• Delusion of persecution
• Cough as soon as head touches the pillow on lying down
• Sensation of a feather in the larynx exciting cough

Source: Vegetable kingdom
Synonyms: Sundew, Moor grass
Family: Droseraceae
Prover: Dr Hahnemann in 1805, also Dr. Curie and Dr M. Tyler
Duration of Action: 20 to 30 days
Miasmatic Background: Psora
Temperament: Irritable
Diathesis: Tubercular and scrofulous
Thermal Relationship: Very chilly patient

Introduction and History: It is a very useful remedy in materia medica. It is a very good remedy for whooping cough. The name Drosera is derived form the Greek word ‘drosarus’ meaning dewy (dew). It is a carnivorous plant.

Habit and Habitat: It is an indiginous of Europe, Asia and America. It grows in the swampy places of North America. It is a carnivorous plant, having small white flowers. They open in dry fine weather only for a moment at noon. Leaves have hairs, the tips of which have small glands containing a viscid substance, they shine with the Suns rays.

Preparation and Parts Used: Mother tincture is prepared from the entire fresh plant gathered at the time of flowering.

Constitution and Physiognomy: It is adapted to phthisical patients, particularly the young. The patient is very chilly with a tubercular diathesis.

Seat of Action (Pharmacodynamics): Respiratory organs, bones, glands, larynx, chest, etc.

Active Principles (Chemical Constituents): The main active principles are alizarin, dioxyenthroquinon colouring matter.

Physio-pathological Changes (Pathology)

1. It acts on respiratory organs by its influence on the pneumogastric nerve producing spasmodic dry cough, stimulating whooping cough.
2. It acts on lungs, causing a tubercular tendency.

Characteristic Mental Symptoms (Psychology)

1. Mental restlessness when reading, cannot concentrate on one subject.
2. Very irritable, a trifle will disturb.
3. Anxiety with flushes of heat when alone, especially in the evening.
4. The least thing put the sufferer beside himself. Desire to drown himself.
5. Vertigo when walking in open air.
6. Imagines that he is constantly persecuted with anxiety.

Characteristic Physical Guiding Symptoms

Whooping cough: Whooping cough with violent paroxysms, frequent spells of barking cough. Is scarcely able to get breath; aggravated at night, prolonged periodical fits of chocking cough.

Bleeding: Bleeding from various orifices, especially from the nose, throat and larynx when coughing.

Pains: Stitching and stinging pains accompany many complaints of the chest and all parts. Gnawing pain in the joints.

Itching: Violent itching while undressing. Itching of glans penis, eruptions like measles, itching and burning better by scratching.

Cramps: Cramping of the hand when trying to lift something. Writer’s Cramps.

Constriction: Constriction and crawling in larynx, hoarseness, constriction of chest. Difficulty in swallowing food.

Tickling: Irritation in larynx, tickling sensation. Tickling like a feather in the larynx, brings on nocturnal cough, awakening him from sleep.

Sensation: Crawling in larynx, feeling as if a soft substance lodged in the larynx, feather-like sensation in larynx.

Retching and vomiting: Retching and vomiting due to spasmodic cough caused by a tickling sensation. Vomiting of water and mucous.

Intermittent fever: Intermittent fever with sore throat and nausea. Profuse discharge of saliva during the febrile stage.

Taste: Putrid taste in mouth, in tuberculosis of lungs and larynx. Cough with foetid breath.

Perspiration: Cold sweat on forehead and extremities. Lips cracked and constantly dry.

Fever: Febrile shivers over the whole body with heat of face and icy coldness of hands without thirst.

Important Characteristic Features

Whooping cough: Drosera is one of the remedies praised by Dr Hahnemann. Spasmodic cough – gagging and retching, with vomiting. Tickling and crawling in the larynx brings on cough. Feather-like sensation in larynx, excites cough. Violent paroxysms of cough usually at night. Hoarseness and barking sound, during cough. Bearing sensation in the chest. Stitching and stinging pains during attack of cough.

Compression of the chest. Face becomes purple and pale due to spasms in larynx with suffocation. Difficult breathing during spasmodic attack. There is vomiting of water and mucous. Sometimes bleeding from mouth and nose. After cough there is expectoration with sputa of greenish and yellowish colour. Cough worse after midnight. Cough in children begins as soon as head touches the pillow at night. Laryngeal phthisis following whooping cough.

General Modalities

Aggravation: Singing, drinking, laughing, lying down, after midnight, getting warm in bed, rest, acids, lying on left side.

Amelioration: Scratching, open air, walking, motion.

Remedy Relationships

Complementary: Nux-V.

Follows well: Calc, Chin, Puls, Cina.

Antidotes: Camph.

Precede well: Sulph, Samb, Verat.

Comparison

Nocturnal cough, worse from lying down, relieved by sitting up: Dros, Hyos.

Barking cough: Dros, Spong, Verb.

Cough worse by lying on left side: Dros, Phos, Stann.

Potency: 3x, 6x, 12x, 30, 200, 1000.

Dosage

1. Single dose of Drosera 30 in whooping cough.
2. Repeated doses of Drosera in lower potency in tuberculosis.
3. Single dose of Drosera in high potency should not be repeated.

Repetition: Lower potencies may be repeated.

Therapeutic Value: Asthma, Goitre, Insanity, Joint pains, Pulmonary tuberculosis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Spinal caries, Tuberculosis of larynx, Tuberculous bone, Whooping cough.

Note

1. Dr Hahnemman says one single dose of the thirtieth potency is sufficient to cure the case within a week.
2. Never give a second dose immediately after the first; it would not only prevent the good effect of the former, but would be injurious.