PATHOGENESIS IN PLANTS
Solange Monteiro de Toledo Piza Gomes Carneiro
Abstract: Homeopathy was systematized by the physician S. Hahnemann on four
bases: cure by similar, homeopathic pathogenetic experiment with healthy person,
minimal and infinitesimal doses and prescription of simple substances. The China
experiment made by Hahnemann was the way he rescued the Hippocrates Law of
Similarity “Similia similibus curantur” and he claimed: “Drugs can only cure diseases
similar to those they can produce themselves”. This is the original thinking that, with
the drugs trial in healthy and sensitive people, allowed the creation of Homeopathy. As
a result of drug pathogenesy and the compilation and organization of observed
symptoms in healthy person, Homeopathic Materia Medica and Homeopathic Repertory
emerged. It would thus be very desirable to have a repertory of plant diseases describing
the main symptoms to assist in remedy selection, in addition to a ‘‘Materia
Phytoiatrica’’ based on provings on healthy plants. Some authors have demonstrated
that the treatment of diseased plants based on the similarity of the disease symptoms
and those developed in pathogenesy is a promising way. It has already been observed,
to the homeopathic drugs selected by pathogenesy in plants, reductions in the disease
severity and the potential to induce biochemical defense mechanisms of plants. If this
approach shows to be efficient against other diseases, conducting provings in healthy
plants for the subsequent treatment of diseased plants by the principle of similarity can
become, in the future, an interesting way to be used by farmers.