Gemmotherapy
Gemmotherapy involves using the properties of growing plant embryonic tissues: the buds and young shoots of trees and shrubs. It can be defined as a genuine way to transmit to us all the overall cellular energy and vital substances to preserve our bodies and maintain good health.
The history of gemmotherapy
Historically, it was in the Middle Ages, under the influence of alchemical philosophy, that buds began to be used to maintain health. Ancient pharmacopoeias specifically mention the use of poplar buds in the preparation of poplar ointment and fir buds for herbal teas and a pectoral syrup. In the 1960s, Pol Henry published the results of his research on the ability of bud extracts to preserve the proper functioning of the body. He called this new discipline "Phytoembryotherapy." This discipline was later taken up and developed by Dr. Max Tétau, who called it "Gemmotherapy." The name comes from the Latin word " gemmae, " meaning "bud."
The richness of the buds
The bud, composed of embryonic tissues, contains all the concentrated vital energy and active ingredients necessary for the development of the emerging tree. The bud alone embodies the properties of flowers, fruits, and leaves, which explains the high efficacy of bud extracts. The bud is, in a way, the concentrated "totum" of the plant. Inside the bud, one can distinguish miniature leaves, stems, and the beginnings of flowers.
The embryonic tissues that make up the bud contain all the genetic heritage of the future plant. These plant tissues are rich in nucleic acids, amino acids, phytohormones, vitamins, trace elements, minerals, and sap. Many other active ingredients contained in the bud will no longer necessarily be present in the adult plant, or only in smaller quantities.
Harvested just before flowering, the bud retains all its purity and strength.
Aging and aggressions such as pollution and pesticides are spared it. In its early stages, all organic life possesses a much greater vitality than later on. The outer layers of the bud protect it from external elements. While most natural food supplements use one part of the mature plant, gemmotherapy uses embryonic virtues of the meristem. Its remedies contain all the properties of the plant, that is to say, the properties of the flowers, leaves, fruits, sapwood and roots.
Thus, the concentrated mother macerate of linden buds ( Tilia tomentosa Moench ) possesses the soothing properties linked to the flowers but also the virtues of the sapwood which plays a role in the good health of the liver and kidneys .
The same applies to hawthorn bud extract ( Crataegus oxyacantha L. ) which has the properties of the fruit (action on the heart muscle ) and the flower (action on the heart rhythm ).
This helps us understand why the bud is so full of riches; it contains all the treasures of the flower AND the leaf AND the fruit AND the stem… all in a single bud.
Concentrated mother tinctures of buds
The buds are Harvested in the spring , at a key moment in their natural development cycle, they are macerated fresh for several weeks in A mixture of water, alcohol, and glycerin . The resulting extract is called a concentrated macerate because it undergoes no dilution. In gemmotherapy, this technique allows for the extraction of all the beneficial properties and vital energy of the buds. Each element of the maceration mixture plays a specific role:
- Water extracts mineral salts, vitamins, flavonoids
- Alcohol extracts alkaloids and glycosides.
- Vegetable glycerin extracts flavonoids, phenols…
A safe, natural therapy for use
Easy to use and accessible to everyone, our food supplements have no side effects. They fit into a daily routine for a proactive approach to health.
When to take a bud macerate?
We recommend taking bud macerates between meals or at least 30 minutes beforehand. A maximum of 3 single macerates, 2 complex macerates, or 1 complex and 1 single macerate can be combined per day. Depending on the bud, a specific time of day may be preferred. (For example: DETOX EXPRESS on an empty stomach in the morning, NOCTIGEM in the evening before bedtime)
How to take a bud macerate?
Sublingual administration (under the tongue), by passing into the bloodstream through the mucous membrane of the mouth, allows for rapid absorption.
However, you can dilute the drops in a little water if necessary.
How long does a treatment last?
A course of treatment lasting at least three weeks is often recommended, repeated three times with a one-week break between each course. This one-week break is called a "therapeutic window" to allow the body to regain its balance and assimilate the benefits of the treatment.
Contraindications: There are no known contraindications to taking gemmotherapy remedies. However, pregnant women should avoid taking buds with hormonal effects such as raspberry, bilberry, sequoia, oak, and the ToniGem, DermaGem, UriGem, and OsteoGem complexes.
We advise anyone taking anticoagulants or heart medication to consult their doctor to determine the appropriate dosage for CordiaGem, CholesteGem, GinkgoGem, StomaGem, and LibidoGem complexes. In cases of hormone-dependent cancers, we advise against macerates or complexes containing raspberry, bilberry, sequoia, or oak.
Syrups
Essential in gemmotherapy for respiratory comfort, traditional syrups HerbalGem products are truly the result of ancestral know-how, a pure concentrate of nature derived from a centuries-old recipe.
Following the saying "Old pots make the best soups", HerbalGem offers syrups based on an ancestral recipe made in the traditional way in a large pot.
The syrup recipe is divided into 4 phases:
- Phase 1, elderberry syrup: At the end of summer, we select fresh, organic elderberries to make our base syrup. The berries support and promote our natural defenses and the elimination of toxins through all our excretory organs. The berries are first cooked; then mixed with water, we add organic wildflower honey and unrefined, organic cane sugar to ensure preservation.
- Phase 2, decoctions of dried plants: Depending on the syrup and what it will be used to treat, we add several plants to water at 60°C in precisely defined proportions. These plants are then pressed and filtered. The precious liquid extract is obtained by transferring the result through a sieve. We then reheat the liquid with the addition of unrefined, organic cane sugar;
- Phase 3, concentrated fresh bud macerates: we add macerates of buds harvested from our own growing sites;
- Phase 4, mother tinctures according to the German Pharmacopoeia: We add the freshest plants after macerating them in organic alcohol to extract all their active ingredients.
