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EMANUEL FELKE - HOLISTIC VISIONARY

6/12/2017

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In Germany, between the Rhine and Moselle rivers, lies the town of Bad Sobernheim. The town boasts a spa that is the living legacy of one the most important figures in the history of both homeopathy and naturopathy. This man was the German Protestant Pastor Emanuel Felke (1856 – 1926). Unfortunately, outside of his native Germany, modern naturopaths and homeopaths seem to have somewhat forgotten him and seldom give this great inspirational healer, the overwhelming international recognition that he still so richly deserves to this day. I hope that this blog will help set things right.
 
In his day he was a truly pioneering figure that had the revolutionary idea of promoting homeopathy and naturopathy as combined methods of treatment. When he was a child, homeopathy was used extensively in his family home and he developed a lifetime enthusiasm for Hahnemann’s homeopathic methods. The classical homeopathic approach was sometimes enough in itself, if there was an acute condition, but if disease persisted, life style changes would have to be considered and made. In cases of chronic disease, the combination of complex homeopathy and naturopathy used together promoted a greater effect, as he believed that single remedy prescriptions in themselves were sometimes not sufficient for sustained healing. Emanuel’s love for natural medicine was tempered by his conclusion that the sophisticated “cultured man” that had evolved in the latter half of the 19th and early part of the 20th century, was unlikely to return to nature to a degree that would allow him to lead a completely pollution free natural existence. Leading a ‘sensible life’ was the center of Felke’s philosophy and this meant using naturopathy and homeopathy in conjunction with one another. He was an eclectic, not frightened of crossing boundaries that he saw little need to have been imposed in the first place.
 
Unfortunately, not everyone was on his side. Dr. C. Diehl, for instance, was one of numerous voices criticising this approach. He called the synthesis of homeopathy and naturopathy a “jumble” and spoke rather disparagingly of Felke’s approach: “What in Felke’s method is his own spiritual property? Nothing at all as he puts homeopathy and natural healing into one pot”. Some homeopaths attacked him for going against Hahnemann’s pure doctrine by using complex homeopathy instead of just using a single remedy.
 
Ironically, it was this ‘mishmash’ for which he was criticised, that became the secret of his success. Felke’s followers grew in number. By the mid 1930’s after his death, his legacy lived on. His ‘Association For Natural Living And Healing’ grew to more than more than 4000 members. Felke himself admitted that he was not the creator of any one method, but we can see that he was a conductor of both natural medicine and homeopathy so that they could perform harmoniously together like instruments in an orchestra.  His modesty led him to state: “If you ask now whether I have not thought out and invented anything of my own I say ‘no’ and ‘no’ again”. At the center of Felke’s therapy concept stood the whole person whose active contribution was central to the healing process. As a Pastor he saw himself as an instrument of God and he always considered himself to be to be “a physician for body and soul.”
 
So what is the legacy that he left us with? It is simply that homeopathy can be seen as a backbone to healing, but it also needs naturopathy to support and sustain it. Homeopathy should be combined with the healing influences of light, air, therapies using water and clay, exercise and nutrition. His theory was that the effects of homeopathy run parallel with those of naturopathy. There is a famous spa in Germany in the town of Bad Sobernheim named after him. It still carries out his suggested treatments to this day. Felke was also a keen advocate of iridology and its use as a diagnostic tool. There is an institute named after him in Gerlingen in Germany that trains students to become iridologists.
 
He once predicted that: “homeopathy would one day be the bridge on which the hostile brothers from orthodox medicine and natural medicine would meet, embrace and kiss one another”. To date this dream has got a long way to go if it is ever to be fulfilled, but many holistically minded people are sincerely hoping that this dream will eventually become a reality. Emanuel died 90 years ago, but I hope that we can keep his dream alive and make his legacy flourish.
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The Blood of the Dragon

6/6/2017

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One of the places that I love to walk around is La Palma in the Canary Islands, also known as the Isla Bonita. The air in the countryside is fresh and clean, surrounding you are the sounds of canaries and other wild birds, the plants and trees feel good to touch, and also everything smells so fecund and alive. You can stop and taste wild fruit and the views are simply breathtaking. There is no better way to walk than meditating on something that is both absorbing and fascinating. You can wander through the verdant greenery of Los Tilos forest, or amble around the startling beauty of The Caldera de Taburiente. The island offers barren volcanic craters, pine crested mountains and deep green valleys. Each time you go for a walk there is something interesting to see, unless you totally lack joie de vivre and imagination it is impossible to be bored. Furthermore, walking about and enjoying oneself is a truly wonderful way to spend time and gain exercise.
 
One day while wandering around the remote valley of El Tablado with Agnès, we met an old goatherd who had lived there all his life. Although neither of us had met him before, he insisted that we come inside his house for a glass of wine.

He told us that when he was a young man, over 400 people lived in the valley, now he said that there were only about 17 people left. Going into his home was like stepping back in time: if it was not for the presence of a fridge and television, you could be forgiven for thinking that it was a hundred years ago.
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As a naturopath and herbalist, one way of enjoying the varied landscape, is by walking with the aim of finding medicinal plants, growing unmolested in their natural habitat. When roaming about this enchanting Island, meditating on all the beautiful wild scenery, it is easy to be transfixed and intoxicated. The words of Caliban in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' immediately spring to mind:
 
"Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises
Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again; and then in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open, and show riches
ready to drop upon me, that when I waked
I cried to dream again".
 
The dragon tree, Dracaena draco, a native species found in The Canary Islands, has a long and fascinating history. This distinctive plant has been revered by the local Guanches, for hundreds of years. They made warrior shields from the bark, beehives from the trunk and as we will see below, they used the blood red sap for medicine. It has also been used as a dye for colouring and a varnish for wood. The Tribal Leaders are said to have held important meetings underneath this tree, as it was seen to have distinction due to its mythological symbolism. 
 
The dragon tree has the appearance of a tree, but is actually not a real tree at all, it is in fact a Mararonesian lily that can grow in height to 40 foot and can live to 400 years. Dracaena is a Greek word that means female dragon and there are different varieties of Dracaena found in various parts of the world. For instance, Dracaena cinnabari, found on the island of Socorata (Yemen), is the species mentioned by Pliny The Elder in his ‘Natralis Historica’. He claimed that the tree came into being due to a fight to the death between a dragon and an elephant. After their mutual demises, the tree arose from their spilt blood that became mixed together. All the different varieties of this plant found growing in different countries around the world, reveal features that can be envisaged to have more than a passing resemblance to both dragon and elephant, so it is perfectly understandable that Pliny The Elder propagated such a legend. Dracaena cinnabari was the variety that was used by the Romans for creating a medicine. Dracaena draco is the species that is indigenous in the Canary Islands. In the south of Gran Canaria, there are also examples of the extremely endangered local endemic species, Dracaena tamaranae (David Bramwell: Medicinal Plants Of The Canary Islands pub. Editorial Rueda 2004). According to the historian Juan José Santos, the best specimens of Draceaena draco are currently growing wild on the most westerly island of La Palma and I have been lucky enough to see many of them.
 
The Guanches (which is a general term for the indigenous population found in the Canary Islands) are specifically known as Benahoaritas on La Palma. They originally came from North Africa thousands of years ago and had a totally symbiotic relationship with both land and sea, living a natural and virtually stone-age existence for hundreds of years. Benahoarita culture differed noticeably from that on the neighboring Canary Islands. The abundant ancient rock engravings on La Palma are much more extensive than the scant archaeological remains on the other islands. Also the decoration found on the Benahoarita clay pottery vessels, show profuse ornamentation that is finely detailed the like of which has not been discovered on any of the other Islands. All this has led historians to postulate that the tribes that originally populated La Palma had cultural differences from the Guanches of the other islands. Some historians have concluded that the Benahoaritas came from tribes such as the Baniurae, Baniouri or Baniouras whose origins have been traced to north-western Morocco. It is most likely that they travelled by sea from there and it has been estimated that they may have arrived in La Palma around 500 BC. Certainly both the tribal names and also their art and pottery have a lot in common with each other (Juan José Santos: La Palma History Landscapes and Customs pub. Romero 2006). When the Spanish conquered La Palma in 1492, the island was already divided by the Benahoaritas into 12 fiefs or cantons, with most running from the coast to the summit. This division of territory was the most complex of any found in the Canary Islands and has continued with little change, until the present day. Dracaena draco was first mentioned in writing in 1402 (Boutier and Le Verrier 1872). It is a slow growing plant and every 10-15 years, it produces panicles of greenish-white flowers that then turn into roundish reddish-orange fruits. The resin used as a traditional medicine is extracted by lancing the bark.
 
Medicinally, Dracaena draco has been used as a 'cure all'. The effectiveness of its action is broad spectrum. It can be used both internally and topically. The dried and ground powder is used to strengthen gums and keep the mouth healthy. Current commercial usage includes it being incorporated in anti-aging cream. It can be applied as a haemostatic and vulnerary to stop bleeding and to heal wounds such as skin ulcers. Due to its antimicrobial properties it can be effectively applied on other skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis. It is astringent with drying properties and is intrinsically anti-inflammatory, leading to its use in diarrhoea and stomach pain. Also it is an antioxidant and an analgesic. In 2004-2005 Liv et al. demonstrated in trials that ‘dragon's blood’ could suppress voltage-gate sodium channels, thus reducing the pain stimulus. It is of little wonder why the indigenous population of the Canary Islands held it in such high regard. Some recent research has concentrated an interest in the potential anti cancer properties of the resin (Rossi et al 2003, Lopes et al 2004, Gonzalez and Valerio 2006). Recent in vitro laboratory spectrometry experiments on extracts taken from the leaf and fruit showed that the leaf may have an important role to play in cancer treatment. The leaf was found to have greater antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects on human cancer cells than that of the fruit (Valente et al University of Porto 2012). The plant also displays a capacity to act as its own physician using its own resin to self heal after damage by pathogenic diseases, insect infestation and mechanical trauma. The resin dries quickly after such assaults and makes a good protective scab.
 
Dracaena draco, has been reported as a vulnerable species, especially in the wild. This is probably due to overexploitation in the middle ages. Even so, it is possible to easily locate specimens in the countryside. The young wild 'trees' are found in inhospitable nooks and crannies and on the hot, humid, steep sided slopes of the 'Barrancos'. More mature, cultivated specimens can be seen in parks and gardens and less stark surroundings, all around the Canary Islands. One fine example is to be found in the gardens of a traditionally built house, just outside the town of Los Sauces in the north east of the island of La Palma. The owner remembers her grandmother telling her that it was already a large ‘tree’ when she herself was still a little girl many years ago. In those days, it was being used as a traditional medicine by her family up until circa 1910. After which its usage began to decline, due to the increased marketing of 'modern' pharmaceutical products.


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    Author:
    ​Dr. Colin Perry

    Traditional Doctor of Naturopathy, Master Herbalist and Podiatrist.

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