Clematis – Virgin’s Bower

The mother tincture is prepared from the fresh stems with leaves and flowers, gathered at the beginning of flowering of the plant, Clematis recta L., which grows on sunny hillsides and sparse bushy country in Central and Southern Europe. N.O. Ranunculaceae.

The main indications are:

Chronic bladder irritation; dribbling of urine after urination. Hypertrophy of the prostate. Epididymitis. Swelling of the inguinal glands. Urethral stricture. Gouty tophi. Oozing, vesicular eczema. Eruption on the occiput, with violent itching.

Painfulness of the urethra on external pressure indicates Clematis, as do a spas- modic narrowing and contraction of the urethra with purulent discharge (urethritis), tenesmus of urine and pain on urination (cf. Cantharis), with the urine passing by fits and starts and at intevals, and the urine dribbling involuntarily afterwards.

A further typical symptom is a great sensitivity to cool air, especially on baring the body. Very sensitive pustular eruptions, characterised by burning, stinging pains, and also pustules, proceed in many cases with inflammatory swellings of the neigh- bouring lymph-nodes, with the glandular lobules beneath the nipple possibly also being indurated.

The German Monograph-Preparation Commission for the Homoeopathic Field of Therapy has, under the Preparation Monograph for Clematis recta, published the following indication(s) in the German Bundesanzeiger (German Federal Gazette) for clematis: rashes; swelling of the lymph nodes; inflammation of the eyelids and con- junctiva; inflammations of the urinary bladder, the urethra, the testicles, and the mammary glands.