FREQUENTLY  ASKED  QUESTIONS  ABOUT
GEMMOTHERAPY

 
 

      The information below is found at Gemmotherapy.com and appears in original form at:
http://www.gemmotherapy.com/faqs.html; it is supplied as a courtesy service to our visitors here.  All rights and interest in the following information remain the property of the original author and posting site, www.gemmotherapy.com.


 
 

FAQs

      To find out more about our gemmotherapy remedies, please choose the relevant link from the most commonly asked question below:

 
What is gemmotherapy?

How are gemmotherapy remedies are made?

How do you choose your producers?

Production standards

Regulatory requirements

Where can I find out more?

Gemmotherapy Ltd
 

 
 

What is gemmotherapy?

      Gemmotherapy is a new form of herbal medicine, using remedies specially made from the buds and young shoots of trees and shrubs (other parts are used as well – typically the rootlets, bark, catkins, seeds and sap). They are gathered in spring, at the highest point of the natural cycle of growth and renewal. As a result, gemmotherapy remedies contain many nutrients, vitamins and enzymes released at just this time of year. From a holistic perspective, they capture the abundant vital energy concentrated in the germinative parts of the trees and shrubs.

      Gemmotherapy was developed in France in the 1950s and 60s by a group of medical homeopaths who had a wider interest in natural medicine. They identified buds and young shoots as potentially being of great use in cleansing or detoxifying treatments, because of their naturally vigorous, outward-moving tendency. Later, with substantial clinical experience, the remedies’ effectiveness in other areas became apparent. Gemmotherapy received official recognition in 1965 when it entered the French Pharmacopoeia – the register of state-sanctioned medicines and therapies in France.

      Gemmotherapy soon spread to Italy, where it could be said to have found its true home in the last twenty years. The Mediterranean tradition of natural health, plus a long and distinguished history of medical herbalism, may explain why gemmotherapy is more widely employed in Italy than in any other country in the world. The remedies are readily available and are regarded by many health care practitioners as well as by the general public as an obvious first-choice or adjunctive measure in a wide range of situations.

      With its rugged terrain, ideal climate and dedicated producers, Italy is also the source of the best gemmotherapy remedies available anywhere.

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How are gemmotherapy remedies made?

      In order to ensure that remedies are made to consistent standards and with identical quantities of active ingredients, our producers follow the protocol described in the French Pharmacopoeia of 1965 and subsequent editions.

      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.

      The rest of the fresh plant material is blended in an equal mixture of alcohol and glycerin. The quantities are calculated so that the weight of this mixture would be twenty times that of an equivalent amount of the dried sample. The proportion of fresh buds to solution is about 1:9, and of young shoots, about 1:4.

      The mixture is left to stand for one month in a cool, shaded environment, and shaken from time to time to help the maceration process. It is then decanted and filtered under constant pressure. After standing for a further forty-eight hours, it is filtered one more time. 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.

      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 the whole of this is shaken thirty times to bring it to the 1X homeopathic potency.

      Once bottled, the remedies should be stored below 25°C and out of direct sunlight. They should be used within five years of the date on which the plant material was picked.

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How do you choose your producers?

      At Gemmotherapy Ltd, we have founded our business on our intention to obtain the best quality remedies made by the most skilled producers on a continuing basis, and to supply these to our customers. Several times a year we travel to meet producers, visit their growing fields, inspect their production facilities and monitor their quality procedures. These field trips are an essential (and enjoyable) part of our work.

      We have built a relationship with certain producers whose remedies have proved themselves to be consistently reliable and efficacious.

      Our experience with gemmotherapy has taught us which factors to look for in the manufacture of the highest quality remedies. These are some of the most important questions we ask:

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Production standards

      1) Growing conditions: How suitable is the terrain? How remote is it from possible sources of pollution and human disturbance? What is the native vegetation? What is the prevailing climate in each season? What extremes of heat and cold are found? How pure is the air, the rainfall and groundwater? How healthy and vigorous are the trees and shrubs from which the buds and shoots are picked? Do they grow in the wild or have they been cultivated? Have they been looked after and treated organically at all times?

      2) Gathering: Is this done at exactly the right time of the year for each species, each individual tree and shrub? The correct moment to pick the buds, shoots and other germinative parts varies according to the species and the prevailing climate, but usually falls between mid-February and mid-May. Buds should be gathered when they start to swell but before they open; young shoots just after the buds have opened; catkins when they start to flower; the bark of young trees and roots when the sap is rising. The sap itself should be tapped before the leaves appear. The rootlets of annual plants should be taken from young specimens, and those of perennial plants before they start to harden. By contrast, seeds must be collected in the autumn when they are fully mature.

      3) Production facilities: Are these State-licensed and do they meet all current regulatory requirements? Are they purpose built, of appropriate materials, in a suitable location? Are the processing, storage and office areas properly laid out and separated from each other? Are they properly equipped? Are the remedies made in exacting environmental conditions? Are the staff knowledgeable and properly trained?

      4) Processing: Is the procedure described in the French Pharmacopoeia followed in every detail? Are the additional ingredients of the highest quality (grape alcohol, vegetable glycerin, triple-filtered water)? Are the remedies certified organic by the recognised Italian organic certification authorities? Are the remedies bottled in high quality glass bottles with a teat-ended dropper and secure collar seal?

      5) Producers: We find that this is often the key to everything else. As well as obvious characteristics such as integrity, attention to detail and professionalism, we look for less tangible but equally essential qualities: The close personal relationship these people have with their trees and plants and the landscape in which they grow; their often intuitive knowledge of the natural world and the respect and pride they bring to their work. The best remedies are invariably made by small-scale, family-run or co-operative units rather than large agri-businesses. It is impossible to produce high-quality gemmotherapy remedies by industrial farming methods, or where there is no real connection with the land and the trees themselves.

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Regulatory requirements

      The manufacture of gemmotherapy remedies in Italy, as of other herbal remedies, is overseen by the Italian Ministry of Health. Producers are licensed subject to stringent ongoing inspections and reviews of manufacturing premises and procedures. Organic certification of the remedies we supply is under the control of the Associazione Italiana d’Agricoltura Biologica (AIAB) and the Instituto Mediterraneo di Certificazione (IMC).

      In the United Kingdom, the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) regulates the sale of all medicines. With respect to herbal medicines, it is assisted in this by the British Herbal Medicine Association (BHMA). The relevant legislation is contained in the Medicines Act, 1968 and the Medicines (Retail Sale or Supply of Herbal) Order, 1977. Retailers also have to comply with current Food Standards Agency labelling regulations.

      New legislation regarding the production and sale of herbal and traditional-use medicines in European Union countries is currently in preparation. Manufacturers will have to demonstrate that they meet pharmaceutical standards and provide quality assurance for ingredients. There are likely to be additional checks when the products are sold in the United Kingdom. By 2009 there will be licensing requirements.

      Other, non-statutory, groups exist to promote awareness about consumer and environmental issues relating to herbal medicine.

      Gemmotherapy Ltd supports all legislative measures aimed at establishing the highest standards in the manufacture and sale of herbal remedies. We are dedicated to working with our customers and producers and with the natural resources from which our gemmotherapy remedies are made in an ethical and sustainable way.

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Where can I find out more?

      As yet, only one of the numerous books on gemmotherapy in Italian and French have been translated into English: Gemmotherapy: A Clinical Guide, by Max Tetau MD, available from Minimum Price Books. Dr Tetau was one of the original group of French doctors who discovered gemmotherapy.

      Another book with descriptions of many useful Gemmotherapy substances is called Gemmo Therapy and Oligo Therapy by Dr. Marcus Greaves. It is available through Amazon and is an inexpensive, clear guide to their use.

      There is a growing body of information about gemmotherapy on the internet, although it is of rather uneven quality. It's always a good idea to check as many different sources as you can if you have doubts about reliability.

      If you wish to receive an occasional newsletter about new developments in gemmotherapy and complementary medicine, including new books as they appear, please email us. You can unsubscribe yourself from the list at any time, and we will not pass on your email address to anyone else.

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Gemmotherapy Ltd.

      Gemmotherapy Ltd is a British company founded in 2002 by Nick Churchill RSHom, a registered homeopath who was introduced to gemmotherapy while working with leading homeopaths in Italy.

      Please contact us if you would like further information about our company or products, or if you have any comments or suggestions to make.

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