Gemmotherapy Origins
Should you be interested in how and where all this began let me introduce you to some of the key players.
Pol Henry
Pol Henry, an MD Homeopath in Belgium is considered the grandfather of Gemmotherapy. His first research and published findings date back to 1959, Bases Biologiques de la Gemmotherapie, formed the foundation for Gemmotherapy today.
Henry conducted the first known comprehensive research on the therapeutic qualities of plant buds along with colleagues. He furthered the studies of roots, shoots, and bark of plants that had been used in traditional plant therapies over the centuries dating to the Egyptians and later Hildegard of Bingen. His discoveries were that the greatest healing potential could be found within meristem tissue, the embryonic cells of the plant. In his published studies and book, Henry called his medicine Gemmotherapie after the “gem” of the plant.
Max Tetau
Max Tetau, a French MD, was a collaborator with Pol Henry from the early 1960’s. He and his team continued on after Henry’s passing. Tetau was able to expand the findings of Henry throughout his professional career right up to his own passing in 2012. Tetau believed that what we see as chronic dis-ease today is due to an accumulation of toxins from within the body. It was these deep-seated beliefs that drove Tetau to study further with Henry and bring forth a therapy that could successfully drain toxins and heal tissue on a cellular level.
Professor Fernando Piterà
Professor Fernando Piterà is the guiding force behind the spread of Gemmotherapy research to Italy. As a leading physician, Homeopath, and scientist at the University of Genoa, Piterà has emerged as the next academic voice in the study of Gemmotherapy. Dr. Piterà published the first complete exposition on Gemmotherapy in 2000, Compendio di Gemmoterapia Clinica.
Piterà’s work has proven that Gemmotherapy, based on meristems, is able to extend its action beyond to the organic and cellular levels while classical herbal therapy works only at the functional and metabolic level. He has dedicated his life’s work to Gemmotherapy and its combined use with Homeopathy, and still gives lectures and seminars throughout Europe on his latest findings.
At this moment in history, beyond Dr. Pitera’s work in Italy, the most cutting-edge research in Gemmotherapy is occurring in Romania. The growing integrated use of Gemmotherapy in the daily clinical work of Romanian family practice physicians and specialists has contributed greatly to their lead.
The Romanian Association of Gemmotherapy and Homeopathy
The Romanian Association of Gemmotherapy and Homeopathy (ARGH) serves as a European forum to collect and present the most current discoveries. The association publishes an annual journal and sponsors a lively, well-attended conference at the start of each summer. Member physicians, pharmacists, therapists, and scientists gather to share the results of their work with Gemmotherapy. They are joined by Dr. Fernando Pitera’ who has historically been the keynote speaker.
It is quite interesting to note that Gemmotherapy, Homeopathy, and herbal therapies had a resurgence in Romania during the 1980’s financial crisis imposed by the last communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu. As a solution to the restriction of imported medications, medical schools implemented full training programs in Gemmotherapy, Homeopathy and Herbal therapies for new physicians. These programs still thrive today.
