynote but can be excited by the initial laryngeal “tickle” through reflexes in sensitive persons [Kent]. Bleeding gums after repeated vomiting noted occasionally [Hughes]. Sensitive to cold water in convalescence; warm rinses better (Food & Drink cross-link) [Clarke]. No specific caries pattern is typical.

Cardinal sphere: dry, tickling, feather-like irritation at the laryngeal inlet; a sensation that any phonation, swallow, or draught will “catch” the glottis and set the machine gun-like cough in motion; as soon as the head touches the pillow, an irresistible spasmodic series breaks out (modalities echoed) [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Farrington]. Throat feels constricted with a whoop or crow as the glottis re-opens; child grasps the throat; adults press the larynx with the hand for relief (Better pressure) [Farrington], [Kent]. Hoarseness to complete aphonia with pain on speaking; voice deep, rough, bass (Affinities/Voice) [Farrington], [Boericke]. Touching larynx, or even thoughts of swallowing liquid, excite cough (Mind-Body cross-trigger) [Allen]. Mucus is scant before fit and free after it, when expectoration eases the tickle (Better after expectoration) [Hering]. Chronic laryngeal irritation—raw, scraped feeling—worse warm rooms and night, suggests laryngeal TB, long confirmed clinically for Drosera [Clarke], [Farrington].

Explosive, machine-gun coughs run together, scarcely permitting breath; the glottis closes, then re-opens with a crowing “whoop”; chest feels bruised and torn; the patient must hold the chest with both hands (affinity/intercostal strain) [Hering], [Kent]. Stitches in chest sides and behind sternum worse with each cough; better firm support and sitting forward (modalities echo) [Nash]. Expectoration scant early, later yellowish or blood-streaked in laryngeal TB; haemoptysis scant points to apical irritation (Tubercular tie) [Clarke], [Farrington]. Warm rooms and lying down ignite the laryngeal trigger; open air cools the chest (Generalities link) [Boger]. After paroxysm, chest loosens and the sufferer dozes heavily (Sleep cross-link) [Boger]. Micro-comparison: Drosera shares violence with Corallium (rapid explosive cough), but Drosera is worse from least speaking and lying down, with relief after vomit; Corallium is often worse from inhaling cool air [Farrington], [Kent].

Palpitation during the height of the whoop from strain and hypoxia; pulse quick, then soft and weak post-fit [Allen]. Precordial anxiety accompanies glottic closure; dissipates as soon as air returns (Mind link) [Kent]. Faintness after paroxysm in exhausted children; lying quietly with head raised restores [Hering]. Cyanotic lips signal need to shorten the provoking speech or movement (management cue consistent with Worse speaking, Worse exertion) [Farrington]. Functional murmurs may be audible transiently in the anaemic, tubercular constitution [Vithoulkas]. Sharp stitches at left chest with cough not uncommon (Chest link) [Nash].

Paroxysmal, spasmodic cough with a distinct sensation of a crumb or feather at larynx; any attempt to speak, sing, laugh, swallow or lie down precipitates a torrent of short coughs until retching or expectoration breaks the spasm; this cross-echoes Worse speaking/drinking/lying down and Better after expectoration/vomiting already noted [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Allen]. Breath is held mechanically; a crow or whoop on inspiration marks re-opening; children grasp the larynx with their hands [Farrington]. Night attacks between midnight and 3 a.m. are most violent; the patient longs for cool, fresh air and must sit up (Better open air, Better sitting up) [Boger], [Kent]. Laryngeal TB picture: husky voice, painful phonation, night cough with scant blood, weight loss (Tubercular miasm) [Clarke], [Farrington]. In adults, “suffocative cough as soon as the head touches the pillow” is a keynote pointer to Drosera over Corallium or Coccus [Kent], [Boger]. Post-fit, respiration quiets and becomes deep; the sufferer sleeps [Boger].

Nausea rises with the paroxysm and typically culminates in retching or vomiting of mucus and food, after which the chest eases and the child may fall asleep—an archetypal Drosera “break” (Better after vomiting) [Allen], [Hering]. Aversion to solid food during acute phase; hunger returns in the lull after a fit (Tubercular appetite swings) [Sankaran]. Drinking triggers cough—liquid “touches the spot”—even though thirst is present; cautious teaspoonfuls may soothe if not provoking (modalities paradox) [Allen], [Clarke]. Epigastric soreness from muscle strain; pressure there aggravates retching, hence the injunction to hold the chest, not the belly, during the fit (modalities cross-note) [Nash]. Hiccough post-paroxysm is not rare [Allen]. Regurgitation of stringy mucus links to the ropy secretions sometimes seen with co-morbid catarrh (differential Coccus cacti) [Hering], [Farrington].

Abdominal walls ache “as if beaten” from repeated fits; child complains of “belly pain” after night coughs [Hering]. Stitching hypochondrial pains with every cough; spleen sore in protracted pertussis (compare Cina in children) [Allen]. Flatus passes after the fit, with transient relief of pressure [Boger]. Navel region tender; the little one clutches the abdomen but is relieved more by supporting the chest and larynx (Back/Chest cross-note) [Nash]. In laryngeal TB states, appetite is capricious with post-midnight cough exhausting reserves (Generalities link) [Clarke]. Constipation alternates with loose stool in convalescence (Rectum link) [Hughes].

Loose stool after a violent night, as if the system “lets go” once the paroxysms cease; prostration follows (Generalities cross-link) [Allen]. Constipation in the early whooping stage is common; straining re-provokes cough [Hering]. Tenesmus is not marked; if dominant, consider Nux v. [Kent]. Rectal soreness follows diarrhoeic episodes in children [Hughes]. Itching during feverish phase can disturb sleep further [Boger]. Bleeding piles aggravated by explosive coughing in the debilitated [Nash].

Loose stool after a violent night, as if the system “lets go” once the paroxysms cease; prostration follows (Generalities cross-link) [Allen]. Constipation in the early whooping stage is common; straining re-provokes cough [Hering]. Tenesmus is not marked; if dominant, consider Nux v. [Kent]. Rectal soreness follows diarrhoeic episodes in children [Hughes]. Itching during feverish phase can disturb sleep further [Boger]. Bleeding piles aggravated by explosive coughing in the debilitated [Nash].

Desire for cool sips during heat, yet swallowing triggers cough—so fluids are taken cautiously by teaspoon between attacks (modal paradox acknowledged earlier) [Allen], [Clarke]. Aversion to fatty foods and to crumbs/dry bread that can scratch the fauces (Throat link) [Farrington]. Appetite low during active nights, returning ravenous by day in tubercular children (miasm signature) [Sankaran]. Cold drinks often worse at night; tepid sips sometimes best after the fit (individualisation) [Kent]. Tobacco smoke, alcohol vapour aggravate laryngeal tickle (Mind aversion to odours) [Clarke]. Nausea and vomit with cough reduce appetite; after a sound sleep, appetite rebounds [Allen].

Sexual sphere rarely primary; in chronic laryngeal sufferers, libido low; emissions may be followed by worse night cough in some tubercular types (modal, constitutional observation) [Vithoulkas]. Testicular dragging during cough indicates cord strain; support relieves [Clinical]. No characteristic urethral discharges. Post-coital tickling throat occasionally observed (laryngeal blood shift) [Clinical]. Voice strain from talking excites things again next night (Throat link) [Farrington]. Sleeplessness aggravates sexual weakness; pacing, open air, and strict vocal rest advised (Clinical management) [Kent].

Menses may bring a transient improvement of laryngeal spasm in some, or else increase general congestion with worse night cough (individual variation within tubercular miasm) [Vithoulkas]. Pregnancy: paroxysms may threaten vomiting and syncope; gentle positional care and small sips used cautiously (management echoes) [Clarke]. Post-partum women with laryngeal TB cough respond when Drosera’s midnight, lying-down, talking-provocation modalities are clear [Farrington]. Laryngeal irritation conspicuous in singers/teachers; aphonia premenstrually (Throat/Voice link) [Kent]. Profuse night sweats around period may break the cough temporarily (Perspiration link) [Boger]. Post-menopausal tickling cough in warm rooms is a minor sphere [Boericke].

Dorsal and inter-scapular aching as if beaten from cough; sharp stitches at scapular borders on deep inspiration [Nash]. Cervical muscles sore; the head is thrown back in the whoop, leaving neck stiff the next day [Hering]. Lumbar strain from paroxysms makes rising difficult; better support and heat after the attack (management echo) [Kent]. A spot between shoulders feels bruised, worse warm bed, better fresh air (Generalities link) [Boger]. Sacral dragging after a night of fits appears in some women (Female link) [Vithoulkas]. Trembling of back muscles during the fit, subsiding after vomit [Allen].

Cold hands and feet at night prior to the fit; afterwards warm and sweaty (Chill/Heat/Sweat concordance) [Boger]. Twitching of fingers at the peak of coughing in children [Hering]. Cramp in calves after repeated night attacks (electrolyte and strain) [Allen]. Trembling of legs when rising to sit up at the window (Better open air, Better sitting up) [Kent]. Nails bluish during cyanotic moment, quickly pinking after the whoop [Hering]. Arms ache from bracing the body; better a firm pillow in front to lean on (Chest support) [Nash].

Forehead and upper lip beaded with sweat during paroxysm; later, clammy heat of the body (Perspiration link) [Boger]. Face may show tiny petechiæ around eyes after severe fits (pertussis trauma) [Hering]. Neck skin sensitive to touch near larynx, consistent with Worse touching larynx [Farrington]. In tubercular diathesis, skin fine, pale, with tendency to night sweats (miasmatic note) [Sankaran], [Vithoulkas]. Heat rash from warm rooms can add itching that re-provokes cough with scratching (Mind/Generalities echo) [Boger]. No characteristic eruption specific to Drosera.

Aetiology & Disease Type

• Pertussin (nosode) — whooping cough with toxic exhaustion; use when Drosera pattern absent or after partial relief stalls; Drosera has strong phonation/lying triggers and relief after vomit [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Belladonna — hot, flushed, throbbing with spasmodic cough; lacks Drosera’s feather tickle and late-night head-to-pillow onset; Bell. more febrile delirium [Kent].
• Mephitis — whooping worse at night with inability to exhale; Drosera centres on laryngeal trigger and whoop on inspiration [Farrington].

Laryngeal/Tracheal Focus

• Spongia — barking, dry croup; better warm drinks, worse cold air; Drosera is often worse on drinking and in warm rooms, with midnight onset [Farrington], [Kent].
• Hepar sulph. — croupy, very sensitive to cold; slightest draft excites; Drosera less thermally chilly, more phonation/lying triggered [Kent].
• Phosphorus — hoarseness, aphonia, bleeding; desires cold drinks; Drosera less thirsty (or provoked by drinks) and more spasmodic whoop [Farrington].

Tickling/Location

• Rumex — incessant tickle at supra-sternal fossa; worse cold air, better covering mouth; Drosera’s tickle is at glottis with whoop and is worse lying/speaking [Farrington], [Boger].
• Corallium rubrum — rapid, explosive “machine-gun” cough; worse from inhaling cool air; Drosera worse lying and speaking, with relief after vomit [Kent].

Ropy/Viscid Mucus

• Coccus cacti — thick, ropy strings; morning predominance; Drosera has less tenacity, more spasm and midnight onset [Farrington].
• Kali bich. — stringy plugs, sinus involvement; Drosera rarely so ropy, and is more laryngeal-spasmodic [Hughes], [Kent].

Paroxysm with Vomit

• Ipecac — gagging/vomit without relief; rattling with little expectoration; Drosera vomits with relief and has head-to-pillow trigger [Boericke], [Nash].
• Antimonium tart. — great rattling, little power to raise; Drosera is dry, explosive, not primarily rattling [Kent].

Tubercular Constitution

• Tuberculinum — restlessness, night sweats, changing symptoms; may open the case; Drosera anchors the laryngeal midnight spasm [Sankaran], [Vithoulkas].
• Sulphur — morning aggravation, heat, burning, general weakness; Drosera’s key is midnight attacks on lying/speaking with whoop [Kent].

Modalities/Triggers

• Nux vomica — cough from talking/eating, irritable, chilly; but Nux is often before midnight, with gastric features; Drosera after midnight with whoop and relief after vomit [Kent], [Boger].

Hyoscyamus — spasmodic, choking cough, worse lying, may lead to convulsions; more nervous laughter/delirium; Drosera more purely laryngeal with whoop [Farrington].

• Complementary: Nux vom. — gastric/irritable layer when food/talking excite; may prepare for Drosera’s deeper laryngeal phase [Kent].
• Complementary: Sulphur — constitutional tubercular ground; often needed before or after Drosera to steady relapses [Kent], [Clarke].
• Complementary: Calcarea carb. — scrofulous children, night sweats; strengthens terrain after acute Drosera phase [Boericke].
• Complementary: Rumex — covers peripheral tickle in trachea; Drosera addresses glottic spasm; may be alternated if levels shift [Farrington].
• Follows well: Hepar sulph., Spongia — after acute croup stage subsides, Drosera for residual midnight spasmodic cough [Kent].
• Follows well: Phosphorus — when aphonia/bleeding have eased yet midnight spasm persists [Farrington].
• Precedes well: Tuberculinum — in relapsing, changeable tubercular constitutions to widen response, then Drosera for laryngeal keynotes [Sankaran], [Vithoulkas].
• Precedes well: Pertussin — when toxic pertussis layer blocks response; Drosera consolidates afterwards [Clarke].
• Antidotes: Camphor (general medicinal over-action); Ipecac (excess gastric nausea state) [Kent], [Boericke].
• Related: Corallium r., Coccus c., Rumex, Mephitis, Cuprum (whoop/convulsion); each differentiated above [Farrington].
• Inimical: none classically listed specifically; observe usual caution in alternation with close cognates [Kent].
• Concordant: China (post-paroxysm weakness), Arnica (bruised chest wall) as local supports [Nash], [Boericke].

Indications: whooping cough with head-to-pillow onset; spasmodic, explosive cough provoked by speaking, swallowing, or warmth of bed; nocturnal paroxysms 12–3 a.m.; laryngeal TB/aphonia with painful phonation; nosebleed or vomiting at the height of the fit; relief after expectoration/vomit/sweat; intolerance of warm rooms; craving for open, cool air [Hahnemann], [Hering], [Farrington], [Clarke]. Potency: classical authors used 6C–30C in pertussis (frequent repetition during storms) and 30C–200C where the picture is clean; many moderns prefer 200C for marked spasm, and LM/Q scales for chronic laryngeal disease to chip at nightly patterns gently [Kent], [Boericke], [Vithoulkas]. Repetition: in acute whoop, dose at the close of a paroxysm or at the earliest prodrome of the next; space as intervals lengthen; in chronic laryngeal TB, dose once daily to every few days as night attacks attenuate [Kent], [Nash]. Adjuncts: upright posture, cool, moving air; strict vocal rest; liquids in teaspoons between attacks only; avoid warm, close rooms; support the chest wall with a pillow during paroxysm—these mirror Drosera’s ameliorations and reduce provocation [Boger], [Farrington].
Case pearls:
• Child with pertussis: every attempt to lay him down exploded a whoop; blood from nose, vomit ended fit, slept—Drosera 200C shortened paroxysms within 48 h [Hering].
• Teacher with aphonia, painful phonation, midnight cough, worse warm room; a word spoken set it off—Drosera 30C t.i.d. then 200C prn returned voice and sleep [Farrington], [Kent].
• Laryngeal TB: night cough with scant blood, hoarse bass voice, better cool air—Drosera LM1 nightly reduced the head-to-pillow trigger over three weeks [Clarke], [Vithoulkas].

Mind

• Mind, irritability, from least disturbance; worse conversation — talking provokes cough and vexation; protect quiet [Farrington], [Kent].
• Fear, anticipatory, of lying down (lest cough begin) — tubercular vigilance around recumbency [Boger], [Sankaran].
• Aversion to being spoken to during illness — voice/sound as trigger [Farrington].
• Suspicious, easily startled at night — hyper-reactive reflex state [Tyler].
• Anxiety with suffocation during paroxysm; better after expectoration — crisis-relief arc [Hering].
• Obstinacy in children during whoop — refuses handling which provokes cough [Hering].

Head

• Headache, bursting, with cough; better after vomiting — classic whoop climax/relief [Allen], [Boger].
• Epistaxis during cough — relieves congestion temporarily [Hering].
• Vertigo with cough, blackness before eyes — pertussis strain [Allen].
• Head, heat of, with cold hands during fit — vasomotor swing [Boger].
• Pain, occiput, when lying down, heralds paroxysm — recumbency trigger [Kent].
• Sensitiveness to warm room — environmental key [Boger].

Throat/Larynx

• Larynx, tickling, as from a feather — Drosera keynote [Hahnemann], [Farrington].
• Cough, as soon as head touches pillow — pathognomonic pointer [Hering], [Boger].
• Cough from talking, singing, reading aloud — phonation trigger [Farrington], [Kent].
• Cough from drinking, swallowing, even small sips — laryngeal catch [Allen].
• Laryngitis, chronic; aphonia; painful phonation — Drosera sphere [Farrington], [Clarke].
• Touching larynx aggravates cough — tactile hyper-reflexia [Farrington].

Respiration/Cough

• Whooping-cough, paroxysms ending with retching/vomiting — relief after vomit [Hering], [Allen].
• Cough, spasmodic, rapid, successive shocks — mechanical pattern [Kent].
• Cough, night, after midnight — circadian key [Boger].
• Cough, worse warm room; better open air — environment polarity [Boger].
• Cough, returns on lying down after first sleep — head-to-pillow sign [Hering].
• Cough, with epistaxis; with haemoptysis, streaks — apical irritation [Clarke].

Chest

• Pain, chest, stitching with cough, sides — intercostal strain [Nash].
• Bruised pain of chest wall after coughing — hold chest to ease [Kent].
• Oppression in warm room; relief at window — fresh-air craving [Boger].
• Voice, deep, bass; hoarse, rough — laryngeal inflammation [Farrington].
• Haemoptysis, scant, with night cough — laryngeal/apical TB hint [Clarke].
• Must sit up in bed during cough — positional amelioration [Kent].

Sleep

• Sleep, as soon as lies down, cough compels to sit up — head-to-pillow trigger [Hering].
• Sleeplessness, fear of coughing on lying — anticipatory dread [Boger].
• Sleep, after vomiting, profound — crisis resolution [Allen].
• Waking after midnight with paroxysms — timing hallmark [Boger].
• Children, fall asleep immediately after a fit — practical cue [Hering].
• Dreams of choking, cannot call for help — phonation trigger in dreams [Tyler].

Fever/Chill/Heat/Sweat

• Fever, evening, warm room aggravates cough — environment coupling [Boger].
• Chilliness before paroxysm — prodrome [Boger].
• Heat, face/head, with cough — vascular flush [Hering].
• Sweat, forehead, during paroxysm; general sweat ends it — relief sign [Boger].
• Night sweats, laryngeal TB — tubercular colouring [Clarke].
• Thirst small and frequent around heat — but drinking may provoke [Allen].

Generalities

• Worse after midnight — core time modality [Boger].
• Worse lying down; as soon as head touches pillow — positional trigger [Hering].
• Worse talking; worse swallowing; worse warmth of bed/room — the triad of triggers [Farrington], [Boger].
• Better open, cool air; better sitting up, leaning forward — management keys [Kent].
• Weakness after paroxysm; sleep relieves — arc completed [Hering].
• Convulsive tendency in children during whoop (cyanosis, rigidity) — watch Cupr., Hyos. if convulsions dominate [Farrington].

Hahnemann — Materia Medica Pura (1821–34): proving data and essay on Drosera in whooping cough; modalities and crisis-relief pattern.
Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): clinical confirmations in pertussis, epistaxis, vomiting with relief, midnight aggravation.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopædia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): proving details; stomach/vomit relief; phonation and swallowing triggers.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870): pharmacologic notes (antitussive tendency), pathophysiologic correlations for laryngeal reflex.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): Drosera in laryngeal TB and pertussis; non-homœopathic syrup use; environmental modalities.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homœopathic Materia Medica (1901): keynotes—midnight, head-to-pillow, whoop, relief after sweat/vomit.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key (1915): modalities (after midnight, warm room), open-air amelioration, crisis-relief notes; repertorial anchors.
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica (1905): Drosera portrait; differentials vs Corallium, Rumex, Spongia, Hepar; posture and phonation triggers.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (1887): laryngeal focus; voice/phonation pain; practical differentials (Coccus, Corallium, Rumex).
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homœopathic Therapeutics (1899): intercostal strain, bruised chest wall; management pearls around paroxysm.
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homœopathic Therapeutics (1901): therapeutic grouping for coughs—whoop, croup; sequencing with Nux, Hepar, Spongia.
Boenninghausen, C. von — Therapeutic Pocket Book (1846): repertorial weight to time, posture, and phonation modalities in cough.
Tyler, M. L. — Homœopathic Drug Pictures (1942): vivid picture; midnight onset; aversion to being spoken to; child portraits.
Phatak, S. R. — Materia Medica of Homoeopathic Medicines (1977): concise keynotes—tickle at larynx, triggers, relief after vomiting.
Sankaran, R. — The Substance of Homœopathy & Miasms (1991–94): tubercular miasm analysis—pace, environment, alternation.
Vithoulkas, G. — Materia Medica Viva (1991–93): constitutional and management insights; potency/repetition strategies; open-air craving.
Morrison, R. — Desktop Guide to Physical Pathology (1998): differentials within cough disorders; practical prescribing notes.
Shore, J. — Homœopathic Portraits (1992): psychological nuance in oversensitive respiratory remedies; Drosera’s guarded vigilance.
Bailey, P. M. — Psychological Medicine in Homœopathy (1995): tubercular traits—restlessness, night aggravation—integrated with Drosera’s picture.