City homeopaths’ trials on veggies yield mixed results
Snehlata Shrivastav / Apr 21, 2016,
Nagpur: Sometimes even innocent enthusiasm can generate extremely positive ideas, resulting in new discoveries and findings. Last year, when a group of homeopathy students from Malaysia and Iraq were in the city at the Shaad Homeopathic Hospital and Research Centre for their residential training, an informal visit to a village in Umrer triggered an experiment in using homeopathy in agriculture.
During the visit organized by Rotary Club of South East, the students happened to compare the size and quality of Bhiwapuri chillies at Manora village near Umrer, just for fun. Then, suddenly one of the students thought aloud whether homeopathy would work on plants. This led to the experiment to check the effect of homeopathic medicines in improving yield and quality of vegetable crops. The experiment got reasonably good results in six vegetables.
"I had heard and read some basic literature about Vaikunthanath Das Kaviraj from Netherlands using homeopathy for agriculture diseases. Hence, when this idea came, I decided to give it a try. Agro-homeopathy is in its Infancy. But I feel that in the days of organic farming, homeopathy could improve yield and minimize costs," said Dr Aadil Chimthanawala, who has published the team's findings in the National Academy of Homeopathy, India (NAHI) Times.
The entire Chimthanawala family; Aadil's father Dr Kasim Chimthanawala, wife Dr Fatema Chimthanawala, and mother Dr Sagira Chimthanawala, was excited with the idea. They first experimented in the laboratory at Shaad Hospital in Itwari, and then replicated it in the fields and obtained good results there too.
The father-son duo, Dr Kasim and Dr Adil, both are qualified allopaths but have been practicing homeopathy for decades, are very open to any scientific criticism or trials by others. "We wish some agriculture scientists takes up the project and validates the findings. We are not agriculturists or even scientists. We wish the department of Ayush nominates some university or scientist to further the research," said Dr Kasim.
The two doctors have always believed in scientific treatment of patients. Hence, they studied basic medicine (MBBS degree) to understand the functioning of the human body, the anatomy and physiology. Now, they want science to take its own course in establishing their findings and hence are not making any tall claims.
The experiments included use of potentized doses of silicea (silica), sulphur, magnesium pros, phosphorous, calcarea carbonicum on methi or fenugreek, tomatoes, green chilli (capsicum annum), brinjal, French beans and spinach or palak respectively as liquid sprays. The experiments resulted in not just increase in yield of vegetables, but also bigger, thicker and greener leaves in the leafy vegetables.
Dr Aadil doesn't hesitate in admitting that, for reasons unknown to him, homeopathic medicines didn't work in certain crops. "We got very bad results with potato. They didn't germinate. But there is no harm in continuing the experiment further on other crops like grains and fruits etc. We would be happy if some agriculture scientists join us and guide us. At present, we have just tried to increase the yield but can try them for controlling diseases too," he said.
Explaining some of the homeopathic medicines used, Dr Kasim Chimthanawala said in animals or humans use of silicea helps improve assimilating capacity of any substance or elements in the body of the person. For example, in human body it helps absorb calcium better.
TRIAL AND ERROR * Homeopathic medicines were either dissolved in water or applied to the plants or used as sprays
* All experiments were conducted using non-manured soil
* In fenugreek or methi, plants became stunted but their roots had much better grip in soil and leaves were greener and thicker
* In chilli, use of magnesium pros couldn't produce any changes and could not control the leaf curl syndrome in plants
* In French beans, medicine instilled enough immunity to survive rust disease with better yield