Title: Orchids in Homeopathy
First edition, 2014, hardcover, 544 pages
Author: Louis Klein
ISBN: 978-3-95582-048-0
Publisher: Narayana -Verlag (2014)
Reviewer: Pauline Wilson
Orchids in Homeopathy remains the treasure among all the books I purchased in 2019. The book itself is a delight to leaf through, emanating the luxury of which orchids themselves portray.
Fabulous illustrations, and a comprehensive layout, the introductory chapters had me absorbed completely in the fascinating world of these exotic plants. A broad grounding of their importance to humanity is well outlined via science, medicinal uses, myth, religion and historical significance etc.
The depiction of orchid’s place in natural history including human, provides the necessary soil for our homeopathic knowledge to take root. Their link with the fungi realm, necessary to provide nutrients for the orchid seed’s germination, and in some orchids an ongoing relationship to maturity; have the orchids sharing themes with the well proved Agaricus and other fungi in homeopathic Materia Medica.
This somewhat unique symbiotic relationship links the orchids to themes of death. We see darker aspects emerge; playing out in themes of living amidst war and violence; protection of children also occurs as a central theme, both of which I have confirmed in clinical experience.
The fragility of children is compared with the butterfly remedies, and themes of purity within / surrounded by violence – domestic or societal. Learning disorders, Aspergers emotional type sensitivity, along with chemical and environmental sensitivity again ask for discernment between the orchid and butterfly remedies.
The full proving Of Vanilla-planifolia is included in the book, with a Materia Medica of 36 orchid remedies, along with a separate section of 5 larger Hahnemannian method provings.
These all bring insight into the family of orchids and their homeopathic use, teasing out themes of each variety for valuable inclusion into one’s practice. Both light and shadow are revealed in the excellent provings; the ethereal fantastical nature of the orchids contain elements of love of elegance, beauty and refinement with a spiritual striving.
The dreams are extensive – dreams of stairs symbolize perhaps the desire to rise above the banal to more uplifting pursuits? The shadow aspects are linked to the historical playing out of colonialism and invasion – the orchid removed from their natural environment to grace the tables of royalty in foreign lands.
Revealed in the grip of consumerism and addictive perfectionism in the client, with hedonism extending to heightened sexuality (and female hormonal symptoms) – look at those provocative orchid blooms!
Other themes include boundary maintenance and ritualistic protection from dark psychic forces – demons and the like; with the desire to cleanse and repel these energies.
A desire to escape reality and create heaven on earth via detachment, gaming, meditation, avoidance of responsibility etc. Heightened awareness with its opposite dullness, inertia, and chronic weakness also open the doors of prescribing to burn-out – emotionally or workaholic – states. Post-viral and effects of vaccination included.
Proof of a great homeopathic book is its usefulness in clinical practice, and to date Orchids has certainly offered this in my practice. I have been able here to give only a taste of this heavenly delight of a book, it is so worth a lingering look.
Orchids is a work full of valuable information, and its presentation makes it a joy to delve into and learn from. I would venture Orchids becomes one of our modern Homeopathic classics, indispensable to our knowledge of Materia Medica.
