Avril Mitchell
Can the application of Goethean Science further our knowledge of the wound healing properties of Achillea millefolium?
Abstract
All the faculties were involved in the study. Not only sight, smell and taste but also imagination and intuition.
The study involved an objective observation of the herb, using accurate descriptive language. The sense of smell and taste were employed in a tea tasting. From this the bitter and astringent actions were recognised. The effects on the body were also described. These included heat and cold, movement and dryness. Bitter action associated with digestive functioning was also noted. Drawings of the herb were made from memory.
Imagination was employed to "dream" the plant into existance so that those participating were able to re-grow the plant in their mind. Seeking out the essence of the plant involved the use of intuition in communicating with the herb. What the plant communicated was described and displayed in the drawings. There was consensus in the drawings of circular movement. There was also recognition of a gynaecological connection, of the heart and circulation and of heat and warmth. This herb is known to have a dilatory effect on the peripheral blood vessels.
These effects were intuitively confirmed by the use of dowsing which suggested that the herb was not a good wound herb per se but was most likely to be involved in the vascular response to injury.
