Etymologically, the word "gemmotherapy" comes from the Latin gemmae which means "bud, precious stone". Gemmotherapy is therefore bud therapy, the medicine of buds.
Gemmotherapy is a branch of herbal medicine and therefore uses plants to prevent and treat a number of health problems. However, it focuses in particular on the use of growing "plant embryonic tissue" such as buds, rootlets and young shoots of plants, trees and shrubs.
This therapeutic practice, first called "phytoembryotherapy", was discovered by the Belgian physician Pol Henry in the 1960s. It was only about ten years later that the homeopath Max Tétau renamed "phytoembryotherapy" into "gemmotherapy", the term recognised and used today.
The preparation of buds
Theoretically, the bud has a small embryonic zone consisting of undifferentiated cells. These cells could therefore, at this stage, grow to become any part of the future plant (roots, stems, flowers or leaves).
The buds, being the embryonic tissues of the plant, contain large quantities of concentrated sap as well as active ingredients such as minerals, vitamins, trace elements, hormones. They therefore contain all the "future power of the plant" and already have some of the properties found in adult plants.
In practice, the buds are harvested at the beginning of spring just before they hatch so that they retain all their properties. While they are still fresh, the plant embryos are then placed in a mixture of alcohol, glycerine and water to macerate for a while. The solution thus obtained, called macerate, contains all the active ingredients and therapeutic virtues found in the buds of the plant from which they come. For example, blackcurrant bud has energetic properties, pine is useful against coughs, linden soothes and hawthorn bud is good for the heart.
The bud complexes
Complexes are to gemmotherapy what synergies are to aromatherapy. It is therefore a combination of several different buds within a single product to obtain a combined action offering a more effective response to a health problem.
The benefits of bud complexes
Despite the undeniable curative virtues of adult plants, the practice of gemmotherapy has never been the subject of scientific studies or publications in journals. Its therapeutic effectiveness on health has never been scientifically proven.
However, gemmotherapy is classically used in the following cases:
To treat cardiovascular diseases
To drain and detoxify the body
To fight against allergies such as asthma, hay fever, hives and food allergies
To improve sleep, fight against fatigue
Against stress and depressed mood
To relieve joint pain and arthritis disorders
To strengthen the immune system, fight against flu and respiratory infections
Against digestive disorders
Moreover, gemmotherapy complexes all have diuretic properties in common.
Advice on the use of gemmotherapy
Gemmotherapy, like all other therapeutic practices, includes some precautions.
It is advisable to check the dosage of each complex before the first intake.
During the first three months of pregnancy, it is advisable to seek the advice of a doctor before taking any buds.
Babies, children and pregnant women (from the fourth month onwards) can take buds unless otherwise indicated on the box.
Some buds are not recommended for people with heart problems or those suffering from coagulation disorders. They are also not recommended for people with high blood pressure.
For people undergoing medical treatment, it is advisable to check that the buds do not interact with the medication being taken.
