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{{Short description|Pseudoscience on using sap from trees for health }} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}} |
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{{missing information|scientific evidence and evaluation of the concept|date=September 2011}} |
{{missing information|scientific evidence and evaluation of the concept|date=September 2011}} |
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{{More citations needed|date=October 2011}} |
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{{notability|date=February 2016}} |
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[[File:Vitis vinifera 2.jpg|220px|thumb|A bud of [[Vitis vinifera]], the Grape Vine]] |
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[[Image:Ilex 1.jpg|220px|thumb|Young shoots of [[Ilex aquifolium]], Holly]] |
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| ⚫ | '''Gemmotherapy''' [from Lat. ''gemma'', bud, and New Lat. ''therapīa'', Grk. ''therapeia'', medical treatment] is a |
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{{Alternative medicine sidebar}} |
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This raw material is taken in the Spring (in the case of the seeds, in the Autumn), at the peak time of the tree or shrub’s annual [[germination]], in order to capture the various nutrients, vitamins, plant hormones and enzymes that are released during this process, and which in some cases are only present in the plant at this time. Some practitioners of gemmotherapy (they are rarely referred to as ‘gemmotherapists’) furthermore believe that: |
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| ⚫ | '''Gemmotherapy''' [from Lat. ''gemma'', bud, and New Lat. ''therapīa'', Grk. ''therapeia'', medical treatment] is a pseudoscientific group of remedies from embryonic tissue of various [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s, [[bud]]s, emerging [[Shoot (botany)|shoots]], [[seed]]s, [[catkin]]s, [[root]]lets and [[plant sap|sap]]. |
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This raw material is taken at the peak time of the tree or shrubs' [[germination]]. It is claimed that unknown plant hormones and enzymes are released during this process which can somehow improve health. |
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* the [[vitalism|vital energy]] of trees and shrubs is at its highest point when the new leaves, branches and flowers begin to emerge |
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* the vital energy is concentrated in these parts |
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* this energy in some way remains in or informs the resulting gemmotherapy remedies; and |
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* the efficacy of gemmotherapy remedies is enhanced or explained by it |
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== Development and spread of gemmotherapy == |
== Development and spread of gemmotherapy == |
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The therapeutic effects of embryonic material of plants were first investigated in the late 1950s by a Belgian homeopath, Pol Henry<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uygAyfa5Au8C&q=pol+henry&pg=PA80 |page=80 |title=Soigner le stress par l'homéopathie et la phytothérapie |author=Bernard Chemouny |publisher=Odile Jacob |date=2012 |isbn= 9782738178237 }}</ref> working with a group of French [[homeopath]]s .<ref>{{Cite book|title = Bases Biologiques de la Gemmothérapie|last = Henry|first = Pol|publisher = Saint-Norbert|year = 1959|location = Tongerlo, Belgium}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title = Conception de la Gemmotherapie|last = Tétau|first = Max|date = January 1959|journal = Archives Homéopathiques de Normandie |issn=0518-3391 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title = Observation clinique de Gemmotherapie|editor-last = Julian|editor-first = O.A.|date = January 1961|journal = Archives Homéopathiques de Normandie }}</ref> |
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The therapeutic effects of remedies made from the embryonic material of plants were first investigated in the late 1950s by a Belgian doctor, [[Pol Henry]] MD (1918-88), working with a group of French homeopaths and biotherapists including [[Max Tétau]] MD (1927-2012) and O.A. Julian MD (1910-84). They conducted a series of clinical trials on humans and animals to establish the psychopharmacological effects of, initially, some twenty or so gemmotherapy remedies, and published several monographs detailing their findings (see for example refs 3-5 below). |
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Henry initially called the new type of medicine, phytoembryotherapy which was later renamed, gemmotherapy.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Treatise on Gemmotherapy|last = Andrianne|first = Philippe|publisher = Editions Amyris SPRL|year = 2012|isbn = 978-2-8755-2012-8|location = Brussels, Belgium}}</ref> Gemmotherapy was included in herbal therapies in France in the ''Pharmacopée Francaise''<ref>''Pharmacopée Francaise'', 8th edition, Ministère de la Santé, Gouvernement Français, Paris 1965</ref> in 1965. |
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==Lack of evidence of efficacy== |
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== Use == |
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There is no evidence of therapeutic efficacy for gemmotherapy. |
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Although scientific knowledge about the healing effects of plants is still increasing, gemmotherapy has not yet been the subject of any "serious" scientific publication. |
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Gemmotherapy remedies have principally been used for organ drainage in France, generally prior to [[homeopathy|homeopathic treatment]]. There, the primary role of herbal or [[naturopathic medicine|naturopathic treatment]] is considered to be the detoxification of tissues that have accumulated waste material due to the malfunction of the body’s eliminative processes, under pressure from environmental pollution, poor diet and the modern lifestyle. Gemmotherapy remedies are often used in mixtures or combinations, or together with herbal medicines and [[oligotherapy]], in line with the ‘complex’ approach of complementary and alternative therapies [[Alternative medicine|(CAM)]] in that country. |
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It has not been the subject of any randomized double-blind study, the only method recognized as reliable, nor has it been published in a recognized professional journal. |
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Gemmotherapy is promoted especially at trade fairs dedicated to "wellness", in the middle of a cocktail of other pseudosciences and "fake drugs". {{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} |
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In Italy, where homeopathy and related therapies adhere to the more classical tradition of the ‘simplex’ (i.e. one remedy at a time), gemmotherapy remedies tend to be used in a different way. Although they continue to have an important role as drainage remedies, they are frequently also used either symptomatically or systemically as an adjunct to homeopathy and other therapeutic approaches, or indeed as a sole treatment in their own right. They are therefore as likely to be used in the treatment of sleeplessness or high blood pressure as for sinusitis or digestive problems. |
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== |
== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
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[[Image:Fruticosus.jpg|220px|thumb|left|A young shoot of [[Rubus fruticosus]], the Bramble or Blackberry]] |
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{{Authority control}} |
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Producers follow the protocol laid out in the ''Pharmacopée Francaise'' and subsequently in the ''[[European Pharmacopoeia]]''.<ref>''European Pharmacopoeia'', 6th edition, European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare, Strasbourg 2007</ref> |
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As soon as possible after being picked (and with a delay of not more than a few hours), the buds, young shoots or other parts to be used are cleaned and weighed. A sample is set aside so that the dry weight of the plant material can be determined. This is done by heating it at 105°C in an oven until its weight does not reduce any further. |
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The rest of the fresh plant material is macerated in an equal quantity of alcohol and vegetable glycerin, to a combined total weight of twenty times the equivalent amount of the dried sample. The proportion of fresh buds to excipient is about 1:9, and of young shoots, about 1:4. |
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The mixture is left to stand for one month in a cool, shaded environment, and is agitated at intervals. It is then decanted and filtered under constant pressure. After standing for a further forty-eight hours, it is filtered once more. The resulting liquid is known as the ''souche'', or stock. It consists of equal parts of glycerin and alcohol, and 10-25% plant material, depending on the water content of the plant used. |
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To prepare the remedies in their final bottled form, one part of the souche is diluted with nine parts of a mixture of 50% glycerin, 30% alcohol and 20% water, and this is lightly succussed (shaken rather than struck) thirty times to bring it to the 1DH (1X or 1:10) homeopathic potency. |
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If properly stored in light-proof bottles and a cool, preferably dark, environment, the therapeutic qualities of gemmotherapy remedies do not diminish significantly over time.{{cn|date=September 2011}} However, European regulations stipulate that they should be used within five years of the date on which the plant material from which they were made was picked. |
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One or two producers use modes of production at variance to that described in the ''European Pharmacopoeia''; for example by diluting the remedies in the final stage to the 2DH homeopathic potency, or by not diluting them at all and offering them as ‘concentrated’ gemmotherapy remedies. |
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== Literature == |
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The founding work is Henry’s ''Bases Biologiques de la Gemmothérapie''.<ref>Henry, P., ''Bases Biologiques de la Gemmothérapie''. Saint-Norbert: Tongerlo. Belgium, 1959</ref>{{Fact|date=April 2009}} |
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Several exploratory monographs were published in French in the Archives Homéopatiques de la Normandie during the 1960s (see for example <ref>Tétau, M., Conception de la Gemmothérapie. Archives Homéopatiques de Normandie, January 1959</ref><ref>Julian, O.A., Observation clinique de Gemmothérapie. Archives Homéopathiques de Normandie, January 1961</ref>), and in the Cahiers de Biothérapie and other journals of biotherapy and phytotherapy through the 1970s and 80s (see for example <ref>Reymond, E., La Gemmothérapie dans les affections du système nerveux. Cahiers de Biothérapie, April 1972</ref><ref>Guillemain, J., Tétau, M., Contribution à l'étude d'un ‘tranquillisant végétal’: Tilia tomentosa bourgeons. Société Mèdicale de Biothérapie, Sommaire 68, December 1980</ref><ref>Fauron, R., Gemmothérapie et teintures-mères-thérapie associées dans le traitement de certaines affections hépatiques. Cahiers de Biothérapie No 87, supplement, October 1985</ref>). |
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From the 1980s onward, many introductory and self-help books on gemmotherapy became available in Italy (see for example <ref>Swenson, T., ''Gemmoterapia''. Edizioni Mediterranee, Rome 1981</ref><ref>Rossi, M., ''Tinture Madri in Fitoterapia''. Studio Edizioni, Milan, 1982</ref><ref>Brigo, B., ''Fitoterapia e Gemmoterapia nella Pratica Clinica''. La Grafica Briantea, Como 1991</ref>). |
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The most extensive and authoritative book{{Fact|date=April 2009}} to date on gemmotherapy is ''Compendio di Gemmoterapia Clinica'', only available in Italian, by Fernando Piterà MD.<ref>Piterà, F., ''Compendio di Gemmoterapia Clinica''. De Ferrari Editore, Genoa 1994</ref> |
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Some research has been published in English, for example in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.<ref>Hoefler, C., Fleurentin, J., Mortier, F., Pelt, J.M. and Guillemain J., Comparative choleritic and hepato-protective properties of young shoots and whole plant extracts of Rosmarinus officinalis in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, No. 19, 1987, pp 133-143</ref> |
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The most recent works on gemmotherapy available in English are: |
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"Gemmotherapy and Oligotherapy for Natural Health Practitioners," by Anthony Speroni, DCM(P), NHD, ND. ISBN: 978-0-557-15098-4; Published June 28, 2010, by CAM Options, Inc., Orlando, Florida, USA. Perfect books for laypeople as well as practitioners desiring to quickly learn about and immediately start using gemmotherapy. This book is about scientifically-based, real medicine and powerful therapeutic agents. It is a must read for professional or laypeople who want to know about gemmotherapy and oligotherapy! It serves at the core of a college curriculum designed for medical doctors, naturopaths, and other healthcare professionals in mainstream and complementary and alternative medicines. It is a fascinating, well written book providing readers with valuable reference tables and data about how to confidently and effectively incorporate gemmotherapy into a clinical or consultation-based practice. |
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"Gemmotherapy: The Science of Healing with Plant Stem Cells," by Roger Halfon, M.D. This is an English translation (by Jon E. Graham) of "La gemmotherapie ou l'embryotherapie vegetale: La sante par les bourgeons" published in 2005 in France by Editions Trajectoire. |
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"Gemmotherapy: The Science of Healing with Plant Stem Cells" was published in 2010 in the United States and Canada by Healing Arts Press, One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 05767. |
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The main work on gemmotherapy available in English is ''Gemmotherapy: A Clinical Guide'', by Max Tétau MD. This is a translation, published in Canada, of his ''Nouvelles Cliniques de Gemmothérapie''.<ref>Tétau, M., ''Gemmotherapy, A Clinical Guide''. Éditions du Détail, Inc., St Bruno, Quebec 1998 [translated from ''Nouvelles Cliniques de Gemmothérapie'', Éditions Similia, France, 1987]</ref>{{Fact|date=April 2009}} |
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<gallery> |
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Image:Fagus.jpg|Buds of [[Fagus sylvatica]], Beech Tree |
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Image:Catkin of salix alba.jpg|Catkin of [[Salix alba]], White Willow |
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Image:Filipendula.jpg|Rootlets of [[Filipendula ulmaria]], Meadowsweet |
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Image:Juglans.jpg|Bud of [[Juglans regia]], Walnut |
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</gallery> |
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== References == |
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{{reflist}} |
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[[Category:Biologically based therapies]] |
[[Category:Biologically based therapies]] |
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[[Category:Alternative medical treatments]] |
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[[Category:Pseudoscience]] |
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[[fr:Gemmothérapie]] |
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[[it:Gemmoterapia]] |
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[[sl:Gemoterapija]] |
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Latest revision as of 12:44, 17 May 2024
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Gemmotherapy [from Lat. gemma, bud, and New Lat. therapīa, Grk. therapeia, medical treatment] is a pseudoscientific group of remedies from embryonic tissue of various trees and shrubs, buds, emerging shoots, seeds, catkins, rootlets and sap.
This raw material is taken at the peak time of the tree or shrubs' germination. It is claimed that unknown plant hormones and enzymes are released during this process which can somehow improve health.
Development and spread of gemmotherapy
[edit]The therapeutic effects of embryonic material of plants were first investigated in the late 1950s by a Belgian homeopath, Pol Henry[1] working with a group of French homeopaths .[2][3][4]
Henry initially called the new type of medicine, phytoembryotherapy which was later renamed, gemmotherapy.[5] Gemmotherapy was included in herbal therapies in France in the Pharmacopée Francaise[6] in 1965.
Lack of evidence of efficacy
[edit]There is no evidence of therapeutic efficacy for gemmotherapy.
Although scientific knowledge about the healing effects of plants is still increasing, gemmotherapy has not yet been the subject of any "serious" scientific publication. It has not been the subject of any randomized double-blind study, the only method recognized as reliable, nor has it been published in a recognized professional journal.
Gemmotherapy is promoted especially at trade fairs dedicated to "wellness", in the middle of a cocktail of other pseudosciences and "fake drugs". [citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ Bernard Chemouny (2012). Soigner le stress par l'homéopathie et la phytothérapie. Odile Jacob. p. 80. ISBN 9782738178237.
- ^ Henry, Pol (1959). Bases Biologiques de la Gemmothérapie. Tongerlo, Belgium: Saint-Norbert.
- ^ Tétau, Max (January 1959). "Conception de la Gemmotherapie". Archives Homéopathiques de Normandie. ISSN 0518-3391.
- ^ Julian, O.A., ed. (January 1961). "Observation clinique de Gemmotherapie". Archives Homéopathiques de Normandie.
- ^ Andrianne, Philippe (2012). Treatise on Gemmotherapy. Brussels, Belgium: Editions Amyris SPRL. ISBN 978-2-8755-2012-8.
- ^ Pharmacopée Francaise, 8th edition, Ministère de la Santé, Gouvernement Français, Paris 1965
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