Gemmotherapies

Examples of the Use of Gemmotherapy Remedies

Hawthorne berries are traditionally used for conditions of the heart. The Latin name for the plant is Crataegus oxycantha.

The Gemmotherapy preparation of Crataegus is of the young buds of this plant. With up to 50 to 75 drops twice a day, the effect is magnified. It can be used to normalize heart tissues, reverse chronic heart failure, help in recovery from surgery in children with congenital heart defects, for tachycardia, and arrhythmias. After a heart attack, Gemmotherapy Crataegus will normalize EKG readings in 2 years. How’s that for restoring function!

Wild woodvine, or Ampelopsis weichii, in Gemmotherapy form is useful to rebuild joints as it stimulates the regrowth of ligaments & cartilage.

The Sequoia tree, or Giant Redwood is the picture of strength and longevity. The gemmotherapy Sequoia bud is supreme for being like a fountain of youth, decreasing the signs of aging by normalizing hormonal function, especially for women. It also helps to rebuild adrenal function with Ribes nigrum.

Carpinus betulus, or European Hornbeam, in the Gemmotherapy form, is specific to the sinus mucous membranes. It can be used for chronic sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, and allergies.

Common Juniper, or Juniperus communis, is well known in herbal medicine for its effect on the kidneys and bladder. The Gemmotherapy preparation Juniperus also works on the kidneys to reverse almost any kidney condition, even helps clear uric acid from the body. It tonifies the liver to work more efficiently as it stimulates the hepatic cells for general detoxification, and is useful in liver cirrhosis.

The therapeutic applications for Gemmotherapies are as follows:

General Remedies

• Betula Pubences Buds (Birch): This general tonic increases the bodily defense mechanisms, overcoming physical and psychological asthenia.
• Quercus Pedunculata Buds or Rootlets of Arcons (Oak): Has a similar and complementary action to that of Betula Pubences.

Pulmonary system:

• Carpinus Betulus Buds (Hornbeam): Active in the rhinopharynx and trachea, ensuring healing of damage mucosal surfaces and relieving spasm. Indicated for spasmodic and chronic rhinopharyngitis, tracheitis and tracheo-bronchitis. Is antitussive.
• Corylous Avellans Buds (Hazel): First and foremost an anti-fibrotic which restores the elasticity of lung tissue. Indicated in emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis, but also in certain cases of hepatic cell deficiency.
• Viburnum Lantana Buds (Viburnum): Has a sedative effect on the pulmonary neurovegetative system and inhibits bronchiola spasm. Restores respiratory function. Indicated in asthma of various etiologies and in asthmatiform dispnoea.

Cardiovascular and Hematological Remedies:

A – Disturbances of arterial circulation

• Olea Europea Buds (Olive): Hypotensive and arterial antisclerotic action. Normalises blood cholesterol levels. Indicated in arteriosclerosis and in hypotension.
• Prunus Amygdalus Buds (Almond): Complements Olea, accentuating its hypotensive and antisclerotic actions. The indications are the same.
• Populus Nigrum Buds (Poplar): Acts upon the arterial system of the legs, relieving spasm. Favourises the establishment of a collateral circulation and aids in the treatment of associated trophic disturbances.

B – Disturbances in venous circulation:

• Sorbus Domestica Buds (Sorb): Major regulator of the circulation in the veinous system, overcoming congestive phenomena. Increases tone of the veinous wall. More particularly indicated in the female patient, in association with circulatory disturbances of the menopause, veinous hypertension, the sequelly of phlebitis, varicose veins or heavy legs syndrome.
• Aesculus Hippocastanum Buds (Horse Chestnut): Indicated in haemorrhoids.

C – Disturbances of blood coagulation:
Two buds are active in decreasing blood coagulation. It is most valuable to prescribe them in relation to certain laboratory data.

• Prunus Amygdalus Inner Root Bark (Almond): Indicated in the presence of an increase in prothrombine levels.
• Citrus Limonum Inner Stem Bark (Lemon): In the presence of an increase in blood fibrinogen levels.

D – Cardiac problems:

• Crataegus Oxyacantha Buds (Hawthorne): Excellent regulator of cardiac movement which is slow. Increases myocardial tone, in particular in the left side of the heart. Has a sedative effect on all precordial pain. Indicated in cardiac insufficiency and associated symptoms, cardiac spasms, tachycardias and arythmias as well as in precordial pain.
• Zea Mais Rootlets (Maize): Favourises post-infarction healing of cardiac tissue and produces a fall in blood transaminase levels. Indicated in the sequelly of myocardial infarction.

E – Disturbances in blood count:

• Tamaris Gallica Buds (Tamarisk): Active on the red cell series, stimulating erythrocyte formation. Indicated in hypochromic anaemia.
• Vitis vinifera Buds (Grape vine): Regularises the white cell series and should be prescribed in the presence of a leucocytosis, in particular a lymphocytosis.

Digestive Remedies

A – Liver:

• Rosmarinus Officinalis Buds (Rosemary): Action particularly specifically orientated towards the gall bladder. An excellent anti-spasmodic which regularises gall bladder motility. Indicated in minor hepatic insufficiency, biliary dyskinesia with hyper- or hypotonia, biliary colic and chronic cholecystitis.
• Corylus Avellana Buds (Hazel): By virtue of its anti-fibrotic effect already mentioned, acts as a tonic on the hepatic parenchyma and is indicated in cases of more marked hepatic insufficiency.
• Juniperus Communis Young Shoots (Juniper): Young shoots of juniper are active in marked hepatic insufficiency with markedly disturbed laboratory tests. Juniper is the medication for the very deficient liver in the phase of decompensation: jaundice, various types of cirrhosis etc. Juniper also gives good results in cases of air swallowing where it would appear to have a regulatory effect on the digestive neurovegetative system.

B – Stomach:

• Ficus Carica Buds (Fig): Normalises the secretion of gastric juice and has a healing action on the mucosa. It is active in cases of neurovegetative dystonia. Indicated for gastric and gastro-duodenal ulcers.

C – Intestine:

• Vaccinum Vitis Idaea Buds (Bilberry): This bud is an excellent medication for the intestine. It should be prescribed whenever there is a disturbance in intestinal transit, for both diarrhoeic syndromes as well as constipation, obviously after the elimination of any organic etiology for such problems.

Osteoarticular Remedies

A – Rheumatic disorders:
Rheumatic disorders require the administration of three specific buds that should be prescribed by order of increasing severity.

• Pinus Montana Buds (Pine): Indicated for non-inflammatory chronic rheumatism regardless of the site: vertebral osteoarthrosis, osteoarthrosis of the knees or hips, etc. It is useful to prescribe it in association with birch sap 1 D, preferably given in the morning when fasting in a large glass of water.
• Vitis Vinifera Buds (Grape vine): Indicated in very painful deforming rheumatism and in arthritis affecting the small joints.
• Ampelopsis Weitchii Buds (Virginia creeper): Prescribed for extremely painful and highly inflammatory rheumatic disorders following a rapid course with the production of severe deformity, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis and periarthritis of the shoulder.

B – Gout:

• Fraxinus Excelsior (Ash): Regularises blood uric acid levels. Indicated in the presence of a gouty diathesis, chronic or with acute manifestations.

C – Decalcification:

• Abies Pectinata Buds (Fir): Favourises the fixation of calcium in the bones. Indicated above all in children with bony decalcification, rickets, dental caries and lymph node hypertrophy. Also gives valuable results in alveolo-dental pyorrhoea.

Genito-urinary Remedies

• Fagus Sylvatica Buds (Beech): Stimulates renal function and urine output. Indicated in renal lithiasis, renal insufficiency and in obesity due to water retention.
• Sequoia Gigantea Buds (Sequoia): This bud is an excellent anti-senescent substance for use in the elderly man. Has a remarkable effect from a geriatric standpoint and induces a state of euphoria in the elderly patient with the restoration of energy both from a physical as well as a psychological standpoint. Particularly powerful action on the prostate. Indicated for prostatic hypertrophy or adenomas and in the trophic and psychological problems of old age.
• Rubus Idaeus Buds (Raspberry cane): Has an inhibiting effect on the anterior lobe of the pituitary and in particular regularises ovarian secretion. Indicated in syndromes with hyperfolliculinism and in dysmenorrhoea.

Skin Remedies

• Ulmus Campestris Buds (Elm): Used in the treatment of weeping eczema.
• Cedrus Libani (Cedar): Used in the treatment of dry eczema.

Allergy Remedies

• Ribes Nigrum Buds (Blackcurrant): The blackcurrant bud is a very important medication. It is active on the adrenal cortex, stimulating the secretion of anti-inflammatory hormones. It has a marked anti-allergic action. It is indicated in all forms of inflammation in which the sedimentation rate is greatly accelerated and in allergic states regardless of their clinical manifestations: rhinitis, bronchitis, asthma, gastritis, migraine, urticaria, angioneurotic oedema, and allergic rheumatism.
• Rosa Canina Buds (Dog rose): Extremely valuable in the treatment of migraine and headache resistant to standard treatment and in which there is almost always an allergic component. It is of value to prescribe it in association in such cases with Ribes Nigrum Buds, when in complements the adrenal cortical stimulation and with Tilia Buds, which have an effect as a plant tranquilizer.

Dosing
The most frequent dose of all of these medications is of 20 to 30 drops per day of each, to be taken with a little water before meals, either alone, or mixed in the glass immediately before being taken. These doses must of course be adjusted according to the individual reaction of each patient. The physician may either decrease them or increase them. However it is essential to prescribe these buds in a unitary fashion and not mix several medications in the same prescription bottle.