Trifolium pratense

A perennial legume of the Fabaceae, rich in flavonoids and isoflavone constituents (e.g., formononetin, biochanin-A), long used by traditional physicians as an alterative, expectorant, and externally for indolent ulcers. In homeopathy the fresh flowering tops are tinctured; triturations are also used. Classical homeopathic literature ascribes to Trifolium pratense a sphere over spasmodic coughs (especially pertussis-like), laryngo-tracheal irritation, and skin/glandular disorders of a scrofulous or “cancerous tendency”—the latter noted as a reputation rather than a proved specific [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes]. The remedy’s working image is of nervous, tickling, paroxysmal cough with night aggravation and exhaustion, alongside eczematous or psoriasiform eruptions and enlarged cervical glands in delicate subjects. [Clinical]

No extensive Hahnemannian proving exists. The pathogenesis arises from small provings, toxicologic notes of the crude plant, and repeated clinical confirmations in pertussis-like spasmodic coughs, tickling in the larynx, night paroxysms with exhaustion, enlarged glands, and skin eruptions of the scrofulous/cancerous diathesis [Clarke], [Boericke], [Allen], [Hughes]. [Proving] [Clinical]

Trifolium pratense is the cool-air key to a tickling, pertussis-like cough in delicate, often scrofulous subjects, with night paroxysms, exhaustion, and a background of eczema/psoriasis and cervical gland enlargement. The modalities are firm: worse in warm, close rooms, worse after first sleep, worse talking or laughing, better in cool fresh air, and better when a little mucus is dislodged. The old-fashioned word “alterative” is useful if taken modestly: when skin and gland signs co-travel with the paroxysmal laryngeal tickle, Trif-p. often completes a convalescence left ragged by more forceful antitussives. It is not the barker of Drosera, the ropy hawker of Coccus-c., the staccato coralline cough of Corallium-r., nor the drowning failure of Ant-t.; rather it is lighter, nervous, air-sensitive, and exhausting, with a constitutional hinterland that shows on the skin and in the lymph nodes. Bedside success comes as much from management—ventilation, humidified coolness, quiet evenings, propped sleep, tiny tepid sips—as from posology. As this regimen pairs with Trif-p., the first improvements are small but trustworthy: longer intervals between paroxysms, a softer cough, a satisfying plug raised, and in the skin/glands a trend toward drier surfaces and less tenderness—a gentle steadying of the whole [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes], [Allen], [Boger], [Dewey].

• Larynx, trachea, bronchi (primary): Whooping-like, spasmodic cough, violent paroxysms at night, rattling with difficult expectoration, exhaustion post-bout; children and delicate adults. Cross-ref. Throat, Chest, Respiration, Sleep. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Skin (alterative sphere): Eczematous/psoriasiform eruptions; indolent ulcers; external use noted historically; internal remedy chosen when skin signs co-exist with glandular enlargement and cough. Cross-ref. Skin, Face, Generalities. [Clarke], [Hughes], [Boericke]
• Glands (cervical/axillary): Enlarged, indurating nodes in scrofulous constitutions; soften/resorb under “alterative” action in classical notes. Cross-ref. Face, Neck, Generalities. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Diathesis/“cancerous” reputation (historic): Reputed to modify deposits, ease ulcerative margins, and support cachectic states—asserted traditionally; employ with discrimination and clear indications. Cross-ref. Skin, Generalities. [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes]
• Naso-pharynx: Post-nasal drip tickling the larynx, keeping cough alive, especially in warm rooms. Cross-ref. Nose, Throat, Cough. [Allen], [Clarke]
• Autonomic/respiratory fatigue: Faintness and sweat after paroxysms; night aggravation in close, heated rooms. Cross-ref. Fever, Perspiration, Sleep. [Boericke], [Clarke]

The patient is anxious in anticipation of the night paroxysms, becoming fretful as evening advances and the room grows warm [Clarke]. Children cling to the carer, sensing the cough’s approach, and excitement or laughing is often the spark that lights a bout, echoing the worse talking/laughing modality. The temperament is not characteristically irritable as in Nux-v.; it is a weary apprehension born of repeated, exhausting attacks. Convalescents may show a gentle, subdued mood that revives as the cool-air management and dosing lessen nocturnal fits. When skin lesions or enlarged glands join the respiratory picture, self-consciousness and discomfort at dressings or cervical tenderness add to the mental load; relief is felt when non-occlusive, cool care is instituted, cross-linking to the Skin and Glands spheres. Compared with Drosera, which is more after-midnight with barking, gagging and an almost spasmodic ferocity, Trif-p. is milder in temper but persistently night-worse with fatigue and a tickling that cannot be ignored [Clarke], [Boericke].

Sleep is broken after first doze by tickling and fits; children start and cry, then cough; sweating of head and face attends effort [Clarke], [Boericke]. Propped posture and a cool, quiet room are half the treatment. After nights arranged thus, morning appetite and spirits revive.

Of choking, of being unable to call for help; of schoolrooms or churches (crowded, warm places) concentrating the cough. Dreams fade as night paroxysms diminish.

Trif-p. addresses a nervous, tickling, paroxysmal cough—often pertussis-like—that is worse at night and in warm, close rooms, better in cool fresh air, and better after expectoration; the patient is tired out after attacks. The same subject tends to eczematous or psoriasiform skin and enlarged cervical glands, the old authors’ alterative theme echoing across tissues [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes], [Allen]. Choose it between Drosera (after-midnight, gagging), Coccus-c. (ropy strings), Corallium-r. (rapid short barks), Ant-t. (rattles but cannot raise), and Ipec. (nausea rules), when cool-air relief, warm-room aggravation, and skin/gland concomitants stamp the case. Management—open the window, prop the chest, humidify gently, quiet the room—works hand in hand with the remedy.

No specific pyrexia; evening heat of head and hands with sweat after bouts. Temperature otherwise mild unless intercurrent infection exists.

Chill in draughts to the neck/throat excites tickle; heat of room oppresses; sweat after exertion or paroxysm is common—relief follows the sweat when it accompanies free expectoration.

Headache follows a bad fit, throbbing at temples and vertex, diminishing as expectoration comes. Warm rooms provoke a heavy, muzzy head; open air clears both head and breathing. Children press the head into the pillow between paroxysms and often sweat over the scalp after effort. No specific hemicrania signature stands out; the headache is post-tussive and fatigue-borne [Boericke], [Allen].

Lachrymation accompanies bouts; lids redden from rubbing after sleepless nights. With chronic catarrh, the eyes look glassy in the evening; bright light is tolerated, but visual motion from reading stirs the throat tickle in some, reflecting the unstable respiratory threshold.

Ears fill and pop with violent paroxysms; children complain of “ears hurting” after a night of coughing. Ear symptoms are secondary to the laryngo-tracheal storm rather than an intrinsic otic pathology.

Post-nasal drip is a chief instigator of the laryngeal tickle; lying flat lets mucus gravitate to the glottis and start a bout [Allen]. Nasal catarrh swings between dryness in warm rooms and tenacious strings at night. Fresh, cool air and gentle humidification ease the drip and the cough—modalities that confirm the prescription.

Flushed during a paroxysm, then pallid and dewy with sweat. Lips may bluish at the height in sensitive children yet rapidly recover with open window and relief of the spasm.

Mouth and fauces feel raw after repeated coughing; saliva not excessive unless the paroxysm is severe. Children often crave sips during the fit; large draughts start fresh coughing—an echo of Better small, tepid sips.

Tooth-grinding is a fatigue sign post-fit; no defining dental neuralgia. Gum tenderness may accompany scrofulous states, aligning with the glandular background.

The tickle sits high behind the manubrium; slightest speech or laughter brings spasmodic cough [Clarke], [Boericke]. Rawness persists after the paroxysm, with hawking of tenacious strings from the naso-pharynx. Warm, dry rooms are unkind; mild steam or tepid sips palliate without curing—only removing heat and closeness substantially changes the curve.

The chest is the centre: spasmodic, whooping-like paroxysms with rattling and insufficient expectoration at first; face flushes, eyes water, and the patient is tired out; relief follows when a plug is dislodged [Clarke], [Boericke]. Warm, close rooms are unbearable; cool air at the window steadies breath. The sternum feels bruised after a bad night. Compare Drosera (after-midnight, barking, gagging), Coccus-c. (ropy strings), Corallium-r. (rapid, staccato barks), Ant-t. (much rattling, inability to raise), and Ipec. (nausea dominant). Trif-p. stands where cool air ameliorates, warm room aggravates, and there is a soft alterative background in skin/glands.

Palpitation reflects nervous exhaustion, rising at the end of a bout and settling with quiet and air. No specific myocardium action is claimed; phenomena are reflex and vegetative.

Breath is short and catching during paroxysms; sighing after. Ascending and hurry rekindle the tickle; rest, propped posture, and open air restore rhythm.

Nausea may occur at the close of a violent bout; vomiting of mucus occasionally ends an attack, after which a lull comes—better after expectoration. Appetite is small when nights are broken; children tire of food by evening. Not a primary gastric remedy.

Recti ache from straining; the diaphragm tightens with each paroxysm. Flatulence may mount toward evening, but abdominal organs are not central.

Tendency to sluggish stool in convalescent children after pertussis; constipation worsens evening restlessness. No paradoxical “soft stool yet difficult.”

Urging during cough in toddlers; post-paroxysm diuresis in some, a harmless autonomic swing.

Warm tepid drinks soothe; iced or very cold often strike the larynx and provoke cough. Late evening meals worsen the night. Children take tiny sips best.

No defining genital signs; lingering catarrh with glandular and skin elements may be seen in young men with scrofulous habit.

Historical, non-homeopathic notes mention use at the climacteric for vasomotor symptoms; homeopathically, selection rests on the respiratory–skin–gland triad, not on endocrine claims [Hughes], [Clarke]. Post-partum coughs of the night-worse, tickling type may suit Trif-p. when skin/gland clues co-exist.

Dorsal ache from coughing; interscapular muscles tender. Warmth to the back comforts between bouts; cool air serves during the fit—complementary layers of care.

Trembling and weakness follow a series of paroxysms; hands cool, damp. No specific neuralgia belongs here.

Eczematous and psoriasiform eruptions, indolent ulcers, and slow-healing sores are part of the alterative reputation; where such lesions accompany the respiratory picture, Trif-p. may knit the case [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes]. Itching worsens in warm rooms and at night; light, non-occlusive dressings and fresh air help.

• Whooping-like, spasmodic coughs (night-worse; cool air >)
  • Drosera — Severe after-midnight barking with gagging/retching; voice hoarse; less skin/gland theme. Trif-p.: milder, alterative background; warm room <, cool air >. [Clarke], [Boericke]
  • Coccus cacti — Ropy, tenacious mucus; hawking of strings; bouts from talking. Trif-p.: ropiness less marked; post-nasal drip and alterative signs stand out. [Allen], [Clarke]
  • Corallium rubrum — Machine-gun short barks; face purple; cold air may provoke. Trif-p.: cool air calms and restores. [Hering], [Clarke]
  • Antimonium tart. — Much rattling with inability to raise; cyanosis. Trif-p.: power to raise returns and relieves; exhaustion less collapse-like. [Boericke]
  • Ipecacuanha — Nausea dominant; chest tight; vomiting seldom relieves. Trif-p.: nausea secondary; air modality decisive. [Clarke]
• Skin/glandular “alterative” sphere
  • Scrophularia nodosa — Scrofulous glands, painful nodes, breast lumps; less respiratory co-image. Trif-p.: glands with cough and eczema/psoriasis. [Clarke]
  • Phytolacca — Indurated, painful glands, mastitis; throat severe; more aching, less pertussis-like cough. [Boger], [Clarke]
  • Hydrastis — Atrophic mucosa, thick stringy catarrh, cachexia; cough not so paroxysmal; skin ulcers sluggish. [Clarke]
  • Conium — Hard, indurating glands, vertigo; cough less selecting; slow, torpid constitutions. [Clarke]
• Cough modalities (night-worse; warm room <; better after expectoration)
  • Pulsatilla — Evening cough in warm room with thick bland mucus and tearful mood; open air >. Trif-p.: more spasmodic, tickling, with alterative hints. [Boericke]
  • Rumex crispus — Tickling at suprasternal fossa, cough on inspiring cold air; Trif-p.: tickle higher from post-nasal, night fits with gland/skin context. [Clarke]
  • Senega — Rattling old people’s cough, chest sore, need to raise; less night pull than Trif-p. [Boericke]

• Complementary: Coccus-c. where ropy strings alternately dominate; Trif-p. when air-modality and alterative traits prevail. [Allen], [Clarke]
• Complementary: Hydrastis/Scrophularia in chronic skin/gland terrain when the cough has been mastered by Trif-p. [Clarke]
• Follows well: Acon./Bell. in febrile outset; as fever ebbs and tickling night paroxysms persist with warm room <, turn to Trif-p. [Farrington], [Dewey]
• Precedes well: Drosera if after-midnight barking/gagging remains; Ant-t. if rattling with weakness replaces tickling stage. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Compare: Puls., Rumex, Corallium-r., Ipec., Ant-t. across cough mechanics and mucus quality. [Clarke], [Boericke]

• Whooping-like night cough in a warm room, better cool air, child exhausted after bouts: Trif-p. 6C–30C at bedtime and p.r.n.; enforce open-window, propped sleep, and tepid sips. [Clarke], [Boericke]
• Post-pertussis convalescence with lingering tickle and cervical nodes: Trif-p. 6C b.i.d.–t.i.d.; keep air cool–humidified; alternate with Coccus-c. if ropiness declares. [Allen], [Boericke]
• Skin/gland terrain with chronic catarrh: Trif-p. 6C–30C; use light, non-occlusive dressings; ventilate rooms; compare Scrophularia, Hydrastis for local measures. [Clarke], [Hughes]
• When after-midnight barking and gagging dominate: shift toward Drosera; if rattling with weakness supervenes, consider Ant-t. [Clarke], [Boericke]

Throat / Larynx / Voice

• LARYNX — TICKLING — provokes cough — talking aggravates. — Speech lights paroxysm.
• LARYNX — IRRITATION — post-nasal drip — from — night. — Drip sustains night fits.
• VOICE — READING/LAUGHING — aggravates cough. — Excitement cough.

Cough / Chest / Respiration

• COUGH — WHOOPING — paroxysmal — night — first sleep — after. — Nursery timing.
• COUGH — WARM ROOM — aggravates; OPEN AIR — ameliorates. — Cool-air key.
• COUGH — RATTling — expectoration difficult — better after raising. — Relief when plug loosens.
• RESPIRATION — DIFFICULT — ascending/exertion — with fatigue. — Vegetative overlay.
• CHEST — SORENESS — sternum — after cough. — Post-tussive bruise.

Nose / Post-nasal

• NOSE — CATARRH — posterior — hawking — necessity for — at night. — Drip–tickle loop.

Glands / Skin

• GLANDS — CERVICAL — enlarged — scrofulous. — Alterative terrain.
• SKIN — ERUPTIONS — eczematous/psoriasiform — warm room — aggravates. — Heat-worse surface.
• ULCERS — INDOLENT — slow to heal — better gentle airing. — Classical external use cue.

Generalities / Sleep

• GENERALITIES — AIR — open — cool — ameliorates; ROOM — warm, close — aggravates. — Management grid.
• SLEEP — DISTURBED — coughing — after first sleep. — Night signature.
• GENERALITIES — EXERTION — slight — aggravates cough. — Fatigue trigger.

Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): respiratory picture (pertussis-like, night-worse, cool-air >), skin/gland “alterative” notes, regimen cues.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1901): keynotes—whooping cough tendency, warm room <, open air >, skin and gland hints; historical cancer reputation.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–79): scattered proving/clinical notes—laryngeal tickle, paroxysmal cough, post-nasal factor.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (1870s): crude drug background; alterative/expectorant tradition; rationale for skin/gland sphere.
Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879): confirmations in spasmodic coughs of children; glandular and skin concomitants.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915): modality grid—warm room <, open air >; relations among antitussives.
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1901): whooping-cough therapeutics; management—ventilation, posture, sips.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (late 19th c.): cough differentials—Drosera, Coccus-c., Corallium-r., Ant-t., Ipec. in paediatric spasmodics.
Tyler, M. L. — Homoeopathic Drug Pictures (1942): bedside portraits—convalescent coughs; cool-air and regimen emphasis.
Phatak, S. R. — Concise Materia Medica (1977): brief keynotes—night cough, warm room <, cool air >; glandular skin terrain.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics (1907): reminders on paediatric coughs; selection by modalities.
Morrison, R. — Desktop Guide to Keynotes & Confirmatory Symptoms (late 20th c.): confirmatory hints—air modality; cough mechanics; terrain cues.