Surprisingly, a recent area where homeopathy has successfully been applied is the treatment of soils for crops. Many farmers already use homeopathy to treat livestock, replacing chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics and other synthetic hormones with alternative gentle treatment. The effect on pets and animals is well documented in homeopathic and research literature. Homeopathy may also serve to heal from insect infestation, excessive fungus growth, mechanical injuries, excessive dampness, or dry weather--thereby supporting garden and commercial crops.
In the same vein, homeopathy can be applied to restore the balance and vitality of soils. In biodynamic agriculture pioneered by Rudolf Steiner, herbs and minerals are used in preparations through specific burial and fermentation methods. Farmers then mix the preparations in minute quantities to compost or spray them on their fields.
The homeopathic literature on the treatment of soil is emerging yet rapidly growing through reports on local experimenting, cutting edge research, and the effort to grow in more sustainable clean conditions, without the use of harmful material that tend to wash in groundwater. Startingly, farmers experimenting with homeopathy tend to report enhanced productivity, better quality in crops. They also observe that their soils have vivid microbial activity.
Homeopathic remedies help soil osmosis, enabling water and nutrient retention in sandy soils. This environment allows nutrients to wash away and exposes plants to poor uptake in nutrients—in particular potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. In addition, sandy soils are often acidic and need to be rebalanced when seeking a diverse crop. Homeopaths would turn to Silica, Calcarea carbonica, and Magnesum carbonicum to use on their soils. These remedies are made from minerals that tend to reduce acidity, enhance nutrient uptake, and reduce leaching water through the ground where roots don’t reach.
Boenninghausen, Hahnemann’s son-in-law and one of his students accidentally experimented with homeopathy in soil some 200 years ago. Kaviraj, one of the prominent authors on using homeopathy on plants and soils (Homeopathy for Farm and Garden – The Homeopathic Treatment of Plants) describes how Boenninghausen used to throw his leftover remedies in his plant pots, observing changes in the plant vitality. This comment set the groundwork for further forays into using homeopathic remedies to support plants and working on soil.
When we homeopaths treat the soil, we seek to support the growth of healthy crops and plants, boost the soil ability to manage nutrients and buildup a healthy microbiome and humic material. It goes beyond the plant. As indicated by Camilla Sherr (Beyond Organic – Homeopathic Soil Solutions From The Ground Up) the treatment of the plant is comprehensive, treating the soil as well as the plant. Healing the ground helps set plants and crops on the right footing to convert to farming less reliant on chemicals. It also helps establish a regenerative agriculture, which is less expensive to maintain, with a reduced footprint in synthetic input. That aspect is the appealing part of homeopathic remedies for plants and soil, which did not go unnoticed with farmers.
