Trifolium Pratense. Red Clover.

Description: Natural Order, Leguminosae. This is the common red clover of our meadows, with perennial and horizontal roots, and several leaf-stems in a cluster, with the head of flowers on a separate stalk from the root. Stems ascending, somewhat hairy; leaves three, obovate, often emarginate; stipules broad and bristle-pointed. Flowers numerous, sessile, red, in a large oval head; corolla with the lower petal longer than the others, closed, withering; stamens ten, nine united by their filaments.

Properties and Uses: This herb is little used in medicine, yet its decoction is somewhat antispasmodic, and enjoys a good family reputation for whooping-cough.

An extract, made by evaporating the decoction in the usual way, is a rather stimulating article; and is valuable as an application to indolent ulcers and cancers. In the latter malady, it enjoys an excellent reputation; and though not at all escharotic, is too sharp to be applied alone, and is best made into an ointment, or into a plaster with milder extracts, as mentioned at oxalis acetosella. It secures a good discharge, arouses a firm capillary circulation, and procures a granulating surface to indolent and phagedrenic sores. The profession should give this extract their consideration.

The Physiomedical Dispensatory, 1869, was written by William Cook, M.D.
It was scanned by Paul Bergner at http://medherb.com