ALFALFA

(Medicago sativa)

PHARMACY - alf. Alfalfa. Medicago sativa. California clover. Lucerne.

N.0. Papilionoideae.

Historical dose: Tincture and all potencies.

CLINICAL - Anorexia. Appendicitis. Appetite, loss. Ascites. Breast-feeding. Bulimia. Cachexia. Cancer. Chemotherapy, effects. Colitis. Diabetes. Diarrhea. Dropsy. Emaciation. Exhaustion. Fatigue. Flatulence. Hypoglycemia. Insomnia. Malnutrition Marasmus. Neurasthenia. Nutritional disorders. Polyuria. Prostate, hypertrophy. Radiation, effects. Rheumatic, diathesis. Syphilis. Weakness. Weight, loss.

HERBAL - This is a leguminous plant, cultivated from ancient times and highly prized as a pasture and forage plant. Those who have observed its influence when employed as a forage for stock must have been impressed with the favorable results.

All of the provers, except one, noted three things in particular: an increased appetite so they could not wait for their regular meals, an increased amount of urine and urea, and a general sense of well-being. Causes mental exhilaration, increases energy and stamina.

Alfalfa favorably influences nutrition. evidenced in "toning up" the appetite and digestion. Acts as a fat producer, corrects tissue waste. Improves appetite and digestion. mental and physical vigor returns with weight gain.

HOMEOPATHIC - Metabolic regulator. Lack of appetite or aversion to all food. Emaciation. Disorders characterized by malnutrition, including neurasthenia, syphilis, insomnia, or nervous digestion. Anorexia nervosa. Cancer with emaciation.

Failure to thrive in children. Deficient breast-milk, it increases the quality and quantity of milk in nursing mothers. If a baby has failure to thrive, give Alfalfa to the mother and child, the breast milk improves, the mother gets stronger and the baby gains weight.

Pronounced urinary action. Diabetes insipidus and phosphaturia. Useful to allay the bladder irritability of prostatic hypertrophy. Rheumatic diathesis.

Weakness. enervation, exhaustion, prostration, infirmity. Muscle weakness. Convulsive movements. Desires sweets. Sympathicotonia. Worse in the evening, from 6 to 9 p.m.

A concentrated Alfalfa tincture should exercise an influence similar to that of Avena sativa. An herbal infusion used in three cases produced the same results as the alcoholic preparations.

MIND - Alfalfa induces a mental exhilaration of buoyancy. Cheerfulness. Vivaciousness. A general feeling of well-being, feels clear and bright, so that all blues are dissipated. Exhilaration. Mirth, hilarity, liveliness. Clearness of thoughts.

Morose. sulky, cross, fretful, ill humored, peevish. Sadness, despondency, melancholy. Depression from disappointed love. Hypochondriasis. Aversion to mental work. Bad dreams from emotional causes. Bulimia.

Prostration of mind, mental exhaustion, brain fag. Dull, drowsy, stupid (Gels.), gloomy and irritable, worse during evening. Slowness. Mental dullness, sluggishness. Difficulty thinking and comprehending.

Abdomen - Distension. Flatulence with distention. Pain from passing flatus. Shifting, flatulent pain along colon several hours after meals. Frequent loose, yellow, painful stools with burning flatulence. Colitis. Chronic appendicitis. Inflammation, peritonitis, enteritis. Dropsy, ascites, with scanty urination. Cramping. griping pain. Passing flatus aggravates.

Back - Backache.

Bladder - Bladder irritability. Urging to urinate, morbid desire. Frequent urging to urinate.

Breasts - Breast milk. absent or disappearing.

Constitutions - Anorexic, emaciated, broken down constitutions. Cancer diathesis.

Ears - Stuffed feeling in Eustachian tube (Kali-m.) at night, clear in morning.

Eyes - Aching in and above the eyes.

Face - Flushed.

Female - Increased desire. Menses coming earlier than usual.

Food - Increased thirst. Appetite wanting with weight loss. Sensation of hunger at all times. Appetite is increased. Malnutrition. Desire for sweets. Sometimes ravenous appetite. Hypoglycemia. must stop and have something to eat in the middle of the morning. Hungry in forenoon (Sulph.).

Head - Dull, heavy feeling in occiput in and above the eyes, worse toward evening. Violent headache. Pain in the left side of the head. Dull heavy feeling comes on about 2 p.m. and gradually increases until 6 p.m. starts at the occiput and becomes severe.

Kidneys - Kidneys are weak, frequent urging to urinate. Polyuria (Ph-ac.). In-creased elimination of urea indican and phosphates. inactivity. Suppression of urine. anuria.

Male - Enlarged prostate gland. Prostatic hypertrophy.

Rectum - Painless. yellow. diarrhea. accompanied with flatus and attended with burning. Stools loose and more frequent than usual. Stools two or three-times daily Pasty. papescent stools.

Sleep - Slept better than usual, especially in early morning, it induces quiet, reposeful and refreshing sleep. insomnia. Sleeplessness during convalescence

Stomach - Emptiness, weak feeling, faintness, gone ness. Hungry feeling not ameliorated by eating. indigestion.

Urine - Profuse urine. increased. Scanty. Sediment, increased indican, phosphates. Sugar in urine.

COMMENTS:

Dr. Houts gathered the fresh Alfalfa leaves, but obtained good results from the use of dried leaves which still retain a green color. Using these. he made a dilution which he gave to patients suffering from backaches.

He found it especially indicated if they were passing small quantities of water while suffering from rheumatic symptoms or backache with muscular aching. with an excessive quantity of uric acid and urates secreted.

Dr. Fearn of Oakland wrote that its action was very soothing upon the kidneys and urinary apparatus. He believed that it could be prepared for human food to as good. if not belier, advantage than for animal food.

Dr. Ben Bradley of Hamlet, Ohio, believed that alfalfa is one of our upcoming remedies. He reponed a case where a woman had seven children born apparently strong and well, but when they reached the age of eighteen years they wasted away and died.

When the last girl was taken with the symptoms of which the others had died, Dr. Bradley made a saturated tincture of Alfalfa seed concentrated. fully saturated and gave her ten drops four or five times a day. This is reponed lo have increased her weight from 99 to 133 pounds.She recovered good health.

Mr. D. aged 41.a chief clerk in the general offices of one of our railroad companies. had complained for several months of losing flesh. His appetite was poor. he did not relish his food. There was present an abnormal thirst, a loss of nesh and polyuria.

The quantity of urine for twenty-four hours was eighty ounces. specific gravity 1008. Nothing abnormal apart from an excess of indican. The prostate was enlarged and sensitive to pressure. He complained of some irritation upon urination.

Five drops of the tincture were prescribed four times a day. After two weeks he sent a mess;1ge for a supply stating it had greatly benefited him. He called at the end of two months having gained ten pounds, the urine at this time was practically normal in quantity. The appetite was fine and he considered himself in a normal condition.

Mr. G, aged 29, complained of a loss of weight and appetite, excessive thirst, polyuria and mental depression. This syn-drome had been gradually developing for the past year.

Physical examination showed a man of medium size, emaciated. Heart action weakened. Prostatic portion of urethra hypersensitive. The urine was greatly increased in quantity and of low specific gravity, free from casts and albumin, phosphates were increased.

Five drops of the tincture before each meal and on retiring gradually relieved the condition so that in three months he considered himself well.

RELATIONS - Compare:

(I) Avena Sat., Hydr., Dipodium punct.

(2) Ars. Gels., Kali-p., Ph-ac., Zinc.

REFERENCES - Anshutz. Boericke. Clarke. Murphy