The direct effect to our state of physical and mental/emotional health from the food we eat becomes more apparent every single day. It is well known that our body needs a number of very specific and general nutrients every day for it to function as it should, as well as a good amount of clean water. The traditional larger scale growing practices will often see toxic pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals used over long periods of time to treat pests and encourage growth. This can result in nutritionally depleted soils which in turn, flows through to the produce grown that we consume. Organic farming using permaculture methods including such practices as crop/paddock rotation is an exception. This natural growing method places the utmost importance on the quality of the soil, thereby producing nutrient rich food. As is one of the basic tenets of organic farming: creating a healthy environment with healthy soil will produce healthy, disease resistant plants.
How can homeopathy fit into all this? Well, there is a method of homeopathic practice called Agrohomeopathy (‘Agro’ is Greek for soil or field) whereby homeopathic remedies are made and used according to the Law of Similars (discussed in an earlier blog) to treat the very pests and diseases that traditional farming would use toxic pesticides for.
Experienced Dutch Homeopath Vaikunthanath das Kavirai has written a book called Homeopathy for Farm and Garden which focuses on homeopathy for plant diseases and issues such as weeds, parasites, fungus, malnourishment, bacterial and viral diseases.
His experience began when he was asked to treat a rust problem in apple trees and noted ‘symptoms’ of dark red rings on the skin and the fact the trees needed more watering than what was normal. Redness and thirst are key symptoms of the remedy Belladonna. He duly administered this remedy to the trees and the rust issue disappeared! It was also claimed that the apples the following year were noticeably tastier. This result spurred Kavirai on and over the next 12 years he undertook intensive research in this area and had many successes using homeopathy for all kinds of plant diseases.
While the emphasis is on ‘treating the plant and not the disease’, the same principal when treating humans or pets, there are instances when remedies can also be used in a more symptomatic way. These often will be in the cases where there is damage or disease caused by a particular pest. The remedies are generally made from animal sources, usually animals that are predators of the pest, or the homeopathic derivations of the actual pest itself. The plant itself takes advantage of either form of stimulation to positive effect to bring about homeostasis (balance), another principle of homeopathy.
I love the fact that the principles of the wonderful medicinal science of homeopathy, founded by Samuel Hahnemann well over 200 years ago, can be applied to select remedies to successfully and safely eradicate pests and disease from plants and crops, as well as strengthen plant health and ‘ímmunity’.
Agrohomeopathy certainly does give serious food for thought and health!
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