Homoeopathic and holistic medicine remedies are made from an intriguing collection of plants, herbs, minerals and animal parts, all used in the name of restoring health and harmony. Monkshood, snake venom and sulphur are all remedies that have been in use for 200 years. Modern additions to the list of remedies include Coca-Cola, scorpion and bamboo. The list has been growing in number each year since the inception of homoeopathy and currently there are about 3000 of these homoeopathic remedies. Today, research on each new holistic medicine remedy can take up to three years to complete. Needless to say, there are ripples of excitement in the homoeopathic world when a new and very useful remedy is unfolded.

In Germany in 1994, Bernd Schuster completed research on bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea) as a holistic medicine homoeopathic remedy. The research has since been applauded as one of the most complete, readily applicable and important pieces of work in modern homoeopathy. Bernd and his colleagues had the idea to work on bamboo after becoming captivated by its nature. Noting the similarity of the shape of the bamboo stem to the human spinal column, they surmised that bamboo might be helpful for the pathologically altered or stiffened spine, an intuition which later proved correct.

The nature of bamboo

The nature of bamboo is beguiling. It is actually a species of grass but grows like a tree. It is hollow inside but is very strong. In Asian countries bamboo is a part of daily life. It's used for water pipes to irrigate, as a building material, for scaffolding, as food, raw material for paper and receptacles for food and drink. In Australia, it is often seen as a symbol of Eastern mysticism. It can imply a meditative quality; music played on a bamboo flute, for example, can assist you to enter a trance. The beauty of the leaves is portrayed in countless Japanese ink paintings and we have seen the eerie grace of giant bamboo stands in various movies. Its beauty makes it easy to forget that fast-growing bamboo was used for torture and that some species of spreading bamboo are regarded as a pest. It is known as the fastest growing plant on earth, with one species able to grow an incredible 47 inches in a single day.

In China, people identify bamboo as a symbol of desirable personality characteristics: it represents elasticity, endurance and perseverance. The stem bends and does not break. In a storm the tall branches may bend so much they seem to almost touch the ground. The leaves are moved by the wind but don't easily fall. Bamboo yields to the storm and survives.

Bamboo as a holistic medicine

One part of Schuster's research was to unearth the traditional uses of bamboo as a holistic medicine. Schuster and his team learned that just as bamboo has many uses in daily life, it also has many uses in holistic folk medicine. In holistic folk medicine the leaves have been used to treat blood diseases and inflammation. Tabashir, which can be found as a hardened material inside bamboo, has been used for tuberculosis, asthma and leprosy. In Chinese diet therapy, a soup of bamboo shoots and carp is used to treat measles. The tips of the branches have been used in India for uterine disorders. The shoots are said to be an appetite stimulant and digestion aid. The root has been used for ringworm. The juice from the flowers has been used for earache and deafness.

Some modern studies confirm its anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour effects and its action on the uterus. There had, however, been no systematic research on its therapeutic holistic medicine benefits and Schuster and the team felt compelled to convert bamboo into a holistic homoeopathic medicine and do more extensive research.