Gemmotherapy for Everyone: An Introduction to Acute Care

Though I am a classicist, there are times when other natural therapies may be useful; gemmotherapy is one of those.

There already exists several books concerning this subject; thus, it was only a matter of time before a brief, inexpensive volume appeared.

In this short and to-the-point paperback, American homeopath Lauren Hubele discusses twenty remedies and ...

Whether you are using this book at your home for yourself and family or in your health care practice, you will discover exactly what you need for acute care with Gemmotherapy extracts. The protocols I share come directly from my own practice and their success has been proven time and again.–p. 7.

This work consists of six chapters: Gemmotherapy for everyone; A brief history of gemmotherapy; A guide to identifying and responding to acute symptoms; Gemmotherapy extracts for acute symptoms; Gemmotherapy protocols for acute symptoms and Gemmotherapy beyond acute care (in this chapter, the author begins to discuss the use of gemmotherapy in chronic conditions).

According to the author, ‘Gemmotherapy is the application of plant embryonic tissues (embryophytotherapy) for health maintenance and restoration that is accomplished through drainage, detoxification, immune stimulation, and nutrition.–p. 15.

Gemmotherapeutics are produced from the initial roots/buds/shoots of trees and shrubs, etc.

This especially vital material is very rich in nutrients and could almost be termed a ‘milk’, as they provide all the necessary elements for the developing plant. It is this material which is harvested then combined with alcohol and glycerin in a 1:20 ratio. This macerate ‘cures’ for 3 weeks while being occasionally stirred before it is filtered and diluted again in a 1:10 ratio with alcohol, water and glycerin. It is then bottled and labeled for sale to the consumer. It is this extract, diluted in water that is administered to the patient. Though not homeopathy, gemmotherapy (and Bach remedies) has some commonality, that is its strength is termed D1 or 1X.

Gemmotherapy extracts are best absorbed by the body when taken in at least 4 ounces of liquid. This liquid can be water, tea, or juice. Some clients of mine have found it useful to put the full day's amount of Gemmotherapy extracts into a 32 ounce water bottle and sip from it regularly throughout the day. Gemmotherapy extracts can also be dropped into a baby's mouth directly prior to breastfeeding.–p. 118

In Chapter 5, Hubele presents dosing amounts and frequency for all ages as well as standardized protocols for about 40 conditions, such as fevers, exhaustion, spasmodic cough, croup, diarrhoea, etc. On page 90, the protocol for spasmodic cough consists of two extracts, Black Currant (Ribes nigrum) and Lithy (Viburnum lantana). She states that the latter has a ‘sedative effect on bronchial spasms’ and the former ‘resolves inflammation, reduces allergic response, enhances adrenal support, and boosts effectiveness of partnering extracts’. This brief description is accompanied by a coloured illustration of the body using arrows to point to the affected area/s. The pages prior to this protocol section consist of a very brief, perhaps inadequate, Materia Medica of each of the 20 gemmos, each being outlined on a single page.

Hubele, in the introductory pages, presents a few sample cases that in general are lacking in the kind of details homeopaths would like to see.

The history of gemmotherapy, which she covers in Chapter 2, is of interest and sufficient for a general readership.

This book is typeset in a sans-serif font, contains two one-page indices (extracts and protocols) and a bibliography.